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The following was posted to several comp.os.os2.* newsgroups recently:
A Letter to OS/2 Users Worldwide:
Hello,

As all of you have done, I took the time to read the EDM/2 interview with IBM's OS/2 people. Everyone has drawn the same conclusion, that IBM is completely disinterested in SOHO or single user use of OS/2. To those of us who have been using OS/2 since it's early years, this is just short of a crushing blow.

Various proposals have been put forth, here and in other forums, what should be done in the face of our being dismissed by IBM. Some have been discussed in small groups, but lack widespread acceptance. The most widely discussed idea is to have IBM licence a version to an ISV.

The transference of OS/2 for SOHO from IBM to any single vendor will not serve the community of users. A number of OS/2 ISVs have proven that they are not interested in OS/2 unless it turns them a tidy profit. Far too many OS/2 ISVs have abandoned OS/2 and it's users. Popular OS/2 applications have been either forgotten or back burnered. What would become of an OS/2 turned over to an ISV? The idea scares me out of my wits.

EDM/2: What is IBM's target market for OS/2? Please define what IBM means by "enterprise", "medium enterprise" and "large enterprise".

IBM: We are targeting medium to large enterprises with OS/2. We classify a medium-sized enterprise as a company with 200 - 2,000 employees and a large enterprise as a company with over 2,000 employees. Our traditional strength lies with both the banking and insurance industries. We will continue to target those key industries, while also working to expand our market share in other vertical industries.

Herein lies the problem which has so many of us troubled. IBM has said that it is only interested in talking to larger groups of users, with whom it can arrange bulk contracts, create single points of contact and do business in which they can put forth solutions. Within that very same quote from EDM/2, however, we find a gem which can become our solution to this "crisis" we are facing.

Without going into specifics of our plans at this time, I am going to say that Team OS/2 is going to work towards that solution. Starting February 16th, we will be collecting information about OS/2 users worldwide. You will be able to visit our website(s) (http://www.teamos2.org and http://www.teamos2.com) and provide information about your use of OS/2, as well as the types of systems which it is installed on.

The web site will feature forms to obtain a member ID, enter information about your computer systems, the types of software you use, enhancements in the system you would like to see, and software programs that you would like written/ported to OS/2. We will gather this information as part of our plan to approach IBM as a cohesive group. Details will be provided to everyone at the time of their signing up.

We are working now to create a database of the varieties of hardware and software that are available so they will be available for choices on the web site as part of the information gathering phase. If you can contribute a list of video cards, sound cards, or other gadgets which can be attached and used with OS/2, please send a message to with your lists. We will incorporate them into the forms on the website.

Michael McLagan
Team OS/2 Online
InfoWorld
Details some upcoming enhancements to OS/2 Warp, Warp Server, and WorkSpace-On-Demand.

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