• Software development
• The Internet and e-business with OS/2
• The guts of OS/2
• Connectivity and cross-platform issues
• The OS/2 marketplace
• Tips and tricks

The titles of the sessions are impressive:

• OS/2 in Embedded Systems
• Remote-booting Alien Operating Systems from OS/2
• High Availability with Warp Server (a two part session)
• The OS/2 Programming Model
• So You Think You're Safe? (Security and computer viruses)
• The New NetRexx Interpreter Implementation
• Playing Well With Others: OS/2 and Windows NT Interoperability
• Mesa 2's Real-Time Feed
• Turning Tricks with VisPro/Rexx
• Problem Determination Tools in OS/2
• Thinking Relationally (Data Base design)
• Making Sense of IBM's FixPak Policies
• Extending the Workplace Shell with Object REXX
• Managing a Server-based Environment
• POTS to T3: Understanding Bandwidth
• A Technical Intro to XML
• "Birds of a Feather" Sessions: User get-togethers
• OS/2 Roadmap to the Application Framework for e-business - IBM's Steven King
• Developing Applications with VisualAge Tools
• Cool things you can do with Lotus 1-2-3 and SmartSuite for OS/2
• Demystifying CID
• Introduction to Object Rexx
• Shareware Success
• The OS/2-Linux Road Map - IBM's Michael Persell
• The Small Business OS/2 Survival Guide
• Take a Message: Interaction Among PM Applications and The Single Input Queue
• Getting OS/2 Warp Server past Impulse Power
• Warped Jeopardy
• Marketing your Web Site - and Measuring the Results
• Selling OS/2 Solutions -- One Copy at a Time
• Designing a home network
• Introduction to XSL
• Making the Most of Mesa2
• Running Win32 Applications on OS/2: the Odin project
• The Basics of Java Applets
• Connecting Databases To Java Applications
• Stump the Experts: A Live OS/2 Help Desk
• Java Servlets With A Smile
• Developing Computer Telephony Applications in OS/2

This is a very ambitious program with excellent content put on by the user community. IBM is supporting WarpTech by conducting various sessions here. For a complete listing of the various lectures, please see: http://www.warptech.org/WTSessions.html.

WarpTech will be a hard act to follow, but OS/2 devotees in the east will try September 9th-10th at the 4th Annual Warpstock to be held in Philadelphia, PA. Conference organizers are now calling for presentation proposals. If you have expert knowledge on an OS/2-related subject, regardless of the technical level, which you would like to share with the rest of the OS/2 community, be sure to contact Warpstock planners.

It is always heartening to hear of the outpouring of support from OS/2 users, even if IBM itself considers it a passe product. For example, one of Germany's most important computer related magazine's, "c't" conducted an interview (May 8, 2000) recently with OS/2 chief John Soyring of IBM who made some alarming statements regarding the use of OS/2 within IBM itself:

"The applications which are available on the market run on Windows. Therefore we will use Windows clients for most users within IBM. And we advise a lot of our customers to do the same."

A loyal OS/2 user recently brought to my attention IBM's OS/2 Strategy for 2000 which documents the company's plans for the product. According to the report...

IBM plans to continue support in the following areas:

• e-business enabling enhancements: IBM plans to provide IBM OS/2 Warp(R) 4, IBM OS/2 Warp Server for e-business, and IBM WorkSpace On-Demand enhancements that focus on e-business features and products such as TCP/IP, the Java Virtual Machine, a browser (early release in 4Q2000, general availability in 2001) and the IBM WebSphere(TM) Standard Edition Application Server. IBM also plans to extend WorkSpace On-Demand technology across other client and server platforms with new IBM Network Client Manager product offerings.

• Convenience packages: IBM plans to enhance Software Choice by providing CD ROM convenience packages for Warp 4 and Warp Server for e-business including:
  • Selected Software Choice features, such as Java, TCP/IP and browser enhancements
  • Fixes
  • Device drivers and Universal Serial Bus (USB) enhancements
  • Common technology code base across the Warp client and server platform

  IBM plans to provide technical support for a convenience package for 12 months following the availability date. A Support Line contract is a prerequisite for technical support.

• Hardware and Device Driver Enhancements: IBM plans to provide OS/2 compatible systems and device driver enhancements. We anticipate that over time some hardware device driver support will trend toward USB attachment, while some hardware and device driver support will continue in legacy mode. IBM posts hardware and device driver support information to the http://service.software.ibm.com/os2ddpak/ Web site.

• Transition and product enhancement services: IBM offers fee-based transition services and product enhancement services. These fee-based transition services include assessment, deployment assistance, and implementation. IBM will also consider requests for product enhancement services such as footprint reduction, hardware compatibility test, or device driver development. IBM also offers special-bid, In-Laboratory (In-Lab) Services to companies for out-sourcing the redesign and redevelopment of their OS/2 applications into e-business applications. In-Lab Services allows companies to leverage highly skilled IBM services and product development professionals for turn-key re-engineering of their OS/2 applications.

• Defect support: Limited warranty defect support will expire for OS/2 Warp 4 on 31 January 2001, Warp Server for e-business on 31 May 2002, and for WorkSpace On-Demand R2 on 31 January 2002. IBM plans to continue to offer special-bid, fee-based Service Extension (SE) and Total Content Offering (TCO) defect support for selected OS/2 products and components.

  The rest of the report is a lot of malarkey with the usual push towards Java. Bottom-line: IBM does not intend to issue a major release of the product, or provide Win32 support. They will continue to put out minor FixPaks, but will encourage users to migrate to other platforms, before warranty defect support expires on January 31st of next year.

  Between Soyring's comments and this published article from IBM, it is hard to understand why OS/2 users still enthusiastically embrace the product. Maybe its just too good for IBM.

  Keep the Faith!