SWITZERLAND REPORT


by Rene B. Sloot
Oberwil, Switzerland
rbsloot@ibm.net

I began writing this column a long time ago, but this time it is impossible to find OS/2 news here in Switzerland. This is due to the lack of IBM marketing of the product, which leads to more and more companies and private people moving away from OS/2. This makes it nearly impossible for me to continue my column. I do most of my work on non-OS/2 workstations and expect that OS/2 will be dead here in Switzerland soon. Whenever I find some OS/2 news here in the German-speaking part of Europe, I'll come back to you.

I must admit, that a year ago, this would have been the last thing I expected, but it looks like IBM wants OS/2 to die. Some specific reasons:

  1. Netscape Communicator 4.04 for OS/2 is now in Beta. This is nearly a year after I wrote that Communicator would be available soon.
  2. Most of the OS/2 products will never see an update.
  3. Domino client 4.5 is the latest available under OS/2 and 4.6 will not come out.
  4. IBM has no (acceptable) PC or Netfinity system preloaded with OS/2.
  5. Warp has never been re-packaged with the FixPaks included.
  6. It's even hard to find new software that will run under WinOS/2.
  7. After the Nader request to IBM, making the OS/2 sources public, IBM's refused. This makes it impossible for OS/2 to go the same successful way as Linux or Netscape.
  8. The AS/400 lab in Rochester has frozen the connection software for OS/2 (Client Access). For this reason specific AS/400 functions cannot be used by OS/2 users.
It is for all these reasons (and some more) that I sadly have to say goodbye to all of you. For the time being, my private workstation will remain an OS/2 workstation, but what it will be in future, I simply don't know.

Good luck to all of you.
Warped regards.

- Rene Sloot

Rene is an AS/400 technical consultant, an IBM Certified OS/2 Engineer, and a proponent of OS/2 on the PC. Rene also serves on the board of directors for the 'COMMON Switzerland' (AS/400 user group).

EDITOR's NOTE: I want to personally thank Rene for his contributions to OS/2 CONNECT. Like the rest of us, he is a strong proponent of OS/2 who is frustrated with IBM's marketing policies. We wish Rene every success in his future endeavors. His voice will be missed. - Tim Bryce