EDITORIAL PAGE


THE SQUEAKY WHEEL GETS THE OIL

My last editorial in the September issue ("Was Zachmann Right?") evidently hit a nerve with several readers. We received considerable responses from our readers (see the Sound Off! section).

Nonetheless, I made a small wager with a friend of mine following the last issue that I would not get a response from IBM. I lost. Joe Stunkard, the head of IBM's PSP Public Relations called me shortly after the newsletter's distribution and expressed his disappointment in the article. We talked at length and had a productive conversation. Basically, my message to him was: IBM itself gives the appearance that it doesn't believe in OS/2 itself; and that the Personal Software Products Division (PSP) needed to improve communications to the users. To this end, I invited him to publicly respond to my editorial. Remarkably, he took me up on my offer. Herein is IBM's official unaltered response as penned by Donn B. Atkins, IBM PSP's Vice President of Marketing:


IBM RESPONDS TO THE SEPTEMBER EDITORIAL

An editorial in the latest version of OS/2 CONNECT asserted that IBM does not care about OS/2 or our OS/2 customers. We do care about the needs of our customers and have recently developed a strategy to focus our efforts on growing market share where our traditional strengths lie--with medium to large enterprise customers. This is proving to be a successful strategy. The Mentis Group recently reported that in 1996 in banks with deposits greater than $1 billion, OS/2 market share for servers increased from 32 to 42 percent and use of OS/2 as a primary client increased from 25 to 35 percent. In addition, various analyst firms such as Dataquest and the Aberdeen Group believe in our strategy and the direction we are taking OS/2.

The author refers to the OS/2 Priority List as evidence that IBM no longer cares about improving OS/2. In fact, we have made quite a few enhancements aimed at meeting the needs of the customer set we are currently targeting. Here are some of the things that have been delivered for OS/2 this year alone:

Throughout the remainder of 1997, we will continue to rollout enhancements to both the client and server that will culminate in new version releases of the products in 1998.

Another area of concern expressed in the editorial is OS/2 developers. IBM still welcomes developers who wish to write native OS/2 applications. However, we are embracing Java as the best way to provide new and exciting applications for all OS/2 users. This is in complete alignment with IBM's corporate-wide network computing and Java strategy. With Java quickly becoming the de facto industry standard, we encourage OS/2 developers to do the same. Take a look at these figures: As of July 25, thirty-five Java applications have been certified 100% Pure Java and over 100 Java applications have been submitted to the 100% Pure Java testing and certification process. That is just the beginning of 100% Pure Java applications that will appear on the marketplace. There are now over 400,000 serious Java developers, and it is estimated that there will be 600,000 by the end of 1997. In addition to those industry numbers, IBM has over 2,500 developers in over 20 labs around the world working on Java applications 24 hours a day. Since every Java application is an OS/2 application, I think those numbers are pretty exciting in terms of choices for OS/2 customers.

The author also expressed frustration regarding IBM support of independent user groups and publications. I'd like to point out that despite our change in strategy, IBM does continue to support end user activities such as the upcoming Warpstock. We are excited by the opportunity to provide speakers and product demonstrations for this end user event. And like many readers, we were disappointed when OS/2 Magazine, OS/2 Developer and OS/2 Professional ceased publication. However, those were independently published magazines and the decisions to no longer publish them were business decisions made be their respective publishers.

Regarding the lack of advertising mentioned, IBM has stopped the consumer-focused ads that were run a few years ago in mediums such as television and daily newspapers. This, too, is in line with our strategy of growing market share with medium to large enterprise customers. Our advertising efforts are now targeted to that customer set. For example, we are currently running banner ads on e-zines such as JavaWorld. Print ads in selected trade publications will soon be appearing in copies shipped to OS/2 users. In addition, we are starting a "wrapper" campaign with Forbes. Every other month, CIOs who are OS/2 users will receive their copy of Forbes with an OS/2 plastic wrapper containing an OS/2 ad.

As you can see, all OS/2 activities are in complete alignment with our overriding network computing strategy. This is a strategy that we announced over one year ago and we have been consistent in all of our business activities since that time. Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the recent editorial and we hope the readers of OS/2 CONNECT have a better and more complete understanding of our activities that support this direction.

- Donn B. Atkins
Vice President, Marketing
Personal Software Products Division
IBM Corporation

I want to publicly thank IBM and Mr. Atkins for the response. IBM's PSP Division is welcome to submit articles and editorials regarding OS/2 to this newsletter any time at no charge. As a representative of the installed customer base, we are very much interested in what the vendor is thinking and consider such dialogs healthy.

It is unfortunate that it takes severe criticism to get IBM to respond. I guess this is what disturbs me the most, instead of pro-active marketing, PSP finds itself constantly playing defense. Case in point: the remarks made by IBM's Andrew Howarth at the August meeting of the Gauteng OS/2 User Group meeting in South Africa (see the South African World Report). No matter where you go, PSP's credibility is being questioned: by the press, by the industry, and now by its customers.

To regain its credibility, it will be necessary for PSP to make Workplace On-Demand (the next version of OS/2, formerly code-named "Bluebird") a success. Although the initial reports in the press are very flattering, it will be interesting to see how earnestly PSP rolls out the product. IBM will be under the microscope by OS/2 users at such events as WarpStock (October 25-26) and the Fall COMDEX in Las Vegas (November 17-21). If PSP fails to put forth a credible marketing effort, look for more OS/2 users to abandon ship.

- Tim Bryce
Editor, OS/2 CONNECT

Copyright © MBA 1997