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A Warpstock '98 Special Report
"Peter," Terry said to me with a smile, "what I really want is a special story. You were at Warpstock last year, and you're here this year. What I'd really like to read is a story about your impressions." Impressions. This was, of course, the second Warpstock. The man whose idea became the first Warpstock, Felix Cruz, has since moved on. The attendance this year was even better than last, showing OS/2 interest hasn't dwindled. But these are facts. Not impressions. When I spoke with OS/2 users at Warpstock, I found over and over that I was talking with people who understand quite fully all the aspects of positioning an operating system in this crazy world of ours. Windows 95 users aren't like that. A very good friend of mine bought his computer, preloaded with Windows 95, because he liked the color of the cabinet. His was not a technological decision. And the Linux users, brilliant and innovative though they are, still appear to be a group of radicals fighting a guerrilla war and winning a few skirmishes here and there. They're no threat to us, and we even benefit from some of their contributions. I'd have to say that a long-term impression of mine, one that's clearer now than ever before, is that our fight is with NT. We don't want OS/2 in a niche market of small Java servers. We want the corporations of the world to give OS/2 the installed base it fully deserves, as the technically superior operating system that it is. Everyone at Warpstock had a great time. All of the vendors I spoke with were happy they came. My impression of Warpstock '98 is that, just like last year, it is one of the best things that can happen for our beloved operating system. Even those attendees that most fear the future walked away with confidence in what will happen next for OS/2. So my impression is this: We've fought long and hard and we've won a lot of fights; our developers have given us unsurpassed software and our network gurus have connected us throughout the world; our numbers haven't decreased, and every loss is replaced with a user who is tired of the inferiority of other platforms. My impression is we've still got a fight ahead of us, we've shown we're up to the challenge and we're not backing down in the face of attack. We will continue to stand firm with our position, that OS/2 is the most robust and technically superior operating system, and we'll be back again next year and the year after that, to celebrate Warpstock, to celebrate dedication, and to celebrate OS/2.
For other Warpstock '98 articles see the
Warpstock '98 Article Index.
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