From: rafetmad@cheshire.oxy.edu (David R. Giller)
Subject: News from L.A. OS/2 Celebration and COMDEX announcement
Organization: Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA.  USA
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1992 22:58:34 GMT

I just got back from the OS/2 rollout at the Westin Bonaventure in downtown
L.A.

Surprises:

Windows 3.1 compatibility is done!!  I didn't catch whether the CSDs were
done, or iff all currently-printing copies of OS/2 will have the Windows
3.1 version of WinOS2, but Reiswig demonstrated running multimedia apps
under a 3.1 version of WinOS2.

OS/2 multimedia: demonstrated was a non-CDROM animation and sound sequence
(playing from hard drive).  QuickTime was not mentioned, but from the
description given, it sounded very similar.

Networking: Reiswig showed the LAN-aware features of the WPS.  He had 4
drive windows open: a Lan Manager, Banyan Vines, Novell 3.11, and Novell-
for-OS/2 server (!) mounted drive.  He moved files around, to and from the
desktop.  Four servers, three different protocols, and everything went fast
and transparent.  Nice.

Novell: the Novell-for-OS/2 shown was a 32-bit LAN server application running
under OS/2.  Pretty neat.

Demonstrations:

Highlights of the Lee Reiswig's demonstrations --
	Difference between 16-and 32-bit applications: one application
		showed a 40% speedup, just be recompiling.  the two versions
		were run side-by-side on the same screen.
	DOS compatibility: 14 various DOS applications running in windows
		on the desktop, including DesqView with several programs,
		Space Quest IV, WordPerfect, a couple of serial comm programs,
		Quattro Pro 3.0, two drawing programs, etc.
	Windows compatibility: I think 12 windows programs running on the
		desktop with PM.  MS Word-f-Win, WP-f-Win, 123/Win, others.
		Also, DDE and even OLE was shown, working.
	Workplace: various direct-manipulation and integration features shown,
		such as transparent printing over networks (drag a file from
		the Banyan Vines mounted drive over to a Novell-served
		printer).  Workplace was instantaneous compared to my LA
		release, and I'm on a 486-33/8Mb.
	Multimedia: Lee tried to show what happened when you ran the OS/2
		from-disk animation, the soundtrack, and starting up a new
		application at the same time.  The new application never
		started.  It looked like he only single-clicked.
		(or, the person running the demo.  He just made commentary).

Personal Notes:

Everything is MUCH quicker; even floppy accesses seemed to be quicker on
the GA version.

It's amazing that they got Windows 3.1 running.  And Lee almost forgot to
tell us.

This is personal opinion, but I think many people will agree: Lee was
contrasting last april's demonstration to GA.  The screens he showed had
MUCH more appealing icons, and the progress graph for the graphical install
was much more attractive.  I think the diamond-shaped OS/2 logo (which has
been retained and is on the GA box) should have been retained, instead
of rotating it to be a square.  On the other hand, 256-color icons
are PRETTY.  Or, at least, the 256-color icons that don't come with OS/2.
Would it be so wrong to break tradition and make it pretty?

It was stressed that OS/2 was the only environment available that will support
ALL PC applications (with the exception of certain DOS-extended programs
and 386-mode Windows programs).  It was effective, as was the demonstrations
to this effect.  The two men sitting next to me were snickering and making
jokes at first about the announcement and demonstration's at times hokey
humor... 

(the start of the announcement showed Cavianno (sp?) skiing down a
mountain, amid clips from the Winter Olympics and a fake announcer.  He was
doing a downhill, almost slapstick-like.  He comes down a hill, to a jump...
Oh, no, Windows! [a see-through of the Windows 3.0 graphic is shown on the
screen]  Can he break through them?  [he crashes through the window graphic,
and it shatters, peices of glass flying]  Yes!...)

...were reduced to oohs and aahs by the end of Reiswig's demo.  One cringed
at the requirement of 15-32Mb, but soon forgot about it when he saw everything
it did.

No shrink-wrap upgrades given out, just upgrade forms.  A few lucky people
were given GA shrink-wrap code.

-Dave
-- 
David Giller, Box 134 | Q: How many Oregonians does it take to screw in a light
Occidental College    | bulb?  A: Three.  One to replace the bulb, and two to
1600 Campus Road      | fend off all the Californians trying to share the
Los Angeles, CA 90041 | experience. ---------------------------rafetmad@oxy.edu