From: jst50986@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Jack S. Tan)
Subject: Thoughts about OS/2 ads (long)
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1992 08:54:11 GMT
Keywords: OS/2, advertisement


This article is fairly long.


It would be a good move for IBM to have the upgrade available, accessible,
and *visible* in quantity before the holiday season starts, and to have a
marketing plan ready and waiting.


Some thoughts about ads:

(Referring specifically to "There's a place in the world for DOS and Windows.
 And you're looking at it" ad)

 - Do something [constructive] about the screen caputure [inclusive] or the
   monitor - the graphics come out noticeably fuzzy.
 - Use fonts (for the title bars and the program titles) which are smooth -
   Courier is nice to have, but it looks kind of rough around the edges.
 - Make a broader distinction among fonts - the difference in the title bar
   fonts is not obvious
 - Use different bitmapped and non-bitmapped backgrounds.  (The multiple
   background colors is a good start.)
 - Assign icons (besides the DOS icon) to DOS applications.  Perhaps include
   icons with the upgrade?  This would "justify" their appearance in the ad.
   Then again, including icons for OS/2 and Windows products don't mean the
   come with the system, so the same could be said for the icons.
 - Move the "1-2-3 for OS/2" icon away from the edge of the page (partially
   covered if the magazine isn't pressed flat) closer to the middle
   (perhaps where the "Accounting Vision/32" is currently placed).
 - The same could be said for the "OS/2" next to the picture of the PS/2 -
   move it to the left, into direct view.


(Thoughts about possible future advertising)

 - Would it be possible to include other computers besides the PS/2 at the
   bottom of an ad?  I know there is a "familiar" uniformity among IBM ads,
   but the PS/2 hints at the misconception that OS/2 is PS/2-specific, even
   though the text states otherwise.  Perhaps find the top popular computers
   that are known to run with OS/2 (check drives and monitors, too) and also
   place these at the bottom.  Ex:  Dell (they've an option to include OS/2,
   which is a plus), Gateway (I don't know about compatibility problems, but
   my 486/33 runs nicely).
 - Floor displays are nice and big.  (Does this fit with IBM strategy?)
 - Mention, if possible, large companies currently using OS/2 2.0.  I read
   somewhere that a large airline (American Airlines?) is using OS/2 (2.0 ?),
   as is the Travelers (again, 2.0 ?).
 - Mention the virtues of HPFS (for higher-memory machines):  Long filenames
   (best done by example:  the "John's Folder" type of example indicates a
   long filename, the use of a space in a filename, and case-retention),
   fragmentation resistance, speed, etc.
 - Very reasonable upgrade prices:  nothing beyond media charges and the
   like.  (Will this policy carry into the future?  I certainly hope so!)
 - Make a simplified, "layman" version of the FAQ available as a pamphlet,
   and include with shipments of OS/2 to vendors.  Make sure these are placed
   in a convenient location for the customer to take with him (probably include
   some of the points made below).
 - Include cuts or paraphrases from the FAQ.  (I hope you wouldn't mind, Mr.
   Sipples, and that there aren't legal difficulties.)  Suggestions (taken
   from FAQ 2.0e):

   - "[OS/2] version 2.0 preemptively multitasks DOS and Windows (real and
     standard mode) applications in separate, protected sessions, without
     purchasing either environment."  Explain "preemptively" to the effect
     that, while a single Windows program can reduce the system to single-
     tasking under DOS+Windows, this can never happen under OS/2.  (Am I
     correct in this?)
   - "OS/2 2.0 will, in fact, run virtually all DOS applications in existence,
     including notorious ones. . . ."  This point should be stressed.  Ads
     mention running DOS apps, but this addresses nagging worries about "non-
     standard apps" and such.  Should the "notorious ones. . ." be extended
     so people can see what is meant by "notorious" (other than marketing
     wordplay)?  Reassure the reader that most of the apps that can't be
     run have workarounds:  Mathematica has an OS/2 version declared, VCPI
     apps have DPMI-compatible updates (i.e., OS/2 compatible), built-in
     UNDELETE, problems with timing-sensitive apps "can often be minimized
     or eliminated using OS/2 2.0's DOS Settings, etc.
   - "In addition, OS/2 2.0 will boot  one or more specific versions of DOS
     in separate sessions, to assist in running particularly difficult
     applications (e.g. DOS networks).  So, for example, it is possible to
     multitask DOS 3.3, DOS 4.0, DOS 5.0, emulated DOS, and Desqview running
     atop DOS, all in separate sessions, either windowed or full screen, all
     with the same and/or separate device drivers, TSRs, environment
     variables, etc.  These boot images may be stored on a hard disk."  The
     example here is very tantalizing (include two Windows sessions here,
     too!) and could help considerably.   (Sorry about the long quote)
   - "The operating system can provide each DOS application with up to 32 MB
     of EMS 4.0 (expanded memory), 16 MB of XMS 2.0 (extended memory), and/or
     512 MB of DPMI 0.9 (DOS Protected Mode Interface extended memory), all
     from its pool of physical and/or virtual memory (meaning you do not have
     to have as much RAM in your system as your applications request).  These
     limits are in addition to the up to 730K free conventional memory supplied
     to each DOS application, even after mouse and network drivers are loaded."
     (Sorry about the long quote again.)  Windows's low-memory DOS boxes are
     common complaints I hear of.
   - (Another long one...) "DOS program running under OS/2 2.0  are extremely
     fast.  A single DOS application (no other applications open) running full
     screen under OS/2 2.0 typically achieves 95-97% of the performance it
     would have under native DOS.  If the DOS application performs any disk I/O
     it can actually operate faster than it would if running under native DOS.
     It is not unheard of for disk intensive DOS applications to run twice or
     even three times as fast under OS/2 2.0."
   - "But OS/2 2.0 is likely to be much more resistant to viruses because of
     its design.  Viruses running in one virtual DOS/Windows session are likely
     to be confined to that session.  Low level disk access is curtailed under
     OS/2 2.0, thus preventing most virus infections at that level.  And when
     a DOS/Windows virus does trigger, it is far less likely to disrupt the
     entire system.  OS/2 2.0 is by no means virus proof - no system is.  But
     it should prove more resistant to virus infection."

I think you get the picture...

-- 

Jack Tan                                     Sattinger's Law:
jst50986@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu           It works better if you plug it in.
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy