IBM says it stands firmly behind its OS/2 Warp system which has, oddly enough, benefited greatly from the hyped launch of Microsoft's Windows 95. 'Microsoft lifted the awareness that there is value in 32-bit applications operating systems. We didn't need to use our money to create this awareness; we used theirs,' said IBM's division director, strategic relations for the personal software division, John Soyring. Far from conceding the desktop market to Microsoft as some reports suggested earlier this year, Big Blue intended to throw its weight behind continued development of OS/2, he said. 'We are trying to communicate this message: IBM is very committed to growing the OS/2 Warp market success,' Mr Soyring said. A group of 900 employees is being relocated from Florida to Texas to centralise the system's development. OS/2 Warp, which was launched in November 1994, was ahead of Microsoft in the key area of 32-bit computing 'by a long shot,' Mr Soyring said. 'We have had sales of four million units of OS/2 Warp, which gives us more than 10 million with the previous installed base.' The main market strength so far has been among big companies, with OS/2 or the later OS/2 Warp having about 40 per cent of the market among major corporate users, according to IBM. Among banks, the share has been even bigger, at about 60 per cent, giving IBM a 'beach-head' from which to expand to new users, according to Mr Soyring. While major companies were drawn to OS/2 because of its perceived strengths which enabled them to run their businesses with it, they had as a group broadly rejected Windows 95, he said. IBM built on the known strengths of OS/2 by adding features attractive to both companies and home users such as animated icons and the click-start Information Superhighway Internet access facility. Nearly 50 per cent of new OS/2 Warp sales were to users who paid for it themselves, as opposed to companies, he said. IBM has started a 'Dare to Compare' campaign encouraging Windows and DOS users to try out OS/2 Warp. 'Just Add OS/2 Warp,' a free pre-installation diagnostic package, tells users whether their set-ups can support OS/2 alongside their existing operating systems and what, if any, upgrades are required. The package was launched at the end of last month under the slogan: 'IBM offers treat for those who feel tricked by Windows 95'. Dan Lautenbach, vice president for IBM's personal software division, said: 'Few things are as frustrating as finding that a product's promised plug-and-play features don't really work on your PC and then watching your long distance calls to tech support run up while your new software won't run at all.' Just Add OS/2 Warp gives users migration scenarios including installation of OS/2 Warp over Windows 95 or 3.1, or Windows 95 over OS/2 Warp. It can be down-loaded from http://www.austin.ibm .com/pspinfo/drk95.html
