🚀 go-pugleaf

I have been asked to post the following information about 
OS/2-Magazines. It is cross-posted to various os2 groups, but followup
is set to comp.os.os2.misc.


Hi Olav!

I read comp.os.os2.* and noticed your remark. In response to your
suggestion, I have compiled the following list. Unfortunately,
our outlet does not permit me to post information on the usenet.
Would you mind placing this on comp.os.os2.misc and any other related
newsgroups that are appropriate? I hope this list is useful for some
people out there. Thanks, Richard Hodges.

              COMMENTS ON OS/2 MAGAZINES AND PERIODICALS
              ------------------------------------------
                          Richard E. Hodges

1  TRADITIONAL PRINTED PERIODICALS
   
   1.1 DESCRIPTIONS AND COMMENTS

   1.1.1 OS/2 Professional

        This is a monthly periodical which has been around for just over
        one year. OS/2 Professional is a slick, color glossy magazine
        which typically runs about 100 pages. It features regular columns
        by noted industry pundits such as William Zachmann and Jerry
        Pournelle. Editor Edwin Black does a fine job of pulling together
        a professional publication targeted primarily at the corporate
        OS/2 user, MIS Manager, developer, etc.

        OS/2 Professional is organized into four major sections:
        Articles, Products & Reviews, Tech Talk, and Departments &
        Columns.

        The feature article section typically contains such categories as
        "Special Report", "User Profile", "Vendor Profile" and "Feature".
        Typical articles tend to run in two veins. One recurring
        theme is coverage of OS/2-specific developments. Articles such as
        "The Future of OS/2", "Integrating OS/2", "Windows Version of
        OS/2--a Solid Integrating Platform", etc. The other theme tends
        to highlight various corporations and individual OS/2 users.
        These articles typically show examples of how OS/2 has helped
        make someone a success, or solve some problem.

        Black often conducts a Q&A interview with some industry
        leader who is significant in some way to OS/2. For instance,
        a recent issue featured an interview with Corel CEO Michael
        Cowpland.

        OS/2 Professional is relatively weak as a source of solid
        information related to applications programs: this is not the
        place to look for a comparison of the latest productivity apps.
        Shareware, no matter how good, would scarcely be expected to
        appear in an OS/2 Pro review. It doesn't appear that OS/2 Pro has
        established or utilizes any benchmarks for OS/2 programs.

        The editorials in OS/2 Professional have a decidedly political
        edge. Edwin Black generally offers some market analysis ranging
        from doom and gloom to cautious optimism. Zachmann's View is
        usually gazeing over the broad architectural landscape of IBM
        operating systems vis a vis Microsoft's. Predictably, Zachmann
        is inclined to put on the binoculars and focus attention on the
        latest smokescreen from Microsoft. This politico-IBM orientation
        also spills over into some articles and interviews.

        Jerry Pournelle's recent addition, "The View From Chaos Manor"
        brings a much needed end-user perspective to the magazine. For
        instance, Jerry has discovered many obvious quirks in OS/2
        (such as the idiotic "Find" and "Locate" commands). Hopefully,
        if someone of Pournelle's reputation identifies these problems
        the OS/2 developers (or someone!) will get around to doing
        something about them. Unfortunately, Jerry still seems to view
        OS/2 as a platform for running Windows programs. He can't resist
        the ever present temptation to send IBM some more good advice...

        Overall, I regard OS/2 Professional as a worthwhile publication.
        It has plenty of advertisements, reports of new products, some
        useful tips and REXX programming hints. Unfortunately, I sometimes
        find the political tone of magazine tiresome and almost depressing.
        Indeed, even the photos of the authors look gloomy. Nobody smiles.

   1.1.2 OS/2 Magazine

        OS/2 Magazine is a new monthly periodical which appeared last
        December (1993). It is a glossy color periodical which
        (so far) runs about 85 pages. OS/2 Magazine provides coverage
        of OS/2 that is distictly oriented toward the end-user. The
        articles and editorial copy are aimed at _average_ end users,
        a welcome perspective. Discussion of software products is
        typically prefaced by some plain-language description of
        why one would need it. Acronyms are always defined, and the
        magazine seems to consciously avoid paragraphs that look like
        they were taken from an IBM service manual, or a game of techo-
        scrabble. It is enjoyable reading.

        OS/2 Magazine is divided into four sections: Articles, Reviews,
        Departments and Columns. The articles on OS/2 are typically
        in the "how to" vein or else are tutorial in nature. Examples
        include, "Customizing your OS/2 Desktop", "While You Wait" (a
        very readable explanation of why multitasking is useful for an
        average end user), "OS/2 on a Laptop". So far, the cover story
        has tended to focus on OS/2 itself, rather than products for
        OS/2. For instance, the March issue features, "OS/2 for Windows".

        One thing I found distinctive about OS/2 Magazine is the honesty
        of the product reviews. The reviews give a straightforward view
        of the author's experience with the product. There is evidently
        little bias shown to native OS/2 products -- for instance, the
        March issue's review of word processors flatly states that
        Windows word processors are better than the current crop of
        native OS/2 word processors. On the downside, the product
        reviews are not as precise and detailed as one would like.
        In some cases, the reviews are a bit sloppy. There is little
        _quantitative_ comparison of products (although, admittedly
        these kinds of tests can often be misleading). Bottom line:
        the magazine provides useful information about applications
        software and how it performs.

        Long-time OS/2 users will recognize some ex-IBMers among the
        authors in OS/2 Magazine. They are unequivocally _NEW_ IBM. The
        authors of editorial and opinion columns in OS/2 Magazine
        avoid the geo-political-operating-system-war-game-strategy
        attitude that is prevalent in many periodicals. Although
        the editorials and opinions columns do not shrink from
        complaining about problems (again, end-user viewpoint), the
        overall tone is positive. All of the authors are smiling!
        Another unique aspect of OS/2 Magazine is the column by Amy Wohl
        (in fact, she's the only "big name" writer). This provides a
        welcome departure from the male dominated computer press.

        Columns in OS/2 Magazine are filled with useful "how to"
        information. How to code REXX macros. How to find an OS/2
        user group. How to find the latest OS/2 books. There's a
        helpful "Tips and Tricks" column with useful information to
        help a person set up and customize the system. Etc, etc, etc.
        
        Overall, OS/2 Magazine is a very valuable resource, particularly
        for NEW OS/2 users. It has plenty of advertisements and listings
        of new products. The tone is positive and the magazine properly
        focuses attention on how to solve problems and make things
        work for you. The product reviews should improve over time
        (bear in mind, this is only about the third issue -- VERY
        impressive quality for a startup). One useful addition would be
        a regular review of good shareware programs.


   1.1.3 OS/2 Developer Magazine

        OS/2 Developer is a bimonthly periodical originally put out
        by IBM, but now taken over by an independent publisher. This
        is the "Microsoft Systems Journal of OS/2". It has evidently
        been in print for 5 years (vol. 5). OS/2 Developer is a
        high quality, professional, glossy color periodical which
        runs over 100 pages. The magazine is evidently targeted
        primarily at developers, but honest-to-gosh power users and
        system administrators will also find useful information here.

        For developers, the magazine provides overview coverage of various
        API subsystems in OS/2 with tips and recommendations for
        programming practice. For example, there have been articles
        describing the various containers (Notebooks, file boxes, etc),
        articles on the printing subsystem, speech recognition, etc.
        Also, there is an ongoing "Tools" section with "how to"
        information on a variety of available programming tools. The
        "Product Watch" column tells of the latest OS/2 tools and
        applications.

        There are also articles of more general interest (although not
        for an average end user). For instance, the July/August 1993
        edition has an article describing Taligent. The material
        comes from "Mr. Taligent himself, Joe Guglielmi". Another
        article gives a programming overview of Lan Netview. 

        Editor Dick Conklin does an excellent job with OS/2 Developer.
        It is lively, colorful and informative. It appears to be
        _must_ reading for a serious OS/2 developer.


   1.1.4 Inside OS/2

        This is the Cobb Group's newletter. I only looked at it once
        over a year ago. Appears to be a useful compilation of
        "tips and techniques". Probably a big time saver for people
        who maintain OS/2 for a living and don't have time to dig
        around bulletin boards, internet, CompuServe, etc. for info.


   1.1.5 OS/2 Newsletter

        Never saw it. No info.

   1.1.6 OS/2 Week

        This is the periodical of choice for OS/2-politics junkies.
        A weekly (obviously) that features everything from latest
        product announcements to detailed coverage of staff changes
        within IBM. Here are some sample headlines to get you started:

        Oct.  4, 1993 OS/2 Target: 4 million copies by Q2
        Oct. 11, 1993 IBM Plans Ferengi raid
        Oct. 18, 1993 IBM team ports NT
        Nov.  1, 1993 Ambra preloads OS/2
        Nov. 15, 1993 WordPerfect redirects OS/2 strategy
        Nov. 29, 1993 OS/2 hits 4.5 million
        Dec. 13, 1993 PSP Gets SmartSuite
        Dec. 20, 1993 SmartSuite facing two problems

        As the advertisement says, "No one can deliver the inside
        scoops on the OS/2 market like the staff of OS/2 Professional"

   1.1.7 OS/2 Monthly

        This (apparently defunct) magazine was started as a part-time
        effort by a single individual during some of OS/2's darkest
        days, when Windows 3.1 was in its early heyday and OS/2 was
        derided by nearly every major periodical as either dead, or a
        joke. Originally an amateurish, grass roots publication, OS/2
        Monthly was built on the labor and contributions of a few
        generous believers in the spirit is now fully invested in
        "Team OS/2". As time went on, the production quality improved
        and the last issues that I received became surprisingly polished.

        OS/2 Monthly (something of a misnomer since one never knew if
        and when the next issue might arrive) had the raw appeal of
        enthusiasm combined with straightforward, honest (if sometimes
        optimistic) reporting. There was plenty of useful information.
        I particularly appreciated the fact that OS/2 Monthly afforded
        the same serious attention to quality shareware programs that
        is given to commercial programs.

        If anybody knows if OS/2 Monthly is still in publication, please
        contact me. I think they still owe me a couple of issues. Or
        maybe not. In any event, I liked it. Whatever its fate, I hold
        a soft spot in my heart this magazine.

   1.1.8 Windows Magazine

        For those who don't know, the *original* name of this periodical
        was "OS/2 Magazine" and none other than Bill Gates adorned the
        premier edition cover in a cheap, ill-fitting brown suit.
        Later, Gates again appeared in an interview with an IBM stuffed
        shirt honcho named Cannavino. Shortly thereafter, around the time
        of Windows 3.0, the name of the magazine changed to "OS/2 and
        Windows Magazine". That lasted an issue or two, then it went to
        "Windows and OS/2 Magazine". OS/2 users started to grumble.
        A few issues later, it finally went to "Windows Magazine" and
        OS/2 users went into a full revolt of cancellations.

        That was then, this is now. In spite of the name, Windows
        Magazine still has at least one old time OS/2 user, writer
        John Ruley. Ruley generally writes solid copy and has useful
        information to report. The magazine occationally tips its hat
        to the OS/2 community with an article on OS/2, or some
        information related to running Windows programs under OS/2.
        Maybe if enough OS/2 for Windows users subscribe and write
        letters, they will change the name to "Windows and OS/2 Magazine".
        And, if even more do so, it could go to "OS/2 and Windows Magazine"
        and then....... :-)

   1.2 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

        OS/2 Professional
        4604 Chicago Ave.
        Minneapolis, MN  55407
        Tel: (612) 823-2657
        FAX: (612) 823-0151

           Subscription to OS/2 Professional:
           Tel: (301) 770-4OS2 (automated telephone subscription)
           mail: Send $30 check or money order to New Subscriptions
                 at the above address.
           e-mail: Electronic requests must be preformatted using the
                   OS2PRO.EXE program available as OS2PRO.ZIP through
                   file area 15 of the CompuServe OS2USER forum, BBS's...
                   Send request forms to os2pro@mcimail.com


        OS/2 Magazine
        A Miller Freeman publication
        600 Harrison Street
        San Francisco, CA 94107
        Tel: (415) 905-2200
        FAX: (415) 905-2499

           Subscription to OS/2 Magazine:
           Tel: (800) 765-1291
           mail: Send subscription requests to:
                 OS/2 Magazine
                 PO Box 56664
                 Boulder, CO 80323-6664


        OS/2 Developer Magazine
           Tel: 800-WANT-OS2 or 708-647-5960
           FAX: 708-647-0537

        Inside OS/2
           Tel: 502-491-1900
    
        OS/2 Newsletter
           Tel: 714-495-3757

        OS/2 Week
           Mail subscription requests to:
           OS/2 WEEK
           172 Rollins Ave.
           Rockville, MD 20852
           FAX: (301) 770-7062 (Get a request form from OS/2 Pro. Mag)

        OS/2 Monthly
           Tel: 800-365-2642)
           e-mail 72550.2440@compuserve.com
           Note: OS/2 Monthly seems to have died....


2  ELECTRONIC PUBLICATIONS AND PERIODICALS

   There is a variety of OS/2 related information sources available
   in electronic media. This is just a brief overview, at best.
   
   2.1 GENERAL INTEREST NEWSLETTERS
         The following are available free on ftp-os2.cdrom.com
         in pub/os2/2_x/info/newsltr.  I assume they can also be found
         on OS/2 BBS's around the country.


   2.1.1 OS/2 FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

         This free publication is a valuable general purpose
         resource of information for new and experienced users alike.
         Timothy Sipples does an outstanding job of maintaining the
         list and keeping it up to date. The list is surprisingly
         comprehensive and well organized. Available in both ASCII
         text and OS/2 INF format. The INF version is particularly
         convenient due to cross-referenced hypertext links, which
         generally puts the information you want a mouse click away.
         (Can you say "Information at your fingertips", Bill?)
         Check the FAQ _BEFORE_ posting questions to usenet.
         On ftp-os2.cdrom.com pub/os2/all/faq.

   2.1.2 San Diego OS/2 Users Group Newletter.

         An OS/2 INF format newsletter with remarkably high production
         quality. Features product reviews, tips, editorials, lists
         of OS/2 BBS's, and more. One of the oldest and best of the
         electronic newletters available. You don't have to live in
         San Diego to enjoy this one!

         Anyone who wants see the "right" way to use the OS/2 online
         book facility would do well to look at this publication.
         Late last year the San Diego OS/2 Users Group was considering
         converting the newsletter to formal paid subscription printed
         format.

   2.1.3 The Hitchhikers Guide to OS/2

         Evidently a recent startup. Rather short and amateurish.


   2.2 SPECIAL INTEREST NEWSLETTERS
         The following are available free on ftp-os2.cdrom.com
         in pub/os2/2_x/info/newsltr.  I assume they can also be found
         on OS/2 BBS's around the country.

   2.2.1 Team OS/2 News

         A bimonthly newsletter reporting activities of Team OS/2
         in INF format. Includes summary of Team OS/2 activities and
         articles on Team OS/2 events such as activities at Comdex.
         In addition, Team OS/2 organizers and members are introduced.
         Sometimes, there are photos of Team OS/2ers so you can put
         a face to the name you correspond with electronically!

         A good source of information for anyone interested in getting
         involved in Team OS/2.

   2.2.2 Electronic Developer's Magazine

         A very high quality magazine (in OS/2 INF format) that covers
         a range of programming topics. Includes everything from
         tutorials on PM programming and REXX to nitty gritty details
         of Installable File Systems. If you are into OS/2 programming
         at any level (beginner up) check this one out. Ex-IBMer Larry
         Soloman does an outstanding job on this publication. Some of
         the old OS/2 Monthly writers seem to be on EDM.

         Can be obtained at ftp-os2.cdrom.com at
         /pub/os2/2_x/program/newsltr.

         To subscribe electronically, send an empty mail message to
         EDM2-info@knex.via.mind.org.

         Also found on IBM's gopher site at Almaden and CompuServe.

   2.2.3 Minnesota OS/2 Users Group Newletter.
   2.2.4 Midwest OS/2ers Grassroots Gazette
   2.2.5 Mid Missouri OS/2 Users Group Newsletter
   2.2.6 Pacific Northwest OS/2 Users Group Newsletter
   2.2.7 L.A. Technical Architect Group newsletter
   2.2.8 IBM C/Set Newsletter


Olav Torvund
Senior Lecturer, dr. juris
Norwegian Research Center for Computers and Law
University of Oslo, Norway
olav.torvund@jus.uio.no

Posted with NR/2 running under OS/2 2.1 - a strong combination!