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Felix Eng (englf@singnet.com.sg) wrote:
: From: Owner-OS2News@teamos2.org
: Subject: OS2News: Datamation - Can IBM Work Magic with Merlin?
: Sender: Owner-OS2News@teamos2.org
: Precedence: bulk
: Apparently-To: <jasonho@singnet.com.sg>
: Apparently-To: <englf@singnet.com.sg>
: Status:   
:   
: April 1, 1996
:   
: Datamation
:   
: Can IBM Work Magic with Merlin?
:   
:    Although IBM is concentrating on the server side these days, the
:    company is about to begin beta testing Merlin, the next version of
:    OS/2 desktop. A production version is slated for midyear.
:    
:    When Merlin goes into public beta testing this month, it will include:
:      * Developer API extensions (DAX), a collection of the most commonly
:        used Windows 3.x APIs. DAX will enable a developer to write the
:        bulk of an application so that it will run on Warp or Windows
:        (version 3.x initially, and Windows95 at a later date);
:      * OpenDoc object technology from Component Integration Laboratories,
:        which will be integrated into Merlin's user interface and be
:        provided in the form of runtime libraries;
:      * A network-aware user interface with translucent windows and
:        user-customizable settings;
:      * C2 security extensions;
:      * Improved input queuing, multimedia and game capabilities, enhanced
:        plug-and-play features;
:      * New components for the BonusPak, a collection of free applets.
:        
:    Other possible features include speech recognition; a set of built-in
:    communications APIs, along with a common address book or contact
:    manager; a version of the Notes 4.0 client with mail capabilities
:    built into the base operating system; and a new file system--possibly
:    the Journaled File System used on AIX machines.
:    
:    "We've been working hard on usability and installability," says Wally
:    Casey, director of marketing for IBM's Personal Software Products
:    division in Austin, Texas. "Windows95 did a nice job in the user
:    interface area, but we think we can do an industrial-strength version
:    of what they provided."
:    
:    One feature that Merlin won't include is built-in Win32 binaries.
:    Considered vital by many OS/2 fans, built-in Win32 binaries would
:    enable IS shops to run Win32-based Windows applications natively on
:    OS/2. IBM will include built-in support for Win32s based applications,
:    but not full Win32-based ones.
:    
:    IBM officials claim that the majority of Windows applications are
:    Win32-based and that to support full Win32 would kill off the market
:    for native OS/2 applications. While many of the most vocal of the OS/2
:    faithful say they back IBM's position, others say they're not so
:    sure--especially those who want to run Office 95, a suite based on
:    Win32, on their OS/2 systems.
:    
:    "Our lingering concern is what will happen with object and code
:    compatibility with Windows programs when Merlin comes out," says
:    Marshall Caro, managing director of information services with Cantor
:    Fitzgerald Securities in New York City. "Right now, we can run almost
:    any Windows applications we want to." Cantor Fitzgerald Securities
:    currently runs Warp Server and LAN Server on its 25-plus servers, and
:    a mixture of Warp Connect and OS/2 2.11 on its more than 1,000 desktop
:    PCs.
:    
:    Cantor Fitzgerald also would like to see SMP support. "We want to be
:    able to run versions with consistent features across our desktops and
:    servers," Caro says. However, SMP support for Warp Server is months
:    away; broad-scale beta of the technology began in late February.
:    Sources say desktop SMP support, too, could lag behind.
:    
:    Another IBM user agrees with the need for full Win32 compatibility.
:    "We have to have Win32 support--even if we don't use Microsoft Office
:    95," says Bill Howley, a senior systems consultant with Irvine,
:    Calif.-based Avco Financial Services. "We need to be able to run
:    NetScape 2.0 Gold on top of Merlin and have it just work."
:    
:    Avco, which runs OS/2 Warp on nearly 4,000 desktops throughout the
:    United States, also wants true plug-and-play support, especially for
:    PCMCIA cards. "Plug and play has to be first on the list," Howley
:    says. "Right now, one of the toughest things about using Warp is
:    getting cards to work.
:    
:    "The question for us is whether IBM's emphasis with Merlin will be on
:    end users, corporations, or both," Howley says. Microsoft has not made
:    its answer clear with Windows95, he says, but for IBM, "the answer has
:    to be both."
:    
:    --By Mary Jo Foley
: