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From: Owner-OS2News@teamos2.org
Subject:OS2News: Next Version of OS/2 Warp - Merlin
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Next Version of OS/2 Warp Will Connect You ... to the Internet,
 the Office and the Home
April 2, 1996
 
With IBM's Merlin There Will Be No Barriers
 to Connecting to Anywhere at Any Time
 
LAS VEGAS, Nev., April 2, 1996 . . . At Networld+Interop today,
IBM took the wraps off the next version of OS/2* Warp, code-named
Merlin, demonstrating its capabilities as a premier network client
for a broad customer set.  Merlin will provide Internet, office and
remote connectivity solutions, establishing itself as an ideal
operating system choice for everyone from the connected consumer to
the large enterprise customer.
 
"With today's tough business conditions, easy-to-use and
industrial strength connectivity is what organizations of all sizes
must have in order to excel, or even compete," said Shaku Atre,
president of Atre Group, a research and consulting company based in
Port Chester, New York.  "Merlin promises to set a new standard for
desktop productivity and performance with its multitude of powerful,
pre-integrated connectivity features."
 
 
Connect to the Internet...
 
Merlin will take advantage of a built-in Web browser and
object-oriented technology to make getting onto the Internet easier
than before.  Users will be able to conveniently place icons
representing their most frequently visited World Wide Web sites onto
the computer desktop and then click on them to instantly launch an
Internet home page.  The URLs (Universal Resource Locators)
represented by the icons can be loaded onto and off of diskettes and
grouped into folders.  This will give business users easy, fast
access to information on the Web and home users hassle-free 'Net
surfing.
 
Merlin also will allow simple and seamless interaction with a
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server through a new FTP folder that
resides on the computer desktop. All users have to do to access an
FTP server on the Internet is open the folder.  They can then drag
and drop files from their desktop to the server, and vice-versa.
This eliminates the need to work from a command line or Web browser
to connect to files on an FTP location.
 
"We clearly recognize the continued importance of network access
for a broad set of customers, and we want to establish Merlin as the
premier desktop offering in an increasingly connected world," said
Wally Casey, vice president of client product management for IBM
Personal Software Products.  "In addition to sharing information over
local and wide area networks, more and more workers are going to the
Internet to help them get the job done, and we want information
retrieval to be smooth and painless."
 
Merlin users also should have access to a lot of applications
once they are on the Internet.  Under Merlin it will be easy for
developers to port Windows Internet programs to the OS/2 platform.
This is because the Winsock APIs used to build those applications
will be supported under the IBM Developer API Extensions built into
Merlin.  The Developer API Extensions are a subset of more than 700
APIs and 300 messages that are consistent with the most common Win32
APIs and messages.
 
 
Connect in the Office...
 
With Merlin, IBM also will continue its commitment to provide
open, multi-platform business solutions by establishing OS/2 Warp as
a universal client that will connect to any server operating system
in the same way that OS/2 Warp Server is a universal server that will
connect to any client operating system.  From PC server operating
systems to mainframes, Merlin will be the connecting solution.  In
addition, Merlin will provide desktop access to all of the world's
most popular PC server platforms, including OS/2 Warp Server, LAN
Server, Microsoft Windows NT, Banyan Vines and Novell NetWare.
 
Not only will Merlin connect to NetWare servers, it also
supports Novell's NetWare Directory Services (NDS) environment.  This
feature further establishes Merlin as an open solution, as it will
allow Merlin users to globally and easily access all the resources
found across an organization without having to know exactly which
NetWare server contains the information.
 
Merlin also will integrate IBM Personal Communications/ 3270
over TCP/IP, allowing communication between desktop users and
mainframes.  This emulation capability increases productivity for the
user by allowing access to information stored on a host computer.
 
"The connectivity features in OS/2 Warp Connect make it easier
to communicate seamlessly across multiple hardware and software
platforms," said Ray Pratts, senior technical analyst at Variable
Annuity Life Insurance Company.  "Every operating system should come
network-ready out of the box, and I'm glad to see IBM setting that
standard with Merlin."
 
Merlin users will be able to quickly view and access all network
resources available to them in a network window, where the resources
will be represented by icons.  This function makes accessing and
sharing as simple as drag-and-drop.  For instance, a user could drag
a Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet from a NetWare server and drop it onto a
Warp Server machine.
 
In addition to being the universal network client, Merlin also
can act as a peer server with built-in peer capability that gives
home users, departmental workgroups and small businesses an
inexpensive, easy way to share resources like files, printers and
modems.  Merlin will interoperate in a peer network with OS/2 LAN
Server version 3.0 or higher, Microsoft Windows for Workgroups,
Microsoft Windows NT, Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft LAN Manager
2.x, PC LAN Program 1.3 and Artisoft LANtastic 6.0.
 
Merlin will come with a single requester to OS/2 Warp Server and
other compatible networks, combining the previously separate LAN
Requester and Peer Requester.  With one requester, a user will be
able to share peer resources and administer the server.
 
 
Connect from the Home...
 
With Merlin, workers won't need to stay at the office in order
to stay in touch with it.  Merlin's built-in remote access
capabilities and Mobile File Synchronization will allow users to take
their work on the road or to their homes without skipping a beat.
These features are important for the travelling executive, parent, or
anyone else who has to be away from the office, yet on the LAN, in
order to get his or her work done.
 
The remote access capabilities allow Merlin users to have
real-time access to network resources over a telephone line from
home, a hotel room or a car as though they were still sitting in the
office.  In addition, with Mobile File Synch, they can disconnect
from the network and know that their shared files will be updated
when they log back on.  Mobile File Synch will detect any conflict
between the client and server files and automatically duplicate to
the server any tasks performed at the client and vice versa, if the
user so chooses.  This ensures that users will be working with the
most current version of their data.
 
 
More about Merlin...
 
Merlin, the code-name for the next version of OS/2 Warp, is
currently under development and expected to be generally available in
the second half of 1996.  In addition to its unmatched connectivity
features, Merlin will provide customers with a broad range of
enhancements, like an improved user interface, new ease-of-use
features, built-in OpenDoc support and a new BonusPak of
applications.
 
* OS/2 is a trademark of IBM Corporation.  All other product and
service names may be trademarks and/or service marks of their
respective owners.
 
For Internet users, IBM offers complete information about the
company, its products, services and technology on the World Wide Web.
The IBM home page is at http://www.ibm.com.  The fastest, easiest way
to find any information about IBM software is to go to the IBM
Software home page at http://www.software.ibm.com. The IBM Fax
Information Service allows you to receive facsimiles of prior IBM
product press releases.  Dial 1-800-IBM-4FAX and enter "99" at the
voice menu.
 
 
Please Note:
Questions about the content or currency of this press release
should be directed to your local IBM representative.