[1985] in comp.os.os2.announce archive
OS/2 "Connect the World" Exceeds Expectations
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (TimB1557)
Fri Oct 18 20:17:26 1996
To: os2ann.DISCUSS@bloom-picayune.MIT.EDU
Date: 19 Oct 1996 00:05:58 GMT
From: timb1557@aol.com (TimB1557)
Reply-To: timb1557@aol.com (TimB1557)
Reply-to: timb1557@aol.com (TimB1557)
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"CONNECT THE WORLD WITH MERLIN" EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS
PROJECT UPDATE: OS/2 Warp 4 Demonstration Sites rise above 225;
Project scope grows with heightened customer interest
PALM HARBOR, FLORIDA, USA (October 15, 1996) - With less than a fortnight
until the actual event, organizers of "Connect the World with Merlin" (CtWwM)
are already claiming success. The event, scheduled for Saturday, October 26,
1996, is a customer driven marketing event to promote OS/2 Warp 4 (code-named
"Merlin"), IBM's 32-bit operating system for the Intel platform released last
month. On that date, customers from around the world will conduct a global
demonstration of OS/2 at computer stores, universities and schools, and cyber
cafes. The group will communicate via the Internet where they will plot OS/2
installations on a world map and talk though an Internet telephone (both audio
and video).
"We believe this event will be a powerful expression of customer commitment to
OS/2," said CtWwM Project Manager Tim Bryce. "It is our intention to
communicate to the press, to potential purchasers, and to IBM
that we, as customers: Believe in OS/2 as a superior operating system; Are
committed to the use of OS/2 at work and at home, and; Believe IBM is
committed to the longevity of OS/2." Members of OS/2 user groups and Team
OS/2 from around the world will be actively participating in this event.
The event has already exceeded the expectations of project organizers. "We had
anticipated only about 150 demonstration sites," claimed Bryce, "However, we
now have over 225 registered sites in 28 countries."
Bryce points to other achievements by customer volunteers as evidence of the
project's success:
* Volunteers were able to persuade Fry's Electronics, a major retail chain,
to host the event throughout its stores in California and feature a
video-conference on OS/2.
* In South Africa, a friendly rivalry between OS/2 user groups in Cape Town
and Johannesburg resulted in 10 demonstration sites.
* Australian user groups mobilized and produced 19 sites. Although much
smaller geographically, New Zealand assembled 5 sites, representing a total
of 24 sites for the Australasia region.
* In Europe, the Scandinavians put together 6 sites, the Dutch 5, the Swiss
and Italians 4 each; even smaller countries like Lithuania, Czech Republic,
Slovakia, Slovenia are well represented.
* Perhaps the most impressive showing in all of Europe is Germany where
volunteers put together over 50 demonstration sites.
* In North America, the Canadians have 23 sites and the Americans 63.
In all, there are over 1,000 customer volunteers participating in the "Connect
the World" event. "From this base of volunteers we will be able to talk to
thousands of consumers worldwide," contends Bryce. "As customers, we can go
where IBM can't and offer customer testimonials. In fact, this whole event is
a powerful testimonial by IBM's customers."
The "Connect the World with Merlin" demonstration is the first presentation of
its kind conducted independently by customers on a worldwide basis for a
computer related product (perhaps for any product), thereby demonstrating the
power of OS/2 and the Internet. "I don't see any of Microsoft's customers
trying to do anything like this," Bryce countered.
WEB PAGE
For additional information on the "Connect the World with Merlin"
event, including the addresses of registered demonstration sites,
please see the group's main web page at:
http://www.tbos2cla.com/ctwwm/demosite.html
The original press release can be found at:
http://warp.eecs.berkeley.edu/os2/connect/review.html
Other web pages describing the event include:
AUSTRALIA, Gold Coast HQ - Cafe Madison
http://www.ion.com.au/merlin
AUSTRIA (in German)
http://os2forum.or.at/ctwwm
BELGIUM
http://www.tornado.be/~os2-ug/ctwwm.html
BRAZIL (in Portugese)
http://www.mpc.com.br/users/r/ricardo.ferreira/merlin.htm
CANADA, VICTORIA, BC
http://web2.spydernet.com/merlin
DENMARK (in Danish)
http://www.agora.dk/hotel/ctwwm/ctwwm.html
FRANCE (in French)
http://www.os2boutique.fr/ctwwm/demo.htm
GERMANY (in German)
http://cip.physik.uni-wuerzburg.de/~arwagner/merlind.html
ITALY (in Italian)
http://www.enjoy.it/users/~1ferlo/ctwwm.htm
RUSSIA, MOSCOW
http://north.cs.msu.su/ctwwm/
NETHERLANDS (in Dutch)
http://www.caiw.nl/~rmschouw/ctwwm/
SLOVENIA, NOVA GORICA (in Slovenian)
http://www.arctur.si/ctwwm
SOUTH AFRICA, GAUTENG
http://www.os2ug.techpta.ac.za/OS2User/merlin_connect.html
Or contact the project manager at:
Tim Bryce
M. Bryce & Associates, Inc. (MBA)
777 Alderman Road Palm Harbor, FL 34683 United States
Tel: 813/786-4567 Fax: 813/786-4765 BBS: 813/786-4864
E-Mail: TimB1557@aol.com CompuServe: 76235,2364
NOTE: Mr. Bryce is the Editor of the OS/2 CONNECT freeware electronic
newsletter. In addition, he is the founder of the Tampa Bay OS/2 Users' Group
(TBOUG) and a member of Team OS/2. MBA is an OS/2 Independent Software Vendor
and participates in IBM's Developer Assistance Program (DAP) and Solution
Developer program for OS/2 (SDO). Mr. Bryce is not an employee or contractor
of IBM. MBA has been a user of OS/2 since 1990 with version 1.2.
TRADEMARKS
IBM and OS/2 are the registered trademarks of the International Business
Machines Corporation. All other trademarks both marked and unmarked
belong to their respective companies.
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