March 16, 2002

## 20 Questions with John Edwards

Each year since 1997, the OS/2 community has sponsored an annual convention where users have gathered to share gripes, share technical information and put faces to the names that populate the Web and the many mailing lists and news groups. The point position for these conventions is the Event Chair who spends most of the weekend dealing with the inevitable difficulties that appear. John Edwards, who chaired the 2001 meeting in Toronto, graciously took some time away from his duties to talk with me about a number of different OS/2 issues.

PG Who are you?

John Edwards

PG Where do you work? What do you do?

JE (Event Chair) Retired teacher.

PG Why did you come to Warpstock?

JE I've been an advocate for quite a few years. Did a lot of Warp 3 demos. President of KWOS/2 users group.

PG Is this your first Warpstock?

JE No. This is the 3rd.

PG How is this year's convention different than previous years? How is it the same?

JE We tried to take and make changes [while] keeping some of the good points so there are changes. It was a 3 day [con] for the first time. We had the exhibit hall open on Friday night and had an informal meeting place on the lower area. We were supposed to be open on Friday night from 7 to 9. We finally chased everyone out at 11. This year seemed to be livilier than Philadelphia.

PG How long have you used OS/2?

JE Since 2.1

PG Where do you see OS/2 heading?

JE We have a stable product. As long as we can keep it going we will, but we need a major corporate infusion if it's going to advance any further.

PG What is your opinion of eCS?

JE So far so good. It's on all my machines For the most part I like it. There's a few improvements I'd like to see.

PG What do you use OS/2 for?

JE For anything I do. Keeping records, all the internet. It's the only operating system on all my machines.

PG Is there anything you'd like to do on your OS/2 box that you can't do?

JE I haven't found that much yet.

PG While earlier Warpstocks had sessions dealing with OS/2 advocacy, this year's schedule seems totally devoted to product information and technical issues. Is this significant? Why/why not?

JE We didn't get anything in [for advocacy]. VOICE didn't have anyone; users groups didn't have anyone; we just didn't get any response. The lack of advocacy sessions may be an indication of a direction that we're heading.

PG Do you have an OS/2 wish list?

JE I'd to see more applications available. [And] Yes, I do register shareware because I want to support development.

PG What is the most significant issue facing the OS/2 community?

JE We've got to get back to advocacy and be willing to admit that you're an OS/2 user and further be willing to explain to people what OS/2 is and why it's a good thing to have on your equipment.

PG Can OS/2 users influence the direction that the operating system takes? If so, how?

JE Right now, I think the main say we have will be through Serenity Systems and eCS; at least they're willing to listen.

PG Does IBM still have a significant influence on our community?

JE It seems to be waning.

PG Any parting thoughts?

JE Come to future Warpstocks. Your voice isn't heard unless you're there; you need to be present and make your voice be heard. By the same token, make your voice heard one-on-one. Educate folks at the computer store.

Pete Grubbs
is a self-described OS/2 wonk, a former doctoral candidate in English literature at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a former part-time faculty member at Penn State and is still mucking about with a copy editing/creation service, The Document Doctor, which tailors documents for small businesses. He has also been a professional musician for 20 years.

This article is courtesy of www.os2ezine.com. You can view it online at http://www.os2ezine.com/20020316/page_4.html.

Copyright (C) 2002. All Rights Reserved.