Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy
From: sbc5u@mamba.cs.Virginia.EDU (S. Brett Coryell)
Subject: NY Times trashes Warp (LONG)
Message-ID: <CyEBAJ.6xq@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
Sender: usenet@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU
Organization: University of Virginia Computer Science Department
Date: Fri, 28 Oct 1994 18:27:55 GMT
Lines: 84


I just sent off my letter to Nicholas Wade, the editor of the Manes
piece in the NYT which trashed Warp.  Thought I'd include it here.
His email address is     nicholaswa@aol.com  (thanks to whoever posted it)

Anyone have Manes' email address?

-----
Mr. Wade,

   I understand that you were the editor of the recent NYT article, "A
Stormy Voyage on Starship OS/2 Warp."  I have read this article in its
entirety twice now and I would like to register my disappointment in
the quality of the review and the editorial discretion shown in
printing that article.

   I have always been under the impression that objectivity was one of
the primary goals toward which good journalists continually strove.
Taking that as a given, I must ask you why you would allow a review of
a major operating system to be conducted by Mr. Stephen Manes.  It
should be well known to you, as it is known to many in the computer
industry, that Mr. Manes is the author of a sycophantic biography of
Bill Gates, chairman and founder of Microsoft Inc.

   That Mr. Manes has a severe personal bias in favor of Microsoft in
general and Bill Gates in particular is a given in the industry.
This, coupled with the fact that Microsoft is the primary competition
against which IBM must compete in the area of operating systems for
PC's, ought to disqualify him as a potential reviewer under any
rational system of professional ethics.  At the least, it would have
been appropriate, in the interests of full disclosure, to have
included an editorial note to the effect that Mr. Manes has a
biography of Mr. Gates in print.

   Leaving aside the questionable choice of reviewer, I would like say
that I found the review itself to be unprofessional, uninformed, and
quite contrary to the overwhelming majority of opinion which exists
about Warp.

   The entire article was written in a tone of condescension which I
found quite offensive, from the dual implications that OS/2 users are
fanatics and have too much time on their hands right down to the snide
"live long and prosper" at the end of the piece.  I would argue that a
straightforward discussion of the strengths and benefits of the entire
operating system, yes even including the installation, would be a
greater service to your readers than this emotional-laden diatribe.

   Further, Mr. Manes makes it amply evident that he is not familiar
with OS/2 or it's applications; neither did he do his homework before
writing.  To cite but one example, he takes OS/2 to task for a dearth
of applications and states that Lotus' SmartSuite is the only
integrated suite of native apps.  However, Warp ships with such a
suite, IBM Works.  Additionally, there is Footprint Works, a slightly
more capable package from which IBM Works is derived.  

   Mr. Manes even has the temerity to claim that, "the technical
superiority that IBM claims for Warp is suspect."  Yet, OS/2 has
garnered literally dozens of awards from the trade press and computer
shows for technical excellence, usability, stability, and has even won
Best of Show at Windows World!  Perhaps the problem is not with Warp
after all.

   Finally I would like to say that Warp has generally received
favorable to enthusiastic reviews from a variety of sources, including
individuals, corporations, and publications.  I particularly refer you
to a recent review which appeared in InfoWorld.  

    I certainly hope that you will have the courage to redress the
misinformation which appeared in Mr. Manes' column and will take care
to choose your reviewers more carefully in the future.  Should you
wish to print a short follow up article which corrects errors and
provides a more balanced, rational view of the new Warp product, I
would be happy to provide you with input or to put you in touch with
any number of people who have had extensive experience with the
product throughout its life cycle.

   Thank you for your kind attention,

Brett

-------------           
Brett Coryell           The youth of America you tell them, "Here is the
U. of VA, CS Dept       opportunity" and the youth of America they says,
coryell@virginia.edu    "Where is the money?"      --  Casey Stengel