Shaping the future of OS/2 events

By Peter Koller, Christian Hennecke © January 2005

* Stop Press *
OS/2 Warp is dead (again)

. . . well, it really will be if we give up on it!

The point at which this suddenly became very clear was when Warpstock Europe 2003 didn't happen. Luckily for us, Roderick Klein pulled out all the stops and organised Warp Weekend at short notice, and virtually on his own.

It made me realise that we all need to do more to promote OS/2 Warp and eComStation, and not just sit back and use it.

After some dicussion amongst those present at Warp Weekend, we decided that what was needed was a central point of contact where people could get together and organise meetings. This is already happening with groups of enthusiasts meeting at various small and often little advertised events to talk about their favourite computer system.

What is needed is a way to pull new people in, and to spread the word.

In essence, a small number of visitors to Warp Weekend formed an initial ad hoc group called the Warpstock Europe Steering Group. This group is made up of an impressive number of movers and shakers in the OS/2 world.

Now, our task is to involve you. We want to make this open to commercial interests as well as private enthusiasts. A lot of people have invested heavily in OS/2 Warp, and our purpose is to form an alliance of interested parties. Events like Warpstock Europe provide the necessary communication between developers and users to keep this system going into the future. If you are unable to be an active member, you are welcome to help us anonymously. In return you have helped to improve your own options for the future.

We have just set up a new website, http://www.warpevents.org, to get us started. As this has just been set up, don't be surprised if some things don't work yet!

About the Warpstock Europe Steering Group

The Warpstock Europe Steering Group (or WSESG for short) is made up of a small number of volunteers that have got together to promote and support OS/2 Warp and eComStation exhibitions and meetings.

In particular, but not exclusively, the WSESG serves to promote Warpstock Europe which is the premier European OS/2 Warp and eComStation exhibition.

Continuity

The WSESG will be looking each year for new volunteers to run Warpstock Europe. This ensures that:

the event does not have to run by the same people each year
it can be held in many different countries throughout Europe
it has a greater chance of being rescued when things go wrong
organisers can be given more time to get an event organised
the WSESG can resolve conflicts where more than one group wants to organise and run a Warpstock Europe exhibition

Promotion

The WSESG can provide support to the organisers any OS/2 event in Europe, large or small. There are many sites offering the latest piece of software, and quite a few sites providing support or news about OS/2 Warp or eComStation. Our site (www.warpevents.org) will provide a site where you can post information about meetings and events.

We will set up an events calendar so that the first place to check if there is a conflict with dates is here.

We will also maintain a list of financial supporters for exhibitions and events. If you are a business (or even if you are not), and are willing to be contacted by selected event organisers, please get in touch. Your name will not appear on a public list without your agreement, nor will you be asked to support events that you do not want to support.

Support

As the WSESG gains experience, it will provide more and more relevant and tested experience of what makes a good meeting and where things can go wrong.

As this site is intended to inform people about every event in Europe, getting listed on this site will ensure that just about everybody knows about your meeting or exhibition.

Moreover, we will maintain a list of people with experience or connections in areas that are relevant to the organisation of events. If you belong to such a group, please contact us. Your name will not appear on a public list without your agreement, nor will you be asked to support events that you don't want to support.

We do not provide funding as yet, but that too may be a possiblity in years to come.

Democracy

Part of the purpose of the WSESG is to democratise the OS/2 Warp and eComStation communities. In this context, that includes increased transparency and the community equivalent of the politically mature citizen.

The best way we can achieve that is by being democratic ourselves.

You can join the WSESG by contacting us at info@warpevents.org. Commercial OS/2 users or solution providers, as well as IBM'ers, are also welcome to join and have their say.

You can also meet some of us at Warpstock Europe each year, and talk about where we go from here. As stated at the beginning, we are a small group of volunteers, and we need your help.

References:

WarpEvents.org: http://www.warpevents.org

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