According to the findings of a recent survey, a surprisingly high 54% of some 200 Times Top 1000 UK companies are committed to assessing OS/2. The survey, conducted by International Data Corp on behalf of central London-based consultants The Instruction Set Ltd, found that of the 54% in ques-tion, 33% were currently assessing the product, […]
According to the findings of a recent survey, a surprisingly high 54% of some 200 Times Top 1000 UK companies are committed to assessing OS/2. The survey, conducted by International Data Corp on behalf of central London-based consultants The Instruction Set Ltd, found that of the 54% in ques-tion, 33% were currently assessing the product, with the remaining 21% apparently strategically committed to taking the OS/2 route. The interviewees were drawn at random from the manufacturing, finance, government and defence, retail and distribution, and transport and utilities sectors. Turned on its head, however, the survey simply proves that an average eight out of 10 key for IBM – company decision makers have yet to be convinced – and leaves cynics free to murmur that, in any case, IBM could count on a 21% commitment without even showing the thing off. Unsurprisingly, the manufacturing, finance, and retail and distribution sectors showed an above average commitment, with the most frequently cited reasons for adoption running along it’s – an – inevitable – migration – from PC-DOS type lines. More interesting, according to Instruction Set chief Peter Griffiths, is the maturity of thinking about the environment that the survey reflects. Key benefits – apparently clearly identified were perceived to be multitasking, memory performance, communications and new applications, with 50% of assessors also intent on using the operating system to run their existing applications, and none of the respondees able to envisage OS/2 on a purely stand-alone workstation. Over half of those committed to migration described the product as strategically important, with 38% of the total 54% able to indicate specific migration plans. Even more remarkable, argued Griffiths, was the ability of some respondees to provide firm dates for total MS-DOS micro conversion. Among the less specific – or more realistic – 62%, the availibility of software and applications, plus cost constraints and a shortage of OS/2 skills in the marketplace, were cited as the reasons for conversion delay. Griffiths suggested 1992 as the year of the crossover, and seemed certain that it would happen by 1993 – a trend which he described as condensed progress for such profound change. Profound change aside, a hefty 67% of the converts envisaged application development difficulties ahead, with particular gloom – 100% of those questioned – expressed by the transport and utilities sector. Least surprising revelation of all was the discovery that, within the 54% assessing the product, two out of three expressed a preference for IBM. Griffiths expects the Microsoft offering to find favour with smaller organisations.
