I worked for a year doing OS/2 Warp technical marketing for IBM Canada (West). I also taught OS/2 and LAN Server courses for IBM Education and Training and PBSC Computer Training Centre. In 1993 I founded CAOS/2: Central Alberta OS/2 Users Group to provide a method of support and information exchange for users of this operating system.

Understanding of OS Issues
Defending my choice of Operating System has lead me to investigate the competition, fortunately tempered by significant experience with other non-Intel systems. I do not do my research on the news-stand since their "information" has become largely self-serving and rarely reliable. Instead, I focus on true technical literature and Internet resources to find "real" comparative information.

Planning: Hardware, Software, Infrastructure and Humanware
Since OS/2 is a real Operating System, it generally requires more forethought prior to its installation/implementation than did DOS or Windows. Following the carpenter's adage "Measure Twice, Cut Once," I know how to prepare resource budgets and provide realistic projections for future growth or change. I also understand the importance of a well-designed implementation and trained user base to the reception of a new system.

Implementation: manual and automated, stock and customized
I've done enough manual installs to understand how they work, and appreciate OS/2's automated remote-installation features. This is the only way to do large-scale, controlled installations with any sanity.

Configuration
OS/2 provides a wide array of configuration options that usually eludes users and corporate MIS staff. I have configured OS/2 machines in many different ways over the years, and have learned what works and what doesn't.

Operations and Troubleshooting
Running a few full-time OS/2 machines and helping others do the same, combined with my technical understanding of the system, has taught me how OS/2 ages over time, and simple proactive measures that can be implemented to avoid problems. This year (1995) I have also become more familiar with OS/2-based system management software (NetFinity, SystemView/2, CID). Over the last three years I have fielded hundreds of calls from other OS/2 users, and follow (as best I can) problem and solution reports from the Internet.

Education
Over the last 30 years I have taught computing courses, and have gathered skills for making computing understandable to all who care to try. During my tenure with IBM Marketing I demonstrated OS/2 hundreds of times to everyone from retail customers to user groups to VARs and consultants. I have taught certification-level OS/2 courses for IBM (and now PBSC Computer Training Centres) since March 1995.

Leveraging
I have long realized that it is not sufficient to merely "install" one computing system or another. OS/2 drew my interest (and kept it) because it allows an incredible amount of leverage to be gained from a single PC and some software. Realizing that potential and harnessing it separates Companies that Compute from Companies with Computers.