[Announce] Wanted: Warpstock Speakers, OS/2 Masters

[Robert Kuropkat]

Much time is spent on many lists and forums discussing the future of OS/2. Will IBM continue to support 
OS/2?  Can Serenity pull off what they have promised?  And yet, it seems to me we are forgetting about 
the single greatest asset our community has:  us.

There is a massive gap that has developed in our community.  There are those who know a great deal 
about OS/2 and those who know almost nothing.  We have lost our "middle class."  This is most 
noticeable in our development community and our group leadership.

The good news is, we actually have new blood interested in stepping up to the challenge, but the 
knowledge gap has the appearance of being impassable.

There are actually new OS/2 developers arising out there.  By new, I mean both experienced 
programmers who are just new to OS/2 programming as well as just plain new to programming.  While 
many of these people enjoy listening to tips and tricks for programming device drivers, the real 
questions prominent in their minds are: "What compiler is that?  I wonder if I could get it?  Can I install it 
with my other compiler?  Can the compiler I have even do that?"

What I am looking for this year is a few expert programmers to come ready to initiate, rather than wow 
the newbies.  I would like to see some "Level Zero" sessions introducing not just what you are doing, 
but HOW you are doing it.  What language do you use?  What compiler?  How do you set it up for 
maximum efficiency?  What other tools do you use?  Diff?  Merge?  Debug? Source Code Control?  
Documentation?  What are the tools that make your programming in OS/2 successful and enjoyable?

In our leadership, I see the same thing.  Those who currently run things are those who always have.  I 
would imagine many of you could use a little help.  Yet the rest of us have gotten so comfortable with 
your leadership we no longer even realize the effort it takes, great or small, to make it all happen.  So I 
call out also to our leadership to give some how-to's in the realm of advocacy.  Sweep away the 
mystery of your powers and show us how to:

	... put on a user conference
	... man a booth at a user conference
	... run a user group or SIG
	... put on an OS/2 demonstration/shoot out
	... publish an OS/2 print newsletter/magazine
	... publish an OS/2 on-line magazine
	... run an OS/2 advocacy web site
	... submit articles for publication (amateur or professional)

The fact we have new people interested in filling these roles in our community offers the single greatest 
promise we have for continued life and enjoyment in our favorite operating system.  But these new 
"enquiring minds" need to start from the beginning.  

It is time for the Masters to take on a few Apprentices.  Let us take the time at this year's Warpstock to 
renew our Guild.  Email me or use the speaker submission form at:

http://www.warpstock.org/2003/presentations/speaker_form.html to submit you presentation plans.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Robert Kuropkat
Warpstock 2003 Speaker Coordinator
robert-kuropkat at comcast.net