SCOUG OS/2 For You - August 1996

Esther Schindler Promotes OS/2 Nationally

Between books and articles, this young lady travels coast-to-coast to lecture on OS/2

by Peter Skye

LONG BEACH - Gary Wong and I pulled into Papa's Western Bar-B-Q simultaneously. We were meeting Esther Schindler for dinner and a long, hard look at OS/2.

We were both early. Gary watched the parking lot impatiently while I perused the menu. Each of us had our own priorities.

Esther is Program Chair for the Phoenix OS/2 Society. She just finished her latest book, "The Computer Speech Book" (AP Professional). If you read "Teach Yourself REXX In 21 Days," you already know her writing style. She's a Senior Contributing Editor for OS/2 Magazine. She writes for PC Magazine, InfoWorld, Network World and Computer Shopper. She's a sysop for both CompuServe and ZiffNet. She's paid to lecture at OS/2 seminars internationally. She's cute.

"IBM has this very precious thing in its hands," said Esther on the future of OS/2. "And there are so many good people at IBM. It depends on whether the inept and incompetent prevail. In general, I'm upbeat about it."

"IBM is really worried about [Windows] NT," Esther continued. "They're rushing to get as far ahead [technically] of the next NT release as possible."

This lady is a true OS/2 proponent, and she threw in a few zingers as she covered the technology, the marketing and the user expectations. We ate ribs and sausages, coleslaw and down-home 'taters. Esther paused often to verbalize her thoughts. "Microsoft has so lowered users expectations with Windows. Would you drive a car that stalled every day?"

She'd "like to believe" that OpenDoc will subvert Microsoft's grip on the office suite market. Her husband Bill, a photographer by trade, is currently writing "The OpenDoc Programmer's Guide."

Incidentally, if you're ever on Internet Relay Chat and find yourself speaking with Asteroid, take heed. That's a respelling of "Esther-oid," for those in-the-know, and she's watching for anyone who's spreading nasty comments about OS/2. "One of the big challenges is finding other OS/2 users. OS/2 Magazine has the same problem. And even IBM's list isn't very good."

As I decimated another ear of corn, I asked Esther what OS/2 apps were still needed. After all, she must get plenty of comments about what's still missing from the software shelves.

"Definitely another spreadsheet besides Mesa and 1-2-3 (Lotus' 16-bit OS/2 version). Desktop publishing, certainly. Something like ABC Flowcharter." Take note, all ye of code writing persuasion. There's still plenty work to do.

My plate was empty, and I was finishing off the chip bowl. Interviewing another writer is tricky, because they know enough to give you what you want but you don't want them to walk away thinking they controlled the interview. "Certainly," I asked, "you're aware that you're a respected woman in a male-dominated business. Why aren't there more women visible in this field?"

"Women are rarely interested in technology for technology's sake," was her quick reply. "They tend to think in terms of benefits from that technology. Compared to men, they are more nurturing and want to use, not own, the technology. Twelve to fifteen percent of OS/2 users are women, but census studies show 30% to 35% of programmers are women. Women are less likely to join organizations or read magazines. I'm very aware that women are a definite minority in this industry."

Time to go. We rose, thanked each other all around and walked out into the night. People who know where they're going and who see the big picture are important. Esther Schindler gave me insight into things I'd never contemplated. People like Esther Schindler are important.

esther@primenet.com

SCOUG is a trademark of the Southern California OS/2 User Group.
OS/2, Workplace Shell, and IBM are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation.
All other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners.