The next Warpstock - what content, what topics?

[JTA]

Around mid-year, I try to poke around and see:
  - what is, or has been happening with OS/2
  - what problems folks report with various OS/2 things, and determine if problem is already solved

These generate topics for OS/2, whether or not I can capitalize on them.

I also try, as early as after the last Warpstock, to see what is or will be happening with the next one. I usually monitor the warpstock.org site (currently down?), the ArcaNoae site, and other resources to see what interest is being generated for the next Warpstock. Mostly, I get my info from archive.org and other sites ... old stuff, but usefull enough in figuring out the new (old) stuff.

I'll assume that Warpstock.org is down because it is being rebuilt (perhaps into something as nifty as haiku-os.org or similar)!!! Surely it won't be brought back online with only Warpstock 2025 stuff still on it, and many other far more aged items as well ...

What are others seeing, wrt what's next?

Unable to connect, at so many levels ... is this why we have no new folks?

(note: it's early June ... last year's Warpstock was early Nov, so 5 months to go)

[Martin Iturbide]

Hello JTA

The Warpstock board noticed that the site went down yesterday. We contacted the people that manage the server to see what is going on.

Hopefully there are going to be some public news about the next Warpstock in the next couple of weeks. 

Regards

[Doug Clark]

JTA,

Warpstock this year will be Nov 6,7,8 in San Antonio.  I think there has been no "official" announcement because the web site, as you noted, is not updated and running - they are working on it.  As you know it is run by volunteers and there are some issues, I believe, with updating the version of scripting language used on the web site.  But it is currently being worked on.

As for the timing:  It is at this time of the year because of a desire to avoid various religious and national holidays,  a tax filing deadline, and to be a reasonable amount of time distant from WarpStock EU.  WS EU was June 5-7 this year.  (And it was great, I will add.)

As for presentations:  I am the guy tasked this year with lining up presentations for Warpstock.  And I would very much like to know what you want to see presented.  I have some ideas of my own (WD Sibyl demo, browsing in a guest VM on OS/2, browsing on a another machine and viewing that on OS/2 with VNC/RDP, etc, changing an AOS install from UEFI to legacy and back, intimate details about graphics drivers/display on OS/2, etc)

I know there are folks here on OS2World that have done all of that.  My problems are: getting in touch with them and getting them to agree to make a presentation.  Things are complicated right now by the U.S. government's very welcoming attitude towards immigrants, visitors, and basically all other countries on earth.  So realistically any presentation by a non-US citizen will probably happen remotely, if at all.   This is not a complaint, but rather a recognition of the reality we live in right now - a reality I cannot change, no matter how very much I would like too.

So JTA, I know that you are "local" and have interests in virtualization.  Please plan to come, and perhaps make a presentation.  If you have any questions contact me at j 4 5 4 3 @ i cloud . com.  That goes for everyone.

[JTA]

Whomever is promoting the Warpstock event needs to do, at minimum, these two things (as my previous posts on Warpstock have detailed):

1. improve the remote experience (see the other posts for details) such that the remote attendee is on par with event attendee (you can even charge for this kind of ticket); no experience improvements, leading to fewer presenters ... weak event results.

2. improve the "process" of drumming up presentation topics, interest, & presenters, *starting on day 1 after the last Warpstock*. It's not about any 1 person, and it's not about "waiting" for volunteers. It's about *the promoters* publishing a year-long list of topics & discussions, and continually tweaking it, to the point where many folks want/fight for the honor of tackling an item on it, and having item #1 above supporting them in their fight.

And then there's the usual list of things that, IMHO, are killing off OS/2, or at the very least, dragging it down:
- Warpstock website is just not there (even when it is online)
  - ArcaOS website is barely there (at least it is online)
  - both need a huge remake (phoenix-like)
- no new "Team OS/2" with a mission to revive interest
- no new OS/2 clubs locally
- and so much more ...

I run OS/2 (& ArcaOS) without any problem, on cheesy ebay laptop hardware that cost about $200 ... no x64 or ram issues, no device driver issues, no browser issues, etc. It just works, and could be the platform to "promote", via local clubs, via websites, via demo's, for any new user wanting to investigate what OS/2 did, and *can still do*. We might drum up 1000's more for OS/2 (given thread view counts on this forum). Details on the build in the virtualization sub-forum (AToF threads).

Unfortunately, it's easier to see "OS/2 is dead" being demonstrated, or "here's the new OS/2 (with this long list of unsolved problems)" being demonstrated, vs "OS/2 is great for ..." There's no new Team OS/2 demo'ing anything ...

Here we are, *less than 6 months out* from the next Warpstock, trying once again to figure these things out ...

Why are we doing the same thing year after year, and expecting different results?

[JTA]

July 1st has passed ... about 4 months or so to the next event. No advertising, no info to speak of on main Warpstock website. The main page doesn't have 2026 plastered all over it, directing folks to what will happen, and getting them excited about it all ... it only has some 2025 stuff listed.

Less than 4 months to generate a list of topics for all to see, that would get folks excited to attend the next Warpstock. Less than 4 months to work on a presentation. Less than 4 months to prepare ...

If wanting to attend remotely, there is nothing to help you ... no discussion of the next generation of remote attendance software or methods, so probably it will use last years ineffective and unhelpful software, where you can again experience feeling ignored by the live attendees and event operators ...

Sigh ...

Something new is needed, and it isn't the old stuff, the old ways, and so on. How do we get to something new? Will it fall on a few (or even just one) folk's superhuman efforts, or could the process be opened up in some new way, to get at new folks and generate interest again?

I understand that "Warpstock" owns the event, and a set of current folks drive it. Their's is the right to do it however they want to do it. All the rest of us can do is watch this thing circle the drain each year, with fewer events, attendees, and so on.

When it could be so much more ... starting with ... *communication*! Early, frequently! Simple communication ... by the time comms do come out for this year, I'll already have put this year's event behind as a lost cause, and move on to thinking what next year could be ...

[Neil Waldhauer]

We have recruited a few new people, but getting the whole event together takes some time. The announcement will come soon, and it is some time until November.