Team OS/2
| Company type | Supporter group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer software advocacy |
| Founded | February 1992 |
| Founder | Dave Whittle |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Dave Whittle, Lee Reiswig, Lucy Baney, Vicci Conway, Janet Gobeille |
Team OS/2 originated as a supporter group dedicated to advancing IBM's OS/2 operating system. Initially launched as an informal internal IBM project without official endorsement, it gradually transformed into a grassroots community supported—but not controlled—by IBM. This network eventually included more than ten thousand OS/2 advocates both within IBM and among external users. It represents one of the earliest instances of an online viral phenomenon, driven largely through digital communication channels.
The decline of Team OS/2 coincided with IBM’s decision to discontinue OS/2, compounded by coordinated efforts from Microsoft aimed at undermining OS/2, Team OS/2, and IBM’s pioneering online evangelism initiatives.
Origins
Team OS/2 was instrumental in promoting and increasing acceptance for OS/2. The group was founded in February 1992 by IBM employee Dave Whittle, who was assigned the role of online evangelist for OS/2. It started as an internal discussion forum named TEAMOS2 FORUM hosted on IBM’s extensive global network.
The forum’s objective was
Rapidly gaining traction, the forum attracted thousands of IBM staff members who contributed strategies to challenge Microsoft and position OS/2 as the leading desktop operating system. Many participants added TEAMOS2 to their internal phone directories, facilitating collaboration across IBM’s vast organization to address obstacles posed by its size and traditional marketing methods.
Executives such as Lee Reiswig and Lucy Baney took notice of TEAMOS2 FORUM, eventually providing both moral encouragement and financial backing for Whittle’s grassroots online marketing efforts. While IBM’s official word-of-mouth initiative—the "OS/2 Ambassador Program"—offered recognition through Ambassador pins, it proved less effective externally compared to Team OS/2 in expanding OS/2’s reach beyond IBM.
Expansion Beyond IBM
Whittle broadened Team OS/2's scope by engaging with audiences on CompuServe, Prodigy, various bulletin boards, and newsgroups. He proposed to IBM leadership the establishment of a "Grass Roots Marketing Department," which was realized when IBM Personal Software Products relocated to Austin, Texas.
In spring, Team OS/2 held its inaugural external gathering in Chicago, featuring support from the IBM Marketing Office in the form of a large banner. Microsoft responded provocatively when Steve Ballmer showcased software designed to crash OS/2 at this event. The gathering attracted numerous OS/2 supporters who nominated peers for induction into the "Team OS/2 Hall of Fame," with rewards including limousine rides and the debut TEAM OS/2 T-shirts emblazoned with the distinctive "ibm/2" emblem. One IBM executive described this occasion as the first company event that gave him chills.
Following this milestone, Team OS/2's influence expanded swiftly both internally within IBM and externally. Advocates promoted OS/2 at computer user groups across the United States and eventually worldwide, operating independently from IBM’s formal marketing campaigns. Whittle initiated regional forums such as TEAMNY, TEAMDC, TEAMFL, TEAMTX, and TEAMCA to encourage community interaction and exchange of ideas.
The "Teamer Invasion" at COMDEX Fall 1993 represented a pinnacle moment for Team OS/2. At this major industry exhibition in Las Vegas, members donned salmon-colored shirts while actively distributing demonstration disks and offering installations on exhibit machines. Many volunteers attended independently, drawing attention from media outlets and exhibitors due to their genuine grassroots enthusiasm.
IBM provided limited financial support covering shirts, promotional materials, and an onsite coordination center. The Grass Roots Marketing department offered guidance through Vicci Conway and Janet Gobeille; meanwhile, Whittle reduced his day-to-day management role. To preserve volunteer-driven enthusiasm, IBM deliberately avoided imposing rigid organizational structures, with Janet affectionately referred to as "Team Godmother."
At its peak, Team OS/2 maintained sponsored contacts across Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom; additionally maintaining active presence on AOL, CompuServe, Delphi, FidoNet, Genie, Internet/Usenet/mail servers, Prodigy, and WWIVNet.
Analysis
Robert L. Scheier pinpointed several critical elements that contributed to Team OS/2's achievements: a cohesive team identity paired with an engaging name, backing from the corporation without direct interference, volunteers accomplishing feats beyond corporate reach, a flexible organizational framework, a variety of small non-financial incentives, and recognizing members as the "public's eyes and ears."
On the other hand, the absence of a formal hierarchy exposed Team OS/2 to vulnerabilities. Reporters uncovered a covert "dirty tricks" operation orchestrated by Microsoft, involving operatives labeled "Microsoft Munchkins" by John C. Dvorak, who adopted aliases to disparage OS/2 and sway online conversations. The team’s leader, Whittle, became the focus of an extensive campaign aimed at damaging his reputation on the internet.
Some journalists who expressed criticism of OS/2 received threatening messages and hostile emails signed simply as "Team OS/2." It remains unconfirmed whether these assaults were directed by Microsoft or members within Team OS/2. Evidence of Microsoft's involvement emerged in Will Zachmann’s Canopus forum on CompuServe, where an account named "Steve Barkto," which launched attacks against OS/2 supporters, was linked to Rick Segal, a senior evangelist at Microsoft. National journalist James Fallows observed stylistic parallels between Barkto’s posts and those authored by this Microsoft representative.
Will Zachmann publicly urged Steve Ballmer to examine Microsoft’s business conduct; however, no official investigation followed.
Decline
At its height, Team OS/2 boasted over ten thousand registered participants. IBM acknowledged that without this grassroots group, the development of the fourth generation ("Warp 4") of the operating system might not have materialized. Nevertheless, just prior to the 1995 Fall Comdex event, IBM’s Marketing Director disbanded the entire Grass Roots Marketing Department to comply with staffing reductions—a decision reportedly greeted with approval by Microsoft executives and met with shock among Team OS/2 members.
Within a few months, key leaders such as Whittle and Barlow departed from IBM; Conway and Gobeille were reassigned, and IBM announced it would cease marketing individual desktop versions of OS/2. Many former Team members gravitated toward Linux, drawn by its robustness and reliability—traits they had appreciated in OS/2—and they contributed their OS/2 expertise to both Linux and the broader Open Source community.
Legacy
In 1993, as preparations for Windows NT Version 3.1 progressed, a Texas-based computer user group organized a public competition comparing IBM’s OS/2 against Microsoft’s NT. IBM circulated videotapes highlighting OS/2’s superior capabilities relative to NT’s less impressive demonstration. Microsoft demanded that segments featuring NT be removed from these tapes; however, numerous unedited copies had already been distributed. This footage, known as the "OS/2 - NT Shootdown," subsequently served as an educational resource for software and hardware presenters.
After IBM discontinued its support for OS/2, much of Team OS/2’s community redirected their efforts toward Linux and the Open Source movement. Eventually, IBM itself adopted Linux as its primary platform for software solutions initiatives.