I.B.M. Halts Production of OS/2 Warp to Correct Flaw

The International Business Machines Corporation halted production of its new operating system software, OS/2 Warp, to correct a flaw that had gone unnoticed by over 10,000 outside testers. Although a small number of unfixed copies of the $80 product had reached stores, production of a repaired version has resumed. This move comes as I.B.M. is launching an effort to establish OS/2 Warp as a serious competitor to Microsoft's Windows operating system.

Key Takeaways:

• I.B.M. halted production of OS/2 Warp to correct a flaw that had gone unnoticed by over 10,000 outside testers.
• Production of a repaired version of the software has resumed, and "very few" copies of the unfixed product had reached stores.
• The flaw affects computers with a file called "config.bak" in the root directory, causing problems with Windows and DOS software under OS/2.
• Renaming the file "config.old" resolves the issue, but users with flawed copies are advised to correct the problem.
• The discovery and repair of the problem is considered routine by software industry standards.
• Many software companies regularly send out "bug fixes" to correct problems discovered after release.

Allison Johnson, a spokesperson for I.B.M.'s Personal Software Products division, confirmed the production halt and repair of the issue. The company is actively working to correct the problem and will continue its marketing efforts to establish OS/2 Warp as a competitive alternative to Windows.

Statistics:

• Over 10,000 outside testers failed to detect the flaw in OS/2 Warp.
• The flaw affects only computers with a specific file configuration.
• Production of a repaired version of OS/2 Warp has resumed.
• "Very few" copies of the unfixed product had reached stores.
• Renaming the file "config.bak" to "config.old" resolves the issue.
• The total cost of the reworked software is estimated to be $80.

Sources:

• "I.B.M. Halts Production of OS/2 Warp, Finds Flaw," The Boston Globe
• Interview with Allison Johnson, I.B.M.'s Personal Software Products division
• John M. Dodge, senior executive news editor for PC Week, comments on the discovery and repair of the problem.