Excerpted from message dated 01-07-97, Steven Williams to Murray Lesser:
  (Original Subject: "Magic Code For Dossleep:)

SW>    What all is included in the DevCon CDs?  I visited the web site,
  >but it never really stated what was/wasn't 
  >included.  Like VAC++?

Hi Steve--

    I have never looked at the DevCon Web page, as I avoid the Web
unless the need is urgent.  My communication with DevCon is usually by
e-mail (devcon{at}vnet.ibm.com) and the replies are usually prompt, if not
always satisfactory!

    It is hard to say what is included in DevCon (IBM Developer's
Connection for OS/2) because it keeps growing.  The latest edition
(Volume 12) that came out last month was nine CD-ROM discs plus the
usual hard-copy newsletter.  There was one disc of Java stuff, five
discs of OS/2 (including LAN) stuff, and two discs of AIX material plus
one disc of IBM developer's tools for Windows 95/NT.  There were six
OS/2 compilers by IBM: PL/I for OS/2, an updated version of VAC++, two
versions of VA Cobol (Standard and Professional), and two versions of VA
BASIC (server and client); plus demo compilers from other sources.  Note
that most compilers on DevCon are timed; they usually become inoperative
after two months or so, but sometimes reappear on the next volume.

    There are also Developers Toolkits going back to v 1.3, lots of
development and productivity applications (some apparently not available
elsewhere) demos of third-party applications useful to OS/2 programmers,
and (usually) the latest OS/2 FixPak, as well as the latest CSDs for IBM
compilers, that will install directly off of the CD-ROM.  (You will find
the last CSDs for CSet++, versions 2.0 and 2.1, if you missed them when
originally issued.)  The "DevCon Browser" is a search machine to lots of
included on-line documentation.  Recent issues have included a demo
proprietary (not IBM) PostScript reader that is crippled to allow
reading of only those PS documents appearing on DevCon.

    DevCon is a subscription service, and an "annual" subscription is
for four volumes.  In the US, the list price is $199 for four volumes.
There is a discount available to professional developers (I am not).  To
subscribe, phone 800-633-8266.  If you are not in the US, send me your
e-mail address by netmail and I will send you the "local" telephone
number.  (I don't believe in publishing personal e-mail addresses in
public conferences; it brings too much junk e-mail!)

    Peter Fitzsimmons, the erstwhile moderator of OS2PROG was of the
opinion that anyone who wrote programs for OS/2 should subscribe to
DevCon.  He claimed it was an unofficial requirement to participate
fully in the echo!

    Hope this helps.

          --Murray

___
 * MR/2 2.25 #120 * Happily hitchhiking on the Information Highway

--- Maximus/2 2.02