The Developer Connection Family Grows

by Tony Arcuri

The IBM Developer Connection program announces a new addition to the family! The IBM Developer Connection Device Driver Kit for OS/2 (Developer Connection DDK), an annual membership program, delivers the tools for development of new device drivers for your 32-bit OS/2 operating platform. This CD-ROM based offering enables rapid development of device drivers for your personal computer hardware by providing many complete device driver sources, test aids, and information from IBM's award-winning OS/2 and related operating systems. This new program replaces the IBM Device Driver Source Kit for OS/2.

If you are an Independent Hardware Vendor (IHV), software firm, or OS/2 developer providing support for personal computer hardware manufacturers, Developer Connection DDK will help you to significantly reduce your device driver development effort and time-to-market. For one full year after you license Developer Connection DDK, you will receive all future generally available releases free of charge.

If you are already receiving the IBM Device Driver Source Kit for OS/2, you have been automatically enrolled into the Developer Connection DDK program. Your membership is valid until one year after you ordered the IBM Device Driver Source Kit for OS/2. "And what happens if I am already a member of both the Developer Connection for OS/2 and DDK programs", you might ask? You are in great shape! Your membership in the Developer Connection DDK program is valid for one year from the order date of whichever product you last ordered.

With your license to Developer Connection DDK, you also receive The Developer Connection for OS/2, which is delivered four times a year. This program includes a large array of developer tools and samples. It allows you to preview the future by introducing Beta versions and demonstrations of operating systems, tools, and new technologies from IBM and IBM partners. A vast collection of technical information is provided online, and a quarterly newsletter delivers timely articles and insight on directions for OS/2, development products and techniques, and upcoming events.

Technical support for Developer Connection DDK is available electronically by the Driver Development Support Center. Technical assistance for The Developer Connection for OS/2 is available electronically on CompuServe, Internet, and OS/2 BBS. See the directory for further details.

Why Does a Device Driver Developer Need The Developer Connection for OS/2
Although the Developer Connection DDK CD-ROM containing driver sources, test tools, and online information might seem to be the complete set of information for driver development, The Developer Connection for OS/2 adds some critical and useful tools. The entire Developer's Toolkit for OS/2 Version 2.1 and follow-on versions are provided. The Developer's Toolkit for OS/2 now includes Multimedia support and all the tools, samples, and information from the MMPM/2 Toolkit for OS/2. The Pen for OS/2 Toolkit is also provided on The Developer Connection for OS/2. These toolkits have been required for driver development efforts and are now part of the expanded Developer Connection DDK delivery; you do not need to search elsewhere or purchase a separate product! And as these toolkits continue to be enhanced, you will receive the improved tool sets on future volumes of The Developer Connection for OS/2.

Many driver developers have identified their interest in developing and testing their drivers on new versions of OS/2 and related operating systems. The Developer Connection is a vehicle for delivering pre-release versions of the IBM Personal Operating Systems, including OS/2, OS/2 for Symmetric Multiprocessing, OS/2 for Windows, and OS/2 for PowerPC. This look to the future will be continued, enabling you to get an early start on providing driver support for new hardware for these future software platforms. You can gain a competitive edge by reviewing new technologies on The Developer Connection for OS/2. Elements such as OpenDoc introduce you to areas that will require new development, not only for applications, but also for new hardware to fully exploit these technologies.

Sample source accompanying articles from The Developer Connection News is provided online. This includes device driver source code, such as the Parallel Port Sharing and Advanced Power Management examples, and you can look forward to more device driver articles and samples every few months.

As a device driver developer, you can now receive all of this, not to mention the vast collection of productivity and development tools, an extended online library, and other useful problem solvers. New volumes of The Developer Connection for OS/2 are delivered to you every few months and will include the Developer Connection DDK CD-ROM whenever there are new device driver sources and information. The Developer Connection team is confident you will appreciate the new benefits and added value to your development environment. If you know fellow developers who would be interested in ordering this exciting new offering, have them call the appropriate number listed in the directory.