VOICE Home Page: http://www.os2voice.org | September 2001 [Newsletter Index] [Previous Page] [Next Page] [Feature Index] editor@os2voice.org

##
Warpstock Europe 2001 in Belgium

By Luc Van Bogaert © September 2001

The recent announcement about the Warpstock Europe 2001 Conference to be held in Belgium in November is very good news for OS/2 and eComStation users all over the world. It means that in addition to Warpstock 2001 in Toronto, there will be yet another major OS/2 event this fall. Even more people will have the opportunity to attend a three day IT conference with exhibits and presentations on covering OS/2, eComStation, related products and technology.

Warpstock Europe is modeled after the annual OS/2 event put on for the last five years by Warpstock, Inc. (http://www.warpstock.org). While both events are organized by a different group of people, they are in fact very similar and basically serve the same purpose of providing support, information and education to the OS/2 community.

#### What's to see?

For those who haven't had any eComStation exposure yet, Warpstock Europe 2001 will be a perfect opportunity to see and experience eComStation 1.0 live. eComStation is Serenity Systems' new operating system, built on solid and proven IBM technology. eComStation should appeal to all users, whether they are PC-hobbyists or IT-professionals, end users or network administrators, and regardless of any prior knowledge of OS/2 or other operating systems. It will be welcomed by anyone looking for a stable, high performance Internet client and application platform to run their OS/2, eCS, Java, X and Win32 applications. eComStation installs and runs "on-the-fly", right from the CD and comes with an absolutely impressive collection of software, including a full featured suite of office applications.

Just like the Toronto event, Warpstock Europe 2001 offers attendees a three-day schedule of professional level lectures on a variety of topics, including presentations on:

- Development : OS/2 PM, Workplace Shell, Java, device drivers, ...
- Application compatibility : Win32 with Odin, X11, Java, ...
- Networking : CIDinstallations, connectivity issues, ...
- Support Issues : new and updated device drivers( eg. USB, IR, Bluetooth), eCS & IBM Convenience Pak's, ...

In addition to the presentation schedule, Warpstock Europe 2001 will have an Exhibit Hall with free access to vendor booths, presenting OS/2 and eComStation products. Throughout the three-day conference, attendees will have the opportunity to test drive many new OS/2 and eComStation software products, including commercial applications as well as shareware and freeware products. You'll be able to meet and talk to the developers of new and exciting free software, and submerge yourself in the creative environment of free OS/2 software development that seem to be growing ever larger these days.

Warpstock Europe 2001 also has a number of other special features that will appeal to many people. During the conference, attendees will be able to check their E-mail or surf the web in the Internet Cafe at no charge. And Saturday night, after a long day of presentations, the Social Night Event will bring live music, drinks, food and a time to meet and chat with hundreds of fellow OS/2 enthusiasts from all over the globe.

#### Event Location

All of the action is on the campus of the KHLim College in Diepenbeek, Belgium, a small town near Hasselt. While Hasselt may not be well known to most people outside of Belgium, it is actually a perfect location for the next European Warpstock event. Hasselt is within a one hour drive from most major cities in Belgium (only 70 km from Brussels Airport) and it is situated close to the Dutch, German and French borders, making it a short trip to Warpstock from those three countries.

On the Warpstock Europe web site you will find an overview of hotels in different price categories, all located at a convenient distance from the event site.

The event location should appeal to everyone who is planning to spend a few more days in Belgium for a short holiday before or after the Warpstock event. While Belgium is not the most obvious place for many to spend a holiday, it has however quite a number of interesting tourist attractions, all of which can easily be reached from Hasselt :

- both historically and due to its central location in Western Europe, Belgium is truly a multicultural country.
- the country has three native languages and most people speak English very well. They are accustomed to welcome foreign visitors, who in turn will feel quickly at home in Belgium.
- Antwerp, Brugge, Brussels, Gent and Liège are all historical cities, literally packed with culture, architectural wonders and art masterpieces. These cities are all worth a visit by themselves, and from Hasselt you'll be able to go there in no time! Did you know that in medieval times the city of Antwerp was the cultural and economical center of Europe, bigger and much more important than London or Paris?
- Belgium has the world's richest tradition in the art of beer brewery. Many hundred different kinds of beers are there for you to taste.
- the Belgian cuisine can easily be compared with the French, and many cities, including Hasselt have their own local delicatessen. What's more, in Belgium you won't have to spend a lot of money for a good and healthy meal. Most restaurants and bistro's honestly take pride in serving their customers the best they can, and that shows...
- you simply won't be able to find better chocolate anywhere in the world than in Belgium.
- and did you know that "French Fries" actually are a Belgian specialty and taste much better here than anywhere else?
- Hasselt is a mid-sized city (for Belgian standards anyway) with great hospitality and excellent shopping opportunities. It is located in the province of Limburg, with lots of open space and nature, which is actually quite sparse in Belgium.
- Close to Hasselt, the open-air museum in the park of "Midden-Limburg" has an impressive collection of ancient reconstructed Belgian and Dutch farm houses, wind mills, water mills, etc.
- Tongeren, which is located only 20 km from Hasselt, is the oldest city in Belgium, built on a 2000 year old Roman village. Many artifacts can still be seen in the city and its museum.

For more information about Belgium in general, go to the web site of the Belgian Federal Government http://belgium.fgov.be/

#### The Event Team

So, who are the people behind Warpstock Europe 2001? While the first two editions of the event were held in Germany and organized by members of Team OS/2 Deutschland e.V, the 2001 edition is organized by members of the Belgian HCC OS/2 Users Group. They are assisted by key members from previous event teams and sponsored by the Dutch HCC (http://www.hcc.nl). The management of the KHLim College in Diepenbeek, Belgium has generously offered part of their premises to be used exclusively for the Warpstock Europe Conference. This means that the event will take place in a modern environment, with professional level conference rooms, a spacious Exhibit Hall, guarded parking space, etc. And finally, the European software supplier Mensys (http://www.mensys.nl) has agreed to sponsor the Social Night Event. The Warpstock Europe Event Team wishes to thank everyone involved for their help and support and is confident that Warpstock Europe 2001 will continue the success of previous events.

#### Admission rates

The Event Team is positive that attending Warpstock Europe will be an affordable undertaking for everyone. Admission rates are kept extremely low for this type of conference, starting from 10 Euro for a one day ticket. Discounts are available for two or three day tickets and of course students will be able to benefit from a discount rate as well. More details and online payment will be available shortly through Mensys' secure registration system, and that will be cheaper than buying your tickets at the event itself. Warpstock Europe is still working with the HCC to provide free entrance for all HCC members. More information on this will be available shortly as well. In addition, all attendees will receive a CD-ROM containing the lectures that are given during the conference. On top of all that, the Event Team is working with KHLim Catering to provide meals for all attendees throughout the event at a very affordable price.

References: For more information about Warpstock Europe 2001 go to http://warpstock.os2.org or contact Event Team Coordinator John Bijnens at info.warpstock2001@os2ug.be

[Feature Index]
editor@os2voice.org
[Previous Page] [Newsletter Index] [Next Page]
VOICE Home Page: http://www.os2voice.org