<s>
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
was	O
an	O
advocacy	O
group	O
formed	O
to	O
promote	O
IBM	O
's	O
OS/2	B-Application
operating	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
internal	O
to	O
IBM	O
with	O
no	O
formal	O
IBM	O
support	O
,	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
successfully	O
converted	O
to	O
a	O
grassroots	O
movement	O
formally	O
supported	O
(	O
but	O
not	O
directed	O
)	O
by	O
IBM	O
-	O
consisting	O
of	O
well	O
over	O
ten	O
thousand	O
OS/2	B-Application
enthusiasts	O
both	O
within	O
and	O
without	O
IBM	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
decline	O
of	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
largely	O
coincided	O
with	O
IBM	O
's	O
abandonment	O
of	O
OS/2	B-Application
and	O
the	O
coinciding	O
attacks	O
orchestrated	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
on	O
OS/2	B-Application
,	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
,	O
and	O
IBM	O
's	O
early	O
attempts	O
at	O
online	O
evangelism	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
was	O
a	O
significant	O
factor	O
in	O
the	O
spread	O
and	O
acceptance	O
of	O
OS/2	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Formed	O
in	O
February	O
1992	O
,	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
began	O
when	O
IBM	O
employee	O
Dave	O
Whittle	O
,	O
recently	O
appointed	O
by	O
IBM	O
to	O
evangelize	O
OS/2	B-Application
online	O
,	O
formed	O
an	O
internal	O
IBM	O
discussion	O
group	O
titled	O
TEAMOS2	O
FORUM	O
on	O
IBM	O
's	O
worldwide	O
network	O
,	O
which	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
served	O
more	O
individuals	O
than	O
did	O
the	O
more	O
academic	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
forum	O
went	O
viral	O
as	O
increasing	O
numbers	O
of	O
IBMers	O
worldwide	O
began	O
to	O
contribute	O
a	O
wide	O
variety	O
of	O
ideas	O
as	O
to	O
how	O
IBM	O
could	O
effectively	O
compete	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
to	O
establish	O
OS/2	B-Application
as	O
the	O
industry	O
standard	O
desktop	O
operating	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
a	O
short	O
time	O
,	O
thousands	O
of	O
IBM	O
employees	O
had	O
added	O
the	O
words	O
TEAMOS2	O
to	O
their	O
internet	O
phone	O
directory	O
listing	O
,	O
which	O
enabled	O
anyone	O
within	O
IBM	O
to	O
find	O
like-minded	O
OS/2	B-Application
enthusiasts	O
within	O
the	O
company	O
and	O
work	O
together	O
to	O
overcome	O
the	O
challenges	O
posed	O
by	O
IBM	O
's	O
size	O
,	O
insularity	O
,	O
and	O
top-down	O
marketing	O
style	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IBM	O
's	O
official	O
program	O
for	O
generating	O
word-of-mouth	O
enthusiasm	O
was	O
called	O
the	O
"	O
OS/2	B-Application
Ambassador	O
Program	O
"	O
,	O
where	O
OS/2	B-Application
enthusiasts	O
company-wide	O
could	O
win	O
Gold	O
,	O
Silver	O
,	O
and	O
Bronze	O
Ambassador	O
pins	O
and	O
corporate	O
recognition	O
with	O
various	O
levels	O
of	O
structured	O
achievement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
the	O
OS/2	B-Application
Ambassador	O
Program	O
and	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
were	O
effective	O
in	O
evangelizing	O
OS/2	B-Application
within	O
IBM	O
,	O
but	O
only	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
was	O
effective	O
in	O
generating	O
support	O
for	O
the	O
promotion	O
of	O
OS/2	B-Application
outside	O
of	O
IBM	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Whittle	O
began	O
to	O
extend	O
the	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
effort	O
outside	O
of	O
IBM	O
with	O
various	O
posts	O
on	O
CompuServe	O
,	O
Prodigy	O
,	O
bulletin	O
boards	O
,	O
newsgroups	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
venues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
went	O
external	O
that	O
spring	O
,	O
when	O
the	O
first	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
Party	O
was	O
held	O
in	O
Chicago	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
reacted	O
when	O
Steve	O
Ballmer	O
roamed	O
the	O
floor	O
with	O
an	O
application	O
on	O
diskette	O
that	O
had	O
been	O
specially	O
programmed	O
to	O
crash	O
OS/2	B-Application
;	O
and	O
OS/2	B-Application
enthusiasts	O
gathered	O
for	O
an	O
evening	O
of	O
excitement	O
at	O
the	O
first	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
party	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Attendees	O
were	O
asked	O
to	O
nominate	O
their	O
favorite	O
"	O
Teamer	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
"	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
Hall	O
of	O
Fame	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
those	O
whose	O
names	O
were	O
drawn	O
came	O
forward	O
to	O
tell	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
their	O
nominee	O
-	O
what	O
sacrifice	O
they	O
had	O
made	O
to	O
promote	O
OS/2	B-Application
and	O
why	O
they	O
were	O
deserving	O
of	O
recognition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
end	O
,	O
all	O
attendees	O
received	O
the	O
first	O
TEAM	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
T-shirt	O
,	O
which	O
includes	O
the	O
first	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
logo	O
on	O
the	O
front	O
and	O
the	O
distinctive	O
IBM	O
blue-stripe	O
logo	O
on	O
the	O
back	O
-	O
except	O
with	O
lower-case	O
letters	O
:	O
"	O
ibm/2	O
"	O
to	O
represent	O
the	O
new	O
IBM	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
that	O
,	O
word	O
about	O
the	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
phenomenon	O
spread	O
even	O
more	O
quickly	O
,	O
both	O
within	O
IBM	O
and	O
without	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
OS/2	B-Application
enthusiasts	O
spread	O
the	O
word	O
to	O
computer	O
user	O
groups	O
across	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
then	O
eventually	O
worldwide	O
,	O
independently	O
of	O
IBM	O
marketing	O
efforts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
"	O
Teamer	O
Invasion	O
"	O
of	O
COMDEX	O
in	O
the	O
Fall	O
of	O
1993	O
was	O
perhaps	O
the	O
high	O
water	O
mark	O
for	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wearing	O
the	O
salmon-colored	O
shirts	O
which	O
were	O
to	O
become	O
associated	O
with	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
,	O
the	O
group	O
's	O
members	O
,	O
led	O
by	O
Doug	O
Azzarito	O
,	O
Keith	O
Wood	O
,	O
Mike	O
Kogan	O
,	O
IBM	O
User	O
Group	O
Manager	O
Gene	O
Barlow	O
,	O
and	O
others	O
wandered	O
the	O
convention	O
floors	O
,	O
promoting	O
OS/2	B-Application
and	O
providing	O
demo	O
discs	O
to	O
vendors	O
and	O
offering	O
to	O
install	O
the	O
distributed	O
version	O
of	O
OS/2	B-Application
on	O
display	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
volunteers	O
had	O
traveled	O
to	O
the	O
convention	O
on	O
their	O
own	O
,	O
including	O
some	O
from	O
overseas	O
;	O
so	O
their	O
independence	O
and	O
grass-roots	O
enthusiasm	O
attracted	O
significant	O
attention	O
in	O
the	O
media	O
and	O
amongst	O
exhibitors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IBM	O
had	O
established	O
the	O
Grass	O
Roots	O
Marketing	O
department	O
proposed	O
earlier	O
,	O
and	O
had	O
even	O
tapped	O
Vicci	O
Conway	O
and	O
Janet	O
Gobeille	O
to	O
provide	O
support	O
and	O
guidance	O
for	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
with	O
Whittle	O
voluntarily	O
stepping	O
aside	O
from	O
his	O
previous	O
day-to-day	O
focus	O
on	O
supporting	O
and	O
monitoring	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
activities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Janet	O
was	O
nicknamed	O
"	O
Team	O
Godmother	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
everyone	O
in	O
IBM	O
,	O
especially	O
Whittle	O
,	O
was	O
wary	O
of	O
trying	O
to	O
direct	O
volunteers	O
or	O
make	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
too	O
structured	O
or	O
formal	O
,	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
avoid	O
"	O
breaking	O
something	O
that	O
works	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
Frequently	O
Asked	O
Questions	O
document	O
,	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
at	O
one	O
point	O
had	O
a	O
presence	O
(	O
sponsoring	O
members	O
willing	O
to	O
publish	O
their	O
e-mail	O
addresses	O
as	O
points	O
of	O
contact	O
)	O
in	O
Argentina	O
,	O
Australia	O
,	O
Austria	O
,	O
Belgium	O
,	O
Canada	O
,	O
Denmark	O
,	O
Germany	O
,	O
Ireland	O
,	O
Japan	O
,	O
Latvia	O
,	O
the	O
Netherlands	O
,	O
Portugal	O
,	O
Singapore	O
,	O
South	O
Africa	O
,	O
Spain	O
,	O
Sweden	O
,	O
Switzerland	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
;	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
online	O
on	O
America	O
Online	O
,	O
CompuServe	O
,	O
Delphi	O
,	O
FidoNet	O
,	O
Genie	O
,	O
the	O
Internet/Usenet/mail	O
servers	O
,	O
Prodigy	O
,	O
and	O
WWIVNet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
article	O
analyzing	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
and	O
its	O
meaning	O
and	O
context	O
,	O
Robert	O
L	O
.	O
Scheier	O
listed	O
several	O
of	O
the	O
factors	O
that	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
the	O
group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
'	O
s	O
very	O
lack	O
of	O
structure	O
left	O
it	O
vulnerable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Online	O
,	O
numerous	O
individuals	O
(	O
nicknamed	O
"	O
Microsoft	O
Munchkins	O
"	O
by	O
John	O
C	O
.	O
Dvorak	O
)	O
used	O
pseudonyms	O
to	O
attack	O
OS/2	B-Application
and	O
manipulate	O
online	O
discussions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
journalists	O
who	O
were	O
less	O
than	O
enthusiastic	O
about	O
OS/2	B-Application
received	O
death	O
threats	O
and	O
other	O
nasty	O
emails	O
from	O
numerous	O
sources	O
,	O
identified	O
in	O
taglines	O
as	O
"	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
"	O
without	O
a	O
name	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Whether	O
this	O
attack	O
pattern	O
was	O
part	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
efforts	O
or	O
from	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
,	O
the	O
identity	O
was	O
never	O
proven	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultimately	O
,	O
at	O
least	O
some	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
efforts	O
were	O
exposed	O
on	O
Will	O
Zachmann	O
's	O
Canopus	O
forum	O
on	O
CompuServe	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
owner	O
of	O
one	O
particular	O
account	O
,	O
ostensibly	O
belonging	O
to	O
"	O
Steve	O
Barkto	O
"	O
,	O
(	O
who	O
had	O
been	O
attacking	O
OS/2	B-Application
,	O
David	O
Barnes	O
,	O
Whittle	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
OS/2	B-Application
fans	O
)	O
was	O
discovered	O
to	O
be	O
funded	O
by	O
the	O
credit	O
card	O
of	O
Rick	O
Segal	O
,	O
a	O
high-level	O
Microsoft	O
employee	O
and	O
evangelist	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
also	O
been	O
active	O
in	O
the	O
forums	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
height	O
of	O
the	O
marketing	O
effort	O
,	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
consisted	O
of	O
more	O
than	O
ten	O
thousand	O
known	O
members	O
,	O
and	O
countless	O
undocumented	O
members	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IBM	O
acknowledged	O
publicly	O
that	O
without	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
,	O
there	O
might	O
not	O
have	O
been	O
a	O
fourth	O
generation	O
(	O
"	O
Warp	O
4	O
"	O
)	O
of	O
the	O
operating	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
executives	O
were	O
said	O
to	O
be	O
positively	O
gleeful	O
and	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
members	O
worldwide	O
were	O
said	O
to	O
be	O
incredulous	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
Team	O
members	O
eventually	O
migrated	O
away	O
from	O
OS/2	B-Application
to	O
Linux	O
,	O
which	O
offered	O
the	O
power	O
and	O
stability	O
which	O
they	O
had	O
come	O
to	O
expect	O
from	O
OS/2	B-Application
,	O
and	O
where	O
much	O
of	O
what	O
was	O
learned	O
with	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
inspired	O
at	O
least	O
some	O
in	O
the	O
Linux	O
and	O
Open	O
Source	O
movements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Videotape	O
of	O
the	O
two	O
demonstrations	O
was	O
later	O
distributed	O
by	O
IBM	O
and	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
members	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Compared	O
to	O
the	O
dynamic	O
presentation	O
given	O
by	O
David	O
Barnes	O
as	O
he	O
put	O
OS/2	B-Application
through	O
its	O
paces	O
,	O
the	O
Microsoft	O
presenter	O
and	O
NT	O
showed	O
so	O
poorly	O
that	O
Microsoft	O
demanded	O
that	O
all	O
portions	O
of	O
the	O
NT	O
presentation	O
be	O
cut	O
out	O
of	O
the	O
videotapes	O
which	O
IBM	O
was	O
distributing	O
of	O
the	O
event	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
uncut	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
OS/2	B-Application
-	O
NT	O
Shootout	O
"	O
tape	O
have	O
been	O
dubbed	O
the	O
"	O
OS/2	B-Application
-	O
NT	O
Shootdown	O
"	O
or	O
"	O
The	O
Shootdown	O
of	O
Flight	O
31	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultimately	O
,	O
following	O
the	O
abandonment	O
of	O
OS/2	B-Application
by	O
IBM	O
,	O
an	O
immeasurable	O
but	O
nonetheless	O
significant	O
portion	O
of	O
the	O
movement	O
generated	O
by	O
Team	B-Device
OS/2	I-Device
migrated	O
to	O
the	O
Open	O
Source	O
movement	O
,	O
specifically	O
to	O
the	O
support	O
of	O
Linux	O
;	O
and	O
IBM	O
itself	O
eventually	O
chose	O
to	O
support	O
Linux	O
as	O
its	O
platform	O
of	O
choice	O
for	O
its	O
software	O
solutions	O
initiatives	O
.	O
</s>
