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SCOUG was there!


Copyright 1998-2024, Southern California OS/2 User Group. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

SCOUG, Warp Expo West, and Warpfest are trademarks of the Southern California OS/2 User Group. OS/2, Workplace Shell, and IBM are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. All other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners.

The Southern California OS/2 User Group
USA

November 2003


DOWNLOAD!

by Gary Wong

Updates from last month's column:

The WarpZilla team has released Mozilla 1.5 as of 10/20/2003. This is an update to Mozilla 1.4 that was demoed by Tony Butka at the Sept. 2003 SCOUG general meeting. Older versions of Mozilla were mentioned in the May 2002 Mr. Know-It-All. Go to http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla/releases/mozilla1.5/mozilla-os2-1.5.zip (you must unzip it yourself into a directory and create or update the program object accordingly). More info is at http://www.mozilla.org/ports/os2/.

    NOTES:
  1. Steve Wendt has a WarpZilla tips page at http://www.os2bbs.com/os2news/Warpzilla.html.
  2. Another site that has documentation of plugin support on OS/2 is at http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/OS2.html.
  3. This release now has improved drag-and-drop, junk mail and news filters, link prefetching, Type Ahead Find, turbo mode, WarpCenter message notification, spell-checker, etc.
  4. The recommended installation method is to install into a fresh directory; however, if you install over an older version, be sure to delete GKCONTNT.DLL (or GKCONTENT.DLL) and COMPREG.DAT (if they exist); otherwise you may have problems running WarpZilla after installation.
  5. This version requires the GCC runtime; download that at http://download.innotek.de/gccos2/runtime/libc04fix1.zip. The EMX runtime is no longer required if you don't already have it installed. Unzip the GCC runtime and either place it in the subdirectory where MOZILLA.EXE is, or put it in its' own directory and update the LIBPATH variable in CONFIG.SYS to point to that directory.
  6. You should not share a profile between the VACPP (version 1.4.1 and older) and the GCC versions, as it may cause problems, especially with secure sites.
  7. If you use the InnoTek Font Engine, and you are upgrading from a previous version by installing into a fresh directory, you may need to re-install the InnoTek Font Engine.
  8. MultiZilla version 1.5.0.3k has been released. This is an extension that adds more features to the tabbed interface in Mozilla. Go to http://multizilla.mozdev.org/.

DFSee, which was demoed at the June 2001 SCOUG general meeting, is now at version 5.54 as of 10/31/2003. It is a FDISK, display, analysis and recovery tool for disks and filesystems. It includes the ability to resize FAT and FAT32 partitions, and has some JFS and LVM support. A new feature is that there has been a major update in the user interface. Go to http://www.dfsee.com/dfsee.htm. Tony Butka's tutorial on DFSee is at http://www.scoug.com/os24u/2001/scoug012.dfseetutorial.html.

    NOTES:
  1. You can also use search key dfsee on Hobbes.
  2. DFSee is now shareware. Registration is at Mensys (http://show.mensys.nl/catalogue/mns_DFSee.html).

Styler/2 (a.k.a. Smart Windows), which was part of Gary Granat's series on "Seeking Ways to Get Rid of System Bloat" is now at version 1.7.3.6 as of 10/29/2003. It features: shade or bitmap as titlebar background; 3-D effect for titlebar text; selectable bitmaps for the window controls (you can change them at run time: no DLL patching required); selectable position for the window close button; titlebar hiding / mouse-sensitive pop-up; titlebar context menu; WarpSans font for all dialog windows; window rolling; frame drag; entry fields automatic text selection (you can choose which mouse event selects the whole entry field content; automatic (sliding) focus (works with Win-OS2 windows as well); mouse pointer hiding; mouse button double-click emulation; and easy-to-use PM installer/uninstaller. Go to http://xoomer.virgilio.it/acantato/.

eComStation Maintenance Tool version 2.1.3.8 has been released as of 10/29/2003. As the name implies, it is used to apply software updates to eComStation. Go to http://www.ecomstation.com/. NOTE: You must be a registered user of eComStation; after signing-in, then you can download the Maintenance Tool.

GSView version 4.5 has been released as of 10/18/2003. It is a graphical document viewer that uses Ghostscript as its' display engine. Go to http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/gsview/.

WarpVision was updated on 10/06/2003. It is a player for DivX3, DivX4, DivX5, XViD, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, AVI, and ASF, with MP3/AC3 audio, and now has some DVD support. The GUI version includes "skin" support (see note 1 below). See note 4 below for playing encrypted DVD's. Go to http://os2.kiev.ua/en/wv.php.

    NOTES:
  1. There are downloadable "skins" available at http://os2.kiev.ua/en/wv.skins.php.
  2. There is also a command-line (05/04/2003) version of WarpVision available.
  3. According to the author, you must delete VIDEO2.INI prior to updating from a previous version of WarpVision.
  4. There is now DVD support via a plugin called DVDCSS. For that, go to ftp://ftp.os2.spb.ru/pub/mmedia/contrib/libdvdcss-1.2.6.zip.
  5. According to Steve Wendt, WarpVision GUI is shareware and some builds may be limited to 15 minutes of playback; however Mark Abramowitz says that both are not (or may not be) the case.
  6. The WarpVision team accepts donations at https://secure.bmtmicro.com/ECommerce-OffSite/11980000.html.

CDRWSEL version 2.12.5 has been released as of 11/03/2003. This is a GUI program to attach multiple CDRW's at the same time using RSJ CD-Writer. Use search key cdrwsel on Hobbes.

    NOTES:
  1. Screenshots are also available.
  2. Documentation is also available in Lotus WordPro format.

MP3 Automagic CD Cover Creator version 1.1 has been released as of 10/26/2003. This Java program creates printable CD covers for MP3 CD's, and works with Innotek's Java 1.4.1. Go to http://filenabber.com/maccc/mainEN.php.

NewView version 2.12.9 has been released as of 10/31/2003. This is a rewrite of VIEW.EXE that comes with OS/2. It reads .INF and .HLP files. Improvements include a new user interface, remember size and position, select and copy from the window, and more. Use search key newview on Hobbes, or go to http://homepages.visp.co.nz/~aaronlawrence/NewView.html.

jSyncManager version 3.0 (API and Core Application Set) has been released as of 10/20/2003. This is a Java tool for synchronizing with Palm handhelds. Go to http://jsyncmanager.sourceforge.net/.

Beta 3 fix 1 of an OS/2 port of GCC 3.2.2 has been released as of 10/27/2003. It is a compiler suite containing C, C++, Objective C, Java, and Fortran 77. Go to http://www.innotek.de/products/gccos2/gccos2general_e.html. Source is also available.

eBayWatch/2 version 1.09q1 is now available as of 10/26/2003. As the name implies, it is an eBay auction management tool. Go to http://www.eclipse.net/~knkrchnr/.

JAlbum version 4.0.1 has been released as of 10/31/2003. This is a web photo album generator that runs on Java 1.3. Go to http://www.datadosen.se/jalbum/.

Maul Publisher version 2.27 has been released. It is billed as "the world's first professional desktop publisher for OS/2". It will automatically take care of page numbering in folding booklets, reversal of margins for facing pages, page numbering offsets where you don't want to start from Page 1, reversal of margins for top-bound booklets and top-folding booklets, centering margins on printers with odd margins, and multi-way folding sheets and maps. In addition, you have full control of column, row, gutter, and center gutter guides, including the automatic adjustment of page offsets when a number of sheets are bound into a folding booklet. Go to http://www.manglais.com/.

IBM has updated the BIOS for the ThinkPad T40 as of 10/08/2003. Go to ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/spsd1r79.exe.

The Network Interface Card Pak (NICPak) has been updated as of 10/06/2003. This is a collection of various NIC drivers, and a tool for detecting and installing them. Go to http://pws.prserv.net/mckinnis/nicpak/.


This month's new listings - Drivers:

IBM has updated the Embedded Controller Program (H8 controller firmware) for the ThinkPad T40 series as of 10/07/2003. Go to ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/embd1r62.exe.

IBM has updated the Ethernet driver for the Intel PRO/100/1000 LAN adapter for the ThinkPad T40 series as of 10/07/2003. Go to ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/ethtve1o.exe.

    NOTES:
  1. This is a fairly large (approx. 28MB) file.
  2. Installation is via the MPTS (Multi-Protocol Transport Services) utility.

IBM has updated the audio driver for the ThinkPad T30 as of 10/21/2003. It now supports the ThinkPad T40 and T41 series, and fixes some problems with the volume control function on Warpmix. Go to ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/aftp1ios.exe.

IBM has updated the USB storage driver (memory keys, diskette drives, CD-ROM, CD writers, Zip drives, LS-120 drives) as of 10/14/2003. According to Steve Wendt, compact Flash-type flash memory card readers and some USB digital cameras also have been reported to work with this driver. Go to http://service.software.ibm.com/swchoice/os2dd/usbstor.exe.

    NOTES:
  1. You need a current Software Choice subscription to download.
  2. If you are a registered eComStation user, download it at http://www.ecomstation.com (after signing-in).
  3. You also need the USB basic device support driver (see next item).
  4. If Base Device Driver FixPak 3 (or eComStation 1.1) has not been installed, the latest IDEDASD package needs to be installed; go to http://service.software.ibm.com/os2dd/free/idedasd.exe.

IBM has updated the USB basic device support package as of 10/14/2003. This supports the USB 1.0 OHCI, 1.1 UHCI, and 2.0 EHCI specifications. Go to http://service.software.ibm.com/swchoice/os2dd/usbehci.exe.

    NOTES:
  1. You need a current Software Choice subscription to download.
  2. If you are a registered eComStation user, download it at http://www.ecomstation.com (after signing-in).
  3. The updated Loader Package is a pre-requisite; go to http://service.software.ibm.com/os2dd/free/os2ldr.exe.

IBM has released as of 10/08/2003 an Adaptec Ultra320 SCSI driver. Go to ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/pc_servers/26k3256.zip.

    NOTES:
  1. The README file is 26k3256.txt.
  2. According to the readme file, this driver is only supported for Warp Server for eBusiness (i.e. it MAY be possible to use this driver on regular Warp 4/Convenience Package/eComStation, but officially this driver is only supported on Warp Server for eBusiness).
  3. Apparently someone also uploaded this driver to Hobbes; use search key adaptecu320.

IBM has updated as of 10/28/2003 their version of SciTech SNAP Graphics. Support for the ATI Radeon 9200 and Nvidia GeForce FX 5200 have been added. Go to http://service.software.ibm.com/swchoice/os2dd/snapse216.exe.

    NOTES:
  1. You need a current Software Choice subscription to download.
  2. If you are a registered eComStation user, go to http://www.ecomstation.com; after signing-in, you can then download.

IBM has updated as of 09/29/2003 the Single Mouse driver. It integrates the TrackPoint features, making MOUSE2.SYS obsolete. It also fixes a problem older versions of the driver had with Mozilla. Go to http://service.software.ibm.com/os2dd/free/SingleMouse/SMouseEN.exe. NOTE: For other languages, substitute EN with FR (French), DE (German), IT (Italian), JP (Japanese), BR (Portuguese), ES (Spanish), CX (Simplified Chinese), or TW (Taiwanese).

The Universal Audio drivers have been updated as of 10/24/2003. This is based on the GPL ALSA Project from Linux and provides drivers for various sound chipsets. Portions of the source code are also available, in partial compliance with the GPL license. Go to http://os2.kiev.ua/en/uniaud.php.

    NOTES:
  1. The list of supported sound cards is at http://os2.kiev.ua/en/uniaud.cards.php.
  2. The source is available at http://www.innotek.de/products/uniaud/source/.
  3. The WarpVision team accepts donations; go to https://secure.bmtmicro.com/ECommerce-OffSite/11980000.html.

The AC97 sound driver for VIA Technologies KT266A/333/400, P4M266, and P4X266/333/400 (8233/8233c/8233a/8235 south bridge) has been updated as of 10/07/2003. There is also an optional package containing ALC-201A patches, a diagnostic utility, startup sound driver, and source code. Use search key 823x on Hobbes.

Drivers for the Intel EtherExpress (Pro/100) Ethernet cards have been updated to version 4.48 as of 08/29/2003. Also included are the Intel Pro/1000 version 3.46 drivers. Go to ftp://aiedownload.intel.com/df-support/4898/eng/PRODOS2.exe.

There is a driver for the VIA VT6103 PHY Ethernet chipset as of 10/26/2003. Use search key vt6103 on Hobbes.


This month's new listings - Applications:

The WarpZilla team has released Mozilla 1.4.1 as of 10/15/2003. This is an update to Mozilla 1.4 that was demoed by Tony Butka at the Sept. 2003 SCOUG general meeting. Older versions of Mozilla were mentioned in the May 2002 Mr. Know-It-All. Go to http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla/releases/mozilla1.4.1/mozilla-os2-1.4.1-installer.exe (a self-installing executable), or http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla/releases/mozilla1.4.1/mozilla-os2-1.4.1.zip (you must unzip it yourself into a directory). More info is at http://www.mozilla.org/ports/os2/.

    NOTES:
  1. Steve Wendt has a WarpZilla tips page at http://www.os2bbs.com/os2news/Warpzilla.html.
  2. Another site that has documentation of plugin support on OS/2 is at http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/OS2.html.
  3. This release now has improved drag-and-drop, junk mail and news filters, link prefetching, Type Ahead Find, turbo mode, WarpCenter message notification, spell-checker, etc.
  4. The recommended installation method is to install into a fresh directory; however, if you install over an older version, be sure to delete GKCONTNT.DLL (or GKCONTENT.DLL) and COMPREG.DAT (if they exist); otherwise you may have problems running WarpZilla after installation.
  5. You should not share a profile between the VACPP (version 1.4.1 and older) and the GCC (version 1.5 on up) versions, as it may cause problems, especially with secure sites.
  6. If you use the InnoTek Font Engine, and you are upgrading from a previous version by installing into a fresh directory, you may need to re-install the InnoTek Font Engine.

The WarpZilla team has also released Firebird 0.7 as of 10/23/2003. This is an update to Firebird 0.6.1 that was demoed by Tony Butka at the Sept. 2003 SCOUG general meeting. It is a stand-alone browser based on Mozilla that does not include mail, news, composer, IRC, and the other frills. This will eventually replace Mozilla (on the browser side). Go to http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firebird/releases/0.7/contrib/MozillaFirebird-0.7-os2.zip. More info is at http://www.mozilla.org/ports/os2/.

    NOTES:
  1. Steve Wendt has a WarpZilla tips page at http://www.os2bbs.com/os2news/Warpzilla.html.
  2. You must unzip it yourself into a directory and create or update a program object.
  3. This requires the GCC runtime; go to http://download.innotek.de/gccos2/runtime/libc04fix1.zip. Unzip the GCC runtime and either place it in the subdirectory where the Firebird executable is, or put it in its' own directory and update the LIBPATH variable in CONFIG.SYS to point to that directory.
  4. Some icons titled "Flower of Flame" are available at Hobbes as of 10/31/2003; use search key fire_icons.

The WarpZilla team has also released Thunderbird 0.3 as of 10/20/2003. It is an update to Thunderbird 0.2 that was demoed by Tony Butka at the Sept. 2003 SCOUG general meeting. It is a stand-alone mail and newsgroup client based on Mozilla that does not contain the browser (see Firebird above). As with Firebird, this will eventually replace Mozilla (on the mail & newsgroup side). Go to http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/thunderbird/releases/0.3/contrib/thunderbird-0.3-os2.zip. More info is at http://www.mozilla.org/ports/os2/.

    NOTES:
  1. You must unzip it yourself into a directory and create or update a program object.
  2. This requires the GCC runtime; go to http://download.innotek.de/gccos2/runtime/libc04fix1.zip. Unzip the GCC runtime and either place it in the subdirectory where the Thunderbird executable is, or put it in its' own directory and update the LIBPATH variable in CONFIG.SYS to point to that directory.

Our treasurer Steven Levine has uploaded to Hobbes FM/2 Taskbar version 1.08 as of 11/01/2003. It is a utility program that works in conjunction with the WPS window list, program objects, and Launchpad (in Warp 4 and eComStation it's known as the Toolbar) to control what's running on your system, and where it runs. Use search key taskbar. NOTE: Source is also available.

InnoTek has released as of 10/30/2003 OS/2 Kit for Java version 1.4.2_02. This is an Odin wrapper for Sun Microsystems' Windows Java Virtual Machine. It is free for personal use; enterprise customers can license it in order to get defect support. InnoTek plans to provide an updated OS/2 Kit for Java no later than 20 working days after a new Java platform release by Sun Microsystems. Go to http://www.innotek.de/products/javaos2/.

    NOTES:
  1. This version includes browser plugin support for Mozilla, but you need to copy the files manually.
  2. This version is available as a runtime, and also as a SDK (software development kit). The runtime is approximately 19MB; the SDK is 42MB.
  3. The README and FAQ documents are available at http://www.innotek.de/products/javaos2/javaos2readme_e.html and http://www.innotek.de/products/javaos2/javaos2faq_e.html, respectively.

InnoTek has released as of 10/29/2003 OS/2 Kit for Acrobat Reader 4.05 Release 2. This is Acrobat Reader 4.05 for Windows, with an Odin-based OS/2 Kit that allows it to run on OS/2. A browser plugin is included, but must be manually installed. There are no plans to support Acrobat 5.1, but Acrobat 6 is expected to be supported in a future release. Go to http://www.innotek.de/products/acrobatos2/; the README is at http://www.innotek.de/products/acrobatos2/acrobatos2readme_e.html, and the FAQ is at http://www.innotek.de/products/acrobatos2/acrobatos2faq_e.html.

    NOTES:
  1. President Tony Butka talks about Acrobat Reader 4.05 in the June and November 2003 Ink columns.
  2. According to Steve Wendt, the installer routine is extremely buggy, so you may have trouble getting it installed. However, I did not experience any problems, but your experience may be different from mine.

IBM Alphaworks has released as of 10/08/2003 version 1.1 of a MPEG-4 player and content creator development kit that works with Java 1.3.1. According to Steve Wendt, it plays MPEG-4 video (samples included) just fine on a PII-300MHz machine. Go to http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/tk4mpeg4.

VFAT2EA version 1.4 has been released as of 10/13/2003. This utility converts VFAT long filenames to .LONGNAME extended attributes and vice versa. Use search key vfat2ea on Hobbes.

A Commodore 64 emulator for OS/2 (full-screen) has been posted to Hobbes as of 10/19/2003. Use search key cbm64e.

Python, which was demonstarted by Sheridan George at the Dec. 2001 SCOUG general meeting, is now at version 2.3.2 as of 10/19/2003. It is a scripting language that comes from the Unix world. Go to http://www.pcug.org.au/~andymac/python.html. Sheridan's comparison of Python vs. REXX is at http://www.scoug.com/os24u/2001/scoug012.rexx_python.html.

    NOTES:
  1. You can also use search key python on Hobbes.
  2. Source is also available.
  3. The EMX runtime is required; use search key emxrt on Hobbes. For help with installation, see the June 2002 Mr. Know-It-All.
  4. A number of extensions are also available on Hobbes:
    • Armin Rigo's Python Specializing Compiler module; use search key psyco, or go to http://www.andymac.org/python-2.3/
    • PyPgSQL DB-API 2.0 interface module to the PostgreSQL RDBMS; use search key pypgsql
    • Numeric Python extension version 23.1; use search key numericpython.

PLCash version 2.00 build 2135 has been released as of 10/21/2003. This is a financial application, intended to replace Quicken, which requires Java 1.4. Go to http://www.arachnoid.com/PLCash/.

CPU Monitor version 1.30 has been released as of 10/15/2003. This is a graphical display of current CPU usage, interrupt time and memory information. Use search key cpu on Hobbes.

Apache version 2.0.48 has been released as of 10/31/2003. It is the premier web server of the Internet, and offers big performance improvements over the older versions due to multi-threading and elimination of some EMX dependencies. Go to http://apache.org/dist/httpd/binaries/os2/; info is available at http://silk.apana.org.au/apache/apache_v2.shtml.

RSJ CD-Writer version 5.04 has been released as of 10/30/2003. It now has support for DVD writing, freedb, DAO (Disk At Once), IDE drives, creating bootable CD's, etc. Go to http://www.rsj.de/stage/en/cdwriter/cd_os2.asp. It must be purchased at the RSJ web site or at Mensys (http://www.mensys.nl).

eZIP version 0.98 has been released. This intgrates ZIP files with the WPS, and has extra features for users of XWorkplace. It is intended to be a replacement for the Object Desktop ZIP folders. Go to http://www.subsys.de/eZIP/. NOTE: this is a beta version.

David Graser has uploaded some themes for eComStation 1.0 and 1.1 to Hobbes as of 11/04/2003. Use search key more_ecs.


Interested in something particular you don't find here? Let Gary know.


Editorial Note: Special thanks to SCOUG's Dallas Legan for writing a handy REXX script to convert URLs in a text file into HTML tags. It's much appreciated!


The Southern California OS/2 User Group
P.O. Box 26904
Santa Ana, CA 92799-6904, USA

Copyright 2003 the Southern California OS/2 User Group. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

SCOUG, Warp Expo West, and Warpfest are trademarks of the Southern California OS/2 User Group. OS/2, Workplace Shell, and IBM are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. All other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners.