Updates from last month's column:

IBM as of 09/05/2003 no longer supports RSU (Remote Software Update) for Software Choice FixPaks. As a result, if you have a current Software Choice subscription, there are 2 methods for applying the latest Convenience Pak FixPak 4 (as of 11/11/2003):

• Diskette images (use LOADDSKF or EMT4PM to create diskettes): http://www3.software.ibm.com/cgi-bin/asd/priv/rsudl/images/xr_c004/
• Single zip file: http://www3.software.ibm.com/cgi-bin/asd/priv/rsudl/images/xr_c004/xr_c004.zip.
  NOTES:
  1. FixPak 16 for regular Warp 4 can still be applied via RSU, as well as Device Driver FixPak 3. Both can be downloaded at http://ps.software.ibm.com/os2fixp/softupd.html; however, both require a current Software Choice subscription to download.
  2. The just-released FixPak 17 for regular Warp 4 is not available via RSU. See my notes under "Applications" below.

  The WarpZilla team has released Mozilla 1.6 beta as of 12/10/2003. 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/mozilla1.6b/mozilla-os2-1.6b.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. Also, if you do install over an older version, be sure to read the Dec. 2003 Mr. Know-It-All.
  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. Preferential version 0.6.1a has been released as of 12/02/2003. This is an add-on for Mozilla that gives you a tree with access to all of the preferences, including those that are not normally exposed. Go to http://preferential.mozdev.org/.
  9. MultiZilla version 1.6.0.0e has been released as of 12/18/2003. This is an extension that adds more features to the tabbed interface in Mozilla. Go to http://multizilla.mozdev.org/.

  Guiffy, which was presented at the April 2003 SCOUG general meeting, is now at version 5.4 BugFix Build 103 as of 12/26/2003. It is a file compare / merge (diff-like) tool with a GUI implemented in Java. Go to http://www.guiffy.com/.

  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 1.7.4 as of 12/05/2003. 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. Use search key smw on Hobbes, or go to http://xoomer.virgilio.it/acantato/.

  Open Watcom, which was featured at two SCOUG general meetings in 2002, is now at version 1.2 Release Candidate 3 as of 12/20/2003. This is an open-source release of the Watcom C, C++, and FORTRAN compilers. Harry Chris Motin carefully took us through download and installation issues in March 2002. Michal Necasek, our June 2002 co-presenter, has an article describing how to set up Open Watcom at http://pages.prodigy.net/michaln/os2/Watcom11c.html. Go to ftp://ftp.scitechsoft.com/watcom/open-watcom-os2-1.2-rc3.exe. More info is at http://www.openwatcom.org/ (according to Steve Wendt, the home page won't be updated until version 1.2 is at general availability status).

  4OS2 version 3.04E has been released as of 12/04/2003. It is a replacement command processor that is an alternative to CMD.EXE that comes with OS/2 or eComStation. Go to ftp://ftp.scitechsoft.com/devel/beta/.

  eComStation Maintenance Tool version 2.1.5.7 has been released as of 12/31/2003. As the name implies, it is used to apply software updates to eComStation. Go to http://www.ecomstation.com/.

  NOTES:
  1. You must be a registered user of eComStation; after signing-in, then you can download the Maintenance Tool.
  2. You need WarpIn to install the Maintenance Tool.
  3. Many changes in the user interface have been incorporated into this version, plus other bug fixes and enhancements.

  UpdCD version 2.40 was released as of 12/17/2003. It can be used to update the base Warp 4 (or Warp Server for e-Business) installation files with FixPaks, and supports the creation of updated installation diskettes. You can use the updated OS/2 image in combination with these diskettes to create new installations of OS/2 which already incorporate the FixPaks and other software. eComStation support and a PM interface are recent additions. Go to http://xenia.sote.hu/~kadzsol/rexx/sajat/updcd.htm, or use search key updcd on Hobbes.

  FotoGet/2 version 0.9.15 was released as of 12/11/2003. It is a utility to ease the transfer of pictures between a digital camera and your OS/2 or eComStation PC. It makes use of the WPS; it optionally creates light tables instead of folders, and optionally creates shadows of subfolders on the desktop. Use search key fotoget on Hobbes.

  Christian Langanke has updated as of 12/13/2003 a utility script that allows you to automatically upload packages and description files to Hobbes. Before the upload, the file names and the FILE_ID.DIZ from the ZIP file are checked for matching version numbers, etc. Use search key 2hobbes.

  NOTES:
  1. You need the InfoZip utility UNZIP.EXE.
  2. You also need the latest upload template (use search key README.TEMPLATE on Hobbes).

  The RAR archiver has been updated to version 3.30 beta 4. This is a command-line compression utility, with tight general and multimedia compression, recovery record option management of non-RAR archives, RCVT (aRchive ConVersion Tool), and more. Go to http://www.rarlab.com/.

  PLCash version 2.00 build 2148 has been released as of 12/13/2003. This is a financial app, intended to replace Quicken, which requires Java 1.4. Go to http://www.arachnoid.com/PLCash/.

  The Neptune project is a giant library of "skins" for the PM123 MP3 player. The catalogs of skins has been updated as of 01/01/2004. Go to http://www.os2ecs.net/neptune/downloa4.shtml.

  JAlbum version 4.1.4 has been released as of 12/27/2003. This is a web photo album generator that runs on Java 1.3. Go to http://www.datadosen.se/jalbum/.

  CBIRC version 1.01 has been released as of 12/21/2003. This is a Java IRC client with features that include color, web links, DCC, and more. Go to http://www.bratschi.net/cbirc/.

  CDRWSEL version 2.13.1 has been released as of 01/01/2004. This is a GUI program to attach multiple CDRW's at the same time using RSJ CD-Writer. Use search key cdrwsel on Hobbes.

  SciTech SNAP Graphics version 2.3.0 beta has been released as of 12/05/2003. This is a replacement for SciTech Display Doctor, which has some new features such as zooming and multi-head support. Go to http://www.scitechsoft.com/ftp/snap/os2/beta/. The change log is at http://www.scitechsoft.com/snap2_changes.txt, and the list of supported chipsets is at http://www.scitechsoft.com/ftp/snap/os2/readme.txt. More info is at http://www.scitechsoft.com/products/ent/snap_os2_content.html.

  IBM has updated as of 12/15/2003 the IDEDASD drivers, which includes updated OS2DASD.DMD, OS2CDROM.DMD, IBM1FLPY.ADD, and of course the IDE support (IBM1S506.ADD and IBMATAPI.FLT, if you are not using the Danis versions). Go to http://service.software.ibm.com/os2dd/free/idedasd.exe.

  NOTE: The OS2LDR update must be applied first: go to http://service.software.ibm.com/os2dd/free/os2ldr.exe.

  Amouse version 2.5 has been updated as of 01/02/2004. It is a scroll mouse driver that works better on some wheel mice than IBM's driver. It has USB support, improved Logitech support, and also a widget for XCenter available now. Go to http://www.nbsoftware.de/sw_ms_en.htm.

  A number of Ethernet drivers have been updated as of December 2003. You can find the following at Hobbes:

  • Tamarack TC9021 version 1.07; use search key tc902x
  • National Semiconductor DP83820 version 1.05; use search key dp820a
  • National Semiconductor DP83815 version 1.04; use search key dp815a
  • Realtek RTL8169 version 1.06; use search key rtgnda.
  Or you can go to http://homepage3.nifty.com/chagrin/gomy/doraniku.html.

  This month's new listings - Drivers:

  IBM has updated as of 10/14/2003 the power management drivers for Intel SpeedStep processors. According to Steve Wendt, the installer won't run on older OS/2 releases, but he says you can copy the files manually. Go to http://service.software.ibm.com/os2dd/free/os2spdst.exe.

  NOTE: The OS2LDR update must be applied first: go to http://service.software.ibm.com/os2dd/free/os2ldr.exe.

  Broadcom has released version 7.09 of their network card drivers for the BCM57xx chipsets. Go to http://www.broadcom.com/drivers/downloaddrivers.php?cookiecheck=1.

  NOTE: If you use Mozilla, IBM Web Browser, or Netscape 4.61, it will warn you that your browser is not optimized to view their website to its' full capabilities; click on the link "Continue without upgrading" and you can then proceed to the next screen, at which point you can download the driver. Be sure that cookies are enabled on your browser, otherwise you won't be able to proceed further.

  The Universal Audio drivers have been updated as of 12/16/2003. 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 WarpVision team accepts donations; go to https://secure.bmtmicro.com/ECommerce-OffSite/11980000.html.

  BTTV version 0.7 has been updated as of 12/27/2003. This is a port of the Linux BTTV driver, with radio and TV working. Included is a small radio application, a small TV application, and the source is available (along with a LXAPI32 support driver for porting Linux drivers). Go to http://www.nord-com.net/s.milcke/bttv_en.htm.

  
  This month's new listings - Applications:

  Junk Spy version 3.0 was released as of 12/12/2003. A number of new features are included, and a number of improvements over versions 1 and 2 are also included. Go to http://www.junkspy.com/.

  IBM has released as of 12/17/2003 FixPak 17 for Warp 4. This updates the base level of OS/2 to approximately the same level as Convenience Pak FixPak 4 (see last month's column). Device drivers are not included; they are found in the separate Device Driver FixPak. Go to http://www3.software.ibm.com/cgi-bin/asd/priv/rsudl/images/xr_m017/.

  NOTES:
  1. You need a current Software Choice subscription to download.
  2. You also need FixTool version 1.44 to install this FixPak; get it at ftp://service.boulder.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/rsu/csf144.zip.
  3. Steve Wendt recommends a tool called FastKick, which eliminates the need for you to make diskettes out of the FixPak. Use search key fastk on Hobbes.

  IBM has released as of 12/04/2003 IBM Web Browser version 2.0.2. It is based on Mozilla 1.4.1. Go to http://techsupport.services.ibm.com/cgi-bin/swchoice/priv/rdoc/en_us/ns50/f-feat.htm.

  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).

  IBM has updated Java 1.3.1 as of 12/04/2003. It includes Java Web Start, an XML parser for Java, and a plugin for Mozilla or IBM Web Browser (see above). Java Web Start allows full-featured Java 2 client applications to be launched through a Web browser. The XML Parser for Java provides Java applications with XML parsing and generation. Go to http://techsupport.services.ibm.com/cgi-bin/swchoice/priv/rdoc/en_us/java13/f-feat.htm.

  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).

  The WarpZilla team has released Thunderbird 0.4 as of 12/11/2003. This 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. This will eventually replace Mozilla (on the mail & newsgroup side). Go to http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/thunderbird/releases/0.4/contrib/thunderbird-0.4-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 version requires the GCC runtime; download that at 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.
  3. Tony's notes on installing & running Thunderbird are at mozilla.html.

  Golden Code Development has released as of 12/04/2003 their port of Java 1.4.1_06. Unlike the InnoTek version (which is an Odin port), this is a native port. End-user licenses are provided to most users at no charge; click on the Licensing link to request a license. Fee-based support contracts are available through Golden Code and IBM Global Services. Go to http://www.goldencode.com/company/software/j2se/.

  NOTE: It now includes a plugin for use with Mozilla 1.4.1 or older versions; however it does not work with Mozilla 1.5 or newer due to the fact that version 1.5 on up is now compiled with the GCC compiler instead of the older Visual Age for C compiler.

  If you are a registered eComStation user, the eCS "Install Local Printer" application (which is invoked near the end of installation of eComStation 1.1) has been updated as of 11/28/2003. If you are still using eComStation 1.0.x, you need to install the eComStation Maintenance Tool first prior to installing this application. Go to http://www.ecomstation.com/; after signing-in, you can download this in the same section where you download all device drivers.

  WarpVision was updated as of 12/18/2003. 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. Also according to Steve, there is now a plugin for use with Mozilla, but he says it didn't work on his machine; your mileage may vary.
  7. The WarpVision team accepts donations at https://secure.bmtmicro.com/ECommerce-Offsite/11980000.html.

  There is a patch for EMX 0.9d that removes the 2GB limit for those using the JFS filesystem (as of 11/19/2003). Go to http://www.ecomstation.it/postgres/emx09d_Large_File_Support.zip.

  SmartBackup version 1.10 has been released as of 12/08/2003. This program takes the time and guesswork out of backing up large drives or directories to CD, DVD, or other low-capacity media, with smart disc spanning. Use search key smartbackup on Hobbes, or go to http://freiheit.syntheticdimension.net/ecomstation-apps.php?style=basic#smartbackup.

  RSJ CD-Writer version 5.05 has been released as of 12/11/2003. It has support for DVD writing, freedb, DAO (Disk At Once), IDE drives, creating bootable CD's, and more. Go to http://www.rsj.de/stage/en/cdwriter/cd_os2.asp. NOTE: It must be purchased at this site or at Mensys (http://www.mensys.nl).

  cdrtools version 2.01a20 has been released as of 12/12/2003. This contains cdrecord (discussed in the Sept. 2003 Mr. Know-It-All), readcd, cdda2wav, and mkisofs. Use search key cdrtools on Hobbes.

  PMView Pro, the indispensable graphics viewer, has been updated to version 3.03 as of 12/12/2003. Some bug fixes are included. Go to http://www.pmview.com/.

  NOTES:
  1. President Tony Butka discusses PMView Pro version 3.01 in the July 2003 and September 2003 issues of Ink.
  2. The PMView Pro version 3.xx series received a "5 cows" rating by Tucows (http://classic.tucows.com/preview/48170.html). The main Tucows page for OS/2 is at http://classic.tucows.com/os2soft.html.

  Ghostscript version 8.13 has been released as of 01/04/2004. It is a freeware PostScript interpreter/converter for generating Adobe Acrobat (PDF) documents; it is also the display engine for GhostView. Go to ftp://mirror.cs.wisc.edu/pub/mirrors/ghost/AFPL/gs812/. Information on Ghostscript is at http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/.

  NOTE: Tony Butka discusses Ghostscript and GhostView in the March 2003 Ink.

  PolarbarWeb/2 version 0.09 has been released as of 12/14/2003. It is a CGI web front-end for the PolarBar Mailer e-mail program. With PolarbarWeb/2, you can view your e-mail from PolarBar Mailer using a Web browser. Use search key pbmweb on Hobbes.

  Warp Expander version 0.6 has been released as of 12/09/2003. It is a front-end for command-line un-archiver programs such as UNZIP, UNRAR, UNPACK, and others. It is a clone of BeOS Expander. Use search key wexp on Hobbes.

  InnoTek has released as of 12/23/2003 InnoTek Font Engine version 2.10 Preview 2, based on FreeType. Currently, only Mozilla (and other Mozilla-based browsers) are supported. A number of bug fixes, improvements, and new features are included. Go to http://www.innotek.de/products/ft2lib/ft2libgeneral_e.html.

  NOTE: This Preview 2 version will expire on 02/01/2004.

  IBM Alphaworks has released as of 12/22/2003 version 1.1.1 of an 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.

  Ogg Vorbis version 1.0.1 has been released. It is an audio compression format similar to MP3, but free of patented algorithms, and fully open-source. Included are an encoder, decoder, player, PM123 plugin, and more. Also available is OggEncPM version 0.9.1, which is a basic front- end for the encoder. Go to http://silk.apana.org.au/vorbis/, or use search key oggvorbis on Hobbes.

  bootAble version 2.18 has been released as of 12/23/2003. This is a script which can be used to create a maintenance partition or bootable CD with enough facilities to fully manage and recover your system. It contains support for LVM, HPFS, JFS, FAT32, UDF (turned off by default), and the CD file system. Go to http://www.xs4all.nl/~hrbaan/.

  GNU Make version 3.81 rc1-r3 has been released as of 12/18/2003. This is an essential tool for developing and/or porting open-source programs. Go to http://www.unixos2.org/sw/pub/binary/make/.

  AE version 1.6.5 has been released as of 12/24/2003. This is a replacement for E.EXE (which comes with OS/2 or eComStation) that fixes most of the annoying things about it. In my case, I used it instead of E.EXE because E occasionally gave a strange error dialog when I tried to exit; this occurred on a new install of eComStation 1.1. Use search key ae1_ on Hobbes.

  Python, which was demonstrated by Sheridan George at the Dec. 2001 SCOUG general meeting, is now at version 2.3.3 as of 12/25/2003. 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:
     • SQLite (an embedded SQL database library); use search key sqlite
     • PySQLite (DB-API 2.0 interface to SQLite); use search key pysqlite
     • LibPQ (PostgreSQL libpq client library with SSL); use search key libpq. There is also an EMX version as well.
     • PyPgSQL (DB-API 2.0 interface module to the PostgreSQL RDBMS); use search key pypgsql
     • PyGreSQL (PyGreSQL interface module to the PostgreSQL RDBMS); use search key pygresql.

  SmartMon has been updated as of 12/27/2003. This is an IDE HDD S.M.A.R.T. monitor which resembles the HDDSPEED package. It includes temperature monitoring and failure prediction features. Use search key smartmon on Hobbes.

  eZIP version 0.99 has been released. This integrates 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/.

  Plogg has been updated as of 12/30/2003. It is an open-source ncurses (text)-based Ogg Vorbis/MP3 player. It features basic playlist functions and navigation between songs. Use search key plogg on Hobbes.

  NOTES:
  1. It is also available in WPI format for installation via WarpIn, as well as a "lite" version (WPI format only).
  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.

  LAME is at version 3.94 beta 1 as of 01/01/2004. It is a MP3 encoder, and includes a graphical frame analyzer. Use search key lame on Hobbes.

  MozTweak version 1.2.2 has been released as of 01/02/2004. This is a GUI tool for modifying hidden Mozilla preferences. Go to http://mozillapl.mozdev.org/.

  There is now available as of 12/30/2003 a large package of eComStation themes (a total of 50). There is an .INF file included to preview the themes. Use search key ecs_win on Hobbes.

  MP3Gain version 1.3.1/3 has been released as of 12/16/2003. It is a powerful utility to modify the loudness of MP3 files automatically to one common level. Go to http://www.maazl.de/project/mp3/mp3gain.html. NOTE: The EMX runtime is required: use search key emxrt on Hobbes. For help with installation, see the June 2002 Mr. Know-It-All.

  MPEG audio utility version 0.25 has been released as of 12/03/2003. This utility analyzes all the frames of MPEG audio files, allowing you to manipulate them, such as removing leading and trailing silence. Go to http://www.maazl.de/project/mp3/mp3frame.html.

  xine has been ported to OS/2 as of 12/23/2003. This is a GPL video player with source provided. MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video files are known to work; eventually all formats supported by xine on Linux should be working on OS/2. xine for OS/2 is provided as a MCD (Media Control Device), which means it integrates with MMOS2, and any WPS-aware multimedia player can use it. Go to http://doconnor.reamined.on.ca/xine/.

  ---

  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 2004 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.