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A new virus signatures file, av30fm.zip, dated 31 march 2000 for the IBM Antivirus
for OS/2 has been released on the Symantec site at:
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/download.html
The following Star Office 5.1a patches were recently mentioned on the OS/2 Discussion
List, so I thought I'd pass them on. I have not downloaded or applied them, so I
can't say what effect they have. There README files at the following site:
http://sunsolve.Sun.COM/pub-cgi/show.pl?target=patches/xprod-StarOffice&nav=pub-patches
StarSchedule Server 5.1a: Security patch for OS/2 - Mar/27/00
http://sunsolve.Sun.COM/pub-cgi/patchDownload.pl?target=109184&method=H
StarOffice 5.1a: Database DBF patch for OS/2 - Mar/22/00
http://sunsolve.Sun.COM/pub-cgi/patchDownload.pl?target=108743&method=H
StarOffice 5.1a: Outbox News patch for OS/2 - Mar/22/00
http://sunsolve.Sun.COM/pub-cgi/patchDownload.pl?target=108738&method=H
StarOffice 5.1a: Palm Pilot synchronization patch for OS/2 - Mar/22/00
http://sunsolve.Sun.COM/pub-cgi/patchDownload.pl?target=108736&method=H
LBMix was updated to version 0.02. The new release includes support for new features
of IOCTL 90 API. Also it includes support for pipe mixer backend interface - the
easiest way to create your own mixer. Some pipe mixer backends are included: IOCTL90
API, Crystal mode 2 chips, Crystal mode 3 chips with drivers v.2.09+ (unreleased
yet) (DAC volume patch + 3D support), Crystal mode 3 chips with driver v.2.08 (gives
full functionality of driver v.2.09 + 3D support).
TiMidity++ was updated to version 2.9.1. This release includes only executable
with Lagrange interpolation, it sounds definitely better than cubic interpolation
to me.
For more information and download please visit:
http://www.podolsk.ru/~boga/OS2Programs.html
LBMix is a universal mixer for IOCTL90 Mixer API implemented in Crystal Semiconductor
drivers. It should work with any audio driver implementing this API as well. Also
supports pipe mixer API - the easiest way to create your own mixers.
Timidity++ is an extended version of Timidity, a software MIDI synthesizer.
Now the Gnome/2 project is quite old, but is not as important as it could be.
Therefore we will try in the future mainly NOT to port the standard Gnome/2 apps,
but the programs that are urgently needed for OS/2 and hope that the next EverBlue
(search WarpCast for "EverBlue" for more info on EverBlue) release will
be available soon.
The problem is that Orbit's port is still not complete, due to some errors that
haven't been found yet. And we have the same problem with some other libs. Before
this problem was avoided by only porting what was possible. But for the most important
apps we need these libs.
So you can help by two things:
Help find the errors in the lib-ports (mail Platon Fomichev pla@cland.ru
or by suggesting apps, that are missing under OS/2, but available under GNOME (mail
to the gnome-os2 Maillinglist on egroups).
You can find a GNOME software map under:
Gnome/2 is the port of GNOME http://www.gnome.org
which is not only a desktop environment, but a large collection of apps for every
kind of work. Gimp and gPhoto e.g. are part of this project.
The Gnome/2 pages are at:
Cornelius Bockemuehl has updated PMAstronomy to Version 1.1:
http://home.datacomm.ch/cbockem/
PMAstronomy is a program for the production of all kinds of astronomical tables
and graphics.
Gimp 1.1.19 has been released. Now you can load/write OS/2 BMP files with Gimp.
It seems like Gimp 1.2 is coming.
New Gimp/2 has been released.
Gimp/2 is a powerful pixel graphic program that runs under Xfree86OS/2 and is
part of the GNOME/2 project. Gimp/2 is able to work with layers&channels, has
a big bunch of Filters and it's know Script language Fu-Script, with a lot of useful
examples. Together with X-Scanimage and SANE you also can directly scan into Gimp/2.
Gimp/2 is open source, that means free for everyone to use and free for us to
continue porting it.
I have completed the first phase in the redesign of the 32 Bits and Beyond Project.
About a year ago, this web site was called "OS/2 in Focus".
I have changed the name of the site to "The 32 Bits and Beyond Project"
since I have obtained a second PC and am currently running Linux Mandrake 6.0.
Some of you are thinking have I given up OS/2?
Not a chance. The OS/2 box, a Compaq Presario 425, which is now five years and
growing, is still running in peak condition.
I have since expanded the web site to include Linux as well as OS/2 support.
The web site now has a new URL:
The site still has OS/2 information, and the OS/2 in Focus is still there, but
it is now a menu item on the main menu.
The old space on GeoCities will be used for a photography site as it relates
to OS/2 and Linux being a photographer's platform.
Stay tuned for details.
We have made a mailing list under egroups, named gnome-os2. Visit:
http://www.egroups.com/list/gnome-os2/info.html
This is supposed to be used for discussing programs (wich one should come next),
bugs and questions about porting.
Gnome/2 is the port of GNOME http://www.gnome.org
which is not only a desktop environment, but a large collection of apps for every
kind of work. Gimp and gPhoto e.g. are part of this project.
At the moment the ports only run under Xfree86OS/2, but with Everblue they will
run under the PM in the future.
The EverBlue project is an undertaking to port Xlib to PM which would mean that
the vast variety of Linux (and other *nix) software that is designed to work under
Xwindows will be able to work under native OS/2 PM by simply recompiling using the
EverBlue libraries. EverBlue is an OS/2 Netlabs project. For more info see:
http://www.netlabs.org/EverBlue/
OS/2 users around the world will be attending Warpstock 2000 this year to celebrate
their choice of operating systems. This year, they'll also be able to use their
choice of currency.
The Board of Directors of Warpstock, Inc. is pleased to announce that Mensys,
the largest OS/2 reseller outside the United States, is now selling tickets to Warpstock
2000!
Complete details are available at:
http://www.warpstock.org/2000/registration/registration.html
The rate is $79 per person until July 31, and $99 thereafter. Online registration
ends at September 5, so after that tickets will only be available at the door.
Individuals wishing to pay by check can also mail in their registration. The
cut-off date is September 1, and again, details can be found at the above web page.
Attendees who are interested in the VOICE-sponsored social event are encouraged
to pre-register at the same web page. Pre-registration simply lets the organizers
know aproximately how many people will attend the social event. VOICE will then
contact you with details when they become available.
The 4th annual Warpstock conference will be held September 9-10, 2000, in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, and is produced by Warpstock, Inc., a North Carolina non-profit corporation.
The Warpstock annual conference is a gathering of OS/2 users and vendors from around
the world for the purpose of education and advocacy. More information is available
at the Warpstock 2000 web site:
Hello to all OS/2-User.
In about two weeks a new version of SecureDesktop will be ready for download
from my home page:
http://home.t-online.de/~Juergen.Dankoweit
Several users/testers reported some very serious errors. These will then be corrected.
SecureDesktop is a security system for OS/2 computers. It includes file/directory-protection
(in the final package!), multi-user-desktop and single-sign-on for some applications:
Peer-to-Peer, LAN-Server, MySQL, StarOffice etc.
Netscape Communicator 4.61 for OS/2 Warp with strong encryption is now available
in 20 languages for download from Software Choice:
http://service.software.ibm.com/asd-bin/doc/index.htm
The weak encryption versions of Netscape Communicator 4.61 have been withdrawn
from Software Choice.
Netscape Navigator 2.02 for OS/2 with strong encryption for English is available
worldwide, but it is only available from the English catalog page:
http://service.boulder.ibm.com/asd-bin/doc/en_us/catalog.htm
Netscape Navigator 2.02 for OS/2 (with 40 bit encryption) remains available in
17 languages from any language catalog page.
You're an OS/2 user and you've never attended an OS/2 conference. You use OS/2
at work or home, you write programs or administer servers, you hook up NICs and
drives but you've never hopped a plane for OS/2-land.
Come to WarpTech.
WarpTech is three days of OS/2. It's networking and programming, nuts and bolts
and theory, office and SOHO all in one place. Once a year you need a treat, and
WarpTech is it.
For airline info see the Travel page. For presentations see the Sessions page.
For sign-up see the Registration page.
WarpTech 2000 takes place in resort country. Add an extra day for personal fun,
so you're refreshed and ready to put all your new OS/2 knowledge to work when you
get back home.
WarpTech is for you. Come to WarpTech.
- - -
WarpTech 2000 is a 3-day OS/2 technical conference taking place May 26-28 at
a pristine 463-acre desert resort in the beautiful Southwest. Come to Phoenix, Arizona
USA for three full days of OS/2 -- the biggest OS/2 conference ever held.
Visit the WarpTech web site at:
To volunteer or just to watch the goings-on, subscribe to the WarpTech 2000 planning
list by sending mail to steward@bitranch.com
with the following text in the body (not subject!) of the message: subscribe w2k
Hosted by the Phoenix OS/2 Society, Inc.
A new version of GerMenue (V1.2) is now available at:
GerMenue is a German menu for the great spreedsheet-application, Mesa/2 for OS/2
Warp V2.2, from Sundial Systems. Includes German menus, tiptexts and spec. toolbar-buttons.
Freeware.
Larsen Commander is upgraded to version 1.1.1. The recent version (1.1, - which
was uploaded on March 23, 2000) had quite a few annying bugs that are fixed in this
new version. I will recommend everyone that downloaded version 1.1 to upgrade to
1.1.1.
You can download Larsen Commander version 1.1. and find more information at:
http://home.sol.no/~leilarse/lcmd/index.html
For a complete list of fixed bugs, take a look at:
http://home.sol.no/~leilarse/lcmd/history.html
Larsen Commander is a powerful GUI File Manager and Command Processor that has
a look and feel like the classic Norton Commander. The most notable difference is
that the Larsen Commander is pure GUI. Still it has a built in command line and
a scrollable console monitor.
Larsen Commander combines the very best of two very different worlds; - the command
line and the file management panels. Both available at the same time, and even in
parallel while commands are running in the background!
Thanks for your tremendous interest in gphoto 0.4.3. Unfortunately your interest
is so overwhelming that I'm not able to reply to all your messages (over 60 already).
Therefore I decided to create an egroup mailing list to which you can subscribe.
I will look in this mailing list for camera support needed and OS/2 implementation
issues.
Privately sent emails have no urgency from now on.
http://www.egroups.com/group/gphoto-os2/
gphoto is an OS/2 port of the GNU digital camera image transfer program. It supports
over 150 camera models, of 19 different makes. This app requires XFree86/2. Complete
info is available at:
Friday, March 31 will be the last day for voting on the next MAMERun developer
contest at:
http://home1.gte.net/stefanj/idea.htm
Currently the vote is lead by "Frontend for GCC" followed closely by
"JFS and UDF support".
I am also looking for a responsible individual to manage the site until September.
I am in the process of moving from Hawaii to Washington, D.C. and my time is severely
limited. Maintenance is simple and takes no more than one or two hours a week. If
you can help, please contact me at:
VOICE is pleased to announce that Warpstock, Inc. has chosen us to, once again,
host the Social Event for Warpstock 2000. Warpstock 2000 will be held in Philadelphia
September 9-10, 2000. Complete details available at:
Last year VOICE and co-sponsor Mensys hosted an evening of dining and entertainment
for attendees and exhibitors. Good food, good company and a great show.
Well, we're going to do it again, this year.
Due to space constraints at the Hotel, we are looking for an alternate site to
host the Social Event. We have several under consideration, and they all involve
what looks to be shaping up as a spectacular dinner party.
As we have not yet selected a a site, we do not have a price finalized. However,
there is a pre-registration form now available at the Warpstock website where you
can sign up for the Social Event. Point your browser to:
>
http://www.warpstock.org/2000/registration/registration.html#social
And get on the list.
We are once again looking for co-sponsors of the event. Last year Mensys was
the sole co-sponsor, and we appreciated their assistance and involvement.
This year, we'd like to spread the "involvement" around a little bit
more.
Warpstock is a "Community Event". Conceived, planned for and executed
by volunteers to benefit the entire OS/2 Community. We'd like to see more participation
from "The OS/2 Community", so we are going to accept co-sponsorships from
any group, company, or individual who would like to participate.
To kick things off, VOICE has committed $500.00 towards the sponsorship, and
we'd like to see other groups or companies match that number. The more Sponsorship
we get, the lower the cost for the attendees. Plus, it's a great way to advertise
your Group, Product or Company at The Premier Event for OS/2 Users in 2000.
Anyone interested in co-sponsoring The Social Event for Warpstock 2000, please
e-mail abraxas@os2voice.org
Thanks for your interest and support. Now, let the fun begin. :-)
Dan Casey
President, VOICE
abraxas@os2voice.org
BgMetrics, a native OS/2 solution to track Blood Glucose readings and dietary
info has been updated.
The big news is that we have made progress in downloading information from our
first meter. The Accu-Chek Advantage is now supported and it is believed that the
Accu-Chek Easy has the same data format so we invite users of either of these meters
to begin downloading their data into the program.
The downloader will download data from your meter, sort it, search for duplicated
information, list all new (unduplicated) records and allow the user to update an
existing record or add a new record to the database.
The data format has changed due to the additional field of data the downloaded
information brings to the program. The change should be transparent as the data
is converted when the program starts. The help files have also been updated and
should cover most of the ground for new users.
We have also added a food information container in preparation for future updates.
At this time it may be used as a reference for obtaining dietary information (Calories,
Protein, Carbs and Fat values) on different food groups.
BgMetrics will...
Track Bg readings for specific events during the day
Track meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks)
Track Calories, Protein, Carbs and Fat values for each meal
Track user weight
Track appointments and reminders
Graph Bg readings, carbs and weight for any date range.
Print Bg and meal reports and graphs
Download data from supported glucometers
The reports will...
Track Maximum, Minimum and overall average of Bg readings Track daily total "carbs"
Track Maximum and Minimum Calories, Protein, Carbs, Fat and Weight values
BgMetrics is not for sale at this time but we want anyone that has a need for
it to use it and not be concerned about having to purchase it in the future. We
have made a huge investment in time and effort on this project but are not looking
at it as a profit making endeavor. Our motives are only to bring a program to OS/2
that fills a selfish need for it's developer and also to other OS/2 users.
Please stop by the PillarSoft web site at:
and download the latest version. While you are there, drop us a line and let
us know what meters you use and if you can find any information on the protocol
needed to access it.
There is a new Java 1.1.8 update for OS/2 at:
ftp://service.boulder.ibm.com/software/java/fixes/os2/11/118
The files are dated today (03/29/2000). Here are the entries in fixes.lst since
the last update (02/03/2000):
|o118-20000203 |12225 |IC26209|N/A |Java error with BigDecimal.class
|o118-20000203 |12226 |IC26237|4254005 |SUNBUG: 4254005 Focus problems with JWindow
|o118-20000205 |12241 |IC26170|N/A |Application Hangs with no Print Object Define
|o118-20000208 |12263 |IC26171|N/A |JIT: arithmetic descrepencies
|o118-20000219 |12302 |IC26238|N/A |Loss of focus in JTextField
|o118-20000222 |12151 |IC26331|N/A |Failure to display ComboBox list
|o118-20000229 |12250 |IC26329|N/A |Repaint problem when moving modal dialog
|o118-20000301 |12305 |IC26332|N/A |Client to VisiBroker JIT problem
|o118-20000303 |12299 |IC26328|N/A |Applet hang in Netscape
|o118-20000310 |12290 |IC26577|N/A |Color Chooser problem
|o118-20000311 |12337 |IC26578|N/A |Old Cursor seen after dialog box opens
|o118-20000311 |12372 |IC26579|N/A |Mismatched serialization UIDs between 1.1 and
|o118-20000317 |10306 |IC26576|N/A |Memory Leak during Add/remove panel
|o118-20000318 |12319 |IC26580|N/A |java.lang.NoSuchMethodError using JDB
|Service Release o118-20000323
A new beta version 1.3.8c of my translator is now available. This version contents
corrections for access of english ressorce DLL and corrections for viewing DBCS
status line.
You can downlod from:
http://home.t-online.de/home/C.Arnold/translator
The direct link is:
http://home.t-online.de/home/C.Arnold/translator/trans138c.zip
The file contents no dictionaries but these are donloadable from my site. The
file is import.zip It contains about 90,000 items English/German. Other dictionaries
are importable also.
The program is usable in German and English.
BlackMail, a database-type offline mail reader for QWK and SOUP packets, is now
entering open beta-testing.
The program may be downloaded, along with feature details and screen shots, at:
or you can anonymous FTP to:
ftp://cnx.ppp.eticomm.net/BM10B.ZIP
Future Shop, a Canadian electronics and software retail chain (Future Shop formerly
had stores in the US but closed them), now sells OS/2 Warp 4 on its web site (no
news on whether they stock it in their retail stores but I doubt it):
(Software -> Business -> Operating Systems; it's the first item on the
list.)
The full version (currently in stock) is selling for Cdn$373.43 (about US$256.88).
The upgrade (currently Special Order from Manufacturer) is selling for Cdn$236.47
(about US$162.69).
I've done a port of gphoto, the GNU digital camera image transfer program.
The linux version supports over 150 camera models, of 19 different makes.
The only problem is that I only have one digital camera, a Sony DSC-F1, this
camera works perfectly well with the application. The goal however is of course
to have many more cameras supported. Therefore if you own a camera and it's listed
on the site, please contact me so you could help me out with testing the application
This app requires XFree86/2.
This isn't really news, as the program is a few month old, but it seems like
noone realized it:
xpmfb is a DIVE X-Server, what means it can display X-Windows under OS/2. When
you start it a window with the Xfree86OS/2 opens in a pre-definded resolution size.
All X-Programs run in this window.
This is not exactly was Everblue wants to do, as they want to integrate the programs,
but it's a good think while you're waiting for Everblue.
The Program can coexist with other X-Server configurations as its run through
a separate Batch file.
I've tested the program with the most popular Xfree86OS/2 Apps, such as X-Chat,
GIMP and Enlightenment. All ran except for Enlightenment, but you can still have
Enlightenment under a normal X-Server with the right configuration.
You can find the program on Hobbes:
http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/pub/os2/system/x11/xpmfb.zip
or on:
where you can also find a screenshot and a helpful script.
I combined two existing patches for pr3246.dll into one, which can be downloaded
from my home page, of which the address is the following:
http://www.torget.se/users/g/gvdveer
or
http://www.dsv.nl/~gvdveer
IBM is enhancing their USB device driver support for OS/2 with various new device
classes. However, they do not seem to be willing to support the other USB standard
OHCI (Open Host Controller Interface). This is the standard developed by Compaq
and Microsoft and is found on many boards that do not rely on the Intel/VIA technology
UHCI (Universal Host Controller Interface). Now we want to know which USB standard
your systems use and submit the results to IBM.
You can also take a look at the results of our last survey and lots of interesting
comments: "Which multimedia extension do you want?"
Window On WarpTech
From the desk of Craig Greenwood, WarpTech Captain
Bringing OS/2 vendors to a show like WarpTech takes a bit of research. There
isn't any "industry directory" we can check to get their phone numbers
and email addresses. Instead, we have to poke around the Internet to find them.
Some are listed on sites like Indelible Blue and BMT. But we've found that there
are many OS/2 software providers who simply set up their own web sites and don't
use distributors.
The big OS/2 vendors, of course, are easy. Sundial Systems is coming to WarpTech
and they're bringing their Warped Jeopardy! show that many of you have never seen.
It's a live game show with a panel of experts, a multimedia screen above them and
lots of sound effects. Plenty of audience participation and prizes too (probably
selected from the Sundial product line of Mesa 2, DBExpert, Junk Spy, Rover Pack,
Relish and Clearlook).
It's the little vendors, often just one person, that we really have to work hard
to find. Perhaps they have a few small apps that they wrote for their own use and
then found that others wanted to use them too. Maybe a college or business project
resulted in a product that simply isn't available elsewhere.
Whatever the situation, each vendor wants to know if an exhibitor booth at WarpTech
makes sense businesswise. We carefully explain the costs and ask them how many software
pieces they must sell so they at least break even. They're usually quite happy with
the prospects once they see the answer -- "just a few".
So we hope you'll see some software at WarpTech that's a whole new experience
for you. Over the next nine weeks our Vendors page will grow as these software providers
sign on. And that's good for you.
If you've been busy yourself writing OS/2 software and want to market it at a
three-day show (more chances to sell, hint hint), email our Marilyn Pizzo mpizzo@mindspring.com.
She'll send you all the info you need.
And if you'll be one of our guests at WarpTech, take a look around our web site.
We're always adding something new.
See you Friday to Sunday, May 26-28, at WarpTech 2000!
GMT version 3.3.4 is available for OS/2. GMT ("Generic Mapping Tools")
is a large (~60) set of Unix-based routines designed to display and manipulate spatial
information, with numerous built-in map projections. GMT produces high-quality Postscript
output. For details, including a nice tutorial and several examples, see:
http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/gmt
For information on the OS/2 port, including links for downloading the OS/2 executables,
read:
ftp://ees.lanl.gov/pub/EES3/pub/gmt/gmt4os2.html
The OS/2 executables have also been uploaded to Hobbes:
http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/pub/incoming/gmt334.zip
They will eventually move to:
http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/pub/os2/apps/graphics/gmt334.zip
Note that GMT is released under the GNU Public License, version 2.
WarpIN and XWorkplace have both been updated to V0.9.2. Both updates are mostly
for bug fixing.
1. WarpIN V0.9.2 has been released. This is an update to the V0.9.1 developer's
release announced a few weeks ago.
WarpIN is intended to become the new universal OS/2 installer. It has full system
configuration (CONFIG.SYS, WPS classes, WPS objects) and can fully undo all the
changes to your system again. This new version can now do package dependencies and
execute external programs for system configuration after install (aka user exits).
2. XWorkplace V0.9.2 is out also. XWorkplace is the successor to my popular XFolder
utility and has become a Netlabs project now too. This version is still a developer's
release (i.e. might not work on your system and has known bugs), but I have fixed
many bugs which were reported for V0.9.1.
We now have a trash can, more CONFIG.SYS settings, most of the features of WarpEnhancer,
mouse-button-3 scrolling, improved WPS notebook settings pages, a much better "WPS
Class List", full sound schemes support in the "Sound" object, and
much more. Also, lots of XFolder bugs have been fixed also.
XWorkplace is work in progress. More things are planned. Christian Langanke will
add an enhanced version of his Animated Mouse Pointers for OS/2 soon, for example.
XWorkplace is the first application to use WarpIN as its installer. So to install
XWorkplace, you will need WarpIN too.
See my home page for detailed information and download addresses.
http://www2.rz.hu-berlin.de/~h0444vnd/os2.htm
WarpIN and XWorkplace are Netlabs projects, released under the GNU General Public
Licence. The source code is available on the Netlabs CVS server. See:
and my home page for details.
We have created four mailing lists at http://www.egroups.com
-- warpin-user
-- warpin-dev
-- xworkplace-user
-- xworkplace-dev
for WarpIn and XWorkplace users and developers, respectively.
We'd be grateful for feedback on these mailing lists.
A short note for all users of Styler/2:
- Styler/2 is no longer available through BMT Micro. As soon as I find a new distributor
I'll let you know.
- A minor update of Styler/2 (which will extend the trial time of further 60 days)
will soon be available on my web pages.
- Nationalized versions of Styler/2 1.6 should be available within a couple of weeks
(at the moment: Russian, German, and a better English version).
- I'm still working on version 2. Unfortunately it will take still some weeks before
a first release will be available.
Styler/2 is a user interface enhancer for OS/2 warp 3 and 4 that allows the use
bitmaps or shades as titlebar background, bitmaps (of appropriate size) for window
buttons and more. For details see:
http://acsoft.ghostbbs.cx
or
http://space.tin.it/scienza/acantato