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Per Karen's Korner on WarpCity, the death of OS/2 may be yet another rumor:
http://www.warpcity.com/karenskorner/
Abbotsbury Software in conjunction with Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc has released
version 1.42A of the WinCast TV driver set. The package is available from:
http://www.os2tv.com/downloads.phtml
Download "wcast.zip". Use minstall to do a full install
This version of the driver should solve problems associated with mapping audio
inputs to proper video inputs. In addition, a new test application called DiveTV
is included.
The DiveTV application uses hardware rather than software (DIVE) image scaling
up to approximately 640 X 480. Once the hardware limit is reached, DIVE takes over.
Image quality is much better. Note that you must use DiveTV to see the improvement.
As of this moment third party applications will show no improvement, but we hope
that will change in the near future.
Known issues:
Several users have reported extra "junk" characters placed in the device
= wcast.sys line in the Config.sys file. We have not yet been able to reproduce
this. If you are reinstalling, back up your current config.sys file to uses as a
reference if you experience this problem. A typical config.sys entry might look
like this:
DEVICE=C:\MMOS2\WCAST.SYS /T=WCAST /F='C:\MMOS2\WCAST 1.INI' /N=1
We have also noticed that on some systems, video windows greater than 300 pixels
high experience a frame rate drop (DIVE only). We are looking into this.
Please download and use this driver set. As always your feedback is appreciated.
John Rodriguez
Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc.
Hi just wanted to inform all that I made available a Object add-on that I created
for Vispro C and ported to Vispro Rexx and C++. It gives you a proper progress bar
API. The features 3D effect sunken or raised, or flat. Displays in percentage or
in numerical format. I will make the code available soon. You can download it from
my company site:
Go to the download page you will find what you need.
I use it myself the object should be OK but may still have some bugs. the create
a link interface in Vispro does not work I hope that david Hock from Vispro may
be able to give me the information to fix it.
The latest list of xDSL providers that are compatible with OS/2 and the InJoy
Firewall PPPoE support has been updated to include:
- T-online (Germany) - Bell Atlantic - Bell Pacific - Mindspring - Earthlink - Bell
South - Bell Nexxia - Sympatico
Please e-mail support@fx.dk if your PPPoE ISP is not on the list.
This list is also available and updated here:
http://www.fx.dk/firewall/pppoe.html
IBM has updated their Laserjet, Postscript, Omni, and Plotter printer drivers
as of May 19, 2000.
ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/printpak/
Hello again everyone. The last few days since the relase of Randomizer v3.0 have
seen a couple of changes. Now Randomizer v3.1 is ready for use. Yes it's true, I
was struck with inspiration one night on how to allow Randomizer to work with sets
of data larger than 45 items (the original Randomizer was limited to displaying
one screen of up to 45 items per field and only up to 45 fields). This has been
increased to theoretically infinite fields and items within each field by displaying
45 items per page with simple paging controls (like the OS/2 'more' command).
Randomizer v3.1 also includes a fix for a bug I myself had only just noticed
- that if you pressed Enter while viewing the fields menu the program would crash.
Pressing Enter while viewing the items menu (within a selected field) would take
you back to the fields menu, now it does not - two fixes in one, really.
Randomizer v3.1 can be gotten, still completely free, at:
http://www.tstonramp.com/~freiheit/files/Randomizer31.zip
No other changes have been made to this release. Enjoy!
WSeB Lan Server components have a FixPak available:
ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/ps/products/lan/fixes/warp_srv_e-bus/english-us/ip08602/
Another FixPak 13 update has been released.
This one apparently fixes suspend/resume problems. Judging by the contents of
the file, WarpCenter was the culprit:
ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/fixes/v4warp/english-us/xr_m013/suspres.zip
I have just concurred with my partner Bob St. John and we feel that we are in
a position where we have sufficient support from IBM to make the following informal
announcement at WarpTech:
Serenity Systems have reached a tentative agreement with IBM regarding eComStation
- a new OEM client desktop based on components of the original Warp 4 client, components
of the Warp Server for e-Business, and TouchVoice's WiseManager Managed Client technology.
If you are not familiar with the Managed Client technology, look at what Peter Coffee
said in his column:
"I pushed one button and deployed a network in 29 seconds per node. It was
worth my trip to Atlanta to see the vision of network computing delivered by Serenity
Systems' technology based on IBM's OS/2."- Peter Coffee in PCWeek,
http://www.zdnet.com/pcweek/stories/columns/0,4351,23
77721,00.html
There will be two versions of eComStation - an entry version, and a professional
version. The entry version will include the uni-kernel from WsEB, selected features
of the original Warp 4, and all of the enhancements and features in the "convenience
pack" as announced by IBM. The professional version is going to include SMP
technology from WsEB, and JFS - from IBM. Both versions will support the mobile
user who has the need to function while they are away from "mother goose".
eComStation will have the ability to run Win32 or Linux application via project
Concorde - an add-on processor board running W9x or Linux in diskless mode.
eComStation will be fully compatible with existing OS/2 applications - in the
same way WsEB, or the Warp4 + convenience pack is backward compatible with existing
OS/2 applications. With the use of hardware coprocessor board, you will be able
to run ALL DOS, Win3.1, Win32, and Linux applications. eComStaion will be the true
Super Client of the century.
Further, TouchVoice will infuse their Telephony API into eComStation to encourage
developers to come up with top rated CTI applications - such as e-mail to alpha
pager, voice over IP, first party call control, unified messaging, cell phone integrations,
and other applications supporting the CONNECTED USER.
Serenity and its business partner will handle first and second line support.
IBM will handle third line support, as well as handling defects. Further enhancements
to this OEM product will be the responsibility of Serenity Systems - with support
from IBM.
This is not a formal announcement due to the fact that certain paperwork has
not been completed - and like so many things in life, it's not final until the ink
is dry. However, we feel the need to express our appreciation to the organizers
of WarpTech for the excellent work they have done. Many have said OS/2 is dead -
yet you hung in there, wondering what the future will bring. Now you have a choice:
eComStation. For your effort - we say thank you.
Final pricing for eComStation has not been established. However, we feel comfortable
to extend the following onetime offer to ALL attendees of WarpTech:
(a) You may order a preview version of the entry version of eComStation at the
Serenity booth. Show special price is $149.00 per copy, or $79.00 per copy for existing
licensee of OS/2 Warp 4. The price does not include project Concorde - the hardware
solution to run Win32 apps, or WiseServer - which is needed if you want to remote
boot from the server, and WiseManager - which is the network based management software.
It's only the price of the base client.
We will not charge your credit card until the final agreement with IBM is signed,
and when the product is shipped.
(b) Once the agreement with IBM has been signed, we will deliver to you the base
OS plus the WiseClient program, and a one year upgrade protection. You will be able
to run this new desktop either remote booted from a Warp Server, or running in mobile
disconnected mode.
(c) You will be required to replace this 0.9 version with the 1.0 version that
will come out after IBM has delivered the final code from the convenience pack to
us.
(d) You will be considered "eComStation Ambassadors". As such, we hope
that you will help us promote, and provide casual on-line support to others that
needs it - until we can built up the necessary infrastructure to tackle the task
ourselves.
(e) You can also order the eComStation Lotus Package: Lotus Notes (4.6 or 5.0)
and Smart Suite 1.5 for $119.
(f) For business users, you can order a copy of WsEB for $1,499, Domino Application
Server for $1,499, or a show special, both products for $1,799 (!!!)
The following items have already made it to the top of our "wish list":
(a) DVD/Movie support
(b) Improved scanner support - including USB scanners
(c) Remote booting from a Linux or other server over TCP/IP - including the Internet
(d) Other long awaited features
Note that this is just a wish list. You should not consider this a "commitment"
from Serenity that it WILL happen. Please stop by the Serenity booth for further
details. Needless to say, everything in this informal annoucement are subject to
change without any notice. Offer can be withdrawn without any notice.
Project eComStation is the result of 2 1/2 years of hard work involving many
many people - particularly people within IBM. We like to thank many of the IBMers
for their support and encouragement for our effort. You have made the best operating
system ever and without your technologies, eComStation would not have existed. Thank
you.
Okay, now a working frenzy kinda started... here's ThermoProtect V1.34!!!
I would encourage anyone using V1.33 to upgrade to V1.34 if possible, because
of that V1.34 seems to be slightly better optimized by the complier (tweaked the
setting a bit), and the heating code is drastically improved in performance!!!
Here's what's new in the Enviro.HST
*Because the ThermoProtect's heating code does not work to my satisfaction, so
I started by putting the heating code in a thread of its own. Now ThermoProtect's
main program will start and stop the heating thread on command, no longer would
a timed loop be needed in for heating purposes, ThermoProtect will heat the CPU
to just over the prescribed temperature and stop right there. Because now the heating
code is in a different thread, it is a lot easier to show visual indication that
the heating thread is activated. (Yellow text and red background in text mode, or
"H" showing up in named pipe mode) Not only this, but I have set the heating
thread to Idle Priority, Delta 1. This makes the system work smooth as silk even
when the heating function is activated, unlike what ThermoProtect V1.33 does. (Well,
it was a quick hack. :) ) I set the Delta to 1 because most CPU "sucker"
program (RC5/DES, SETI@Home, prime number finder and whatever else) usually have
their delta set to 0, and if anything goes wrong with them, I would want my heating
thread to be able to outclass them in the priority ranking, so that it can work
properly.
Yipee! This is my first multi-threaded (or should I say, DUAL THREADED?) program,
and it is also my first program that actually NEEDS to have more than one thread.
:)
Now ready for download from my site:
(Just follow the link to ThermoProtect.)
And it has already been uploaded to Hobbes, however, I would recommend downloading
from my page if possible, because I would like to see how many people are interested
in ThermoProtect, and click the banner on the page while you are there.
If you're not going to WarpTech, you won't have a chance to get a FREE copy of
TouchVoice Corporation's WiseTalker/ApGen - Developer's edition - the premiere Computer
Telephony Integration tool kit that's scalable from a few phone lines to thousands
of phone lines.
To receive the CD at no cost to you, all you have to do is to attend the "Developing
Computer Telephony Application in OS/2" session Sunday, May 28, at 2:45PM.
Plus, you will miss the chance to... (sorry, still can't say it yet)...
TouchVoice Corporation is at:
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:
That's right, HOBLink X11 server for OS/2 from HOB is now available in the test
area at:
HOBLink X11 lets you make your PC into an X Window terminal.
After working in the Fixpak 13 "fixes" and some other improvements,
WarpUP! May 2000 is ready! Shipping begins immediately.
Check out the updates and new products added:
http://service.indelible-blue.com/warpup
The Server CD is almost ready and should start ship next week.
The WarpUP! CD Includes:
Latest IBM fixpaks
Latest IBM OS/2 applications
widely used utilities
Installation diskette images.
common device drivers
and much more!
Mini-Sessions at WarpTech Highlight Sundial Products
May 23, 2000 - Sundial is gearing up for WarpTech in a big way.
They are exhibiting, giving presentations, and producing the Warped Jeopardy
game show. In addition to all that, Sundial is holding focused mini-sessions in
their booth:
Using REXX with Mesa 2
Time Management with Relish and Relish Net
Navigating Your Desktop with Rover
Building Database Applications with DBExpert
Stop Junk Email with Junk Spy
What's New with Mesa 2's Real-Time Feed
Quick and Easy Word Processing with Clearlook
Taking Relish to the Web with RelishWeb
DBExpert Macros and REXX
Check with Sundial at WarpTech for a schedule of the mini-sessions you want to
see.
For those not attending WarpTech, information about all the Sundial products
can be found at:
Sundial has the answers!
The postgres SQL server site for OS/2 is now online. Excuse me for this long
time.
Vincenzo.
PMView 2000 2.10 for OS/2 is available from:
See http://www.pmview.com for details.
1. WBMP (WAP Bitmap) file support (read/write)
2. PIC (Softimage Picture) file support (read/write)
3. Threshold control for Black/White conversion
4. PMView's System Info dialog now includes the version and internal build number
of PMView.
The following bugs and problems are fixed in PMView 2000 v2.10:
1. Loading, JPEG: Some recovered JPEG (non-JFIF) files do not load because they
are mistaken for FAX G3 files. The detection of FAX G3 is too lenient. The requirement
is incresed from a 10 line minimum to a 100 line minimum for G3 files.
2. Loading, Windows BMP: Loading a Win32 BI_BITFILEDS type bitmap file results in
incorrect colors (interchanged red/blue color compontents).
3. Loading, TIFF: Some TIFF files using Packbits compression cannot be read. PMView
refuses to read files that are incorrectly stored with scanlines that decode into
too many bytes. This is now fixed so that PMView is more lenient in its error checking
and accepts such TIFF files.
4. Saving, Windows BMP: Windows BMP files saved with PMView has an error in the
file header.
5. Saving, EPS: PMView generates an incorrect BoundingBox and scale factor.
6. Zooming: Zooming to the minimum or maximum limit causes the zoom to get stuck
at either limit.
7. Zooming: Zooming intermittently crashes PMView.
8. Slideshow: Closing a slideshow disables the file sequencer (File->Next/Previous).
9. Slideshow: The color and the font are not saved.
10. Slideshow: The background of the progress bar is not painted correctly.
11. Printing: Printing on a printer that uses different horizontal and vertical
resolution results in a stretched image.
12. Brightness/Contrast/Color dialog: Contrast adjustment algorithm improved.
13. Tool bar: The tool bar icons remain grayed-out after applying a transform to
an image.
14. File Save dialog: When saving a new image (not existing on disk yet), PMView
correctly opens the save dialog with the last folder saved to highlited in the directory
tree. However, the container does not show the contents of this directory.
15. File Open/Save dialogs: Conversion status is not correctly displayed.
16. File Open/Save dialogs: Files in use (locked) by other applications will not
appear.
17. General performance: The minimum thread priority delta for threads is changed
from 0 to 1. This lets other applications in the system be even "more idle"
than any of PMView's background tasks.
18. Installation: Installation instructions updated.
19. Installation: The REXX script for manual installation updated.
The Ham/2 site has seen a growing list of OS/2 enabled Hams post their callsign
and email along with their name and version of OS/2 that they use in their hamshack.
Now a line has been added for their AX.25 packet Radio address. This is an opportunity
for OS/2 enabled Hams to speak up and be noticed! If you are a Ham and use OS/2
drop by. If you use OS/2 but are not a Ham, come see some of the stuff we do. If
you are a Ham and don't use OS/2, Give it a try.
Also new at the site is a partial English translation of the manual for Flexpacket/2.
So if you have been holding off on using this program now's your chance to get the
manual.
Ham/2 is a website for Amateur Radio Operators (also known as Hams) that use
OS/2 for computing in their radio rooms and Hamshacks. It can be found at:
http://www.lks.net/~davidson
73 de Paul Davidson
Amateur Radio Station VE3UUM
The ZDTV show "The ScreenSavers" has a web poll just opened. The should
only be up for 1-24 hours.
Is OS/2 DEAD
1:NO
2:YES
3:How Can you tell?
Place you vote here:
http://www.zdnet.com/zdtv/screensavers/interact/story/0,3656,2572332,00.html
The story here prompted the Poll:
http://thebusiness.vnunet.com/print/1101410
The poll results are available after voting.
Seven IBMers To Speak At OS/2 WarpTech
IBM, in a strong showing of solidarity with its OS/2 operating system, is sending
seven of its experts to speak at the three-day WarpTech OS/2 conference which starts
Friday in Phoenix. Two others from IBM's Lotus Development Corporation will also
host sessions on that company's OS/2 products.
Steven King, the manager of IBM's e-business Operating Systems Solutions services,
will speak on how his unit's team supports OS/2 customers worldwide. King and his
team support IBM's customers with their installation, configuration, system tuning,
and client and server deployments.
OS/2 and Java software engineer Jeff Kobal, the person in charge of the OS/2
Presentation Manager, will speak on messaging, application interaction, and the
input queue.
Scott Garfinkle, the lead programmer for the OS/2 Change Team, will present two
sessions on the OS/2 Programming Model and OS/2 Problem Determination Tools.
Mike Cowlishaw, the creator of the Rexx computer language and an IBM Fellow,
will speak to a joint WarpTech-RexxLA session on the new NetRexx Interpreter Implementation.
Software engineer Irv Spalten will host a session on IBM's Fixpaks, which are
the software components used to keep OS/2 and other IBM products up-to-date.
Consulting Sales Specialist Andy Pawlowski covers a number of high-profile issues
in his "Managing a Server-based Environment" session.
In addition, Dan Collins and Matt Messier of Lotus Development Corporation will
present a session on Lotus 1-2-3 and SmartSuite for OS/2.
For more information on these sessions, speakers and registration for WarpTech,
see these web pages:
http://www.warptech.org/WTSessions.html
http://www.warptech.org/WTSpeakers.html
http://www.warptech.org/WTRegForm.html
For other information on the three-day WarpTech OS/2 technical conference, see
- - -
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 http://www.WarpTech.org.
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.
I have just uploaded to Hobbes the updated version of my cdupd program. It can
be used to update the base Warp 4 installation files with FixPaks.
Version 0.2 supports the creation of updated installation floppies. You can use
the updated OS/2 image in combination with these floppies to create new installations
of OS/2 which already incorporates the FixPak.
Home URL:
http://xenia.sote.hu/~kadzsol/rexx/sajat/updcd02.zip
The Ham/2 site has seen a growing list of OS/2 enabled Hams post their callsign
and email along with their name and version of OS/2 that they use in their hamshack.
Now a line has been added for their AX.25 packet Radio address. This is an opportunity
for OS/2 enabled Hams to speak up and be noticed! If you are a Ham and use OS/2
drop by. If you use OS/2 but are not a Ham, come see some of the stuff we do. If
you are a Ham and don't use OS/2, Give it a try.
Also new at the site is a partial English translation of the manual for Flexpacket/2.
So if you have been holding off on using this program now's your chance to get the
manual.
Ham/2 is a website for Amateur Radio Operators (also known as Hams) that use
OS/2 for computing in their radio rooms and Hamshacks.
It can be found at:
http://www.lks.net/~davidson
73 de Paul Davidson
Amateur Radio Station VE3UUM
The long awaited update to Randomizer v3 is now available for download from:
http://www.tstonramp.com/~freiheit/files/Randomizer3.zip
Randomizer is a lightweight database back-end with a front-end designed to quickly
pull random items from user-defined data fields. In other words, you can imagine
it as a way to generate character attributes for a story you're writing, having
fields for hair color, eye color, height, weight, disposition, and so forth, and
getting one or more random selections from each field.
* Added support for datafiles to be of any name you choose (ie. you can now use
multiple datafiles for different types of data).
* Changed the Randomizer v2.2 dual datafile format to a single file format.
* Added a tool to convert existing Randomizer v2.2 datafiles to the new v3.0 format.
* You can now mark any data field in the back-end script to accept multiple selections
from the front-end script (ie. instead of choosing 1 random item from each field,
choose 2 or 3 random items from some fields but still only 1 from others). The front-end
will not select the same item more than once from a given field.
Randomizer is freeware with open source. Feel free to modify it for your own
needs, but I wouldn't mind knowing how it's being used and what changes are being
made to it.
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 OpenSource, that means free for everyone to use and free for us to
continue porting it.
The german company HOB:
offers their X11 Server Software for OS/2, among others. This Server is capable
of a Fullscreen Mode (like XFreeOS/2), a MultiWindow-Mode (like PMX) and a SingleWindow-Mode
where all X-Clients are showed within a single PM window. AFAIK this is the only
X11 Server for OS/2 that can still be purchased and for which commercial support
is available. A Test-Version will be available on their home page soon.
The Wellington, New Zealand OS/2 User Group has set up its web site thanks to
the efforts of Igor Pool, one of our members.
The site is at:
It contains useful information and links for OS/2 users. Have visit and let us
know what you think.
If you have any articles or information that you wish to contribute, please send
it to:
Window On WarpTech
The Weekly WarpTech 2000 Report
From the desk of Craig Greenwood, WarpTech Captain
We're ready for you.
WarpTech 2000, with four dozen OS/2 sessions scheduled over three days, is ready.
If you're Fortune 500, WarpTech has technical sessions to explain how your networks
are transforming and help you make long-range strategic decisions. Sessions on bandwidth,
real- time data feeds and databases. How to cluster your servers to eliminate downtime
so they take over from each other when one fails. Combining OS/2, Windows NT and
Linux on the same network so you can take advantage of the IBM technologies built
into OS/2.
If you need information on the latest programming technologies, WarpTech offers
sessions on Java, Object Rexx, NetRexx, VisPro/Rexx, XML, XSL, multitasking, memory
management, VisualAge programming tools, system trace and process dumps, customizable
dynamic trace facilities, and SMP considerations.
If you're a troubleshooter, a network administrator, a manager, an end user or
a student, WarpTech has sessions for you. Come for one day or all three. Here's
the Sessions page for your quick review:
http://www.warptech.org/WTSessions.html
WarpTech is this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 26 to 28, in Phoenix
Arizona. Flights are inexpensive and easy to get, and you can stay at the WarpTech
convention resort site and save almost 50% on your room. See the Travel page at
http://www.warptech.org/WTTravel.html
and the Hotel page at
http://www.warptech.org/WTWigwam.html
You'll need to register, of course. You can register now or at the door. Here's
the WarpTech Registration form:
http://www.warptech.org/WTRegForm.html
We'll see you Friday to Sunday, May 26 to 28, for three full days of OS/2. Get
on the plane for WarpTech 2000!
- Captain Craig captain@warptech.org
- - -
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 http://www.WarpTech.org
Hosted by the Phoenix OS/2 Society, Inc.
For those who have been wondering about intermittent problems with www.os2ss.com,
including the WarpCast archives there (specifically 'server not found errors') we
apologize for any inconvenience.
We are adding 2 new T1's from UUNET and changing IP addresses so for a few more
days there will be intermittent issues related to IP's, Internic changing DNS servers,
etc.
All of this is due to our continued growth and will improve our connectivity
in the long run. We have 3 point to point T1's now with diverse routing which means
we can lose any 2 and still have 1 up.
Again, thanks for your patience.
Another free UniMaint CSD update to v5.10.15 is now available at:
http://www.filestar.com/pages/download.html
Several miscellaneous fixes are included, most notably one for WPS repair where
Deskman/2 has been installed and an Uninstller situation that caused a couple of
users to get trapped in the function with no exit path. It is recommended that all
user update their program with this CSD.
For users unfamiliar with UniMaint, it is a widely program for desktop backup,
WPS and INI file repairs and clean up and includes a Unistaller to uninstall other
programs. If your system seems sluggish and you do not use a cleanser of the OS/2
INI files, you certainly may improve your system reliability and speed by doing
so.
OS/2 will be at Sydney for the 2000 Summer Olympics! You can read at this web
site what IBM is using to provide the usual services:
http://www.olympic.ibm.com/olympics/media/facts.phtml
Crown of Might v1.05 for OS/2 is now available. Crown of Might is a strategic
game similar to the classic "Defender of the Crown". This is the first
version of Crown of Might allowing save and load games. For further information
please visit: