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SciTech's Universal Display Driver to Be Bundled with IBM's E-Business Solutions
Chico, California - October 11, 1999 -- SciTech Software, Inc. today announced
that IBM has licensed a special version of SciTech Display Doctor, which will be
distributed by IBM as the primary display driver for all of IBM's OS/2 Warp based
operating systems, including the Warp Client, Workspace On Demand and Warp Server
for e-business.
This marks the first time that any common PC operating system, either desktop
or server, will include a hardware accelerated, universal display driver as part
of the base operating system. Until now, operating system vendors have had to rely
on overtaxed graphics hardware vendors to provide software driver support, resulting
in inconsistent driver quality and infrequent or non-existent updates for the installed
base of graphics hardware.
"We're proud to partner with SciTech Software, because they are a leader
in graphics device drivers," said Cheng-Fong Shih, IBM Business Line Manager
for OS/2. "OS/2, with SciTech's universal display driver technology, will provide
our customers with a timely and stable platform for their mission critical applications,
regardless of the display hardware they choose to use."
SciTech Display Doctor provides true plug and play capability by detecting the
graphics hardware installed and configuring itself automatically. It is not necessary
for a user to determine what type of graphics hardware they have, locate the correct
driver, fumble with install disks or use configuration utilities - it is all handled
automatically by SciTech Display Doctor. The user can even swap out a graphics card
or monitor and SciTech Display Doctor will dynamically configure itself for the
newly installed hardware. These features make supporting IBM systems in the field
much easier for IBM customers.
"As an IBM customer we are pleased that they are working with SciTech to
provide a universal plug and play solution for graphics hardware.", said Andy
Finkel, VP of Software at German computer manufacturer Met@box AG, "It shows
that IBM is really supporting their customers."
As part of this agreement, SciTech and IBM are working together to improve the
OS/2 Warp platform's core "GRADD" display driver architecture to increase
graphics performance and compatibility. The IBM PC Company, which manufactures IBM's
personal computer hardware, is also closely involved in this effort to ensure maximum
compatibility with IBM branded hardware.
"The SciTech driver technology licensed by IBM is the culmination of years
of work by SciTech. We used all of our experience with driver development to create
an architecture that is fast, scalable, and extremely compatible," said Kendall
Bennett, SciTech's Director of Engineering.
IBM will offer SciTech Display Doctor/se for OS/2 Warp free of charge, directly
to its customers. It will be available for downloaded from the IBM's web site and
will be bundled with future operating system updates. SciTech also markets SciTech
Display Doctor Professional for OS/2 Warp as an upgrade for users who need more
advanced display features. Fully functional trial versions of SciTech Display Doctor
Professional for OS/2 Warp and other SciTech products are available for download
at:
SciTech products are available directly from SciTech Software by calling (800)
486-4823 (in the U.S. and Canada) or (530) 894-8400.
About SciTech Software, Inc.
SciTech Software, Inc., a privately held firm, is the leading supplier of PC graphics
utilities, drivers, and tools for high-performance graphics applications, including
computer games. SciTech's products help users fix graphics hardware problems and
allow software developers to achieve maximum performance from PC graphics hardware.
SciTech's products include SciTech Display Doctor, the only universal display driver,
SciTech GLDirect, an OpenGL to Direct3D driver and SciTech MGL, the professional
graphics library used to develop some of today's most popular software programs.
SciTech products support the Windows, Linux, OS/2 Warp, DOS, QNX, and SMX operating
systems. Many major software companies and hardware companies license portions of
SciTech's technology for incorporation in their products.
WarpUP! Client October '99, Vol. 1 Issue 3, is complete!
After testing and adding last minute new stuff, the WarpUP! Client CD for October
'99 is ready to go!
New to this issue, Java 118+fixes, Communicator 4.61 + Plugin Pak, Fixpak 12,
Device Driver fixpak 1, SmartSuite 1.1 updates, and MORE!
Please visit the WarpUP! homepage for information on pricing and contents.
http://service.indelible-blue.com/WarpUP
The WarpUP! Server CD should follow in two weeks or less.
Thanks for your support.
Duane A Chamblee
Actiontec Electronics is offering internal (PCI) and external 56k modems that
support call waiting. These models support DOS, Win 3.1, 95, 98, NT, OS/2 and Linux.
Call Waiting Modems let you answer incoming calls while maintaining internet connection
to your PC. The same company also offers an internal PC Card reader with OS/2 drivers.
Actiontec can be found at:
In the fantasy ballroom of the elegant Sheraton Gateway, on the Saturday evening
of Warpstock Atlanta, you are invited to a very special and luxurious event -- an
alluring adventure of Magic Moments presented in part through the gracious sponsorship
of VOICE and Mensys.
Soft music will gently create a virtuous ambience, one conducive to the most
proper of technical discussions with acquaintances, colleagues and OS/2 buddies.
A command performance by the world traveling Comedy Magician shall bring merriment
to the ballroom stage. Heaping plates of Italian dinner and dessert specialties
will refreshen you after your hard day's journey through the aisles and great halls
of OS/2 productivity. Two cash bars will offer further delights for those still
carrying unspent moolah in their wallets.
Tickets are available from the online jester, who requests your attention be
diverted to "Saturday Night Special" at the very special web page of:
http://www.warpstock.org/99/registration.html
Tickets are available both on-line and during the Saturday morning registration
period.
Seating is at 8, with dinner from 8:30 until 9:45. Entertainment is at 10, with
a relaxed atmosphere from 10:45 until midnight. A very special VOICE raffle will
begin the 10:45 time period of Warpstock Magic Moments.
Join us all at Magic Moments on Saturday evening for a warm Warpstock reunion
of all make-merry attendees. The ticketed guest list is already at 150, and every
one of these boisterous patrons would love to have you join them on this wondrous
occasion.
See the "Saturday Night Special" section at http://www.warpstock.org/99/registration.html
PMView has been the #1 OS/2 graphics application for years. Until now, OS/2 users
have been happily viewing, printing, converting, and editing their bitmap images
with PMView 1.0. All that will change at Warpstock '99, when PMView 2.0 is released!
New features of PMView 2.0 include: support for even more image formats, significant
user interface enhancements, and a Windows version. PMView's load and view code
is fast! It was written by Peter Nielsen in C++ and uses carefully selected algorithms
for maximum speed performance. PMView also loads several new image formats, including
new undocumented OS/2 bitmap formats such as the ones that DeScribe creates.
PMView sports a new look, with a toolbar and a new file-open dialog box.
So, to be one of the first to see the exciting new release of the #1 OS/2 image
viewer, be at the premier OS/2 event of the century, Warpstock '99 this October
16 and 17 in Atlanta, GA.
For more information on PMView see:
Information on Warpstock '99 can be found at:
The handouts for my Warpstock Europe 1999 workshops, WSP01 (OS/2 Problem Determination
and Analysis) and WSP02 (OS/2 Physical Device Driver Programming), are now online
available on my home page:
http://rover.wiesbaden.netsurf.de/~meile/index.html
A new version of Theseus/2 Was released at:
http://ps.software.ibm.com/pbin-usa-ps/getobj.pl?/pdocs-usa/fixnews.html#thes
It fixes problems with FixPak 12 and the newer Warp 3 FixPaks.
For those who don't know, Theseus/2 is a program for monitoring how much RAM
certain applications use, and it's really good for finding memory leaks.
There is a new virus sigs zipfile for IBMAV30 at Symatec:
ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/antivirus_definitions/ibmav/
***** New to AV30EL ****
The following viruses are now verified and removed by IBMAVD/IBMAVW/IBMAVW95/IBMAVWNT/IBMAVSP/IBMAV2:
W97M.Suppl.16384.A
IBMAVD/IBMAVW/IBMAVW95/IBMAVWNT/IBMAVSP/IBMAV2 will now detect the following
viruses.
W97M.Suppl.16384.A
W95.Suppl.16384.A
About two months ago OS/2 was first spotted on the deja rating OS page:
http://www.deja.com/rate/list_items.xp?CID=12029&PCID=11878
It was somewhere at the bottom of the list. Good news, its now at the top and
there are more OS/2 voters then Linux voters! This is what somebody wrote in a newsgroup.
1. OS/2 continues to forge ahead of the rest in the deja.com OS user ratings.
not only in overall points, but, note this, also in terms of numbers of user/voters,
taking an increasing lead over even Linux. (Hint to IBM: clear the sleep out of
your eyes.)
2. The sheen is wearing off Win2000, as initial user enthusiasm is tempered a
bit by newer, possibly more balanced, voters. It's dropped back one point, and Mac7
has moved up a couple of notches as more Mac users get in on the act. Result: *ALL
the M$ operating systems are now at the bottom of the log. Which is not surprising.
(Hint to IBM: wake up.)
On Oct 2, 1999 I published a bulletin on the Focus on OS/2 What's New? page regarding
IBM's new policy regarding Software Choice and the new price of $249 per year. Although
I received this information from an IBM representative, it may have been incorrect.
Last night (October 6) I received an email from Al Burke, Marketing Management,
OS/2 Business Unit, NCSD which gave very detailed information including the fact
that the price of $249 was for a TWO YEAR subscription. He also detailed what software
the subscription covers. For more information, please see:
http://os2.about.com/library/blnews.htm
I apologize for the confusion caused by this error.
Walter Metcalf
About.com Guide to OS/2
http://os2.about.com
Dialog Enhancer '99, the latest release of the acclaimed WPS update by Richard
Castle, will be making a full appearance at Warpstock '99. Dialog Enhancer significantly
enhances the visual aspects of your OS/2 system. DE'99 performs its magic by replacing
many of the standard dialog boxes, icons, and bitmaps. The new dialog boxes all
use the WarpSans font, are resized and re-positioned to improve readability, and
in some cases include additional descriptive text. After installing Dialog Enhancer,
your OS/2 desktop will get the ultimate in face lifts!
This recently released update includes new features like the Color Manager (which
lets you change those hard-coded colors such as checkboxes and minimize buttons),
allowing the smaller 32x32 icons at high screen resolutions, and improved Win-OS/2
support. As always, Dialog Enhancer also reduces the memory footprint of OS/2 without
any CPU overhead!
Dialog Enhancer '99 will be showcased at Warpstock '99 under the Vendor Pro program.
Vendor Pro is a new feature of Warpstock where OS/2 software vendors who cannot
attend Warpstock can still have their products demonstrated. Warpstock attendees
can visit the Vendor Pro booth, see dozens of OS/2 applications in action, and then
purchase them - often at special Warpstock prices. (During the Warpstock weekend,
Dialog Enhancer will be offered at the special price of only $15 - what a deal!)
With Vendor Pro, OS/2 users have access to far more OS/2 software than ever before!
For more information on Dialog Enhancer '99, please visit:
http://www-student.lboro.ac.uk/~mcrsc/ostrans.html
More information on Warpstock '99 is available at:
There is some fresh news about Opera/2. Here is a clip from their web pages:
OS/2
Current status: Progress +2
Latest Update: 05 October
We got the Windows sourcecode from version 4.0 (which is not yet released) and one of the developers, was able to compile it without SSL and mailsupport under OS/2 with Odin32-APIs. The executable is not yet working and there are still bugs in Odin32; this is what we must fix now.
A third developer has been added to the team and we think that the OS/2 version is not that far away! Of course, we cannot say how long it will take until it is working but progress is better than ever before.
Opera/2 is part of Project Magic from Opera Software, who are porting their (10
Mb) web browser from Windows to OS/2, MacOS and other operating systems. For more
information about Project Magic, Opera/2 and Opera Software, go to:
Odin32, now under the administration of The OS/2 Netlabs, is a project that aims
to convert Win32-apps to native OS/2 code. For more information on Odin32 and The
OS/2 Netlabs, go to:
Today Brian Smith released the first beta of EverBlue, the XLib-PM implementation
for OS/2 which allows you to compile Xlib (Unix/Linux) applications as native PM
applications.
The beta is not really usable for endusers but developers can use it to compile
PM versions of X-Applications. There is just a small demo included so maybe it does
not make sense to download it now if you are not a developer.
Sourcecode of this betadrop is also included in the package, just install it.
If you want to support this project you can subscribe to the EverBlue mailinglist
at Egroups, we still need a lot of support because the project is not yet complete.
I will set up a CVS server at Netlabs as soon as we decided how to organise the
structure of the source. Informations about CVS will be posted to the EverBlue mailinglist.
Everblue mailinglist: http://www.egroups.com/group/everblue-dev
Get the file from: (self installing exe-file)
ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/everblue/everblue.exe
BTW: I just wrote the new database backend for OS/2 Netlabs this week, we hope
to be online in about a month! There will be a lot of great changes and the content
will finnaly be much more up to date.
Taken from the readme:
---
Software known to run here:
xeyes
xedit
xless
xv
licq
xclock
dclock
oclock
xmaze
xpostit
xcalendar
xload
---
Adrian Gschwend
@ OS/2 Netlabs
The Warpstock, Inc., Nominating Committee has extended the submission for candidate
nominations from October 8, 1999 to October 11, 1999 at 3p.m. EDT.
The current Warpstock, Inc., bylaws pertaining to candidate eligibility has been
ammended to read:
1. Must have personally attended at least one Warpstock annual conference or
has been a member of the current or a previous years event Team within the last
three (3) years.
This permits us to open up the nominations to a wider group and does not require
attendance at the actual Warpstock conference within the past 3 years.
Please submit your nominations to nominate@warpstock.org no later than October
11, 1999, 3 p.m. EDT.
New board members will be announced at Warpstock 99 in Atlanta.
Thank you,
Warpstock Nominating Committee
Several people who have bought Visualizer Personal Edition have reported problems
using it with DB2 UDB version 6. Visualizer checks for the presence of an installed
DB2/2 system by verifying the presence of SQLA32.DLL. From DB2/2 UDB V6 onwards,
this DLL no longer exists, causing Visualizer to believe that SQL is not installed.
We are working on a fix for this and will put a message on WarpCast when the
fixed version is available.
Meanwhile, a bypass for the problem is to copy SQLA32.DLL from an earlier version
of DB2/2 into c:\SQLLIB\DLL. Then remove and re-install Visualizer and all will
be well.
More information on Visualizer can be found on our web site at:
Read that on the starnews.sun.com-NNTP-server in the announce-group:
"Dear StarOffice Users,
at the following ftp-address:
ftp://ftp.stardivision.de/pub/support/so51a/sync/os2icci3/syncptch.exe
you will find a small patch for the StarOffice 5.1 OS/2 hotsync problem. The
selfextracting file "syncptch.exe" includes these three dll's:
"pisockco.dll","sdb517co.dll" and "sk517co.dll".
These must be copied into the OFFICE51 directory.
Please shutdown StarOffice before copying the files.
David Moskowitz has been a part of the OS/2 community since the first beta of
OS/2 1.0 in 1987. He and Noel Bergman started the first OS/2 User Group in the country
in Philadelphia as a part of the Philadelphia Area Computer Society. He has produced
4 books about OS/2 including the world wide best selling OS/2 Warp Unleashed and
written numerous articles about all facets of OS/2. He developed workshops for IBM
to help developers migrate their applications to OS/2, and was even a consultant
to Microsoft in the early days of the operating system. More recently, he worked
with IBM as an OS/2 expert at the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan.
Collectively, the 3 editions of the Unleashed series have sold over 750,000 copies
world wide. Warp Unleashed was translated into numerous languages including Japanese,
German, Swedish, Russian, and Italian. He was a contributing editor for OS/2 Magazine
in the USA, wrote regular columns for Pointers in the UK and OS/2 World in Japan.
His workshops for IBM were based upon his first book, "Converting Applications
to OS/2" 1989, Brady Books.
He is currently working in the Java and e-Commerce space helping clients fully
utilize today's technologies in heterogeneous environments where he uses IBM's VisualAge
as well as IBM's Java implementations.
You don't want to miss the first of his four presentations at Warpstock, "OS/2
Problem Solver". You've got problems, we've got answers. If you are having
problems with OS/2, making it work in a multisystem environment, or networking (including
cable modems), make sure you catch this session. There will be time for your questions,
too.
Next, "OS/2 - Then, Now and ??" will lead you on a path through time
as David explains how OS/2 got where it is and where it is going. From the first
release of OS/2 1.0 as beta in 1987 through 1999 David traces the 12 plus years
from personal experience. From his first book, "Converting Applications to
OS/2" (1989) which was based upon OS/2 1.0, written on a Compaq Portable II
with 16 Mb RAM and a 40 Mb hard drive through the 1994 best seller, OS/2 Warp Unleashed
(SAMS Publishing), David has been part of the OS/2 community. During this session
he will share memories about the past, observations about the present and predictions
for the future.
"Java in the Real World: A case study", will cut through the hype,
and get to the bottom of this thing called Java. Everywhere you go you read about
Java this and Java that. Are you thinking about using Java with your mission critical
line of business applications? This session is for you if you want to learn the
mistakes to avoid, or the things that work, or if you just want to compare your
experiences to two other companies that have, "been there, tried it and done
it."
Finally, "What you don't know about Java Security will hurt you" is
a your wake up call to security issues in a Java environment. Java 2 (aka Java 1.2)
introduces a new security manager. Merely knowing what's new and improved isn't
enough. Is your code secure? Are you sure? Really sure? You have to decide upon
the proper balance between totally secure and extensible. This session presents
the basic rules you should follow to assure that your code isn't vulnerable to either
accidental or malicious attack. Does your code follow them all? Did you know that
following only some of them can provide a window of vulnerability? Don't assume
it is secure.
From an OS/2 retrospective to cutting edge Java security issues, David Moskowitz
has the presentations that you want to hear. Don't miss his unique perspective and
vision for the future of OS/2 at the premier OS/2 event of the century, Warpstock
'99 Atlanta.
For complete information on Warpstock, see:
Beta 0.035 of SysInfo/2 is now available.
SysInfo/2 is a PM clone of Symantec's SysInfo from NU 3.0 for Win 95/NT. It now
works quite fine and so is available for beta testing.
It has been posted to Hobbes and can be found at:
http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/pub/os2/util/system/sysinfo0035.zip
This program was made using SpeedSoft Sibyl and uses THESEUS API to get information
about memory distribution (*.DLL & *.SYS files are included in the ZIP archive).
I have found two problems with graphic card driver installation and the Config.sys
editor, Tyra/2.
The Check Paths function tells you that you can delete D:\ from the LIBPATH and
SET PATH. This is wrong. Without the D:\ the Setup.cmd file from any GRADD based
graphic card driver will abort with an error message complaining that OS2BOOT can't
be found. So you should not allow Tyra/2 to delete D:\ from LIBPATH and SET PATH.
If it is already deleted you should add it to your LIBPATH and SET PATH statements.
If your change history in the config.sys file grows long, the dspinstl.exe program
which is used during a graphic card driver install won't start. So if you encounter
any problems during a graphic card driver install, or you can't reset you system
to VGA during the boot, you should try to delete the change history from your config.sys
file.
It seems to me that the dspinstl.exe reads the config.sys file and tries to find
the COUNTRY= and SET LANG= entries. The long section of comments at the beginning
of the config.sys confuses dspinstl.exe and it will stop.
The next version of Tyra/2 will take care of the problems.
Sorry for all the trouble you may have had.
Tyra/2 is an easy to use OS/2 config.sys file editor and can be found at:
Roman Stangl is at it again. A new beta release of PC/2 is out!
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Pines/7885/
This beta is v2.19a. For those that don't know what PC/2 is, it is a WPS enhancement/replacement.
You can run it along side the WPS, or use it without the WPS in order to save some
RAM.
Under:
ftp://service.boulder.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/os2ddpak/iomega.exe
there is a beta of the ibmatapi.flt available.
"Zip File contents - September 28, 1999
Readme - this file
IBMATAPI.FLT - OS/2 Device Driver (Filter) for the IOMEGA ZIP 250 drive
This is a beta version of this driver. The final version should be available in
the November 1999 time frame.
This beta version supports only the 250 cartridges at this time. The driver will
be updated to support the 100MB in the ZIP 250 for the final version."
The final version of the amazing AnyJ 1.3.2 is available from:
AnyJ is a cross platform Java IDE & Sourcecode Engineering Solution.
AnyJ includes
various Browsers and analysing tools
a Java Beans compliant Visual GUI-Builder (JFC, Swing),
a sourcelevel Debugger
integrated Version Control
a very powerful, intelligent and fast Editor.
The following Operating Systems are supported
Windows NT 4.0, Win9x
Solaris
Linux
OS/2
Each decade has brought us new challenges - Flower Power, Punk Rock or designer
underwear: We've survived and defeated them all and finally sent them back to where
they belong. But now our oddest nightmares are coming true - a new enemy is sending
masses of invaders to infect our computers, palmtops, dish washers and even some
of the coffee-percolators!
The only way to prepare for the final battle is to live abstinent (OK, this one
isn't _that_ necessary), think fast, practice hard and - of course - use the appropriate
training tool. Therefore, we at Cramon Utilities decided to create one of the best
training devices ever designed, which (as a side effect) is also:
The Ultimate Arcade Game for OS/2.
So: Fasten your seat belts and blast your way through the hordes of mutant bugs,
spiders and other nasty creatures in this original fast-paced galaga style arcade
game. Dazzling graphics and explosive sounds meet you as you pilot your lonely ship
trying to free the galaxy from Bills Evil BUGS!
Stardock Systems Inc. and Cramon Utilities today relased B.U.G.S. for OS/2 version
1.56 This upgrade fixes some annoyances with window creation/activation and some
other minor issues.
It has been the common belief among OS/2 users that the OS/2 version of B.U.G.S.
has been neglegted compared to the Windows version. This is far from true. Even
though there has been a difference in version numbers the games are, except from
small differences in their user interfaces, equal. To clear this up the new fixpack
for the OS/2 version has brought the version number up to version 1.56 to match
the Windows version.
As something quite new, the full version of B.U.G.S., which can be downloaded
from Stardocks Commercial Server, is now wrapped in a totally new and cool GUI installer
developed by Douglas Hendrix of Stellar Frontier fame. Thanks to Douglas for his
help!
Expect to see a release of this cool freeware, crossplatform and open-source
installer later this year :)
Visit the B.U.G.S. Homepage on:
http://www.stardock.com/products/bugs
Warpstock is THE place to find the latest OS/2 Software. You'll find both new
and updated software from a large assortment of vendors, and be ready to buy because
you won't believe the "show specials" that will be available for Warpstock
attendees!
For example, Hethmon Brothers will be offering their first class Inet.Mail Pro
1.5 for $399, a full $100 off the normal retail price! Version 1.3 will be also
available at discounted prices. Inet.Mail Pro for OS/2 is a full featured SMTP and
POP3 server for OS/2.
Sundial Systems, the Warped Jeopardy! sponsor and major OS/2 software house ("Sundial
has the Answers"), will show their full product line. Look for outstanding
savings on their Mesa 2 spreadsheet; DBExpert relational database and application
builder; Relish, RelishNet, and RelishWeb, all for time management; the Clearlook
word processor; and Rover Pack desktop enhancements. Plus, get a sneak preview of
a new anti-spam product, code-named Kiwi.
Perfect Niche Software will offer an incredible discount on SMACK!, the easy
to use label printing program. The retail price of SMACK! is $69.95, but Warpstock
attendees can license SMACK! for only $44.95, a $25.00 savings!
Serenity Systems will be supporting a pavilion where more than a dozen ISVs will
demonstrate their applications on Managed Clients supported by Serenity's amazing
WiseManager system. Serenity will also demonstrate their new WiseTalker Database
Server, and will preview their Building Automation and Security Software, including
the "security camera" application. User and prospective channel partners
can look for some "show specials" as well.
And Theta Band software, with Julienne Pierre at the helm, has planned special
discounts on their WarpCharge and MMPack software for Warpstock attendees. WarpCharge
lets your web site take credit card orders online, and MMPack is a top-of-the-line
multimedia package.
You'll also see IBM's latest products including OS/2 Warp Server for e-business,
and Workspace On-Demand. IBM is giving over a dozen presentations, and it's a perfect
opportunity for you to see the future through IBM's eyes.
JPC Software Development will offer a fantastic 30% discount on their HomePage
Publisher and GpfRexx products. HomePage Publisher is the most powerful OS/2 web
page editor on the market. GpfRexx is a visual application generator that combines
the ease of a WYSIWYG visual programming environment with the power of Rexx.
Also, Armin Schwarz of the Warped Code Cellar has announced discounted pricing
for his powerful House/2, House/290, and UPS Monitor products. Get all three programs
at Warpstock for only $34.00, and Warp your whole house! HOUSE/2 is designed for
easy operation of X10 home control devices, and UPS Monitor is a utility program
to monitor most American Power Conversion (APC) Uninterruptible Power Sources (UPS)
for power line status.
Aviar will showcase several unique OS/2 products including KidStuff for OS/2,
KidStuff for OS/2 Plus Pack, Oz of Prevention System, and "Object Rexx by Example".
The KidStuff titles are edutainment packages for little children, while "Object
Rexx by Example" is a book which teaches Object Rexx. The Oz of Prevention
System is the world's only OS/2 native speech-aware Computerized Maintenance Management
System for Plant Engineers, Maintenance Managers, and Operations Personnel.
Uwe Schlenter has made special arrangements to provide drastically reduced prices
on his WarpNote, BioGraph/2, and PM Checksum programs. Plus you can see Phoenix
Software's Think Tool Pro desktop database alternative and CrossTec's NetOp Remote
Control for OS/2 remote control software.
With Software and Specials like these, you know you don't want to miss the premier
OS/2 event of the century, Warpstock '99 Atlanta!
OS/2 users from around the world will meet October 16-17 in Atlanta. Visit http://www.warpstock.org for the complete information
about this very special OS/2 event.
A mailing list for the great POP/SMTP mailer, Weasel, has been started.
A majordomo program for Weasel is in coding phase but at the moment you can not
subscribe automatically.
Therefore, if you are interested please send mail to Heinz.Mueller@os2-oss.de
with subject "[Weasel]".
Weasel is a "lightweight" server that leaves out fancy options that
most people never need, and concentrates instead on getting the job done without
stealing too much main memory or processor time.
The Weasel home page is:
http://eepjm.newcastle.edu.au/os2/software.html
CNN recently published an article titled "IBM's secret summit".
It's about IBM's commitment to Linux, but there are a few questions and answers
about OS/2 in there as well.
http://cnn.com/TECH/computing/9910/01/ibm.summit.idg/
Marcus Specht (Marcus@buntspecht.de) writes:
there will be a report about Warpstock Europe 1999 on (German) TV. The Show is
called "NEUES.....Die Computershow". The language is german only.
The dates for the transmission are:
Monday, 11 October 1999, 21,30 o'clock in 3sat.
Repetition on
Tuesday, 12.10th, 2,25 o'clock in the ZDF
Saturday, 16 October 1999, at 14 o'clock in 3sat
-> URL: http://www.3sat.de/neues/sendungen/show/01204/index.html
The channels 3sat and ZDF are available in Europe via Astra satellite or cable.
Astra Satellite channel information:
3sat:
Transponder: Transponder 10
Satellite: ASTRA-1F
Freq./Pol.: 11.347GHz/ V
Orbital Pos.: 19.2=B0E
ZDF:
Transponder: Transponder 33
Satellite: ASTRA-1C
Freq./Pol.: 10.96425GHz/ H
Orbital Pos.: 19.2=B0E
More information about the Astra Satellite can be found on their homepage http://www.astra.de/
Have a link to another personal OS/2 web site - http://www.haynes97.freeserve.co.uk
It's a web site which concentrates on how to do stuff with OS/2. Currently, there's
how to LPR directly to a network attached printer, links to OS/2 related exam sites,
how to install PCMCIA support on an HP3100 etc etc.
Coming up will be how to get OS/2 to log on to an NT domain and get your logon
assignments automatically and how to share one modem amongst many PCs.
PPWIZARD is a free preprocessor which can handle any text file types but is most
frequently used for HTML and REXX development. I believe it to be the most powerful
available and yet easy to use, for more details have a look at ppwizard's homepage
at "http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~dbareis/ppwizard.htm".
This page (and the rest of the site) was built using ppwizard, as was ppwizard itself
and its IPF and HTML documentation.
The main changes that have recently taken place (apart from bug fixes) have been:
URL checker
Checks ftp and http URLs. Works integrated with ppwizard or as standalone program.
You may wish to download ppwizard just to obtain this program. It will ensure that
no external links will generate 404's etc. It will tell you when pages move. If
you keep all your links in a WPS URL tree then this program can check these as well.
It has many options including the capability of only testing part of your total
links on any one day. To view it's doco have a look at "http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~dbareis/ppwizard/ppwcurl_cmd.htm"
Other features:
* Spell checking capability
* FTPLIKE.H header file which allows you to build html pages of directory structures
with your look and feel (can autocomment based on .DIZ files etc). You could easily
extend to get comments out of a files extended attributes etc.
* PPWSORT.H header file provides a radical but very powerful alternative example
of how rexx code can be generated. The header allows sorting of 1 to 'x' rexx arrays
(ie keep associated data together) using 1 to 'n' keys and sorting any way you wish.
Other more "traditional" style rexx header files for ppwizard are available
at "http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~dbareis/rexxsrc.htm".
Even if you don't want to use ppwizard you may wish to pick up some of the source
code.
* NestChk.H header file which provides generic nesting validation support. This
would allow you to ensure that you have always used a close tag for every open (say
for html table tags).
* Values on macro parameters are now optional.
Some brand new web pages are waiting for you!
All the HTML pages at IACT's website have been given new layouts and new graphics,
from top to bottom. We trust you will find the site smoother, better organized,
and easier to navigate from one section to another. All the code and graphics were
made under OS/2 Warp v4.0, btw. Stay tuned for more totally Warped improvements
in the next few weeks.
As many OS/2ers suggested, we shortened the Cover Page and relocated the Site
Overview to its own clean, new page. With concise descriptions plus convenient links
for each section, the Overview can serve as an alternate way to travel across the
site. The URLs for both navigation pages are linked below.
Of course, we all know that some smoother layouts and a sharper image won't mean
much unless... we offer you real depth of content. Rest assured, we've got a whole
new batch of articles for you.
So enjoy Issue #6 of The IACT Quarterly Newsletter, covering major topics such
as standards and user interfaces:
* questions/concerns in the battle over X.500, open directory services and new
standards proposed by MSFT & Cisco and IBM & RedHat;
* a better definition of 'user-friendly' software and manuals, with suggestions
about customization of the Windows graphical user interface;
* important features of the BeOS, e.g. journaled file system, multimedia services,
realtime processing and virtual memory;
* plus a special sidebar on the BeOS' versatile user interface;
* myths versus facts of compatibility, costs and reliability in Windows compared
to OSs such as OS/2 and Linux;
* and advantages of object-oriented interfaces such as OS/2's Workplace Shell
compared to the object-based GUI of Windows.
Btw, if you'd like to write either a commentary for the Newsletter or a technical
article for our "24x7 Reports" section, see our "Editor's Desk"
page for info and e-mail us about the computer topic that interests you.
Here are some essential URLs to bring you directly to the Newsletter page and
to the main navigation pages:
- IACT's Cover Page
http://pages.cthome.net/iact/
- our "Site Overview" page
http://pages.cthome.net/iact/about/iact-overview.html
- The IACT Quarterly Newsletter, Issue #6
http://pages.cthome.net/iact/IQN/6.html
Hot Corners v2.2 is now available at:
http://www.cam.org/~guardia/programs.html
for FREE. Also check the other great utilities!
Hot Corners is a PM utility which allows to bring foreground applications found
in the Window List or to actually start any objects by using your screen corners
and borders.
Windows found in the Window List can also be brought to the mouse pointer position
once activated. They can be minimized or pushed back in the Z order once the mouse
pointer leaves their frame as well. Moreover, each corner and border have different
activation combinations using mouse buttons, alt, ctrl and shift.
There are also options to set the timeout delay before activation, and the corner
margin.
New feature in 2.2, you can make windows float on top or on bottom.
New since 2.1
- Patched the ESC key that made dialogs disappear in the PM Loader.
- Windows that are to be minimized or pushed back on pointer leave can now be moved
and resized.
- Minimize and Push Back on Pointer Leave now REALLY give focus back to the topmost
window. Looks like there is a whole bunch (~50) of invisible windows before the
first visible one. Don't worry if Hot Corners uses a bit of CPU time while looking
for the first topmost visible one.
- Found a better way to open objects on top.
+ Added new float on top and float on bottom feature. I've played with the code
a long time ago and got tired because it's really just a bunch of kludge. It sort
of works, but don't expect too much. Window switching might get slow when using
float on top.
* Source code included in source.zip
The Warpstock planners are proud to announce that there will be a wide variety
of software development presentations at this year's Warpstock. Besides six presentations
on a variety of programming topics, there will also be a session that introduces
software development to people with no programming experience.
"If you're a programmer or thinking about learning programming, I guarantee
there will be at least one presentation that will teach you something," says
Timur Tabi, considered by many to be the world's sexiest OS/2 programmer. "Who
can claim that they know Rexx, Object Rexx, Presentation Manager, Assembly Language,
OS/2 device drivers, TCP/IP programming, and Java? No one I know, not even me."
The software developer presentations are:
Introduction to Programming: This presentation is intended for people with no
programming experience. Attendees will learn the basics about software development,
such as: the software development cycle, what tools a programmer uses, what makes
a computer language, how computers work, and more.
Introduction to REXX Programming: REXX is the built-in scripting language of
OS/2, and everyone who uses OS/2 regularly should know REXX. It has the ability
to control almost every aspect of OS/2, and it is the most commonly used language
for applications that support scripting. OS/2 users who know REXX are ten times
more productive than those who don't. This presentation will cover everything you
need to write basic REXX programs.
Object REXX I and II: Object REXX (OREXX) is REXX on steroids. OREXX takes the
REXX language and adds object oriented extensions, much like C++ does for C. Two
members of Aviar, Inc. will lead you through this amazingly powerful and cross-platform
language. The first session introduces the language and cover its syntax and use.
The second session covers advanced OREXX, with a focus on multi-media and multi-threading.
Introduction to Presentation Manager Programming: Presentation Manager (PM) is
the graphical interface for OS/2 - every OS/2 application that displays a window
on the desktop needs to use PM. Why waste your time (and your users') with bloated
software made with the Visual Age class library or Java? Learn to write graphical
applications using the PM API, and your software will be small, fast, and powerful.
Introduction to Assembly language Programming: Think assembly language is only
for gear heads who need to shave 10 microseconds from their code? Think again -
you can't become a top-notch programmer unless you understand how the CPU works,
and you can't learn that without knowing assembly language. This presentation will
give you everything you need to understand assembly language programs.
Introduction to Device Driver Programming: Timur Tabi continues his long standing
tradition of making sure that every OS/2 user knows how to write a device driver.
Why wait for IBM or some uncaring hardware vendor to write a driver for OS/2, when
you can write your own?! And new for this year, the presentation has been expanded
to two parts! In Part 1, you'll learn all the basics of writing an OS/2 device driver.
In Part 2, Timur will go over an entire OS/2 device driver, line by line.
TCP/IP Programming on OS/2: Paul Hethmon, author of the Inet.Mail mail server
for OS/2, once again teaches TCP/IP programming for OS/2. TCP/IP is the backbone
of the Internet and the most popular network technology on the planet, and OS/2
Warp is best platform for networking. Let Paul teach you everything you need to
write TCP/IP enabled applications under OS/2, including differences between OS/2
and other implementations of TCP/IP.
Java Programming: Gordon Roland takes off his Chairperson hat and puts on his
Java hat with two presentations on the Java programming language. First, Gordon
tells you how you can migrate your old COBOL applications to Java, using his experiences
as examples. Then, in "Overview of Java Technology Today", he talks about
design goals of Java and how well those goals have been met. He finishes with an
overview of the state of the art today.
More information about Warpstock '99 can be found at the official Warpstock web
site, http://www.warpstock.org. To see the
list of presentations and when they are scheduled, click on the item "List
of Presentations" on the left side.
This isn't really new news but I thought it would be useful to owners of Dell
Latitude CPi notebooks (and possibly others using the TI 1131 chipset).
For those of you who have been struggling (like I have) for months attempting
to get PCMCIA working under OS/2 with my Latitude a recent note in a news group
suggests using the following socket services driver (ss2pcic2.sys):
ftp://ftp.uni-leipzig.de/pub/os2/boulder/os2/os2ddpak/ss2pcic2.exe
It MUST be this version, dated 6-16-97.
I am using this file with the lastest PC Card Director files from IBM but the
originator of the news group post (Mark Jiang) is using the PCMCIA.SYS that comes
with Warp 4.
I am now successfully running my PCMCIA modem under OS/2 for the first time!
I have just finished ThermoProtect V1.31, and the new features of this version
is as follows:
*Now ThermoAlarm feature have been expanded to cover PipeMonitor operating mode.
You can now have the comfort and efficiency of SysBar/2's unique GUI, as well as
the peace of mind provided by ThermoAlarm.
!A bug that will show all the fans are monitored even when it is not, is now
fixed. Came as a surprise to me that no one noticed it as well. :)
The file is available NOW at:
http://www.pcenduser.com/ThermoProtect
ThermoProtect is hardware-monitoring software that watches over the condition
of the computer as reported by the hardware-monitoring chip that many modern motherboards
have.
I'm proud to announce that my suite of OS/2 applications will be present at Warpstock
99. Special arrangements between me, Thomas Bradford of BMT Micro and Tom Stevic
of Warpstock 99 made it possible that a couple of OS/2 supporters will be exclusively
demonstrating the three applications -- WarpNote, Biograph/2 and PM Checksum --
to the Warpstock 99 visitors. BMT Micro will be there to accept registrations at
drastically reduced prices for all three programs.
* WarpNote is a "yellow stickers" utility for those who are tired of
those sticky notes that won't stick on their monitor. WarpNote provides sticky notes
that remain where you put them: On your OS/2 desktop. WarpNote gives you easy access
to little yellow windows where you can note down everything you want. The program
is simple and easy to use and consumes as little memory as possible. Each and any
feature can be configured and adjusted to the user's needs. Extensive scripting
capabilities give you unlimited possibilities (a birthday-reminder is included as
an example script). A Blowfish encryption interface ensures that private data is
stored in a secure way. These features make WarpNote an ideal desktop companion,
a fire-and-forget solution to keep all sorts of information - e.g. your shopping
list or even confidential information like banking data, passwords or PIN numbers.
* Biograph/2 is the ultimate biorhythm program for OS/2 Warp. It tells you about
the physical, emotional, intellectual and intuitional biorhythm and allows for displaying
multiple biorhythm charts and pair matching. The scientifically approved biorhythm
method provides a unique possibility to know how you might be feeling tomorrow -
an invaluable tool for those who are sensitive for those subtle biological influences.
* PM Checksum watches your files! It tells you when a file on your harddisk has
changed and provides a means to check the authenticity of files. It uses the widespread
CRC32 and MD5 checksum algorithms which have been implemented in Pentium optimized
code to yield maximum throughput. PM Checksum is easy to use and comes with an additional
command line utility for checksum calculation.
More information on these applications can be found at:
http://www.geocities.com/rodeodrive/2048/eindex.html
in the "Software" submenu.
I strongly encourage the OS/2 community and anyone interested in OS/2 to visit
Warpstock 99 and show their support for OS/2 and OS/2 applications. See yourself
how powerful the OS/2 operating system is and what the wide variety of OS/2 applications
makes out of this.
Jerry McBride has written a REXX script that patches the OS/2 system files syslevel.os2
and syslevel.mpm to allow application of FixPaks greater than #40. This little application
actually fools the CSF installer into thinking the target system is a LanServer
4.0 installation thus allowing the update of Warp 3. The script will run on any
OS/2 system but is designed for Warp 3.0 (Blue Spine). You can use the script on
a Warp 3 (Red Spine) installation if you do not use WinOS2. What a clever way to
extend the life of Warp 3!
The script is on Hobbes, currently at:
http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/pub/incoming/B110.zip
And its proposed resting place is:
http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/pub/os2/apps/B110.zip
http://www.cam.org/~guardia/programs.html
CD2MP3 PM allows you to convert your CDs to MP3 or WAV files to MP3 using any
grabber and encoder you like. It supports CDDB.
New since 1.12
This week's edition of Focus on OS/2 is now online.
Topic:
INJOY 2.3 REVIEW--INTERNET SECURITY
Best-selling Internet package now supports Virtual Networks and high-level Internet
security.
http://os2.about.com/library/weekly/aa092999.htm
The feature can be accessed at http://os2.about.com/library/weekly/mcurrent.htm.
Plus get the latest news on Software Choice, Fixpaks, and Netscape 4.61!
Walter Metcalf
os2.guide@about.com
We still have an IMMEDIATE NEED for volunteers to step forward and take a leadership
role in this year's Warpstock '99 in Atlanta. The following positions still need
to be filled:
Audio/Visual Coordinator - Most of the preliminary work has already been done
in this area, but we need someone to take responsibility for coordinating this on
site. This means making sure that the right equipment is in the right rooms at the
right time, and working properly. You will also be responsible for making sure that
all equipment is collected at the end of the event and returned to the vendor.
Physical Setup/Breakdown Coordinator - This is another on-site task. We need
someone with leadership capabilities that can direct the efforts of the other volunteers
on this committee to make sure that all exhibitors that need assistance setting
up their booth, transporting equipment, etc. has the help that they need. Most of
the physical booth setup and network cabling will be provided by outside vendors.
Registration Coordinator - We need someone to oversee this area (ideally 2 people)
to handle schedule shifts for the registration committee volunteers, and handle
any problems that might arise. This is also an on-site task and requires a minimum
amount of time before October 15.
Conference Room Hosts - We still need more volunteers to help out as conference
room hosts. If you're going to be attending the sessions anyway, why not help us
out and serve as a room host. Responsibilities include making sure that the speaker
is in the correct room at the correct time, and handling out and collecting session
evaluations.
If you're interested in helping out, please notify Luc Van Bogaert vanbogaert@pandora.be.
October 3 Source: Klaus Staedtler (stadt@ibm.net)
The PM-Viewer VNC Ver 1.0 has been released.
Find it under:
http://www.sra.co.jp/people/akira/os2/vnc-pm/index.html
VNC stands for Virtual Network Computing.
The OS/2 port of MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) has been upgraded to
version .36 beta 6. The OS/2 port is now in sync with the latest DOS version.
MAME runs 1,765 classic and some not so classic arcade games of the 70's, 80's,
and 90's from the comfort of your OS/2 Desktop.
For more information and to download the latest version, visit:
There is a Pentium optimized as well as a 486 optimized version available.
The following enhancements/fixes are present in this version:
Contact: Gordon Roland, GRoland@ibm.net
Did you start using OS/2 before it had a GUI? Or are you a Johnny-come-lately
who talks to his machine?
Either way you'll find all the OS/2 answers, and most of the questions, at Sundial's
special big-budget Warpstock event - Warped Jeopardy!
True to the TV Jeopardy! theme, Sundial has the answers and the contestants better
have the questions in this take-off of the popular television show, done with a
definite OS/2 bent and a few other twists. (We don't call it Warped for nothing!)
The three well-known contestants see the answers and have only a few seconds to
supply the proper questions in this fast-paced multimedia extravaganza and stage
show delight.
Sundial Systems will be your host for this first-ever stage production at Warpstock
with a whole new set of categories, contestants, answers and questions - all related
to OS/2. Even if you saw Warped Jeopardy! in its wildly successful west coast debut,
you don't want to miss Sundial's Warped Jeopardy! in Atlanta. This stage experience
includes a few "extras", with full-motion video productions on the big
screen overhead, a bit of unique "team" action and some "special"
OS/2 answer categories.
There's audience participation also, with plenty of spirited chances for those
who have "the questions for the answers". It's fun, it's entertaining,
and there are prizes too at Sundial's Warped Jeopardy!. Take a seat in the Warpstock
theater for this Hollywood-style show, and you might just walk away a winner. Seating
is limited to the chairs in the auditorium, so be sure to pick up your admission
tickets early at the Sundial Systems exhibit booth.
Sundial wants you to remember that "Sundial has the answers!" with
their DBExpert, Mesa 2, Rover Pack, Relish and Clearlook products, and they've created
Warped Jeopardy! with OS/2 answers galore. Join the rest of Warpstock at Warped
Jeopardy! and watch three well-known contestants take center stage and try to link
the answers to the questions.
Remember, the answer is "The Premier OS/2 Event Of This Century, Warpstock
'99 Atlanta!". And the question is, of course, "Where will I be on October
16 and 17, 1999?"
OS/2 users from around the world will meet October 16-17 in Atlanta. Visit http://www.warpstock.org for the complete information
about this very special OS/2 event.
The Dutch HCC OS/2 User Group announces a meeting on the 9th of October from
10.00-16.00 hr at the St. Jozef Building, Heilig Levenstraat 4 at Montfoort.
On this day Jan van Wijk (author of the HPFS utility "DFSEE") will
tell you all about partitioning hard disks and the problems you can expect when
installing different operating systems. There will be some machines with empty hard
disks so you can try it yourself.
Furthermore there are a lot of demonstrations of OS/2 software and a helpdesk
for all your OS/2 problems is available also. Come, see and take your PC with you!