VOICE Newsletter 09/2001

DB2 7.2 is available for download in the following versions:

- DB2 UDB Enterprise Edition V7.2 DBCS for OS/2
- DB2 for OS/2 Personal Edition SBCS V7.2
- DB2 UDB Enterprise Edition V7.2 Nordics for OS/2
- DB2 UDB Enterprise Edition V7.2 SBCS for OS/2

They are all about 350 Mbyte big and there is no mention of free CD distribution. Last file date is 2001-04-11. File listing at http://www6.software.ibm.com/dl/db2udbdl/db2udbdl-p?

http://www-4.ibm.com/software/data/db2/

August 24

DirDiff v1.07

Wolfram Schmid w.schmid@ws-it.de updated DirDiff, a directory compare program for OS/2.

DirDiff compares all files in two sub-directorys or whole directory trees and locates which files have been modified, which files have been created and which files have been deleted. DirDiff is a useful tool primarily for software developers but it can also used for some other file management activityes. DirDiff is freeware.

New in this releas:
- Fixed a bug with the history list
- File dialog improved

Features of DirDiff:
- Compares files in 2 different directorys or directory trees - Shows the compare result in a global view
- Shows colored, which attribute was changed
- Spec of include- and exclude filters for file names and directorys - Visibility of all filters can be toggeld on and off
- Spec of pathes and filter at the command prompt
- Deletion of files direct in the result list
- Different action for files of the result list. Eg. 'opening of PMdiff', 'call of the cmd line' or 'opening of the WPS folder'. - User configurable action
- Stores all program settings, window sizes and positions
- Resizeable file dialog
- History list for path 1 and path 2

Web Site (english): http://www.ws-it.de/en/product/ddiff

August 24

Discounted hotel rate for Warpstock 2001 until September 17

OS/2 users are travelling from around the world to meet in Toronto this October. The smart ones know that the only way to make the most of the conference is to stay at the conference hotel, the Holiday Inn Select Toronto Airport.

To receive the best rate, however, you need to make your room reservations before September 17. If you miss that date, not only will you pay more than necessary, but you may not even get a room at all!

Information on the hotel as well as instructions on how to make a reservation can found at http://www.warpstock.org/2001/location/location.html.

The 5th annual Warpstock conference will be held October 6-8, 2001, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and is produced by Warpstock, Inc., a North Carolina non-profit corporation. The Warpstock annual conference is a gathering of OS/2 users, developers, and vendors from around the world for the purpose of education and advocacy. More information is available at the Warpstock 2001 website, http://www.warpstock.org or its mirror site: http://warpstock.os2voice.org.

August 24

v2.31 of PMView released

A new release of PM-View for OS/2 has been made available from http://www.pmview2000.com/

There is also now a French version of PM-View in addition to the English and German versions previously available.

The download URL's are:
English: http://www.pmview2000.com/os2/pmview2000v231os2.zip
German: http://www.pmview2000.com/os2/pmview2000v231os2DE.zip
French: http://www.pmview2000.com/os2/pmview2000v231os2FR.zip

August 24

New PM-Mail for OS/2 beta release

A new beta release of PM-Mail for OS/2 is available now from http://www.pmmail2000.com/

From the website:

8/23/01 - An eigth beta of PMMail for Windows and OS/2, 2.20.2370, is now available. This corrects a free space calculation error under windows and adds improvements to the re-try for SMTP authentication.

The new beta direct download URL is: http://www.pmmail2000.com/betas/pmm220.exe

Bugs can be reported to pmmailos2@blueprintsoftwareworks.com

August 23

SciTech Display Doctor for OS/2 - BETA 42

--------------------------------------
SciTech Display Doctor 7.0.7 for OS/2
PREVIEW RELEASE 42
--------------------------------------

Where do you get it?
--------------------

You can download SciTech Display Doctor 7.0.7 for OS/2 BETA 42 from our ftp site using the following URL:

ftp://ftp.scitechsoft.com/sdd/beta/os2/sdd-os2-7.0.7-b42.exe

What's new:
-----------

. All remaining changes are now tracked on the web. Public changes are tracked at the following URL:

http://www.scitechsoft.com/sdd2_changes.txt

About SciTech Display Doctor for OS/2
-------------------------------------

SciTech Display Doctor for OS/2 brings SciTech's proven universal device driver technologies to the OS/2 operating system. SciTech Display Doctor for OS/2 incorporates the SciTech Nucleus Graphics Architecture, which is a cross platform device driver technology enabling the use of the same device drivers in all versions of SciTech Display Doctor. Sharing the drivers between platforms improves the quality and performance of device drivers for all supported operating systems.

For more detailed information about SciTech Display Doctor for OS/2 (including the list of supported graphics chipsets) see the complete readme at:

ftp://ftp.scitechsoft.com/sdd/beta/os2/readme.txt

August 23

ManplatoSync for Java updated to b02

ManplatoSync for Java, the all-Java Palm synchronization tool from IBM, has been updated to b02. Also available is the new ManplatoSync for Java Conduit for Lotus Notes for OS/2 and Windows.

ManplatoSync for Java allows you to synchronize your Palm and Palm-compatible handheld system under OS/2 WARP, eCS, and any other Java-enabled computer. It also provides a complete developers toolkit and API set for creating your own plug-ins to synchronize data with your favorite application or database.

http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/manplatosync4java

August 23

ZxMail updated to v1.0.8 with new features.

Added: Implemented rfc2449 (CAPA command for POP3 server), rfc1734 AUTH command.
Fixed: Bug in POP3 DB routine that caused intermitent errors.
Bug in TOP command, sometimes did not return CRLF.CRLF pair to terminate command.

We recommend that you update to this level.

The Top error caused major crash in Eudora for Palm Pilot (EIS) this fixes this.

Thank you for your support.

http://www.zeryx.com

August 23

Deadline for Warpstock social event registration: September 15

All Warpstock attendees who are planning to also attend the Saturday evening social event should be certain to purchase tickets by September 15.

Tickets for the event can be purchased online or via a mail-in registration, but they must be made by September 15. After that date, tickets for the social event will no longer be available.

This year's social event consists of dinner and a theatrical play at the Stage West Theatre. Tickets are $50. More information can be found at http://www.warpstock.org/2001/social.html.

August 22

Warpstock mail-in registration deadline approaching fast

Warpstock attendees who want to mail in their registration, rather than purchase online, have only three weeks left.

The registrations must be RECEIVED by September 15, which means they must be mailed ahead of that date. Please take shipping times into consideration. Of course, you can avoid the hassle by sending in your registration now or ordering online.

Registration forms and online ordering are both available at http://www.warpstock.org/2001/registration/registration.html

August 22

Dtape Beta 7 released

Dtape is a OS/2 PM program which provides the facilities to record and replay digital audio directly to/from disk - a digital tape recorder. Features include peak level monitoring and unlimited .WAV file sizes (up to 4GB). Also included are DPLAY and DRECORD, which are VIO programs for playing and recording digital audio.

August 22

OS/2 API from EDM2 to OS2WORLD.com

I just mirrored the OS/2 API project from http://www.edm2.com/os2api/ to http://www.os2world.com/os2api/

I couldnt contact the original author of the site and last updates were years ago. I want to include my own TCP/IP for DOS/MDOS information and I will try to do updating. If the original author has anything against it, please contact my asap. If anyone wants to submit to this project (documenting the whole OS/2 API) just send the information to kiewitz@os2world.com.

Thanx, Martin Kiewitz.

http://www.os2world.com/os2api

August 22

ZxMail updated to version 1.07

In this release:

Fixed an issue with MS-SMTP that returned a multi-line reponse on the helo command (contrary to rfc spec's no big surprise coming from MS)

we recommend that you update to this version, since mail would be returned if sent to a MS-SMTP server.

http://www.zeryx.com

August 21

CLIPS expert system shell available on OS/2

CLIPS for OS/2 has been uploaded to Hobbes.

CLIPS is a productive development and delivery expert system tool which provides a complete environment for the construction of rule and/or object based expert systems. CLIPS is being used by numerous users throughout the public and private community including: all NASA sites and branches of the military, numerous federal bureaus, government contractors, universities, and many companies.

Hobbes: clips.zip
FTP-Search: clips.zip

August 21

New Kernel 0821 available on testcase

From: Scott E. Garfinkle as posted on comp.os.os2.bugs

[ Moderator note: As always only use files from IBM's Testcase facility if you are able to accept a certain degree of risk, and always backup any files prior to installing new versions. You have been warned!!!! Report any problems/outcomes on the comp.os.os2.bugs Usenet group. Don't send your problems to me. I'm just passing on the information. ;-) ]

The latest build is out. As always, get the kernels on the internet at ftp://testcase.boulder.ibm.com/ps/fromibm/os2. DFxxx is the dump formatter stuff for this build. xxxD.zip are the debug kernels. Don't use them unless you know how to use the kernel debugger. See below for more info.

If use use SES, any of the SESDD32s released since Mar 1 are ok.
w4 kernels are for Warp 4/MCP uni/smp kernels are for WSeB/ACP uni and smp installations

These kernels are later than xr_c001, which does have most of these fixes, already, though.

readme follows:

This contains fixes since xr_e002/xr_m015/mcp/acp. Important note: If you use the OS/2 SES facility, you need a new sesdd32.sys dated April 2001 or later to use this kernel. Also, a matching dump formatter (df_ret.exe), provided separately, is required, if you want to analyze a dump from this kernel. Finally, note that os2ldr is only required for the >64mb memory detection mentioned below.

New function:
1) Support for >64m memory using int15 func e820. Note, this support is enabled ONLY for Intel Pentium Pro or later, or non-Intel Pentium-class machines. This is done in an effort to prevent problems on older PCs.
2) The presence of \os2\boot\os2norev.$$$ suppresses the display of internal revision during boot.
3) Adding "EARLYMEMINIT=TRUE" to config.sys will allow device drivers, etc., access to the memory above 16mb early in boot. Previously, this was only available after DD and IFS init was completed. This has various implications when enabled:
a) AHA154X.ADD may do bad things to your system. Don't even askb
b) There may be some settings of HPFS386 cache that are incompatible.
4) Trap messages will now give the module name instead of the device name. For example, "Exception in module: CLOCK01" instead of "Exception in Device Driver: CLOCK$". ***change from 0220/0223: Traps in 32 bit code now show the modname, too
5) Systems with a 486SX chip running FP15 will function correctly. Note, they will NOT work with ACP or (necessarily) on MCP. 6) SESDD32 will now work correctly (I hope) for both uni and smp 7) All process dumps should now be considerably faster. paddr(all) dumps should take about 40% less time and others around 80-90% less time.
8) EXE names will now also be displayed in alt-f2/alt-f3 processing (note that CMD file names, e.g. MPTSTART, will NOT be displayed, only cmd.exe)
9) alt-f4 is like alt-f2 plus it pauses after displaying each names (does not pause after BASEDEV= or PSD=) and, by pressing F1, allows you to skip loading/running the file displayed. Alt-f5 is like alt-f4+alt-f1.
10) The dump formatter (in dfxxx.zip) should be faster and also work on dumps >= 2gb, which was not formerly possible.

Bug Fixes:
Fixes from earlier "dated" kernels:
Fixed a trap 000d in w_OpenCreate (140:4dfd or so in uni/w4 krnls, don't have regs for SMP). This was a post mcp/acp regression
Fixed strange loader i/o problems specific to the 0111 kernel.
Fixed a bootup sys31xx problem specific to the 0123 kernel.
Fixed a problem that was (I think) specific to Janauary uni & W4 kernels which resulted in odd ring 3 (maybe ring 0?) traps and hangs
Fixed some trap and other peculiar problems specific to the 0206 kernel. Those were the result of a build problem.
Fixed some trap and other problems specific to the 0220/0223 kernels
Fixed a regression from JR15038 that caused a trap in CWBBS.IFS and PCSFLR0.IFS (AS/400 shared folders access).
Fixed a regression in the 0330 kernel that messed up getting procdumps
Fixed a regression in the 0416 kernel that caused some hangs and also affected APM
Fixed a regression in the 0502 kernel that prevented booting altogether or caused other very bad problems.
Fixed a regression in the 0502/0503 kernels that caused some odd trap d/e's in the scheduling code
Don't use the 0601 kernels.
Don't use the 0615 kernels, either. There seems to have been some kind of build problem, there.
Removed the int 3's I'd accidentally left in some EA code in 0727 build The 0730-0801 kernels all had problems due to various attempts to fix PJ28078. Sorry about that!

Fixes to problems that exist in released code:
JR15494: Delayed response of Ctrl-C or Ctrl-S (pause) in os/2 windows
JR15405: (probably) DosQueryAsyncTimer fails on timecritical thread after mscount rolls over after 49.7 days of uptime
JR15030: TRAPDUMP QUERY doesn't show PD (needs a new trapdump.exe, too)
JR13335: Some VDMs won't run, complaining of too-long command lines
JR15194: XCOPY fails with SYS1186 or SYS1192 on (at least) MO drives
JR15038: Trap 8 in h_DeviceHelpDM running an app from a tcpbeui drive
JR15229: Files left open after ERROR_TOO_MANY_OPEN_FILES returned to app
PJ27700: SMP systems may get a trap 000e in _tkStopScan, particularly during a procdump operation.
PJ27676: Causes hangs on some systems running UNI or W4 kernels
PJ27554: Hang or (on allstrict) trap 3 on SMP (only) during beeps
PJ27678: SMP kernels could not be RIPL-booted. As part of this, there is a new config.sys parameter I13PAGES= available. Adding I13PAGES=1 to config.sys (note, no SET) reduces the memory usage of the mini VDM processes used by ibm1s506.add and the GRADD drivers. This becomes important in RIPL-boot situations. It may be helpful for UNI RIPL boot, as well.
PJ27677: SMP systems hang with multiple threads of same process entering a critical section (affects ADSM client)
PJ27757: Trap 000e running Theseus/4 (note, theseus4.exe may still end up with a sys3175, but at least the system doesn't crash).
PJ27736: Trap in _PLD_WriteReturnCode
PJ27777: Set BEGINLIBPATH= (in config.sys ONLY) may be ignored. Also, it would lead to a bogus copy of BEGINLIBPATH= in the environment.
fix PJ27906: Trap 000e in pvwRegKrnlInstance running SPM/2 (may also cause unknown odd behavior in other performance monitors).
PJ27919: Complete system hang running some apps (same as JR12136)
PJ27544: Panic in SwitchNPX
PJ27972: trap 000e in _SecExecPost (the actual fix is in ses0604 or later)
PJ27952: DosFindFirst returns incorrect returncode for various bufsizes when querying extended attributes
PJ28005: ProcDump command returns error code 6 (and the procdump is invalid)
PJ28013: read of >2k from named pipe on a timecritical thread can cause loss of pipe data or session hang
PJ28027: trap in KMQueryClientRegister reallocating a trace buffer
PJ28068: trap 000e in clock$ where sslim is ffffffff (during JFS activity)
PJ28076: "trapdump [PD|NOPD]" disables the procdump.exe command. Also, it causes a trap 000e if you initiate a dump with ctrl-alt-f10-f10 (or numlock-numlock).
PJ28077: Some VPM apps will refuse to initialize
PJ28078: Various traps with floppy disk hard errors when UDF is loaded
JR13789: DRIVES does not reflect change in directory entries
PJ28102: Performance tracing slow on Pentium 4 CPUs (this is the only APAR listed here fixed in os2ldr)

Following are rough instructions for applying the os2krnl fix: In the directory from which you boot (C:\ or d:\ or whatever), type these commands. Note that os2krnl should have come with this file.

1. attrib -r -s -h os2krnl
2. attrib -r -s -h os2ldr
3. copy os2krnl os2krnl.sav
4. copy os2ldr os2ldr.sav
5. copy \os2\system\trace\*.tdf \save (or wherever)
5. unzip -o xxx.zip
If you want, you can turn the os2krnl and os2ldr attributes back on, but it's not necessary to do so.

Trace files (*.tdf) have been included.

An os2krnl.sym file has been provided with this fix. Just save it somewhere (root directory or anywhere). It is only needed in case OS/2 service requests a standalone dump of your system in the future.

August 21

Warpstock early bird pricing will soon be over

If you're planning on going to Warpstock 2001 in Toronto, you only have 3 weeks to purchase discounted tickets.

Until September 15, tickets for Warptock 2001 will be available for only $90. After that date, the cost goes up to $120. So act fast, or you could miss the chance to save 25% on tickets.

To order your tickets, just go to http://www.warpstock.org/2001/registration/registration.html. There are many ways to pay, one of them is sure to work for you.

August 21

Guiffy 3.1 compare/merge released

Guiffy 3.1 enhancements include:
* New File Encodings Support - Over 100 File Encoding specifications supported. Supports Encoding specifications such as: UTF8, UTF16, Big5, Cp500(EBCDIC), JIS, and Shift-JIS.
* Font support enhanced - Selections extended to include all installed fonts. Supports multi lingual Unicode fonts such as Bitstream Cyberbit and Arial Unicode MS.
* Ignore SubFolders - New Folder Compare option to Ignore a list of SubFolders.
* UI Translations - Spanish and German UI translations updated.
* New Installer/Launcher - Upgraded Installer/Launchers fix several platform problems including relative path filenames on Windows command line and Windows ME installs.
Plus, MacOS, Linux, Unix and OS/2 improvements and fixes.

Guiffy is a visual source file/folder, compare/merge, utility/component. Guiffy features 2-way interactive and 3-way smart, "SureMerge", interfaces. Merge interfaces support Editing during the merge and Undo. Compare/Merge views can be split vertical or horizontal with synchronized scrolling. Fonts and colors choices allow each user to create a personal style. Powerful compare options include: View only the differences, differences within N lines of context, ignore case, ignore whitespace, and ignore columns x-y. Comes with builtin UNICODE support plus, a command line interface for CM/SCM integrations. HTML-based JavaHelp includes Table of Contents, Index, and Search engine navigation. Compare results can be saved as text, as an "RCS diff", or stylized HTML. Spanish and German user interface translations are provided.

Guiffy 3.0 enhancements include:
* New Minimum lines of difference compare algorithm
* New option to "Expand Attention Focus"(conflict) area for 3-way SureMerges
* Folder Compare Refresh * Options to automatically Save Settings

Guiffy 2.0 enhancements included:
* guffy.inside API package to build compare/merging into your application
* Folder Compare graphical Tree views with clickon file compare
* Folder Compare options to ignore dates and sizes and a quick byte-by-byte files match verifier

Homepage: http://www.guiffy.com

License: Fully functional 30-day evaluation.
Single User registration is $49.

Thank you for your support,
Bill_Ritcher@Guiffy.com

August 21

X-Commander 0.17 is out!

X-Commander, Norton Comander-clone is out. Check ftp://ftp.pilot-film.com/os2/X-COM/xc20_17b.zip for new beta.

http://www.x-commander.da.ru/

August 20

O.T. -- In Memorum - Dan Casey --

Greetings All,

This message is a reminder that it has been six (6) months since Dan passed away on February 20, 2001. Many of us only knew Dan through his tireless leadership and work at V.O.I.C.E. for the OS/2 community. We were unaware of his efforts "to provide hope, care and comfort to homeless and abandoned young children" through involvement with Edelweiss House Inc. in his community of Indianapolis, Indiana. If anyone wishes to support this effort as a remembrance, for, as Mark Dodel wrote "Dan believed strongly in the mission of Edelweiss House and was looking forward to seeing the construction of the first home.", a donation may be made by a cheque made payable to:

Edelweiss House, Inc.
P.O. Box 55946 Indianapolis,
IN 46205-0946
Further information is available at their web site,
http://www.edelweisshouse.org/

On this day, let all of us endeavour to make a commitment to help the children of our local community so that each one may enjoy a healthy, loving and safe environment. In this way, we may surely nurture a better future of love and peace for all and remember Dan Casey, who is sorely missed by all he touched.

From: "Kenn Yuill" kenn.yuill@sympatico.ca

August 20

dSync/2 v.0.1.2

dSync is free, simple, small and fast
Files/Dirs/Disks mirroring tool. The main purpose of this program is to store the whole copy of important data on the spare HDD or spare partition for fast restoring in the case of the main media damaging.

http://zuko.mitm.ru/files/dsync012.zip

Hobbes: dsync012.zip

August 19

Vcdtools 0.4 released

Chris Wohlgemuth has ported the VCDTools to OS/2

Video CDs are ordinary CDROMs in a special format which contain MPEG-1 encoded video. For long times this type of CD was mostly known in Asia whereas Video CDs and the according players were mostly unknown in the USA and Europe. Since almost every DVD player can also play VCDs (and since the recordable Video DVD for a reasonable price seems still far away) VCDs are getting more popular everywhere. VCDs use a special type of CD sectors (mode 2 form 2) and have a special form of the filesystem.

http://www.os2world.com/cdwriting/

If you want to know more about VCDs, visit the http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/2496/vcdfaq.html VCD FAQ or do a search in the web.

August 19

New printable posters available on OS/2.cz

From download section on OS/2.cz, you can download some free printable "posters" about OS/2, eComStation and OS/2.cz

There is also one "poster" of OS/2 trap error codes...

Hope that could be useful

All posters are in PDF format.

http://www.os2.cz

From: Filip Molcan molcanf@os2.cz

August 19

Gimp 1.2.2 released