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April 2001

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March 25

WebSphere/2 List

It's now up and running. To subscribe, all you'll have to do is to send a message to:

steward@warpspeed.com.au

with the lines:

subscribe WebSphere
end

in it and away you go!

This list is simply offered for people using or interested in IBM's WebSphere V3.0.2 Standard Edition for OS/2.

Please email me if you get into any problems.

-Chris


March 25

The Larsen Commander homepage has been completely redesigned and a new version is available for download. Take a look at

http://home.online.no/~leifel/lcmd/

for more information.

http://home.online.no/~leifel/lcmd/

From: Leif-Erik Larsen leifel@online.no


March 24

I found a new VPART boot manager uploaded to Hobbes today.

I can now boot a partition that is in a 0F type extended partition AND boot the one that is located above the first 1024 (0 - 1023) cylinders of that drive, and in that 0F partition!

It should be safer to run Win9x and let me use FAT32 above 8GB as well as let me boot eCS anywhere on my drives now. The only time I would need to revert to 05 now is to install an OS/2 system, then I can switch back to 0F and forget about it after that.

URL: http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/cgi-bin/h-search?key=VPart

Cheers... Iain


March 24

OS2 World.Com has updated the pollsystem with a new poll asking for what is your preferred file manager under OS/2.

An archive for the old polls have been set up as well. Current not all polls have been added, yet.

http://www.os2world.com/polls.html


March 24

Focus on OS/2 News for This Week:
**********************************************

New Article:
****************

FILESTAR/2 FILE MANAGER: A REVIEW, PART 4 This article concludes the review on FileStar/2 by looking at LAN Access, FlexEdit, ZipView, Settings Notebook, and the Toolbar.
http://os2.about.com/library/weekly/aa032101a.htm

News and Links:
*********************

QUICKTAX BASIC TAX YEAR 2000 (CANADIAN) WARNING: QuickTax Basic is the ONLY QuickTax product THAT CAN BE RUN WITH OS/2. (It uses WinOS2.) However, according to Intuit Tech Support officials, in accordance with our own experience, but contrary to their advertising, RETURNS CREATED WITH QUICKTAX apparently CANNOT BE FILED ELECTRONICALLY USING THE INTERNET. The generated file must be copied to a Windows 9x system and NETFILE'D using the Win 9x version of QuickTax.
http://www.intuit.com/canada/quicktax/personal.html

DANIS506R138.ZIP New release of Daniela's IDE driver. NOTE: There is a conflict between the VIA 596B chipset and release 1.3.8 of the Dani driver. The symptoms vary, even on the same system, and can even prevent it from booting up. Check your owner's manual to see if your motherboard has this chipset. If it does, you should either not install this driver, or only do so under test conditions. Daniela is working to correct this problem.
http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/cgi-bin/h-search?key=danis506r138.zip

For more News and Links, see http://os2.about.com/library/blnews.htm

Walter F Metcalf
http://os2.about.com
os2.guide@about.com



March 24

Update: the Psion to OS/2 Connection

Since the introduction of the 'Psion to OS/2 Connection' website on march 10, many visitors sent me new information or told me about their experience on this topic. Most of this information has been added to the website during the last days. Also a new section have been introduced which might be interesting for those interested in more technical details. Please have another look at this site and keep sending me you

The Psion to OS/2 Connection can be found at URL: http://os2.mensys.nl/psion/index.html


March 24

curl-7.7 (ssl and non-ssl) is out

Curl is a tool for getting a file using URL syntax.It supports HTTP, FTP, DICT, TELNET, HTTPS, LDAP(*),FILE and GOPHER as well as HTTP-post, HTTP-put, cookies,FTP upload, passwords, portnumbers and proxies.

(*) - These features are not supported by this port yet.

There is also non-ssl version of curl-7.7, you may find it at http://teamos2.ru/files/

http://teamos2.ru/files/curl-7.7-emx-ssl.zip


March 23

DirDiff v0.99 is available.

Wolfram Schmid (w.schmid@elosoft.de) updated DirDiff, a directory compare program for OS/2.

DirDiff is a useful tool primarily for software developers. It compares all files in a sub-directory or whole directoty trees and locates which files have been modified, which files have been created and which files have been deleted. DirDiff is Freeware.

New in this release:

- Improvements for starting 'User action' and command line

- Bugfixes


Features of DirDiff:

- Compares files in 2 different sub-directorys

- Searches also in whole directory trees

- Spec of filters for file names

- 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 selltings, window size and position


Web Site (english):

http://www.elosoft.de/en/product/ddiff


March 23

IBM has updated the PPAOS2.ADD driver which is capable to access the whole range of parallel port Iomega Zip drives (100, 100+ 250)

New with version 1.01
System no longer freezes when attempting to format HPFS.

http://service5.boulder.ibm.com/2bcprod.nsf/186d96ebef23e6438625689c007ac1ef/05e2cc978aa13c1c87256a0700732863?OpenDocument


March 23

ODIN is getting BETTER ,see also http://odin.netlabs.org/

IBM helps Odin, improves debugger

Reported by Nenad Milenkovic 20 Mar 01 04:05 CET

IBM is modifying it's ICAT OS/2 Remote Source-code Debugger to support PE executables in OS/2 environment in order to help Project Odin development. A test version was made available for the Odin team and was tested with positive results.

Many thanks to Dave Evans and his team for their help and work on improving what is allready one of the best debugging tools in existence.


March 23

Eberhard Mattes has released fix 4 for emx 0.9d. You can download it from ftp://ftp.leo.org/pub/comp/os/os2/leo/gnu/emx+gcc/emxfix04.zip. EMX is a library for OS/2 that is required to run most software that has been ported from Un*x. The full package also contains the gcc compiler for OS/2.

Problems solved by this fix package

-----------------------------------

o emxdoc: LaTeX and IPF output fixed

o various bugs in DB fixed:

put() fixed for keys in overflow pages

splitting after new key (which is the first on page) fixed

applied patches from http://www.sleepycat.com/update/1.85/patch.185.html

o sscanf(): Don't set errno (to EACCES) when reaching EOF (C99)

o fscanf(): "%[A-]" does not contain a set

o strtol(): *END_PTR now points to 'x' instead of '0' for "0x*"

o printf(): printf("%#.4g", 0.0) fixed

o : don't define macros when compiling C++


March 23

Guiffy 1.6 compare/merge tool update

Guiffy is a visual source compare/merge utility. Guiffy features 2-way interactive and 3-way smart SureMerge interfaces. Guiffy is available, tested, and supported on OS/2 - requires a Java run-time environment. It comes complete with full-featured JavaHelp.

The 1.6 Release includes several major enhancements:

Synchronized vertical scrolling(with Merge view)

Next/Previous change logical scrolling works with Merge view

New, filename header for the Merge window

Command line options for disabling merges during a compare and visa versa

New progress displays(on the right side of status bar)

Progress bar display while SureMerging

Optimized SureMerge process

Command line options for: EOL Writes, Views, and Saved Settings

New, Changes choice list navigation component

Merge resolutions in any order enabled - with visual indicators (todo/done) for each change

New Merge Buttons - color coded, simpler text, tip text, AltKey mnemonics

New, Synchronized Horizontal scrolling

Change blocks not merged have a "wrapper" in the saved merge file

New, Merge Undo for doing a change block over(changes to be removed displayed with Strike-Through)

http://www.guiffy.com


March 23

MozCalc 0.2.1

mozCalc is a desktop calculator for Mozilla-based applications including Netscape 6 and Mozilla. It is entirey written in XUL and Javascript. It works with Warpzilla for OS/2 also.

http://mozcalc.mozdev.org/installation.html


March 22

Inkjet utils 2 released

Alexey Gankov has released version 0.21 of his inkjet utils (you can clean and align the printer heads with it)

New Hp695 is supported next to epson printers too; and Alexey wants - with your support - to add more.

http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/pub//pub/os2/util/printer

currently in:

http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/pub/incoming

Btw. Alexey wants some response and I believe he's worth it (even when the newest epomni4 does the same as his app, other printers -especially HP's - don't have such an utility )


March 22

WarpCD-Copy 2.0 beta

WarpCD-Copy's 2.0 beta release is available.

WarpCD-Copy is a PM based audio CD grabber with built-in mp3 encoder. Complete list of features available at program's home page.

http://www.asua.org.pl/projects/wcdda/


March 22

DirDiff v0.98 is available.

updated DirDiff, a directory compare program for OS/2.

DirDiff is a useful tool primarily for software developers. It compares all files in a sub-directory or whole directoty trees and locates which files have been modified, which files have been created and which files have been deleted. DirDiff is Freeware.

New in this release:

- Shows the size of the files

- Bugfixes


Features of DirDiff:

- Compares files in 2 different sub-directorys

- Searches also in whole directory trees

- Spec of filters for file names

- 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 size and position


Web Site (english):

http://www.elosoft.de/en/product/ddiff


March 22

Dear ISDNPM user,

we need participants in the FINAL TEST of ISDNPM V3.02 RC6.

Except for a few missing translations (help is always welcomed heartily) the package should be ready by now.

In contrary to previous test versions this time it is a complete package:

http://www.egroups.de/files/isdnpm/BETA302/ISDNPM30.zip

New since ISDNPM 3.01:
-----------------------------------------

01. User-dependent activation/de-activation of autodial and multilink for remote connection
02. Masquerading options for FTP (LooseFtpPort, LoosFtpIp)
03. PPP option: PAP-Timeout and Retry configurable
04. DNS-Forwarding (one can always use the same IP for DNS, ISDNPM changes the request to the providers DNS-address)
05. send PPP KeepAlive's, parameter in connect.*
06. Timeoutmode: Normal,Charge,WaitFirst
07. Support for cable modems (optional, configuration ~drivers upon request 08. Extended MasquerEntry by portrange, protocol, max-number connections, reply optionens for masquerading (OS/2 tracerte-reply)
09. Filteroption DNS (request for mail triggers autodial to the correct provider)
10. Filteroption weekday/daytime (change provider or fee according to weekday and time selection)

JISDNPMRemote (without Swing) is now a part of the package

Regards

Karlheinz


March 21

There is a new build level of Dani's IDE driver on Hobbes

http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/cgi-bin/h-browse?sh=1&dir=/pub/incoming/danis506r138.zip


March 21

It has been quite a while since we have sent out a Phoenix Software update. But just because we have been quiet for a while doesn't mean there hasn't been a lot going on behind the scenes. In fact, we have a lot of news for you! First of all, due to legal and marketing reasons our company will be changing its name from "Phoenix Software" to "Exponential Development." However the name of our first product, the Think Tool Pro desktop database and information manager (for OS/2), will remain the same.

Second, we have developed an entirely new web site to reflect our new name. You can go to our new web site here: http://www.exponentialdevelopment.com

Our current web site, http://www.phxsoft.com will remain active for some time, but we will eventually be phasing out that domain in favor of the new one. So please update those bookmarks!

Finally, most of you are probably wondering what is going on with the Think Tool Pro beta and final product. Well, the code (software) for the final beta of the Think Tool Pro is complete. Currently we are just finishing up the new version of the documentation for it. As soon as we are done with that, we will be making the final beta available for download from our web site here: http://www.exponentialdevelopment.com/download.html The final beta is very close to the finished version, so we do not expect it to take too long before we release the completed final version.

We know you are all very anxious to try the Think Tool Pro as soon as possible. So to meet that demand, and due to time constraints, we will not be sending out any more beta CDs. Our expectation is that most people will prefer to download the beta from our web site anyway. If you REALLY want a CD, and downloading the beta is a great burden to you, then let us know, and we will consider making a CD available. Our preference at this time is to not do things that way, because it will take a lot of our time, and will slow the process down - thus delaying how quickly you can test the Think Tool Pro.

**We will make an announcement as soon as we make the Think Tool Pro final beta available for download.**

For more information on the final beta of the Think Tool Pro, please see our beta information page located here: http://www.exponentialdevelopment.com/beta.html For more general information on the Think Tool Pro go here: http://www.exponentialdevelopment.com/ttpis.html

Q: Are you still working on the Think Tool Pro for OS/2?

A: Yes! We will be launching the Think Tool Pro for OS/2 very soon, and we plan to continue support for our OS/2 product for quite some time.

Q: Why are you changing your company name?

A: Several reasons. For one thing, we were politely told by another "Phoenix Software" that they would appreciate it if we would change our name to avoid confusion. In an effort to prevent legal action, we made this change. In addition, this change also benefits us from a marketing perspective for the very same reason: It helps our customers avoid confusion with other companies of the same or similar name(s). There are several "Phoenix Software" companies, but there is only ONE Exponential Development. :-) Furthermore, we think that our new name is a better reflection of our company and its future direction.

If you have any questions, comments or feedback, please email us at info@phxsoft.com. We welcome your input!

http://www.exponentialdevelopment.com

From: Robert Blake info@phxsoft.com


March 20

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Junk Spy - Preview of Version 2

Available for a Limited Time

March 19, 2001 - Junk Spy, the anti-spam tool from Sundial Systems is about to advance to version 2. For a limited time, you can preview it.

Junk Spy tracks down junk email and deals with it - into the trash, into a folder, sent elsewhere, it's up to you. Think of it as spam maintenance, actually automatic spam maintenance without the effort, for email.

New in version 2 is the Exception Wizard for making it quick and easy to prevent messages that might look like junk from being treated like junk. Other new features extend Junk Spy's spam detection capabilities and expand Junk Spy's integration with your email programs. Also new with version 2 is the ability to run Junk Spy on all common Windows versions.

For information about Junk Spy and to download the preview of version 2, visit http://www.sundialsystems.com/junkspy

Sundial PR
sundialpr@sundialsystems.com
http://www.sundialsystems.com


March 19

New kernels on IBM Testcase site 03/19/2001

IBM has put new kernels for Warp4, Warp 4.5 Uni-processor and Warp 4.5 SMP on their Testcase site - ftp://testcase.boulder.ibm.com/ps/fromibm/os2

Report any problems on the comp.os.os2.bugs Usenet group. As always, items placed on IBM's Testcase site are not officially supported unless IBM Support tells you to use them. Make sure you backup your existing files before applying any of these updates.

Here is the readme as posted on comp.os.os2.bugs:

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 8 Mar 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

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).

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
PJ27821: Trap 000e in SchedNextRet2 on some APM-enabled machines

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.



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