The Warpstock Committee is pleased to announce our new home for Warpstock '98
: Wyndham Northwest Chicago. Warpstock '98 will be held October 16-18, 1998.
Warpstock '98 is alive and well! Hurry and take advantage of our extended Early
Bird Registration until July 31st at our web site: http://www.warpstock.org.
The Wyndham will add plenty of life to the party, helping to make Warpstock '98
a "Family Friendly" event. The Wyndham offers something for everyone,
and has given Warpstock a fantastic room rate at $99 a night.
Wyndham offers all attendees everything they could ever want. Even the Wyndham's
Web site, at http://www.wyndham.com, is excellent.
It offers a lot more detail about the site than we can fit here, and it's even "net
courteous," with low- and high-bandwidth versions of the page. So surf on over
to check it out.
While you're there, make your hotel reservations online, using the WARPSTOCK
meeting code. Then pack your bags to head for The Windy City, October 16-18, 1998!
Saturday sessions are expected to start bright and early at 8 AM and run late, so
staying at the Wyndham will be the most convenient site. Join us Friday night in
the Oak Bar & Grill* for a getting-to-know you meeting!
Our meeting code is: WARPSTOCK
The hotel's features are nothing short of phenomenal, this is a AAA 4 Diamond
rated hotel. Just take a look at some of the amenities:
+ Plenty of meeting space.
+ Great rooms at a great price - Only $99/night!
+ Only 12 Miles from Chicago O'Hare International Airport. ($16 limousine service
available.)
+ 2 minute rail trip from downtown Chicago
+ Data ports available in guest rooms.
+ 408 Rooms and 29 Suites spread out over 12 comfortable floors
+ All major credit cards (American Express, Visa, MasterCard and Discover) accepted.
+ Coffee maker and complimentary coffee in every room.
+ Hairdryer in all rooms.
+ Excellent lighting, large work areas, and long phone cords.
+ Voicemail available and no long distance access charges.
+ Color television with remote control.
+ ADA approved rooms available.
+ Heated indoor pool.
+ Cable channels and in-room movies.
+ Non-smoking rooms available.
+ Complete health club and sports facilities.
+ Outdoor golf driving range.
Dining and Entertainment Services:
+ Ondine offers breakfast, lunch, dinner and Champagne Sunday brunch.
+ Atrium Bar features live piano entertainment.
+ Room service.
+ Alfresco delicatessen features New York-style deli sandwiches.
+ Oak Bar and Grill features a full menu of sandwiches, pizza, snacks, cocktails,
and micro brew beer for both lunch and dinner.
WYNDHAM NORTHWEST CONTACT INFORMATION
Street Address: 400 Park Boulevard, Itasca, Illinois 60143, U.S.A.
Phone: (630) 773-4000
Fax: (630) 773-4087
Reservations: (800) WYNDHAM
Web Site: http://www.wyndham.com
Our meeting code is: WARPSTOCK
NOTES FOR EXHIBITORS
Vendors may want to note a few additional items. Warpstock will have all the
necessities and amenities to show off your OS/2-friendly products in the best possible
light. The exhibitor space will be 10 feet x 7 feet. It will have a 8 foot high
back drop, 3 foot high draped sides and a identification placard. A six foot draped
table, 2 chairs, wastebasket, and 15 amp electrical service. Double sized spaces
are available. Internet access is available by prior request; for Internet access
for your exhibit contact our Network Coordinator, Jason Kowalczyk (network@warpstock.org)
For further information or special needs, please contact the Warpstock Facilities
Chair, John G. Herbert (facilities@warpstock.org)
or use our web page https://secure.falcon-net.net/BMT/warpstock.html
and make your reservation to exhibit at Warpstock '98. Premium space is filling
up quickly, so announce your attendance as soon as possible!
SPECIAL SHAREWARE DEVELOPER DEMONSTRATIONS
Can't afford a booth? You're a one-man-shop and you sell shareware and only via
the Internet or BMT and Indelible Blue? Watch for our special developer demonstration
announcement. We will give pre-registered developers an announced 1 hour slot to
demonstrate their product to up to 82 people for a very small fee.
ABOUT WARPSTOCK '98
In 1997, the first annual Warpstock drew OS/2 users from every corner of globe
to southern California to see some of the world's best software and hardware offerings
running on the world's best and most stable operating system. With its greater visibility,
the second time around, Warpstock '98 is expected to outshine even last year's amazing
success.
* Cash bar and dinner on Friday October 16, 1998
Visit our web pages at http://www.warpstock.org
for the latest information.
The DataBook® for OS/2 Warp is an on-line book that requires only your favorite
Web browser to access. It contains technical data ranging from the architecture
of Warp and how it works, to error code listings with detailed explanations of their
causes and how to correct them. It includes information about all versions of Warp
including Warp 3, Warp 4, and Warp Server and covers installation and use of all
Warp versions as well as troubleshooting, problem solving techniques, power users
tips, recovery techniques, and recommendations for OS/2 tools and software based
upon Mr. Both's many years of experience with OS/2.
Because it is available only electronically via the Internet, it is always up
to date. Pay only a one-time access charge and have unlimited access to the latest
OS/2 Warp information. No further charges will ever be required.
For more info, see: http://www.millennium-technology.com/
Editor's note: The DataBook® for OS/2 Warp is now available to VOICE members
at 50% off the normal price. Members can obtain this from the Information for VOICE
Members page - http://www.os2voice.org/info_for_members.html
for ordering.
The OS/2 Alternative volunteer-maintained list of more than 990 current, native
OS/2 applications has been updated at of July 15, 1998. This page can be found at:
http://www.tstonramp.com/~freiheit/os2apps.shtml
Enhancements include a reorganization of some of the software categories, still
more new OS/2 applications listed, linked, and categorized in rough comparison to
what you or a friend/associate may already be using for Windows, and some (hopefully)
more attractive colors.
New features include a navigation menu for easier browsing of the extensive list
of categories. Now you can find the software you need much more easily! There is
also a new sub-page listing my intentions for the future of The OS/2 Alternative.
Be sure to check it out and post other suggestions via the handy form provided there.
I am very excited about coming so close to the 1,000 applications mark. I expect
to reach it within two weeks and wish I could throw a massive celebration party
with all the OS/2 users, developers, and enthusiasts who have made this list possible
since early 1997.
PMView v2.0 will be released some time in 1998. The developer already has an
alpha version available which he is testing internally.
PMView v2.0 will be the first multi-platform version of PMView. This version
will be available for OS/2 Warp v3/v4/SMP and Windows NT4/95/98. The user interface
code has been rewritten and a lot of changes and improvements have been made.
The OS/2 upgrade will be free (so you can register PMView v1.x today without
worry). The Windows version will require a new license.
Some new features will include:
New in v2.0:
1. Tool bar with Move, Zoom, Scroll, and Selection tools. The tool
bar is optional and can be disabled.
2. Status bar with progress bar and sizing grip. The status bar is
optional and can be disabled.
3. File->New lets you create a new empty canvas.
4. Color picker for transparent and background color.
5. Progressive TWAIN support. The image appears in PMView's main
window line-by-line as it is being scanned.
6. Support for pixelwise printing.
7. New drag&drop enabled drive+directory list in File Open/Save
Dialogs
8. Screen Capture: Support for capturing by hot key.
9. Screen Capture: Support for including the mouse pointer in the
capture.
10. The number of colors is reported for deep color images.
11. File Sequencer: Background preloading (read ahead) of next file
(optional)
12. File Sequencer: Directory caching (optional)
13. BMP: Support for 15-, 16-, and 32-bit bitmaps.
14. BMP: Support for Win32 specific bitmaps (BI_BITFIELDS)
15. BMP: Support for top-down bitmaps (bitmaps with negative height).
16. EPS (Encapsulated Postscript) file support (write only)
17. TIFF: JPEG-in-TIFF file support
18. TIFF: ZIP-in-TIFF file support
19. TIFF: L*A*B* color support
20. New command line option /ZOOm that lets you set the initial zoom
percentage
Notable changes between v2.0 and v1.02 for OS/2:
1. All dialogs and controls now scale dynamically. This means that
dialogs look good regardless of system font differences (texts
are not truncated nor is there excessive white space in dialogs).
2. Hot keys have been changed to be compatible between platforms
3. Some menus are rearranged (Track Info, Image Info, Show Menu, and
Show Controller are now found under the View->Show-> menu.)
4. Thumbnails are no longer kept in memory in the form of OS/2
bitmaps. This requires less memory and solves a bitmap resource
problem that has been observed on some systems.
5. The open/close state of the image info dialog is remembered. If
the image info dialog is visible when closing PMView, it will
automatically be shown when PMView is restarted.
In addition, there were some TWAIN problems reported in PMView v1.x by some users.
Peter Nielsen, PMView's developer, writes:
The TWAIN in PMView v1.x was written in 1995 for STi TWAIN that was (and still
partly is) incompatible with the official TWAIN specifications. Because of some
of these remains, PMView v1.x does not work correctly.
I've rewritten TWAIN in v2.0 and half a dozen users that had the problem have
reported that it now works correctly. The problem is gone.
I got someone at McAfee Techical Support on the phone (my usual technical contact
at McAfee being out of town), and they confirmed that this was a false alarm, and
recommended that I go to "http://beta.mcafee.com"
and find the latest beta-test datafile update there. That apparently fixes the problem,
at least if you don't mind running beta code...
I proudly announce that TeamOS/2 Poland site has been opened. Now only in polish,
but I'm preparing english version also :) The address is: http://www.calder.com.pl/teamos2/
Matrox has posted the 2.21 drivers on their official web site. Unlike the last
version that I mentioned last week, these ones do work and don't cause crashes.
The drivers support everything from the Millennium to the G200 cards. You can download
the drivers from http://www.matrox.com.
Also worth noting is that they have posted the latest BIOS updates, which you
can download from ftp.matrox.com.
IBM has updated the High Performance Compiler for Java for OS/2. You can download
a copy from http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com.
More information about it is available on AlphaWorks.
Henk Kelder (hkelder@inetgate.capgemini.nl)
has updated the beta (v0.79) of his FAT32 IFS (Installable File System). This will
allow you to access FAT32 partitions from OS/2. You can download a copy from:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/hkelder/
The Team Warped Mailing list courtesy of the OS/2 Supersite: http://www.os2ss.com
---------------------
DES II-2 is about to begin. It starts tomorrow at (I believe) 9:00 am PDT. We need
everyone to update to the latest client version (currently build 414) as soon as
possible as this version will correctly switch to the DES contest and back when
the DES contest is done. If you're not actively participating I'd like to ask you
to consider running the client again for about 2 weeks. The DES contest is a short
term deal and if we don't crack it in 10 days the prize money drops to $5000 and
$2500 after 20 days.
Download the new clients from:
http://www.distributed.net/clients.html
Notes on the new clients:
The new clients have some different settings that are nice for us dialup users.
The settings are under "modem detection" and will let the client "know"
when you're connected to the internet and keep your blocks up to date when you are.
There is currently not a GUI version available but Oscar is working hard to get
one out. Also, there should be some even newer clients out later this week (after
Oscar gets his new version of his Watcom compiler) that will take advantage of MMX
chips to get HUGE improvements in DES speeds. If you're using any other platforms
besides OS/2, get the latest version to see these speed improvements.
Notes on the DES II-2 contest:
The keyspace should be distributed VERY fast so don't use large buffer settings
for DES. Try not to buffer more than 1 day's blocks at a time, 2 days at most and
even then that's probably too much after the first few days of the contest. If the
machine isn't checked for a week or two then don't run the DES contest on it, stick
with RC5. Also, use the 2^31 block size to reduce server traffic. It's probably
also a good idea to set your proxy server (particularly if you're a Team Warped
member) to proxy.os2ss.com. This should help reduce load on the main servers as
well, and it also gives you the benefit of being able to easily compare yourself
to other team members and blocks you upload will show up on the team stats page
(http://warped.cswnet.com/rc5stats or /desstats) within 1 hour of flushing.
Now, I'm off to update the team web page.
Well, I figured I'd share here first. Dirk Terrell of the OS/2 Supersite is hosting
The Ultimate OS/2 Gaming Page now. I'm doing some major cleanup work and moving
things to the site. It's online for all to see:
http://www.os2games.com
I'm proud to announce that Centari Computers (http://204.210.207.34:5180)
now has Online ordering for our standard systems. Online ordering of pieces &
parts will be coming very shortly.
I'd also like to announce that our Mailing List is up and functioning properly.
Visit the web site and sign up.
Centari Computers is a retailer of computer systems which are OS/2-friendly.
IBM seems to have quietly released some USB drivers at the usual DD Pak site.
Have a look at:
ftp://service.boulder.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/os2ddpak/usb.exe
It appears to allow USB keyboard and mouse support, plus some other devices too.
We are looking for an OS/2 Warp Administrator for a project in New York City.
Please call John Vidal
1-800-997-3244
212-997-8787x111
IBM seems to have updated the MS Intellimouse & related (wheel mice) drivers
on the DDPak - new file dated 25 June.
http://service.software.ibm.com/os2ddpak/html/miceandt/index.htm
specifically:
http://service.software.ibm.com/os2ddpak/html/AD5F3AFAB512C115862565EF00776436.html
Some good news from Germany. The pages of os2online.de have been updated. You
will find more than 50 new hardware test at:
http://www.os2online.de/
os2online.de is a German language web resource for OS/2 users.
Dear OS/2 user,
A considerable amount of speculation has been taking place in the news groups
recently with regard to the future of OS/2 driver support for ELSA graphics boards.
We have been reading your comments and queries attentively and hope that this statement
will cover the majority of your questions.
Last year, ELSA invested around DM 2 million in the continued development of
OS/2 drivers. The ELSA WINNER 2000/Office was provided with functions such as:
These successes in our development efforts have frequently been overlooked during
the current discussion of future 3D interfaces for OS/2.
We would like to state the following with regard to OS/2 support for ELSA graphics
boards:
The reason: According to the information available to us, no genuine applications
with 3D acceleration are currently available to end customers. The main field of
application for OpenGL is clearly in the 3D workstation sector. Unfortunately, OS/2
was not able to establish itself in this field. It is also an established fact that
IBM is no longer actively marketing the OS/2 operating system to end customers.
Our staff includes many dedicated OS/2 users. We can thus understand your arguments
and the emotions being expressed in the news groups.
However, ELSA's driver support cannot influence the support and continued development
of an operating system. The signals to this effect came from IBM some time ago.
I would be pleased to answer any specific questions that you may have at the
e-mail address "os2dev@elsa.de".
Sincerely,
Volker Maxisch
IBM has appointed someone to take over OS/2, now that Seibt's gone: Pat Sueltz.
She's in charge of Java *and* OS/2.
I wrote a short article about it at Sm@rt Reseller's Web Site, http://www.zdnet.com/sr.
(I don't know her at all, so I have no opinion. Really.)
I have some updates regarding QuickMotion 2.0, our native OS/2 QuickTime and
QTVR software.
You no longer need Windows to install it. Get the free demo packaged as a plain
old regular OS/2 ZIP file at our site.
If you want the full commercial version of QuickMotion, you can now get it via
email by using our secure order page; or, look for it soon at Indelible Blue.
For those of you who already have QuickMotion 2.0, you must see the great QTVR
content at the Wrinkle2 project. 140 artists simultaneously took hundreds of high-quality
360-degree panoramas all over the world this past May. Their "what do I need"
page even mentions OS/2. Now isn't that nice!
Indelible Blue is at http://www.indelible-blue.com
Wrinkle2 is at http://www.wrinkle2.lava.net
The final release candidate for the next OS/2 unified driver, version 2.21, has
been posted on the Matrox Users web site. This driver supports all boards from the
Millennium to the G200:
http://www.matroxusers.com/Drivers/os2.html
Warning!!! This driver caused a nasty trap error in SINGLEQ$ as soon as PMSHELL
tried to start on my Millenium II. I have reverted to 2.20.
CUSeeMe/2, the OS/2 version of the popular videoconferencing software CUSeeMe
has been updated.
A beta release of version 1.9a of the program is now available, with the following
fixes and changes:
This beta will expire October 1st 1998.
To download or get more information on the program, see its web page at: http://inet.uni2.dk/~deckkh/index.htm
An interview with Don Baker, a specialist in high-quality color printing using
inexpensive inkjet printers, is now online at
http://www.scoug.com/os24u/1998/scoug805.2.dbaker.html
In the interview, Don touches on many subjects, including
Included at the end of the interview is an extensive url list.
The author wishes to extend his thanks to Mr. Baker for taking the time to make
this interview possible.
Sponsored by the Southern California OS/2 User Group (http://www.scoug.com).
Congratulations to Wayne Swanson of PillarSoft, recently appointed as Vice President
of VOICE.
"My interest in joining Voice was, and is, to get involved in the promotion
and support of the OS/2 operating system. As OS/2 users, we need to be joined in
a common cause to make our voices heard. I have been very impressed with the terrific
people that I have met in our virtual meetings and hope to be able to contribute
in my own small way." Wayne said following the appointment. He went on to say,
"I think it is important that we as OS/2 users get involved in promotion and
support of OS/2 for the home/SOHO user and hope that many of you will seriously
consider taking that step with us. We can only be stronger with your support."
Dear friends of XFolder,
thanks to the many replies I got from many of you I was able to fix the most
obvious bugs in XFolder V0.70, and V0.71 is now available from my homepage. Check
the revision history in the online reference to see all the changes--there are too
many to list here.
Thanks for your continuing support, and keep those mails coming in.
Total Results is planning to develop native Palm Pilot linking software for OS/2.
Other projects they have in the works include a utlity that will link Lotus Organzier
to the Palm Pilot, and planning software that will link to both the Palm Pilot and
the Psion.
The Total Results home page can be found at:
http://members.easyspace.com/tr/
Ok, for all you OS/2 t-shirt fans, we've got a new one. See the main page of
the Supersite at http://www.os2ss.com
IBM have released another upgrade for RSU (Remote Software Update). The new release
is v1.70 and can be downloaded from http://ps.boulder.ibm.com/pbin-usa-ps/getobj.pl?/pdocs-usa/softupd.html#newrsu
Good news for those with OS/2 Notebooks with Chips and Tech Video Cards! Chips,
a subsidiary of Intel now, has released new drivers for the following video cards:
Chipset: 65548, 65546, or 65545
Version: 4.2.2
Released: 5/98
Filename: OS2422p.zip (1.2M)
Supports: OS/2 4.0 and 3.0
Comments: PCI Bus Only
Chipset: 65548, 65546, or 65545
Version: 4.2.2
Released: 5/98
Filename: OS2422VL.ZIP (1.2M)
Supports: OS/2 4.0 and 3.0
Comments: VL Bus Only
I have been using the VL version in my toshiba Laptop since May with great success!
You can find the drivers at http://www.chips.com
In July of 1998 the Virtual OS/2 International Consumer Education (VOICE) will
present two new SpeakUp sessions in IRC to give you, the OS/2 user or enthusiast,
a chance to chat directly with some of the prominent OS/2 developers and advocates.
Both sessions will be held on the WEBBNet IRC network in the #voice channel and
will begin at 8pm US Eastern time (5pm Pacific). For information on IRC and WEBBNet
servers, please visit our website at http://www.os2voice.org/
and follow the link to the Meeting Info page.
On July 6 our SpeakUp will feature Chris Wenham of OS/2 eZine (http://www.os2ezine.com/).
On July 20 our SpeakUp will feature Chris Graham, author of the Graham Utilities.
During this SpeakUp, there will be a trivia contest and Chris will be giving the
lucky winner a free license to The Graham Utilities for OS/2 version 2.1. You must
be a VOICE member to be eligible for the free software. A demo of The Graham Utilities
is available at http://www.warpspeed.com.au/.
SpeakUp sessions are open to the public, so please don't hesitate to come and
take part in these extraordinary interactive events.
If you need additional information, contact Don Eitner (VOICE Secretary) at freiheit@tstonramp.com.
Well, we've managed to maintain our 4th place ranking and we've crept into 3rd
place several times in the daily rate. We have to continue growing for us to continue
to gain, so make sure and keep recruiting.
Look for new clients to be released later this week or early next week. With
DES II-2 coming up in 2 weeks, it's important to get the latest clients installed.
The new client version will be v2.7100.412, and the OS/2 version is currently being
beta tested. Many of the 2.7100.412 clients are out, so if you're running the client
on non-OS/2 machines, you can begin the upgrade process. These new clients will
handle the switch to DES II-2 and back to RC5-64 much more gracefully than the previous
ones. They also have faster DES cores.
The team proxy servers (proxy.os2ss.com) have all been upgraded to cope with
the new clients. If you're running a proxy (most people aren't, so if you're not,
don't worry about this.), you should try and upgrade to version 279b if possible.
278 is the most recent version currently available for OS/2, and this version will
also work, but I think a 279b version is to be released for OS/2 soon. At least
version 278 is required if you're using the new 2.7100 clients, so upgrade your
proxies first if you haven't already.
I'll announce here when the new clients are ready for general consumption and
ask that you try and update every machine you can to the latest client before the
July 13 start date. This will help Team Warped get the best jump on the competition
and increase the chance that we will find "the key" for DES II-2. Also
note that you shouldn't set the clients to buffer too many DES blocks because the
DES II-2 contest will come and go in about 10 days.
Until next time...
Keep Cracking!
OS/2 Warp and CD-Writers FAQ:
New info about Joliet support, including Joliet specs in OS/2-friendly formats.
OS/2 Warp and CD-Changers FAQ:
New improved CD-ROM manager patched to avoid the annoying tray switching during
normal WPS operations.
NEW
"Installing & Running Java Applications in OS/2 Warp 4" F.A.Q. Advice
on things you have to know when installing and running Java applications on Java
1.1.4 or higher.
All this and more at http://fc.home.ml.org
Please visit and provide feedback (use of the guestbook is encouraged ;).
Cheers,
Fernando
Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Besides the reappearance of FP7, there is now a new version of RSUINST.EXE available:
http://ps.boulder.ibm.com/pbin-usa-ps/getobj.pl?/pdocs-usa/softupd.html#newrsu
Version 1.68 of a new RSUINST.EXE
Updated June 29, 1998
A new version of RSUINST.EXE is available for all users to try.
RSUINSTN.TXT Changes and Installation instructions
RSUINSTN.EXE RSUINST.EXE, RXFTP.DLL, UNZIP.EXE
Government Computer News recently published an article about the FAA using OS/2.
Anyone interested in reading this article can point there browser to the URL: http://www.gcn.com. Look for the article link off
the main page. The print version is dated June 22, 1998. Title: "FAA soars
with faster analysis: Agency uses IBM OS/2 to test viability of new runway and terminal
designs". Nice to see a favorable article about OS/2.
>Thanks for your email, and we will restate OS/2 will be supported on our
web.
>Regards,
>David Jan
>ELSA Inc.
Thanks for quoting that. Unfortunately it's only half the truth. The "support"
that the guy from ELSA is mentioning should be better worded as driver "maintenance
mode". What he deliberately did not state was "NO new OS/2 drivers for
new ELSA graphic cards". And current drivers will not be enhanced with e.g.
OpenGL hardware / VideoOut support (just bugfixing).
At least that are the plans of ELSA. Sad to say, since transforming into a publicly
owned company a short while ago, the bean counters seem to have taken control.
Due to a very vigorous response against those plans on the ELSA newsgroups, ELSA
might reconsider their intentions. However, as of this moment, nothing has
really changed yet. I'd thus suggest that everyone interested in excellent graphic
cards and (so far) the best OS/2 drivers on the block log into their news server
and contribute to the discussion (servers accessible via www.elsa.de).
Always remind them that OS/2 users don't collect driver software as such but use
this software to run hardware from the very same vendor....
It's not hopeless!! Strong OS/2 user backing seems to have had some positive
effect in another case of the "OS/2 support withdrawal syndrome" where
you might expect some interesting announcement from the vendor soon (sorry for the
cryptic words but I'm not supposed to say anything at all)
Folks,
There is a lot more stuff up on the Web site since I first posted an announcement
of the make-over.
The Back Issues page is now finished with thumbnail images and "thumbnail
descriptions" of each issue from the current one back to January 1997. Based
on requests, the back issues have been re-ordered so that they're in chronological
order.
Also, table of contents are available (click on the cover thumbnail) online for
all the 1998 issues (including the July issue!) and for December 1997. Some of the
ToC pages link to articles. (Currently June and May 98 and December 97.) More articles
will go online as they're converted --and as there's time to do the work.
Some of the graphics were reworked and resized so they look better and take less
time to download. (Thanks Dirk!)
Finally, I received several comments concerning the Membership page. So, it has
been redesigned and updated. There's now a link to the secure membership sign-up
page at BMT Micro, and there's a list of other ways that you can join/renew. (A
big thank you to all of you who have joined, too! If you aren't a member yet, get
over to the Web site and sign up--or at least request a sample issue of the magazine.)
See the Web site at http://www.possi.org or
jump directly into the extended attributes part of the site at http://www.possi.org/ea.htm
As always, we welcome feedback--both positive and negative.
FastKick has been updated to 1.38 for support of FixPak 7. It's in hobbes/incoming
as FastK138.zip
FastKick allows you to install FixPaks without making floppies...
There's also another utility on hobbes with the same purpose--fp7hdd.zip
Fixpack 7 for OS/2 Warp 4.0 has been released for download from http://ps.software.ibm.com/pbin-usa-ps/getobj.pl?/pdocs-usa/softupd.html
This week's edition of Focus on OS/2 is now available online at:
http://os2.miningco.com
This week's feature deals with the Maintenance Partition, something that every
OS/2 user should have. In the article I give some of the advantages of having one,
and then go into detail on how to make one.
In addition I have add many new links to software, and OS/2 magazines, news,
etc. I have also added a new category of links to archive sites carrying OS/2 software.
Fortify has released a new patch for the latest service release of Netscape for
OS/2 (000008) to enable 128 BIT encryption at:
http://www.fortify.net/main.html
The following is from the Fortify web site:
Fortify version 1.2.4 is now available on OS/2. This release supports IBM's service level 8 edition of Netscape. It makes strong cryptography available to all OS/2 users world-wide, without restriction, and at no cost. (normally 128-bit Netscape versions are only available to U.S. and Canadian citizens, by mail order, at a cost of $US 15.00).
Lynx 2.8 for OS/2 has just been released.
This is a musthave upgrade for any Lynx users.
If you haven't tried Lynx, then you should. Being text mode it shields you from
all that junk you'd rather not see, so if content rather than presentation is more
important to you, then try it. It's also very useful for looking at HTML help files,
which are becoming more and more common forms of documentation.
The zip file is at:
http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/pub/incoming/os2lynx2_8.zip
and will eventually be at:
http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/pub/os2/apps/internet/www/browser/os2lynx2_8.zip
Stardock Systems to attend Warpstock
Leading OS/2 software developer plans to increase its support for Warpstock over
last year
For Immediate Release
June 24, 1998
Stardock Systems, Inc. announced it will be attending Warpstock 98 in Chicago
today. The company plans to bring a considerable amount of software to be given
away for free plus have its flag ship products available for sale on the show floor.
1998 has been another strong OS/2 year for Stardock. So far this year, Stardock
has already announced several new OS/2 products with 1998 shipdates which include:
Object Desktop 2.0 for OS/2
Stellar Frontier
PMINews 2.0
Galactic Civilizations Gold
Entrepreneur Expansion Pack
All five of these new OS/2 products will be shown at Stardock's booth at Warpstock.
Last year, Brad Wardell of Stardock attended Warpstock and gave a presentation
on OS/2's past, present and future. This year, Wardell hopes to talk about the current
state of OS's and where OS/2 fits into this mixture.
"Last year's Warpstock was such a success that there was no doubt in our
mind for an instant about attending it this year." said Wardell
Stardock's website is at http://www.stardock.com
If you're a gaming enthusiast who runs OS/2 and you have a little spare time,
I'm looking for someone to help me keep up the Ultimate OS/2 Gaming Page, currently
at:
http://www.ionet.net/~colin/games.html
Basically, the page has kind of stagnated. It's not because I don't intend to
update it, and it's not because I don't want to update it, and it's not because
there's no OS/2 Gaming news to put on it--it's mainly because my time has been fairly
scarce since graduation. What I'm looking for is someone who can help me keep the
page up to date and expand its content. If you're interested, please send me an
email.
The Ultimate OS/2 Gaming Page
http://www.ionet.net/~colin/games.html
For Immediate Release
June 21, 1998
Dirk Terrell, President, Falcon Networking, Inc.
Thomas Bradford, President, BMT Micro, Inc.
BMT Micro and Falcon Networking are pleased to announce that they will be jointly
participating in Warpstock '98.
BMT Micro is the distributor of hundreds of OS/2 software titles and other OS/2
related products. The Supersite is one of the largest, most active, and content
rich OS/2 web sites. Together they have created several popular services and products
and will continue to work together closely in order to serve the OS/2 community.
"We're very excited about participating in Warpstock and look forward to
meeting all the enthusiastic OS/2 users," said Dirk Terrell.
"Warpstock '98 is the main event on our calendar this year." says Thomas
Bradford."There is nothing that could keep us from going and getting to put
faces with the names of so many people that we've had the pleasure of serving and
working with over the past years."
For more information on BMT Micro, check the company web site at http://www.bmtmicro.com
To reach the OS/2 Supersite visit http://www.os2ss.com
The OS/2 version of Opera, the thin web browser, WILL include Java support "Thanks
to IBM" said one of the delvelopers in the opera.magic.os2 newsgroup. Also
they have compiled an OS/2 version but the resources are causing intermittant crashes,
so they are re-writing that part from scratch. I suspect it will be done after that.
I found this on the page for a java app called quote grabber. It is a program
for tracking stocks over the internet. The author recently added the ability to
get realtime quotes from Datek. Datek's url is http://www.datek.com
Here is what the author has to say about this new feature.
The QuoteGrabber is a stand-alone Java application that provides live continuously updated quotes and charts from the Internet. Real-time quotes from the US markets and delayed quotes from the US, Canadian, French, German and Italian markets are provided at this time.
The basic purpose of this program is to keep one's favorite stocks neatly organized inside separate portfolios. The expected purpose is a little more ambitious: improve one's short-term trading decisions by giving a better view of market data.
Version 1.0.2 has been released with the following features:
1.Real-time quotes. Registered users having an account with Datek can access real-time market data from the NASDAQ, NYSE and AMEX. This feature is only supported under Windows and Linux for now. (note: we could port our native real-time data module to other Unix platforms if interested users wish to trade an account on their machine for a free license, OS/2 experts are kindly invited to contact us with suggestions on how to cross-compile for their platform).
Here is the author's email address: mito@aparima.com
and web site: http://www.aparima.com/quote/
If someone can help him with this, it would make this the first program of its
kind that I know of that can get realtime quotes from a mainstream souce. No longer
would we OS/2 users be second class citizens in the stock market.
Netscape Navigator 2.02 for OS/2 Warp (June, 1998 refresh)
The latest bug fixes are now incorporated into Netscape Navigator 2.02 (June
refresh). Also supports Java 1.1.6 for state-of-the-art Java capabilities while
surfing the Internet or your own intranet. This refresh is issued in anticipation
of Netscape Communicator 4 for OS/2 Warp, due later this year.
This article is about "a unified messaging technology that would allow users
to access voice, e-mail, and facsimile transmissions via Lotus Notes or a Touch-Tone
phone." It requires an OS/2 server to run.
http://www.infoworld.com/cgi-bin/displayArchive.pl?/98/24/t11-24.6.htm
According to the OS/2 News and Rumors page (http://www.os2ss.com/news)
IBM has some new stuff on their Software updates (http://service.boulder.ibm.com/asd-bin/doc/en_us/catalog.htm)
page.
They have Java 1.1.6 at
http://service.boulder.ibm.com/asd-bin/doc/en_us/java116/f-feat.htm
They have the runtime and developers kit in seperate download packages.
A refresh of Netscape Navigator 2.02 at
http://service.boulder.ibm.com/asd-bin/doc/en_us/ns202/f-feat.htm
OS/2 LDAP Client Toolkit for C and Java Version 1.0 at
http://service.boulder.ibm.com/asd-bin/doc/en_us/ldap/f-feat.htm
Warpstock 98 Coordinators Announced!
Warpstock's Event Chair Stan Sidlov, (chair@warpstock.org),
announced the appointment of coordinators for Warpstock'98.
The Exhibit & Facility Coordinator is John Hebert (hebert@ibm.net).
John is an experienced trade show specialist by profession. He has been running
trade shows for the last 12 years. "I have my staff of volunteers already working.
These people are from the Exhibit industry and know how to make the exhibitors happy."
said John in a e-mail outlining exhibit proposals. John is working closely with
Larry Finkelstein, the Warpstock Steering Committee President, in finding a new
location for our Chicago event.
Our Network/AV Coordinator is Jason Kowalczyk (jkowalcz@altavista.net).
Jason has been using OS/2 since the v1.3 days. He currently supports an OS/2 based
network in upstate NY as a sub-contractor from a major telco. "My hopes for
this years Warpstock are to facilitate the networking of everyone, and allow for
everyone to have a Plug-in-and-go weekend." Jason stated in a recent e-mail.
The Program Coordinator is Tom Rowe (trowe@cdr.wisc.edu). Tom is a long time
OS/2 user and is the Networking Administrator at the University of Wisconsin. Tom
will be creating courses of interest as we expand the speaking program to include
developer workshops. Tom asks that all presentors who signed up prior to June, resubmit
their application or contact him to verify that they are in our new databases.
Our Publicity Coordinator will be Henry Ferlauto III (DCCJ77C@prodigy.com).
Henry is currently the President of the Gotham NY OS/2 SIG and has been preparing
their press releases. Ferlauto stated: "I am looking forward to expanding the
number and the quality of sites on the Internet where Warpstock can be found, and
getting the word out in the conventional media."
Jeffrey Norman, Esq. a research fellow at The Center for Intelligent Computing
at Washington University has offered to be the Volunteers Coordinator. Jeff uses
OS/2 with the EMX emulation for his research. During a phone conversation he said
he was "looking forward to making Warpstock a defining event for the OS/2 Community.."
We would also ask that anyone who received a 'We will contact you with in 30
days.' message from the Warpstock.Org web site to contact Stan Sidlov at chair@warpstock.org
with the details of what was being submitted.
Hi all,
Original in Stuttgarter Zeitung
> Der IBM General Manager Richard Seibt wechselt zum 01. September
> in den Vorstand des Marketing-Dienstleisters und Boersenneulings
> 1&1 AG, Montabauer, und wird dort vor allem fuer weite Teile
> von Marketing und Vertrieb taetig sein. Seibt war bei der IBM
> weltweit fuer die Entwicklung, das Marketing und den Vertrieb
> des Betriebssystems OS/2 verantwortlich.
IBM General Manager Richard Seibt is changing to the board of directors of 1&1
AG, Montabauer (Germany), a Marketing firm, as of September 1st. He'll be responsible
for a big part of marketing and sales. At IBM Seibt was responsible for development,
marketing, and sales of the Operating System OS/2.
I want to take this opportunity to update you on some of our plans for OS/2 and
Java software for the corporate, SOHO, and individual user markets. Specifically:
Kick@ and J Street AnyClient (Native OS/2 and Java Versions)
==============================================
We are launching a Charter User Group Program for Kick@ AnyClient. There will
be two versions, a native OS/2 version and a Java version. AnyClient is an email
power tool and spam filtering system designed to work with your favorite email software
such as Post Road Mailer or PMMail.
For those of you who want to get in on the ground floor, influence product design,
and save some money, we are offering a $25.00 introductory package. With the package
you get the following:
1. Access to all beta builds if you want them. These will be available on June
23, 1998.
2. Production releases. You may choose the native OS/2 version, the Java version,
or both. The first production release will be available approximately one month
after the beta is released.
3. One year of guaranteed maintenance plus free upgrades for either the Java
version or the native OS/2 version.
The Java version will work with most standard POP3 email clients, including OS/2
native mailers and J Street Mailer. The native OS/2 version will work with PMMail,
MR2/ICE, Post Road Mailer, Ultimail Lite, Netscape's email facilities, and, of course,
J Street Mailer.
Enrollment in the Charter User Group Program will be limited. If you want to
be a part of this program, please enroll as soon as possible. As with the very successful
Charter User Group Program for the J Street Mailer, you will have a significant
voice in how this software evolves. We have learned that this is the best way to
build software for power users.
For more information about Kick@ AnyClient please see http://www.innoval.com/anyclient.htm
Post Road Mailer
=============
For those of you who are running 3.0 and for those who upgrade now, please accept
a free feature-enhancement that will allow you to customize the toolbar. Simply
download http://www.aescon.com/bestofos2/posttlbr.zip.
After ensuring that Post Road Mailer is not running, unzip the file in your Post
Road Mailer directory. You may now rearrange buttons, hide buttons, establish buttons
for different accounts, and change the bubble help text. Enjoy!
Customers who have not upgraded to Post Road Mailer 3.0 and who elect to stay
with a native OS/2 email client should give serious consideration to upgrading at
this time. All future enhancements to the Post Road Mailer will be built off the
3.0 code base. The cost to do so is $25.00.
I have recently received several complaints about the Free Edition of the Post
Road Mailer. The complaint is that by offering a free edition, we are being unfair
to competing native OS/2 email developers. I had not thought of it that way. We
had tried to do something positive for OS/2 users and at the same time encourage
people to try the J Street Mailer. In fact, that was the deal. We said it on the
free page: "If you agree to try J Street Mailer, we'll give you a free copy
of Post Road Mailer." The Free Edition was back-level release 2.6. The Free
Edition has outlived its usefulness. J Street Mailer is well known and sales are
very good. I doubt very much that we have hurt competition but on the chance that
this is true, I am withdrawing the Free Edition immediately. I encourage everyone
interested in a new native OS/2 client to purchase a license for Release 3.0. If
you are using the Free Edition, I encourage you to upgrade. $25.00 shouldn't be
too much to pay for quality OS/2 software.
For more information about Post Road Mailer, please visit our home page at http://www.innoval.com
J Street Mailer
===========
An excellent email product for many customers is our Java-based J Street Mailer.
J Street Mailer is richer in features than other email clients. This is a truly
professional email client. It is fast and reliable. It can be run on multiple operating
systems including OS/2 Warp 4, Windows NT, Windows 95, Linux, Solaris, AIX, and
MacOS. Customers who use different platforms will benefit greatly by being able
to run the same mail software, with common folders and address books, on any Java
enabled operating system they use.
This is a wonderful opportunity to get in on the exciting Java technology. Release
Two of J Street Mailer is an excellent choice for all of your email work. And, if
you are so inclined, you can join with us testing new beta releases and help us
design enhancements into J Street Mailer. We have a very strong and active mailing
list for those who want to participate. This mailing list proves very useful as
we continue to improve and enhance the product.
For more information about J Street Mailer, please visit our home page at http://www.innoval.com
Project Kickin Butt Web Accelerator
===========================
We asked people to make a commitment to this before we started coding a native
OS/2 version. We said that we would produce it if 1,000 people agreed, up front,
to buy it for $25.00. So far, we have slightly more than half the number required.
We are optimistic. So if you are interested in Kickin Butt but have not signed up,
please consider doing so. If Kick@ AnyClient sales are better than expected, I may
consider moving some revenue from Kick@ to this project to "prime the pump"
because this is project that I very much want to do in native OS/2 code.
For more information about Project Kickin Butt, please see the announcement in
WarpCast at http://www.os2ss.com/warpcast/wc1578.html
NetExtra - Our Native OS/2 Add-On for Netscape Navigator
============================================
Some concern has expressed about whether or not NetExtra will work with the expected
release of a new native OS/2 Netscape browser. It will, though we will need to update
the program. Making NetExtra work with the HotJava browser is more problematic.
We are awaiting documentation from Sun Microsystems. We will keep you posted.
For more information about NetExtra, please visit our home page at http://www.innoval.com
Warpstock 98
==========
InnoVal will be participating in Warpstock 98. We will be showing new native
OS/2 software and new Java software. Our Java focus will be Java on the OS/2 platform
and we'll be providing some useful information about getting the most out of Java
on OS/2. We look forward to seeing you at Warpstock 98.
For customer service send an email, phone, or write:
Email: innoval@ibm.net
Tech Support: helpdesk@innoval.com
Voice: 914-835-3838 (8:30am to 6:00pm, M-F, New York time)
Fax: 914-835-3857
I have finished my exams so DE development has started again. :o)
Dialog Enhancer has been updated to version 1.60. Also updated are the pack files,
with new support for Spanish language Warp 4.0 systems.
Changes are :
The files can be downloaded from BMT Micro, Mensys, and the Dialog Enhancer home
page.
BMT - http://www.bmtmicro.com/catalog/dialogenhancer.html
MENSYS - http://www.mensys.nl/download/index.html
HOME - http://www-student.lboro.ac.uk/~mcrsc/ostrans.html
Road Runner Cable Modem Users,
I have released a new, still very beta, version of my RROS2 Road Runner login
utility. This version now supports DIGITAL authentication which is used in Hawaii
and in upstate New York (Syracuse/Rochester).
I am looking for folks in Digital and Toshiba areas who can test this new version.
If you're not in Ohio or the Southern Tier, NY area, this is you. Please refer to
the web page for more information.
You can find RROS2 @ http://Larkin.NuclearWinter.com/rros2/ExperimentalRROS2.html
Full support for TOSHIBA and DIGITAL authentication is now available in this
unified login program. Integration of HP authentication is in the works.
For more information about using OS/2 with Road Runner Cable Modems visit http://Larkin.NuclearWinter.com/rros2/
(For those of you who do not know what Road Runner is...Road Runner is a product
of Time-Warner, it is a CABLE connection to the Internet with download speeds of
300k-400k a second! You can download Java 1.1.4 in 5 minutes!)
Perfect Niche Software Announces Warpstock Exhibit
Scottsdale, AZ- Perfect Niche Software today announced that it would be again
exhibiting at Warpstock, the annual conference for users of OS/2 Warp, IBM's computer
operating system. An exhibitor at last year's Warpstock in Diamond Bar, CA, Perfect
Niche will show its new and very popular SMACK!, a general purpose labeling program
specifically for OS/2.
"Even though SMACK! was only in beta last year, the response at Warpstock
was phenomenal," said Perfect Niche Software president Robert Rosenwald. "We're
excited about the opportunity to show our release product to the OS/2 community."
Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, Perfect Niche Software is the developer of CRADOC
CaptionWriter, the world's best selling slide labeling program and the Photo Management
System, a simple database for organizing data for photographers. The company has
supplied labeling software for photographers for Macintosh, DOS, and Windows environments
for the past 13 years.
For more information, call (800) 947-7155, e-mail sales@perfectniche.com,
or visit the Perfect Niche Web site at http://www.perfectniche.com.
The Software Development Group
Contact: Richard B. Byrnes
For Immediate Release
The Software Development Group Announces Plans to Exhibit at Warpstock '98
The Software Development Group will release two new versions of their financial
applications for OS/2 during Warpstock '98.
Glendale CA., June 15, 1998 : The Software Development Group (also known as TSDG)
announced today that it has signed on as an exhibitor at Warpstock '98 being held
in Chicago in October.
Warpstock is the biggest annual conference developed solely by volunteers expressly
for OS/2 personal and Small Office/Home Office users. "OS/2 Warp has always
been a superior operating system," according to Richard B. Byrnes, TSDG's President.
"and Warpstock '98 is a wonderful chance for us to present our applications
to a focused and vital market" he added.
TSDG will be introducing two new major releases of its financial applications
specifically for OS/2 at Warpstock. MoneyWiz Standard Edition is the company's entry-level
savings and checking application, providing basic savings, checking, loan, and budget
management capabilities. MoneyWiz Deluxe has all the features of MoneyWiz Standard
with the added features of financial planning, as well as stock and bonds management.
BizWiz is the home office / small office Accounting system which includes modules
for General Ledgers, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Invoicing, Billing,
Contact Maintenance, Payroll, and Estimate analysis. Pricing on all these products
has yet to be announced.
The Software Development Group has been providing quality applications to the
various Windows, Macintosh, and now the OS/2 community since 1995.
For more information, contact Richard B. Byrnes, President at 818-426-0281 or
rbbyrnes@softdevgrp.com.
TSDG can be visited on the World Wide Web at http://www.softdevgrp.com/tsdg/os2
Oops! We goofed. Our earlier announcement about Matrox's BIOS updates was a bit
off. Thanks to John Buckley for straightening us out. Here is the correct info:
Actually the previous announcement is a little out of date. The current BIOS
update for Matrox graphics cards is dated 9.6.98 and can be found at ftp://ftp.matrox.com/pub/mga/millennm/bios/setup340.zip
This puts the cards at levels;
Millennium II PCI bios rev. 1.40
Millennium II AGP bios rev. 1.30
Mystique 220 bios rev. 1.80
Mystique bios rev. 1.80
Millennium bios rev. 3.00
Centari Computers proudly announces that they will be exhibiting at WarpStock
'98 in Chicago, Illinois. Centari Computers, a Canton, Ohio-based company, will
be be offering 100% OS/2 Compatible Systems to the OS/2 community at Warpstock.
According to Centari owner Thom Davis, "We're excited about the opportunity
to show our high-performance, low-cost OS/2 machines at Warpstock. We know that
OS/2 users are discriminating in their tastes, and we're positioned to meet their
needs. We're also very enthusiastic to be a part of an event that is already legendary
after just one year."
"Warpstock attendees will be able to order OS/2 sytems by simply visiting
our booth. Our systems feature the Graham Utilities v2.01 and our own Special Centari
OS/2 CD which includes Netscape 2.02, Java 1.1.4 (or better) Animated Mouse Pointers,
CandyBarz, and a number of other specially-selected OS/2 applications. Prior to
Warpstock, OS/2 users can visit our website at http://pages.sssnet.com/Confed2."
Lexmark has just updated, as of today, the OS/2 printer drivers for the Lexmark
3000 Color Jetprinter.
Lexmark's web site is:
http://www.lexmark.com
The drivers can be found at:
http://drivers.lexmark.com/drivers.nsf/SelectPrinter?Lexmark+3000+Color+Jetprinter
Millennium Computers and Communication (MC&C), today announce the launching
of the ALTOS range of computer system.
The ALTOS range by MC&C consists of high spec Linux workstations, and servers.
ALTOS machines can be spec'ed to the requirements of the customer, and come either
preinstalled with OS/2 or a Linux distribution of the customer's choice or without
OS and can be delivered anywhere in the UK.
ALTOS Systems are available now, typically configured with Pentium II and Pentium
Pro processors, and are available in both single and multiprocessor models, using
hardware components that work properly with Linux and OS/2.
MC&C decided to enter the Alternative Operating Systems market because the
PC business is becoming a rat race.
"Microsoft / Sega's new games machine will virtually wipe out the OEM market
for Home PC's, by selling Microsoft Windows systems we're just putting ourselves
out of business."
With the Year 2000 less than 570 days away, Millennium Computers knows it isn't
time to sell someone a system that isn't Y2K compliant.
"Why pay for bundled software when you don't want it" says Mani, owner
of MC&C.
For companies without an existing in-house experience of OS/2 or Linux, MC&C
has an arrangement with PowerDale IT Limited to provide commercial support, installation
and networking services, including Year 2000 Consultancy for all ALTOS systems.
With the ALTOS range, MC&C can serve that market.
About MC&C Millennium Computers and Communications Limited is an Original
Equipment Manufacture, based in London, United Kingdom, selling directly to the
public.
http://www.mcc-uk.com/
Telephone : 0171 610 1007
Fax : 0171 610 2088
email : sales@mcc-uk.com
For online quotations
http://www.yoursite.co.uk/os/hardware/
NetBeans has released its new Java IDE written entirely in 100% Pure Java: NetBeans
Developer 2.0 Beta. While NetBeans will run on any pure Java enabled system, when
Jeppe Cramon (author of the Cramon Utilities and PlusPak: B.U.G.S.--http://www.gbar.dtu.dk/~c948129)
contacted them to offer to "officially" test it on OS/2, he was told that
there were already enough OS/2 testers and the product had been been tested under
OS/2.
Right now the free beta version can be downloaded from NetBeans' web site:
http://www.netbeans.com/
Jeppe tells us that he has tested the beta version under OS/2 with the latest
Java 1.1.4 and it works fine.
Announcing VisualAge C++ Version 4.0
Now, developing applications in the C++ language will never be the same. VisualAge
C++ Professional for AIX, Version 4.0, uses an innovative technology from IBM Research
to give programmers a productivity they never experienced before. In addition, Version
4.0 offers the VisualAge "Construction from Parts" programming tools to
help you easily create applications based on the Open Class Library components.
Features at a Glance
VisualAge C++ Version 4.0, available first for AIX, will be available soon for
OS/2 and NT.
What They Are Saying
A quote from Michael Spertus, Chief Technology Officer of Geodesic Systems:
"VisualAge for C++ Version 4.0 is an amazing product. With its incremental compiler, I was able to change a header file that was included in over 100 source files in my program and rebuild in under 5 seconds! On other compilers, this takes over 100 times as long. In addition, its powerful graphical Integrated Development Environment fills a gaping hole in UNIX development. VisualAge C++ has meant immediate and substantial productivity gains for my development team."