Updates from last month's column:

SciTech Display Doctor is now at beta 31 (06/08/2000). Download it at ftp://ftp.scitechsoft.com/sdd/beta/os2/; their web page is at http://www.scitechsoft.com/sdd_os2.html. Also, IBM has released the third version of the special edition of SciTech Display Doctor for OS/2 on 06/06/2000 that is available on the Device Driver Pak Online. Go to ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/os2ddpak/sddse702.exe. Note that this is now a self-extracting executable; run it to put it into a temporary directory before installing.

CDR/RW Wizard is at version 0.99 beta 16; it's a GUI interface to CDRecord/2. This updated beta was released on 06/21/2000. It is at http://www.quasarbbs.com/rocco/.

InCharge has been updated on 06/04/2000 to version 1.02.66. Go to http://www.spitfiresoftware.com/.

A program called cdupd version 0.4 was released on 06/12/2000. It can be used to update the base Warp 4 installation files with FixPaks, and supports the creation of updated installation floppies. You can use the updated OS/2 image in combination with these floppies to create new installations of OS/2 which already incorporates the FixPak. Go to http://xenia.sote.hu/~kadzsol/rexx/sajat/updcd.htm. The author plans to add more features between now and 09/30/2000 (when he expects this to go GA).

LAME version 3.82 has been ported on 05/28/2000 to OS/2. LAME is an MP3 encoder, and includes a graphical frame analyzer. Use search key lame on Hobbes.

Apache version 1.3.12 is now available as of 02/23/2000. Go to http://apache.org/dist/binaries/os2/. Also available as of 05/28/2000 is an "in-development" version of Apache 2.0 for those who want to try out the new features. It offers big performance improvements due to multi-threading and elimination of some emx dependencies. That version is at http://silk.apana.org.au/apache/apache_v2.shtml.

PMView 2000, the indispensable graphics viewer, has been updated as of 06/21/2000 to version 2.11. Go to http://www.pmview.com. Note: at time of writing, this is a beta version that may not yet be generally available, but should be at this site soon.

This month's new listings - Drivers:

Lexmark has updated the OS/2 printer drivers for their laser printers to version 2.635 (as of 05/22/2000), and the color ink-jets to version 2.513 (as of 01/05/1999). Go to http://drivers.lexmark.com/drivers.nsf/SelectPrinter?OpenForm&0.

V2GB is a new (06/15/2000) OS/2 virtual device driver for users who have trouble running legacy DOS and Windows 3.x programs when they are installed on a drive letter that is over 2GB (hence, the name V2GB). V2GB limits the amount of free space returned to 2GB. No dummy files are created to use up the space; it's just the reporting that is changed. Go to http://www.tavi.co.uk/os2pages/v2gb.html.

This month's new listings - Applications:

If you like playing with alpha or beta versions of software, the M16++ build of Mozilla (the successor to Netscape 4.61) is available for download. Go to http://www.axess.com/users/sobotka/warpzilla/warpzm16.zip. The gcc run-time is needed (at http://www.axess.com/users/sobotka/warpzilla/gcc2952m.zip), and a bug fix is also needed (at http://www.axess.com/users/sobotka/warpzilla/wzm16fix02.zip). Known bugs are at http://www.axess.com/users/sobotka/warpzilla/Bugs.html.

Again, for those of you who like to play with beta software, IBM has released a "preview" version of Java 1.3 (a.k.a. Java 2) for download. However, you must be a current subscriber to IBM's Software Choice to be able to download. Go to http://www-4.ibm.com/software/os/warp/swchoice/.

IBM has released on 06/06/2000 FixPak 4 for their relational database DB2 UDB (universal database) version 6.1. Go to ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/ps/products/db2/fixes/english-us/db2os2v61/.

GSView version 3.3 was released on 07/01/2000. GSView is a graphical document viewer that uses Ghostscript (currently at version 6.01) as its' display engine. Go to http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/gsview/. A version of Ghostscript 6.01 that has both PM and XFree86/OS2 support is at Hobbes with search key gs601x; the regular version of Ghostscript is at http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/aladdin/get601.html. Ghostscript is a freeware Postscript interpreter/converter for generating Adobe Acrobat (PDF) documents.

Audio/Data-CD-Creator version 0.41 is available as of 06/26/2000. It is a folder class for the WPS which works as a front-end for Cdrecord/2 for creating audio and data CD's. Just put wavefiles or data into this folder and press "write". Arbitrary ordering of files is possible via drag-and-drop. You can find it at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Sector/5785/creator/creatormain.htm.

Speaking of Cdrecord/2, it is now at version 1.9a02 as of 06/26/2000. It's a port of the CD-burning program cdrecord that runs on Linux. You can burn single-session, multi-session, or audio CD's. Go to http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Sector/5785/cdrecord/cdrecordmain.htm.

For registered Junk Spy users: Junk Spy 1.01 was released on 06/23/2000. Go to http://www.sundialsystems.com/junkspy/js101.zip.

For registered Mesa 2 users: The Mesa 2 version 2.3 update was released in early June, 2000. Go to http://www.sundialsystems.com/mesa/.