Updates from last month's column:

LAME version 3.84 has been ported on 07/02/2000 to OS/2. LAME is an MP3 encoder, and includes a graphical frame analyzer. Use search key lame on Hobbes.

GSView version 3.4 has been released as of 07/29/2000. Go to http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/gsview/. Also a Ghostscript version with improved HP DeskJet support is available at http://people.freenet.de/von.hagen/hp-e.htm. A follow-up to last month's listing: the version of Ghostscript 6.01 that has both PM and XFree86/OS2 support is at Hobbes with search key gs601 (instead of gs601x); also a PM & XFree86/OS2 version of GSView version 3.3 is at Hobbes with search key gsv33. I saw a post on WarpCast a few weeks ago saying that one should not mix "regular" versions of GSView with PM-XFree86/OS2 versions of Ghostscript (or vice versa), as it may crash GSView and/or Ghostscript.

For those of you who like to play with alpha or beta versions of software, the M17 build of Mozilla (the successor to Netscape 4.61) is now available as of 07/28/2000. Go to http://www.axess.com/users/sobotka/warpzilla/docs/binaries.html. The gcc run-time is needed (at http://www.axess.com/users/sobotka/warpzilla/gcc2952m.zip). Known bugs are at http://www.axess.com/users/sobotka/warpzilla/Bugs.html. Screenshots are at http://www.axess.com/users/sobotka/warpzilla/docs/screenshots1.html.

CDR/RW Wizard is at version 0.9.92 as of 07/10/2000; it's a GUI interface to CDRecord/2 to burn CDR/CDRW (data, audio, etc). It now features BootWizard for creating bootable CD's. More information is at http://www.quasarbbs.com/rocco/.

InCharge has been updated on 07/12/2000 to version 1.02.67. Go to http://www.spitfiresoftware.com/.

The program UpdCD (a.k.a. cdupd) was updated to version 0.5 as of 07/24/2000. It now has Peer and TCP/IP fixpak support. With UpdCD you can incorporate public FixPaks into your Warp 4 installation CD. This allows you to install a Y2K-compliant Warp 4 on systems with large hard disks right from this CD. Look for updcd05.zip on Hobbes, or go to http://xenia.sote.hu/~kadzsol/rexx/sajat/updcd.htm.

This month's new listings - Drivers:

The WinCast TV driver has been updated to version 1.42B on 06/30/2000. It now includes DiveTV, which uses hardware image scaling. Go to http://www.os2tv.com/downloads.phtml.

Adaptec has released on 06/28/2000 drivers for their Ultra 160 SCSI cards. Go to ftp://ftp.adaptec.com/scsi/os-2/.

IBM has updated on 05/27/2000 the OS/2 installation disks (mainly for the new Thinkpad T20 series, but is applicable for use with other PC's, especially when hard drives over 4.3GB are involved). Go to http://www.pc.ibm.com/qtechinfo/YAST-3MARH8.html.

IBM has updated on 06/22/2000 version 1.03 of the TrackPoint drivers for various Thinkpads. Go to http://www.pc.ibm.com/qtechinfo/YAST-3MDRHL.html to see if your Thinkpad needs these drivers (and the download link).

IBM has updated on 07/12/2000 the printer drivers for PostScript, ink- jets, laserjets, and plotters to version 30.724. Go to ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/printpak/en/.

There are some joystick drivers available as of 07/22/2000. Two files are available on Hobbes: search key gamedd for GAMEDD.SYS, and gameprt for GAMEPT.ZIP.

Cirrus Logic has released new drivers as of 07/13/2000 for all of their Crystal Sound chips. Go to http://www.cirrus.com/drivers/audiodrv/os2.cfm. Sound cards which use the various Crystal Sound chips (including PCI cards) can be found on Timur Tabi's Crystal OS/2 page, which is at http://www.tabi.org/timur/crystalos2.html.

The SoundBlaster Live! driver version 0.60 beta has been released as of 07/23/2000. It features up to 32 simultaneous wave playback streams, recording stream, full duplex, and support for the IOCTL90 mixer interface. Go to http://www.xs4all.nl/~sandervl/sbliveos2.060.zip.

This month's new listings - Applications:

IBM has released on 07/28/2000 FixPak 14 for Warp 4. If you don't want to wait for the August version of the SCOUG CD, you can download it at ftp://service.boulder.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/fixes/v4warp/english-us/xr_m014. You will need to update the Corrective Service Facility diskette; go to ftp://service.boulder.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/fixtool/english-us/CS_143.EXE (a self-extracting executable). If you use RSU, go to http://ps.software.ibm.com/pbin-usa-ps/getobj.pl?/pdocs-usa/softupd.html.

IBM has released on 07/24/2000 WebSphere Version 3 Standard Edition for OS/2. However, you must have a current Software Choice subscription for Warp Server for e-Business. Go to http://service.boulder.ibm.com/asd-bin/doc/en_us/catalog.htm.

PMfax (a.k.a. FaxWorks) has been updated to version 3.2n as of 06/06/2000, including the free PMfax Lite. Go to http://www.kellergroup.com/doc/download.htm.

PM123 version 1.1 beta 1 was released on 07/04/2000. It is a MP3, WAV, and CD audio player. Some of the features include sharing of the sound card, playlist with drag/drop support, HTTP streaming, and the use of "skins" (including some cool WinAmp skins) to change the program's look. Go to http://www.cam.org/~guardia/pm123.html. The skins are at http://www.teamos2.sci.fi/pm123/skins/. Another collection of skins is available at http://os2.oadc.cz/skins/.

IBM has released a developer edition of DB2 version 7.1, which you can download after the free registration. DB2 is IBM's powerful, cross-platform relational database. Go to http://www6.software.ibm.com/dl/db2pde/db2pde-p/.

RoboticsMessenger/2 version 1.10 has been released on 07/07/2000. It is a PM program for controlling the US Robotics Message modems (all models). It includes a FAX viewer, and raw G3-to-TIFF and GSM-to-WAV converters. Use search key romes on Hobbes.

For those of you who use eBay, eBayWatch/2 version 0.10 is now available. It is an eBay auction management tool. Go to http://www.eclipse.net/~knkrchnr/.

Sun Microsystems has an update for StarOffice 5.1a. Go to http://sunsolve.Sun.COM/pub-cgi/show.pl?target=patches/xprod-StarOffice&nav=pub- patches.

For those of you who have Lotus SmartSuite for OS/2 release 1.5, there is an update to release 1.5.1 now available. Go to http://www.lotus.com/home.nsf/welcome/smartsuiteos2. It is a 29MB download, and has improved MS Office filters and various fixes. It is also available if you have a German or French version. (P.S. If you click on OS/2 Links and scroll down to User Groups, SCOUG is listed!)

A text-mode MP3 player called z! (version 2.5 alpha) has been released as of 7/20/2000. It can handle streaming audio (Shoutcast). Go to http://dink.org/z/.

GOGO is a very fast MP3 encoder based on LAME. Version 2.35 is available at http://homepage1.nifty.com/herumi/gogo_e.html.

MIDI Station Sequencer version 2.2 is now available as of 07/16/2000. Go to http://www.geocities.com/Hodges_C/ for more information on what it is, its capabilities, and to download.

POSIX/2 Alpha 2 has been released on 07/29/2000. This adds BSD interface additions to EMX, to give OS/2 a complete POSIX / Single Unix Specification environment. This should make porting Unix applications easier. It is at Hobbes with search key p2alpha.