Updates from last month's column:

The WarpZilla team has released Mozilla 1.4 RC1 as of 05/30/2003. This is an update to Mozilla 1.1 or 1.2a that was demoed by Steven Levine at the Sept. 2002 SCOUG general meeting, and was mentioned in the May 2002 Mr. Know-It-All. Go to ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla/releases/mozilla1.4rc1/. There are 2 files (take your pick):

• mozilla-os2-vacpp-1.4rc1-installer.exe (now a self-extracting executeable/installer)
• mozilla-os2-vacpp-1.4rc1.zip (you must unzip it yourself into a directory)

NOTES:
1. Steve Wendt has a WarpZilla tips page at http://www.os2bbs.com/os2news/Warpzilla.html.
2. Another site that has documentation of plugin support on OS/2 is at http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/OS2.html.
3. This release now has improved drag-and-drop, junk mail and news filters, link prefetching, Type Ahead Find, turbo mode, WarpCenter message notification, etc. HOWEVER: The spell-checker is NOT included.
4. The recommended installation method is to install into a fresh directory; however, if you install over an older version, be sure to delete GKCONTNT.DLL (or GKCONTENT.DLL) and COMPREG.DAT (if they exist); otherwise you may have problems running WarpZilla after installation.
5. This may be the last build using IBM's VisualAge C++; future builds will use the GCC compiler (see next item).
6. Preferential version 0.5.1 has been released as of 05/25/2003. This is an add-on for Mozilla that gives you a tree with access to all of the preferences, including those that are not normally exposed. Go to http://preferential.mozdev.org/.

The WarpZilla team has released a GCC compiler version of Mozilla 1.4b as of 05/12/2003. Go to ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla/releases/mozilla1.4b/. There are 2 files (take your pick):

• mozilla-os2-gcc-1.4b-installer.exe (now a self-extracting executeable/installer)
• mozilla-os2-gcc-1.4b.zip (you must unzip it yourself into a directory).

NOTES:
1. You need the GCC 3.2.1 runtime; go to http://download.innotek.de/gccos2/runtime/gcc321m.dll, or http://www.axess.com/users/sobotka/warpzilla/binaries/gcc321m.zip. Either place it in the same sub-directory as MOZILLA.EXE, or put it in its own subdirectory and update the LIBPATH= statement in CONFIG.SYS to point to it.
2. Also, you need the EMX runtime; use search key emxrt on Hobbes. For help with installation, see the June 2002 Mr. Know-It-All.
3. If you use the Visual Age C version, at this time it is not recommended to share profiles with the GCC version. If you do, you won't be able to access secure sites. The bug is documented at http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=176501.
4. Plugins at this time don't work with the GCC version. Mike Kaply is looking into this problem.
5. Another problem I reported to Mike is: when I fired up the GCC version for the first time, it created my profile by migrating the Netscape 4.61 profile; then I made some modifications (changed the "theme" from "Classic" to "Modern", told it to suppress pop-up pages, and configured the proxy). Then I saved the preferences changes and got the message that the theme change will take effect the next time I start WarpZilla (which is normal). Here's the problem: When I started the GCC version again, it went back to the profile migration dialog. This time it created a 2nd profile and then I had to make the theme, pop-up suppression, and proxy changes again! The 3rd time I started the GCC version, it appeared to use the 2nd profile (but by then my preferences changes were taken into account).
6. According to Steve Wendt, the GCC version is faster than the Visual Age C++ version, but is also more crash-prone.
7. Finally, I had problems installing the GCC version on a machine that had the VACPP version; the installer got a SYS3175 near the end. I am not sure if my problems are due to the fact that I already had the VACPP version already on my machine (I did try to install the GCC version into its own directory); also I believe the GCC install clobbered the VACPP version and therefore I had to re-install the VACPP version. Your mileage may vary.

DFSee, which was demoed at the June 2001 SCOUG meeting, is now at version 5.20 as of 05/25/2003. It is a FDISK, display, analysis and recovery tool for disks and filesystems. It includes the ability to resize FAT & FAT32 partitions, and has some JFS and LVM support. Go to http://www.dfsee.com/dfsee.htm. Tony Butka's tutorial on DFSee is at http://www.scoug.com/os24u/2001/scoug012.dfseetutorial.html.

NOTES:
1. DFSee is now shareware. Registration is at Mensys (http://shop.mensys.nl/catalogue/mns_DFSee.html).
2. You can also use search key dfsee on Hobbes.

eComStation Maintenance Tool version 2.1.0 has been released as of 05/31/2003. It now has support for eComStation 1.1. Go to http://www.ecomstation.com/.

InnoTek has released as of 05/26/2003 a full port of Sun Microsystems' Java Virtual Machine version 1.4.1_02 (Release Candidate 2), which is Sun Microsystem's Windows JVM with an Odin wrapper to allow it to run on OS/2. It is free for personal use; enterprise customers can obtain licenses in order to get defect support. InnoTek plans to provide an updated OS/2 Kit for Java no later than 20 working days after a new Java platform release by Sun Microsystems. Go to http://www.innotek.de/products/javaos2/. NOTE: This beta version now includes browser plugin support for Mozilla and IBM Web Browser for OS/2.

RSJ CD-Writer version 5.02 was released as of 05/23/2003. It now has support for DVD writing, freedb, DAO (Disk At Once), IDE drives, creating bootable CDs, etc. Go to http://www.rsj.de/stage/en/cdwriter/cd_os2.asp. It must be purchased at the RSJ web site or at Mensys (http://www.mensys.nl).

cdrtools version 2.01a13 has been released as of 05/05/2003. This contains cdrecord, readcd, cdda2wav, and mkisofs. Use search key cdrtools on Hobbes.

WarpVision was updated on 05/29/2003. It is a player for DivX3/DivX4- format video streams, with MP3/AC3 audio. The latest version has a nice GUI interface, and no longer uses Odin and Win32 codecs. Go to http://os2.kiev.ua/en/wv.php.

NOTES:
1. There are downloadable "skins" available at http://os2.kiev.ua/en/wv.skins.php.
2. There is also a command-line (05/04/2003) version of WarpVision available.
3. According to the author, you must delete VIDEO2.INI prior to updating from a previous version of WarpVision.
4. There is now DVD support via a plugin called DVDCSS. For that, go to ftp://ftp.os2.spb.ru/pub/mmedia/contrib/dvdcss.1.2.4.zip.
5. WarpVision is now shareware; until it is registered, you are limited to 15 minutes of playback.

CoolFM version 2.0 beta 7 has been released. This is a powerful FM radio tuner control program, compatible with most popular FM tuners. Go to http://en.ecomstation.ru/coolfm/. NOTE: There are zip and WPI (installable via WarpIn) versions available.

eBayWatch/2 version 1.09j has been released. As the name implies, it is an eBay auction management tool. Go to http://www.eclipse.net/~knkrchnr/.

New builds of Odin have been released as of 05/30/2003. There are release builds and debug builds available. Go to ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/odin/daily/. There are also weekly builds at ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/odin/Weekly/; the latest build there is dated 05/22/2003.

The RAR archiver has been updated to version 3.20 as of 05/20/2003. This is a command-line compression utility, with tight general and multimedia compression, recovery record option management of non-RAR archives, RCVT (aRchive ConVersion Tool), and more. Go to http://www.rarlab.com/.

IBM has updated as of 05/15/2003 their version of SciTech SNAP Graphics. Go to http://service.software.ibm.com/os2dd/swc/snapse214.exe.

NOTES:
1. You need a current Software Choice subscription to download.
2. If you are a registered eComStation customer, download it at http://www.ecomstation.com (after signing-in).
3. The version numbers for SNAP/se (the IBM version) and SNAP/Pro don't necessarily correspond to each other, and they don't support the same graphic chipsets. For example, the ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 is new to the IBM version, but has been in SNAP/Pro since version 2.0.

IBM has updated the BIOS for the ThinkPad T30 as of 05/28/2003. Go to ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/spsd1i65.exe.

DaniS506 version 1.6.5 has been released as of 05/08/2003. This is the replacement for IBM's IBM1S506 EIDE driver, which features support for many chipsets, PCCard controllers, busmastering, Ultra33 DMA, Ultra ATA-66, Ultra ATA-100, faster PIO due to 32-bit I/O, and much more. Use search key danis on Hobbes.

NOTES:
1. Your mileage (experience) may vary; previous 1.6.x versions for some reason causes one of my home machines (a PII-400 with an Intel SE440BX-2 motherboard) to hang when it tries to load, so I had to revert back to version 1.5.2. When I tried version 1.6.4 on my ThinkPad T20, it caused PCMSSDIF.SYS (I believe a PCMCIA-related driver) not to load (and I had to hit Enter to continue booting). So I reverted the ThinkPad back to version 1.6.2.
2. If you use DaniBoot version 1.0 in conjunction with DaniS506, you need to upgrade DaniBoot to version 1.0.2; use search key daniboot on Hobbes.

Paul Ratcliffe has developed a bug-fixed and multiple process enabled (at the moment 4 processes) version of ASPIROUT.SYS, which is needed for some of the free CD-recording utilities. It is currently at version 1.1 beta 9. Go to http://home.clara.net/orac/os2.htm.

Amouse version 2.5 beta has been updated as of 05/24/2003. It now has USB support and improved Logitech support. It is a scroll mouse driver that works better on some wheel mice than IBM's driver. There is also a widget for XCenter available now. Go to http://www.nbsoftware.de/sw_ms2ben.htm.

BTTV version 0.6 (for BT8X8 TV cards) has been released as of 05/27/2003. It is a port of the Linux BTTV driver, with radio and TV working. Included is a small radio application, a small TV application, and the source is available (along with a LXAPI32 support driver for porting Linux drivers). Go to http://www.nord-com.net/s.milcke/bttv_en.htm. NOTE: This should be considered a beta driver.

This month's new listings - Drivers:

SciTech SNAP Graphics version 2.1.5 beta has been released as of 05/27/2003. This release features support for Nvidia and ATI Radeon chipsets, some fixes, and integrates the latest version (E.096) of the IBM GRADD components. Go to ftp://ftp.scitechsoft.com/snap/os2/beta/. Also, a change log is at http://www.scitechsoft.com/snap2_changes.txt, and a list of supported chipsets is at http://www.scitechsoft.com/ftp/snap/os2/beta/readme.txt. Other information is at http://www.scitechsoft.com/products/enterprise/snap_os2_content.html.

A "free" (i.e. you don't need a current Software Choice subscription or access to eComStation Update Protection) version of the Universal Audio drivers (version 1.04b) has been posted to Hobbes as of 04/30/2003 with search key uniaudio. It is based on the GPL ALSA Project from Linux and provides support for Sound Blaster Live!, Cirrus Logic CS4281, Avance Logic ALS4000, C-Media CMI8738, and Intel ICHx + SigmaTel STAC9721/23. Portions of the source code are also available at http://www.innotek.de/products/uniaud/source/, in partial compliance with the GPL license.

Dawicontrol has released new drivers (revision 4.33) for all of their SCSI cards. Go to http://www.dawicontrol.com/english/html/scsitreiber.htm.

IBM has released as of 05/01/2003 an ADI SoundMax audio driver (which is in the IBM NetVista systems that come with on-board ADI SoundMax audio). Go to ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/thinkcentre_drivers/d70t10a.exe.

IBM has updated as of 05/21/2003 the printer drivers for PostScript, inkjets, laserjets, and plotters to version 30.791. Some additions to the lists of supported printers were made. Go to http://service.software.ibm.com/os2dd/free/printerpak/en/pscripten.exe (PostScript), http://service.software.ibm.com/os2dd/free/printerpak/en/omnien.exe (inkjets), http://service.software.ibm.com/os2dd/free/printerpak/en/laserjeten.exe (laserjets), or http://service.software.ibm.com/os2dd/free/printerpak/en/plottersen.exe (plotters).

IBM has updated as of 05/28/2003 the Streaming LPR Port Driver. HOWEVER: You need a current Software Choice subscription to download. Go to http://service.software.ibm.com/os2dd/swc/slpr.exe.

A Realtek RTL8169 network card driver (version 1.01) has been released as of 05/27/2003. Go to http://homepage3.nifty.com/chagrin/gomy/doraniku.html#RTL8169, or use search key rtgnda on Hobbes.

The Network Interface Card Pak (NICPak) has been updated as of 05/23/2003. This is a collection of various NIC drivers and a tool for detecting and installing them. Go to http://pws.prserv.net/mckinnis/nicpak/.

This month's new listings - Applications:

IBM has updated as of 05/05/2003 Java 1.3.1. It includes Java Web Start, an XML parser, and a plugin for the IBM Web Browser (and Warpzilla), so that it can use Java. Go to http://techsupport.services.ibm.com/asd-bin/doc/en_us/java13/f-feat.htm.

NOTES:
1. You need a current Software Choice subscription to download.
2. If you are a registered eComStation user, download it at http://www.ecomstation.com (after signing-in).

Aaron Lawrence has posted to Hobbes FixPak 15 and Device Driver FixPak 2 (these are the last "free" FixPaks without the need for a current Software Choice subscription). They are packaged in such a way that all you have to do is unzip the FixPaks to temporary directories and then run INSTALL.CMD. Use search key fp15 and ddfp2, respectively.

The WarpZilla team has released Mozilla Firebird 0.6 as of 05/19/2003. It is a Mozilla-based browser that does not include mail, news, composer, IRC, and the other frills, and is destined to become the Mozilla browser as of version 1.5. It was previously known as Phoenix. Go to ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firebird/releases/0.6/contrib/MozillaFirebird-0.6-os2.zip.

Plogg has been updated as of 05/28/2003. It is an open-source ncurses (text)-based Ogg Vorbis/MP3 player. It features basic playlist functions and navigation between songs. Use search key plogg on Hobbes.

NOTES:
1. It is also available in WPI format for installation via WarpIn, as well as a "lite" version (WPI format only).
2. Source is also available.

UpdCD version 2.33 has been released as of 05/04/2003. It now includes support for eComStation, has a PM interface, and supports many OS/2 add-ons. It can be used to update the base Warp 4 or Warp Server for e-Business installation files with FixPaks, and supports the creation of updated installation diskettes. You can use the updated OS/2 image in combination with these diskettes to create new installations of OS/2 which already incorporates the FixPaks and other software. Go to http://xenia.sote.hu/~kadzsol/rexx/sajat/updcd.htm. NOTE: This is a fix that must be applied to the base 2.3 version.

MultiShow version 1.3.6 has been released. This is a multi-purpose file viewer for audio, video, images, and text, written in Java. Go to http://www.randelshofer.ch/multishow/download.html.

ePDF version 2.0 beta 9.3 has been released. This is a PM tool for PostScript to PDF conversion, which uses GhostScript as the back-end. Go to http://www.subsys.de/epdf/.

The Neptune project is a giant library of "skins" for the PM123 MP3 player. As of 06/01/2003 you can now download several catalogs of skins. Go to http://www.os2ecs.net/neptune/downloa4.shtml.

jSyncManager API 3.0 beta 01 has been released as of 05/13/2003. This is a popular Java-based tool for synchronizing with Palm handhelds. Go to http://jsyncmanager.sourceforge.net/.

JAlbum version 3.3 has been released as of 05/12/2003. This is a web photo album generator that runs on Java 1.3. Go to http://www.datadosen.se/jalbum/.

MP3 Automagic CD Cover Creator version 0.6 has been released. This Java program creates printable CD covers for MP3 CDs, and works with Innotek's Java 1.4.1. Go to http://filenabber.com/maccc/.

IBM Alphaworks has released as of 05/01/2003 a MPEG-4 player and content creator development kit that works with Java 1.3.1. Reportedly it plays MPEG-4 video (samples included) just fine on a PII-300 machine. Go to http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/tk4mpeg4.

MyPod version 0.2.2 for the Apple iPod music player has been released as of 05/01/2003. It requires Java 1.4, and allows you to manipulate playlists and more for the iPod device. Go to http://mypod.sourceforge.net/.

cdrdao version 1.1.8 fix1 has been released as of 05/20/2003. It is an enhanced OS/2 port of the CD-writing program cdrdao in DAO (Disk At Once) mode. You need the ASPIROUT driver (see above), but you don't need the EMX runtime. Use search key cdrdao2 on Hobbes.

InnoTek has released as of 05/23/2003 a beta of an anti-aliasing font engine, based on FreeType. Currently, only Mozilla (and other Mozilla-based browsers) are supported; also this preview will time-out on 06/25/2003. NOTE: according to Steve Wendt, the install will fail if you have used lxlite on GFX_OS2.DLL; you'll need the original file. Go to http://www.innotek.de/products/ft2lib/ft2libgeneral_e.html.

Run_Java has been updated as of 05/26/2003. This will create a "Create Java Object" program object on your desktop. Just drop a .JAR file on the object to create a program object for the .JAR file. It will also create a "Run Jars" object -- this will allow you to start most modern Java apps by just double-clicking on the JAR file. Use search key run_java on Hobbes.

JPhotoBrush Pro beta has been released. This is an image editing and enhancement application/tool written in Java 1.3, making extensive use of Swing and Java2D. Go to http://tanveer.freeservers.com/JPhotoBrushPro.htm.

PMView Pro version 3.0 has been released as of 06/02/2003. The new version has several new features, including EXIF support, scripted batch conversions, lossless JPEG rotation, flyover image info, etc. Go to http://www.pmview.com/.

Python, which was demonstrated by Sheridan George at the Dec. 2001 SCOUG general meeting, is now at version 2.2.3 as of 06/01/2003. It is a programming language that comes from the Unix world. You can read Sheridan's comparison of Python with REXX at http://www.scoug.com/os24u/2001/scoug012.rexx_python.html. Go to http://www.pcug.org.au/~andymac/python.html, or use search key python on Hobbes. NOTE: Source is also available.

Editorial Note: Special thanks to SCOUG's Dallas Legan for writing a handy REXX script to convert URLs in a text file into HTML tags. It's much appreciated!

SCOUG, Warp Expo West, and Warpfest are trademarks of the Southern California OS/2 User Group. OS/2, Workplace Shell, and IBM are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. All other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners.