Updates from last month's column:

The WarpZilla team has released Firefox version 1.1 alpha 1 (code-named "Deer Park") as of 06/01/2005. It is being made available for testing purposes only, for developers and the testing community. No end-user support is available. Go to ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/deerpark/alpha1/contrib/. The file name is deerpark-os2-alpha1.zip. More info is at http://www.mozilla.org/ports/os2/.

NOTES:
1. Given that this alpha release is probably bug-prone, most people should stick with Firefox 1.0.4 (see the June 2005 Download!).
2. Steve Wendt has a WarpZilla tips page at http://www.os2bbs.com/os2news/Warpzilla.html.
3. You must unzip the zip file yourself into a directory and then create or update a program object accordingly.
4. This version requires the GCC runtime: download that at http://download.innotek.de/gccos2/runtime/libc-0.5.1.exe (a self-installing executable). The EMX runtime is no longer required if you don't already have it installed. The GCC runtime installer defaults to x:\OS2\DLL (where x is your OS/2 or eComStation boot drive); it may be preferable to put the runtime in the same directory as the Firefox executable.
5. There are some icons for Firefox as of 02/13/2004. Use search keys firefoxicon or os2firefox on Hobbes.
6. Tony's notes on installing and running Firefox are at http://www.scoug.com/os24u/2003/scoug310.mozilla.html.

DFSee, which was presented by Tony Butka at the March 2004 SCOUG general meeting, is now at version 7.07 as of 06/29/2005. It is an FDISK, display, analysis, and recovery tool for disks and filesystems. It includes the ability to resize FAT and FAT32 partitions, and has some JFS and LVM support. Go to http://www.dfsee.com/dfsee.htm. Tony's tutorial on DFSee is at http://www.scoug.com/os24u/2001/scoug012.dfseetutorial.html.

NOTES:
1. You can also use search key dfsee on Hobbes.
2. DFSee is now shareware. Registration is at Mensys (http://shop.mensys.nl/catalogue/mns_DFSee.html).
3. According to Jerry Rash, DFSee can now be installed via Warpin as well.

DOSBox/2, which was demoed by Jerry Rash at the April 2005 SCOUG general meeting, is at version 0.63 as of 06/30/2005. This is a port of DOSBox to OS/2. It is a DOS emulator that uses SDL; it emulates XMS, EMS, CGA, EGA, VGA, VESA, SoundBlaster, Gravis Ultra Sound, and more, for excellent compatibility with older games. Go to http://www.joschs-robotics.de/dosbox/. More info is at http://wiki.netlabs.org/index.php/DOSBox_Port and http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/. NOTE: You need WarpIn to install.

eComStation Maintenance Tool version 2.1.8.6 has been released as of 06/30/2005. As the name implies, it is used to apply maintenance to eComStation. If you are a registered eComStation user, go to http://www.ecomstation.com/; after signing-in, you can then download the Maintenance Tool.

PCI+AGP bus sniffer version 1.02a has been updated as of 06/13/2005. This tool shows PCI, AGP, and CardBus device information, has a huge database of known vendors and devices, and can tell what IRQs are supported by which slot. Use search key pci1 on Hobbes.

The PM123 User's Manual has been updated as of 06/29/2005. It is in the INF format (i.e. use VIEW.EXE or NewView to view the manual). Use search key pm123man on Hobbes.

CBIRC version 1.09 has been released as of 06/17/2005. This is a Java IRC client with features that include color, web links, DCC, and more. Go to http://www.bratschi.net/cbirc/.

ClamAV version 0.86 has been released as of 06/21/2005. This is a GPL anti-virus toolkit, which features a command-line scanner, a tool for automatic updating via the Internet, and integration with mail servers (attachment scanning). Use search key clamav on Hobbes.

JUne (JFS Unerase) version 1.90 and JRescuer version 2.19 were released as of 06/29/2005. JRescuer is a tool to rescue files from a JFS volume which cannot be mounted. Go to http://en.ecomstation.ru/projects/jrescuer/.

PHPMyAdmin version 2.6.3 has been released as of 07/03/2005. This is a set of PHP scripts to administer MySQL over the web. Go to http://phpmyadmin.sourceforge.net/.

SciTech SNAP Graphics version 3.0.7 has been released as of 06/21/2005. This is a universal video driver, with support for almost 220 graphic chipsets, with extra features like zooming and multi-head. The latest version features updated support for ATI & Intel chipsets. Go to http://www.scitechsoft.com/ftp/snap/os2/beta/; more info is at http://www.scitechsoft.com/products/ent/snap_os2_content.html. The README is at http://www.scitechsoft.com/ftp/snap/os2/readme.txt, the changelog is at http://www.scitechsoft.com/snap2_changes.txt, and the list of supported chipsets is at http://www.scitechsoft.com/chiplist/snap_os2_chiplist.html.

IBM has updated the BIOS for the ThinkPad T43 series (machine types 2668, 2669, 2678, 2679, 2686, & 2687) as of 06/14/2005. Go to http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/license.do?filename=mobiles/1yuj09ud.exe.

The Universal Audio drivers have been updated as of 06/08/2005. This is based on the GPL ALSA Project from Linux and provides drivers for various sound chipsets. Go to ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/uniaud/; more info is at http://uniaud.netlabs.org/, and the list of supported chipsets is at http://os2.kiev.ua/en/uniaud.cards.php.

This month's new listings - Drivers:

Amouse version 2.70.07 has been released as of 06/18/2005. This scroll mouse driver has USB support, improved Logitech support, an XCenter widget, and more. Go to http://www.nbsoftware.de/sw_ms_en.htm.

Matrox has released as of 06/15/2005 version 1.08 of their video card BIOS updates for the Parhelia chipsets. Go to http://www.matrox.com/mga/support/drivers/bios/home2.cfm. NOTE: BIOS updates for older Matrox chipsets are also available here.

The C-Media 8738 audio driver is now at version 0.2.0 as of 06/29/2005. Use search key cmedia on Hobbes.

An Ethernet driver for Xircom CardBus 10/100, Intel EtherExpress PRO/100 Mobile CardBus 32, and IBM EtherJet 10/100 adapters has been released as of 06/30/2005. Use search key xbe314 on Hobbes.

This month's new listings - Applications:

Our treasurer, Steven Levine, who presented FM/2 at the June 2005 SCOUG general meeting, has uploaded FM/2 version 3.03 to Hobbes as of 07/04/2005. It is an open-source GUI file manager program, with lots of extra helper utilities. Use search key fm2-3. NOTE: Source is also available.

IBM has released IBM Web Browser version 2.0.5 as of 06/16/2005. It is IBM's version of Mozilla 1.7.5; however, Mike Kaply of IBM recommends using Mozilla 1.7.8 or Firefox 1.0.4 since they have the latest security fixes. If you are a registered eComStation user, go to http://www.ecomstation.com/; after signing-in, you can download the file (a self-extracting executable).

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 version requires the GCC runtime: download that at http://download.innotek.de/gccos2/runtime/libc-0.5.1.exe (a self-installing executable). The EMX runtime is no longer required if you don't already have it installed. The GCC runtime installer defaults to x:\OS2\DLL (where x is your OS/2 or eComStation boot drive); it may be preferable to put the runtime in the same directory as the IBM WebBrowser executable.

Batchburn version 3.00 has been released as of 06/01/2005. It is a set of batch files for use with CDRecord. The batch files simplifies the use of CDRecord. You can clone CDs, burn ISO images, do Lame-based MP3 conversion and more. The archive (zip) file also contains DO.EXE, which is a multi-purpose command-line program that lists files, searches text, shows free disk space, and locates EXE files in the PATH environment. Use search key batchburn on Hobbes.

FFMpeg version 0.49pre has been updated as of 06/01/2005. This is a complete (command-line driven) solution to record, convert, and stream audio and video. Use search key ffmpeg on Hobbes. NOTE: It requires the GCC runtime (LIBC06B4.DLL); for that, go to ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/wvgui/libc06b4.zip.

NetLabs has released as of 07/04/2005 Samba 3.0.9 beta 10 client plugin for the NetDrive filesystem, which supports 64-bit file I/O with NDFS 3.0 or higher. It allows you to mount SMB or CIFS shares on OS/2 without the need of NetBIOS (IBM LAN Manager or IBM Peer). Also available is a full Samba package (alpha 5); both client and server are included. Samba is freely available under the GNU General Public License; you can download the full OS/2 source code from NetLabs CVS. Go to ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/samba/; more info is at http://samba.netlabs.org/.

NesCafe version 0.60 has been released as of 06/20/2005. This is a Java Nintendo Entertainment System emulator, which includes the source code under the GPL. Go to http://www.davieboy.net/nescafe/.

Paul Smedley has made a build of DVD Author version 0.6.11. This is a tool for generating DVD video structures from given MPEG-2 files. Go to http://smedley.info/dvdauthor-0.6.11-os2.zip.

MultiZilla version 1.7.7.0e has been released as of 06/12/2005. This is an extension that adds more features to the tabbed interface in Mozilla. Go to http://multizilla.mozdev.org/.

eAccounts version 1.2 has been released. This is a database application to manage your account data, such as passwords, PIN codes, user-ID's, etc. It can record text and binary data. Go to http://www.subsys.de/eAcc/; if you have version 1.1, you can get an update at http://www.subsys.de/eacc/download/eAcc_upto12.zip.

JFtp version 1.46 has been released as of 06/02/2005. This is a graphical Java network and file transfer client, with features such as recursive directory upload/download, browsing FTP servers while transferring files, FTP resuming and queueing, browsing the LAN for SMB shares, and more. Go to http://j-ftp.sourceforge.net/.

The RAR archiver has been updated to version 3.50 beta 5 as of 06/08/2005. 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/rar/rarx35b5.exe; more info is at http://www.rarlab.com/.

DVDDAO version 1.1.0 has been released as of 06/12/2005. It is a tool for writing DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM discs. Use search key dvddao on Hobbes.

A UniAudio Mixer has been updated as of 06/09/2005. It is a PM sound mixer for the UniAudio drivers. According to Steve Wendt, it doesn't seem to work very well for some hardware configurations. Use search key umixpm on Hobbes.

A hard disk image converter has been updated as of 06/13/2005. It does conversions between DFSee, SVISTA, and Virtual PC images. Use search key hdd_vdd on Hobbes.

PyOpenOffice version 0.4 has been released. This will convert OpenOffice.org Writer files to PDF, without needing OpenOffice.org 1.1.x installed first. It does require Python 2.3, and can do a few other manipulations on OpenOffice.org files. Go to http://www.bezirksreiter.de/PyOpenOffice.htm.

PM123 version 1.31 beta 2 has been released as of 06/19/2005. It is a MP3, WAV, and CD Audio player, which is now open-source. 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 ftp://ftp.ptv.ru/pub/glass/pm123/; for the skins, go to http://sektori.com/pm123/skins.php.

Maul Publisher version 3.01 has been released as of 07/03/2005. It is billed as "the world's first professional desktop publisher for OS/2". It will automatically take care of page numbering in folding booklets, reversal of margins for facing pages, page numbering offsets where you don't want to start from Page 1, reversal of margins for top-bound booklets and top-folding booklets, centering margins on printers with odd margins, and multi-way folding sheets and maps. In addition, you have full control of column, row, gutter, and center gutter guides, including the automatic adjustment of page offsets when a number of sheets are bound into a folding booklet. Go to http://www.manglais.com/, or use search key maule on Hobbes. NOTE: There is a language translation toolkit, so that anyone interested can provide translations for their native languages; for that, use search key maulettk on Hobbes.

FotoGet/2 version 1.0.8 has been released as of 06/22/2005. This is a utility to ease the transfer of pictures from a digital camera. Use search key fotoget on Hobbes. NOTE: You need WarpIn to install.

A new release of Odin has been made available as of 06/26/2005. Go to ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/odin/Daily/odin32bin-20050626-release-xp.zip. More info is at http://odin.netlabs.org/, and the changelog is at ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/odin/Daily/Changelog.

QuietPC has been released as of 06/27/2005. It is an experimental package for controlling PC cooling fans. Use search key quietpc on Hobbes.

An OS/2 build of NVU version 1.0 has been released as of 06/30/2005. It is the next generation of Mozilla Composer, as a stand-alone HTML editor. Go to http://weilbacher.org/Mozilla/builds.html; more info on NVU is at http://www.nvu.com/.

VERSION version 1.21 has been released as of 07/01/2005. It is a REXX program that display SYSLEVEL information for the current system. By default, it shows summary information for several common OS/2 components (as detected), but it can be used to display the contents of any single SYSLEVEL file. VERSION is more useful and informative than the VER command, and also much faster and more readable than the SYSLEVEL command. Use search key version_ on Hobbes.

A utility to change IRQs on PCI cards has been updated as of 07/03/2005. Use search key spciirq on Hobbes.

Mr. Message has been updated as of 07/03/2005. It is an instant messaging client which is capable of communicating over AOL's Instant Messenger network using the OSCAR protocol. Go to http://mamodeo.dyndns.org/MrMessage/.

CAD-Handler has been updated as of 07/03/2005. It offers a Ctrl-Alt-Del popup menu, including a mini process list with kill, ability to unmount and re-mount filesystems, and reset the WPS. Use search key cadh on Hobbes.

GNU Make version 3.81 beta 3 has been released as of 07/01/2005. This is an essential tool for developing and/or porting open-source programs. Go to http://www.unixos2.org/sw/pub/binary/make/.

z! has been updated as of 06/30/2005. This is a text-mode MP3 player that can handle OGG, streaming audio (Shoutcast), and has Normalize support. Go to http://dink.org/z/zmsgbase.html?read=E1J7K1I1I5; more info is at http://dink.org/z/, and a FAQ is at http://dink.org/z/zmsgbase.html?read=A4E7P6Y7K5.

An OS/2 port of the GCC 3.3.5 compiler (beta 5) has been released as of 06/28/2005. It includes Innotek LIBC 0.6 beta 5, which is based on BSD LIBC. The source code is also available in NetLabs (CVSROOT is :pserver:guest@www.netlabs.org:/netlabs.cvs/libc, and CVS password is "readonly"). Features include fork() support, symlinks, chroot support, and many new functions. Go to ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/gcc/.

DLURLEA has been updated as of 07/03/2005. This program adds the download URL to the extended attributes of files you download with Mozilla. Use search key dlurlea on Hobbes.

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.