Updates from last month's column:

UPS Power Manager version 1.02 has been released as of 01/07/2006. This works with several UPS models that have a serial port, including some from Fenton Technologies, Effekta, PowerGuard, PowerCom, Giant Power, Unitek, SuperPower, and more. Go to http://www.manglais.com/ups/, or use search key forups on Hobbes.

Maul Publisher version 3.05 has been released as of 01/29/2006. 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/.

NOTES:
1. You can also use search key maule on Hobbes.
2. 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.

JRescuer version 2.30 has been updated as of 01/25/2006. Included is JUne (JFS Unerase) version 2.20. This is a tool to rescue files from a JFS volume which cannot be mounted. Go to http://en.ecomstation.ru/projects/jrescuer/.

JAlbum version 6.1.6 has been released as of 12/30/2005. This is a web photo album generator that runs on Java. Go to http://jalbum.net/.

Moneydance 2006 r2 has been released as of 12/13/2005. It is a personal finance manager written completely in Java. It includes transaction auto-completion, graphing, reporting, a reconciliation tool, running cleared vs. uncleared balances, transaction sorting, double-entry, multiple currencies, multiple accounts, and much more. Go to http://moneydance.com/.

PHP version 5.1.2 has been released as of 01/19/2006. It is a server-side scripting language for the Web. Go to http://smedley.info/os2ports.html.

NOTES:
1. You will need LIBC06.DLL (available at ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/gcc/libc-0.6.0-ga2.zip).
2. This build now includes an Apache (version 2.2) module.
3. More info is at http://www.php.net/.

ChatZilla version 0.9.70 has been released as of 01/23/2006. This is the IRC client that comes with the Mozilla suite. It now supports SSL and full Unicode nicknames. Go to http://www.hacksrus.com/~ginda/chatzilla/.

XSANE version 0.991 has been released as of 01/26/2006. This is a front-end for the SANE (Scanner Access Now Easy) drivers that requires XFree86/OS2 and GIMP. Go to http://www.fbakan.de/xsane-os2.htm.

bootAble version 4.3 has been released as of 01/20/2006. This is a script which can be used to create a maintenance partition or bootable CD with enough facilities to fully manage and recover your system. It contains support for LVM, HPFS, JFS, FAT32, UDF (turned off by default), and the CD file system. Go to http://www.xs4all.nl/~hrbaan/.

WDSibyl has been updated as of 01/18/2006. This is an open-source continuation of the commercial product Sibyl, which is a Pascal / Delphi compiler. Go to http://members.chello.at/webstar/wdsibyl.html. NOTE: The website is in German, but there is English documentation available.

UpdCD version 2.55 has been released as of 01/29/2006. It can be used to update the base Warp 3, Warp 4, Warp Server for e-Business, Convenience Pack, or eComStation installation files with FixPaks, and supports the creation of updated installation diskettes. You can use the updated OS/2 image in conjunction with these diskettes to create new installations of OS/2 which already incorporate the FixPaks and other software. Go to http://www.updcd.tk. NOTE: This is a fix release which should be installed on top of an existing UpdCD 2.5x installation.

USBCFG beta 4 has been released as of 01/24/2006. This application is designed to help configure/re-configure USB drivers & devices. It does not install USB drivers; it helps sort out driver parameters. Use search key usbcfg on Hobbes.

SciTech SNAP Graphics version 3.1.4 beta has been released as of 01/27/2006. This is a universal video driver, with support for over 230 graphic chipsets, with extra features like zooming and multi-head. The latest version features video overlays on some S3, ATI, and Intel chipsets, software OpenGL 1.5 support, optional unattended installation, and more. 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/beta/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.

This month's new listings - Drivers:

Drivers for the National Semiconductor network chipsets have been updated: the DP83820 driver is at version 1.09 as of 12/24/2005, and the DP83815 driver is at version 1.07 as of 12/17/2005. Go to http://www.os2warp.be/index2.php?name=gomindis.

A driver for the Realtek RTL8169 network chipset is now at version 1.09.01 as of 01/15/2006. Go to http://www.os2warp.be/index2.php?name=gomindis#4.

A driver for the Realtek RTL8029 network chipset is now at version 1.01 as of 01/13/2006. Go to http://www.os2warp.be/index2.php?name=gomindis#20.

Drivers for various VIA Rhine network chipsets have been released as of 12/17/2005: the VT6102 driver is at version 1.06, and drivers for the VT6105 and VT86C100A are both at version 1.04. Go to http://www.os2warp.be/index2.php?name=gomindis#18.

There are still more network interface card drivers available as of 12/17/2005: the ADMtek AL981 driver is at version 1.03, the Broadcom BCM4401 driver is at version 1.05, the VIA Velocity VT612x driver is at version 1.05, and the Tamarack TC9021 driver is at version 1.10. Go to http://www.os2warp.be/index2.php?name=gomindis#14.

IBM/Lenovo updated the BIOS for the ThinkPad T30 a few months ago (09/14/2005). Go to http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/license.do?filename=mobiles/1iuj12ud.exe.

IBM/Lenovo also updated the Embedded Controller Program for the ThinkPad T30 a few months ago (09/14/2005). Go to http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/license.do?filename=mobiles/1ihj08ud.exe.

IBM/Lenovo updated the BIOS for the ThinkPad T40, T41, and T42 a few months ago (09/27/2005). Go to http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/license.do?filename=mobiles/1ruj33ud.exe.

IBM/Lenovo updated the BIOS for the ThinkPad T43 (machine types 2668, 2669, 2678, 2679, 2686, & 2687) a few months ago (11/29/2005). Go to http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/license.do?filename=mobiles/1yuj13ud.exe.

IBM/Lenovo updated the Embedded Controller Program for the ThinkPad T43 (machine types 2668, 2669, 2678, 2679, 2686, 2687) a few months ago (11/29/2005). Go to http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/license.do?filename=mobiles/1yhj04ud.exe.

IBM has updated as of 01/13/2006 the USB drivers that support the USB 1.0 OHCI, 1.1 UHCI, and 2.0 ECHI specifications (i.e. the USB basic device drivers). If you are a registered eComStation user, go to http://www.ecomstation.com/; after signing-in, you can download the driver (a zip file).

IBM has updated as of 01/13/2006 the USB keyboard driver. If you are a registered eComStation user, go to http://www.ecomstation.com/; after signing-in, you can download the driver (a zip file).

IBM has updated as of 01/13/2006 the USB mass storage device driver. It supports many kinds of USB storage devices, including CompactFlash-type memory card readers. Some USB digital cameras also have been reported to work with it. If you are a registered eComStation user, go to http://www.ecomstation.com/; after signing-in, you can download the driver (a zip file).

The Universal Audio drivers are now at version 1.1.4 RC1 as of 01/23/2006. 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/.

NOTES:
1. This must be applied over the previous version, which is available at ftp://ftp.os2.kiev.ua/uniaud/uniaud20040122.zip.
2. More info is at http://uniaud.netlabs.org/.
3. A list of supported audio chipsets is at http://os2.kiev.ua/en/uniaud.cards.php.

This month's new listings - Applications:

The WarpZilla team has released Thunderbird version 1.5 as of 01/13/2006. This has been demoed by Tony Butka at previous SCOUG general meetings. It is a stand-alone mail and newsgroup client based on Mozilla that does not include the browser, composer, IRC, and the other frills. An announcement last year said that there will not be any more versions of Mozilla (as produced by the Mozilla Foundation) past the 1.7.x series, so Thunderbird is now the Foundation's official mail and news group client. Go to ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/thunderbird/releases/1.5/contrib/. The file name is thunderbird-1.5.en-US.os2.zip. More info is at http://www.mozilla.org/ports/os2/.

NOTES:
1. Steve Wendt has a WarpZilla tips page at http://www.os2bbs.com/os2news/Warpzilla.html.
2. You must unzip the zip file yourself into a directory and then create or update a program object accordingly.
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 Thunderbird executable.
4. This version requires an updated version of IPLUGINW.DLL for Java support; go to https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/attachment.cgi?id=196271.
5. Tony's notes on installing and running Thunderbird are at http://www.scoug.com/os24u/2003/scoug310.mozilla.html.

PMM_Tbird has been updated as of 01/14/2006. It contains two REXX scripts: one to copy all of your PMMail mail folders to Thunderbird mail folders (requires some manual post-processing), and the other to migrate your address books. Use search key pmm_tbird on Hobbes.

FECONFIG has been released as of 01/07/2006. It is the Font Engine Configuration Library (DLL) with a demo application. FECONFIG.DLL can be used by application programmers to configure the InnoTek Font Engine. A small demo application, with source code, is included. Use search key feconfig on Hobbes.

Mr. Message has been updated as of 01/05/2006. It is an instant messenger client which is capable of communicating over AOL's Instant Messenger network using the OSCAR protocol. Go to http://mamodeo.dyndns.org/MrMessage/. NOTE: The author says that this will be the final release of Mr. Message, since he is now working on a full port of Gaim (which will cover all the functionality of Mr. Message and a whole lot more, including multiple protocols, such as Jabber, Yahoo, and MSN, among others).

Mercury Messenger (formerly known as dMSN) is now at version 1.7.09 as of 12/03/2005. This is a Java MSN Messenger client. Go to http://www.andreas-peters.net/index.html?sites=/sites/programme/mercury.html.

Jeti/2 version 0.7.3 has been released as of 01/26/2006. This is a Java 1.4x client for instant messenger services, including Jabber, AIM, MSN, Yahoo, and ICQ. Go to http://www.ehlertronic.de/jeti2.htm.

OpenLDAP version 2.3.17 beta 1 has been released as of 01/12/2006. This is an open-source implementation of the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol. Go to http://smedley.info/os2ports.html. NOTE: You will need LIBC06.DLL (available at ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/gcc/libc-0.6.0-ga2.zip).

CPUSPEED version 1.3 has been released as of 01/07/2006. This provides automatic CPU speed throttling (to keep it cool, without affecting system performance) via ACPI. It requires the ACPI driver. Use search key cpuspeed on Hobbes.

PM Downloader version 0.9.4 has been released as of 01/17/2006. This is an interactive multi-threaded network retriever which supports HTTP and FTP protocols for downloading files. Go to http://eros2.by.ru/pmdownloader_en.shtml.

PrefBar version 3.3 beta 2 has been released as of 01/12/2006. It allows you to configure several Mozilla settings on the fly, and incorporates the features of UABar. Go to http://prefbar.mozdev.org/.

Preferential version 0.8 has been released as of 01/13/2006. 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/.

NetBeans version 5.0 RC2 has been released as of 01/17/2006. It is a Java IDE written in pure Java. The IDE is based on JFC, and uses its full feature set. Full support of JavaBeans, use the Bean Wizard to generate your own beans in minutes. Integrated full-featured text editor, debugger, compiler, pluggable Look & Feel, and Form Editor with advanced layout manager support. Go to http://www.netbeans.org/.

PMView Pro, the indispensable graphics viewer, is now at version 3.23 as of 01/15/2006. Version 3.x has several new features, including EXIF support, scripted batch conversions, lossless JPEG rotation, and flyover image info. Go to http://www.pmview.com/.

NOTES:
1. President Tony Butka discusses the PMView Pro 3.xx series in the July 2003 and September 2003 issues of Ink (http://www.scoug.com/os24u/2003/scoug307.ink.html and http://www.scoug.com/os24u/2003/scoug309.ink.html, respectively).
2. A list of new features/fixes is at http://www.pmview.com/os2new.html.

DVDBurn version 0.9.4.0 has been released as of 01/21/2006. This is a GUI front-end for ffmpeg, DVDAuthor, mkisofs2, and DVDDAO to transcode video files, create a DVD structure, and build and burn a DVD image. Use search key dvdburn on Hobbes.

VCDBurn version 0.9.4.0 has been released as of 01/21/2006. This is a GUI front-end for ffmpeg, VCDImager, and CDRDAO to transcode video files, and build and burn a VCD image. Use search key vcdburn on Hobbes.

CDMagic version 3.7 has been released. It has many audio, database, and CD cover functions, including MP3 and CDDB support. Go to http://www.cdmagic.de/.

T&V HappyPlayer version 2.00 beta 5 has been released as of 01/16/2006. This is a PM application that operates TV cards built on the Brooktree BT848 chip, including some ATI and nVidia cards. Go to http://en.ecomstation.ru/projects/happyplayer/.

cdrtools version 2.01.01a04 has been released as of 01/25/2006. This contains cdrecord (discussed in the Sept. 2003 Mr. Know-It-All at http://www.scoug.com/os24u/2003/scoug309.mrkia.html), readcd, cdda2wav, and mkisofs. You can burn single-session, multi-session, or audio CDs. Use search key cdrtools2 on Hobbes.

ISOFS version 1.0.2 has been released as of 01/28/2006. This is an installable file system for seamless read-only access to the contents of .ISO image files, as suitable for burning on CD. It now supports ISOs bigger than 2GB. Go to http://home.clara.net/orac/os2.htm#isofs.

PM123 version 1.31 RC1 has been released as of 01/27/2006. 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.

Bluemont Software has released jPixDb version 3.0; it is a Java program for organizing, viewing, and printing picture albums. It requires Java 1.4. Go to http://www.bluemontsw.com/.

WarpVision, which was demoed by Jordan Fox at the June 2004 SCOUG general meeting, is now at version 1.0 RC1 as of 01/23/2006. This is a player for DivX-3, DivX-4, DivX-5, XViD, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, AVI, and ASF, with MP3/AC3 audio, DVD support, video overlay support, a Mozilla plugin (requires registration), and is skinnable. Go to ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/wvgui/.

NOTES:
1. More info is at http://warpvision.netlabs.org/.
2. You can find skins at http://os2.kiev.ua/en/wv.skins.php.
3. There are some Windows codecs you can use via Odin, available at ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/wvgui/wincodecs/.
4. The WarpVision team accepts donations at BMT Micro (https://secure.bmtmicro.com/ECommerce-Offsite/11980000.html) or at Mensys (http://shop.mensys.nl/uk/warpvision/).

ProjectX version 0.90.3 has been released as of 01/23/2006 with some startup scripts. This is a Java program that converts, repairs, and/or cuts DVB (MPEG-2) files. Use search key projectx on Hobbes.

XPDF version 3.01pl1 has been released as of 01/24/2006. This is a tool to convert PDF files to text or PostScript, display PDF file information, or extract images from PDF files. Use search key xpdf 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.