Updates from last month's column:

WarpVision, which was demoed by Jordan Fox at the June 2004 SCOUG general meeting, is now at version 1.0 RC3 as of 03/14/2006. 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/catalogue/mns_Warpvision.html).

eComStation Maintenance Tool version 2.1.9.2 has been released as of 03/31/2006. As the name implies, it is used to apply updates to eComStation. If you are a registered eComStation user, go to http://www.ecomstation.com/; after signing-in, you can download the Maintenance Tool.

NOTES:
1. You need WarpIn to install.
2. You also need to download and install the eComStation Maintenance Tool Utilities (version 2.1.9.2 as of 03/30/2006) prior to installing the Maintenance Tool.
3. You also need to download and install the WGet SSL support module (version 1.10.1.2 as of 03/30/2006) prior to installing the Maintenance Tool.
4. Finally, you can download a complete package that contains the Maintenance Tool, the utilities, and the WGet support in one self-extracting executable.

FFMpeg version 0.49pre has been updated as of 03/03/2006. This is a complete (command-line driven) solution to record, convert, and stream audio & video. Go to http://smedley.info/os2ports.html.

NOTES:
1. More info is at http://ffmpeg.sourceforge.net/.
2. You will need the GCC runtime (LIBC06.DLL); download that at ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/gcc/libc-0.6.0-ga2.zip.

FFPlay version 0.49pre has been updated as of 03/03/2006. This is a tool to convert video files from one format to another (i.e. .AVI to .MPG). Go to http://smedley.info/os2ports.html.

NOTES:
1. More info is at http://ffmpeg.sourceforge.net/.
2. You will need the GCC runtime (LIBC06.DLL); download that at ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/gcc/libc-0.6.0-ga2.zip.

DVDDAO version 1.3.3 has been released as of 03/12/2006. It is a tool for writing DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM discs. Use search key dvddao on Hobbes.

JAlbum version 6.3.2 has been released as of 03/10/2006. This is a web photo album generator that runs on Java. Go to http://jalbum.net/.

Jeti/2 version 0.7.3.6 has been updated as of 03/21/2006. 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.

MultiZilla version 1.8.1.1c has been released as of 02/27/2006. This is an extension that adds more features to the tabbed interface in Mozilla. Go to http://multizilla.mozdev.org/.

PDFMerge version 0.7.3 has been released as of 03/20/2006. It is a utility to concatenate multiple PDF or PostScript files into a single PDF file. Use search key pdfmerge on Hobbes.

USBCFG beta 6 has been released as of 03/20/2006. 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.

This month's new listings - Drivers:

SciTech SNAP Graphics version 3.1.5 has been released as of 03/24/2006. This is a universal video driver, with support for over 230 graphic chipsets, with extra features like zooming and multi-head. The latest version adds support for VIA UniChrome chipsets, features video overlays on some S3, ATI, and Intel chipsets, software OpenGL 1.5 support, and no longer requires VACPPRT.DLL in x:\OS2\DLL (where x is your boot drive). Go to http://www.scitechsoft.com/ftp/snap/os2/snap-os2-3.1.5.exe. More info is at http://www.scitechsoft.com/products/ent/snap_main.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.

NOTES:
1. If you have the following:
   • An account at Mensys
   • eComStation 1.0 or higher
   • A current Software Subscription Services for eComStation subscription
   You can download SciTech SNAP Graphics for eComStation after signing-in in at the Mensys website (https://shop.mensys.nl/indexuk.html).
2. Otherwise, you can purchase SciTech SNAP Graphics at Mensys (http://shop.mensys.nl/catalogue/mns_SNAP.html).

There is an update to the OS/2 base device driver FixPak 3 as of 02/11/2006. It fixes an installation problem on eComStation 1.2 systems. If you are a registered eComStation user, go to http://www.ecomstation.com/; after signing-in, you can download the update (titled "eCS IBM OS/2 BDD Fixpack 3 update").

IBM has updated the DVD/UDF file system support driver as of 01/27/2006. If you are a registered eComStation user, go to http://www.ecomstation.com/; after signing-in, you can download the driver (a zip file).

This month's new listings - Applications:

PNGCrush version 1.6.2 has been released as of 03/02/2006. This is for size reduction of the PNG (Portable Network Graphics) IDAT datastream by trying various compression levels and PNG filter methods. Use search key pngcrush on Hobbes.

XPDF version 3.01pl2 has been released as of 03/02/2006. 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.

WhichDLL has been released as of 03/16/2006. This is a command-line utility that functions like a "which" command for DLLs. WhichDLL reports the fully-qualified path of the specified DLL, if found (according to the usual rules for locating DLLs, i.e. LIBPATH/extended LIBPATH and current directory). When multiple instances of the named DLL exist, the copy which actually is (or would be) loaded is reported. Very useful for diagnosing DLL conflicts. Use search key whichdll on Hobbes. NOTE: Source code is included.

A collection of system setup program icons (and other icons for OS/2 and eComStation) have been released as of 03/08/2006. Use search key ecs_os2_icons on Hobbes.

DVD Author version 0.6.11 release 2 is now available as of 03/09/2006. This is a tool for generating DVD video structures from given MPEG-2 files. Go to http://smedley.info/os2ports.html. NOTE: You will need the LIBC06 version of the GCC runtime; download that at ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/gcc/libc-0.6.0-ga2.zip.

WGET version 1.10.2 has been released as of 03/10/2006. It is a utility to retrieve files from the Web using HTTP and FTP, in batch mode. The recursive retrieval of HTML pages, as well as FTP sites is supported - you can use it to make mirrors of archives and home pages. Re-getting incomplete files from where it left off works on servers (both HTTP and FTP) that support it. The latest version supports downloading files larger than 2GB, and from SSL sites. Go to http://smedley.info/os2ports.html. NOTE: You will need the GCC runtime (LIBC06.DLL); download that at ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/gcc/libc-0.6.0-ga2.zip.

VCDImager version 0.7.23 has been released as of 03/11/2006. It is able to create different kinds of video (VCD) and S-video (SVCD) CDs. Go to http://smedley.info/os2ports.html. NOTE: You will need the GCC runtime (LIBC06.DLL); download that at ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/gcc/libc-0.6.0-ga2.zip.

Paul Smedley has released a build of Apache version 2.2.0 beta 2 as of 03/19/2006. It is the premier web server of the Internet; newer versions use multi-threading and offer big performance improvements. Go to http://smedley.info/os2ports.html.

NOTES:
1. More info on Apache is at http://silk.apana.org.au/apache/apache_v2.shtml.
2. You will need the GCC runtime (LIBC061.DLL): download that at ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/gcc/libc-0.6.1-csd1.zip.

Paul Smedley has released a build of PHP version 4.4.2 beta 3 as of 03/19/2006. It is a server-side scripting language for the Web. Go to http://smedley.info/os2ports.html.

NOTES:
1. Paul also has PHP version 5.1.2 available.
2. This build now includes an Apache (version 2.2) module.
3. More info is at http://www.php.net/.
4. You will need the GCC runtime (LIBC061.DLL): download that at ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/gcc/libc-0.6.1-csd1.zip.

Tame version 1.03a has been released as of 03/12/2006. This is a GUI front-end for SANE (Scanner Access Now Easy), which now comes as a complete scanning solution, together with SANE 1.0.17 for SCSI and USB scanners. It has a preview window, supports MMOS2 image formats and light tables, and more. Many scanners from Microtek, Epson, HP, Mustek, Umax, and more are known to be working with this package. Go to http://smedley.info/sane.html. NOTE: More info on Tame is at http://www.os2world.com/goran/tame.htm.

Paul Smedley has released Subversion version 1.3.0 beta 1 as of 03/22/2006. It is a version control package, intended to replace CVS. Go to http://smedley.info/os2ports.html. NOTE: You will need the GCC runtime (LIBC061.DLL): download that at ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/gcc/libc-0.6.1-csd1.zip.

SimpleMan has been released as of 03/09/2006. It allows the viewing of most Unix-style "man" pages. It uses Cawf as its' formatter instead of groff, so it is easy to install and configure. Use search key simpleman on Hobbes. NOTE: Cawf version 4.10 is required; use search key cawf on Hobbes.

PHPMyAdmin version 2.8.0.2 has been released as of 03/16/2006. This is a set of PHP scripts to administer MySQL over the Web. Go to http://phpmyadmin.sourceforge.net/.

LVM Toolkit version 1.4 has been released as of 03/08/2006. This toolkit makes the LVM engine available for any application developer to use as a public API. This makes it possible to write (for instance) a completely new user interface for LVM. Documentation and sample programs are included. Go to http://www.cs-club.org/~alex/os2/lvm/.

ImageJ version 1.36 has been released as of 03/13/2006. It is a powerful image-editing program relying on Java 1.3 or greater, with numerous plugins. Go to http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/.

T&V HappyPlayer version 2.00 beta 6 has been released as of 03/06/2006. 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/.

ChatZilla version 0.9.72 has been released as of 03/05/2006. This is the IRC client that comes with the Mozilla/Seamonkey suite. It now supports SSL and full Unicode nicknames. Go to http://www.hacksrus.com/~ginda/chatzilla/.

Bluemont Software has released jPixDb version 3.1. This is a Java program for organizing, viewing, and printing picture albums, which requires Java 1.4. Go to http://www.bluemontsw.com/.

CDDVDrtools version 1.3 CSD1 has been released as of 03/27/2006. This is based on cdrecord with the ossdvd patch. It doesn't require ASPIROUT.SYS, and USB CD/DVD devices are supported. It now includes a custom OS2CDROM.DMD with support for a new CD/DVD transport. Go to http://froloff.homeip.net/.

RSJ CD-Writer version 6.00 has been released as of 03/14/2006. It has support for DVD writing, freedb, DAO (Disk At Once), IDE drives, creating bootable CDs, and more. It now supports USB CD/DVD writers and added a REXX API. Go to http://www.rsj.de/stage/en/cdwriter/cd_os2.asp. NOTE: It must be purchased at this site, or at Mensys (http://shop.mensys.nl/catalogue/mns_RSJCD.html).

Warped Wave Editor version 0.78 has been released as of 03/15/2006. This is a fully plugin-based audio editor, which supports reading and writing of OGG files and all formats supported by MMOS2, cut/copy/paste, changing volume, and playback (via DART). Use search key wawe on Hobbes.

GCC version 3.3.5 CSD1 has been released as of 03/19/2006. It includes Innotek LIBC 0.6.1, which is based on BSD LIBC. Features include fork() support, symlinks, chroot support, and many new functions. Go to ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/gcc/. NOTE: Source is available at http://svn.netlabs.org/libc/.

phpGUI version 1.00 has been released as of 03/19/2006. This is a graphical workbench for the development of dynamic web sites using PHP, MySQL and HTML. Go to http://os2.zworks.de/phpGUI/eng/.

WDSibyl has been updated as of 03/24/2006. This is an open-source continuation of the commercial product Sibyl, which is a Pascal/Delphi compiler. The web site is in German, but there is English documentation available. Go to http://members.chello.at/webstar/wdsibyl.html.

PTPro version 1.00 has been released as of 03/17/2006. This is a command-line program to retrive pictures and information from your PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol)-based digital camera. You can rename and renumber your photos and thumbnails as you save them, view extended info about your pictures (e.g. size in pixels), and more. It is based on ptpcam and is released under the GPL (source included). Use search key ptpro on Hobbes.

Weasel version 1.76 has been released as of 03/15/2006. This is a "lightweight" SMTP/POP server that has multi-domain support. Also available (as of 04/05/2005) is the IMAPD version 0.08 module. Go to http://www.pmoylan.org/pages/os2/Weasel.html, or use search key weasel on Hobbes.

Moneydance 2006 r3 has been released as of 03/06/2006. 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/.

AiR-BOOT version 1.05 has been released as of 03/22/2006. This is a multi-boot partition loader with some extra features, including colored "Award-like" SETUP, virus protection, Linux kernel support, and more. Use search key air-boot on Hobbes. NOTE: it is available in other languages (Swedish, Russian, Italian, French, German, & Dutch).

Samba version 3.0.9 alpha 8 has been released as of 03/24/2006; both client and server are included. Also available is version 3.0.9 beta 13 of a client plugin for the NetDrive filesystem, which supports 64-bit file I/O with NDFS 3.0 or higher. Samba allows you to mount SMB or CIFS shares on OS/2 without the need of NetBIOS (IBM LAN Manager or IBM Peer). Samba is freely availble 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 on Samba is at http://samba.netlabs.org/.

DFSee, which has been presented by Tony Butka at previous SCOUG general meetings, is now at version 8.00 as of 03/30/2006. It is an FDISK, display, and recovery tool for disks and filesystems. It includes the ability to resize FAT and FAT32 partitions, and now has expanded JFS support (allowing filesystem check, recovery, undelete, and smart imaging). It also now has enhancements for removeable media such as eject, discover and display removeable-status in many existing displays. Go to http://www.dfsee.com/dfsee/. 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. There is a zip file version, and now a version that can be installed using WarpIN as well.

EmperoarTV, which was demoed by Jerry Rash at the July 2004 SCOUG general meeting, is now at version 1.08q as of 03/27/2006. This software brings support for the Hauppauge PVR150/250/350/500 TV cards, including high-quality MPEG2 hard disk recording and playback. You can listen to FM radio programs in stereo, watch TV programs in excellent image quality, and more. Also available is DVDFront, a front-end that simplifies the creation of video DVDs out of recordings made by EmperoarTV. It now supports both WarpOverlay and SNAP overlays. Go to http://www.s-t.de/emperoar/.

NOTES:
1. EmperoarTV can be purchased at Mensys (http://shop.mensys.nl/catalogue/mns_EmperoarTV.html).
2. You need WarpIN to install.

UpdCD version 2.56 has been released as of 04/01/2006. 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 theses 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.

ProjectX version 0.90.4 has been released as of 04/01/2006. This is a Java program that converts, repairs, and/or cuts DVB (MPEG-2) files. Use search key projectx 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.