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Single site for commercial ISV updates.
WarpSpeed Computers offers a single site for commercial ISV updates
Brunswick, VIC, AUSTRALIA, May 31, 1997 -- To all commercial ISV's - WarpSpeed Computers is offering use of its internet server to provide a single unified site for updates of their products. The offer is open to all commercial ISV's who are shipping OS/2 products. There is no charge for this service. IBM have offered their full support for this initiative by placing a link from their updates page to the WarpSpeed Computers page.
Updates to products, particularly when dealing with multiple vendors, can often be tedious and very time consuming to find and install. WarpSpeed Computers is offering its internet server as a holding site for updates. The updates will be made available via four different methods. Gopher and FTP will be provided for those users who prefer a standard gopher or FTP interface. Also provided is a modified gopher server which is needed for the "Retrieve Software Updates" program that was supplied with OS/2 Warp 3.
Support for the newer web based "Retrieve Software Updates" (RSU) program is also provided. IBM is using the RSU method for the distribution of its own CSD's and other updates. Using the RSU method, the user clicks on a link to a small RSU file. This RSU file is recognised by a suitably modified web browser (IBM provides an update program for Netscape and Web Explorer users), downloaded and passed onto the RSUINST.EXE program. The RSUINST program downloads the real updates and then runs an install program.
The site has been fully operational for a month and we have had two ISV's join up. Spitfire Software (InCharge!) and Sundial Systems (Mesa, Relish, DBExpert) have had their latest updates made available using this service and the reports back have been encouraging. It seems that users do indeed appreciate this service.
WarpSpeed Computers will provide documentation and support to those ISV's that require it. The information can be found at http://www.warpspeed.com.au/rsuinfo.htm.
"The real aim of this offering is to make it is easier on the users. Nothing else." says Director and CEO Chris Graham. "We have seen an obvious need in the market and we have supplied a solution to it. The concept was mentioned to the editors of some eZines and they thought that OS/2 users sorely needed such a service, so we just set out and did it. We use it for our own products and it works well. Why shouldn't we offer it to others?"
The WarpSpeed Computers Updates page can be accessed at: http://www.warpspeed.com.au/updates.htm. This page is the main page as it provides links to all of the ISV's supported in this endeavour.
This can only work with the support of other ISV's. We are hoping that all of them will get involved, as no-one looses. Everyone wins, particularly the users. All interested ISV's should email Chris Graham at the below address for further details.
WarpSpeed has also expanded its offering to the participating ISV's by providing free use of its mailing list facilities. What is offered is a list mailing lists to choose from. Current lists are "Announcements", "Bugs" and "Updates", these three lists are freely available to all users - they can sign themselves up, query which lists they are on and remove themselves at will - all without the intervention of the individual ISV. When an ISV has an announcement to make, it is submitted to WarpSpeed Computers and we make sure that all users on the list under the appropriate section are emailed the information. The mailing list page is found at: "http://www.warpspeed.com.au/maillist.htm".
IBM were asked to and agreed to place a link on their update pages to
our page. This link can be found at:
http://ps.software.ibm.com/pbin-usa-ps/getobj.pl?/pdocs-usa/otherservices.
html.
By providing this link, IBM is actively helping WarpSpeed Computers by
providing exposure to its services which will encourage ISV's to
participate.
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Graham Utilities v2.00, 4th CSD Available.
The fourth CSD for The Graham Utilities for OS/2, V2 has been made available.
To retrieve and install this CSD you have a number of options at your disposal. There are two methods of installation: manual and automatic.
The manual method involves downloading the CSD zip file, extracting it and then running the CSDInst.Exe program. The zip file also has a CMD file in it to do this for you (UPDINST.CMD).
To retrive the file, you have a number of options and methods available to you. They are FTP, Gopher or Telnet.
To use FTP, log on using the following details:
Host ftp.warpspeed.com.au
User ID Updates
Password Updates
Make sure that your transfer mode is set to BINARY and then GET the appropriate file.
To Use Gopher, you can connect using one of two ports (70 or 77). For example:
Gopher -p 70 -h updates.warpspeed.com.au
or
Gopher -p 77 -h updates.warpspeed.com.au
The telnet methods allows you to log onto the BBS. Enter:
Telnet bbs.warpspeed.com.au
The automatic method is to use the retrieve software updates program provided by IBM. There are two different versions of the retrieve software updates program. The first which was supplied with Warp 3 (not Warp 4), used a gopher server on port 77. If you are using Warp 3 then enter:
Update -h updates.warpspeed.com.au -t C:\GU20
(assuming that C:\GU20 was where you installed the utilities).
If you are using Warp 4, IBM did not supply the Update.Exe program, instead they have created another program RSUInst.Exe (Remote Software Updates). Using this method, you open a web page and select a RSU file by clicking on it. This downloads a small .RSU file to your browser, and if your web browser is correctly configured to recognise the MIME type "application/rsu", passes it onto RSUInst.Exe which then logs via FTP onto a specified server, downloads the file(s) and then runs any specified installation program.
Further instructions and information on RSU (and links to the IBM page
to get it all) can be found on the WarpSpeed Computers Updates page
that can be accessed via http://www.warpspeed.com.au/updates.htm.
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Unify's VISION with VISION/Web for OS/2 Available.
Native DB2 support also available
Unify Corporation has announced general availability of VISION with VISION/Web for OS/2 Warp. VISION is a high-end, cross-platform application development tool.
"OS/2 customers can now move to new paradigms like the Web and continue to use the operating system that best suits their needs," said Carla Schneiderman, Unify's vice president of worldwide marketing and business development. "With the addition of OS/2 and DB2 support, we look forward to extending our partnership with IBM. Together, we can enable IBM's premier global 2000 customers to solve their mission-critical, high-volume transaction-based application needs today, and then easily move that application seamlessly to the Web."
"VISION with VISION/Web provides our joint customers with the scalable, versatile tool they need for building and managing distributed intranet and Internet applications for the enterprise," said Donn Atkins, vice president of marketing at IBM's Personal Software Products division. "Unify's VISION with VISION/Web on OS/2 will assist in establishing OS/2 as a premier network computing operating system for our customers."
VISION/Web is the first advanced client/server development environment to generate Java code without the need for Java programming. VISION/Web helps build high-end transaction-oriented applications that run on Web and non-Web systems. (VISION/Web for OS/2 Warp clients will be available following the availability of Netscape Communicator Version 4 for OS/2 Warp.)
Unify product and service information is located on the World Wide Web at http://www.unify.com.
Unify, Unify VISION, VISION/Web, AppMan and the Unify logo are trademarks of
Unify Corporation. All other brand or product names are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective owners.
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MaxBase Database Suite Released.
BMT-Micro and Max Marsiglietti proudly present MaxBase, a database suite for the SOHO and home users.
The whole suite is written for the Java environment, and was coded entirely using the NetRexx compiler.
The program is small, easy to use, portable, capable, expandable by means of plugins (applications written in NetRexx, Java or even native code), and highly customizable. E.g. you can translate the program from English to your preferred language simply by changing an ASCII file, or change the colors and fonts MaxBase uses with the possibility of having different colors, fonts and languages for every database you create! Import/Export from/to DB III .dbf files is supported for legacy compatibility and data exchange with other databases [Many thanks to Giuseppe Aprile for his great continued work on these conversion utilities!].
MaxBase has been successfully tested so far on OS/2 and Win32 platforms, with Solaris tests in advanced progress and Linux coming next in our test list (an early Linux user is testing it as well).
MaxBase is also listed in the "what's cool" pages on Gamelan, the leading Internet site related to Java applications, applets and resources. [For comparison, less than 10% of the database products on Gamelan have been awarded with the presence on the "what's cool" pages]
MaxBase is integrated with OS/2 and the WorkPlace Shell. An install batch file is provided, and you get (among the other things) a template to create new DBs and a handful of nice artwork (icons and a background for the MaxBase folder automatically installed and set up for you). Another feature of Maxbase is the ability to right-click on a MaxBase db and be able to either open the db for local use or share it on the net (be it a LAN or the Internet). There is logging and password protection to prevent external users from manipulating your data without your permission. A gorgeous WarpGuide, a comprehensive HTML manual and several ASCII documents are provided with the product. [Thanks to Andrea Resmini for his awesome artwork and HTML coding!].
The MaxBase suite is composed of several libraries, applications and an Applet. At the lowest level you have a DB library (written in NetRexx, hence Java) which comes with its own online manual which you can use to write your own programs. Then you have a stand-alone non-networked GUI application, a stand-alone Client/Server version (server can handle two incoming requests at once for the standard edition, unlimited for the extended edition), and finally an Applet which can be put on a web page to publish your databases on the net. The Applet requires the Server running on the machine which hosts the web server.
A full-featured copy of MaxBase can be found at http://www.bmtmicro.com/catalog/mb-web/.
Please note that you need long file names to install the OS/2 package, so please install it on an HPFS drive.
The only limitations for the try-and-buy copy of MaxBase are:
1) You have a screen reminding you to register when you log into a database.
2) The Server included in the package accepts only up to two connections at a
time [same as the standard edition].
No crippling, no time bombing whatsoever has been introduced, to let you evaluate it fully. Support shareware!
Prices:
*) The standard edition of MaxBase, full local version + client/server extensions with server accepting up to two connections at once per database served, only costs 29 US Dollars.
*) The extended edition of MaxBase, full local version + client/server extensions with server accepting all the connections it can handle at once per database served, costs 89 US Dollars.
The price includes all the enhancements, bug fixes from here to version 2.0 and any plugin that the author will make available from the web site. Included in the package you will find two plugins, one to print your records, free form, and one to display images and text starting form a database, with full NetRexx source code included!
If _you_ have plugins that you developed and want to release to the public, contact the author or directly drop them at the author's address, and he will release them to the public with proper credits. No rights are reserved by the author on the plugins you create, so you can start crafting and selling your own MaxBase plugins right now.
All the programs in the packages, excluding the installer which is present in the OS/2 version of the package and the batch file for Windows 95/NT users on the 'generic' package, are Java applications.
A mailing list, where people can talk about MaxBase and all things regarding it (e.g. plugins) has been setup and you can reach it by writing an e-mail to:
specifying "subscribe" (no quotes) on the subject. To unsubscribe from the list, just send a message to the very same address, specifying "unsubscribe" on the subject. Every other subject will let you post to the mailing list.
Max Marsiglietti, the author, can be reached at maxmars@pianeta.it.
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I have recently ported babel 1.6 to OS/2
This is a file converter for different types of molecular modeling formats.
Ported by Travis Thoms.
Eventual location: /pub/os2/unix/applications/babel16.zip Presently: /pub/incoming/babel16.zip
Requires EMX rt.
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Virtual Pascal for OS/2 Enhanced.
fPrint (UK) Ltd have enhanced Virtual Pascal for OS/2 to include most of the language features found in Borland Delphi v2, and made changes to the Delphi Visual Component Library source code to allow programs written using Delphi under Windows to be recompiled as native 32-bit OS/2 applications. The built-in linker automatically converts the 16- or 32-bit Windows resources to OS/2 format, and none or very few changes are required to make Delphi programs run in OS/2.
A freely available archive containing the required files for all existing users of VP/2 is available on our FTP site; details are at the bottom of this mail.
A few comments are required, however. For implementing Delphi and VCL compatibility, we have relied on IBM's Open32/Dapie/DAX library, which emulates a subset of the Win32 API and - according to IBM - allows developers to quickly port their Windows applications to OS/2. Regretfully, the Open32 library as it currently stands (Warp 3 w/FP28) is unstable, limited in functionality, and very slow. Timing tests suggest that applications using Open32 are about 5-15 times slower than their native Windows counterparts.
For this reason, fPrint has suspended further development of the Delphi compatible version of Virtual Pascal for OS/2, and instead release this archive as a downloadable upgrade to all existing users of VP/2. If you can find a use for it, at least our work has not all been wasted! The updated compiler, linker and RTL allows you to recompile your Delphi programs to OS/2, where they will run as native applications. Or walk, rather.
The VCL units supported are Forms, Controls, Graphics, Menus, StdCtrls, ExtCtrls, Dialogs, FileCtrl, Grids, Tabs, Mask, Clipbrd, Printers, Outline and Buttons. The most notable missing unit is CommCtrl, which defines all the Win32-specific controls - alas, Open32 does not support any of these and probably will never do so. "Close16" was suggested as a better name by a beta tester of the package :-)
Last, we of course welcome comments, suggestions and criticism as usual. We are most interested to hear about any (compiler) bugs you find, and whether you actually manage to use it for something useful!
The archive, vpvcl1.zip, 800kB can be found at
ftp://ftp.fprint.co.uk/fprint/vpascal. To install it, you need the VP/2 and a Borland Delphi v2 CD-ROM.
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TiMidity Now Available.
TiMidity is a program for converting MIDI files to waveform data suitable for output to conventional sound files (.wav, .au) or directly and in real time to your sound card. It is a port of the UNIX program by Tuukka Toivonen. It will play MIDI files with a sound quality on par with wavetable MIDI sound systems, which is vastly superior to the FM MIDI sound systems on typical low-range sound cards.
In order to output it to your sound card you require DART to be set up. OS/2 Warp 4 uses have it included. It is available for OS/2 Warp 3, but I'm not certain how you are supposed to get it. The EMX runtime library is also required.
TiMidity uses GUS patch files as sources for instruments samples. A complete collection requires about 5MB+ of disk space and is necessary to play random MIDIs. There is a package of two patches and some test MIDI files so you can determine it the system will work for you before you have to download all that.
The new release of TiMidity now has both the regular text-mode interface (or lack of interface) and a PM graphical interface. The PM interface features a limited playlist capability (to be improved), ability to start, stop and move the current position to any point in the sound file and the ability to play wav, avi and any other format supported by MMOS/2.
This is distributed as Freeware under the GNU license. The source code is available, and it is a useful real-life example of how to use DART.
TiMidity for OS/2 is available at http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~doconnor/timidity.html.
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I've received a few notes in my mailbox asking about the recently announced Lotus Notes Version 4.6. Here are some questions that have been asked by OS/2 Warp users along with the answers as I understand them:
Q. Why is Version 4.6 only announced for Windows platforms?
A. The major feature enhancement in Version 4.6 is integration with Microsoft Internet Explorer and ActiveX on Windows platforms. Since this feature is of little or no interest to Notes users on other platforms, Version 4.6 was not announced more widely.
Q. So when's the next Notes upgrade coming for OS/2 Warp?
A. Currently the latest OS/2 Warp version of Lotus Notes (both server and client) is Version 4.51 (current with all other releases). In addition to ongoing maintenance, Lotus expects to release Version 5.0 of Lotus Notes, client and server, for all Notes platforms (including OS/2 Warp, OS/2 Warp Server, and OS/2 Warp Server SMP) simultaneously in the fourth quarter (or about 90 days after the final release of Version 4.6). Lotus also expects to release Lotus Smartsuite 97 for OS/2 Warp in the fourth quarter, an upgrade to Lotus Smartsuite 96 for OS/2 Warp.
Q. Why is Lotus Notes advertising integration with ActiveX? I thought IBM is promoting Java.
A. Lotus Notes already supports Java (both on the client and on the server) and Netscape Navigator, and further enhancements to this support are expected in Version 5.0. Consequently these features were not reannounced. In addition, Lotus's Kona office suite is written entirely in Java. In fact, Lotus is now working on a Java-based SmartCenter (an update to the WarpCenter) which will ship first in Lotus Smartsuite 97 for OS/2 Warp.
ActiveX has not enjoyed broad support on the Internet due to several factors, most notably its security flaws and lack of cross-platform support (including support for new Internet computing devices such as network stations). Consequently Java has become the Internet standard for applications. However, from time-to-time Lotus will implement technologies which customize Notes for specific platforms while still maintaining a commitment to Internet standards. For example, Lotus Notes now supports the symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) performance enhancements in OS/2 Warp Server Advanced SMP for maximum performance on PC servers. Also, Notes works together with the TME 10 NetFinity system management services in OS/2 Warp Server, so that both clients and servers can access Notes-based statistics on systems attached to the network. In Japan, Lotus announced integration of Japanese office equipment (using standards popular in that country) with OS/2 Warp-J (Japanese version) Notes servers, to serve that particular market.
Some Windows users wish to use Notes web technology in conjunction with Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Version 4.6 is intended to provide that function for that group of people. For OS/2 Warp users, Lotus ships Lotus Notes Mail with every copy of IBM OS/2 Warp Version 4. These programs and promotions are designed so that more people on all platforms will enjoy using Lotus Notes.
Timothy F. Sipples
IBM Personal Software (Chicago)
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If you have purchased an IBM desktop or Thinkpad recently, you received a paper license to use SmartSuite 96. With some models, the CD itself is included. Neither IBM nor Lotus does a good job of telling you that this license applies to SmartSuite 96 for OS/2, as well! All you have to do is call Lotus Customer Support (800 343-5414) and read off the product numbers from the license sheet to order the CD/manuals. Don't call the general fulfillment number on the license sheet - they are clueless about the OS/2 option.
The OS/2 CD costs $10, with manuals about $30. Best of all, you are
entitled to a free upgrade for SmartSuite 97 when it becomes available!
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iLink v1.01 Released.
26 May, 1997 Wilmington, NC - BMT Micro, Inc. announces the release of iLink/2 version 1.01.
iLink/2 is a PM drop-in replacement for IBM's 'Dial Other Internet Provider' (hereafter called 'DOIP'). It is designed to duplicate the basic dialing capabilities of DOIP, and build on them. It's features include:
Built in redialing
Multiple number support
CPS monitor
Bytes tracking
Commandline auto-dial
Program autostarts
Automatic reconnection
Enhanced configurability
Saving of window positions, colours and fonts
Condensed window for better space usage
Full compatibility with DOIP
The shareware version can be downloaded at ftp://ftp.bmtmicro.com/bmtmicro/ilink1_1.zip or
at http://www.bmtmicro.com.
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Copyright © 1997 - Falcon Networking