OS/2 e-Zine - The Best OS/2 Reading Anywhere!

August 16, 2003

Carlos de Luna Saenz is a 32 years old OS/2 user since he discovered it, on 1992 with OS/2 2.1. He wrote "Building the infrastructure for the internet" for IBM on 1996 and has developed several projects for OS/2 (especially intranets) since then. He also knows that being an OS/2 user in todays world is to be more productive than others, even when the people is not always willing to try, specially for the lack of applications with NLS, but he is convinced that the users can change that also.

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Useful Programs for a Useful OS

Lot of us have joined or used some of the current projects on OS/2. Those projects are the programs that have brought life to our Operating System since IBM decided whatever they decided. In this article I have a look at some of my favourite projects for OS/2 home users giving an status for each one and speaking about the importance of it in order to make our system bigger.

WarpIn

Warp In is a very good project developed in Netlabs by Jens B„ckman and Ulrich M”ller. They have made an API that helps the programmers to create and use all the power of a modern installer, much much better than the one used on the IBM products or the one used on the Java installation (netscape installer plugin) [Editor: That's the Feature Installer, also needed for TCP/IP 4.3]. Warp In a project which has "graduated" from Netlabs and is currently on version 1.0.1.

It helps the user to have a single access point to the installed programs [Editor: The old IBM installer did this too, but not Feature Installer.] and with a very good user interface. This project is not just alive, but is used by lot of other programs/projects such Odin. Warp In is a free program that is distributed under the GNU-GPL license scheme.

Web site: http://warpin.netlabs.org

Status: Alive and well!

Current Version: 1.01

Third Eye

Third Eye is a Digital Camera reader project that is hosted by OS2.ru. Third Eye has a good GUI and support for many different cameras.

I have used Third Eye PM and it's a good front end for those cameras that work with it. A shame that my almost no-name brand camera didn't worked, but some friends cameras did. (It's the poor history of a poor man who can only afford no-name brands).

It has some cute REXX support, so you could do some "strange things" with this program. For example: A CGI to monitor a room on your home when you are travelling away.

Web site: http://es.ecomstation.ru/projects/thirdeye/

Status: Shareware. Alive and with support until 2005. NLS support for several languages such Spanish, German Russian and English

Current Version: 2.2

Poor Mans PDF (PMPDF)

Great for generating PDFs, some limitations are in place but for most PDF's it works fine. [Editor: I believe the limitations are mostly due to Ghostscript, not PMPDF]. I used it a few times to make some brochures from Word Pro. The installation is not as easy as a "human" user would like: I had to install GhostScript v7 [Editor: Ghostscript v8 is now available] as the Postscript engine, then I installed PMPDF as a port driver. Finally, I created a printer that used Ghostscript as a driver and that printed out to the PMPDF port. Each time I used this printer I have a PDF. (After all no one ever said that a poor man life was easy). But the new version has a .WPI (WarpIn) file, so the newer poor men have an easier life. [Editor: Yes, the new version is very painless. Another option is ePDF, which is very similar]

Web site:: http://pmpdf.netlabs.org/

Status: Alive, but the latest news is from February 2003 (I am a very poor man who is impatient :-) ).

Current Version: 1.0.5

By the way, the author doesn't want to be a hero "it was just 20 lines of code", so let's make a hero out of the GhostScript programmers...:-)

Emu-OS/2 (M.A.M.E.)

Do you wanna play? Do you really wanna play? Then EmuOS/2 is the thing that you are looking for, this is the port of MAME, which means that you will have an arcade machine at home with this with hundreds of possible games.

Web site: http://emuos2.netlabs.org/

Current Version: 0.37 beta 14 Beware this is a beta version.

UAE for OS/2

Do you know any Amiga user that didn't like those computers? Well, now you can make an emulation of them on our favorite OS.

Web site: http://uae.netlabs.org/

Status: Unknown, but be aware this is Alpha version.

Current version: Alpha 1

Warpvision

This program really rocks, if you need a multimedia viewer/listener, Warp Vision is your all-in-one choice. The primary goal is to have a DVD player. A lot of us are using this program, I think that a lot of us (including me) should deposit a donation to give this group a reason to keep the good work, for the moment (until my payroll arrives) a greeting and a salute to those Russians. Keep working fellows! This is a must have.

[Editor: You can donate via BMT Micro. The new minimum donation is only $15US now. You get sent a registration key file, but no instructions. If someone knows what to do with this, please let me know.]

Web site: http://os2.kiev.ua/en/wv.php

Status: Under development with somewhat regular and frequent releases.

Current version: 06/07/2003

HandyFTP

Need to make FTP downloads easier? HandyFTP can be a good option. HandyFTP has the reget option and other cool features. The problem seems to be that is no longer under development.

Web site: http://handyftp.netlabs.org/

Status: Seems to be not developing since 2001. Current version: 1.0 Beta 2

LookOut/2

One of the things Windows users seem to like to do is to compromise their systems using Outlook. In order to give them a light and bring them back from the dark side of The Force, OS/2 Netlabs proudly presented on Warpstock Europe 2002, LookOut/2 which is a mailreader, PIM, basically an Outlook replacement for the OS/2 environment. Look at LookOut if you want to know what the program can do.

Web site: http://lookout.netlabs.org/

Status: Unknown. Unfortunately, after the demo at Warpstock, there is no download for the product but a bunch of screenshots instead. Too sad.

Current version: Unknown

Mozilla

Need I mention more? This is THE browser of the moment and eCS | OS/2 have the latest version of it available for download. This is another MUST HAVE.

Web site: http:www.mozilla.org

Status: Alive and well.

Current version: 1.4 (stable), 1.5 (alpha)

Audio-Data CD Creator and RSJ CDWriter

Audio CD Creator is part of the Multimedia Extensions, but you can also get it as a separate animal, if you don't need or want the rest of the bundle

CDWriter fron RSJ (which is a commerical product) provides a powerful interface to create data and audio CDs. It is a very well proven tool that's easy to install and use but is not free.

If you want a tool that has some promise but is in early stages AND it's free. Go for Audio-data CD Creator, but if you want power, stability and proven technology and DVD writing, go RSJ.

Web site: Audio-data CD Creator or RSJ CD Writer

Status: Both alive

Current version: RSJ CD Write 5.0.2, MMExtensions: 0.53

MultiMedia Extensions

[Editor: Most people might know this as CW-Multimedia (CWMM) Classes]

Tired of WPS Multimedia limitations? Need a folder that can became an MP3 playlist automatically? Want to open an MP3 as you open a WAV? Want to see MP3 Tags without opening the file (on the properties book)? Then MM Extensions is just what you need. Take it with Warpvision and any CD Writing program to make your desktop up-to-date. (We are not responsible for people staying up late at night listening music or watching DVD's on their computers).

Web site: http://mmext.netlabs.org/ or http://www.os2world.com/cdwriting/mmclasses/mmclassesmain.htm

Current Version: 0.2.6

GIMP/2 (EverBlue)

Another favorite "Poor Man" option is GIMP, which is an Adobe Photoshop-like program with a great variety of filters and tools. This project is on several branches for eCS and OS/2, one of them is a PM application using the EverBlue project (What's that? Is a project like Xfree86/2 but tries to give the ability to run X programs to the Presentation Manager, instead of using a separated graphical session). The use is not as simple as an ordinary user would like, but it is very powerful and can allow experienced designers to achieve things that "mere mortals" dream about.

[Editor: The regular X version of GIMP/2, i.e. not Everblue version, is more advanced, stable and bug-free. But you need XFree86/2 or HOBX11]

Web site: http://gimp.netlabs.org/

Status: Alive, with several kids (XFree version and PM)

Current Version: 1.2.2 (XFree86/2 version), 1.0.2 (PM/Everblue version)

XFree86/2

If you want to run GNOME, KDE or any UNIX program chances are that you can do it on OS/2, but chances are that you need XFree86/2, this is a graphical environment that is compatible with the X-Window system.

Web site: http://xfreeos2.dyndns.org/

Status: Alive and going, and it's free.

Current version: 4.3.0

Eclipse/2

Are you a programmer? A Java programmer? Then this is for you. Eclipse/2 is a project to port the native part of Eclipse project to OS/2. Eclipse is a IDE that can help you to develop Java or C++ (or any other language). This is another "must-have" if you are a programmer, the project owner told us that help is needed, if you want to help, go to the URL and contact the project leader.

Web site: http://eclipseos2.netlabs.org/

So.. what's Missing?

Games, real competitive games for the new world, such as Sims, SimCity 3000, Star Wars Episode II, Harry Potter, Oni (supported by Odin but the slowness exceeds my patience), etc. That's the part missing, but my 9 year old girl is happy playng Crown of Might and other games for OS/2. That can be a review for another day.

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