the Beta File

- by Ryan Dill

Welcome back to the Beta File, your source for the latest breaking news in OS/2 beta development. Every month we scour the OS/2 world to bring you interesting news of OS/2 software in development. If you have a product that you're sure is going to be the next killer app, or you want a little free exposure for your beta test, drop us a note!

This month, we begin with an event many of you have no doubt been waiting for -- the first international beta of StarDivision's StarOffice 4.0 for OS/2. StarOffice is a MS Office clone which is available on multiple platforms, among them OS/2 and Linux. StarOffice comprises a full suite of applications including StarWriter (word processor), StarCalc (spreadsheet), and StarImpress (graphics design), and promises to be a major contender in the OS/2 market. This version of StarOffice includes Internet integration for e-mail and news, as well as Internet publishing capabilities, making it extremely easy to create content and send it right to the WWW.

The beta program is open to all who are interested, all one has to do is download the beta from StarDivision's international SO4 beta site, and away you go. The beta will be functional until August 31, 1997, at which time it will expire, so download and try it out while you can. SO4 is expected to sell as a commercial application, price to be announced upon release.

Moving right along, last month I was debating about sticking in a mention of the alpha version of IBM's Home Page Builder -- HPB is a new What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) HTML editor for OS/2, AIX and Win95/NT, developed by IBM Japan. At the time of the alpha, only the Japanese version was available -- although its setup file could be hacked to display menus and such in English, help files and demo HTML were still only in Japanese. But since it was still "alpha" at the time, it really didn't fit in the Beta File last month.

Now, however, that's changed. The people at IBM's Developer Connection have tidied up the alpha a little and released it as HPB Beta 1 on the IBM Developer Connection CD-ROM. For all of those who aren't subscribed to the Developer Connection, the people at DevCon are being nice enough to provide a downloadable copy of the beta (as long as you register for it).

If you'd like to download the Home Page Builder beta and give it a try, follow these steps:

1. Use your web browser to go to http://service.software.ibm.com/devcon/
2. Select 'View License Agreement' (and read it, of course)
3. Select 'English'
4. Select the 'HTML 1.0' catalog (It's faster than the frames and Java page)
5. Select 'Internet Tools, Member Level'
6. Select 'Home Page Builder' (not Home Page Publisher)
7. Select 'register'

Previously, IBM had stated no intention of producing a non-Japanese version of the software. Seeing it now in the DevCon program may mean they're listening to all the users who expressed interest in a non-Japanese version. If you write any HTML at all, I recommend you try out Home Page Builder -- if you like what you see, be sure to submit positive feedback to IBM and make it clear that you're interested in an international version.

As of yet, no mention has been made of expected release date or final pricing. I would assume that since IBM doesn't make many shareware applications, it will be a commercial application.

For anyone who uses their computer for creating music, a new product called Agathon PM Synth might hold some interest. PM Synth is a program which uses the MIDI instrument capability of your sound card to turn your computer into a MIDI keyboard -- you can compose music, record and play it back in multiple channels (up to 16), or save your creations and continue adding to them later.

The first beta of Agathon PM Synth was not widely distributed, but this second beta is freely downloadable by anyone who wishes to try it out. More information and download links can be found at the Agathon home page -- the archive can also be found on Hobbes and LEO. Agathon PM Synth is freeware (and according to the author Harald Eilertsen, will most likely remain so).

One caveat -- the program requires RTMIDI to be installed; in Warp 4, RTMIDI is installed by default if you install multimedia. RTMIDI also requires a sound card which supports it, which not all cards do. Most notably, Sound Blaster and Aztec cards are out of luck. For more information on RTMIDI, check out Timur Tabi's RTMIDI page. Eilertsen includes a list of sound cards Agathon PM Synth has been tested with on his home page above.

Nick Knight, the man behind the popular MR/2 ICE e-mail client, has announced that work on his newsreader extensions to MR/2 ICE are progressing nicely. At this point, he's prepared to expand his current beta program, allowing more users in on the testing process. To date, the beta program has only been open to registered users of MR/2 ICE and Nick plans to keep it that way for this expansion. Since MR/2 ICE is shareware though, nonregistered users will still be able to try the program out when the testing process is complete.

If you're a registered user of MR/2 ICE, are not currently in the newsreader beta program and would like to be, send an e-mail to Nick Knight with the subject line: "Newsreader Beta Expansion". He'll no doubt let people know when his expansion slots in the beta program are filled.

More information about MR/2 ICE can be found at the MR/2 ICE home page where there are links to just about everything related to the program, including add-ons and FAQ listings.

InnoVal Systems is currently putting out the call for beta testers for their newest Java product, Hacksaw. Already available in Win95/NT and OS/2 platform-specific versions, InnoVal is developing the Java version so that anyone on any platform supporting Java can use this Internet tool. The Java version will be available both as a regular tool (a program, like the Windows and OS/2 versions) and as a toolkit which will allow easy development of Java-based Internet applications.

For those unaware, Hacksaw can be used to greatly simplify many Internet-based operations, such as e-mailing mailing lists, multiple file downloads, and the update of web sites. More information on Hacksaw can be found at the Hacksaw web site. According to InnoVal:

Hacksaw takes FTP to a new level of simplicity and sophistication. Imagine updating your site with a single command. Hacksaw can retrieve web pages and other web-based files using the HTTP protocol. It can send e-mail messages to a single address or to an entire mailing list through an SMTP server. It can retrieve, count, and delete any or all messages waiting for you on a POP3 mail server.

The HACKSAW TK class library is ideal for anyone who wants to write 100% pure Java applications and utilities that use standard Internet/intranet protocols and file formats. It includes time-tested methods (ported from C/C++) for high performance data transfer and robust error recovery, essential elements for successful Internet/intranet applications.

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