[Please note: this is a text only version of the on-line magazine "OS/2 e-Zine!".  OS/2 e-Zine! is a graphical, WWW OS/2 publication and, if possible, should be viewed in its HTML format available on-line or zipped for off-line reading.  For best reading of this file, use a text editor at full-screen width.]


OS/2 e-Zine!		October 1996			Volume 1 Number 12
----------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 1996		Falcon Networking  		ISSN 1203-5696


OPINIONS:

  Editorial
  Chris' Rant
  Trevor's Rant
  the Rave... Whack-a-Mole
  Enterprise 3001


RESOURCES:

  the Beta File
  Chris' ColorWorks Power Tips
  Answers from e-Zine!
  Need for Speed
  the REXX Files
  How Do I?


REVIEWS:					

Warp 4			Misc Reviews			Games
  Lauch Event		  Cosmos v4.0			  Avarice: The Final Saga
  First Looks		  IBM AntiVirus	v2.5		  VPoker v1.0
  Netscape Navigator	  Iomega Zip Drive
			  NetExtra v1.0.5


ARTICLES:

* Serving up a Winner - Scott Regener
* OS/2-CIM Alive! - Steven Atchue


END NOTES:

* NetHead's Nook
* The Chronicles of John Ominor
* Hot Sellers 1 - the top 10 selling commercial OS/2 applications.
* Hot Sellers 2 - the top 10 selling OS/2 shareware applications.

ODDS & ENDS:

* How to Subscribe to OS/2 e-Zine! for FREE.
* How YOU can Sponsor OS/2 e-Zine!
* The Sponsors that Make this Issue Possible


Copyright 1996   -   Falcon Networking
ISSN 1203-5696

***********************************

Finally, Warp Speed x4

-----

September seemed to drag on endlessly for some of us.

While some lucky few in the US managed to get their hands on Warp 4 on the 25th of last month (and earlier in some cases), the majority of us sat biting our nails and wondering if that noise we just heard was the FedEx delivery person at the door.

But FedEx finally did deliver (at least for most of us).  And for those of you who have not yet gotten a glimpse of the newest incarnation of Warp, it is now filtering its way into direct mail and retail stores across the world.

By all accounts, the launch event in San Francisco last month was a well attended affair.  (IBM invited 700 industry journalists and the press never turns down a free lunch.)  But many people have already started worrying that not enough "mainstream" press have taken notice of the launch.  At this point, it's still a little early for reports to actually have made their way into the print world; time will tell if IBM's money for free lunches, plane tickets for developers and satellite links was well spent or not.  I'll be hoping that the recent increase in positive interest in Warp by the mainstream press continues.

Media aside though, some people have been disappointed at recent IBM statements concerning our OS of choice, including some made at the Warp 4 event itself.  And the new pricing structure for Warp speaks louder than anything IBM could possibly say.  Here in Canada the upgrade version of Warp 4 sells for between $160 and $185 (street prices) and even in the States it is about $110 through mail order stores.  Some may argue that US$110 isn't that much higher than Warp 3 was when it was released but remember, to get this price you already have to own a license.  The full version sells for almost double that.

So it's settled.  IBM is not keeping prices low to aggressively target the end user.  In fact, it seems IBM is not targeting the end user at all.

Or are they?

Many feel that IBM hasn't really stopped planning to sell large numbers of OS/2 Warp licenses to the masses; they have just stopped believing that they will in the near future.  There is some easily observable support for this theory.

First, there are the various changes that have been made to Warp this year.  Who were these changes made for?  It's well known that Windows 95 has been somewhat slow to be taken up by corporate users; they were either uninterested in its improved interface, doubted its stability or were reluctant to upgrade machines.  By all accounts, the majority of Win95 licenses shipped have been preloaded on new machines.

So now IBM, who claims to want to target only these same corporate users, has released Warp 4.  Not just with a souped up interface, complete with WarpCenter; not just with Netscape Navigator (free!); not just with spiffed up icons, bitmaps, etc.  (All those things are there!)  On top of all these features, they've done one better than Microsoft once again by including the gee-whiz feature of the decade -- VoiceType.

Businesses weren't swayed to switch to Windows 95 in droves, despite all its cosmetic enhancements and IBM thinks that these same businesses will rush out to buy Warp 4?  Maybe.  Or maybe business users don't want to use a whiz-bang feature like VoiceType as much as the home user does.  Maybe IBM knows this.

The second reason is the retail situation.  When Warp 3 was released it wasn't exactly hard to buy it in retail stores -- IBM is a big company after all and they pushed it pretty hard.  But here in Canada it was almost a full month after the release before it was even in some distributor's warehouses, let alone retail stores.  This time, Warp hit the streets, via more mature mail order businesses such as Indelible Blue and J3 Computer Technologies, the very day of its release.

And people in the US and Canada were able to walk into retail stores either on the 25th or a few days after and find copies on the shelves.  Retail stores.  In fact, thanks to Canadian distributor, House of Technology, retail outlets from up here in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia all the way to the other side of the continent now have OS/2 Warp 4 in stock as well as other OS/2 software.  The retail situation is improving.

Is this how Fortune 500 companies make their purchases?  At the local computer store?

Maybe IBM knows which way the wind is blowing after all.  Maybe they realize that if Microsoft can spend $200 million of their own money (and hundreds of millions more of other companies') and fail to take the world by storm, then an underdog like OS/2 probably wouldn't fare much better.  Maybe they realize what an important part in Warp's success Team OS/2 members and other OS/2 aficionados have played.  Maybe they are counting on the grass roots support of people like us to continue to work its magic.

And don't forget, IBM still sold OS/2 v2.11 after Warp 3 was introduced.  There have been reports that Big Blue will repeat this with a "reintroduction" of Warp 3 now that Warp 4 has arrived.  What effect will this have on OS/2's total market share?  Will it make a difference?  Only time will tell.

***********************************

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(http://www.bmtmicro.com/pmview/) PMView
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The Post Road Mailer is a high performance, 32-bit, email program with drag and drop filing, printing, shredding, word wrap and multiple MIME attachments.

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Software developer and IBM PC VAR preloading OS/2 Warp.  Expert staff provides advice on hardware and creates custom software.

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(http://www.spg-net.com/) SPG Inc.
Creators of ColorWorks for OS/2 - The Artist's Ultimate Power Program!  ColorWorks has earned both the 1995 OS/2 Magazine Editor's Choice & the 1995 OS/2 Professional Magazine Best New Product Awards.

(http://www.stardock.com/) Stardock Systems
Providing software for the home and office.

(http://www.aescon.com/innoval/) Surf'nRexx
Use REXX to build powerful Internet utilities using our DLLs.  Package also includes 10 utilities as samples.

***********************************

Chris' Rant	- by Chris Wenham

Getting Talked At

Getting talked at is not a lot of fun, especially when the person talking at you is insulting your intelligence at the same time.

Without the honor of meeting them face-to-face, I was recently talked at by a number of journalists and semi-pundits who relayed the same information over and over again.  The most valuable advice they suggested I follow was to just give up and buy NT.  Among these oracles was one from Canopus Research who had spoken with IBM executives, another who was also a consultant was convinced he'd, "wasted 4 years of his life."  Both of them felt it absolutely necessary to make it as public as possible that Warp was a no-goer.

All this was to the massive disinterest of anyone but other journalists.

At the time I was playing with Merlin Beta and enjoying it enormously.  I was also trying to download the Star Office beta from Hobbes which was, and continues to be, highly congested thanks to a huge number of OS/2 users trying to connect too.  Object Desktop 1.5 had improved upon "wow" and was seriously challenging "holy cow!"  And some insiders were suggesting, in hushed voices, that Netscape/2 might be more than a pipe dream after all.

While doing some research for my tips column I listened to Joel Krautheim at SPG gushing about all the new features he was packing into ColorWorks 3 and fishing for ideas on another upcoming project of his.  The Indelible Blue catalog had come through the mail and I was seriously considering splurging for Avarice.  I had a problem with this because then I wouldn't be able to afford Galactic Civilizations 2 for a while and I wanted that too.

I'd just downloaded a useful little script from (http://www.prominic.com/) Prominic a week earlier too and was wondering what I could (http://www.spectra.net/~fox/links/index.html) do with it.  BMT Micro was expanding fast enough that they needed a new web site and I found myself involved with that.  Plus, much to my delight, the manager of a local computer store had agreed to let me hold a demonstration of Warp 4.0 as part of the Connect the World with Merlin project, which had tipped over 600 volunteers in more countries than I could count.

But every time I looked up from my monitor the media was still talking at me.

I'm being told that I am in denial.

I'm being told that nobody is developing for OS/2.  (I think their definition of "nobody" is anyone who can't afford to build a booth at COMDEX larger than Microsoft's.)

I'm being told there are zero applications.  (I think their definition of "zero" is any number less than 6 digits long.)

I'm being told nobody uses it.  (I think their definition of "nobody" is any population less than China's.)

I'm being told IBM is backing away from OS/2.  (I think their definition of "backing away" is any maneuver short of leaping over a cliff.)

I think I'm being told what my vision of the future should be by people who can't see beyond their own self importance.


So this is the point when I put down that magazine or close that window and get on with my work, which has been ten times more productive thanks to a few companies and individuals that didn't listen to the talk either.

Thanks, guys. You make the world a better place to live in.

-----

(http://www.spectra.net/~fox/) Chris Wenham is a Team OS/2er in Binghamton, NY with a catchy-titled company -- (http://www.spectra.net/~pendulum/webworks/) Wenham's Web Works. He has written comedy, sci-fi, HTML, Pascal, C++ and now writes software reviews.

***********************************
	
Trevor's Rant	- by Trevor Smith

-----

A funny thing happened the other day when I got my copy of Warp 4...

And I mean funny peculiar, not funny ha-ha.

As many of you know, Warp 4 comes with a neat little folder on the Desktop titled "Connections", in which there are sub-folders for "Printers", "Drives", and (most important for this story) "Web Sites".  This is a standard structure set up on every Warp 4 Desktop across the world.

Inside the "Web Sites" folder are further sub-folders containing, just as you would expect, URL objects pointing to common and interesting web sites covering many topics.  Naturally there is an "OS/2 Related Web Pages" folder.

Some time ago when the Merlin beta was shipped to about 10,000 people I noticed that this folder was missing OS/2 e-Zine! 's URL but that it did contain the URL for Warp Online, another WWW-based OS/2 publication.  Naturally, I contacted IBM and asked who I needed to speak with to ensure that the final version of Warp 4 included our URL as well -- after all, I didn't want the masses to miss out on "The Best OS/2 Reading ANYWHERE." (TM)  The gentleman I spoke with at IBM's Media Relations told me to send him an e-mail and he would make sure it got to the appropriate person.  I did.

For the next few months, I occasionally called or e-mailed this person at Media Relations, sometimes to check on the status of our URL, sometimes for other matters.  In all those months I never did manage to speak to him about our URL.

So, after I finally installed Warp 4, I had a look in the "OS/2 Related Web Pages" folder.  Nothing.

There was Warp Online all right, but OS/2 e-Zine! was nowhere to be found.  Corigan Computer's OS/2 Links was there as was Peter Norloff's OS/2 Shareware BBS.  There was even a page simply titled "OS/2 Links".  But no OS/2 e-Zine!.

Hmmm... I thought, maybe it's in another folder.  I tried "Computing".  Nope.  Adobe, Corel and ZD-Net (publishers of various on-line magazines) were there but not Haligonian Media (publishers of OS/2 e-Zine! ).

I tried "News and Sports"; this was a big one so I had a brief moment of hope.  Still no luck.  The New York Times was there, but not e-Zine!.

"Entertainment": another big one that didn't include us.  HotWired and iGuide were there but not the Internet's favourite OS/2 magazine.

"Reference": Nope.  "Education": Nothing.  "Business & Shopping": Zilch.

In fact, my friend at IBM let me down.  OS/2 e-Zine! is not anywhere to be found in the list of URLs that will ship to every Warp 4 Desktop for years to come.  People will have to keep finding us the way they have always been, by word of mouth and by our print and WWW advertisements.  So be it.

So why is Warp Online there and how did it get in the list so early on in the process, you ask?  After all OS/2 e-Zine! has been publishing far longer than Warp Online right?  Well, to be completely honest, that's not the point.  I'm glad Warp Online is in the list -- it should be.  And so should OS/2 e-Zine!.

Think about it: sure HotWired is likely of interest to those who purchase Warp 4; but OS/2 e-Zine!, a magazine which has been publishing monthly since 1995 and which (like Warp Online) caters solely to OS/2, is probably of more interest.  If IBM in general isn't focused on OS/2, I can understand; IBM is a big company after all.  But if the people putting together OS/2 itself can't manage to include (please excuse my immodesty) the Internet's best OS/2 related Web site, well that's another thing.

I can accept that IBM is a big company and one employee doesn't always communicate with another.  I can not accept that in deciding to compile a list of sites relevant to purchasers of Warp 4, no-one in IBM asked around to see what current users of OS/2 were interested in.  And I definitely can not accept that despite being contacted directly by OS/2 e-Zine!, IBM still didn't realize we were here.

But in the end, I have to accept that.  Because the only other explanation I can imagine is even more unthinkable: that IBM just doesn't consider us relevant.

It's a good thing that IBM is such a big company.  Otherwise it would be hard to love them so much and be so angry at them.

-----

(editor@os2ezine.com) Trevor Smith is the full time editor of OS/2 e-Zine! and part time IBM second-guesser.  Now if only IBM would realize he is here...

***********************************

the Rave: Whack-A-Mole

-----

Every once in a while, a neat little time waster comes along that allows you to work off stress or frustration in a simple but effective fashion.  Windows 3.x had Solitaire and Minesweeper (much to the dismay of office managers everywhere) but Warp's own bundled games are somewhat lacking in their appeal to users.  Luckily, some OS/2 shareware developers have stepped up to fill this void and done so admirably.

A good example of this is Whack-A-Mole by PsychoSemantic Software.  This nifty little game is a digital version of the extremely common carnival and arcade game where players try to clobber mechanical rodents popping in and out of holes in a board.  It's good fun at the fair and good fun on your PC screen too!

In the OS/2 version of the game, the moles in question pop up at random locations on your screen and your mouse is your hammer (complete with a bloody hammer for a mouse pointer) but the action required is the same old smash on the head reflex that you're used to.  Probably not very politically correct (oh, those animals' rights!) but satisfying.  I have spent many an idle moment whacking those pesky critters on their noggins!

The game's developer hasn't forgotten the extras either.  There are satisfying little sound effects ("roadkill!") each time you whack one of the nasty critters and both these sounds and the default bitmap can be replaced by the user.  So if you have a bitmap of a particularly annoying relative, co-worker or other, you can substitute it and really get some stress relief.

Like any good game, Whack-A-Mole is customizable.  On top of the above settings, users can turn sounds off, change the number of moles per game and the speed at which they appear.  The game also keeps track of high scores so you can impress your friends.

Basically, this game is small, fast to load and stable.  It's the perfect thing for those short breaks between other tasks when you just need to unwind and waste some time.

-----

* Whack-A-Mole
by (erlkonig@randomc.com) PsychoSemantic Software
download from (ftp://hobbes.nmsu.edu/os2/games/wam101.zip) Hobbes (ZIP, 92K)
Registration: US$5

***********************************

Enterprise 3001	- by Dan Porter

-----

I recently attended the Warp 4 launch even in San Francisco and have spoken with many IBM executives.  From this, some things have become clear.  I think that we, as consumers and as users of OS/2, need to face reality and move forward from there.

Fact 1.  There will be no push by IBM to sell OS/2 or OS/2 products in the retail channels.  There have been initiatives to do that on the part of IBM and other failed ventures in the past.  IBM is not about to try again.  It would cost millions to do so and the chances of success are not all that good.

Fact 2.  There will be very little, if any, consumer-level advertising for OS/2.  It just won't happen.

Many would argue that IBM didn't go about it in the right way before and that it could have succeeded had it been done correctly.  Perhaps.  I just don't know.  That isn't the point, though.  The point is that it won't happen now.  I have had several conversations with IBM executives recently.  These conversations were as recent as the Warp 4 Launch Event in San Francisco on September 25th.  I say we should accept these facts about IBM's marketing strategy and move on.

Fact 3.  IBM is not abandoning OS/2.  Nor is OS/2 dead.  Nor is Warp 4 the last hurrah for OS/2.  None of these possibilities were ever seriously considered to be realistic or reasonable options.

Fact 4.  IBM intends to aggressively market OS/2 to the "top" 3,000 large networked enterprises who are using OS/2 or are "qualified" prospects for OS/2.

I contend that there are 3,001 large networked enterprises.  We, collectively, individual and small business consumers of OS/2, are that additional enterprise.  IBM doesn't see it that way and unfortunately, until now we haven't seen it that way either.  But that could change.  We can be "Large Networked Enterprise 3001" if we want to be.

A few months ago we, InnoVal Systems Solutions and a significant number of supporters, launched the (http://www.aescon.com/innoval/everos2/) Ever Onward OS/2 campaign in response to the Tibbetts and Bernstein article that appeared in Information Week.  As a result of that campaign we collected nearly 2,800 letters in support of OS/2.  These were all sent to executives at IBM.  Were they read?  I think that many of them were, based on conversations that I had with management at IBM.  I also think that they had some positive effect.

I would like to see us move into the next phase of this campaign.  For that I need your ideas.  Every reasonable letter that we get will be collected into a book, or several books, and presented to IBM executives.  We'll sit down face to face with IBM management and present your case.  What is it that we want to see IBM do for us, its largest OS/2 customer?  Isn't it about time that Lotus delivered on a full office suite for OS/2?  Is that important to us?  Is it important that IBM sustain and even bolster support for its native OS/2 and Java ISV's so that we get the software that we need?  Tell us what you think.

Fact 5.  Microsoft is not the issue, regardless of what you think about Bill Gates or Microsoft.  I don't like their monopolistic practices any more than the next guy.  Sure, I'd like to see them knocked down a peg or two.  But the real issue for me is OS/2, my operating system of choice.  I, with you, am an IBM customer.

Fact 6.  IBM is not betraying OS/2 when it releases products for Windows NT and Windows 95.  IBM knows full well that it must serve its customers' needs as completely as possible.  Large accounts have multiple platforms.  Being a multi-platform provider actually increases IBM's chances of making OS/2 a success.

It is time for "Enterprise 3001" to move forward and press its case with its supplier -- IBM.  If you want to be a part of this initiative please let us know.  What we need most is your ideas and your endorsement.  Tell us why OS/2 is the ideal platform for you and others who are consumers.  Tell us what your priorities are.  We'll carry the story forward.  We'll issue press releases.  And we will keep you informed.

Here is how you can help:

1.  Send a letter with ideas or your endorsement for OS/2.  We are particularly interested if there is anything that you can do to help.  Send your input to (warp@innoval.com) warp@innoval.com.  If we are to use a letter that you write, we request that you sign your name.  If you want us to withhold your name, we can do so if you request it.

2.  Spread the word through the Internet, on CompuServe and other networks.

3.  And please participate in our weekly straw poll survey at (http://www.aescon.com/innoval/everos2/) http://www.aescon.com/innoval/everos2/.

-----

(http://www.innoval.com/) Dan Porter is president of InnoVal Systems Solutions, an OS/2 software developer producing applications such as the Post Road Mailer, Surf'nRexx and now, NetExtra.

***********************************

the Beta File

-----

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 (editor@os2ezine.com) drop us a note!

***

Following up on last month's Beta File, Netscape and IBM have officially commenced their public beta test of Netscape Navigator v2.02 for OS/2.  As Netscape officials said last month, this is, "the most public," beta test possible -- anyone with OS/2 (Warp 3 or Warp 4) and an Internet connection (to download the code) is welcome to participate.

Late in September, IBM released the first betas of Navigator and Internet connected users of OS/2 flocked to the (http://www.internet.ibm.com/browsers/netscape/warp/) web site to grab a copy.  Both beta 1a of Navigator itself and the Navigator Plug-in Toolkit are available for download on the site.

Those of you wondering about the chicken and the egg dilemma, don't worry, you can use WebExplorer (or any other browser) to get to the WWW site where you can download Netscape.

As promised, the betas are free for the taking and there are no plans to charge for the final release version.  Expect a "final" version 2.02 of Navigator some time within the next month or so.

***

Sticking with the Internet, (http://www.interdart.co.uk/) Interdart is testing their Forms Mail and Fax software for OS/2.  The Interdart Mail'nFax program will accept data from a WWW Form (or from a URL with ?arguments) and produce a formatted message for transmission by e-mail or fax.  The program features extensive validation capabilities, and will send HTML formatted error replies to the client, including the capability of parsing the input data back into the form, ready for re-submission.

Mail messages can be queued for transmission through an SMTP mail exchanger (sendmail) or through FaxWorks Pro.  Or, an alternative option available is to pass the formatted message to a REXX script for further processing, bypassing the mailing process altogether.  The program is driven through templates which define the validation rules, error message, mail message and reply message formats.

The Mail'nFax program can be accessed from any OS/2 cgi compliant web server, using a REXX cgi interface program (supplied).  It does not have to reside on the same machine as the web server, and one instance of the program may be used simultaneously by many servers.

The current version and documentation can be viewed on (http://w3.interdart.co.uk/sibo/mailer/) Interdart's web site.  The Mail'nFax program is running live on a number of sites, including:

(http://gazetteer.interdart.co.uk/subscrib.htm) http://gazetteer.interdart.co.uk/subscrib.htm
(http://clemchur-bmihealth.co.uk/noframes/fixquote.htm) http://clemchur-bmihealth.co.uk/noframes/fixquote.htm
(http://www.ip7.co.uk/edme/comments.htm) http://www.ip7.co.uk/edme/comments.htm
 
The Mail'nFax software has been live for nearly 12 months.  This latest version adds fax capability, and has been being tested for two months now.  There are currently about twenty 
beta testers and the beta will remain open until the final version is produced -- just grab the code from the web site above and get going.  Intended availability for "Version 2" Mail'nFax is Mid October 1997 and the price will be from 30 British pounds (US$45) to 100 British pounds (US$150) depending on size of implementation. 

The product will be shipped as time limited shareware, with 90 days from installation for 
evaluation.

***

Moving on, Software Technologies has begun testing its new software, MultiNote.  MultiNote is a text/document manager.  It is meant to be useful for collecting all your unrelated (or related) texts in a single place.  Each text is placed in a page in a notebook and has a title attached.  Full drag/drop import/export and fonts/size settings are available through standard OS/2 actions.

The public beta started late in August, but the product has been used internally at Software Technologies by three people for more than two years.  The beta is free for download from (http://home1.swipnet.se/~w-13247/) the company's web site and will also be available on Hobbes.  To become a registered beta tester refer to the documentation included in the .ZIP file.

Primary developer, (mail@jmast.se) Martin Alfredsson, tells us the final version will be ready near the end of this year, but Software Technologies will decide a date for sure when they gather all the feedback from their testers.  This product will be based (as much as possible) on what users want.

The price will be around US$20 and the software will be shareware.  This product is hard to describe in words so feel free to download a copy and see for yourself -- the beta is free.

***

And finally this month, keeping with the "organization" theme, we have The Think Tool Personal.

At the time of this writing, Peter Martin and Robert Blake, founders of an OS/2 specific software company, (phxsoft@ibm.net) Phoenix Software, had just wrapped up testing this package that they are calling a Personal Information Manager PLUS (PIM+).  To some degree The Think Tool Personal cuts across traditional product boundaries to integrate a PIM product, a database product, and a communications product.

The Think Tool Personal has all of the typical features of a PIM such as a calendar, planner, contact list, etc., but also has the following features: completely user configurable interface, sound and image multimedia capability, an object oriented database, fax and e-mail connectivity, security features at the object and database levels, interoperability with IBM Works, and drag and drop support.

Presently, no WWW site is available but one should be up within the next few months.  The beta test consisted of 20 testers over a period of two months and Phoenix Software is not currently seeking any more beta testers.  However, the company is interested in any questions, comments, suggestions, or feedback that people might have -- please feel free to contact them with the link above.

The developers have promised a firm ship date of November 1.  The MSRP of this commercial product at release time will be US$197.00, and the street price is expected to be around US$160.00.  

The Think Tool Personal does not take advantage of Warp 4.0's voice navigation, dictation and other upgrades, but the  next version (to be available in less than a year) most certainly will.  The Think Tool Personal is not network enabled, but again, within a year the company will make available the Think Tool Groupware which will be.  The Think Tool Personal requires a minimum of 12MB of RAM, with 16 or more MB recommended.  It also requires 30MB of hard disk space (25 for the product and 5 or more for the contents of the database).

***

***********************************

Chris' ColorWorks Powertips	- by Chris Wenham

-----

Anti-Aliased Small Text

I knew I'd have to find a solution to this sooner or later.  ColorWorks just isn't that hot when it comes to small anti-aliased text; below a certain font size the letters get blurred too much with the regular "Anti-Alias Filled Edges" effect.  Also this month, we have an excellent tip that a reader, Imran Javaid, gave us.

First the A-A trick:

The trick is to enter the text in a font size about 4-5 times larger than the intended size with the Blur Filled Edges (in the Effects.Drawing Merge Control) set to about 3 or 4.  Do this in a separate canvas, then mask the text with the paint-can/floodfill tool (select the outside first, then invert the mask), float the mask and re-size it down to the final desired size.  The blurring around the edges should now be so subtle as to look anti-aliased.

You can see with the example that I also added a shadow to the background.  This technique also works very well with vector based clipart images.  If you've bought one of those CD-ROMs with a couple billion clipart pictures on it (usually stored in .WMF - Windows MetaFile format) you can size the image up really big before you import it into ColorWorks (PMView .93 reads and converts .WMF files nicely), blur it two or three times with the full canvas tool and one of the filters in the Smoothing Lab, then size it down by a factor of half or more before dragging it into the final image/canvas.

Remember to fill the background of the work canvas with whatever background color will be in the final image, otherwise you'll get an unpleasant 'halo' effect when you drag the finished text/artwork.

Readers Tips

I had been trying to get a beveled look, similar to the one in the Black Box plug-in by Alien Skin for PhotoShop.  I discovered this method by sheer accident:

1) On an empty canvas draw a text object.  It can be of any font you like as long as it is not too wide and not too narrow.  It can be of any color and it can have anti-aliased filled edges.

2) Next we need to blur the object.  We could use one of the filters in the Smoothing Lab but they do not blur enough.  I prefer to use a custom filter in the Custom Filters Lab.  I use the following matrix (but you could use a stronger one if you wanted):

1 0 1 0 1
0 0 1 0 0
1 1 1 1 1
0 0 1 0 0
1 0 1 0 1

Apply this to the object using the Reapply command (or Shift-Backspace) 5-7 times.  Right now the object should seem like it was back lit.

3) Now clear all effects and select the Edge Detection Lab.  From here you can go for two looks.  One is to keep the settings the way they are and the other is to select "Invert Edge Detection".  Let's keep the original settings and do a Reapply.  This will give a black 3D object look.  If we had reapplied with the "Invert Edge Detection" check box selected we would get a white 3D object.

We could get several different effects by using an unfilled shape object, or by changing some of the settings, or by reapplying the Edge Detection Filter twice with the same or different settings.

- (http://www.iag.net/~imran/) Imran Javaid

Readers Tips (take 2)

Just in case you missed it in the Letters page, Carsten Whimster made me feel like a real dummy when he pointed out an even easier way to make a duplicate image of the current canvas by pressing Ctrl-ins and then Shift-ins.

This shows up OS/2 e-Zine! editor, Trevor Smith, too.  After submitting my last month's Powertips column he wrote back saying he did the same thing by using the Image.Resize-Canvas dialog, clicking 'Apply' without changing the canvas size.  Phew, glad I didn't go with my first method: Use a screen capture program to copy the contents of the active window to the clipboard then paste it back in.  But now we know 4 different ways (including one good one) to do the same thing.  Thanks, Carsten!

SPG News

(http://www.spg-net.com/) SPG's Web site

A company called Solution Technology Inc. (STI) has just released a TWAIN compliant scanner plug-in for ColorWorks.  This now allows you to use ColorWorks to acquire images from your TWAIN scanner.  The product lists for US$49.95 for users who already own an STI scanner driver, or US$79.95 with STI's Consumer Driver Pack.  Full details are available in SPG's (http://www.spg-net.com/news/news16.htm) press release.

-----

(http://www.spectra.net/~fox/) Chris Wenham is a Team OS/2er in Binghamton, NY with a catchy-titled company -- (http://www.spectra.net/~pendulum/webworks/) Wenham's Web Works. He has written comedy, sci-fi, HTML, Pascal, C++ and now writes software reviews.

***********************************

Answers from e-Zine!

-----

Welcome back to your source for answers to all your OS/2 questions!  Each month we bring you tips, tricks, questions and answers from our readers and contributors.  If you've got a question or tip you would like to share with us, (editor@os2ezine.com) send it in!

-----

Q --  I bought a pen and pad combo from Wacom that doesn't like OS/2; I find that although Wacom has a driver for OS/2, it will not work without Pen for OS/2.

Can you recommend a pen/tablet that will run under OS/2 and that won't force me to buy Pen for OS/2?

A -- I use ACECAD's AceCat II digitizer tablet.  It comes with drivers for OS/2 that also work in Windows sessions (with limitations -- it's buggy if you try a full screen Win-OS/2 session, but other than that it works quite well).  It installs fairly easily and the company claims to have OS/2 tech support (the one time I tried I was told their tech would call me back -- never heard from them again.)

The AceCat can theoretically work in conjunction with a mouse or trackball, but I've never managed to pull it off.  It works great as a standalone mouse though (and you can program each button and the tip of the pen).

Something to keep in mind in general: a digitizer tablet/pen combo is great for art, but it's a little awkward for standard mouse tasks.  You can get used to it, though.

- (brennanw@richmond.infi.net) Chris Wright

-----

Q -- Every once in a while, I notice that I have some (not all) files of the same type "associated" with a Microsoft Windows program (e.g., INI files are associated with Windows' NOTEPAD.EXE).  If I inadvertently double-click on them, Warp attempts to load a Windows session in the background, but eventually fails and locks up my PC.  And, what is worse, it locks up my PC in such a state that the only thing I can do is to literally turn off the power switch on my surge protector!

Here are the manifestations: I double-click, I get an hourglass, I hear lots of disk I/O (the screen has never left OS/2), and then I hear ticking on my hard disk and my PC is locked up with no visual errors or traps from OS/2.  Additionally, because I have an IBM PS/1 with "Rapid Resume", I can not turn off my PC via the power switch.  I must essentially disconnect the power to the machine to reboot.

Do you have any ideas or suggestions on how to make Warp seamlessly open a Windows session in the background?  Thanks.

A -- You might want to try a program called SeamWin3.exe which opens a do-nothing Win-OS2 session.  It is downloadable from many OS/2 software sites, such as (http://www.os2bbs.com/David_Barnes/) David Barnes', etc.  You may also want to try WatchCat, a shareware program that lets you kill processes that give undesirable results without shutting down.  It is available on the (http://www.bmtmicro.com/catalog/watchcat.html) Web too.

- (callaway@indirect.com) Merrill Callaway

-----

Q -- I am trying to find a tool, application, product, whatever, that provides long file name support (HPFS file names) for Windows applications running under Win-OS2.  It would be nice if it supported DOS applications as well.  Have you any ideas, suggestions or pointers?

A -- Unfortunately this is one useful utility that seems to be have been overlooked by developers.  To our knowledge, no such application exists.

- (editor@os2ezine.com) e-Zine! staff

-----

Q -- A couple of years ago there were a few places that sold OS/2 personal items, like coffee mugs, pens, jumpers, etc.  Now that OS/2 is supporting me, I actually need pens, mouse pads, perhaps a coffee mug, etc.  Do you know who sells these items now?

A -- Indelible Blue sells this kind of stuff (as well as hardware and software).  Give them a call at (800) 776-8284 (from the US or Canada) or give their
(http://www.indelible-blue.com/ib/) Web page a look.

- (bsmith@ccis.com) Bob Smith

-----

That's it for this month.  If you have a tip or question that you don't see covered here, don't forget to (editor@os2ezine.com) send it in!

***********************************

The Need For Speed	- by Jon Cochran

-----

Let me start off this month by saying that this column will be a hodgepodge of tidbits I've wanted to include in past columns, but haven't had the room.  Am I slacking?  Yes, I'm waiting until I can get my hands on a copy of Warp 4.0 to play with.  But we're all doing that, aren't we?

Overdrives: 2nd Opinion

Well, I think I was wrong.  After looking at a system with the 586/133 CPU and a system with the P83 Overdrive, the P83 really seems a lot faster.  According to benchmarks, the P83's FPU doesn't seem all that much faster than that of the 133.  But the internals of the P83 really make the difference here.  The 32K cache and the superscalar technology both combine to make a chip that is really faster than you'd think it could be.

I should point out that I'm talking about the 83Mhz version.  This is the version designed for systems with a 33mhz bus speed.  The other Pentium overdrive, the 63mhz version, probably won't perform as well due to the 25mhz bus design.  Yeah, that 486/50 sure seemed like a good deal at the time, but you probably should of gotten the /33DX version...

So is the Pentium overdrive worth it?  If you are willing to pay the US$60 price difference between that and the 586/133, it most definitely is.  If your system supports the P24T overdrive, go for it.  Otherwise...

Life With Cyrix

My Cyrix 6x86 133 seems to be doing quite well, thanks.  The FPU benchmarks poorly compared with a true Pentium chip, so I'm assuming VTD will be out of the question (as you may or may not know, VTD is highly dependent on the FPU).  The official line seems to be that if your FPU has the horsepower, VTD will run.  The Cyrix 133, it seems, is a bit iffy on this.

I haven't had any of the heat problems I've been hearing about, and hopefully it'll stay that way.  No compatibility problems either.  Then again, I haven't tried Quake.

Tiny Tidbits

If you do decide to get a Pentium-class overdrive, be sure to change the Maxwait line in your config.sys to MAXWAIT=2  This really seems to help smooth out the system.  OS/2 doesn't do that by default (except on Aptiva preloads), so it's something you have to do by hand.

Now that there's a native Netscape/2, you can safely delete your old Windows version of Netscape, and REM out the DOS TCP/IP support from your config.sys (assuming the only thing you need the DOS TCP/IP support for is Netscape).  To do this just rem out the following lines:
                
           DEVICE=C:\TCPIP\BIN\VDOSTCP.VDD
                DEVICE=C:\TCPIP\BIN\VDOSTCP.SYS
                RUN=C:\TCPIP\BIN\VDOSCTL.EXE

If you rem those lines out, you'll save a bit of memory.

If you've got a really fast Internet connection, you can download prerelease versions of Freelance Graphics and WordPro from (http://www.lotus.com/) Lotus.  I haven't a clue if they work, since in order to run them you need to download a "Special Edition FixPak 23", and that FP23SE simply refuses to install on my machine, and I haven't a clue why.  Oh well, I can wait for 4.0.

Finally, CD-ROM running a bit pokey these days?  If you've got ram to spare, look for the line

   IFS=\OS2\BOOT\CDFS.IFS /Q

And add a /c:4 to the end of it.  The switch will double the default CD-ROM cache to 256K, which may make a difference in performance.  As always, your mileage may vary.

Next month, I'll talk about OS/2 4 and how to avoid the mistakes I'm probably going to make when I install it.

By the way, I'm looking for benchmarks.  If you've got any of the following processors:

Cyrix 6x86 133 and up;
Pentium Overdrives any speed; or
AMD 586/133

Send me your benchmarks!  Download Sysbench from Hobbes and send me the results (and be sure to tell me what kind of system you have).  In the meantime, thanks!

-----

(cochran@genius.rider.edu) Jon Cochran is a full time student at Rider University majoring in History/Secondary Education.  He hopes (or at least his parents do) to graduate soon.

***********************************

The REXX Files	- by Dr. Dirk Terrell

-----

Well, my trusty old 486/50 finally bit the dust the other day.  It has served me well in 5 years of heavy use, running every version of OS/2 since 2.0 came out.  Unfortunately, its death came just a couple of days before the deadline for this column, and the column I had been working on dealt with using REXX to start DOS applications with certain DOS settings (like memory, priority, etc.).  With that work sitting on an inaccessible hard drive, I will have to delay that column until next month.  But I thought a column on using queues in REXX might be useful, so here goes.

There are times when you need to take the output of one program and have a REXX program do something with it.  One way to do this is to write the output of the first program to a temporary file on the hard disk and then read the temporary file with the REXX program.  There are situations, however, where you might not want to do that, and queues are an attractive alternative.  Queues can also be used as a means of communicating between REXX programs.

Queues are basically areas in memory that can hold data and allow multiple processes to access those data.  REXX creates a queue called "SESSION" for use by processes (REXX or otherwise) in that particular OS/2 session.  You can also create queues for your own use, and processes from multiple sessions can access these so-called "private"or "named" queues.

The first thing to do is to decide whether you will use the session queue or create a private one.  If you are going to access a queue from only one REXX program to do simple processing, the session queue will probably suffice.  As an example, let's just put some numbers and strings in the session queue, and pull them back off.

Since the session queue is created by REXX, we don't have to worry about it.  There are two ways of getting data onto a queue, depending on whether you wish to put it at the top of the queue (last-in, first-out, or LIFO) or at the bottom of the queue (first-in, first-out, or FIFO).  If you use the PUSH instruction, data will be placed at the top of the queue (LIFO).  The QUEUE instruction will place data at the bottom of the queue (FIFO). The following code shows the use of QUEUE and PUSH to place data onto the session queue and PULL to retrieve the data.

/* Test of PUSH and QUEUE */
push 1
push 2
push 3
Say "Result of PUSH with 1 2 3"
Do While Queued()>0
   Pull a
   Say a
End
queue "A"
queue "B"
queue "C"
Say "Result of QUEUE with A B C"
Do While Queued()>0
   Pull a
   Say a
End
Exit

Notice that using PUSH caused the numbers to come off the queue in the reverse order that they were placed onto the queue, whereas QUEUE kept the order the same.  You will also notice a function I haven't yet mentioned, the QUEUED() function.  QUEUED simply returns the number of lines in the active queue.

Now suppose we don't want to use the session queue for some reason.  In the next example, we will create a named queue, and perform the same operations as before.  We need only add a couple lines to create the new queue and destroy it when we are done.  The RXQUEUE() function is used to create, destroy, and switch queues.

/* Test of PUSH and QUEUE with a named queue */
/* The following line creates a new queue and makes it the active queue. */
old_queue=RXQUEUE("Create","new_queue")
push 1
push 2
push 3
Say "Result of PUSH with 1 2 3"
Do While Queued()>0
   Parse Pull a
   Say a
End
queue "A"
queue "B"
queue "C"
Say "Result of QUEUE with A B C"
Do While Queued()>0
   Parse Pull a
   Say a
End
/* The following deletes the new queue and sets the session queue
   as the active queue.
*/
rc=RXQUEUE("Delete","new_queue")
Exit

One thing you have to be careful to do with named queues is delete them when you are done.  They are not deleted when the REXX program completes or when the OS/2 session that created them is terminated.  These queues are active until they are explicitly deleted, which can be very useful in certain situations, but could cause problems if you create too many of them.

Queues can be very handy within and amongst REXX programs, but what about other applications?  How do you get the output of a non-REXX program into a REXX queue?  The answer lies in the RXQUEUE program (not to be confused with the RXQUEUE() function used above).  If your non-REXX application writes its output to the screen (standard output), then you can redirect that output into the RXQUEUE program.  To redirect the output of the OS/2 DIR command, for example, you would issue the DIR command from within your REXX program:

"dir | rxqueue"

using the "|" standard pipe symbol to do the redirection.  In this case, the output would be redirected to the session queue.

Then you could read in the results from your REXX program.  The following is a full example of using the RXQUEUE program to redirect the output of the DIR command.

/* Redirect the output of the OS/2 DIR command to a REXX queue */
"dir | rxqueue"
Do While Queued()>0
   Parse Pull a     /* Using PARSE PULL preserves case */
   Say a
End

Here we have used the built-in OS/2 DIR command, but any program that writes to standard output can be redirected to RXQUEUE, making it very easy to process the output with a REXX program.  I frequently use FORTRAN or C to do numerically intensive calculations and then feed the output into a REXX program via a queue.

Next month, we'll get back on track with that REXX program to start a Virtual DOS Machine with particular settings.

-----

(http://www.gnv.com/HTMLWizard/) Dr. Dirk Terrell is an astronomer at the University of Florida specializing in interacting binary stars.  His hobbies include cave diving, martial arts, painting and writing OS/2 software such as HTML Wizard.

***********************************

How Do I?	- by Eric Slaats

-----

Hi and welcome to "How Do I?".  In this column, simple Presentation Manager programming problems and philosophies will be discussed.  How Do I? is aimed at people who are interested in PM programming or are simply curious what makes PM programs tick.  To understand the topics covered here, a little programming experience (preferably in C++) is recommended.

This month we'll take a look at a some basics needed in every PM program.  In other words, how do I create a window?

Is PM programming easy?

I have a background in C and Unix, but when I took it upon myself to learn how to program for the Presentation Manager (two years ago) I was shocked with the number of possibilities.  There was so much ground to cover I really didn't know where to start.  When I took a look at the IPF files which describe the OS/2 API (programming interface), I didn't understand most of the functions described, let alone the interaction between the different pieces of a PM program.  There was talk of messages, events, GPI, WPS, SOM, etc.  Simply dazzling.

What was lacking for me then was a simple instruction of what everything meant and how things interact.  So here is a look at some simple basics of what makes a Presentation Manager program tick.

The Event paradigm

The OS/2 user shell is a Graphical User Interface (GUI) called the Workplace Shell (WPS).  The graphical subsystem on top of which the WPS is build is called the Presentation Manager (PM).  The PM provides graphics functions, management of the screen, Clipboard, DDE and other communications.  If a graphical program for OS/2 is built, it is built by using the Presentation Manager.

GUI's are modelled on a event driven paradigm and PM programs work by the grace of events.  This means to understand a PM program we've got to understand the event driven paradigm.  In an event driven system actions by programs are caused by events.  Normally the interaction of the user with the system generates a number of events.

For example:

o  Activation of a menu option
o  Moving of the mouse
o  Resizing of a window
o  Hitting a key
o  Dragging an object
o  Closing a window
o  Clicking on a window area

As you can see, virtually every action we undertake within the PM will cause an event.  When an event occurs, it causes the operating system to send a message to the program.  These messages give the program the means it needs to act upon an event.  So rather than following a sequential program flow, PM programs send, receive and respond to messages (events).

The Presentation Manager is organized around the concept of windows.  Every area on an OS/2 screen is occupied by a window; every control in OS/2 is a window.  So a button, a title-bar, an entryfield, a titlebar icon, a menu-item, etc. are all windows. This leads to the conclusion that a "normal" application window is built from a number of different windows and this is indeed the case.

The windows of an application are the means by which the application and the user interact. Every event a user causes is the result of an action on a window.

How does the PM know where to send the messages that are being generated by using the system?  For this, every application creates a message queue.  All messages generated by a PM program's windows will be sent to this queue.  A message queue is actually a place where messages are stored until they are handled (there are some subtle differences, but they are beyond the scope of this article).

Before we discuss how messages are handled by a PM program let's see how a message looks.  Messages in PM are described by the queue message structure (QMSG):

typedef struct _QMSG
        {
        HWND    hwnd;   // Window handle the message is addressed to
        ULONG   msg;    // The message
        MPARAM  mp1;    // Message parameter 1
        MPARAM  mp2;    // Message parameter 2
        ULONG   time;   // Timestamp when the message occurred
        POINTL  ptl;    // Mouse position when the message occurred
        ULONG   reserved;
        } QMSG;

The first four members of this structure are the ones we're really interested in.  For people who never did any PM programming these members may look a little awkward, so let's explain them.

When programming for the Presentation Manager a large number of extra data types are used.  They are defined in the header files you get with your compiler.  In the above structure a number of them are mentioned.

HWND hwnd.  This is called a window-handle (it is actually a unsigned long).  It holds a 32 bit number that uniquely identifies a window on our desktop.  The hwnd member in the message identifies the recipient of the message.

ULONG msg.  ULONG is the OS/2 type for an unsigned long.  In the above message structure the ULONG msg contains a 32-bit number that is the message.  All messages in the PM system are actually numbers, but we call them by the names defined in the PMWIN.H header file.  Many of the message names begin with WM_ (Window Message).  Some examples of messages as they are defined in PMWIN.H are:

WM_COMMAND      // A menu-item or Button is clicked
WM_CHAR         // A keyboard key is hit
WM_MOUSEMOVE    // The mouse is moved
WM_PAINT        // Repaint (a part) of the window

MPARAM mp.  Actually the MPARAM type is also a ULONG.  A message can use the two message parameters to store information needed to process the message.  This can be all kinds of information, for example, the identity of the menu-item that caused the event, or the part of the window that needs to be repainted.

Two ULONG may seem a little cramped if you want to pass a lot of information, but it's not.  A 32-bit number can be a pointer to a memory area somewhere on the system.  So you can pass virtually any amount of information with a message (just pass the pointer).

The message loop

Now that we know how a message looks, where it is kept before processing (the queue) and how it ends up there, we're ready to process the message.

After a program creates a message queue, it can create windows.  All the messages for the windows created in the program's thread are sent to that message queue.  We can extract messages from the message-queue (in FIFO order) with a small piece of code that almost every PM program has.  It is called the message loop.  This message loop will, in its simplest form, look like this:

QMSG qmsg; // Holds one message

while (WinGetMsg (hab, &qmsg, NULLHANDLE, 0, 0)
        WinDispatchMsg (hab, &qmsg);

WinGetMsg is the API call we use to take messages out of the queue.  The message which is fetched from the queue is put in the variable qmsg.  The while loop will continue to execute until a message called WM_QUIT comes along.  This will also terminate your application.  (WM_QUIT is put in the message queue if you select "close" from the system-icon menu of an application.)  The last three parameters of WingetMsg are set to zero.

The second line in this small piece of code is the message dispatcher.  The WinDispatchMsg function will send the message to the appropriate window.  What happens is that a piece of code called the window-procedure handles the message.  Before we take a look at the window procedure we need to know how a window procedure is attached to a window.  For that we need to know how a window is created.

Creating a window.

OS/2 has a number of API's to handle the creation and destruction of windows.  For this introduction program we need two of them, one for creation and one for destruction at the moment the program terminates.  The easiest way to create a standard frame window with everything in it is to call WinCreateStdWindow.  In our basic program, the call to this API will look like this (a number of variable names have been chosen):

hwndFrame = WinCreateStdWindow (HWND_DESKTOP,     // Parent  (HWND)
                                WS_VISIBLE,       // Style (visible)  (ULONG)
                                &flFrameFlags,    // Creation flags  (PULONG)    
                                "SampleClass",    // Class name  (PSZ)
                                "Titlebar Text",  // Titlebar text  (PSZ)
                                0,                // Client style  (ULONG)
                                NULLHANDLE,       // Resource handle  (HMODULE)
                                0,                // Frame ID  (ULONG)
                                &hwndClient);     // Client handle  (PHWND)

In the comment line after each parameter for this API is a short explanation as well as the data type it has.  Again we run into some data types we don't know.  Only those which are needed now are explained below; the rest will be attended to in a future column.

HWND_DESKTOP.  The first parameter is the handle to the parent window of the frame window we're creating.  The parent window is the window in which the window that is created will be displayed.  In most cases this will be the desktop window (this is how Multiple Document Interface's can be created).

WS_VISIBLE.  Every window can be tailored to a style.  We'll be looking at those in the future.  For now we only need to tell the PM that this window has to be visible.

&flFrameFlags.  This parameter is a pointer to a ULONG that contains information about how the window has to be created.  With this one you can do a lot!  Every bit in this ULONG has a meaning.  For example the first bit means, "Add a title bar to the frame window."  In the PMWIN.H header file a number of identifiers are defined.  By OR-ing them together, the ULONG has a number of its bits set.  This way the PM knows how to create the frame window.  Our little program uses the following creation flags (most of them will speak for themselves):

ULONG flFrameFlags = FCF_TITLEBAR   |FCF_SYSMENU |FCF_SHELLPOSITION |
                     FCF_SIZEBORDER |FCF_MINMAX  |FCF_TASKLIST;

pszClient.  This is a string containing the window's Class name.  This is needed to attach a window procedure to this window.  We'll attend to that in a minute.

The next three parameters are set to 0.  We won't do anything with them at the moment.  In future columns these parameters will play a more profound role and will be viewed in depth.

&hwndClient.  If the call to WinCreateStdWindow is completed, hwndClient will contain the handle to the client window.  This is the area contained within the Frame.  Most likely this is the area where most of your application will be.  For example, if your application is an editor, the display and handling of the text will be done in the client area.

The window procedure.

Every window is based on a certain window class.  It is the window class that defines the window procedure for a window.  For example a Button is a window of the class WC_BUTTON.  Within OS/2 there are default window procedures present for every type (class) of window OS/2 supports.

If you write your own application, it is very likely that you want to handle most events your application will generate.  For example, your application will probably have a menu.  Every time a menu-item is activated a message will be sent to the window procedure of your
application's main window.  But of course, the PM can't predict what your program does.  This means you've got to create your own window procedure and tell the PM where that window procedure is.  This is done by registering your window.  The following line from the sample program will register our class.

WinRegisterClass (hab, "SampleClass", ClientWndProc, CS_SIZEREDRAW, 0);

Most important are the second and third parameter.  The second gives the class name.  Note that we've used this name in the WinCreateStdWindow.  (Normally a separate variable or define is used to set the name. This is easier in maintenance and it's a better programming style.)  The third parameter is the window procedure function pointer.  This means our program must have a window procedure named ClientWndProc.

The window procedure itself looks like a big case statement which handles all the messages we want to handle.  By default it will call the default window procedure for normal windows in the OS/2 kernel.

Next time we will take a closer look at the window procedure.  For now we just present it.  For our sample program, the window procedure looks like this:

//----------------------------------------------------------------
//Window procedure
//----------------------------------------------------------------

MRESULT EXPENTRY ClientWndProc (HWND hwnd, ULONG msg, MPARAM mp1,
MPARAM mp2)
     {
     switch (msg)
          {
         
//--------------------------------------------------------------------
          // Fill client with default color
         
//--------------------------------------------------------------------
          case WM_ERASEBACKGROUND:
          return MRFROMSHORT(TRUE);
          }
     return (WinDefWindowProc (hwnd,msg,mp1,mp2));
     }

Putting it all together.

The most important ingredients necessary for creating a simple window are discussed above.  However, some have been left out.  If a program is started, we need a message queue. Also, the PM has to assign a handle (HAB) to a program.  This handle is necessary to reference several different instances of the same program.  The initialization code looks like this:

//--------------------------------------------------------------------
// Initialize application and create message queue
//---------------------------------------------------------------------
hab = WinInitialize (0);                // Init application
hmq = WinCreateMsgQueue (hab, 0);       // Create message queue

After the message loop terminates (WM_QUIT), we've got to clean up after the program.  This means destroy the window, destroy the message queue and tell the PM the HAB isn't valid anymore.  The following code takes care of business:

//-------------------------------------------------------------------
// Clean up (destroy window, queue and hab)
//-------------------------------------------------------------------
WinDestroyWindow (hwndFrame);
WinDestroyMsgQueue (hmq);
WinTerminate (hab);

See http://www.os2ezine.com/v1n12/howdoi.zip for the source code for the whole program and resulting .exe file which shows a normal window with titlebar, min/max buttons, a title-bar-icon, and a sizing border.  All these components are active which means the window can be dragged, minimized, maximized and sized.  You'll note that the client area won't accept color drops and the new size and place won't be remembered, etc.  A lot of work remains until a full application emerges.

Next month we'll continue this example and complete a template program that will be used as a base for future columns.  This month the emphasis was on the main window, next month we'll take a closer look at the window procedure and some basic messages.

If there are any questions, please mail them and I'll try to answer them next month.

-----

(eric.slaats@pi.net) Eric Slaats holds a degree in Computer Science and teaches computer technology in Eindhoven.  He is the creator of the (http://www.bmtmicro.com/catalog/smalled/) Smalled utilities.

***********************************

Fiddle Sticks	- by Dan Porter

-----

We often hear the lament that OS/2 will succeed despite IBM.  Fiddle sticks.  OS/2 will succeed and it will do so largely because of IBM's commitment to it.  This commitment was clearly demonstrated at the OS/2 Warp 4 Launch Event in San Francisco on September 25th.  I had the privilege of being invited, along with representatives of about twenty other OS/2 and Java solution partners, to demonstrate our companies' software products to customers and the press.  Most of the event was broadcast by satellite to about 10,000 people in cities throughout the world.

To my way of thinking, the San Francisco event was not so much the launch of a new release of OS/2, Warp 4, as it was an explanation of a new direction to penetrate the marketplace with technology initiatives and partnerships with leading solution providers.  In one sense, Warp 4 is but an enhanced version of an already outstanding, mature, and stable operating system.  In a far more significant sense, Warp 4 is OS/2 with a plan.

At first glance OS/2 Warp 4 seems to be Warp as we know it, with the addition of speech enabled application control and a more attractive and easier-to-use interface.  That is exactly how IBM introduced Warp 4 in San Francisco; by demonstrating voice navigation and the new interface.  What followed the introduction though, was the substance of what I believe Warp 4 is all about: integration of Java as part of the operating system, focus on network computing and the Internet, and 'net marketing strategies.

I think that those of us who question IBM's commitment to OS/2, or the long term viability of OS/2, don't understand this.  The significance of San Francisco was explanation.  As a small office and home office (SOHO) OS/2 user and as the president of a small and successful OS/2 solution provider firm, the launch event presentations and several one-on-one conversations with IBM executives while in San Francisco were very informative.  That was important because I have invested a lot of time and money in OS/2.  As a business person I have staked the future of our company on it.

Lets look at the substantive parts of the OS/2 Warp 4 announcement:

Java Integration

OS/2 Warp 4 is the first operating system to integrate Java directly into the operating system.  Java is a totally new, object oriented computer language that will eventually enable programs to run on most operating systems.  It means that software developers will be able to develop a single version of an application program to run on multiple platforms.  Over time, the value of an operating system will be determined by performance, incremental value of function, and stability, rather than the number of off-the-shelf applications available for the particular system.  This will take time to achieve.  I think it could take as long as three years to be fully realized.  But those will be exciting years as we learn to fully appreciate and understand what Java is all about and what it can and can not do.

We know that Java works.  We don't know yet if Java performs well enough or is agile enough for a broad spectrum of applications.  When Corel releases a Java version of WordPerfect later this year, we should get our first good indication of this.  If full function Java-based word processing performs well it will say a lot to the user and developer communities about its likelihood for success.  If developers then produce numerous and useful Java applications, and if users adopt them in sufficient quantity, platform independence will become reality.  If Java becomes the environment of choice for developers and end users alike -- and I think it will -- it will significantly diminish the Microsoft Windows monopoly.

Network Computing

The second element of the Warp 4 announcement is IBM's expanded focus on network computing.  This is not unexpected.  It is a direct result of the phenomenal growth of the Internet and the growing acceptance of TCP/IP as the protocol of choice for in-house networks, or intranets.  Intranets are implementations of the tools and techniques of the Internet on a private enterprise network rather than on the public "Internet."  IBM offers a very strong TCP/IP implementation within OS/2 and it is forming significant alliances with Internet solutions providers including Netscape Communications and our own company, 
InnoVal Systems.

A decision by IBM to work with Netscape to provide an OS/2 version of the Netscape Navigator is significant.  This is exactly what customers want because it supports HTML 3.2 with frames.  This has become the standard for most Web pages.  The Netscape Navigator supports Java applets (small applications) and has a completely open architecture that enables plug-ins and add-ons.  Though the Navigator isn't available yet except as beta code and won't be available until near yearend, our company, InnoVal, has already released an add-on product, NetExtra, because we believe that Netscape will be an important part of the OS/2 
strategy.

The Marketing Strategy 

The marketing strategy is simple: focus on large networked enterprises, many of whom have already committed to OS/2.  This is something that many OS/2 enthusiasts will be frustrated about.  There is no evidence that there will be any push to move OS/2 in the retail channels.  Nor is there any evidence of an advertising campaign targeted at the consumer level.  In fact, the plan is to not market in retail channels or to advertise to consumers.  Executives with whom I spoke in San Francisco explained this very clearly.

Enthusiasts, like myself, want to see OS/2 become the dominant operating system for the personal computer.  We have chosen it because we believe it is the best.  We would like to have a better selection of software and be able to buy software in retail stores.  As a software developer, I want to see OS/2 penetration of the market grow substantially so that I can sell more product.  IBM's marketing strategy did not make sense to me at first.  I felt abandoned.

But is IBM abandoning the SOHO market and individual users?  I don't think so.  The IBMers with whom I spoke in San Francisco were just as clear about this.  To abandon this market, despite what you may read in the press, was never an option.  Rather, a passive marketing strategy was adopted.  It would cost untold millions of dollars to try to penetrate the retail marketplace and the chances of success are not at all clear.  And, were IBM to fail at getting into the retail channels it would have very adverse effects.  Instead, IBM is depending on the strength of a superior operating system, the strength of the user community, platform independence with Java, solution partners, and existing channels to drive the SOHO and individual user market.

There are many examples in recent years where consumer confidence, even consumer initiative, coupled with superior product and service, have produced extraordinary success.  L.L. Bean, a premier clothing catalog house in Maine is an example.  Indelible Blue, a catalog house for OS/2 software is another example.  If people come to accept that OS/2 is the superior operating system, a passive marketing strategy could work.

IBM has created an interesting alliance with technology, solutions partners, marketing channels, and even their own customers to sustain and grow the low end market.  I think it will work.  It won't work though with just promises.  Without advertising and without visible shrink wrapped packages on the shelves in every shopping mall, IBM and its partners will need to deliver the plan.  Lotus will need to ship its yet unfinished and oft promised office suite for OS/2.  Netscape will need to ship a browser that matches the performance and page image quality of the now "stabilized" WebExplorer.  Java partners must deliver quality products that people want.  And, finally, IBM must sustain its own strategy by supporting its partners and its customers with the excellence for which IBM has been famous.

At InnoVal we sell to large enterprises, to small businesses, and to individuals.  If we thought that IBM was abandoning OS/2 or any of its customers, we would need to change our focus on OS/2.  We don't intend to nor do we think that we will need to in the foreseeable future.  We believe that OS/2 Warp 4 is significant.  We develop only for OS/2 and we will continue to do so.  We are exploring some Java applications and are also developing some additional OS/2-only add-ons and plug-ins for Netscape Navigator.

When we say that OS/2 will succeed despite IBM, we really mean that the OS/2 is so good of an operating system that it will succeed even without IBM marketing it and even without IBM commitment.  Fiddle sticks.

-----

(http://www.innoval.com/) Dan Porter is president of InnoVal Systems Solutions, an OS/2 software developer producing applications such as the Post Road Mailer, Surf'nRexx and now, (http://www.innoval.com/netextra/) NetExtra.

***********************************

Warp 4: First Looks

-----

With the amount of controversy surrounding the Warp 4 beta test and IBM's ability to release solid code on schedule, some may have thought the launch would be reminiscent of the Windows 95 event more than a year before.  Much to many people's surprise (and to some people's dismay), it was not.  True to its nature, IBM got down to business in a, well, businesslike fashion, and rolled out the next workhorse OS for the rest of us.  But in some ways, it's a whole new kind of workhorse.

After playing with the OS for a few weeks, we have some first impressions.  In depth testing of advanced features such as VoiceType OpenDoc, Plug-n-Play  and Java capabilities, Lotus Notes Mail and peer to peer networking will be discussed individually in upcoming issues.  Below, we present what we found in our day-to-day use of the more "earthy" parts of the new OS/2.

The New Face of Warp

IBM's retooling of OS/2's marketing has not been limited to retaining the nickname "Warp" and collapsing the product line to only one version of the client.  They have also refined the default appearance of the Workplace Shell, making it much prettier "out of the box".  While the WPS has always been lauded for its amazing flexibility, this new, fresher look will be appealing to business and home users alike that don't want to tinker with bitmaps, icons and WPS enhancers.

Many people remarked quite early in the beta program that Warp has become decidedly more Windows 95-ish.  Without getting too philosophical about who has borrowed what from whom (Xerox, Apple, Microsoft, IBM, etc.), a simple answer is: yes, it has.  But only to a certain extent.  Default icons are more "3D-like", default backgrounds and schemes are somewhat "fluffier" (for example, the "Space" and "Garden" sound themes), the new "Warp Sans" font is used throughout the system and initial clutter on the Desktop has been reduced to a more logical and pleasant minimum.

And of course, the LaunchPad has been replaced by the new WarpCenter, a sort of Windows 95 Start button on steroids.  But, in true OS/2 fashion, the WarpCenter is eminently configurable, yet still simple to use.  Users can easily drag and drop objects (including folders) to the WarpCenter for an instant, multilevel launch bar, plus many common tasks are already built in, such as a clock, the Assistance Center folder, a task list and more.  Fly-over labels are available for all first level objects on the WarpCenter.  Also, users can have multiple "trays", each one a complete menubar for a different user or different task.

For those of you who actually liked the LaunchPad, fear not, it remains a part of Warp 4.  Located in the OS/2 System folder and renamed the Toolbar, its function remains unchanged.

We had a few gripes about the WarpCenter: It includes, as a default, a section which displays a user selectable combination of a "system pulse" and free drive space.  We didn't want any of this information (at least not so desperately that we wanted it sitting in front of us at all times) but turning all options off, just left a blank section on the WarpCenter.  It would be much better design if the section where the pulse and drive space info would have appeared could be reclaimed to add additional objects for launching.  As it is, on a 640x480 screen using small icons there is room for only 8 objects (4 if using large icons!) -- no scrolling is performed if more are added, the objects off the available space are just inaccessible.  Using the wasted space of the disk monitors would more than double this object launching real estate.

Another much discussed improvement is the new colour-coded Properties notebooks.  Along with their horizontal tabs and redone look, they feature a handy pop-up menu (accessed by right-clicking close to an edge of the notebook) which lists all the pages and sub-pages in the notebook.

The new button styles for maximize, minimize, hide and the title-bar icon are, by now, quite familiar to anyone who has seen pictures of the Merlin beta or Warp 4 release (if you haven't, just have a look at many of the above screen shots).  And most people are also familiar with the new close button.  We would have preferred a close button that could be moved to the left or right of the title-bar but its addition is still a welcome improvement.  Unfortunately, the handy roll-up button that was included as a config.sys selectable option in the beta has been removed from the final release of Warp 4.  It appears Xit will still have a place on many users' Desktops.

Another pleasant addition to the Warp 4 Desktop is the Connections folder which contains drives and printers which the user has access to as well as a folder full of WWW URL objects.

Installation Problems?

Many testers were concerned with the apparent plague of installation problems experienced during the Merlin beta program.  Overall, the consensus on the 'net seems to be that by the release of Warp 4, IBM had cleaned up its act.  While all is still not perfect, this version seems to handle many more hardware configurations without tinkering and the included CD full of device drivers (with handy HTML index) is a great improvement.

Fortunately for us (but unfortunately for the purposes of this review), we have never had any serious problems installing any version of Warp on our test hardware.  The Merlin beta install was uneventful, as was the Warp 4 installation.

However, we are still distressed by the mildly obtuse way that Warp handles installation and setup on non-networked machines.  This part of the installation is much improved over the beta but still allows the possibility of confusion for non-experienced users.  We understand that IBM believes that every person who might want Warp 4 is a "connected consumer" but this is not the case.  Cleaning things up with a clearer explanation of how to select and configure "no network adapters" would be an improvement.

Extras

As with Warp 3, Warp 4 includes some very complete Internet utilities.  Once again, configuring them to connect using our standard USR modem was simple.  The familiar Dial Other Internet Provider utility has not changed with this release of OS/2 and 'net surfers will be up and running in no time.  The now-stable (read: no longer in development) WebExplorer comes bundled on the main CD, this time in the version 1.2 variety.  Also present are the familiar FTP, Telnet, Gopher, news reader and (ugh) UltiMail Lite (in all fairness to UltiMail Lite, we had such bad experiences with it in the past that we did not even test it under Warp 4).

New to Warp 4 is the FTP Folder.  While this is not a new concept -- Lynn's Workplace FTP has been accomplishing exactly the same thing for users of Warp 3 for some time -- it is a nice enhancement to Warp's object oriented graphical interface.  FTP sites and their directories can be opened on the Desktop just as regular folders (assuming you are connected the Internet or some other source of FTP sites).  FTP folders can be created by dragging the appropriate templates from the "Templates for the Internet" folder (found in the OS/2 System->Templates).

Those of you who were hoping for a spiffed up BonusPak may or may not be disappointed.  The BonusPak still consists of FaxWorks Lite (v3.0 now), HyperAccess Lite and a slightly modified IBM Works.  The major change to the BonusPak is the addition of AskPSP, an expert system for solving problems with OS/2.  From the read.me file: "It's your own personal help desk to assist in discovering solutions."  Our initial experiences with this tool indicate it may not be of much benefit to casual users.

What may be of great help to casual users however, is the WarpGuide.  If you turn the WarpGuide's "cue cards" on, any time you try to perform a task that the WarpGuide knows about, help is shown, guiding you through that task.  There is also a WarpGuide Folder (located in the Assistance Center Folder on the Desktop) which contains objects to start and explain common tasks such as adding program objects or customizing your system.  In practice, most experienced users will probably turn the WarpGuide off but it can be a good tool for beginners.

Command line junkies will be pleased with some of the enhancements to the OS/2 and DOS Command Prompts.  Warp 4 allows users to select whether to be prompted when they close Command Prompts with the close button or by double clicking the title-bar icon (an ability available to users of Xit for some time).  Command Prompts now feature "auto-marking", meaning it is possible to simply begin highlighting text from a command line window without first selecting "Mark" from the system menu.  There is also a new pop-up menu for Command Prompts with some common actions on it.

Performance

Since Warp 4 is more of an evolutionary change than a revolutionary one in terms of the underlying code, we were not surprised to find that it is still a rock solid OS.  In the course of three weeks, we had only one system lockup, which occurred when exiting a WIN-OS2 session.  In fact, in our tests, we found Warp 4 to be more stable than Warp 3 was.  Again, this is not surprising since the OS is equivalent to Warp 3 with later FixPaks applied (and even more enhancements).

On our standalone test machine, we found most common tasks such as window population, moving, copying and shredding objects and starting up and shutting down, to be similar to corresponding times with Warp 3.  (For these tests, we compared a non-networked machine running Warp 3 with no WIN-OS2 support to non-networked Warp 4; both setups had similar swap files, amounts of RAM and multimedia support installed.)  For example, the time required to boot Warp 3 on our test machine until all disk access stopped was about 1 minute 45 seconds; on Warp 4, 1 minute 48 seconds.  Shredding a folder containing shadows of all the files in x:\OS2 took about 15 seconds on Warp 3; 26 seconds on Warp 4.

While these figures are bound to vary with different hardware configurations, they are meant to give an impression of the similarity in the workings of the two operating systems.

A quick and dirty application killing function has been added to this version of OS/2.  Normally clicking on the Task List icon on the WarpCenter will produce a drop down list of running tasks; clicking an entry will switch to that entry.  However, adding the line:

SET KILLFEATUREENABLED=ON

to the Warp 4 config.sys file allows the Task List icon to double as a task killing icon.  After adding the above line, holding the CTRL key and clicking the Task List icon produces a list of all running processes; clicking one of these kills the process.

Perhaps the most talked about performance feature of OS/2 for the past year has been its synchronous input queue.  Before Warp 4 was even released, it was reported in various print magazines that IBM had included the new, asynchronous input queue solution that users had been demanding.  This was news to many beta testers.

As we have said, due to the fact that Warp 4 is so well behaved on our systems, we are actually not in a good position to discuss fail-safes such as asynchronous input queues.  However, the on-line documentation does have some interesting notes on this issue.  From the "OS/2 Warp Command Reference", "Speeding Things Up" section:

SET PM_ASYNC_FOCUS_CHANGE=ON in the CONFIG.SYS file to fix the single input queue problem.  The OS/2 solution detects misbehaved applications that cause system hangs in what is often incorrectly attributed to OS/2 as the Single Input Queue (SIQ) problem.  The fix is implemented at the system level as a separate OS/2 thread that monitors the status of the input queue.  No modifications of applications are necessary.

To make things confusing though, in the System Properties notebook, there is a "User Interface" tab with a checkbox to turn the Asynchronous Focus Change on or off and to specify a time delay before the fix takes over.  This is checked by default.  Common knowledge has it that this setting overrides the config.sys file line and that the mention of the config.sys entry is something that IBM forgot to remove.  Either way, things have been working smoothly on our test system since installation.

Conclusions

Warp 4 is, as we have said, an evolutionary change from Warp 3.  In the Windows world, this might be seen as a bit of an anticlimactic release.  But in the OS/2 world, where companies are still running their networks on OS/2 v2.11, the philosophy is "if it isn't broken, don't fix it".  Warp 4 is yet another great set of improvements on an already great base OS.

With other even more amazing "add-ons" such as VoiceType Dictation and Navigation, Java and OpenDoc and much more, Warp 4 is a killer client or standalone OS.  In the modern age of the Internet and Intranet, Warp 4 is the OS that everyone should have on their Desktop.

***********************************

Netscape Navigator for OS/2: First Looks	- by Tim Walker

-----

For a long time I would've thought that doing what I've just been doing -- road-testing the first beta of Netscape Navigator for OS/2 -- ranked alongside Deep Space Nine being axed, or Bill Gates filing for bankruptcy in the "great-if-it-happens-but-it-won't" stakes.  Yet here it is, a 3MB bundle of joy planted on my hard drive.  Downloading the archive (officially, Beta 1a of Netscape Navigator 2.02e for OS/2 Warp -- not 2.02i) took just under an hour over my V34 modem -- it's a measure of how eagerly I've awaited this release that I downloaded it on a weekday evening.  I never spend that long on the Net during the week...

Installation

Installation is handled by the IBM installer which should hopefully ensure removal of the beta is relatively painless.  I did not install the Java extension, as I know of very few sites I visit which use applets.  However, JavaScript is supported by default and is much more widely used so I decided that would suffice.  The installation gives you the option of converting your WebEx quicklist to a Navigator bookmark list, which I did despite not having many entries in it.  I mainly use URL objects; the installer is meant to be able to convert these to bookmark entries too, yet I never received this option.  I then transplanted my old Netscape bookmark list into the Navigator folder, but found my carefully sorted sites didn't appear in the "sub-menu" bookmark format that Navigator normally displays.  Otherwise, installation presented few problems, so kudos to all concerned there.

Impressions

First impressions were mixed.  This beta is a bit slow to load; on my P75 with 16Mb RAM it went from start to finish in around fifteen seconds, whereas WebEx (or Navigator under Windows on native Windows PCs I've used) undercuts that figure significantly.  Also, the interface appears somewhat untidy, especially the navigation buttons; however, this is a beta, and I imagine there's time to fix minor problems like these.

How does it perform?  With a few exceptions, surprisingly well for an early beta.  As someone for whom a major aspect of work involves creating Web sites, increasingly using Netscape enhancements such as frames, I have longed for a native OS/2 browser which can handle these features.  (I haven't time to debate the rights or wrongs of "proprietary" HTML enhancements here, I merely accept the fact that an increasing number of sites use them and I believe we should learn to adapt.  If you disagree, (editor@os2ezine.com) write in...)  This Navigator is frame- and JavaScript-enabled, meaning that OS/2 users can finally browse certain sites which had hitherto been lost to us.

So, I decided to give the browser the acid test.  I aimed it at (http://www.cyberiacafe.net/) Channel Cyberia, an animated GIF-laden framefest and the Web equivalent of London's Piccadilly Circus (famous for its huge illuminated advertisements).  It handled the whole lot without a blip and indeed, I found that with certain sites Navigator loaded in images notably faster than WebEx -- this could be attributed to Navigator's caching options, or perhaps it was only a subjective observation.

As you'd expect, however, all is not perfect with the application as it stands.  Quite a few times I saw Navigator crash with a SYS3175 error, usually when accessing more complex sites but also when I attempted to save an image with the right mouse button (a Navigator feature in this version).  Surprisingly, I can't conclusively recall the beta bringing down the entire system, which was a major concern of mine from the start.  Drag-and-drop is not yet enabled, and I'd be interested to see if the eventual finished Navigator can match WebEx's formidable prowess in this department.

Also, readers should note, the swap file can grow pretty big with Navigator; indeed, during one session it reached a personal record of 39Mb!!

Other Things

There's much more I could have tested out here but time was not on my side this time!  In the main, however, Beta 1a has certainly whetted my appetite for the final version of Navigator for OS/2.  Yes, it has its faults but most stem from the fact that it is a beta version.  If you bear this in mind and can put up with the occasional crash this could be one of the best downloads you make this week.

It just goes to prove, even impossible things happen sometimes.

-----

* Netscape Navigator for OS/2 v2.02
by (http://www.netscape.com/) Netscape Communications
download from (http://www.internet.ibm.com/browsers/netscape/warp/) IBM's site
MSRP: FREE!

-----

(tawalker@dircon.co.uk) Tim Walker is a 23-year-old non-programmer, living near London, UK, working in electronic publishing and running Warp at home... which marks him out as a pretty unusual OS/2 user.  His golden ambition is to create a Web home page on a topic no-one has thought of before -- anyone else like the Penguin Cafe Orchestra?

***********************************

Cosmos v4.0	- by Chris Wenham

-----

With Cosmos you have your digital ship and over 258,997 stars to sail her by.  This is an 'edutainment' astronomy program for OS/2 Warp that has mathematically precise stereographic projection, plus a collection of full color photographs and animation capabilities to have fun with.  It's excellent for either novices or seasoned astronomers.

Astronomy as Education

Cosmos's 8.5 megabyte footprint (this includes the optional SAO database described later) is chock full of information, pictures and data regarding the lights in our night sky.  Double-click on a star and you can often read facts and history behind the star and its discovery, plus its relation to the constellation it may be part of.  Animations are included for such phenomena as the phases of the moon, plus the database is hyperlinked, so you can follow relationships to biographies of a star's discoverer or descriptions of the heavenly bodies.  It's quite possible to spend hours clicking through this database and learning more as you go.

Cosmos will optionally draw the outlines and boundaries of the constellations as well as the Milky Way's vast twisty path across the heavens.  Cosmos can also label each star and constellation, planets and deep sky objects.  They can be labeled according to their common name as well as their catalog number.

Astronomy as a Science

Cosmos features an optional SAO (Smithsonian Astronomical Observatory) database of about 258,997 extra stars on top of the several thousand in the NGC database included with the base product.

With the full SAO database installed Cosmos has the ability to paint the screen thick with all the displayable stars.  You can limit this by magnitude, of course, which is wise if you want fast screen updates or you're using a slow computer, although it is possible to switch to another program while it's plotting.

The toolbar gives you one-click access to views of the north, south, east and west portions of the sky, plus a complete 360 degree view.  If you know your location's latitude and longitude you can enter that and have the display properly centered for your corner of the planet.  If not, you can pick your location from the convenient drop-down list that lists dozens of cities in most countries.

Cosmos has the ability to print the current graph, utilizing color if you have such a printer.  The quality is acceptable although it only uses half the page and appears to be nothing more than a screen capture with text details of coordinates, location, time and other essentials.  For use in other documents you can copy the graph to the clipboard.

Astronomy for Fun!

Cosmos has some limited but still somewhat useful animation capabilities, giving you what Mensys calls a "WARP speed simulation feature".  By setting up the number of steps/frames and their time span you can simulate such astronomical events as a solar eclipse.

All of the planets and several interesting deep sky objects have accompanying color photographs to view.  Most of these are good quality although a bit small.  You can tell Cosmos to highlight these on the chart to find them easily.

Navigating through the Stars

Navigating through the graph of the sky is click-n-drag easy.  Right click at the center of the new point of view you wish to see, draw a circle to define the radius of the view, and Cosmos will replot the graph to that point and radius you chose.  New details may come into view that were too fine to be seen at the lower magnification, plus it becomes easier to aim your pointer at a particular star for which you wish to see data.

Finding a particular star, planet, constellation or deep-sky object is as easy as bringing up the appropriate locator dialog.  Type in or scroll down to the object wanted and double-click -- the graph is repainted to center on that object.  It's even possible to enter exact coordinates for a section of sky to look at.  Buttons for these common 'finders' are located on the tool bar that runs along the top of the graph.

Cosmos

Cosmos is fun to explore both through the graph of stars and the on-line database of information.  It's not a visually stunning presentation though and we wish it came on a CD-ROM with more, and larger color photos and animations.  But for a street price of US$39, the price is not as astronomical as the software is.

-----

* Cosmos v4.0
by (http://www.mensys.nl/) Mensys
MSRP: US$89

-----

(http://www.spectra.net/~fox/) Chris Wenham is a Team OS/2er in Binghamton, NY with a catchy-titled company -- (http://www.spectra.net/~pendulum/webworks/) Wenham's Web Works. He has written comedy, sci-fi, HTML, Pascal, C++ and now writes software reviews.

***********************************

IBM AntiVirus Version 2.5	- by George Penzenik

-----

Test Platform

The review of this product was conducted on an MCC EISA VL-BUS 486/DX2, upgraded to an Intel 83Mhz Pentium Overdrive.  System Memory is 32 Megs.  The video adapter is a TSENG ET4000 with 1 Megs VRAM.  DTC 3290 SCSI host Adapter BIOS Rev. 3.2, attached is a 1.0 Gig Fujitsu and a 2.2 Gig SeaGate hard drives, partitioned as follows:

		Size		Operating System	File System
Drive 1		C: 500 Meg	Windows 95		FAT
		D: 500 Meg	OS/2 Warp Connect	HPFS
Drive 2		E: 1.0 Gig	Windows NT 4.0		NTFS
		F: 1.2 Gig	none			HPFS

Additional peripherals are Sound Blaster CD 16, and Madge Smart 16/4 EISA Ringnode.

Operating System Software

The operating system for this test was Warp Connect (Blue) with Fix Pack 17 applied.  Additionally the system runs the OS/2 Requester for Netware version 2.11.  Workplace shell add-ons are Xit 2.1 and Siegfried Hanisch's ScreenSaver 2.0.

What is in the box?

IBM AntiVirus, to say the least, has the most extensive platform coverage available today.  If you run more than one OS this is the package to get.  IBM AntiVirus Desktop Edition includes IBM AntiVirus for DOS and Windows, IBM AntiVirus for OS/2, and IBM AntiVirus for Windows 95.  They are provided on three sets of installation diskettes.  IBM AntiVirus also includes IBM AntiVirus for Windows NT and IBM AntiVirus for Netware, which are distributed with IBM AntiVirus Enterprise Edition.  IBM AntiVirus is also available on CD-ROM.

What is new in this addition?

Protection from macro viruses has been improved.  The Concept virus, currently one of the most prevalent in the world, can now be verified and disinfected extremely reliably, and is shielded on all platforms.  The macro viruses Boom, LBYNJ, and Wazzu are detected and shielded.  Verification and disinfection have been added for the Majo-1644 Werewolf-1500B and Tentacle virus.  The System Shield has been enhanced to find viruses before they infect your system.  This was done by extending the "Check files when opened" function to "Check files when accessed."  Files are now scanned for common viruses when they are created, modified or read on your system.  Protection from new macro viruses will be available as part of our regular virus signature file updates, published on the (http://www.av.ibm.com/) WWW.

An Uninstall program is now included.  Why you would want such a feature for AntiVirus software, is beyond me, however it does work well.  One note of warning, if you put the AntiVirus program on the Launch Pad and then run the uninstall program, you will get one of those cute little green question mark objects.

Installing IBM AntiVirus

Installing IBM AntiVirus is straightforward.  By default, the System Shield will be loaded in DOS sessions, and automated checking will be done weekly.  If you do have a previous release of IBM AntiVirus installed, then your current settings will be kept and your PC will be upgraded to this release.  You may change any of the settings during installation by choosing "Custom" installation, or at any time afterwards by launching the IBM AntiVirus program and selecting "Setup" from the menu.  If you frequently access programs or documents via a network, you should enable the "Check files when accessed" function of the System Shield.  The software does a complete system scan after the installation.  On the test machine the software found 4763 objects to scan and completed the scan in just under 14 minutes.  You also have the option to do a system scan without installing the software.

Updating Virus Signatures

The most important feature of any AntiVirus program is the ability to keep it current.  The little dweebs that write viruses put in lots of late hours trying to make your life miserable.  (If you ever want to check out one of these losers home page, just do a search with almost any Web search engine on the keyword "virii."  You will see lots of disclaimers that these files are for research purposes only.)

Fortunately for you and me, the people at IBM put in lots of late hours too, keeping up to date on what these little goons are doing, continually collecting and analyzing new viruses, and periodically publishing new virus signature files for IBM AntiVirus on the Internet.  To ensure that your PC is protected against newer viruses, you should obtain these files and update IBM AntiVirus with them.

The IBM AntiVirus has a "nice" nag feature and reminds you if your signature files are out of date.

So, tell me how does it work really?

In a nutshell, pretty darn well.  Over the years as a network administrator, I have taken a few viruses prisoner.  Since I found these in "the wild" I used them for my "live" testing.  The FORM virus is probably the most common boot sector virus in the wild.  When a floppy disk that is infected with a boot sector virus is accessed, IBM AntiVirus pops up a warning message that the disk is infected.  The software will not stop you from doing anything but it gets its message across loud and clear that you are doing something very bad.

I tried to leave the disk in the A: drive and do a shutdown so I could reboot and attempt to infect the system with the FORM virus and the "Scan Diskette on Shutdown" worked like a champ.  In order to infect the system with the FORM virus I had to shutdown the system without the disk in drive A: and then insert the disk and reboot.  The system attempted to boot from A: but because it was not a system disk I got the "non-system disk" error.  I removed the floppy and hit the reset button.  When my desktop came back I was greeted by a message that said the C: drive was infected with the FORM virus.  The system then took me to the dialog for removal / disinfection.   I clicked a button and a few seconds later, no more FORM virus.  The system also brought up another "nag" dialog that suggested a complete system check.  Similar success was achieved when the AntiEXE virus was used.

So how about file infectors?

If you try to run most virus droppers in a DOS session under OS/2, you very quickly find out that 90% of then do not work.  Of those that do run, most do not work like the jerk who created them expected them to.  So to test file infectors I placed 8 droppers that I know work under DOS on a floppy and did a scan of the disk.  The scan hit on 8 out of 8.  Then I tried to copy the droppers to the hard drive.  The system shield prevented access.  It is, however, worth mentioning that the system shield only works in DOS sessions.  The theory behind this is that there are no native OS/2 viruses, at least not in the wild, so any infected program would have to be run in a DOS session.

What is missing in this version

Still missing is the ability to scan a single file from the GUI.  It is possible to scan a single file from the command line, however.  This feature will appeal to the crowd that has Preditor configured to simulate VI.

The bottom line.

For what this program costs, if it only saves you once, it will have paid for itself.  If you run more than one OS, you can't beat this package.  The interface is clean, the on-line help is very good and most important it works.  Technical support is available via e-mail and telephone.  In using the e-mail support option I found that it takes a little longer to get an answer; IBM has a robo mail that acknowledges your request and says that you should have a reply in about 24 hours.

System Requirements 

IBM AntiVirus for OS/2 requires an IBM PC, IBM PS/2, or 100% compatible system, and OS/2 version 2.0 or higher.  IBM AntiVirus requires a minimum of 4 megabytes of disk space on each PC where it is installed, and may use up to 4 megabytes of space on the C: drive temporarily during installation.

-----

* IBM AntiVirus v2.5
by (http://www.ibm.com/) IBM
MSRP: US$45

-----

(gpenzen@skypoint.com) George Penzenik is a Senior Network Engineer for Compuware Professional service in Minneaplois, MN.  When he isn't supporting Novell Netware and Lotus Notes servers, you can find him drowning worms in one of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes.  Stop by and visit (http://www.skypoint.com/members/gpenzen/) his web site.

***********************************

The Iomega Zip Drive	- by Chris Wenham

-----

Iomega has long been known for providing large-capacity removable media solutions, a famous example being the Bernoulli series of drives.  But in the last year Iomega has Jazzed up their image and brought out a line of modern, snazzy and one might even say sexy looking peripherals that appeal to the home and small business user for a variety of reasons.  The Zip drive is one of these.

The Zip drive is Iomega's suggestion to replace the lagging and sorely inadequate 1.44meg 3.5" floppy drives we've become so familiar with.  The external model we reviewed has a deep blue/indigo case, curved and sportily designed, built to lay horizontally or propped up on its side.  It's available in a version that plugs into the Parallel Port in the back of your computer (with a printer pass-through), or in a SCSI model that offers greater throughput for computers equipped with a SCSI port.  We reviewed the Parallel Port version that, despite its slower throughput, offers much wider portability.

OS/2 Support

It's unfortunate that such a great puerperal seems to ignore OS/2 users and only grudgingly recognize them when forced to.  The drive ships with DOS, Windows and Mac drivers but OS/2 drivers must either be ordered separately for $9.95 or, fortunately, downloaded free from the Internet or Iomega's BBS or (http://www.iomega.com/) WWW site.

Installation is also somewhat awkward, requiring you to figure out the difference between ADD and OAD drivers.  ADD drivers are OS/2's own format and you'll see several such drivers in your CONFIG.SYS like "BASEDEV=IBM1FLPY.ADD" for floppy drives, and "BASEDEV=IBM1S506.ADD" for most IDE hard drives.  OAD are what Iomega calls "Open Architecture Drivers."

All you really need to know is this: If you have the SCSI version of the Zip drive you need the ADD drivers, if you have the Parallel Port version you need the OAD ones.  Both are shipped in the same file or on the same disks you download/order from Iomega.

Documentation for these drivers come in self-displaying .EXE programs.  There are no ASCII text files you can load into your favorite editor, although the browser program does allow you to print out the manuals and jump to certain topics with a pop-up menu.  These manuals are written on the technical side and insist on describing the difference between OAD and ADD drivers at the top of each file, so cryptically in fact that most won't be any the wiser even after reading them three or four times through.

The actually process though, after you've figured it out, is easy enough for anyone to be able to do it.  The drivers install with the "Install Device Drivers" program in OS/2's System Setup folder and only require you to run a onetime utility that scans for the Zip drive and assigns a letter to it.

The installation program will place a new drive object in your 'Drives' folder.  You can make a shadow of this on your desktop.  Right clicking on this drive object will reveal a few extras in the popup menu, most notably 'Eject disk' and 'Lock disk'.  They do exactly what they say!  In a Macintosh-style maneuver, the Zip drive will whir and spit out the Zip disk after clicking 'eject', and 'Lock' will prevent the disk from being removed either by the 'Eject' command or by pressing the Eject button on the front of the unit itself.  (You must 'Unlock' the disk using a simple command line utility to Eject it.)

Benefits

The clearest benefits of the Zip drive are storage capacity, speed and portability.  Zip drives are becoming popular so you may find that you can exchange disks with your clients, friends and workers.  The external Zip drives themselves, especially the Parallel Port versions, are extremely portable too.  Unplug the drive from the back of your computer, carry it and its power supply (which is just a regular wall adaptor) to another computer, plug it in and run the 'Guest' program (which works on DOS and Windows) from the installation floppy, and you have full read/write access to the Zip drive without having to do a full install of the drivers.  This way it takes about 5 minutes to temporarily install the whole Zip drive on another computer and use all of its advantages.  We used it to back up the entire contents of a 50 megabyte hard drive in a little less than half an hour, including install time.

We also discovered that the Zip drive can be shared between two or more computers by using a simple, cheap cable switching box.  These boxes are normally used to share a printer between computers when you don't want a full-blown LAN.  By connecting the Zip drive and your computers to this box you can 'hot swap' the drive on the fly without rebooting either machine.  We tried this method to move large files and directories from one of our home office computers to the other.

The speed of a Zip drive depends on the version you purchase.  SCSI Zip drives can get up to 60 megabytes per minute of throughput, Parallel Port versions get only 20.  Access time on both versions is about 29 milliseconds, about the same as entry-level hard drives were 5 years ago but still much faster than regular floppy drives.  Speeds like this make it quite feasible to use a Zip drive to store documents on, plus games or programs that don't perform much disk access.  When benchmarked with IOStone (iostone.zip on hobbes) the parallel port version of the Zip drive scored 2230.  In comparison, an HPFS formatted hard drive with 10ms access time can usually reach 40,000 iostones or more (higher is better).

Media is cheap too, a 100 megabyte Zip disk runs about US$15 to US$20 each at the time of this writing and are also available in 3-packs and 10-packs (Iomega calls these "Gig-o-packs").  These prices make it quite reasonable to have one disk for each client or project you're working on.  As I do subcontracting work for a web development company I can bring entire web sites in on one Zip disk instead of multiple 1.4 meg disks.  If you're running low on hard disk space you can unload infrequently used programs and files onto a Zip disk and free up some room.

Since Iomega was essentially reinventing the floppy they took the opportunity to add some features that should have been there from the beginning.  Write protection is no longer achieved by physically sliding a tab on the disk, it's software based.  You can give a disk read and write protection with a password, making it ideal for storing sensitive documents.  Disks can also be temporarily unprotected, so you can write to them normally but they become protected again as soon as the disk is ejected.

HPFS Formatted Disks

OS/2 users will be especially interested to know that you can format a Zip disk with the HPFS (High Performance) file system.  However there are some caveats you should be aware of.  HPFS is designed to be used on fixed disks and does not normally support removable media.  To use HPFS on a Zip disk you must first Lock the disk, then format it with OS/2's Format program and the /FS:HPFS switch.  As soon as Iomega's driver detects that a Zip disk is HPFS formatted it locks the disk and it remains locked during the entire OS/2 session.  The eject button on the unit is disabled while the disk is locked.  The only way to change the disk is to shut down the system and reboot.

FAT formatted disks can be freely swapped during an OS/2 session with only one problem, apparently FixPak 17 'broke' the ability for OS/2 to store Extended Attributes (EA's) larger than 1k for files saved to the Zip disk.

Merlin Compatibility

We tested the Zip drive with Merlin Beta and it performed flawlessly.  The problem with storing EA's still seems to be there, although some people have been having mixed success.

Conclusions

The Zip drive is a very nice compliment for the home and business OS/2 installations, especially if you wish to port work files back and forth.  The OS/2 drivers also have the unique ability to assign a drive letter to the Parallel Zip even when the device is not physically connected at boot up, making shared Zip-drive solutions easy and painless.  It's the perfect removable storage solution for those who's needs are moderate.


-----

* Iomega Zip Drive
by (http://www.iomega.com/) Iomega
MSRP: US$199

$20-$15 for each 100mb removable Zip disk.

-----

(http://www.spectra.net/~fox/) Chris Wenham is a Team OS/2er in Binghamton, NY with a catchy-titled company -- (http://www.spectra.net/~pendulum/webworks/) Wenham's Web Works. He has written comedy, sci-fi, HTML, Pascal, C++ and now writes software reviews.

***********************************

NetExtra v1.0.5	- by Trevor Smith

-----

Some time ago, InnoVal Systems Solutions brought us WebExtra.  WebExtra simplified the organization of WWW URLs and provided a "persistent jump list" -- a catalog of every WWW page a user visited during a given month.  In September, InnoVal released (http://www.innoval.com/netextra/) NetExtra, a product that might be mistaken for an "update" to WebExtra.  NetExtra is much more than an "update" though, it provides many new features and complete Netscape, WebExplorer, Warp 3 and Warp 4 compatibility.  Oh, and it's been completely rewritten in C/C++ (the original WebExtra was written in VXREXX) for additional "pep".

Something Old

Customers of InnoVal's WebExtra will be right at home with the interface of NetExtra.  The familiar floating toolbar is still the main interface to NetExtra.  With this toolbar, users can customize NetExtra, open WebExplorer or Netscape Navigator (whichever they have specified in the NetExtra Properties... notebook), open a new URL, add a URL to a bookmark folder, search for a URL they have been to in the past and more.

As with WebExtra, the biggest benefit of using NetExtra may be the "persistent jump list".  All sites users visit on the WWW when running NetExtra are automatically logged to a list which can be sorted, searched and used to revisit pages.  Most of us, at one time or another, find something thrilling on the Web and then forget where we saw it.  For this reason alone, the persistent jump list is essential.  With it, you will never again curse that you forgot to write down the address of that great OS/2 site -- NetExtra has already written it down for you!

Something New

New to NetExtra are a few things.  First, nickname support for URLs has been added.  This allows web surfers to enter URLs in a "nickname list" and then (presumably later) access those URLs by their nicknames.  This comes in very handy for pages with long complicated addresses; instead of typing "http://www.storage.ibm.com/techsup/hddtech/sources/fax.htm" to get information for IBM's Storage Division's Fax Back service, you could use the nickname "Fax Back" to jump to the same page.

For URLs with shorter addresses such as "http://www.ibm.com/", NetExtra saves you even more time by automatically entering the most common WWW prefix, "http://www.", in the Open URL dialog (something WebExplorer should have done a long time ago).

Also new is the addition of Page Mining Agents and the related CacheUp feature.  Page Mining Agents are just what they sound like: agents that grab a page and start digging through all the links and graphics found on that page.  The depth of the search and various other features are user configurable.  The result is a local copy of remote sites for off-line browsing.

If you are using this feature on a slow modem to "mine" a large site and you're retrieving graphics, the operation can take a while.  For example, it took quite a few minutes to gather the entire November issue of OS/2 e-Zine! using the Page Mining Agent.  And not all the interconnecting links on the pages were properly aliased to point to the cached version (some were still pointing to http://www.os2ezine.com/v1n12/) [editor's note : InnoVal is aware of this problem and has already been testing improved algorithms to solve it].  In our case, it would probably be much easier to just grab the zipped copy provided by OS/2 e-Zine!, but for sites that don't offer this service, Page Mining is great.

The CacheUp feature allows a similar operation to be performed on a list of pages selected from a NetExtra folder or list but without any customizing of options such as "get graphics" or "level of search".

Users will be glad to know that they can also convert their old WebExtra bookmarks, their WebExplorer Quicklists or even their Netscape Navigator bookmarks to NetExtra bookmarks.  This is an excellent feature for those in transition from WebExplorer (or WebExtra) to Navigator -- as I'm sure many Warp users are!

Performance

InnoVal has done a good job with NetExtra.  While WebExtra was somewhat sluggish due to its VXREXX roots, NetExtra seems to be snappier thanks to completely rewritten code.

Previous purchasers of WebExtra need not fear being left to fend for themselves either.  InnoVal has promised a maintenance release for WebExtra by the end of October, which includes rewritten code in C/C++.  And of course, they are offering an upgrade to NetExtra to take advantage of its significant new features and the ability to use it with Netscape Navigator in addition to WebExplorer.

Drawbacks

About the only real drawback with NetExtra is that it has so much going on, it may be a little busy and confusing to some.  There are books full of bookmarks, jumplists of past sites visited, search facilities, nicknames, Page Mining, CacheUp, and on and on.  Users just starting out with NetExtra will want to read through the well written documentation to orient themselves.  But again, this is just a matter of how many useful features NetExtra has.

Conclusions

NetExtra is a pleasant and timely step forward from WebExtra.  InnoVal has shown once again that they are committed to providing useful software that home and business users of OS/2 will appreciate.  This one's a winner.

-----

* NetExtra v1.0.5
by (http://www.innoval.com/) InnoVal Systems Solutions
MSRP: US$49.95

-----

(editor@os2ezine.com) Trevor Smith is the editor of OS/2 e-Zine! and full time WWW surfer.

***********************************

Avarice: The Final Saga	- by Christopher B. Wright

-----

Background

Go back in time with me, back when the IBM PC was still competing with the Commodore 64.  DOS (and all variants of DOS) was king in the PC world.  A Technological Marvel known as the Amiga had not yet hit the streets.  Windows was virtually unknown.  WordPerfect 5.0 was king of the application market.

Some of the best games in the world were played then.

One of the most innovative game creators of the time was a company named "Infocom."  Infocom's games would probably make most of you snicker today, because they were all text-based.  They refused (and refused loudly and insistently) to add graphics to their games because they felt, basically, that you could get a higher resolution picture and better color depth with your mind than with a meager VGA card.

Unfortunately, this type of game fell by the wayside, victim to flashier, less complicated games.

Then there was Myst, which brought graphics in games to an entirely new level.  Myst's beautifully ray-traced scenes "upped the ante" in the gaming world, and a bunch of Myst imitators came on the scene overnight.

Stardock's latest game offering is called Avarice: The Final Saga.  Designed by Continuous Software Systems and released by Stardock, it has been billed as the "Myst Killer" for OS/2.

Basically, it seems Stardock and CSS decided to "Out-Myst" Myst -- which, in my opinion, is a shame, because they've actually done something better and they're not talking about it.  Resurrecting the spirit of Infocom, they've created a graphical game that plays like a well written text game: in other words, they've created a game that can do just about anything.

Installation

Avarice is played on a CD-ROM drive, and it installs simply.  Unfortunately, this simplicity comes with a price; while you can choose which drive you want to install some of the game files on (Avarice installs some, but not all of the files from the CD-ROM onto your drive), you can not choose which directory you want to install them in.  Avarice insists on creating its own "Avarice" directory in the root level of whatever drive you choose.

Once you've finished the installation, you can begin playing immediately, no rebooting is needed.

The Game

In Avarice, you've received a letter from a rich uncle inviting you to come to his island for the, "opportunity of a lifetime."  Intrigued you travel there, only to find... nothing.  Just a beautiful, expansive, mysterious house and three other visitors who received the 
same letter.  Your uncle, strangely enough, is not there.  Why are you here?  What is the opportunity of a lifetime?  This is the mystery you need to solve.

Solving this mystery requires that you solve a lot of smaller mysteries first.  For example, you need to figure out how to get around the house (which is very, very large).  You need to get into locked doors, work strange machines, and find tantalizing (and obscure) clues your eccentric uncle has left behind in unlikely places.

Complicating this effort is the presence of three other people on the island who have received the same letter.  They're trying to solve the mystery as well... will they help you, or try to beat you to the punch?  You don't know, and worst of all, in Avarice they move with minds of their own.  They can find objects, pick them up, and walk away with them (even ones you need to solve the game).  You can talk to them, perhaps even learn things from them, but can you trust them?  You don't know.

They aren't the only characters you'll meet, though.  You'll also find your Uncle's butler walking around.  He can be very helpful at times, but can you trust him completely either?  And of course, your Uncle could be hanging out somewhere, if only you could find him...

Graphics

The graphics in Avarice are beautiful.  Avarice lets you choose four levels of image quality, depending on the speed and power of your computer, and the quality of your graphics card.  To view the highest resolution graphics you need a card that can display 16 million colors.  The graphics can be viewed at any resolution your computer can use -- from 640x480 to 1280x1024 (and possibly 1600x1200, but I wouldn't know because my monitor won't do that) with no appreciable loss in quality.  There is also a setting that will allow the game to load and display lower-quality graphics first, then bring in higher quality graphics afterwards to take some of the pressure off your computer.  This is probably useful for people with small amounts of RAM, or slow processors, but it was annoying on my machine so I disabled it without any problems.

The lower resolution graphics are OK, but Avarice is very easy on the eyes at the highest graphics setting.  Everything in the game is incredibly detailed -- polished marble floors reflect the walls, pictures on the wall show distinct images, even in passing.  The perspectives are done very well, giving it a realistic 3-D feel.

The Interface

The screen is split into three "areas": at the top is a menu bar, allowing you to tweak settings and to save the game intermittently if you wish.  The second area is what you see as you travel around the game (this section can be resized depending on your preferences, but by default it takes up about 60% of the screen).  The third area is, most of the time, your inventory list (it displays the objects you are carrying), but when you're looking through something (a wallet, a desk, a cabinet) it will display what you find in there.

The only thing you need to play this game is a mouse.  The nice thing about using the mouse is that it can cue you as to what actions you can perform.  If you see the mouse pointer turn into a pair of eyes looking down, clicking on the mouse will let you look down.  If the mouse pointer is an arrow, you can move in the direction it is pointing (you can even back up).  And if the mouse pointer is a target sight, whatever it's resting on is an object and you can "do stuff" with it.  Pressing the secondary mouse button will cause a list of choices to pop-up on the screen, telling you what "stuff" you can "do" to the object.

Most of the time, the choices are pretty generic; you can look, examine, move up to, get, etc.  However, some objects have specific things you can do to them.  For example, if you are holding an orange, you can do orange-related things: you can peel the orange, break the orange apart, and eat the orange.  This is one of the neatest aspects of the game, and one of the things that reminded me of the old Infocom text games.  You can do just about anything with an object that you could do in real life.

As mentioned, you'll run into a few other characters in the game.  Talking to a non-player character (NPC) in Avarice is a lot like talking to an NPC in one of the "Ultima" games from origin: when you decide to talk to an NPC, you are given a list of things you can say.  You click on one with your mouse, and the NPC's response is displayed.  You continue doing this until you no longer wish to speak, or you run out of things to say.

This is not the most intricate or realistic way to simulate a conversation, but it works very well and adds spice to the game.  My only complaint is that there seems to be a limited number of things you can say to an NPC before there is nothing left to talk about.  I assume this changes when you find out more information that an NPC might be able to flesh out for you (but this hasn't happened for me yet).

Sounds

Although there is music in the game introduction, it goes away after that.  Perhaps a musical score was excluded for performance reasons, but I was disappointed by this.  I think background music adds atmosphere to a game, and I missed it.

Myst Killer?

Some have been promoting Avarice as a "Myst Killer", a game that competes with Myst on its own terms and beats it cold.  I say instead that it's very different from Myst -- it's more like Zork with high-resolution graphics.  Either way, it's a top-notch game and a must-have for anyone who likes adventure games.

Suggestions

Still, there are ways it could be made better.  The NPC's need to be fleshed out a little bit.  A lot of the game's bugs occur when trying to interact with these people; for example, when I tried to interact with an NPC immediately upon entering a room, I found that unless I waited about 10 or 15 seconds, the option to talk would not work until I turned away from, and then back to, the character.  There also seems to be a problem with maintaining the size of an NPC's graphic -- at times, they looked as if they were three inches tall, standing on chairs and tables!  Also, it would be nice to see an NPC in more than one position (for example, to see an NPC actually sitting in a chair), or leaning against a wall.  This would take more time, but would make the NPCs look more lifelike.

I would also like a musical score to be added to the game.  The lack of music is somewhat disconcerting, and a spooky, dark background score would add to the atmosphere tremendously.

Recommendation

Avarice is an absorbing, intriguing game.  It seems well designed, despite a few quirks, but if you expect a fast-paced game you may find it frustrating.  There is some lag time when you move, in order to update the graphics (this can be combatted with the "background image loading mentioned above), and although most of the time it is just the tiniest hint of a delay, it can be annoying.  You probably want a pentium processor to play the game at a reasonable pace; 486 machines will probably be bogged down by the more CPU intensive stuff.

Avarice is a neat, spooky, high-quality game.  I strongly recommend it.

Test Machine:

P120
32 M Ram
Creative Labs 32 PNP Sound Blaster
Warp Connect Blue, FP 22
Goldstar 6x CD-ROM
Matrix Millennium 4mb WRAM PCI card, 1280x1024 w/ 16M

-----

* Avarice: The Final Saga
Published by (http://www.stardock.com/) Stardock Systems
MSRP: US$69.95

-----

(cwbrenn@ibm.net) Christopher B. Wright is a technical writer in the Northern Virginia/D.C. area, and has been using OS/2 Warp since January 95.  He is also a member of Team OS/2.

***********************************

VPoker v1.0	- by Sidney Maplehurst

-----

Those of you who are afraid to frequent bars or other businesses that contain video poker terminals will be pleased to know that there is a free OS/2 solution to your dilemma.  VPoker is IBM employee written software from years ago that is still available on Walnut Creek's and other FTP sites.

If you're familiar with the game as it appears on millions of computers and tavern video screens, you'll need no instructions for VPoker -- which is good, since there is no documentation to speak of.  There is a brief explanation of how to play and what the various buttons do in the on-line help and it should be sufficient for anyone not familiar with this basic game.

VPoker starts with a login screen where you can enter your name and then displays a table of payouts.  There is also a 5 card poker hand (face down), a window showing how much you are about to bet and another showing your total winnings.  There are buttons under each card in your hand to either discard or keep that card (you can discard as many cards as you wish, one time).  A pair of Jacks or better breaks even, two pair or higher will earn you money.  Simple.

Of course, you can't really win any money with VPoker (neither the author nor IBM will cash in your winnings) but then, you can't lose any either.  There's good and bad in everything I guess.

VPoker is amusing if you enjoy poker type card games.  However, the betting is a little limited; you can only choose to bet 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 dollars per hand.  A more flexible interface for "high rollers" would have been a simply implemented improvement.

It may have been my imagination, but the game seemed to pull the classic scam on me when I installed it.  I started it up, entered my name and immediately started winning.  After a few full houses and some 4 of a kinds, I was well on my way to $400 (the game starts you at $25).  Assuming that I was a poker player extraordinaire, I took a break.  But when I went back to the game the next day, things were decidedly different.  I quickly squandered my $25 and had to restart.  After this happened a few times, I knew I'd been suckered.  Or maybe it was my imagination.  Either way, I've been banging away on that "bet" button ever since, trying to get even with the game.  Maybe it's a good thing IBM doesn't cash in at the end of the game...

The interface to VPoker isn't the most beautiful thing ever seen this side of Vegas.  It does the job though.  You have a choice of various card backs and the unique graphics for the card fronts are cool (including what I assume is a picture of the developer as the King), but the graphics in Windows Solitaire are better than those found here.

The sounds are also a nice touch but not the most professional ever heard.  It seems like the programmer probably recorded the various sound bites himself on a home microphone.  It's nice to have the computer alert you to what your hand contains though, so the effort is appreciated.

For those of you who demand authenticity in your poker, this may not be the game for you.  Instead of being programmed to simulate a real deck of cards being shuffled, the game seems to more or less randomly select the cards it deals.  While I never noticed more than 4 of a kind in one hand or two of the same card and suit in one hand, I did notice many hands in a row with two or more Kings (so don't bother counting those cards).  Still, I haven't seen any Royal Flushes yet (or Straight Flushes for that matter) so the probabilities seem about right.

There may be other video poker type games around better than VPoker, but for the price, you can't go wrong.  It's a simple game for people who prefer non-thinking time wasters and you won't have to sell your car to pay your gambling debts (or to pay the game's license).

-----

* VPoker v1.0
by Brett King (IBM Employee Written Software)
download from (ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/.4/os2/games/vpoker.zip) Walnut Creek (ZIP, 414K)
Registration: FREE

-----

(sidney@haligonian.com) Sidney Maplehurst is a computer advisor, OS/2 advocate, and all around computer nut.  She also enjoys health food, reading and skydiving.  She has been using OS/2 since v2.0.

***********************************

Serving up a Winner	- by Scott E. Regener

-----

It's us versus them -- and we're winning.

In the midst of the launch of OS/2 Warp 4, aka. Merlin, it was easy to miss a seemingly insignificant press release from IBM.  After all, the Netscape Beta is out, and desktops across America eagerly await the upgrade that will finally win over millions to the best way to compute.  So what's this (http://www.os2ezine.com/announcements/sep20.htm#ibm2) news about server market share?  Does it matter?

Of course it does!  For months, the Microsoft mantra has been what NT is going to be.  NT is going to be faster than OS/2.  NT is going to be more stable.  NT is going to have more software.  Perhaps most importantly, NT is going to be everywhere because that is where everybody is going.  The gist of this, of course, is that if you're not planning on running Windows NT, you're going to be left behind because the momentum behind NT is so large that no one else will survive.  This has been repeated so many times, in so many different places, that it's become almost indistinguishable from the truth.  Now, new numbers are out that refute the Microsoft mantra.

OS/2 servers, it seems, are gaining market share.  In fact, they're number two, behind not NT, but Novell Netware.  Over 15 percent of the server market is using OS/2, with over 170,000 copies sold in just the first half of 1996.  Those numbers would be small on the  desktop, but in the server market, those numbers are huge!  That 15 percent market share is more than all the Unix variants combined!

So what is the reaction to this tremendous revelation?  Disbelief.  Even us longtime supporters find the numbers a little bit surprising.  If OS/2 servers were so popular, surely more people would have heard about them.  After all, who knows anyone who is using an OS/2 server?  I don't.

This is where the end of the press release helps.  It names clients that have recently ordered OS/2 servers.  The names raise eyebrows.  Dean Witter.  The State of California.  There's more, of course, many more.  These aren't small orders, either.  A few hundred copies here, a thousand there, and pretty soon, it becomes obvious that whole companies are shifting to OS/2 based servers.  If IBM's name alone isn't enough to convince people that OS/2 servers can be a serious player in the server market, certainly some of their customers will.  After all, a stock broker can hardly afford a server crash at 3:58, Eastern time.

But what about NT?

In the other camp, scandal has struck.  Microsoft has launched another typical marketing ploy that the majority of the industry just doesn't care about.  Everyone knows that servers are inherently different from clients.  Their jobs are different.  Their needs are different.  But, at least in Microsoft's case, the underlying operating system is not different.  (http://www.ora.com/) O'Reilly & Associates has disclosed the differences between NT workstation and NT server.  If you discount the licenses, these differences are not as big as you'd think!

It seems that a few minor configuration changes in a few files will convince a workstation that it is a server, and vice versa.  The performance is so close, it is hardly worth mentioning.  So what does the $800 more for  NT Server buy you?  How about a lot of "free" software?  How about a piece of paper permitting more simultaneous users?  Hardly seems worth it, does it?  Some have compared it to selling separate versions of DOS, one with  FILES=20 and one with FILES=80.

Not to be outdone by itself, Microsoft has also redefined the term "user".  It seems that Netscape and others have cornered the web server market.  Microsoft's belated Internet strategy includes one little change in the workstation license from NT 3.51 to 4.0 which makes each web connection a "user".  There can be no more operating of heavily used web pages from a workstation.

Microsoft defends this new definition by citing significant differences in the architecture of NT Workstation versus Server.  Those significant differences amount to two changes in a configuration file.  Of course, in those "free" utilities included with your NT server, you also get Microsoft's web server.  It won't be easy to convince a purchasing agent to buy Netscape's server for more money if they already have Microsoft's.

Don't get mad, get Warped!

The above information probably isn't enough to convince everybody to use OS/2 Warp Server.  It is enough, however, to give purchasing managers enough ammunition to point out that they're buying into the second largest server instead of an unproven hope.  With better performance and a lower cost, it just might be enough to sell a few thousand more copies.

-----

(sregener@us.net) Scott E. Regener, a Team-OS2 member, has been using OS/2 since 1994.  He currently has two OS/2 systems which he uses for games, writing, and major Internet activity.

***********************************

OS/2-CIM Alive!	- by Steven Atchue

-----

Last December when OS/2-CIM development was cancelled many users got fed up with CompuServe and decided enough was enough and left.

But there were, and still are, many OS/2 hopefuls left in the CIS on-line community.  Larry Finkelstein, president of Creative Systems Programming (CSP), is banking his success on it.

On September 24, Creative Systems Programming and CompuServe announced that development of the OS/2-CIM version 2.03 will continue.  The announcement read, "IBM OS/2 users who want to ride new technology into cyberspace got a boost on Sept 24 as CompuServe (CIS) and Creative Systems Programming agreed to continue the development of interface products for the CIS."  According to the announcement the new product will support the latest version of OS/2 Warp 4.  CompuServe Information Manager 2.03 (CIM) for OS/2 is being shipped as part of the OS/2 BonusPak.  For those of you who are unconnected, CSP are the creators of Golden Compass the Off-line CompuServe navigator.  CSP was founded in 1984 and is a privately held corporation that designs custom applications for OS/2, more specifically communications programs.

CSP President Larry Finkelstein has a whole new direction and goal for the OS/2-CIM product.  CSP has not determined the fine details of the product's new direction, but CSP's main goal is clear: "OS/2 CIM must win OS/2 users back to CompuServe".

Finkelstein has emphatically stated that the interface will no longer be restricted by, "windows centric design".  OS/2 users will enjoy an interface that is better integrated with the Workplace Shell (WPS).  Integration with CSP's current flagship product, Golden Compass, is planned as well.

CIS has recently begun the complete integration of the Internet within its infrastructure.  CSP must also factor this functionally in.  OS/2-CIM 2.03 is severely lacking even the CIS proprietary features present in its Windows counterpart, consequently the Internet seems light years from happening within the OS/2-CIM.  CSP has acknowledged some Internet integration is necessary and is exploring the options.

The biggest problems with the current version of OS/2-CIM according to Mr. Finkelstein is buggy code.  The code has not yet been handed over to CSP, however, according to Donna Finkelstein, delivery is imminent, and they know they have their work cut out for them.

When more thoroughly questioned about the OS/2-CIM bugginess Finkelstein stated, "We are fully aware of the current problems with OS/2-CIM specifically with the file cabinet.  File cabinet problems in the Windows counterpart have for the most part been ironed out.  The OS/2-CIM agreement allows CSP to reference the current WIN-CIM code, hopefully giving some insight on correcting some of the problems long plaguing OS/2-CIM."  CSP has pledged to, "absolutely not release code until it is stable."

Examining the two products, OS/2 CIM and Golden compass, it may seem that they have overlapping markets.  When asked how the two will coexist Finkelstein states, "It is clear one product is a hammer and the other a screwdriver.  Some will need one or the other, possibly even both.  Ultimately they will be designed to compliment each other."

Some of the major features slated for enhancement will be full implementation of HMI and enhanced menu support.  Other considerations are carefully being looked into.  Any features, however, "that only ten people will use," will not be aggressively courted.

One thing is apparent in talking with Creative Systems Programming: they plan to make OS/2-CIM better.  This may come at a price since IBM, up to this point, has not committed monetary involvement in any capacity.  CSP must make the product profitable itself.  CSP did not have any comment on pricing but the company is aware it will be a tricky issue, after all OS/2-CIM has customarily been a free product.

CSP wants to assure the OS/2 community that this acquisition is a, "WIN-WIN situation for everyone.  It will allow CompuServe to continue to be the on-line service of choice and will provide a quality CIM to the OS/2 community".

Larry Finkelstein feels that this acquisition has positioned CSP to deliver quality on-line interface products to the entire OS/2 community.  "We are excited that we can now deliver top-of-the-line products to the OS/2 community and that CompuServe has shown a commitment to continuing to serve this valuable customer base."  A hopeful target date of December has been mentioned for delivery of an "updated" version of the CIM.

Informal talks have been ongoing between CompuServe and Creative Systems Programming since December 1995 when the original announcement to cancel OS/2-CIM was made.  No details, financial or contractual, of the OS/2-CIM deal have been disclosed at the time of writing, however they are being worked out, on a daily basis.

-----

(editor@zipnet.net) Steven Atchue is marketing director for Worksaver Software, Worcester, MA.  Steve has been doing consulting since the birth of the AT.  Currently, he is doing product reviews and freelance writing. Other Warped projects include Programming in Visual Basic, Rexx, Perl, Assembler, and learning C++. For fun he is building his own house. Steve can also be reached on (75250.3726@compuserve.com) CompuServe.

***********************************

Nethead's Nook	- by Brandon Fesler

-----

(click) (clack) (click) (click) (clack)

Eh?

Oh!  Hello!  Welcome once again to my little corner of the world.  If you look over here, I was just messing around with Warp 4.0's CONFIG.SYS file to see if I could change it into Warp Server 4.0.  I don't seem to be having... very much success...

(kicks the tower a couple of times)

Well, anyway, once again here I am, just in the nick of time.  This month I've prepared even more jokes, humor and things that generally will be definitively the last thing you need.

May I remind you that it's very important in these next couple of weeks to show your support of Warp 4.0 by doing two things:

(a) Buy it!
(b) Buy software!

Ok, that's the end of my crusade for morality.  Get ready for the last thing you need.

-----

The OS/2 Looks Song
(Think hot, blues-ey sound)

I was out on the street
Usin' a pretty new face
When this hot workin' system
Came and took its place

It ain't got no anti-aliasing
It ain't got no wizards or anything
It's just a lean, mean, butt kickin' object machine!

Well, I was playin' round
With draggin' and droppin'
Then I saw the light
Up came walkin'... 4 point oh...
Oh man... what a sight!

It ain't got no anti-aliasing
It ain't got no wizards or anything
It's just a lean, mean, butt kickin' object machine!

So now I've got ZIP files expandin'
Straight from the 'net
I've got an Object Desktop, mamma
But you ain't seen NOTHIN' yet!

It's my lean... mean... butt kickin object machiiiiiiine!!!!!

(end song)

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  You're beautiful.

Ok, on to my comments on this month's news.

Well, well, well.  Netscape finally got a clue!  But I believe I shall not gloat at this point.  Instead, let me go off on an interesting tangent story.

Netscape accused Microsoft of anti-competitive business practices when dealing with Internet software, stating that MS was apparently attempting to flee from a direct feature-to-feature comparison by forcing vendors to not load Microsoft's competitor's products.  I say this is definitely not the case.  Feature to feature, yeah right... they don't want people to know Netscape exists!

I recently saw one of those very annoying "billboard" GIFs along the top of NetScape/2.  It looked something like this: "New! Microsoft Internet Explorer... now with ActiveX!"  You know, this is indeed a sad day for the Internet...  I went downstairs and read the box for some
cereal...  "New! Post Raisin Bran... now with more raisins!"  Hmmm...  I believe if I were to get Windows 95 I might find bran flakes seeping out of my CD-ROM.

Ok, well, now I shall stop bashing Microsoft (but hey, it's such an easy target).  Now we go on to a much easier target... IBM!

IBM announced that it will soon begin its OS/2 Warp 4.0 marketing campaign.  I am pleased to announce that I have a leaked copy of their first ad.  Here's a sneak peek!

Warp 4 is the perfect solution for information storage and management information specialists who are on the frequent travel and need the power and stability of a battle-tested operating system which utilizes the latest in unparalleled technologies.  You can increase your dramatic productive exponential output factor by numerous points using VoiceType Dictation system.  Even more exciting are the new Java technologies which are being used on the worldwide TCP/IP network by millions of not-quite connected consumers who desire to execute nonessential un-businesslike programs on the unconnected kitchen-top.  But you are different.  You run your business on a desk.  Therefore we want you as a customer.  Warp 4.  Because you should struggle with understanding the meaning of our ads and our true intentions, not the usability of your operating system strategy paradigm.

Yep. Innovation in marketing is clearly back at IBM.

Hey! Hey!  Ok, that WAS a low blow.  I admit it.  But come on, people... do you REALLY think we'll see an ad that we would want to see?  Heck, most IBM ads are perfect (http://www.mst3000.com/) "MSTing" material.

Oh well.  I guess we will just have to see how the REST of the marketing program does later on.  Until next month, walk softly, and carry a large Object.

-----

(nethead@okc.oklahoma.net) NetHead is a dummy, a looney, and just plain strange.  You can see his (http://www.oklahoma.net/~nethead/) web page for more information on just how much so.

***********************************

The Chronicles of (dmccoy@mailhost.mnsinc.com) John Ominor	- by (dmccoy@mailhost.mnsinc.com) John Ominor, The Inhuman

-----

Fear... is the mind killer.  Fear, that clouder of men's thoughts, sower of doubt, unlike greed, is not good when it causes one to see peril around every corner and under every stone.  Perhaps it would interest you to know that the only thing fear itself is afraid of is (dmccoy@mailhost.mnsinc.com) John Ominor.  How appropriate...

I am (dmccoy@mailhost.mnsinc.com) John Ominor, The Inhuman.  It seems that September 25th has come and gone, leaving in its wake OS/2 Warp 4, the long anticipated successor to OS/2 Warp 3.0.  And, of course, following closely behind like some insanely wretched pack of canines, yelping and howling, are yet another generation of innuendo and complaints, the toxic by-products of fear.

IBM has recently announced their plans to "freeze" the OS/2 kernel, and instead concentrate on more timely enhancements to subsystems such as Java and Internet support.  Individuals incapable of conquering their fear have seen this as yet another death toll for OS/2.

This is an incorrect belief.  OS/2's kernel is time tested, efficient, and amazingly stable.  Its stability rivals that of even the supposedly uncrashable Windows NT.  Even more so since the integration of the Windows NT kernel and its graphics engine.

The Inhuman asserts the stability of OS/2 is, however, compromised in two ways, namely the now legendary synchronous input queue of the Workplace Shell and the ability of applications to access and modify the Workplace Shell.  Logic demands that the core of the operating system cease being the object of an endless stream of patches and instead, resources be shifted to the sections of the operating system that are less complete.  Most would argue that the Workplace Shell, user interface, file systems, DIVE, DART, MIDI, and network systems would be excellent candidates.  Hence, the reasoning behind IBM's new strategy.

Surely you can see how this goal can only serve The Inhuman, allowing all to benefit and thus, serve The Inhuman... better.  A beautiful, closed system of subservience and obedience.  Truly... magical, do you not think?

(dmccoy@mailhost.mnsinc.com) John Ominor has noticed that so far, all have been most pleased with the OS/2 installation program.  When the Merlin beta was released as with the previous versions of OS/2, this was by far the most common complaint.  And yet (dmccoy@mailhost.mnsinc.com) Ominor has seen that despite this improvement, some have seen fit to complain that the OS/2 packaging was "cheap" and "tossed together;" the hardcopy documentation, lacking.  The Inhuman has the documentation for many operating systems including OS/2, DOS, various Windows, various UNIXs and no matter how much or how little was included in the box, it is never enough.  This is why there is an after market or third party book market for most operating systems.  This is why some foolish people, instead of purchasing these books, choose instead to pay exorbitant amounts to take a class on using operating systems.

Previous versions of OS/2 had more documentation, yet the OS/2 Unleashed series continued to be a best-seller.  The Inhuman suggests purchasing such materials and thus conquering your fears.

The final fear that has gripped the OS/2 world is the flaw reported by (http://www.sundialsystems.com/) Sundial Systems.  To this, The Inhuman would suggest testing the operating system and one's applications to determine the extent of the effects, thereby combatting fear through education.

It is time to put aside fear.  It is time to embrace (dmccoy@mailhost.mnsinc.com) John Ominor's word.  It is time to take another look at OS/2 version 4.0.  It is time to acknowledge that OS/2 has yet again raised the standard of operating systems for a long time to come.

Enjoy your new operating system.

-----

The origins and current plans of (dmccoy@mailhost.mnsinc.com) Ominor are known only to (dmccoy@mailhost.mnsinc.com) Ominor.  He is indeed a mystery to all.  Save The Inhuman.

***********************************

September's Top Selling Commercial Applications

-----

Note: The following list represents only the top selling OS/2 applications.  OS/2 Warp and OS/2 Warp Connect are not included in the rankings.


This Month	Last Month	Product				Company

1		--		Avarice: The Final Saga		Stardock Systems
2		--		Object Desktop v1.5		Stardock Systems
3 (tie)		1		IBM AntiVirus v2.4 Desktop Ed.	IBM
3 (tie)		2		Partition Magic v2 Personal Ed.	PowerQuest
4		4		System Commander v2.2		V Communications
5		10		Object Desktop Professional	Stardock Systems
6		6		UniMaint v5.0			SofTouch Systems
7		7		BackAgain/2 v4.0 Prof. Ed.	Comp. Data Strat.
8		--		Sytos Premium v2.1		Arcada
9		--		DeScribe Voyager Plus CD	DeScribe
10		--		GammaTech Utilities v3.0	SofTouch Systems

-----

Compiled by (http://www.indelible-blue.com/ib/) Indelible Blue, Inc. - Your Single Source for OS/2 Solutions.

***********************************

September's Top Selling Shareware

-----

This Month	Last Month	Product			Developer

1		1		PMMail			SouthSide Software
2		--		ZOC			EmTec Innovative Software
3		5		PMView			Peter Neilsen
4		2		Xit			CodeSmith Software
5		3		InJoy			Bjarne Jensen
6		4		NeoLogic Network Suite	NeoLogic
7		7		MR/2 ICE		Nick Knight
8		8		iLink/2			Mental Static
9		6		WebExplorer Organizer	ONG Software
10		--		FM/2			Mark Kimes

-----

This list is compiled by (http://www.bmtmicro.com/) BMT Micro -- Your Source for Over 100 Quality Shareware Applications -- and represents their monthly registration figures.

***********************************

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(http://www.aescon.com/innoval/) Surf'nRexx
Use REXX to build powerful Internet utilities using our DLLs.  Package also includes 10 utilities as samples.

***********************************
Copyright 1996   -   Falcon Networking
ISSN 1203-5696