OS2 World Community Forum

OS/2, eCS & ArcaOS - Technical => Applications => Topic started by: warpsalad on October 20, 2017, 04:44:03 am

Title: Applications OS/2 Needs
Post by: warpsalad on October 20, 2017, 04:44:03 am
After browsing through my existing repretoire of OS/2 applications (which isn't that great) and trying out some ported things, I haven't been able to find good substitutes for some things I do on other OSes on a daily basis.

That would be:

#1 A good audio player with playlists and generous file support. It should be able to play: .MP3, .OGG, .FLAC, .IT, .S3M, .MOD, .XM--basically something that could be a distant shadow to xmplay (which there isn't even anything quite like it on Linux, but it can run in WINE). Or maybe I'm just too used to XMplay :p

#2 A decent quick image editing program--like Pinta or Paint.NET

#3 Audio editing, like Audacity but for OS/2

#4 Advanced text editor with the ability to change the colours--like Notepad++ or any other common editors out there
---
The ability to play common audio formats in playlists, and also the ability to run tracker files is the most wanted thing I'm looking for at the moment.

If anyone wanted to provide me some pointers where I should start out with? Unfortunately I don't have the official IBM compiler for OS/2 so... I'd be up for any offers if anyone has a copy.
Title: Re: Applications OS/2 Needs
Post by: Dave Yeo on October 20, 2017, 05:46:23 am
For the official IBM compiler, punch this into your favourite search engine (tested with duckduckgo), "VisualAge C++ for OS/2 site:archive.org"

For an audio player, check out http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/download/pub/os2/apps/mmedia/jukebox/audc100.zip (http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/download/pub/os2/apps/mmedia/jukebox/audc100.zip). Note that yo will have to collect command line programs to actually play your files, most are available on Hobbes. eg for mod players http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/h-browse.php?dir=/pub/os2/apps/mmedia/music/mod/players (http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/h-browse.php?dir=/pub/os2/apps/mmedia/music/mod/players). You might have to fall back on FFmpeg or rather FFplay for some of the more exotic files, audiocenter should be able to drive FFplay.
Title: Re: Applications OS/2 Needs
Post by: Doug Bissett on October 20, 2017, 06:17:58 am
My choices:

1) PM123 http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/download/pub/incoming/pm123-1.41.zip (http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/download/pub/incoming/pm123-1.41.zip).

2) PMView http://www.pmview.com/ (http://www.pmview.com/). Not free though.

3) Sorry, not  one of my things...

4) eFTE http://trac.netlabs.org/efte/wiki (http://trac.netlabs.org/efte/wiki). In fact, I rarely use any editor, other than E (really EA), that is the default OS/2 text editor, but eFTE has a lot of customization options, as well as prepackaged configurations.
Title: Re: Applications OS/2 Needs
Post by: ivan on October 20, 2017, 03:15:51 pm
Depending on how much image editing you want to do there are two simple editors that do what your examples do - Embellish and Phototiger.  Both are now freeware.
Title: Re: Applications OS/2 Needs
Post by: Martin Iturbide on October 20, 2017, 05:08:00 pm
Hi Devon

These are my suggesstions:

#1: We have VLC ported (http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/h-viewer.php?dir=/pub/os2/apps/mmedia/video/players&file=vlc-2.2.6.zip&backto=%2Fh-search.php%3Fkey%3Dvlc%26pushbutton%3DSearch).

#2: To freely draw images, I don't like what we have. My wishlist is to have a port of "InkScape" someday. SketchIt (https://github.com/OS2World/APP-GRAPHICS-SketchIt) is open source but requires a lot of development to be something similar to Inkscape.

#3: I don't know much about it, but having an Audacity port will be great someday.

#4: I also use a Qt app called: STE (Sintegrial Text Editor) (http://trac.netlabs.org/qtapps/wiki/QT4%20Office)

If you want to do development on OS/2 remember that we have the "Classic way" using the OS/2 API with compilers that are not supported anymore, and we also have the "Open API" which are some libc, cairo, sdl and Qt APIs so you can use with the GCC compiler.  I prefer to give it a try to the "open compilers" first and use the discontinued software only when it is necessary and you can not find an open replacement.

I don't do development by I have tried to document little things like:
- Compiling "OS/2 Presentation Manager Programming" Samples on 2016 (http://www.edm2.com/index.php/Compiling_%22OS/2_Presentation_Manager_Programming%22_Samples_on_2016)
If I had better skills and more time I would really like to learn some Qt compiling and development.

Regards
Title: Re: Applications OS/2 Needs
Post by: Tyro65 on January 02, 2018, 03:51:12 am
Speaking of VLC, I am about to install VLC, which I downloaded from ecsoft2.org, on my Arca Noae . I've had VLC running on a former installation, but I don't remember which folder I extracted it into. Or does it even matter? Will it work if I extract to any new designated folder?
Title: Re: Applications OS/2 Needs
Post by: Dave Yeo on January 02, 2018, 04:12:21 am
It'll extract to \usr\local which will put it on the PATH and LIBPATH if that is @UNIXROOT\usr\local and you have the stock ArcaOS setup.
It probably doesn't matter where you extract it to as long as it can find its DLLs. Simplest way is to have a wrapper script that sets BEGINLIBPATH before launching vlc.exe
Title: Re: Applications OS/2 Needs
Post by: David Graser on January 02, 2018, 07:27:43 am
BMT Micro still sells ZTreeBold, a command line file manager.  I have used the OS/2 command line so little in the past few years, that when I have to boot to the command line to change something (always testing things), sometimes with bad consequences, this makes it easy for me.  I ordered it and BMT Micro thought I was mistaken and that I wanted the Windows version.  They appeared to be in shock that I would want the OS/2 version.
Title: Re: Applications OS/2 Needs
Post by: ak120 on January 02, 2018, 12:29:16 pm
It'll extract to \usr\local which will put it on the PATH and LIBPATH if that is @UNIXROOT\usr\local and you have the stock ArcaOS setup.
It probably doesn't matter where you extract it to as long as it can find its DLLs. Simplest way is to have a wrapper script that sets BEGINLIBPATH before launching vlc.exe
That's hopefully not necessary. Simply copy the stuff from subdirectory "bin" to "lib" and run the executable from this place. Quick'n'dirty but it works.
Title: Re: Applications OS/2 Needs
Post by: Remy on January 02, 2018, 12:48:04 pm
It would be nice having latest Qupzilla 2.2.3 ported to OS/2
It is very fast (I tested the portable build under windows) with a nice rendering and it could be a welcome FF replacement.
Title: Re: Applications OS/2 Needs
Post by: ak120 on January 02, 2018, 02:14:52 pm
It would be nice having latest Qupzilla 2.2.3 ported to OS/2
Unfortunately it requires QtWebEngine a Chromium wrapper. Which means in turn a more complete fork of QT 5.10. So nothing to manage in a short time at all.
Quote
It is very fast (I tested the portable build under windows) with a nice rendering and it could be a welcome FF replacement.
Under Windows they can use a C++ compiler producing fast code.
Title: Re: Applications OS/2 Needs
Post by: Tyro65 on January 02, 2018, 07:01:00 pm
Copying the vlc BIN contents to LIB did the trick. I extracted it into a new folder on Drive C.

At first I tried extracting the file into the original Downloads folder, but it did not work. It created a BIN folder containing vlc.exe and vlc.ico inside the vlc2 folder, but nothing else was created, no other subfolders.

So nice to have help with this. Thank you.
Title: Re: Applications OS/2 Needs
Post by: Tyro65 on January 02, 2018, 07:29:58 pm
In Arca Noae's Multimedia folder are programs that I thought were video players. I tried Media player, Movies, Digital Video, Software VideoCD Player, and SoftWareMotion Video, but I couldn't get any of them to play my video files. That's why I wanted to install vlc. Maybe I just haven't figured out how to operate them. So much is new to me, but after using Commodore 64, Amiga, BeOS, Unix, Linux, (dozens of distros) etc., I think I'm going to like this new version of IBM OS/2.
Title: Re: Applications OS/2 Needs
Post by: Dave Yeo on January 02, 2018, 08:07:40 pm
All those video players are ancient and will only play ancient video codecs. Really ArcaOS should just replace them with vlc but I guess as they're a traditional part of OS/2 and perhaps the deal with IBM means shipping the core OS.
Title: Re: Applications OS/2 Needs
Post by: Tyro65 on January 02, 2018, 11:16:11 pm
Thanks. It makes sense now.
Title: Re: Applications OS/2 Needs
Post by: Olafur Gunnlaugsson on January 03, 2018, 09:23:29 am
All those video players are ancient and will only play ancient video codecs. Really ArcaOS should just replace them with vlc but I guess as they're a traditional part of OS/2 and perhaps the deal with IBM means shipping the core OS.

They cannot distribute VLC without paying a (not insubstantial) licence fees to the DVLA and MPEGLA, same reason that no Linux or BSD distribution comes with any of those as standard but only as an download from a third party.
Title: Re: Applications OS/2 Needs
Post by: Joop on January 04, 2018, 01:44:42 am
#1 A good audio player with playlists and generous file support. It should be able to play: .MP3, .OGG, .FLAC, .IT, .S3M, .MOD, .XM--basically something that could be a distant shadow to xmplay (which there isn't even anything quite like it on Linux, but it can run in WINE). Or maybe I'm just too used to XMplay :p
Still use z.exe, but there are more. We can also run DOS, Windows 3.1 and we have Java with some players.

#2 A decent quick image editing program--like Pinta or Paint.NET
Too many available, native OS/2, DOS, Windows3.1, Java, QT with all levels of editing way up to something like the Gimp.

#3 Audio editing, like Audacity but for OS/2
As far as I know you can run Audacity in OS/2 with Odin. But strictly editing is something for Windows or Apple because all big equipment manufacturers only bring drivers for both. Whats left is playing with your audio card with two, may be four channels.
I tried a few things in Java, but we need a more up to date version.
 
#4 Advanced text editor with the ability to change the colours--like Notepad++ or any other common editors out there
Too many available, native OS/2, DOS, Windows3.1, Java, QT with all levels of editing.

The ability to play common audio formats in playlists, and also the ability to run tracker files is the most wanted thing I'm looking for at the moment.
Z.exe will do that, but the problem is that not every broadcast site will deliver pls format and demand a more specific player. I believe this was the reason for ending development of Z.exe.

If anyone wanted to provide me some pointers where I should start out with?
You can try Hobbes http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/ (http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/), Java http://joopn.home.xs4all.nl/os2ecs/ecs6e.htm (http://joopn.home.xs4all.nl/os2ecs/ecs6e.htm), Qt ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/qtapps/ (http://ftp://ftp.netlabs.org/pub/qtapps/).



Title: Re: Applications OS/2 Needs
Post by: dcull on January 12, 2018, 10:18:41 pm
It'll extract to \usr\local which will put it on the PATH and LIBPATH if that is @UNIXROOT\usr\local and you have the stock ArcaOS setup.
It probably doesn't matter where you extract it to as long as it can find its DLLs. Simplest way is to have a wrapper script that sets BEGINLIBPATH before launching vlc.exe
That's hopefully not necessary. Simply copy the stuff from subdirectory "bin" to "lib" and run the executable from this place. Quick'n'dirty but it works.

Many thanks for this 'quick and dirty 'tip. i've been downloading and trying to install VLC versions without success for four years, and now its up and running. Maybe this info could be included in the vlc read.me