The Highly Unofficial IBM OS/2 Beta FAQ

The purpose of this FAQ is to attempt to cut down on the number of repetitive postings in the USENET comp.os.os2.xxx hierarchy.

The information in this document best falls under the heading of informed speculation. There are many people outside of IBM with varying degrees of contact with "unofficial" information about future releases. This posting is my attempt to consolidate the currently released information and the most informed gossip in one central place.

This FAQ is completely unoffical and unsupported by IBM. Official information about future releases and beta programs will probably be found in comp.os2.os2.beta and comp.os2.os2.announce within minutes of its release. IBM's official home page for beta-related information is located at http://www.austin.ibm.com/pspinfo/betahome.html Any new information should also find its way there shortly after release.

Most information in this document should be considered speculation and subject to change before release. Some information is from IBM employees in public forums, some is from IBM press releases, and some is conjecture from the vast USENET base and their many contacts(real, imagined, and hallucinated) inside the OS/2 teams and various ISV's.

At this point, I have tried to limit the FAQ to programs that I have arbitrarily deemed of general interest. Information on other IBM PSP beta programs(such as OS/2 DCE and DSS) is available from the IBM site above. If you would like to see more information about a particular topic(including ones not mentioned here), please drop me an email.

A Note on Naming
IBM has dropped the use of Star Trek codenames for members and relatives of the OS/2 Warp Family. The current naming convention centers around birds of prey. The codenames that I am currenly aware of are Merlin, Falcon, Eagle, Talon, Striker, Raptor, and Hawk.

Comments
Please include "FAQ" in the subject line of any email sent to me about this document. It makes it much easier for my mailer to filter properly.

This FAQ is available via anonymous FTP to ftp://128.174.174.14/ in the FAQ directory. If you see the FAQ on another site(except the ones noted here or with a special dispensation), please ask the sysadmin to remove it or contact me.

Please do not post copies of this FAQ on other sites(excepting those sites have an arrangement with me). Just add a link to the top of my home page at http://www.students.uiuc.edu/~kwilas/. That link will always contain the most current version.

There are now a couple of different mirror sites for the FAQ. These sites _should_ be current within a couple of days of the release of each new version of the FAQ. When in doubt, the most current version will always be available from my web pages. Visit http://www.students.uiuc.edu/~kwilas/faq_top.html for the complete list of "official" sites.

If anyone has the slightest doubt about IBM's commitment to OS/2, please jump to http://www.students.uiuc.edu/~kwilas/info.html. Expect to see even more explicit statements of commitment from IBM in the future.

Most of the changes with this version of the FAQ are minor. However, there are quite a few of them.

Despite my best efforts, the size of this FAQ keeps increasing. ;-) Currently, loading this page and the associated graphics requires downloading slightly over 90K of information. Less than 20K of that total is due to the graphics.

My thanks to everyone for their information and encouragement. Maintaining this document requires a lot of time and energy. Version 0.10 clocked in at just over six hours.

Please be sure to visit the Official Entry Point to The Highly Unofficial IBM OS/2 Beta FAQ. It contains a form that can be filled out to automatically receive notice of new revisions of the FAQ. This will help eliminate the need for an increasingly large mailing list. Thanks!

On to the good stuff. . . ---

Revisions

 * Noted the release of OS/2 Warp Server Version 4 and added a link to the press release
 * Added information about speech recognition in Merlin
 * Promoted Merlin's translucent window feature ;-)
 * Created link for Win32s 1.25 beta driver(the old one)
 * Link for additional WebExplorer beta information inserted
 * Added archive of Frank McKenney's FixPak 17 information
 * Removed non-functional link to application to beta test Lotus products
 * My thanks to Andy Cannon for noting my little homonym goof
 * Additional textual errors caught, corrected, and created

Merlin(aka Warp 2, aka OS/2 Warp 3.1, etc.)
Merlin is at the very least the code-name for the next Intel release of the OS/2 Warp client. Several IBM officials and newsletters have used this name to refer to the next Intel OS/2 client release. It may or may or may not apply to the entire "common code" strategy for future OS/2 releases on multiple platforms. See the Other section for some additional speculation.

Current plans supposedly call for the release of Merlin sometime around mid-1996. Spring Comdex takes place in June this year. This may or may not be the date that IBM is shooting for. However, this date has recently gained credence in light of the charts for John W. Thompson's 2/6/96 teleconference. The charts show Merlin as being delivered at the end of 2Q96. [Note to anyone on Canopus: I already took the 6/4/96 Merlin Date Pool slot. ;-)]

Not everyone is aware of IBM's OS/2 Warp Monthly Newsletter. It is available on the WWW at http://www.austin.ibm.com/pspinfo/newsletters.html. This publication often contains information that has not been released elsewhere. In particular, the January edition has an interview with the Merlin Product Development Manager. The February issue has an excellent description of the SIQ fix.

If IBM conforms to past behavior, there will be a wide external beta sometime before the release. An informed _guess_ would be not expect anything before April. While coding has certainly begun, the feature set has not been finalized.

Until IBM announces an external beta program, there is no way most people can finangle a beta copy. If you are a developer or a large account, ask your local IBM rep. If an external beta program is announced, you will know about it if you monitor comp.os.os2.beta and comp.os.os2.announce.

What will probably be in Merlin?
Well. . . something old, something new, something borrowed, and lots of Blue - Kris Kwilas

A "fix" for the Synchronous Input Queue(see the FixPak info below).

OpenDoc runtimes. This OpenDoc support may also give users the ability to embed OLE 2.0 objects in OS/2 applications that support OpenDoc. At the moment, it appears that companies and developers are pushing hard for the integration of OpenDoc.


 * Updated User Interface
 * CUA94(though nobody seems to have seen this specification yet)
 * Translucent folder backgrounds. These can be seen in the infamous MERLIN.GIF screenshot.
 * Irregularly shaped windows(this is a part of the Developers API Extensions/OpenDoc code level)
 * Notebooks enhanced with Lotus InfoBox technology(see the Lotus section for more information)
 * Bitmap/gradient coloring of dialogs and toolboxes
 * Rollup windows a la some Mac addons and some OS/2 utilities
 * Some sort of "Bubble Help" which is probably based along the lines of the popup tips in many Lotus products.
 * It is also possible that the WPS will be OpenDoc-enabled. Unfortunately, I have heard that the memory requirements for this may be prohibitive.
 * Single click eXit button. I have no idea if the position will be configurable. ;-)

Security hooks in the OS. It appears that Merlin will incorporate C2 security extensions. However, it _strongly_ appears that these will only be the hooks to allow third-party developers to C2-enable the OS. The Security Enabling Services(SES) have already been shipped by IBM for OS/2 2.11 and are now available free of charge for OS/2 Warp. However, the SES services will be worthless to you unless you have an SES-enabled application. Some vendors with SES applications are Blockade Systems Corp., Computer Associates, Fisher International Systems Corp.[keep a close eye on this one . . . ], IBM Netherlands, Mergeant International, PC Security Limited, SAFEWARE, Security Dynamics, and UTI-MACO Safeguard Systems. If you do have an SES application, you can grab the necessary security extensions from ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/warp.update.kit/warpses/. Please note that FixPak 17 or higher is required to use this code.

Improved networking support. The Desktop will be more network-aware. Making connections with other systems should also be streamlined and automated with a feature that may currently be known as AutoConnect. Expect to find more of the networking code integrated into the base OS. This probably means we will see FTP and Web sites visually represented as object links, like in the newer revisions of the WebExplorer and some third-party utilities. You probably would not be too far from the mark if you thought that some of the new IBM Netcomber tools would find their way into the base OS. The WebExplorer will also be interated into the base product. Merlin should include all the functionality of Warp Connect.

HPFS improvements. The rumor mill is going full time with these. Since HPFS needed to be rewritten to a portable model for OS/2 Warp (PowerPC Edition), it stands to reason that we will see it on Intel in the near future. Rumored features include the elimination of the 2GB file limit, shorter CHKDSK times, and a dynamic cache.

Developer API Extensions. These have been known as DAX and DAPIE in the press. However, IBM is officially discouraging the use of the DAPIE moniker. The official term for this code is the Developer API Extensions, but DAX is also used frequently as the abbreviation. The DAX extensions for OS/2 Warp with FixPak 17 or later are available from ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/warp.update.kit/warpdax/. Also, please see below under the Lotus products and FixPak 12 for some additional information.

Improved Plug and Play support. IBM has demonstrated a PM resource manager, so this could be implemented in much the same way as under Windows 95. However, I do not know if this will mean you can just drop a card in and have it automatically configure itself and load drivers. All the IBM references I have seen about this _specifically_ have mentioned something along the lines of "plug and play adapters." To me, this means PCI, PCMCIA/PCCard, or new ISA PnP adapters, not the dynamic loading of dynamic loading and configuration of legacy adapters.


 * Enhanced multimedia functions
 * DIVE extended to support full-screen display
 * EnDIVE video drivers to utilize hardware acceleration features of modern video cards
 * 3D graphics support via OpenGL and BRender. OpenGL will probably be used most in high-end applications. BRender is intended for games.
 * Direct Audio Real Time(DART) audio drivers for much faster access to the audio subsystem
 * IBM's Timur Tabi worked very hard to craft a high resolution timer for OS/2. Besides possible application in the real-time arena, his high-res timer forms an integral part of the new OS/2 Real Time MIDI Subsystem. Timur has also created a MPU-401 driver that works with MMPM/2 and RTMIDI subsystem to access and use a genuine Roland MPU-401 as a MIDI device under OS/2 Warp. Hopefully, by the time Merlin rolls along, the RTMIDI subsystem will have been enhanced to support recording as well as playback.
 * Software MPEG(via DIVE)
 * Win/TV applet
 * YUV422 color encoding support(this will help to support more video capture boards)
 * Improvements to the video editor/capture program
 * CD AutoPlay
 * JPEG IOProc support
 * Standard mixer applet
 * Generic player/editor applet
 * MIDI instrument editor(basically remaps instruments in a MIDI file, based on what I know)
 * Enhanced image viewer
 * Improved Light Table features
 * Shhh. I'll let you in on a little secret. Promise not to tell? Some of the multimedia applets and functions have been overhauled and made OpenDoc compliant. But, IMHO, they still could use some work in the UI area. For instance, while the volume control looks a little nicer than the one in Warp, it is still ugly as can be when compared to the Windows 95 volume control. Since the release is still some time from now, I sincerely hope they fix this. The "Industrial" look is not going to cut it with Merlin.


 * According to a recent InfoWorld article, Merlin will come with integrated speech-recognition software. This will _probably_(speculation mode on here) be implemented in the form of a "software-DSP"(probably ported from the human-centric PowerPC code) that will use the main CPU to do most of the work. This speech technology should support dictation as well as command and control functions using a regular SoundBlaster card(though probably any 16-bit MMPM/2 sound card will work). Until IBM releases some additional information, it is difficult to gauge what type of machine will be required for optimal performance. Without using some sort of hardware DSP(like the MWave 2.0 chips) to assist with the dictation process, I expect that at least a Pentium will be required for "good" dictation performance. Command and control functions should work well on anything above a 486DX-33. Merlin may also include the "SpokenDoc" OpenDoc part to voice enable any OpenDoc applications.


 * Want to learn another little secret? VoiceType Dictation support using any MWave 2.0 or later chip has been going through an internal beta process. If you have a ThinkPad 755, ThinkPad 760, or a MWave 2.0 ISA board like the IBM Multimedia Modem, make nice with your local IBM rep and have him get you a copy of the beta. It is much cheaper than spending $700+ on a specific VTD adapter and software that cannot be used for anything else. Note that no information has been released about the future convergence of this code with the speech engine in Merlin. However, I think it makes sense that IBM would include the ability to offload processing to a MWave 2.0 chip(if available).


 * One interesting bit of speculation as to why IBM has not released this beta is that they intend to include it in Merlin with the "software-DSP" code. This would permit all the dictation processing to take place in the MWave hardware, rather than tying up the main CPU. Also, I doubt IBM would be adverse to selling people some hardware to go with Merlin.

Improved installation routines. Some sort of "Upgrade Advisor" along the lines of the one included in IBM's Windows 95 Recovery Kit will probably make an appearence.

ObjectREXX. Have you ever created your own OO GUI applications? Ever wanted to? You will. . . [More to come on this topic.]

The BonusPak will be enhanced(with at least portions OpenDoc enabled) and some new "surprises" will be added.

Generally referred to as "TrapDoor." This feature is already present in some preloaded IBM machines. Basically, you unload OS/2, leaving only a stub in memory. Then, your DOS application(or possibly Windows 95) that refuses to work under OS/2 executes. When you are finished, OS/2 puts you where you left off. This feature appears to be dependent on all the drivers supporting the APM specification. That is why this appeared first on preloads, as the manufacturer has more control over the drivers. For non-APM compliant machines, expect to see this function emulated in some way. This could present a very viable alternative for anyone who must occasionally run a Win32 application that is not supported under OS/2.

Support for connecting to infra-red printers, notebooks, etc.

Merlin should also include a set of communications API functions along the lines of TAPI in Windows. With any luck, this will also mean IBM will define a common address book/contact manager as part of the OS. If everyone is _really_ lucky, this PIM would be the obvious choice of Lotus Organizer for OS/2. But, who knows? ;-)

It is likely that Lotus cc:Mail will replace UltiMedia Mail/2 Lite as the mail client. This is consistent with the intentions stated by IBM after their purchase of Lotus. A new revision of cc:Mail would include support for POP amd SMTP as well as cc:Mail Post Offices.

Expect to see a Notes 4 Client bundled with the base OS. It is a good bet that it will be at the minimum a full "Express" client with mail capabilities, but you may not be able to develop applications without a full license.

"PowerSOM" support. Someone mentioned that PowerSOM refers to SOM 3.01 and DSOM 2.01. Expect improved stability and better performance. Evidentally, in the book "The Essential Guide to Distributed Objects", the authors mention that the goal for SOM 3.0 is to make it as fast as a C++ Virtual function. No further information is currently available.

Support for the VFAT file system. I do not know what form this support is supposed to take. With any luck, HPFS aware applications will be able to utilize LFNs on VFAT drives.

Win32s support should be enhanced to at least the 1.25 level.

More and more messages are indicating that some of the CommonPoint(formerly Taligent) Frameworks will be a part of the base OS. I have no additional information about which frameworks will be included.

What might be in Merlin?
Someone mentioned that the new book "IBM's Official OS/2 Warp Connect PowerPC Edition" says that ATM and TrueType fonts are supported for OS/2 applications. Some East Asian DBCS versions of OS/2 already have native OS/2 TrueType support, so this may not be as big a leap as it sounds.

For anyone who is interested, the PMMERGE.DLL file shipped with FixPak 16 contains a reference to TrueType that was not there in previous versions.

Merlin might include dual-processor SMP support out of the box. See the OS/2 Warp SMP section for additional information. However, the charts for John W. Thompson's 2/6/96 teleconference list OS/2 Warp SMP as arriving mid-3Q96.

Pen and additional "human-centic" capabilities

An explicit option for NUMLOCK settings. ;-)

There have been several reports that IBM is working on Real Time extensions to OS/2. While these extensions may not become a part of the base OS, it is possible the the scheduling features of the Intel kernel will be enhanced.

As an aside, I saw one post where someone had seen a demonstration of some of this code at Comdex. Evidentally, there was some sort of gadget that was being used to balance a rod that was standing on its end. With the addition of the "Real Time Extensions," OS/2 was able to sense when the rod was about to tip over and alter the position of the base to keep it balanced. Sounds like a neat little project, but its applications outside of embedded systems will probably be limited at first.

There are rumors that Merlin will include a new file system. This may or may not be based on the Journaled File System(JFS) used on AIX machines. The JFS in AIX maintains a "journal" of what the file system will be doing in the future(i.e. pending write requests). After the write request is serviced, the journal is updated to reflect this. This allows the file system to recover from problems like OS crashes better.

A second possibility would be some kind of OO file system. There have been hints, but no one is talking.

The third possibility for a "new" file system would be a journaled file system based on HPFS386.

Still a fourth possibility is some sort of implementation of the Andrew File System (AFS). There is apparently a DFS(Distributed File System) client that is part of the OS/2 DCE beta. This appears to be based(at least in part) on AFS.

David Charlap was kind enough to send me a brief overview of journaled file systems and AFS.

"I'm not too familiar with JFS, per se, but I do know a bit about how journaled file systems in general work.

The idea is that you have a reserve piece of the partition where the journal file resides. Whenever the disk is idle, the head sits over the journal space, over the track where the next data block will be written. (Which means there's probably a single journal partition that's used by all journalled file systems on the drive.) When writes are requested, the happen immediately to the journal file. This can happen amazingly fast because there should be no head movement involved. After this is done, the file system will then do the actual writeing and clean up the journal file. (This will happen during idle time, if possible.)

The idea is that if something catastrophic (like a power outage) happens, recovery will be nearly immediate. All to-be-written data (a-la lazy writes) will be somewhere in the journal file. So the CHKDSK program has only to read the journal file, and apply the journalled changes to the rest of the disk. It shouldn't be necessary to actually check out the entire file system.

As for the Andrew file system, Andrew is a project out of CMU for a distributed file system. It's sometimes known as AFS.

Like NFS, AFS creates a huge virtual file system, where you may have drives from all over your network mounted in the same place.

Unlike NFS, AFS is designed for wide area. You could have literally thousands of drives all over the world mounted together. Files and file systems can be moved around and the client apps will never know the difference.

AFS doesn't suffer from horrible performance bottlenecks by keeping a huge cache on your local hard drive. So after the first access to a file, you no longer need network access to continue accessing it.

AFS has other mechanisms for distributed file/record locking, update consistency, and other stuff."

What will not be in Merlin?
The IBM Microkernel. Merlin is based on the current OS/2 Warp kernel. While this may well be the last version of OS/2 tied specifically to the Intel platform, as of this point in time Merlin is Intel specific.

Support for Win32 binaries. IBM has stated that they will not be supporting Win32 binaries directly unless customer demand warrants it. In the meantime, developers can utilize the Developer API Extensions to maintain a high degree of code commonality that will allow them to easily recompile for Win32 or OS/2.

Support for Macintosh applications. Merlin will not support Macintosh applications.

OS/2 Warp SMP
While OS/2 2.11 for Symmetric MultiProcessing machines has existed for well over a year, an equivalent OS/2 Warp version has not been released. Speculation would suggest that this is due to a relative scarcity of SMP-enabled machines. Now, with the release of systems based on the Intel APIC(Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller) specification, IBM can release a more generic version of OS/2 Warp SMP for use on those platforms.

There is still some confusion about what kernel OS/2 Warp SMP is based on. All indications are that it is strictly Intel-based.

In a discussion about many things on Compuserve, John Soyring had this to say about a request for dual-processor SMP support in the base package(7/21/95):

"Our product planning team recognizes the value of supporting the dyadic processors that we expect to start appearing in the coming months."

A demonstration of OS/2 Warp SMP was being run by DFI at Comdex. DFI can be found at http://www.dfiusa.com/. DFI currently preloads OS/2 2.11 SMP on their machines, but a future offering of OS/2 Warp SMP is probably likely.

The current target date for OS/2 Warp SMP appears to be mid-3Q96.

Updated Win32s support
IBM was conducting a beta of Win32s 1.25 application support. The license for the released beta expired in December, but that does not mean that it stopped working. Unfortunately, the currently available beta version does not support the newest revision(1.30) of Win32s. The newest revision of Win32s adds the Windows 95 common controls and dialogs. Hopefully, this will be a release that will be around long enough for IBM to implement support without Microsoft changing the underlying specification.

The beta Win32s 1.25 driver is available from

Nobody seems to know exactly when a new revision of the driver will be made available. I have seen some secondhand comments that indicate that Win32s 1.30 support may not be included in the Merlin beta. I make no claims as to their veracity.

Bad news for users of Photoshop 3.0. IBM appears to have closed APAR PJ18756 as a permanent restriction in the current version of OS/2 Warp. From the technical description:

"The application fails to load one of its Resource Strings due to the FindResource Win32 API failing. FindResource fails because MicroSoft's Win32 design places resources in the virtual memory region above 2 GB but the OS/2 architecture only allows up to 512 MB of virtual memory in a VDM. Regardless of what Win32S version is supported by OS/2, any application that uses the Win32 FindResource API for a Resource String will fail."

OS/2 Warp FixPaks
This section is the umpteenth cut at consolidating information on the various FixPaks that have been released for OS/2 Warp. It will be expanded as I learn anything additional.

FixPaks are built internally every two weeks. If no major problems turn up in a month of testing each FixPak, it is usually OKed for external release. If you have a bug that is fixed by a specific FixPak, you can call IBM Support and they will provide you with the means to download a copy. Note, FixPaks are primarily intended as bug-fixes. While they may speed up your system, that is not their primary intention.

If you are not having problems, the rule of thumb is not to apply a FixPak. Most of the bug fixes "cured" by FixPaks will not apply to your situation. If you think you are having a problem, then by all means give a FixPak a try. Be aware that using FixPaks that have not been released by IBM will leave your system in an unsupported state.

--- FixPak 5 was the first official release. It brought the original Red-box Warp up to the Warp FullPack code-level.

FixPak 9 was released briefly. It was pulled and FixPak 10 was quickly issued. However, this is the code level that the OS/2 v3.01 refresh release was based on. This release was a refresh of the original OS/2 Warp v3 for Windows that was released in October 1994.

FixPak 10 was the second official release. It added some improvements to the HPFS code, but also appears to have broken some portion of the REXX and HELPMGR support. Warp Server Beta 2 appears to be based on an intermediate code level near this build.

FixPak 11 was leaked to the Internet. It contained more bug fixes.

There were two versions of FixPak 12. The first, which was leaked to the Internet, was basically a bug-fix like previous FixPaks. It also appeared to introduce some PM problems. Backing out the PMCTLS.DLL file from the archive created by the FixPak install takes care of most errors. Several people reported improved speed and stability with this release.

The second version of FixPak 12 remained IBM Internal only. It was combined with a Developer API Extensions(Striker) beta. This version of FixPak 12 evidentally included the infamous Synchronous Input Queue(SIQ) fix that many of us have been waiting a long time for. It is my understanding that this does not add multiple input queues to OS/2. This input queue has evidentally been redesigned to detect and rip the focus away from any app that hogs the queue for more than 100ms(IBM's Colin Powell on CIS). This is visually represented to the user by adding a red border around the offending app and dumping it to the back of the z-stack.

The internal version of FixPak 12 made an appearance on DevCon 9. Since this came out at around the same time as FixPak 16, no one really gave it much attention.

FixPak 13 was leaked to the Internet. No additional information about feature/function/bugs is available. It has been suggested that FixPak 13 also contains a partial workaround to the queue problem. This is not the SIQ mentioned above, but an increase to the queue size a la Brent Noorda's PMQSIZE patch. I have not verified this myself.

FixPak 14 was also leaked to the Internet. An interesting tidbit about this FixPak is that it first made its appearence on an IBM FTP site. It appears that the window where FixPak 14 would have been an official release has passed. There have been many reports of increased speed, responsiveness, and improved stability with this release.

FixPak 15 probably existed internally, but was not leaked to the best of my knowledge.

FixPak 16 was released around the end of December and pulled shortly thereafter due to problems with some systems. Much of the information about FixPak 17 originally applied to FixPak 16. --- FixPak 17 includes the long awaited fix to OS/2's SIQ problem. FixPak 17 increases the queue message buffer(a la PMQSize) to a default depth of 3000. This should help prevent messages from getting lost in the queue. Speaking of PMQSize, do _not_ attempt to load it on a FixPak 16 or later system. There is also at least the first implementation of the more pervasive "ripping focus away" fix discussed above. Please note that this portion of the fix is disabled by default. See below for the CONFIG.SYS statement needed to enable it.

To see the queue fix in action for yourself, Kurt Westerfeld suggested: "Try doing a search all libraries from an .INF file and hit Ctrl+Esc. Works great!"

For my own part, I have been very pleased with the queue fix. I have not had any identifiable queue hangs in the past month that I have been running FixPak 16 or 17. I have also noticed a marked increase in the stability of my system. I have not noticed any significant problems with FixPak 17. I have lost the pointer once and did decide to remove the SES addon due to some hangs, but I have not had the system go down otherwise.

Some additional information about FixPak 17 is contained in a document compiled by Frank McKenney. The 2/22 version of this document is available from http://students.uiuc.edu/~kwilas/fp17nfo.zip.

--- Here are some official IBM sites that carry the FixPak. It is also available on ftp://ftp-os2.nmsu.edu/os2/patches/. OS/2 Warp users "Down Under" can download a copy from ftp://ftp.latrobe.edu.au/pub/os2/patches/.
 * ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/fixes/v3.0warp/english-us/xr_w017
 * ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/warp.update.kit/xr_w017/
 * ftp://ftp.pcco.ibm.com/pub/corrective_service/
 * ftp://ftp.boulder.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/fixes/v3.0warp/english-us/xr_w017/
 * ftp://ftp.europe.ibm.com/psmemea/oem/w017/
 * ftp://ftp.nordic.ibm.com/pub/pccc/baseos/os2/os2v30/

You will also need a set of IBM Corrective Service Facility "kicker diskettes" to start the FixPak installation. The most recent CSF disks are dated 12/5/95. They are available from ftp://ftp.pcco.ibm.com/pub/corrective_service/ as CSFBOOT.1DK and CSFBOOT.2DK. They are also available from numerous other sites, often compressed into one WKICKR.ZIP archive. Be sure to check the file dates to make sure you are downloading the 12/5/95 version.

With all of these sites, look for XR_W017.*. Please note that there are at least two versions of FixPak 17 floating around. The files are the same, but the sizes of the individual disk images are slighly different. To make things even more confusing, both versions can sometimes be found on the same site. However, I have provided the checksum information for all the variations that I am aware of.

IBM rereleased Disk 8 of FixPak 17 on 1/31/96 to correct a problem with file placement on the disk. This should only be a concern to Aptiva P- and M- series owners, as well as users of the IBM PC 100, 300, and 700 series machines. The other disks remained the same(with the exception of the new release of all the images noted above).


 * Sumchecks

Since there has occasionally been some concern over the legitimacy of FixPak, I have provided some checksums for the disk images in FixPak 17(the most recent "official FixPak). However, to be absolutely certain about the integrity and legitimacy of a FixPak, only download from official IBM sites like the ones noted above.

I am providing these checksums as a service to the OS/2 community. I make no claims as to their validity over time. I will attempt to keep them updated as new FixPak's are released.

Grab ftp://ftp-os2.nmsu.edu/os2/unix/sum.zip for the program used to generate the checksums. While the file dates may be different, the file size and the value in the far left column should match the values below. Please ignore the underscores(__) in the list below.

[2/01/96 Disk Images]
 * 49401 2881 XR_W017.1DK 1474601
 * 53649 2874 XR_W017.2DK 1471017
 * 15074 2874 XR_W017.3DK 1471017
 * 44092 2874 XR_W017.4DK 1471017
 * 36191 2874 XR_W017.5DK 1471017
 * 00506 2870 XR_W017.6DK 1468969
 * 53383 2859 XR_W017.7DK 1463337
 * 41775 _103 XR_W017.8DK __52265

[1/28/96 Disk Images]
 * 29633 2881 XR_W017.1DK 1474640
 * 41954 2874 XR_W017.2DK 1471040
 * 17589 2874 XR_W017.3DK 1471040
 * 63895 2874 XR_W017.4DK 1471040
 * 16218 2874 XR_W017.5DK 1471040
 * 29763 2870 XR_W017.6DK 1469040
 * 36832 2859 XR_W017.7DK 1463360
 * 35695 __61 XR_W017.8DK __30800 (original Disk 8)
 * 41775 _103 XR_W017.8DK __52265 (rereleased Disk 8)

--- Here are a couple of new FixPak 17 CONFIG.SYS parameters for people to play with. Thanks to Dick Kurtz of OS/2 Fix Distribution(RRKURTZ at BCRVM1 for those of you who know what that means) for the first portion.

"The parameters to the SET command are:

SET PM_ASYNC_FOCUS_CHANGE=ON | ON x | OFF

The default is OFF. To turn it on, put SET PM_ASYNC_FOCUS_CHANGE=ON in CONFIG.SYS and reboot.

To change the timeout (I'll describe that in a moment) SET PM_ASYNC_FOCUS_CHANGE=ON x where x is in milliseconds. Default is 500 (half a second) and reboot.

The timeout says that that when a focus change is requested (by clicking on another application, hitting Ctl-Esc etc) and the application that has the focus does not respond to the message in x milliseconds, OS/2 determines that the application is not responding to messages, flags his queue as bad and switches focus to the desired application. The system will subsequently monitor that queue to see when it does indeed start responding to messages and mark the queue as good again.

A good first cut at isolating a problem would be to raise the timeout to say, 5000 milliseconds. If that does not help, turn it off and see if that helps. If there is indeed a SIQ fix problem, this will help us isolate it."

SET QUEUE_SIZE_THRESHOLD=x is the parameter that controls the PMQSize-like functionality(see above). The default queue depth is 3000 entries.

SET PM_DYNAMIC_DRAG=ON turns on a full window drag mode a la NT, the Windows 95 Plus Pack, and numerous OS/2 utilities. The IBM code does not extend to VIO windows. While not bad for their first attempt, the code could certainly use some tuning. The easiest way to see its limitations is to turn on Always Maintain Sort Order and resize a folder. Pretty choppy, right? It may be because of the video driver not being optimized for that time of redraw, but Windows NT experiences none of the same choppiness with my ATI Mach64 video card.

Some people may remember the leaked reports of the SIQ fix in FixPak 12 mentioned a "red border" that indicated an application that was blocking the input queue. For FixPak 17, the color used to indicate a hung window was changed to the inactive window color. In the "final" queue fix(which is probably not FixPak 17), the color used is supposed to be configurable.

For anyone who is interested, FixPak 17 also changes the default OS/2 File Open/Save dialog box. Click here for a snapshot. The widgets in the titlebar and the altered window resource graphics are not a part of the new dialog box.

The best advice I can offer for FixPaks is to be very careful. If you are happy with the way your system is running, and you do not have an APAR that is specifically addressed by a FixPak, it is probably best not to apply one. If, after a couple of weeks, the denziens of the Internet have passed their approval on it, feel free to give it a whirl. Of course, the usual cautions about having a backup and knowing what you are doing apply.

Bottom line: Caveat Lector!

Lotus WordPro, Freelance Graphics, and Striker
As of this posting, the beta program for these products has not yet begun. The lastest information that I received(secondhand) was that Beta 1 of WordPro would be distributed 1/26/96. This is probably because the new Lotus applications(including Notes 4.0) need the Developers API Extension code(which needs a FixPak 17 base). This code is availble from ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/warp.update.kit/warpdax/. You will also need to grab the updated printer code in ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/ps/products/os2/warp.update.kit/xr_wp16/.

On the other hand, since I still have not received anything(2/26/96), the beta was evidentally delayed again. This is probably not as bad as it sounds. Supposedly it has been undergoing additional internal testing prior to a wide beta release. YMMV.

IBM was recently kind enough to post some information about the new version of the Lotus SmartSuite. Jump to http://www.austin.ibm.com/pspinfo/m8lotus.htm for more information.

Click here to view a snapshot of a Lotus InfoBox. It is immaterial what platform that screenshot was taken on, as the UI is a part of the Lotus common code strategy(which ties into the Developer API Extension information below). Everything in the screenshot is common Lotus code that exists in the Windows 3.1, Windows 95, and OS/2 versions of their new products. Some of this code may very well find its way into the Merlin base, but the screenshot tells nothing about the OS that is running. Even the list of Truetype fonts cannot be taken as an indication of the platform, because of the information in the Merlin and FixPak sections of this document.

The only addition information that I am aware of comes from IBM Europe. http://www.europe.ibm.com/getdoc/psmemea/progserv/beta/other/wordpro.html indicates that the WordPro beta will not be available in Europe until March.

The current plan is for the new Lotus applications to be implemented on OS/2 using the Developer API Extensions(codename "Striker"). These API extensions to OS/2 implement ~80% of the most commonly used Win32 API calls as native OS/2 calls. This allows a developer to recompile a Win32 application with minimal changes to create a native OS/2 app.

From everything I have seen from Lotus and IBM, these applications will not be based on OpenDoc in the first release.

A message recently crossed my desk that said Lotus has formed a team dedicated to specifically enhancing the OS/2 functionality of the new versions. To me, this means "add features that the Windows versions do not have." FWIW.

My current take on the situation is the WordPro and Freelance will be the first Lotus applications available. Currently, the end of 1Q96 may still be possible for the release of at least WordPro. However, I would not expect to see the SmartSuite released in a new version until at least the end of 2Q96. I would love to be proved wrong, since I would really like to get the complete native package. Based upon the experience of others, I will probably be purchasing an upgrade to the Windows 3.1 version of the SmartSuite in the near future. From there, it is an easy crossgrade(generally media charge only) to the Win32 and OS/2 versions.

OS/2 Warp Server
Due to the official release of OS/2 Warp Server Version 4, this section of the FAQ will be phased out over the course of the next two editions.

OS/2 Warp Server Version 4 is available as of 2/26/96. In what is something of a rarity for IBM, the initial release of OS/2 Warp Server is immediately available in twelve different languages. See my Interesting Information page for the official press release.

OS/2 Warp Server builds on the proven combination of OS/2 Warp and OS/2 LAN Server 4.0. OS/2 Warp Server includes an integrated installation procedure, system management features previously available separately, an excellent backup mechanism(with a killer UI!), a remote access server, advanced print functionality, and improved networking support(including a combination of Dynamic DHCP and Dynamic DNS dubbed Dynamic IP).

There will initially be two versions of OS/2 Warp Server - Entry and Advanced. Advanced will include HPFS386 as well as being architected and configured for support of up to 1000 client machines per server. Entry will include regular HPFS and is designed for smaller networks.

OS/2 Warp Server is also slated to include SMP capability(for at least two processors) sometime after release. According to John Soyring(11/30/95):

"We are still in development with the SMP version of OS/2 Warp Server. No one is yet authorized to demo it publicly as all of the development work is not yet complete. The SMP capability is definitely not in beta test nor gamma test."

OS/2 Warp Server is currently undergoing its second large external beta program. The Warp Server Beta 2 code is supposed to be so Gold that it glitters. ..

OS/2 Warp (PowerPC Edition) [Falcon]
[This section will probably not be getting much revision in the near future.]

Bottom line: If you have an IBM PowerSeries PowerPC, you can order a copy of OS/2 Warp (PowerPC Edition) as described below. IBM will be supporting the current release, but does not plan on releasing any updates to the product in 1996. However, please note that the "common code" strategy that IBM is actively pursuing means that a great deal of the code developed for Merlin is almost immediately transferable to the PowerPC(or other RISC architectures).

The "Developer's Release" of OS/2 Warp PowerPC went Gold on 12/15/95(with availability on 1/5/96). The "Connect" portion of the name appears to have been dropped, as there is no integrated networking in this release. It is only available as a RPQ(Request for Price Quotation). These are used by IBM to offer standard and non-standard products and programs to a set of customers with unique requirements(in this case, customers with an IBM PowerPC). This release is targeted specifically at developers, but if you have an IBM PowerPC machine(sorry, it does not appear that other PowerPC machines are supported at this time), see below for order information.

Since IBM is the best(read _only_) official source of information about development plans, here is a quote from John Soyring(IBM Vice President of Personal Software Products).

Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy Date: 26 Jan 1996 17:01:36 GMT

In no way is the work on the PowerPC version of OS/2 Warp terminated. All we said to writers at the Wall Street Journal (as well as to other members of the media) is what we described to IBM employees earlier this week.

What we said is that our development focus in 1996 will be on enhancing OS/2 Warp as both a client operating system (the MERLIN project) and as a server operating system (the OS/2 Warp Server projects) on the Intel and Intel-compatible platforms. We are not planning additional releases of the OS/2 Warp family on the PowerPC platform during 1996 -- as we *just* released in late December 1995 the OS/2 Warp (PowerPC Edition) product.

During 1996 and beyond, we plan to grow our market share for OS/2 Warp both as a client operating system and as a server operating system on x86 PC's. And we will be doing this aggressively. We have just not announced future releases on the PowerPC platform.

In no way should our announcement imply that we are backing away from the PowerPC.

John

I ripped the following description of OS/2 Warp (PowerPC Edition) from Compuserve. There has not been an official announcement letter for this product(the announcement in June 1995 notwithstanding).

"Here is a description: OS/2 Warp (PowerPC Edition) consists of the following products: OS/2 Warp Version 3 for the PowerPC, IBM Micro-kernel, IBM File Server, IBM Registry, BonusPak and the Applications Sampler.

OS/2 Warp (PowerPC Edition) supports execution of OS/2 x86 DOS and Windows+ 3.x binary applications used on today's personal computers. It is shipped with an accompanying BonusPak of productivity applications and online connection software. The BonusPak, a value-packed suite of application programs includes:

1. IBM Works with spreadsheet, word processing, database, report writing and charting 2. HyperACCESS Lite for OS/2 3. FaxWorks Lite for OS/2 4. OS/2 based CompuServe Information Manager"

Please note that the Internet Access Kit is not part of the above list.

OS/2 Warp (PowerPC Edition) lists for $215 for the first license, and $209 for each additional license. If you are really interested in purchasing a copy of OS/2 Warp (PowerPC Edition), try these simple steps:

1. Take a piece of your company letterhead. 2. Write out a purchase order for program number 5799-QTZ. 3. Find an IBM Marketing Representative and have them order you a copy. Unless you have dealt with your rep before(say, if he is your    corporate account representative), you will probably have to pay up     front. 4. Wait for them to finish the paperwork and send the request down to the development lab. 5. Receive your new copy of OS/2 Warp (PowerPC Edition) and go wild. ;-)

For 1996, the focus for OS/2 is most definitely on the Intel side of the house. More news as it slowly filters its way out of IBM. --- Despite the above information, some people may still find the following of interest. I will update and consolidate this next portion eventually. --- OS/2 Warp (PowerPC Edition) [Falcon] is the first commercial release of a product built on the IBM Microkernel(v1.0). Think of the microkernel as the base upon which the rest of the "OS" is built. The microkernel can serve as a base to multiple things at once(for instance OS/2 and a UNIX personality of some sort). By writing portable code for the "OS" portions, a vendor(such as IBM) can easily port their products to another platform that supports the IBM Microkernel.

Currently, the IBM Microkernel v1.0 runs on the Intel and PowerPC platforms. The IBM Microkernel v2.0 is supposed to support the MIPS and Alpha chips as well.

Developers can simply recompile their 32-bit Intel OS/2 applications and immediately have access to another platform. This process can take from hours to several weeks, depending on the amount of non-portable Intel specific code in the application. I also have one testimonial of a developer recompiling in NINE minutes. Evidentally, one line of code had to be commented out.

The speculation is that eventually(not before 1997) there will be a converged Intel/PowerPC OS/2 release based on the IBM Microkernel. This version of OS/2 should have complete feature parity. This evolution of the Warp family to the Microkernel has been laid out for several years. Off the record, some IBMers have been saying since the release of Warp that "the next release"(i.e. Merlin) would be the last version to use the monolithic Intel kernel. Please note that no official information about these product plans has been released.

Projects Eagle and Talon
--- IBM's Project Eagle is not one specific product. Eagle is IBM's strategy to compete more directly with BackOffice and to emphasize the wide range of solutions that IBM can provide.

Eagle will consist of "server stacks" that can be added onto your current or new servers. Do you need a Transaction Processing Server and a Secure Internet Server? No problem. Add them on top of the base server package and you will be all set. If you need a Communications or DSS server in the future, just build upon the common base. Many of these servers already exist as products in their own right. This strategy combines them into a single/multiple product that emphasizes IBM as a solutions provider, no matter what you are running under the hood.

It appears that IBM plans to make Eagle servers available on multiple platforms. At the moment, there appear to be plans for Win32 Eagle serversin addition to the OS/2 Warp Server packages. The server stacks strategy also applies to the RS/6000 and AS/400 platforms via AIX and OS/400 respectively.

IBM will not using the Eagle servers strictly as a means to promote OS/2. They appear to be interested in providing solutions for customers regardless of what platform that customer wishes to use. While IBM would obviously like that platform to be OS/2 Warp Server, AIX, or OS/400, they do not lose the customer if they need to provide a Win32 version.

Talon is an integrated package of server stacks consisting of an OS/2 Warp Server or AIX base, a communications Server, a database Server, and a workgroup Server.

The first Eagle server stacks should debut before the end of 1Q96.

Java
To keep up to date on the latest official IBM Java information, please visit http://ncc.hursley.ibm.com/javainfo/. Another good Java for OS/2 resource is located at http://www.3cat.com/java_os2/javaos2_faq.html.

Unless you are doing developement of Java applets, I would not recommend taking the time to download the 4MB of code in the current beta release. You will not be able to do much without HotJava.

In a related story, someone leaked the Alpha2 release of the IBM OS/2 Java port to Hobbes on 1/25/96. Needless to say, this caused massive confusion for everyone. While this release does include the HotJava browser, it is based off the very old Alpha2 code. The HotJava browser in this release also has a nasty tendency to take down the entire machine if you attempt to close it while a page is loading. This release was not intended for use outside IBM, so you have been warned.

The information below predates the release of Beta1. It is still useful as an indication of IBM's plans for Java and other technologies.

--- From: Mike Cowlishaw (mfc@vnet.ibm.com) on Wed Jan 17 13:20:07 GMT 1996 Subject: Java for OS/2

Apologies for the lack of response in this forum! Human error can be so ingenious -- I'll try and find out what the problem has been.

The most common question seems to be: 'when?'; the simple answer is that it will be as soon as we can. We completed the alpha code port in September, but I think that's really past its "sell-by-date" now, so we're working on the beta code level. The code for that arrived from Sun in November, and it turned out to be a major change from the alpha, almost a whole new port.

We've now completed the port except for part of the AWT classes and are beginning to test; if all goes well it shouldn't be too long now.

--- From: Mike Cowlishaw (mfc@vnet.ibm.com) on Thu Jan 18 08:49:28 GMT 1996 Subject: Responses

The team are preparing a full set of reponses as I write. On a date for the beta, the honest answer is "when it's ready". We might put out a version without image support, in which case it could be next week. Otherwise a few more weeks after that.

--- From: Richard Baird (rbaird@vnet.ibm.com) on Sat Jan 20 11:48:07 GMT 1996 Subject: Java update from Hursley

Hi,

First of all, thank you all very much for your comments, even though (understandably) some of you are getting impatient with us!

This append is to let you know how we're getting on with integrating Java into various IBM technologies. We have been "heads down" for the last month porting and working on the product integration. Now let me try to answer some/all of your questions.

BETA AVAILABILITY - we are finalising the packaging for the IBM beta of both OS/2 and AIX. We intend to release it by the end of next week, with a level of function equivalent to 1Beta1. Porting of 1Beta2 is underway. The README files in the beta releases will identify any known bugs or operating system pre-reqs.

HOTJAVA - we (like everybody else) await a Java Beta version of HotJava from SUN. When we get it, we will be able to assess its relationship with IBM's Web Browsers. It is certainly our intention to provide a Java enabled Web Browser on IBM's various platforms.

OPENDOC & SOM - As many appends have identified, there is a relationship between the Java object model and Opendoc/SOM. We have not yet completed the analysis of this complex relationship and until we have done so we can not comment further. Rest assured that this is of key interest to IBM as well as yourselves.

NETSCAPE - Details of Netscape's plans can only come from Netscape themselves. If they choose to port to any IBM platform then that is their choice.

ENTERPRISE ACCESS (Databases etc) - IBM realises the importance (better than most) of being able to access enterprise data and services from any client platform running Java. We are currently in the design stage of the Java classes required to support this type of access.

JAVA APP. PORTABILITY - in line with all other correct implementations of the Java environment, applications developed on one platform will be executable on another platform if they are (a) At the same Java level (e.g. Alpha apps on Beta levels do not work) and (b) The application does not use any platform-specific classes.

RELATIONSHIP WITH OREXX - There is no direct relationship between O-Rexx and Java. The programming languages are different, and attractive to different communities of programmers.

SERVER SUPPORT e.g. GoServe - Any server can serve Java class files. NLS - As a forum entry indicates, Java is Unicode-enabled, but this is not the complete story. IBM is using its skills and knowledge of internationalisation to ensure that Java matures to support national language issues.

Other
--- CommonPoint/Taligent

IBM has been very tight-lipped about their plans for the CommonPoint technology. Many indications point to some of it should be finding its way into the base operating system in the Merlin release. In fact, if you dig into the Warp Server beta installation, \OS2\Install\SysLevel.suc contains the text "SM20004_SM20003_SOMobjects Taligent Collection Classes." It also appears that the application of FixPak 12 causes SYSLEVEL to report some components as being from Taligent.

According to the IBM press release announcing the absorption of Taligent, CommonPoint for OS/2 is now available. --- OpenDoc

OpenDoc for OS/2 went Gold on 12/15/95. Evidentally, it pretty much works as promised. Some private comments have suggested that is not yet 100% solid, but neither is most software these days. Expect to see a special edition of DevCon 9 in mid-February with the GA code and development tools.

The GA code should also be available on IBM's Club OpenDoc. It is _highly_ likely that you will need to have FixPak 16 or higher to use the OpenDoc code.

--- Raptor

Some information has recently come to my attention that indicates that Raptor was not referring to CommonPoint at all. Instead, it appears that Raptor may have been the catch-all name for much of the future "common code" strategy. Things like the SIQ six, OpenDoc, CommonPoint, the revised networking code, and dyadic processor support fell under the Raptor aegis. Much of what was known as Raptor has become part and parcel of Merlin. Merlin _may_ therefore be the codename for all the code going into all releases after the initial drop of Warp Server. --- Warp Server for the PowerPC (Hawk)

Hawk appears to be the codename for the initial release of Warp Server for the PowerPC. Since OS/2 Warp (PowerPC Edition) is basically in a holding pattern for 1996, do not expect to see anything about this product for a long time. --- Netcomber

This section is intended as a placeholder in this version of the FAQ. More information about the IBM Netcomber Internet suite can be found here. --- WebExplorer

This section is also intended as a placeholder. The only real news of note is that a leaked internal beta version 1.03a found its way to the Internet in early January. Despite being unsupported and potentially hazardous to your system and the transmission on your car, it works better for me than version 1.03. YMMV.

Expect to see a Java-enabled beta of the WebExplorer sometime in March. Hopefully, some additional information about this will be available from http://www.raleigh.ibm.com/ics/icsbeta.htm in the near future.

More information to come!

Feedback
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Disclaimers
Copyright (C) 1995, 1996 Kris Kwilas. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer: This post does not reflect the thoughts or opinions of either myself, any company I may be working for, my friends, or the entire world in general.

This document is distribution copyrighted to whatever extent I can legally make it by scribbling something here. You may not make a profit from this document or include this document or portions of it in commercial publications, online publications, as part of any fee-based services, or on fortune cookie slips without first contacting the author.

I would also ask that you do not redistribute this file electronically in any way, shape, or form. This includes, but is not limited to, redistribution via FTP, Gopher, WWW, Java, and mail or news servers. Some servers are official mirrors of the FAQ and these restricions do not apply to them. However, if I have not OKed the creating of a mirror, you are in violation of this agreement.

Feel free to add a link to the top of my web page http://www.students.uiuc.edu/~kwilas/. The most recent version of the FAQ will always be available from there. Versions of the FAQ that I make available online are exempt from the above restrictions regarding FTP if they are being downloaded for personal use on your machine and not for redistribution.

You may print this document(if you want to waste some perfectly good paper) to show to others, but you may not charge a fee for it. I suggest printing it on the back of that marketing report that you worked on for five days, only to find out that it was not going to be used.

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If you have read this entire disclaimer, I would urge you to consider professional help.

Contents(and author) under extreme pressure and subject to change without notice.

Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.