WISHLIST FOR WARP

Last updated: March 23, 1999

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I have started adding links to programs that have some of the requested features now, or will in the near future, usually with an indication of freeware / shareware / commercial status. Help with links and program names would be greatly appreciated! You might find something in this list to make your computer a little easier to use today.

Have some ideas to add to the list? Please send them to me. Your name and e-mail address will NOT be listed unless you specifically request it.

Features coming in Warp (Server) 5:

• Journaled File System
• 32-bit IFS (file system) drivers
• Logical Volume Manager (no reliance on drive letters, drive spanning)
• elimination of 512MB limit for memory addressing
• NFS and POSIX support
• SMP (multi-processor) support
• 32-bit TCP/IP, version 4.2.1 (Software Choice - requires subscription)
• Netscape Communicator for OS/2 (version 4.04)
• enhanced APM (power management) support (APM 1.2, APM/2 utility)
• support for removable media (LS120, Zip, Jaz, Syquest, etc.)
• support for mice with "wheel" (IBM driver, Hot Scroll - Free)
• current release of Java (Java 1.1.7A)
• support for USB (USB drivers)
• UPDATE better PC Card (PCMCIA) support (CardBus drivers)

Other things we want:

Kernel/Drivers

• 32-bit ADD (device) drivers (TCP/IP 4.1 and SES are 32-bit)
• C2 Security (extension of SES in Warp 4?)
• updated DIVE, DART, and RTMIDI (for multimedia AND games)
• UPDATE support of DVD, DVD-RAM / DVD-RW, CD-RW (support for UDF filesystem is promised; RSJ CD Writer supports CD-RW - commercial)
• suport of FiberChannel, FireWire, TV cards (Matrox RainbowRunner etc.) (Hauppage Wincast TV drivers)
• hardware-accelerated OpenGL for video cards (now promised as part of GRADD, SciTech version will probably be first)
• multiple asynchronous input queues
• better PnP support, but not as "good" as Win95
• printer drivers that are as flexible with switches as the serial drivers
• serial drivers that work well (SIO - shareware)
• improved HPFS, with larger cache (HPFS386 was on Hobbes)
• Support for VFAT, FAT32, and NTFS (some NTFS utilities - Free, VFAT drivers - Free, FAT32 drivers - Free)
• recognition of Macintosh disks (HFS drivers from Marcus Better - Free)
• support for Linux file systems (ext2-os2 drivers by Matthieu Willm - Free)
• X11/Motif API's (XFree86/OS2 project - Free, Hummingbird eXceed - commercial)
• sound drivers that accomodate simultaneous sound in OS/2 and WinOS2 (source code for "virtual" WinOS2 drivers is now available)
• enhanced hibernation (support for SCSI, HPFS, etc.)
• release/update FSDIVE/EnDIVE
• UPDATE scanner support (STI TWAIN drivers - commercial, CFM TWAIN - commercial, CopyShop - commercial, and SANE/2 - Free)
• integration of TVFS (TVFS - Free EWS, version 2.11 is now on Hobbes)
• SOM and DSOM 3.0, should be easy now that OpenDoc is defunct (SOMObjects)
• 3-button mouse support (several WPS add-ons)
• support for joysticks with their latest features
• support for ISDN, cable modems, ADSL, etc. (ISDNPM, cable modems are treated like NICs)
• support for Intel's Merced CPU (64-bit version?)
• support for AMD K6 and 3DNow
• support for SB AWE64 (unsupported beta)
• filesystem with encryption and ability to mount (with password) and unmount at any time (possible with LVM?)
• drivers for PCI sound cards
• Support all popular audio/video codecs (AnpoCodec - shareware, QuickMotion - shareware, MotionJPEG - from MainActor, shareware).
• NEW Support for symbolic links (like Unix, not TVFS)
• NEW Support for multi-function Printer / Fax / Scanner / Copiers

Features/Applications

• PC DOS 7 level command-line functionality (currently DOS 5)
• INI editor, like IniMaint/UniMaint w/repair functions (WPTools - Free, Initor, UniMaint - commercial, IniEdit - Free EWS, RegEdit2 - from FP5, but no repair functions)
• association editor, like the utility with that name (AssoEdit - Free)
• ViaVoice speech recognition
• text-to-speech software
• support of Win32s up to version 1.30
• support of all Win32 applications (The Win32-OS2 Project - Free)
• defrag program for supported file systems (Graham Utilities - commercial)
• uninstaller for applications, that monitors installations for perfect cleanup later (UniMaint - commercial)
• better Internet dialer, applications (InJoy - shareware, dialip - shareware)
• PIM/scheduler (Sundial's Relish - commercial, ExCal - Free EWS)
• processor monitor/killer (which can grab Ctl-Alt-Del), with an optional REXX interface (Process Commander - commercial, Ctrl-Alt-Del Commander - commercial)
• WPS support of compressed files like zip/arj (ZipZap - shareware, Object Desktop - commercial)
• IFS driver for seamless access to ZIP archives, i.e. you would be able to type "cd test.zip & dir" and get a directory listing
• Unix-like utilities such as ps, kill, etc. (GNU utils on hobbes - Free, AIX-like utils - Free EWS)
• UPDATE command completion, like YAOS, and bash (YAOS - Free, CommandPak - Free)
• move that works across drives (FM2Utils - Free)
• updated boot manager, which can be modified from within itself (System Commander - commercial, DocsBoot+ - shareware, KBootManager)
• macro recorder
• file encryption, like Norton Diskreet (Blowfish - Free, bfish163.zip on hobbes)
• priority manager (Priority Master II - commercial, Nice - Free)
• WPS class manager (ClassMan - Free, VClassed - Free, XFolder - Free)
• include File Phoenix for HPFS undelete (version 1.35 - Free EWS)
• bring back the alarm and calculator from OS/2 2.1 (WarpCalc - shareware)
• nice file manager, similar to the one in Windows 3.1 (FM/2 - shareware, File Freedom - shareware)
• sound scheme editor (Sound Scheme Editor - Free)
• professional Midi Sequencer package (Ceres Sound Studio - commercial, MIDI Station Sequencer - shareware)
• modem monitor like Dial-Up Networking in Win95
• improved mobile file sync that works without crashing, and isn't limited to 50% of hard drive space and 65535 files
• help file viewer that allows annotations by the user, and allows selections for copying to clipboard (WarpHelp)
• UPDATE REXX in DOS sessions (like PC DOS 7; Regina)
• add TrashCan / Recycle Bin (TrashCan)
• ability to open command line from WPS folders (CmdHere - shareware, XFolder - Free, CMDRUN)
• benchmarks to test performance (SysBench)
• command line clipboard access (CCA - shareware)
• better font manager (FontFolder - shareware)
• system-wide spellchecker (SpellGuard - shareware)
• nice sound mixer and equalizer
• MP3 player (WarpAmp - Free, PM123 - shareware).
• RealAudio player

User Interface

• anti-aliased, better-looking fonts (FreeType - Free)
• better, centralized configuration for display driver and others
• elimination of modal dialogs
• progress bars for file operations
• more polished Open/Save dialog boxes, windows, etc. (Dialog Enhancer - shareware, NewDlg - Free, X-File - shareware, Smart Windows - shareware)
• make the "List files of type" dropdown in the Open dialog useful
• front-end application for Config.sys settings (EWS WarpNGo for Warp 3, Tyra/2 - shareware, XFolder - Free)
• UPDATE a fully commented config.sys, and full docs on what we can add or remove (ConfigMaint - Free, Config.sys Documentation Project)
• better configuration for TCP/IP that holds information, such as POP/SMTP hosts for programs to read (like Internet Config for Mac)
• multi-user functionality, with user-specific desktops, network login (WSOD?)
• shutdown folder, like Process Commander (Process Commander - commercial, XFolder - Free)
• eliminate need to reboot for minor changes, such as resolution change (even WPS restart is better than full reboot)
• scrollback for VIO windows, like Xterm (Try MODE 80,102)
• make seamless WinOS2 sessions have OS/2 widgets, not Windows widgets
• a screensaver, not just "Lockup" (ScreenSaver - shareware, EscapeGL - commercial, WipeOut - Free)
• Alt-Home to work on OS/2 VIO windows too
• window rollup (Program Commander/2 - Free, Object Desktop - commercial, Smart Windows - shareware)
• logout, close apps, and restart of desktop (like Windows95 does; XFolder - Free)
• better installation, guided for specific uses (Networked vs. Dialup vs. Standalone, etc.)
• improved selective install - change hardware or software, without having to do both
• leave the NumLock on if it's turned on at startup by the BIOS (JShifter/2 - Free, Warp Enhancer - Free)
• more VIO fonts for command line windows
• remember different locations for different command line windows
• folder caching (Object Desktop - commercial)
• virtual desktops (Program Commander/2 - Free, FM/2 Taskbar - shareware, Filebar - shareware, Object Desktop - commercial)
• improved scheme editor
• option to reboot when shutting down (Process Commander - commercial, XFolder - Free)
• option to have full path name in title of folders (XFolder - Free)
• animated mouse pointers (Animated Mouse Pointers for OS/2 - Free)
• Ability to select the attributes visible in the Details view, the space each take, edit them, and ability to order by one (XFolder - Free - adds many sorting options)
• UPDATE allow drag/drop copying of CD tracks to WAV files (Leech - Free, Alfons - Free, Audio-CD-Creator does WPS WAV to CD)
• WPS integration of audio CDs; when opening audio CDs from Drives folder, give WPS view of audio CDs, allowing renaming of tracks (saved locally), double-click to play tracks, etc.
• A right-click menu option in the WPS to copy pathnames to the clipboard (XFolder - Free)
• A right-click menu option to show contents of folder (XFolder - Free)
• allow small (32x32) icons in high resolutions (Dialog Enhancer - shareware)
• display short versions of long filenames so that DOS & Windows can see them
• ability to add "Suspend" to right mouse menu for laptops
• enhanced task switcher (Ctrl-Esc) with icons, tree view (Object Desktop - commercial)
• gradient titlebars (CandyBarZ - Free, Smart Windows - shareware)
• determination of file type by header info (so Windows .HLP files open with WinHelp, and OS/2 .HLP files open with View)
• VIO windows be aware of whether they are running a program; allow close if not, otherwise give warning when you click close button
• improve HardWare Manager, so that it encompasses all the hardware part of Selective Install (like Win95 Device Manager)
• use space between horizontal and vertical scrollbars for diagonal scrolling
• ability to locate all shadows of an object
• set environment variables (PATH, LIBPATH, etc.) for WPS objects (Program Commander/2 - Free)
• undo for drag & drop with font, color, and scheme palettes
• NEW transparent windows
• NEW add http: and ftp: to drives menu in file open/save dialogs
• NEW ability to launch program objects with all files dropped on them as parameters, instead of launching separate instance for each file

Other

• ADVERTISING, maybe some IBM sponsored ISV app ads with it?
• IBM encouraging ISV's to port software to OS/2 (like Microsoft did way back)
• IBM encouraging magazines to include OS/2 software on their CD's
• re-organized directory structure (move most subdirs under x:\OS2), simplified like the desktop was in Warp 4
• easier TCP/IP install for non-LAN (modem) users (try x:\CID\IMG\TCPAPPS\INSTALL.EXE on Warp CD)
• enhanced kill functions (so applications which are in exitlist can be killed)
• Better documentation (about kernel, system drivers, utilities, etc.)
• A more customizable and efficent WarpCenter, maybe with some APIs
• ability to have a WarpCenter tray act as taskbar (like Win95's Start bar)
• Device driver porting kit, something like Open32 for drivers
• easier install for fixpaks, which should optionally contain ALL fixes (EasyFix - Free, FastKick - Free)
• support for other processors, such as PowerPC (Mach kernel?)
• automatic clean-up of INI files, instead of broken WPS links being stored forever (XFolder - Free)
• support for multiple monitors (already support for two?)
• improved trouble-shooting tools
• ability to map the Win95 keys to something useful (Process Commander - commercial, Warp Enhancer - Free, Win95Key - Free)
• option to minimize all when desktop is selected from task list (select desktop from WarpCenter)
• competitive pricing
• make the VMDISK (virtual DOS image) utility more obvious and easy to use
• ability to start DOS windows full-screen when launched from WinOS2
• setting for DOS programs to control CPU cycles (i.e. run old games as "486DX", or "33Mhz", or "x CPU ticks per second")
• ability to "Archive now," instead of "Turn on archiving, restart, turn off archiving" (DeskMan/2 - commercial)
• keyboard re-mapping
• have the IBM Software Installer part of the default install, so programs don't have to include it (Software Installer)
• make the OS/2 CD bootable for installation or maintenance (like Red Hat Linux)
• UPDATE support for Daylight Savings Time (change time automatically; DSTswitch - shareware)
• easier way for end-users to submit problem reports (Product Suggestion Form)
• eliminate resource limits in WinOS2
• provide long name support for DOS and WinOS2
• allow suspension and/or dynamic priority switching for apps
• ability to detach currently running processes
• replacement for Pen for OS/2
• faster boot
• REXX interface to the WPS spooler
• NEW REXX interface to VoiceType Dictation / ViaVoice, to turn the microphone on and off
• Enable the Shift-Printscreen key combo for windowed OS/2 sessions
• ability to store program settings as EAs in the application, not just in the program object, so they always apply
• easier way to set default settings for DOS and Windows, that will apply for sessions started from command line
• don't store info on icon positions, arrangement of folders, etc. unless changed from default (for quicker load, and smaller INI)
• "start" command in DOS sessions (4OS2 - shareware)
• web access to IBM support databases (AskPSP?)
• seamless DOS sessions - run DOS progs and textmode OS/2 progs on the same console (fullscreen or window), ability to pipe data between DOS and OS/2 progs eg. dosprog.exe|os2prog.exe
• Apple " Yellow Box " development framework
• ALL configuration information should reside in a readable and editable set of files, in a known place (x:\os2\system\ini)
• NEW selective, automatic mirroring of files (like software RAID, but only for selected files / directories)