Category Archives: Subscriptions

Driver updates now available

MultiMac With the release of ArcaOS 5.1.2, several drivers have been updated. These updates are already included in ArcaOS 5.1.2, but if you are not updating to ArcaOS 5.1.2 you can still take advantage of some of the new driver updates. They are now available as part of the Support & Maintenance subscription for your ArcaOS product, and in the Arca Noae OS/2 & eCS Drivers and Software Subscription, Please log into your account and visit your Download & renewal center to access your software. Specifically, these updated packages are:

USB 12.18 (updated from 12.17)
NVME 1.03 (updated from 1.02)
ACPI 3.23.19 (updated from 3.23.18)
AMouse 4.02 (updated from 4.01)
Panorama 1.21 (updated from 1.20)

These releases include minor fixes and enhancements over their previous versions, and while recommended, they are not considered critical updates. Again, if you have updated to ArcaOS 5.1.2, you already have all of these updates. Here are the highlights of what’s new:

USB v12.18

USBAXGE – Enhanced to work with newer AX88179 chips.
USBASIX – Reliability updates.
USBMOS – Reliability updates.
USBSER – Fixed baud rate calculation for F232 chips

NVME v1.03

Fixed a rare trap when running multiple NVME controllers.

ACPI v3.23.19

Enhanced Power Manager to work better on systems with many CPUs.

AMouse v4.02

Added some command line switches

Panorama v1.21

Fixed an EDID problem when running the installer.

If you are still running OS/2 and/or eComStation systems and haven’t yet moved up to ArcaOS, this is a great reason to do so now. If you’ve already made the switch, but haven’t renewed renewed your support subscription, this is also a good time. Thinking of upgrading your current ArcaOS 5.0 installation? Now is also a good time.

If you have an Arca Noae OS/2 & eCS Drivers and Software Subscription, these driver package are available for download from the Arca Noae website as part of your Arca Noae OS/2 & eCS Drivers and Software Subscription. Please log into your account in order to access your software.

Major website migration complete

To address unanticipated changes forced upon us by functional components used by our website and online store, we have migrated the main Arca Noae site to a different server on our network. We hope this solves the most pressing issues regarding site availability, performance, and checkout completion.

Meanwhile, this migration brings with it some changes to procedures, namely, population of subscription content lists in the Download and Renewal Center. The new process will refresh content for all subscribers over a longer period of time vs on-demand download of fresh driver packages (as an example). The change should be fairly transparent to the end user (when a download link is displayed, it will be functional, as before), but note that there may be some delay between the announcement of new or updated content and downloads actually being listed. We are continuing to work to improve this feature.

For all those who have experienced difficulty with renewals, for a limited time, we have extended the normal grace period to one full year before the late renewal fee is applied. This should give everyone ample time to renew his or her ArcaOS Support & Maintenance subscription(s) without concern. This is a limited time offer, however, so if you have been holding off on a renewal due to site frustrations, please do so now at your earliest convenience.

Website issues impacting new and renewal orders

Our most recent website updates (mandatory, for security reasons) seem to have led to some instabilities. We have worked to manage the situation while we continue to solve the underlying problem(s). In the interim, customers may experience intervals of exceptional slowness on the site and there is a potential for failed payment processing.

We apologize for the inconvenience. If your order fails to process, please try again.

Meanwhile, we believe we have solved the issue with renewal orders not properly displaying the required credit card input fields for payment. Renewal orders should add the renewal to the cart and land on the Shop page. From there, proceed to checkout. If you find that your link has taken you to the checkout page directly, select the link there to visit your shopping cart, then use the Proceed to checkout button (or use the Renew button for your subscription from your Download Center).

At times, changes to our website are forced upon us by the software developers, generally in response to a security concern. It is impossible to predict how an update to one facet of the site may impact something else. We do our best to handle these situations when they arise, and appreciate your patience.

More credit card processing news

As we mentioned previously, we continue to receive reports of failed credit card payment attempts, generally caused by lack of card type selection during checkout. The card type is not selected because the radio buttons are not presented consistently.

We have just updated to the latest version of the credit card payment gateway plugin for the site, as this seems to address several rendering issues, per the plugin’s changelog.

So, if you are still experiencing payment processing difficulties, please follow the steps previously suggested (clear cache and cookies, then restart browser completely). This should allow the new gateway content to render.

As always, if you continue to have problems making credit card payments, please let us know. We’re here to help.

Difficulties with credit card payments? Try clearing browser cache

It seems that after our major site backend upgrade in July, some customers have experienced difficulty when processing card payments through our Stripe gateway. The issue manifests itself as a payment failure, sometimes with a message about “no card type selected.” (The gateway should provide a set of radio buttons to select the type of credit card being used. If this is not visible in order to make the selection, the payment cannot be processed, and is considered a failed payment.)

We are continuing to monitor this situation, as it is inconsistent. It appears, however, to be related (at least in some cases) to outdated browser cache (potentially from the older version of the Stripe payment gateway).

Should you experience problems when attempting to process a credit card payment on our site, please clear cache and cookies and then restart your browser and return to your shopping cart to check out. (Restart the browser completely; exit the application and start it again, not just the tab or window pointing to your shopping cart at Arca Noae.)

If the problem persists, please feel free to contact us for assistance.

The Download Center is now the Download & Renewal Center

In January of 2023, we introduced the ArcaOS Download Center. After expanding this download center to include all subscriptions and their associated downloads, we renamed it simply the Download Center. However, because this portal has so much more functionality which may not be apparent without visiting it first, we have again modified the name to the Download & Renewal Center.

If you are not familiar with this handy tool, in the left navigation area you should see the Download & Renewal Center link. Clicking it will bring you to a consolidated listing of your ArcaOS licenses and associated downloads followed by your other subscriptions and their associated downloads. Need a new ISO? No problem. Just find your ArcaOS license with active support, and request a new one. In addition, no matter which type of subscription you have, you’ll be able to see at a glance when the subscription is set to expire, and have the ability to simply click a button to renew a subscription. That’s it!

So, if you are using an email client or web mail which for some reason does not properly provide you with a usable link in your renewal reminder email, simply visit your Download & Renewal Center, select the license with expiring support, and click Renew.

Dynamic Icons version 2.5.6 for ArcaOS released

Dynamic Icons has been updated to version 2.5.6, and is now available as part of the Support & Maintenance subscription for your ArcaOS product. Please log into your account and see your ArcaOS order details page to access your software. This update is available for 5.0 and 5.1 ArcaOS licensees with active Support & Maintenance.

Version 2.5.6 introduces a new caching scheme which essentially eliminates duplicated icons, significantly reducing memory overhead and dramatically improves desktop responsiveness. In addition, it is now possible to specify different icon size parameters for Tree and Icon views, a longstanding and often requested enhancement.

For those who rely on Dynamic Icons, this update is a must-have.

Many, many thanks to Rich Walsh for his hard work on this update.

If you are still running OS/2 and/or eComStation systems and haven’t yet moved up to ArcaOS, this is a great reason to do so now. If you’ve already made the switch, but haven’t renewed renewed your support subscription, this is also a good time. Not sure what’s coming next? Have a look at our product roadmap pages.

Driver updates now available

MultiMac With the release of ArcaOS 5.1.1, several drivers have been updated. These updates are already included in ArcaOS 5.1.1, but if you are not updating to ArcaOS 5.1.1 you can still take advantage of some of the new driver updates. They are now available as part of the Support & Maintenance subscription for your ArcaOS product, and in the Arca Noae OS/2 & eCS Drivers and Software Subscription, Please log into your account and visit your ArcaOS Download Center to access your software. Specifically, these updated packages are:

USB 12.17 (updated from 12.16)
Panorama 1.20 (updated from 1.19)
ACPI 3.23.18 (updated from 3.23.17)
Multimac

These releases include minor fixes and enhancements over their previous versions, and while recommended, are not considered critical updates. Again, if you have ArcaOS 5.1.1, you already have all of these updates. Here are the highlights of what’s new:

USB 12.17

Enhanced USBMOUSE to handle more mouse features.

Panorama 1.20

Enhanced to select font size for ArcaOS installer.
NLV enhancements.

ACPI 3.23.18

Fixed acpidump to work on more systems.

MultiMac

Minor updates to E1000B 1.1.9, MMAE 1.1.9, MMRE 1.1.10, and MMJME 1.1.4

Arca Noae Status Update: Wi-Fi Drivers

We are aware that many people have been asking about availability of drivers for new wireless networking adapters. If you’ve followed our driver roadmap and our Warpstock presentations, you might be aware of the fact that these drivers are still in development.

Wi-Fi drivers are by their nature considerably more complex pieces of code than wired ethernet drivers. As a result, they take a considerably longer time to build than wired ethernet drivers. The complexity and multi-functionality requirements of Wi-Fi drivers, and the radically different architecture of unix (or Linux) means that Wi-Fi drivers cannot be created by simply compiling a FreeBSD driver for OS/2 as is generally possible for MultiMac wired ethernet drivers. Wi-Fi drivers need to be developed specifically for OS/2, with the capability to handle expected wireless communication protocols and be manageable by XWLAN, the de facto standard for Wi-Fi device and profile management on the OS/2 platform. All of this work is extremely time consuming and requires comprehensive knowledge of Wi-Fi operations and OS/2 networking.

ArcaOS 5.1 is the first version of OS/2 capable of not only booting on modern UEFI hardware with or without the availability of a Compatibility Support Module (CSM), but also the first to be able to access – and indeed, boot from – GUID Partition Table (GPT) disk layouts. All of this work was prioritized above Wi-Fi driver development, under our guiding philosophy of “if the system can’t boot, not much else matters.”

As addressed in our FAQ, the standard workaround for lack of a Wi-Fi driver is to use a small wireless bridge device. Indeed, this is not a solution, but a workaround until such time as Wi-Fi drivers are available for more modern chipsets.

We understand that wireless drivers are very important to a some of our users. We are doing what we can to address that need while simultaneously continuing to improve the ArcaOS experience overall. We appreciate everyone’s continued patience.

ArcaOS Desktop updated to 1.0.16

Dynamic Icons

Arca Noae is pleased to announce the immediate availability of ArcaOS Desktop (ANXWP) 1.0.16 in English, German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, and Russian. This is a maintenance release containing bug-fixes and updates that have accumulated since the last release. The primary improvements include:

New Features

Text Size
Use the first page of the Desktop’s Properties notebook to set the text in folders, menus, titlebars, and most dialogs to a size best suited for the current screen size and resolution.
Large Icons in XCenter
XCenter’s Properties notebook allows selection of Large (full-size) or Mini (half-size) icons. The WinList widget allows setting its icon size separately from XCenter as well as the choice of text, icons, or both on its buttons.
Low Battery Alert
The Battery widget now has a Properties page to set up the widget’s new alert. Set the level at which a warning should pop up (e.g. at 15%), and optionally, set follow-up warnings whenever the level drops another specified percent (say, 5%).

Updates and Bugfixes

XStartup
Large parts of the XStartup code have been rewritten for improved reliability
XWP Help
A Table of Contents has been added to the XWP Help system to organize its many pages into 21 top-level topics.
Other Changes
- XShutdown has been revised to invoke Text Size’s shutdown processing when updates occur. Related code has been refactored.
- An undocumented setup string has been added to XFldDesktop to enable Styler and other shutdown utilities to invoke Text Size’s shutdown processing when changes are pending.
- ‘xwptrap.log’ has been partially reformatted to make it less versbose.
- ‘h2i.exe’ which converts HTML help to .INF format has been revised to support an optional “Table of Contents” mode.
- ‘xunlock.exe’ has been added to the distro to ensure scripts always have access to an “unlock” utility. It returns 0 if the file is now unlocked and >0 if it remains locked or an error occured.
- A rewrite of the Window List widget should ensure that its last button doesn’t paint over the widget to its right.
- Code to read the display’s EDID has been added to support future Text Size enhancements.

See the Version Information topic of the ArcaOS Desktop Users Guide and Reference located in the Help Center for more details about this release.

Arca Noae would like to thank Rich Walsh for his work on maintaining and improving XWorkplace and ArcaOS Desktop. This release also includes contributory work by Alex Taylor.

If you have ArcaOS, this software is available for download from the Arca Noae website as part of the Support & Maintenance subscription for your ArcaOS product. Please log into your account and see your ArcaOS order details page to access your software.

If you are still running OS/2 and/or eComStation this is a great reason to consider moving up to ArcaOS. This update includes reserved features licensed for use exclusively with ArcaOS.