Category Archives: News

Arca Noae turns 10

Very quietly on July 28, Arca Noae, LLC marked its tenth year since its founding in 2014. On this occasion, we at Arca Noae would just like to take a moment to thank our valued customers, clients, and fans for their business, continued dedication to the OS/2 platform, and for their love of ArcaOS, from the warm reception we received at our humble beginnings to the overwhelming excitement at the initial release of ArcaOS Blue Lion nearly three years later, in 2017, and right up through our current versions and updates.

Last year, we released ArcaOS 5.1, which has been a major milestone in OS/2 history, as the first version capable of installing and booting on modern UEFI-based systems without the aid of a Compatibility Support Module (CSM), and the first version to be able to utilize GPT partitioned storage devices.

Today, we stand on the cusp of delivering ArcaOS 5.1.1, which promises to be the first ArcaOS version available in languages other than English, and is slated to include many fixes and enhancements to the installation process for 5.1.

Our continuing mission is to provide support for modern hardware on the OS/2 platform, to make ArcaOS easier to use and more functional for daily computing needs for home users, small-medium sized businesses, and enterprise customers. In that, we see no end in sight.

Thanks for traveling with us on our journey.

USB driver package version 12.16 now available

USB Arca Noae is pleased to announce the immediate availability of release 12.16 of our USB stack.

This is a maintenance release that contains some minor updates.

Fixed a trap that could occur configuring certain endpoints primarily on Isochronous devices.
Fixed an SMP issue that could occur when operating multiple Mass Storage Devices (MSD) on a system with more than one CPU active.
Enhanced the USBSER driver to support up to 16 devices simultaneously.
Added new USBAXGE USB to Ethernet driver.

Most people will see no change in operation after installing this update. See the package readme.txt for details. This update is recommended for all users.

As usual, this release is intended to update an existing installation. Although it can install most of the drivers in the package, it does not install the Host Controller drivers, so it cannot add USB support to a system that does not already have basic USB support installed. More information about the USB drivers can be found in the wiki.

If you have problems with any of the drivers in this release, please read the Troubleshooting Guide in the wiki first. If your problem cannot be resolved with the Troubleshooting Guide, then the problem should be reported in the ticketing system.

If you have ArcaOS, this driver package 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 have an Arca Noae OS/2 & eCS Drivers and Software Subscription, this driver package is 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.

If you are still running OS/2 and/or eComStation systems and haven’t yet purchased a software subscription, this is a great reason to do so now. It may also be a good time to consider moving up to ArcaOS.

Server status update for June 7, 2024

We are pleased to announce that email and our bug tracker are back online. This includes subscription renewal notifications, new ISO download notifications, and incoming contact submissions from our contact page.

We appreciate everyone’s patience while we addressed the hardware problem we experienced. Rest assured, no data was lost or compromised.

Server status update for June 5, 2024

Currently, email and our bug tracker are temporarily offline. This includes subscription renewal notifications, new ISO download notifications, as well as incoming contact submissions from our contact page.

We are working diligently to address the issue, and will post an update when the matter has been resolved.

Downloads of subscription content should not be impacted in any way.

Reminder: Warpstock Europe 2024, Rheine, Germany, June 7-9

As we mentioned previously, the OS/2 VOICE Foundation will be hosting Warpstock Europe 2024 June 7-9 in Rheine, Germany.

VOICE is planning to provide a live video stream via YouTube, though the best Warpstock Europe experience is always in person.

Time is running out to register for Warpstock Europe, however! To register, use this link before May 24. For more information (travel, schedule of presentations, presenters, and more) please visit the Warpstock Europe website.

Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to see, hear, and meet with people directly and indirectly involved with shaping the design and focus of ArcaOS, and working to keep it connected to our ever-changing landscape of information technology.

Warpstock Europe 2024, Rheine, Germany

The OS/2 VOICE Foundation is pleased to announce that the working schedule for Warpstock Europe 2024 is now online. Warpstock Europe will be held June 7-9 in Rheine, Germany.

The event will be held in Hotel Lücke (the hotel’s site is available in English and German). Presenters and attendees should register with the hotel for sleeping accommodations. The discounted room rate for Warpstock Europe attendees is €104 per night, which includes breakfast.

VOICE is planning to provide a live video stream via YouTube, as well. Of course, the fullest Warpstock Europe experience is in person, where you have the ability to interact with presenters and other like-minded people. Please see the Warpstock Europe website for details.

Access for the 3-day event (including 2-course lunch each day) is €215. You may order your Warpstock Europe access through this link before May 24. For travel information and the schedule please visit the Warpstock Europe website.

Among other presenters, Arca Noae Managing Member, Lewis Rosenthal, will be on hand to present and to meet with attendees. Come join the discussion, and learn some new things about ArcaOS!

If you would like to present in person or remotely, please contact the VOICE President, Roderick Klein, via email at president AT os2voice DOT org. There are still presentation slots available, and some others have not yet been confirmed. (Note: Due to strict budget constraints, presenters must also purchase access to Warpstock Europe 2024.)

USB driver package version 12.15 now available

USB Arca Noae is pleased to announce the immediate availability of release 12.15 of our USB stack.

This is a maintenance release that contains some minor updates.

Fixed physical address handling in all of the Host Controller drivers. New drivers and applications can now use previously unusable features.
A USB keyboard is now initialized earlier. A USB keyboard will become usable earlier in the boot process.
Enhanced XHCI endpoint configuration. New drivers and applications can make use of new features.
Fixed the initialization of several chipsets in the USBASIX driver. Previously supported but non-working devices will now work with this new version.
Fixed an isochronous transfer issue in USBCALLS driver. Applications that use the affected function(s) should work with this new version.
The USBSER driver has been added to the USB distribution. It has been enhanced to to be compatible with the modern ArcaOS USB stack and to handle multiple devices.
The installer was changed to preserve some config.sys driver parameters. Installing this update will not remove or change existing settings for the affected drivers.

Most people will see no change in operation after installing this update. See the package readme.txt for details. This update is recommended for all users.

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.

About the future of the Hobbes archive

For over 30 years, the Hobbes repository at New Mexico State University has been a mainstay for OS/2 users to locate software for OS/2, whether freeware, open source, or commercial demos.

This month, Hobbes announced that it would be shutting down as of April 15 of this year. While this truly saddens those of us closely involved with software development for the platform, Arca Noae nevertheless understands the level of resources and commitment required to maintain an ever-growing archive. We applaud the Hobbes archiver and the entire team of faculty, students, and other volunteers who have come and gone over the years, all the while keeping Hobbes up and running for the benefit of all. We are also grateful to the University for its commitment to the archive, providing hardware, software, power, and bandwidth.

We are aware that discussions are underway in the OS/2 community to find a new home for Hobbes. There is a thread on the Warp mailing list at groups.io and another in the OS/2 World forums. You may also read a public announcement from OS/2 VOICE about this here.

At this time, Arca Noae urges caution and advises against more people volunteering to host the main Hobbes repository (though mirrors of a potential new site would likely be appreciated). We remain hopefully optimistic that Hobbes will indeed find a new long-term home and that the transition from New Mexico State University to that new home (wherever it might be) will be a smooth one.

Warpstock 2023 videos now available

Videos of Warpstock 2023 presentations from earlier this month, including Arca Noae staff and developers featuring the latest ArcaOS news and how-to sessions are now available on YouTube in the WarpEvents channel.

Video topics include:

ArcaOS Roadmap
High-Resolution OS/2: The Sequel
ArcaOS 5.1
Is ArcaOS a DOS Gaming Mecca?
ArcaOS under and next to VMWare ESXi
UEFI vs Traditional BIOS: Which is Right?
…and much more