Category Archives: News

I want ArcaOS 5.1!

TO CLARIFY: ArcaOS 5.1 HAS NOT YET BEEN RELEASED. Please read this post all the way to the end to get all information.

ArcaOS 5.1 is complete and waiting for release. The holdup is really related to our distribution system, which is based on the WooCommerce platform.

Until we can produce multiple versions of ArcaOS ISOs, in multiple languages, WE MUST HOLD UP THE ArcaOS 5.1 RELEASE.

While WooCommerce is a capable ecommerce solution, Arca Noae’s requirements to be able to allow ordering of a personalized ISO have now become considerably more complicated than they were for the 5.0 release in 2017. Instead of only spinning the same ISO with personalization data for each customer, we now must continue to have 5.0 ISOs available, and offer 5.1 ISOs in several languages. In addition, instead of maintaining one subscription channel for ArcaOS, we now must maintain two separate channels, one for 5.0 and one for 5.1. Upgraders will also need to change subscription channels when they upgrade ArcaOS. This work has proven more complicated than we had anticipated.

In the meantime, we have taken steps to upgrade our infrastructure to expand our capacity to build and warehouse more ISOs, and we are now at a point where the missing pieces of the puzzle are just the software enhancements for the website to bring everything together.

We have always avoided stating narrow windows for anticipated delivery dates, and take great efforts to avoid the appearance of vaporware. ArcaOS 5.1 is real, and it is coming…soon.

In the interim (and after the release of ArcaOS 5.1), ArcaOS 5.0 will continue to receive critical updates and support, and from time to time, we may even release new bugfix ISOs for ArcaOS 5.0 (generally when an update impacts the installation experience).

It is also important to note that not all languages for ArcaOS 5.1 will be made available when English is released, nor will all non-English languages be released at the same time. Translations of German, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, and others are in varying states of completion. As we deem a certain language ready for release, we will make it available.

We appreciate everyone’s continued patience. We want to bring you ArcaOS 5.1 as much as you want it!

Temporary workaround for PDF invoice/receipt

Update 2023-03-06: Selecting the Invoice button will currently generate an HTML version of the invoice without having to modify the URL.

Original post:

We are aware of an issue impacting our ability to generate PDF invoices (receipts) for new purchases, and working to resolve the problem. In the interim, it should be possible to generate an HTML invoice, and then use your browser’s print or save capability to either print a hard copy or save the HTML version to disk.

To generate the HTML version of the invoice, after receiving the error message or blank page when requesting the PDF invoice, simply append the following to the URL in the browser:

&output=html

and press <Enter>. The invoice should render in the browser window like any other page.

We appreciate your continued patience while we investigate the matter more fully and address the problem.

Arca Noae Package Manager version 1.1.0 has been released

Arca Noae is pleased to announce the immediate availability of an updated Arca Noae Package Manager for ArcaOS, OS/2, and eComStation. (1.1.0)

This is update includes some major new functionality, enhancements, and bug fixes:

Support for WarpIN archives.
Add new logic to automatically re-scale all UI elements to dynamically fit the configured window font.
Change secret generation over to SMBIOS interface to provide better support for systems where DMIDECODE is unsuccessful, e.g., UEFI environments.
Fix for case where both dependency check and required packages list exceed 700 characters.
Various UI fixes and tweaks.

Arca Noae Package Manager is available in English with Spanish, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Russian, and Swedish language packs. Some of these have been refreshed for this release.

The wiki will be updated to include more information regarding the new WarpIN repository configuration.

ANPM 1.1.0 requires WarpIN 1.0.24 or higher for installation. This WarpIN package is available from Hobbes.

This open source utility is available to everyone, free of charge.

Please review the wiki for important first-time installation and upgrade notes and other tips.

Welcome to the new ArcaOS Download Center!

Along the way to the much anticipated ArcaOS 5.1 release, we have been working behind the scenes to upgrade our build and delivery systems. To this end, you should notice a welcome addition to your customer portal: the ArcaOS Download Center.

In the left navigation area, you should see this new link. Clicking it will bring you to a consolidated listing of your ArcaOS licenses and associated downloads. No more scanning through all of your orders to find the right one.

We hope you enjoy this new feature.

Beware of used ArcaOS licenses offered for sale

Happy New Year!

Recently, we’ve become aware of several ArcaOS licenses being offered for sale on various platforms. This post is a reminder to check the validity of any used license before paying for it.

All ArcaOS licenses are generated by Arca Noae. If you order through one of our authorized resellers, that reseller places an order for your software with us, and we provide the custom ISO for you, registered to an account in your name.

While it is entirely permissible to transfer a license (see paragraph 9 of the ArcaOS End User License Agreement ), such a transfer must include a hard copy of the license and proof of entitlement. Proof of entitlement means some documentation to prove that the company or individual transferring the license does indeed have the right to do so (it must indeed be registered to that company or individual).

Upon transfer, the transferor must notify Arca Noae of the transfer and provide contact information for the transferee. Without this, it will not be possible to renew support for that ArcaOS license – including a late renewal.

It is worth noting also that only the ArcaOS license is transferable. Support is not. Thus, when an unsuspecting user purchases an existing ArcaOS license and he or she wants to access related downloads for updates or even request an updated ISO, a new ArcaOS Support & Maintenance subscription will be required. The cost of the used license plus new support may be far more than a new license with included support and the ability to renew that support at a discount.

If you are considering the purchase of a used ArcaOS license, be sure to ask for a copy of the registrant’s name, email address, and serial number, and contact us first so that we may be able to determine whether the license is, in fact, legitimate. If it’s not, it will not be valid for purchasing a Support & Maintenance subscription, so technical support, updates, discounted upgrades, and bug fixes will never be available.

Arca Noae PNG Icon Set version 2022-12-14 released

Dynamic Icons Arca Noae is pleased to announce a minor update to our PNG Icon Set included with ArcaOS, which 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.

Version 2022-12-14 includes a full set of Apache OpenOffice 4 icons, as well as the OS/2-specific QuickStart icon.

Icons in this set are released under LGPLv3, and include original and derived images from several sources.

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.

Dynamic Icons version 2.5.2.2 for ArcaOS released

Dynamic Icons, the latest spin on Sunny Icons from eCo Software, specifically enhanced and built for ArcaOS, has been updated to version 2.5.2.2, 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.

Version 2.5.2.2 allows for dynamic text sizing in its dialogs and fixes folder details view settings.

Panorama Video Driver Package version 1.18 now available

Arca Noae is pleased to announce the immediate availability of our Panorama Video Driver Package for OS/2 and eComStation version 1.18.

This is a maintenance release containing some minor changes primarily targeting problematic and limited environments. Some of the changes include:

Some initialization errors and warnings are now visible when booting.
Mode list verification and resolution verification was added to help prevent black screens by preventing the use of unsupported resolutions.
Some of the translated help was updated.
Some installer improvements.

This package also includes the updated GRADD base subsystem which is included in all GRADD drivers. The GRADD base subsystem has an updated GRADD helper driver. This update is recommended for everyone, but it is not critical, so it can be installed at your convenience.

More information about the Panorama Package may be found in the Panorama wiki.

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.

USB driver package version 12.14 now available

USB Arca Noae is pleased to announce the immediate availability of release 12.14 of our USB stack.

This is a maintenance release that contains some minor fixes.

The USBCOM driver was enhanced to handle multiple devices. Support was also added for newer PL2303HXN devices.
A minor change In USBD to better handle simultaneous device initialization.
Some improvements to the XHCI driver for problems with isochronous in.

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 update only. It will only update an existing installation. 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. Make sure you use the latest TestLog program if you report a problem.

NVME Driver version 1.02 now available

Arca Noae is pleased to announce the immediate availability of release 1.02 of our NVME Storage Driver.

This is a maintenance release that improves reliability by adding recovery for certain failed transactions. It also fixes some typos in output strings and adds some diagnostic capabilities. There should be no change in operation after installing this update. See the NVME wiki and the ReadMe for details. This update is recommended for all users.

If you are still running OS/2 and/or eComStation this is a great reason to consider moving up to ArcaOS.