NEW VIDEO DRIVER ANNOUNCED FOR OS/2 2.1 August 11, 1993 The S3 video device driver support is now available for OS/2* 2.1! This means that OS/2 users now have access to even better graphics, faster video and higher resolution in a proven and reliable operating environment. "The S3 video driver is designed to provide OS/2 users with seamless support for accelerated video graphics and advanced color resolution," says Wally Casey, director of marketing for PSP. "The new driver ensures compatibility with the S3 technology shipping in today's newer PCs." The OS/2 2.1 S3 video driver supports the following resolutions and colors: 640 x 480 x 256 colors 800 x 600 x 256 colors 1024 x 768 x 256 colors 1280 x 1024 x 256 colors PC manufacturers, such as the IBM PC Company and Dell Computer Corporation, will begin shipping the OS/2 2.1 S3 driver with their systems. The S3 driver has also been tested on and is compatible with many industry leading S3 adapter cards. The S3 driver is available from multiple electronic download services, including Internet and CompuServe, or can be ordered on diskette for $15 (cost + shipping and handling) by calling 1-800-3IBM-OS2. It is located on software.watson.ibm.com on the Internet, and in OS2SUPPORT, Library 17, IBM files on CompuServe. The file name is S3-256.DSK. To make the driver diskette, you will also need the file LOADDF.ZIP from OS2USER, Library 17, IBM file. 15 Questions & Answers About the S3 Driver ------------------------------------------ 1. Does the S3 driver exploit the accelerated functions of the S3 Corporation's chipsets? This display driver takes advantage of the hardware acceleration capabilities of S3 Corporation's 86C801/86C805 and 86C928 chip sets. It conforms to the OS/2 32-bit flat memory model and is designed to function as a 32-bit Presentation Manager (PM) display driver under the OS/2 32-bit graphics engine subsystem. 2. Which resolutions are supported? The S3 display driver supports the following resolutions/colors and OS/2 full-screen columns/rows: 640 x 480 x 256 colors 800 x 600 x 256 colors 1024 x 768 x 256 colors 1280 x 1024 x 256 colors (minimum of 2MB video memory required) OS/2 full screen 132,25 OS/2 full screen 132,43 3. What other features does it support? * OS/2 PM Palette Manager * Software Motion Video * Static mode change. 4. When will it be available? It will be available August 9, 1993, via electronic download. It will be available on diskette via the 1-800-3IBM-OS2 number approximately two weeks later. PC manufacturers, such as the IBM PC Company and Dell Computer Corporation, will begin shipping the OS/2 2.1 S3 driver with their systems. In addition, IBM will add this S3 driver to shrink-wrapped packages of OS/2 2.1. 5. Where will it be available? The driver is available via multiple electronic download services, including CompuServe and Internet, or can be ordered on diskette for $15 (cost + shipping and handling) by calling 1-800-3IBM-OS2. It is located on software.watson.ibm.com on the Internet, and in OS2SUPPORT, Library 17, IBM files. The file name is S3-256.DSK. 6. Does IBM fully support this driver? Yes. It is covered by the same support plan as the OS/2 2.1 product. 7. The 256-color driver is now available. Does IBM intend to enhance the driver to include additional colors, ie., 65K and 16M (true color)? It is IBM's intent to enhance the current driver to support additional colors. Beta-level code will continue to be made available electronically as additional function is added. 8. Did IBM develop this driver? Personal Systems Programming views our customer requirements for OS/2 drivers supporting the leading video chip sets as a top priority. We invested in developing this driver to satisfy these requirements. 9. This driver is compatible with which versions of OS/2? This driver is compatible with OS/2 2.1, and it is covered by the terms and conditions of the the Program License Agreement for the OS/2 2.1 product. 10. Does this driver support less than 1 MB of video memory? No, a minimum of 1MB of video memory is required. 11. Is this a seamless driver, ie., does it support Windows and OS/2 applications running side by side in windows on the desktop? Yes. 12. Is this a fully 32-bit driver? Yes. 13. Are there any functional restrictions? This display driver may not support ALL S3 adapters or systems with EVERY chip set. The S3 display driver has been tested on and is compatible with the S3 adapters or systems with the chip sets indicated in parentheses. Additional adapters or systems may be added as testing continues in the future. Actix (801) Actix (928) Diamond Stealth 24 (801) Diamond Stealth 24 LB (805) Diamond Stealth Pro (928) Diamond Stealth Pro LB (928) Orchid Fahrenheit 1280 (801) Orchid Fahrenheit 1280 Plus (801) Metheus (928) Video 7 Win.Pro (801) IBM ValuePoint (805) Dell 433/L (805) Dell 433/M (805) Dell 466/L (805) 14. How do I install it? With an easy-to-use command file. Instructions are in the accompanying README file. 15. Is this the same driver that is available from the S3 Corporation? No, this driver is the generally available version of the S3 driver that has been in beta test on IBM bulletin boards. In addition, a 16-bit driver for the S3 chip has been available from the S3 Corporation. * Indicates trademark of the International Business Machines Corporation.