From: lansche@torolab6.VNET.IBM.COM (Martin Lansche)
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 92 10:08:05 EST
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.programmer
Subject: Re: REPOST: novice question
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not those of IBM
News-Software: UReply 3.0

In <1992Dec17.132444.20891@ugle.unit.no> Oddgeir Kvien writes:
>1. I have seen that a lot of people is recomending Petzold`s book on
>   programming OS/2 (I have ordered it, but I don`t know if my local dealer
>   can get it). What book is recomended if Petzold`s book is imposible to get.
>   (What is the 2`nd best book on programming OS/2?)
>
I personally don't like Petzold's book.  It always put me to sleep.  I
far prefer the "OS/2 Presentation Manager Programming Primer", by Dror
and Lafore (Osborne McGraw-Hill).  While it was written for OS/2 1.2, I
covers PM programming very very, IMHO.  I have read almost all of it and
have typed in most of the exercises.  It has taught me all I wanted to
know and more. (You can get the diskette, but I found typing in the
code to be very educational).
  A new book is available for OS/2 2.0. You can order it from IBM if you
cannot find it in the bookstore).  It is:

 LEARNING TO PROGRAM OS/2 2.0 PRESENTATION MANAGER BY EXAMPLE: Putting
         the Pieces Together
 By Stephen Knight, IBM Corportaion
 0-442-01292-6

In my opinion only, I prefer the Dror and Lafore book.  The Knight book
is a little too terse - too much information in each example.  However,
together, these two books (plus the PM API reference which come on-line
with the Toolkit) are a fantastic start to PM programming in OS/2 2.0.

>2. Are there someone who got some simple OS/2 programs which shows the basic
>   of how to program OS/2 (class registering, message que creating and so one).

The IBM Workframe/2 comes with 2 examples of PM programs.  One, called
PMLINES shows a simple PM window, with simple menu pull-downs,
dialog boxes, multiple threads, and graphics using basic GPI calls.
The second PM sample is called MAHJONGG, a solitaire game.  It is more
complicated than PMLINES, but offers much more information.  On-line
Help, multiple use of bitmaps, accelerator keys for menu items, animation
(a congratulation screen display), saving/loading options from OS2INI
file, use of fonts, and more.  And it is well documented, has all the
appropriate error checking (which are frequently left out of text book
examples for simplicity).

>   A program which shows simple line drawing would alsoe bee nice. If so could
>   they email them to me (I got a lot of space where I could save my mail).
Well they come with the Workframe/2 product, but you are going to need
a C compiler, the OS/2 Toolkit anyway.

  The IBM C Developer's WorkSet/2 includes the following programs
  (one license each):
  o   IBM Developer's Toolkit for OS/2 (3.5" or 5.25")
  o   IBM WorkFrame/2 Version 1.0 (3.5" or 5.25")
  o   IBM C Set/2 Version 1.0 (3.5" or 5.25")

>+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
>| Oddgeir Kvien, Norwegian Institute of Technology                      |
Cheers,
Martin Lansche, IBM Lab, Toronto Canada.
  ________________________________________________________________________
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   numessier.  Toi aina, mana, meldielto -- enga morion : talantie.
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   The father made the world for elves and mortals and he gave it into
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