From: sip1@ellis.uchicago.edu (Timothy F. Sipples)
Subject: Re: OS/2 2.0 "Buglet" Report
Reply-To: sip1@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: Dept. of Econ., Univ. of Chicago
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1992 16:57:17 GMT

In article <1992Apr12.043803.16241@uwm.edu> tanith@csd4.csd.uwm.edu writes:
>This might be due to a slow computer/low memory situation.  On my 33 Mhz
>486 system (with 16450 UART) at 9600 baud, I notice no difference 
>between Telix performance in DOS and performance in OS/2.

On an AMD386-40 with 64K cache and 8 MB RAM?  Methinks not.

>I've noticed that if I have a full screen session (whether it be DOS
>or OS/2) open during shutdown, it will automatically go to the fullscreen
>session during reboot (and not WPS), whether or not the full screen 
>session was the last in the foreground before shutdown.  I noticed that
>beta 6.167 had the same behavior and it was erased by 6.177 (it might have
>been 6.177 -> 6.304).  I wonder why they put it back?

Yes, that's indeed true.

>I find the same situation on my system (but then again, I also own
>a Logitech mouse (two button in-port).  I just notice overall 'jerkiness'
>in full screen Win-OS/2 (but strangely enough not in seamless Windows).
>Background communications doesn't seem to affect this behavior at all.

Background communications do have an impact with mine, but otherwise I
agree.

>I don't notice any difference in mouse movement between DOS and OS/2.
>I even tried Framework III & QuickBASIC and neither seemed jerky like
>full screen Win-OS/2.  

The Framework III and QuickBASIC examples are not "jerky," but they do
have exceptionally slow "mouse tracking" (meaning that you have to
move the mouse an inordinate amount to get the pointer to move.  Is
there a setting to adjust this (sometimes called the "ballistic"
behavior) with the mouse driver?

>> (7)  Possible floppy disk problems.  I have not been able to er. 
>This is documented in the readme file included with OS/2.  On systems
>with one 3 1/2 drive and one 5 1/4 drive, the 5 1/4 will format disks 
>as 720K disks (previously formatted 1.2MB disks read fine).  No fix
>was mentioned in the readme file besides 'we are aware of the problem & etc.'

I'm looking at a possible hardware problem as well.  I may have the
floppies improperly terminated.  (I'm informed this usually isn't a
problem, but you never know.)

>> (8)  FORMAT bug.  FORMAT /? does not generate help. 
>/? is not listed as an option for help in the online documentation.  I
>think that IBM's DOS box was not meant to fully replicate all DOS 5.0 functions
>100% of the way.  They seem to prefer the WPS help method.

OK, working as designed, I guess.  :-)

>> (9)  Occasional desktop screen disruption when switching 
>> among full screen sessions.  Workaround: Selecting Refresh 
>> from desktop menu repaints the screen. 
>I see this as 'normal behavior'...otherwise, why would there be a Refresh
>option?  Switching from full screen to graphic mode may put some garbage
>on the screen...  I find that turning SVGA ON clears up a lot of these
>problems.

See below re: SVGA ON.  They still should clean this up.

>> (10)  SVGA ON results in CGA-like "snow," at least on 
>> Trident 8900C setup. 
>No problem like that with my Tseng ET-4000 Plus chipset SVGA.  All my DOS
>SVGA programs/drivers work flawlessly in full screen mode now...I'm quite
>happy with SVGA support (now if I could just get my hands on some PM drivers
>:) :)

Just to elaborate, when I say "snow" I mean strange blinking/lines
when I move objects, move the mouse pointer, etc, on the Workplace
Shell desktop.  This "snow" closely resembles the old "CGA snow"
phenomenon, although it isn't as pronounced.

>> (13)  Box selection of desktop objects too difficult.  Box 
>> has to be drawn larger than expected. 
>Yes, this bugs me too...if the box line runs through an object, it SHOULD be
>selected.  I don't like the current implementation of having to draw the 
>box 'around'.

Or at least more tolerant.

In a similar vein, Klondike Solitaire is too unforgiving when moving
cards.  You have to get the card spot on (or nearly so) the place you
want to drop it.  With Windows Solitaire you can be a lot sloppier and
still expect the card to get where it should go.

>While we're at it, another thing that bugs me is that when you press the ALT
>key and select an icon to change its name, the text is not automatically
>highlighted...I find myself always highlighting the text to delete it anyway
>(otherwise, why would I have wanted to change the icon's name?)

Good point.

>> (14)  CHKDSK occasionally appears to "freeze" when running 
>> through percentage of disk checked (at last stage of 
>> process).  It actually is extremely slow and does eventually 
>> complete the check. 
>This might be due to hard disk partitions greater than 40 or 50MB.  I first
>had one 80MB partition and two 50MB partitions of my 80MB & 100MB hard
>drives.  I noticed noticed no 'slowness' with CHKDSK and the percentage
>display would rip through rather quickly (note: they were all HPFS).  Then
>when I reassigned the two 50MB partitions to one large 100MB partition
>I noticed more slowness during CHKDSK (could it be unfragmenting perhaps?)

I think that could be the case.  Perhaps a reworking of the
"percentage complete" counter would be in order.  It shouldn't look
like it freezes (otherwise make the counter run more slowly).

>> (15)  DOS and Win-OS/2 features are poorly (if at all) 
>> documented, in the Command Reference or elsewhere. 
>I guess they are assuming that if you're using DOS/Win-OS/2, you already
>KNOW DOS :)  The online documentation could use a little fixing up...
>especially some of the horrid examples.  Plus, some, but not all of the
>drivers/files are documented.  It is difficult to tell what files/drivers
>are needed and what aren't when there is no docmentation.

Yes indeed.

>> (16)  In the OS/2 Command Reference, double (instead of 
>> single) clicking is required for Examples buttons.  (Buttons 
>> should always be single click.) 
>Yes, inconsistent behavior, but a very minor problem :)

Most of these are, but I report 'em as I see 'em.  :-)

>> (17)  Examples for COM.SYS driver in Command Reference 
>> extremely confusing and refer to drivers that don't exist. 
>The COM.SYS examples are my biggest gripe (besides the features that AREN'T
>documented of course).  It took me a bit of head scratching to figure out
>that the parameters (COMx, PORT#, IRQ#) allow COM3/COM4 port support on
>ISA machines.  This SHOULD be documented.  What the hell are those PRINTER?.SYS
>drivers?

Yes!  I couldn't find this feature documented _anywhere_.  After much
head scratching I think those PRINTER?.SYS drivers are simply
theoretical examples -- they are drivers which really don't exist.

As a start, I think _every_ file on the system should be documented.
Including the DOS material, including the Win-OS/2 material.

>> (18)  Selection of mouse model at installation extremely 
>> confusing.  No obvious selection for Mouse Systems, nor 
>> should every Logitech owner be selecting the Logitech Mouse 
>> option.  A reworking of this screen is in order (by listing 
>> specific mouse models for example). 
>Yes, I agree with you there.  I ended up having to select 'Serial
>Pointing Device' for my Logitech mouse to work properly.

Because your Logitech obviously powers on as Microsoft-compatible.
Not all Logitechs do this.  (Mine doesn't, for example.)  I was a bit
lost at first.

>> (19)  "MOUSE PC" on a DOS dualboot or multiboot system still 
>> required for certain Logitech mouse users.  Mouse may not be 
>> found at boot time if the mouse was "used" by native 
>> DOS/Windows previously. 
>This is only a problem for older Logitech (C7?) mice as you probably know.
>My newer post-C7 Logitech mouse works nicely with the drivers.

Yes indeed.  But it would be nice if they were somehow able to rework
the PCLOGIC driver to reset the mouse at power up -- for Logitech C7
and C9 mice only, of course.

>> (22)  Moving objects difficult.  Mouse button two does not 
>> "stick" fast enough.  User must hold down mouse button two 
>> over object for a good while before moving the mouse. 
>This also might be due to a slow computer/low memory situation...after I
>put more memory into my computer (and eventually got a faster computer)
>objects 'stick' too quickly for me to notice any delay.  This WAS
>a definite problem when I had less memory...

No, I don't think so.  My machine isn't state of the art, but it isn't
all _that_ slow either.

>> (23)  Hatch marks are displayed for programs which have been 
>> closed and are no longer running.  The problem seems 
>> particularly acute for Windows programs. 
>Same problem here...they usually go away with a refresh though...

Not for Windows programs (which were running seamlessly).  Refresh
doesn't get rid of those.

Also, are "Data Update" and "Clipboard" supposed to keep running after
the last Windows application is closed?  Sometimes they do, sometimes
they don't.

>> (27)  Seamless Windows programs sometimes have problems 
>> getting keyboard focus.  For example, switch to an OS/2 
>> task.  Press CTRL-ESC.  Select running "seamless" Win-OS/2 
>> program (say, Microsoft Word 1.1) using the keyboard and 
>> ENTER.  Title bar of Windows program colored correctly, but 
>> program does not have keyboard focus.  Clicking once on the 
>> title bar for that session gives it focus. 
>I don't notice this problem at all with any of the Windows programs
>that I tried...but I do not own Word for Windows :)

It may be peculiar to Word for Windows 1.1 (running seamlessly).  In
limited testing I haven't been able to duplicate the problem in other
applications.

Here's another buglet:  Engage autoplay in Klondike Solitaire.  Move
the mouse pointer over moving cards repeatedly (without clicking).
"Card droppings" will appear on screen.

-- 
Timothy F. Sipples       Keeper of the OS/2 Frequently Asked Questions
sip1@ellis.uchicago.edu  List, available via anonymous ftp from
Dept. of Economics       128.123.35.151, directory pub/os2/faq, or via
Univ. of Chicago  60637  netmail from LISTSERV@BLEKUL11.BITNET.
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc