From: sip1@ellis.uchicago.edu (Timothy F. Sipples)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Subject: Re: Questions
Date: 2 Jan 93 18:02:15 GMT
Reply-To: sip1@midway.uchicago.edu
Distribution: usa
Organization: Dept. of Econ., Univ. of Chicago

In article <1992Dec24.021559.1188@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> wdieteri@nyx.cs.du.edu (William Dieterich) writes:
>I just got OS/2 and have some questions.
>1) I want to setup a program so that it appears on  ms-windows screen,
>instead of icon coming up on the OS/2 screen.
>  I cannot find a way of installing a mswindows program to have
>this happen.   I realize that I  would be required to display the ms-windows 
>screen to run the program, but I have a couple of programs I want to 
>set up like this.

Just as you always did in Windows, really.  Double click on the
Win-OS/2 Full Screen object in your Command Prompts folder.  Then,
from Program Manager, select File -> New (Program Item) and click OK.
Proceed from there.

>2) Is this some setting or an other program that will allow me to activate a
>window without having that window bring itself to the foreground?

Take a look at xfeel.zip, available via anonymous ftp from
ftp-os2.nmsu.edu.  Check the file /pub/os2/00Index for location.

>3) How do I make a screen appear in a certain location, and at a preset size
>every time I open that program.   I can get this to happen on some
>screens, but I cannot get this to work with the command line shells. 

Hold down SHIFT while positioning the window -- this will preserve its
location for the next time you open it.

>  As a side question, is there a way of preventing that question requestor
>fromappearing when I close a shell?

Yes.  Use the EXIT command to exit the shell.  This shuts down the
shell safely, and does not provide that warning dialog.

>Is there any bad side effect, beside of the possibility that the data will
>not be saved?

No, no bad side effect, but the operating system really has no way of
knowing that you haven't saved your work in such a session.  Hence, it
presents the warning, to make sure you know what you're doing.  Using
the EXIT command bypasses this dialog, because it does perform a
"known" means of exit.

>4) Are there any good books that  are of the more advanced nature, that
>explain what certain files do,  the layout of OS/2, etc.

The IBM OS/2 Redbooks are very helpful.  You can obtain them in
electronic form via anonymous ftp from software.watson.ibm.com, then
print them out.  Or you can order the set for about $25 in printed
form; see the FAQ List for details.  There are other third party books
which do a nice job -- just check your local computer book store and
find one you like.

>5)   What exactly do the config.sys and autoexec.bat file do?  From reading
>the one-line information, it looks like autoexec.bat is run for each msdos/
>mswindows shell that is open, and the config.sys is use to configure OS/2
>and msdos windows.  If this is true, is there any thing in OS/2 that can
>be change and then executed to verify if it works without rebooting the
>system?

Can you rephrase the question?  I'm not sure what you're asking here.
I followed you until the last sentence, and you were correct up to
that point, as far as I can tell.

>6)  How do delete an icon for a program without deleteing the program?
>Also how do you delete and item from the desktop?

Run, do not walk, to ftp-os2.nmsu.edu and get ahold of the Unofficial
Guide to the Workplace Shell.  Read it, and all will be clear.  :-)

>I have tried various test such as creating a file called test.bat.  I then
>migrate this program, this gives me an icon.  I take this icon and
>drag it to the shredder,  the  icon disappears, but if I do a directory
>of the drive where I created the file, the file still exists.

Correct.

>Finally,  any recommendation for good program a person should
>get, and install.
>Also if someone knows of a true version of more or less,  a
>ftp site would be great.

Check that ftp-os2.nmsu.edu -- you'll be pleasantly surprised.

-- 
Timothy F. Sipples      | Read the OS/2 FAQ List 2.0h, available from
sip1@ellis.uchicago.edu | 128.123.35.151, anonymous ftp, in /pub/os2/all/info
Dept. of Econ., Univ.   | /faq, or from LISTSERV@BLEKUL11.BITNET (send "HELP")
of Chicago, 60637       | [Read the List, THEN post to ONE OS/2 newsgroup.]
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc,fido.nz_os2,fido.os2