From: cb@tamarack13.timbuk (Chris Brewster)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Subject: Re: Thoughts during my forced OS/2 sabbatical
Date: 15 Oct 92 19:14:00 GMT
	<BUHR.92Oct13141023@blish.umanitoba.ca>
Organization: pubs
In-reply-to: buhr@umanitoba.ca's message of Tue, 13 Oct 1992 20:10:21 GMT

Kevin Andrew Buhr writes:

   Some people might think it unwise to include specific support for a
   handful of application data file formats in an operating system.
   There are several reasons for this:
	   a)  It duplicates code from a third-party application, ....

Why is that a problem?

	   b)  Any new version of the third-party application [causes problems]

So the file viewer gets updated occasionally as in PC Shell.

	   c)  It is difficult to obtain actual source code ...

Central Point manages it somehow.

	   d)  The purpose of the operating system is to provide a
	       generalized structure for the launching and operation of
	       third-party programs, not to replace them.  ...

A file viewer doesn't try to replace a program; it's an aid in file
management.

   If you want the file viewing functionality of PC Shell, why aren't you
   running it in a DOS session?  

This solution isn't comparable to what I've described.  When I use PC
Shell under DOS, file viewing is always available as I work with files
and directories.  I don't need to go somewhere else to get this
functionality.  Anyway I want file viewing for OS/2 programs too, not
just for DOS programs.

   surely this is a step up from hotkeying to PC Shell
   every five minutes under vanilla DOS!

PC Shell *is* the way I work with DOS: if I'm not in an app, I'm in PC
Shell.   This is the whole point of it.

			 It allows me to list many more files on screen at
      once than either of OS/2's listing styles (icon and details).

   Try selecting the flowed icon view with the "no icon" or "small icon"
   check box on in the "Icon View" settings.  This will give you plenty
   of file names.

Didn't know about these.  All I saw was "icon" and "detail".

  Have you tried using OS/2's "flowed" icon view?  This arranges
   icons in rows spanning the full width of the window.  Alternatively,
   select "Arrange" from the window menu, and your icons will be placed so
   as to efficiently fill the window.

My point was directory displays under every OS I've used *always* use
the available space somewhat sensibly.  When I open a directory under
OS/2, I shouldn't have to say, in effect, "Oh, and while you're at it,
check the window's size and shape and arrange the icons so that I can
see as many as will fit."  This would be a good candidate for default
behavior.

   If you still can't get enough files on the screen, drag a smaller font
   from the font palette to the file names.  This will space icons closer
   together, if the filenames are long, and it should work on the details
   view, too, though I can't verify this right now.

Again, why do I need to go through these steps for something that should
be default behavior?  In my job (on a Unix workstation), I move around
*many* *large* directories.  I wouldn't like to do the same job with
OS/2 as I now understand it.  (My 386 is my home computer.)

      The activity of moving around directories, seeing listings, and looking
      at files is part of the everyday use of an OS.  I think OS/2 should make
      this at least as easy as it is with standard DOS utilities.

   Yes, OS/2 should make it easy to move around directories and see
   listings.  In my opinion it does.  On the other hand, it should not
   provide support for your favorite file formats.       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Why on earth not???

   An operating system should be "non-partisan"

I'm not interesting in equal opportunity.  PC Shell includes lots of
viewers and accounts for the formats of a very large percentage of
files in actual use.

  Use third-party applications to look at third-party files.

I'd like this function integrated with other OS/2 functions.

   Kevin Buhr <buhr@ccu.UManitoba.CA>


Chris Brewster
cb@cray.com