From: johnn@eskimo.celestial.com (John Navitsky)
Subject: Re: Problems with WP 5.0!! WP 5.1 how much better??
Keywords: wordperfect sun unix
Organization: =>ESKIMO NORTH (206) 367-3837 SEATTLE, WA.<=
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 18:19:01 GMT

In article <esimon.716121971@imlab1> esimon@wd.estec.esa.nl writes:
>Problems with WP 5.0!! WP 5.1 how much better??
>-----------------------------------------------
>
>I have installed WordPerfect 5.0 for UNIX half a year ago and six people
>in my section have been using it intensively since then. We are mostly 
>getting along, only occasionally people claim for their old PC with WP 
>5.1. However, we are endeed looking forward to an update, hoping that
>it will fix some of the problems we have encountered and still have. 
>   
>1) If I give a briefing of our principal problems, can anybody tell my 
>in which sense WP 5.1 is really a progress?
>
>2) Does the 5.0->5.1 upgrade of the UNIX version correspond to the 
>5.0->5.1 upgrade of the DOS version? Is WP 5.1 UNIX somehow better 
>than the DOS 5.1?
>
>Context: SUN ELC's with SUNOS 4.1.1 and OpenWin 3.0.
>
>PROBLEMS:
>Initially severe problems related to the file locking mechanism running 
>WP via NFS from a SUN 3 server. WP wasn't able to run or got stucked 
>after some time, requiring reboot of everything. Killing processes wasn't 
>enough. Disabling file locking (recommended by WP) only mostly solved the 
>matter.
>
>When starting WP 5.0, the program may get stucked in the initial F3 / F7 
>screen. F7=Exit or any other key wouldn't work. This happend 1 out of 25 
>times we start WP. It is sometimes possible to quit the window, other 
>times it is necessary to kill it with kaliber -9. When killing the process, 
>the error message "lock-manager: RPC error: (18) RPC: (unknown error code)" 
>occurs on the console. It has been required to reboot you server (running 
>WP licence serving) to recover from this error.
>
>The Apple_LaserPrinter_II driver showed up to be unreliable (our printer 
>is an Apple_LaserPrinter_II !). Using the Dec LN03R driver instead, we 
>haven't had further problems.

We've used WP 5.0 on Sun IPC/SS1/SS1+ (& old Sun 3's before we upgraded) w/
SunOS 4.1.1 and HP LJ III's, HP Rugged Writers (24 matrix) and Apple Laser
writer IIs without problem.  They were all with their approprate driver.
We also used HP LJ III's with postscript carts with the Apple Laser writer
driver and latter we used Sun's NeWSprint on the HP LJ III's with a (modified
- with the included WP tools) Apple Laser writer driver.  

Is it possible that you have a communication problem or such?  Unreliable does
not sound like the driver - I would expect it to work or not.  However, a bad
cable, flow control problem, etc...

>
>Function keys F11 and F12 (Reveal Codes and Block) don't work with OpenWin 
>(L1 and L2 do the same job!).
>
>Our WP users have experienced that WP can collapse suddenly with window, 
>process and editor contents just disappearing. We never succeded to 
>reproduce this or to explain why. Automatic backup every minute makes us 
>live.

I've actually had this problem with OW3 in general.  It is very annoying but
didn't happen to me that much.

>
>WP can blowing up the mouse interface, making selection of text with the 
>mouse impossible. Restart of WP doesn't help, restart of OpenWin does.
>
>REMARKS:
>WP 5.0 is too compatible with the DOS versions. File compatibility is 
>shure valuable, but under X or OpenWindows, the touch and feel shouldn't 
>be that of a PC. This remark specially regards the text selection approach 
>and the cut and past. Cut and past between WP and other X applications is 
>not possible with WP 5.0.
>
>WP for UNIX is rather slow, even compared to 286 PC!
>
>...Roger over,
>
>Erik
>
>---                                       ___   ___
>Erik Simonsen, ESA/ESTEC WDP             |     /   \    ^
>Postbus 299, 2200 AG Noordwijk           |__   \___    / \   European
>Phone: +31 1719 3133 Fax: +31 1719 84295 |         \  /___\  Space
>E-mail: esimon@wd.estec.esa.nl           |___  \___/ /     \ Agency
>
>--
>Erik Simonsen          ESA/ESTEC WDP          
>Postbus 299            NL-2200 AG Noordwijk   
>Phone: +31 1719 83133  Fax: +31 1719 84295
>E-mail: esimon@sdeserver.estec.esa.nl

In summary, I'm *VERY* supprised at your experiance.  We used 5.0 very reliably
with quite a bit of different hardware, etc.  Also, I don't recall (but cannot
be sure) any problems with file locking.  We had about 20+ simultanous WP users
running terminals and workstations very reliably.  I guess I would tend to put
more pressure on WP to solve some of these problems. 

good luck

john

-- 
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  John Navitsky                        e-mail   johnn@eskimo.celestial.com
                                               johnn@locke.hs.washington.ed
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