From: birchall@pilot.njin.net (Shag)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.pcgeos
Subject: Re: Dumb Questions
Date: 22 Jan 93 22:34:18 GMT
Organization: Screaming in Digital, the Queensryche Digest

lam4@Ra.MsState.Edu (Lee A. Mohon) writes:

>To any and all:
> Got a few questions for any who know the answers,  would just like to
>make an educated guess or simply would like to give IMOs.

Oh goody!  I was wondering what to do for the next 5 minutes... :)

>1. What are the possibilities of PCGeos (I'm a little fuzzy on the correct
>terminology) becoming a real operating system, like DOS, OS2, or the Mac
>geos?  The reason I bring this up is that the articles I have read on
>Geoworks for the pentops don't say anything about it running on any other
>platform.  I assume that it is the only o.s. on the pentops.  If this is
>so, then could the same thing be done for pcs?  I would think not (or at
>least not easily), or else why would it not be done?  

Brian (head of GeoWorks) has stated that eventually, GEOS will not require
DOS - that is to say, it will be a bootable OS, which is what your 
definition of "real operating system" means.  It's already got its own 
kernal, and only uses DOS for some filesystem procedures, so it's well on
the way.

>2. Can PCGeos fonts be gotten from ftp sites or be converted from fonts
>elsewhere and how? A better question is: can and how can I get more fonts
>for GeoWorks without spending a lot of money (a poor college student, I am)?

You can FTP PCGeos fonts from mir.eco.utexas.edu in either /pub/geos or
/pub/geos/ecst, I forget which... Or from wuarchive.wustl.edu (or your local
SIMTEL-20 mirror site) in /mirrors/msdos/geoworks or some such.

>3. What other fonts can be converted to GeoWorks fonts?

I think this is covered in the manual somewhere... Fonts from URW can be, and
I think there are some fonts from... MicroLogic, maybe??? that can be.  I do
not have any of them, so I don't remember the company name.

>4. Has there been any reports from GeoWorks of specific new functions to
>be added to any of the components in 2.0?

I don't know how specific you want, but you should take a look at the FAQ
files (next time they're posted here) - they have some information on it.
256 color support will be added.  My "educated guess" (read: logical
deduction) is that GeoDraw will include a few more drawing tools (though
still not necessarily a bitmap tool, it should include a vector-based
(math-based) tool for arcs, but don't quote me on that) and handle more
import/export options... GeoWrite will include tons of new stuff - my
guesses are search/replace, text-around-graphics support.  The last word
I heard said it would have something like _four times_ as many features.
That's scary.  Where will they put the menus? :)

>5. I recently looked at the latest release of Ami Pro for Windoze. (It is
>impressive when compared to Wordperfect 5.1.  However, it lacks the ease
>of use when compared to GeoWrite.) I noticed that it lacks the capability
>to convert GeoWrite files. Why? (I think I already know the answer to
>this; I can think of two reasons myself, but I thought I would see what
>came down the pike.) Is there any wordprocessor that can convert to or
>from GeoWrite files?  

Most major-brand word processors don't really aknowledge the existence of
GEOS yet.  GeoWrite itself will probably have quite a bit of import/export
options in v2.0.

>6. I asked earlier, but haven't seen a reply (maybe I sent the message to
>Timbuctu, altho' I thought I was replying to a message) to why I have been
>receiving replies to messages before I get the original message.  I know
>this list is for those who do not have access to the newsgroup.  Are the
>original messages being sent to that newsgroup before this list?  I have
>not been able to find the newsgroup here.

Replies before original messages - the net is a strange entity, when you
link 1,000,000+ computers together, all of them running at different speeds
and checking for new messages at different time intervals, you can get some
really odd situations.  I've seen situations where people posted a message
in several parts, and the parts got to me either in reverse order, or in 
no order at all.

-- 
birchall@pilot.njin.net, shag@glia.biostr.washington.edu, birchall@njin.bitnet
  Operator of ShagNet - Rutgers/NJIN dialup access for Burlington County, NJ
     Happy and informative user of a PPI 14400 FaxModem and GeoWorks Pro
       Editor of the Queensryche E-mail Digest - "Screaming in Digital"
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.pcgeos