HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: REE700A@MAINE.MAINE.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: why does everybody hate microsoft?
Date: 27 Aug 92 16:46:36 GMT
 <1992Aug25.212758.2951@mic.ucla.edu>
 <1992Aug26.133221.25721@rz.uni-karlsruhe.de>
 <1992Aug27.114422.19944@actrix.gen.nz>
Organization: University of Maine System


  Among the dozens of other excellent reasons given, who could love a
company that has monopolized the PC world with trash and whose only
decent program is Word (for the Macintosh!!!).  Finally, Word for Windows
2 is a decent port of Word Mac - but it runs under windows, which is
marginally capable of dealing with any above-average hardware!
  SCSI, which should be a standard in all pc's, is problematic to
Windows.  Why the FUCK does this translate to a problem for SCSI's
viability instead of a problem for Microsoft!?  Why is it only
Microsoft software that I see and hear about memory parity errors on
several classes of computers - yet Checkit and others report the
system is fine?!  Why does telling the user that a UAE is really an
unexplained page fault - General protection fault constitute the
elimination of bugs (UAE's) from Windows 3.0 to 3.1?! Why is it the
third part vendors' fault that UAE's occur, when (a) I get them with
nothing but Microsoft Shitware loaded and (b) Microsoft hides features
that are absolutely necessary to perform a function (like real mode
addressing to hardware in 386-enh mode) so that the third party
software vendors have to cheat, lie and steal to get a segment descriptor
that Windows already has but doesn't document?

   In short, Microsoft carries the attitude that they can claim to
serve the most varied hardware platform ever with one release of a shell
over a system monitor, pass it off as an operating system, hide the
features of the system from the user and other (competitor) developers,
and finally blame the hardware & third parties for their shortcomings!

   Too bad OS/2 was so fucking hard to configure for non-IBM hardware.
Sure, I could have gotten it to work & probably would have loved it...
When is Apple going to write System/7 - PC?  What apps run under BSD
freeware Unix?
Xref: sparky comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc:11905 comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d:3364
From: Alan.Holmes@brunel.ac.uk (Alan J Holmes)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc,comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
Subject: Basica
Summary: It doesn't work!
Date: 25 Aug 92 12:03:20 GMT
Organization: Brunel University, West London, UK

I have an IBM clone with a hard disc. I just mention this in case its important.

I have tried, after booting from the hard disc, to run basica from disc,
the only responce I get is:-

divide overflow

I have asked a few people how to get it started but have come up against
a blank wall, most people have got the same result I have and have given up.

What am I doing wrong? 

Regards

Alan Holmes
Organization: University of Maine System
Date: Sunday, 30 Aug 1992 06:29:01 EDT
From: <IP25179@portland.caps.maine.edu>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: ProComm 2.4.3 Kermit up/down-load times

  When I download in Kermit using ProComm 2.4.3, the estimated time for the
  process shown in the pop-up 'window' is always half of the actual time re-
  quired.  Do I have some untapped potential here that I'm missing?  Or is
  the program just a taco short of a combination platter?

  Thanks.
  -Iain Odlin
From: hst001@muvms3.bitnet (Donna J. Spindel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Hard Drive-Write Protect?
Date: 28 Aug 92 21:21:31 GMT
Organization: Marshall University

We have a multiuser PC and would like to prevent users from inadvertently
saving data to the hard drive. Is there a way we can do this? Thanks very much.
Donna Spindel
Marshall University
From: Jim_Johnson@abcd.Houghton.MI.US (Jim Johnson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: Auto text to postscript converter
Date: 25 Aug 92 15:10:36 GMT
Article-I.D.: abcd.Jim_Johnson.07cc
Distribution: world
Organization: Amiga BitSwap Central Dispatch

It may or may not include all the features you want for translating from
text to postscript, but DRDOS 6.0 includes a utility called SCRIPT which
can be loaded as a TSR which will intercept LaserJet II (PCL4) program
output and translate it to Postscript before sending it on to either the
printer or a file.  
     I don't own a Postscript printer, but one of these days I plan on
trying it out and giving the file to my sister-in-law who has access to
Postscript at work.

-- Via DLG Pro v0.995

Jim Johnson-
*** Remember, they're only tools - Not a way of life! ***
From: cantor@boa.cis.ohio-state.edu (scott eric cantor)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: Speaking of Window NT
Keywords: Microsoft, Window_NT, SLOW
Date: 31 Aug 92 16:17:04 GMT
Organization: The Ohio State University Dept. of Computer and Info. Science

In article <17mnt5INNdki@agate.berkeley.edu> chiu@ucsee.Berkeley.EDU writes:
>In article <1992Aug27.113905.19790@actrix.gen.nz> Steve.Withers@bbs.actrix.gen.nz writes:
>
>>MAC users will love that! I don't know a single MAC user who would give up
>>their GUI for the Win3.x program manager.......

	And I don't know too many Windows users who would give up the
Windows interface for the Mac GUI either.  Note that the interface and
Program Manager are two different things.  Program Manager sucks, but I
use other shells.

>
>Assuming that Window NT will sport the same interface as Window 3.1, I'm not
>thrilled (been a both Mac and PC user)

	I have to agree with this.  Since NT is basically a Windows
successor, I'd like to see a more object oriented environment.  WPS is OK,
but it's still a long ways from object oriented.


>According to a friend who's running Window NT beta, it is slow as hell...
>(he equated it to Window 3.1 running on 286 with 1MB of RAM) And mind you,
>he's running Window NT on a 486DX-50 with 32 MB RAM and 1.2 GIG HD...

	I don't know what the heck your friend's doing, but I can practically
guarantee you it's something wrong.  We have NT running on a Dell 483/33 with
16 megs of RAM, and it's performance is certainly acceptable.  It took about
20+ demo programs running at the same time before we noticed an appreciable
CPU slowdown.  If you want slow, try OS/2 on a 4 meg 386.

	 _______________________________________________________
	|							|
	|	Shine on.........				|
	|			Scott <Crazy Diamond> Cantor	|
	|							|
	|	[<<<<<< cantor@cis.ohio-state.edu >>>>>>]	|
	|_______________________________________________________|
From: dave@prc.unisys.com (David Lee Matuszek)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: C++ wanted
Date: 4 Sep 92 17:52:12 GMT
Organization: Paoli Research Center - Paoli, PA

Please forgive the intrusion by a non-PC user...

I'm teaching a class in Programming Languages, and the students would
like to learn some C++.  Many of them have PCs of one sort or another.
It would be nice if I could provide them with a PD or shareware C++
compiler--GCC or some such--so they don't have to rely on the
university computers.

Where can I get a C++ suitable for PCs that I can hand out?

If from an ftp site, I'll need instructions on downloading as well.
I'm sure these things are covered in a FAQ list somewhere, but I did a
little hunting around and couldn't find one.  Where would it be?

Please e-mail responses, as I don't read this group.  I'm just trying
to act as a conduit from one group of PC users to another.

a T d H v A a N n K c S e

	dave@prc.uinsys.com

-- 
And the President put his hand on my shoulder and said: "Dan, 
I _knew_ Spiro Agnew.  He was a friend of mine.  And Dan...  
You're no Spiro Agnew!"
                -- Vice President Dan Quayle pwd
Xref: sparky comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc:11872 comp.os.msdos.apps:4503 comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d:3360
From: sf1u+@andrew.cmu.edu (Steve Andrew Fink)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc,comp.os.msdos.apps,comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
Subject: Re: Why do people want PD software?
Date: 25 Aug 92 17:32:51 GMT
Article-I.D.: andrew.Yeahx3O00iUzE8KOYY
Organization: Freshman, Math/Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc: 25-Aug-92 Re: Why do people
want PD s.. by fred j m. 575-3539@mksol 
> >But I'd rather buy one good $100 commercial package than spend a lot
> >of time evaluating a bunch of crappy ones (yes, time *is* money to
> >some people).
>  
> Some people don't have the 'spare change' to make that tradeoff,
> though, Jim.  The world is full of poor, starving students.

From my experience, that $100 commercial package is more likely to be
useless than the shareware. Shareware authors have to be sure that they
deliver what they promise -- not so with commercial software. I'd rather
spend the time evaluating several shareware programs than buying a
commercial program that promises the usual -- 'easy setup, intuitive
interface, will instantly solve all your problems' -- and turns out to
be unusable for one reason or other, and being forced to waste time
returning it (if possible), buying another program, or learning some
bizarre this-program-only user interface.

--Fink

                                ************
"Life is too important to be taken seriously." -- Oscar Wilde

Disclaimer: The opinions in this post are meant to be taken as absolute
fact, unless you disagree with them.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc,comp.os.msdos.apps,comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
From: tom@piassun1.joanneum.ac.at (Tom Leitner)
Subject: Looking for a TAR under DOS or OS/2 with QIC streamer support
Originator: root@piassun1
Organization: Joanneum Research, Graz, Austria
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 92 17:27:55 GMT


Hi together,

I have the following question: I have an Archive 2150L Streamer together with
an Archive VP402 QIC02 Controller card. I use the "Archive VP150 AT" setup
in Sytos/Plus 1.31 to make my backups. Now I want to read the Unix Tar
tapes from the Sun at work with my streamer.

So my question: Is there any TAR program for DOS or OS/2 which supports
QIC-02 Controller cards?

Or if anyone gives me any information about how to program the Archive VP402 
Controller I'd program a driver for GnuTar myself.

Please reply by e-mail.

Thanks in advance and regards from Austria

Tom Leitner, Joanneum Research / Graz / Austria
  Internet: tom@piassun1.joanneum.ac.at
  Fido    : 2:316/7.91
From: JXS118@psuvm.psu.edu (Jeff Siegel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Convert postscript to HP DeskJet
Date: 4 Sep 92 14:33:43 GMT
Organization: Alphabetical

Anyone know of utilities that will let me print postscript files on aa
HP DeskJet or LaserJet

Jeff
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
From: boltz@chopin.psu.edu (Mark Boltz)
Subject: Windows NT
Organization: Penn State University
Date: Thu, 03 Sep 92 20:24:01 GMT

At the CeBIT '92 computer show in Hannover, Germany, I watched a demo of MS's
Windows NT with much interest.  It was a beta version of the program (any
testers out there?) at the time and had some big probs.  It appeared (on a
386DX-33) to run slower than a version I saw of OS/2 2.0 or Windows 3.1.
Plus, as I asked about the pre-emptive multi-tasking and how Win NT handled it,
the program crashed completely.  What happened was, the rep from MS was running
a DOS "dir" command in a dos window (lots of scrolling, it was a big hard
drive), a fractal generation in another (the PD prog 'FractInt'), and a ver
of Word for Windows in another window.  As he went to open a graphics prog.
the DOS window stopped scrolling in the middle, the fractal gen slowed down
tremendously, and the whole thing then died.

OOPS.

I can only hope that Microsoft is much further along now and has those bugs
worked out. :)

-----
boltz@vivaldi.psu.edu
"Entreri et parque de arbus"
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc,comp.os.msdos.apps,comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
From: georgen@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (G. Ng)
Subject: Problem: packet driven NCSA Telnet, Windows3, & MSWord-DOS
Organization: University of Toronto Computing Services
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 17:53:12 GMT

I'm having a problem getting a NCSA Telnet (v2.3.03) using a 3com 3c503
packet driver (v9.4.0), Windows 3.0, and MS Word (DOS) working on the
same 486 running DOS 5.

It seems to stem from a problem with the packet driver and using an
interrupt number of either 3 or 5, conflicting with DOS5's emm386.exe
driver.  Telnet works, and I believe Word works, but Windows crashes.

When I change the interrupt number to 2 or 4 (or almost anything other
than 3 or 5), Windows (and Word) works, but Telnet gives a 'wrong ioaddr'
message and exits.

Then, when I replace emm386.exe with Window's emm386.sys, telnet works,
but Windows and/or Word sometimes crashes.

Can anyone tell me what's going on here?  Is it because the packet driver's
interrupts are incompatible with that of Windows (and perhaps Word), or
is it being allocated inappropriately in memory, or should I be using
something else other than emm386.*, or is something else going on here?

I'm not a PC-techie, so please excuse my ignorance and probable
misusage of PC terms.

Any help at all would be appreciated, preferably through email since I
don't read this newsgroup often.

thanks in advance,
gn
-- 
georgen@resunix.ri.sickkids.on.ca	(NeXTMail ok)
molecular genetics, hospital for sick children
From: bigfoot@pro-gallup.cts.com (Darren McDaniel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: OS2 - What is it ?
Date: 26 Aug 92 21:11:07 GMT
Organization: ProLine [pro-gallup]

In <10741445.8.714801424@eng2.eng.monash.edu.au>
10741445@eng2.eng.monash.edu.au (PAUL TZU WEN) writes:

>I am in the dark with OS2 - so could someone please help me out ? Firstly, 
>what is OS2 ? As far as I know it is some sort of operating system where you 
>can do multitasking. Is that correct ? My questions are:
>1) Is it any good ?
>2) What do you need to run it ?
>3) How do other programs/games work with it ?
>Thanks in advance.

answers....

1) Yes I find it VERY good.. and Fast
2) A 386/?? Any 386 or 486 will run the OS.. no 286's allowed for version
2.0
3) Just fine.. and sometimes faster than under dos.. it will run MSDOS/OS2
and Windows programs at the same time.....

DArren
From: peters@CS.ColoState.EDU (eric peters)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: spell checker
Keywords: n
Date: 27 Aug 92 22:21:02 GMT
Organization: Colorado State University, Computer Science Department

anybody know where i can get a sw or pd spell checker that runs in
small amounts of ram, and can be used on ascii files?  I have gramatik v5,
but it needs 500k to run, and i want something that can be shelled to
from an offline mail reader.

thanks
-- 
Eric Peters   
peters@CS.Colostate.EDU  
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
From: nbladt@autelca.ascom.ch (Norbert Bladt)
Subject: Re: OS for pc-hardware
Organization: Ascom Autelca AG, Guemligen, Switzerland
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 08:15:32 GMT

vaitkus@oyster.cps.msu.edu (Keith P Vaitkus) writes:

>I am looking to buy a 486 system in the next month. I guess that Im going with
>the PC architecture because it's so @#$% *CHEAP* right now, but I have many
>reservations about this platform because of the operating system....

>I have been a unix user, albeit not a guru or a sys admin, and Ive gotten used to
>the features of sun sparcs stations and the NeXt stations (which uses Mach --
>which I understand to be a friendlier, more compact version of Unix). I don't
>want to give up such features as large (by PC standards) workspaces (somewhere
>around 1000x1000) and 15+'' monitors. 

>I also use and like Xwindows and demand a flat memory model. (640K is just
>*unbelievable* with todays technology level!) 

There are several commercial UNIXes available. But, you seem to be short
on $$$ (just like me :-) ), so you want to spend the money on good hardware
instead of, at least sometimes, expensive and lousy software without
support and sources to compensate for that.

I am planning to use 386BSD on the system I will get next week (I hope, to
get it finally).
As mentioned in the other follow-up posting, you have to be careful to
select the right hardware pieces if you want to run UNIX on a PC (386 or 486)
hardware. This is not just the SVGA-Boards for X-Windows but also the type
of Bus (ISA, EISA, ISA+local-bus, EISA+local-bus) etc.

I did install 386BSD (base system with GNU c, c++, groff, etc.) in about 2 hours
on a no-name 486/25 Mhz box with 100 MB Conner Harddisk. I have a 25 MByte
MS-DOS partition and the rest is used by 386BSD. Because the ethernet
controller didn't work (hardware problem - checksum error in address ROM)
I had to install the system from 10 3.5" floppies.

You should look at this system, too. You can get X-Windows (for the ET-4000
based VGA boards) for it.
The newsgroup for discussing this, the FAQ, etc. is comp.unix.bsd.
Take a look there.

Of course, if you want to do real development for a customer and he insists
on using Informix, Oracle, etc. as the database management system, you have
to choose another UNIX system, like Interactive UNIX, SCO (oops), Dell UNIX,
etc. I am sorry that this list is not complete but I can't remember
all those names in the game.

Hope this helps,

Norbert.

P.S.
The installation of 386BSD was a complete success the first time I tried it.
"Thank you very much" goes to the Jolitz's (sp ?) and all the other contributors
to this system.
-- 
Norbert Bladt, Ascom Autelca AG, Worbstr. 201, CH-3073 Guemligen, Switzerland
Phone: +41 31 999 65 52			FAX: +41 31 999 65 44
Mail: nbladt@autelca.ascom.ch   UUCP: ..!uunet!mcsun!chsun!hslrswi!aut!nbladt
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: ProComm 2.4.3 Kermit up/down-load times
From: Spartacus at Cuny <M05BC@CUNYVM.BITNET>
Date: Sunday, 30 Aug 1992 14:44:30 EDT
Organization: City University of New York/ University Computer Center

In article <92243.062901IP25179@portland.caps.maine.edu>,
IP25179@portland.caps.maine.edu says:
>
>  When I download in Kermit using ProComm 2.4.3, the estimated time for the
>  process shown in the pop-up 'window' is always half of the actual time re-
>  quired.  Do I have some untapped potential here that I'm missing?  Or is
>  the program just a taco short of a combination platter?
>
>  Thanks.
   -Iain Odlin

   Way back when I first got my modem last October I also used ProComm 2.4.3.
   I've noticed this same problem.  The time estimated by procomm seem
   only accurate for text down/up(loads).  For binary down/up(loads)
   it takes twice or more as long.  I had a chat (usenet) a while back
   with the creator of CMS-Kermit and he informed me Kermit places some
   extra overhead for binary files.  Its been a very long time since
   i chatted with him so I don't remember the technical details.
   However its no excuse for Procomm not to estimate the time
   correctly.  The problem also exist on Procomm Plus 1.1 Test Drive
   version available by ftp.

   Maybe someone else can add to this.
-------
------------------------------+      All The Best,
Reply To:                     |
                              |      Edward Galarza,
     M05BC@CunyVM.Cuny.Edu    |      Brooklyn College Of The
     M05BC@CunyVM.BitNet      |      City University Of New York
------------------------------+      "Que viva el OS/2!"
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
From: lachlan@dmp.csiro.au (Lachlan Cranswick)
Subject: Re: why does everybody hate microsoft?
Organization: CSIRO Division of Mineral Products, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 03:18:45 GMT

stephen@eggneb.astro.ucla.edu (Stephen Schimpf) writes:

>In article <1992Aug24.183216.18299@usenet.ins.cwru.edu> dab6@po.CWRU.Edu (Douglas A. Bell) writes:
>>

>Word for Windows, Excel, Visual BASIC. Hmm. If this is "average to poor
>quality" I'd *love* to see some great-quality software. I don't think
>Microsoft can do no wrong, but I am happy with all of the MS software I
>own. (Then again, I have to use UNIX at work, so anything I can run on my
>PC seems wonderful).

>Stephen


What about the 15 Meg of RAM Word for Windows 2
takes up.  Sounds like damm crappy ineffecient
code to me.
-- 
  Lachlan Cranswick  -  CSIRO             _--_|\  lachlan@dmp.CSIRO.AU
  Division of Mineral Products           /      \     +61 3 647 0367
  PO Box 124, Port Melbourne 3207        \_.--._/ fax +61 3 646 3223
  AUSTRALIA                                    v
From: beck@qtp.ufl.edu (Sullivan Beck)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Best modem program w/VT102 and zmodem transfers?
Date: 29 Aug 92 04:27:16 GMT
Organization: Quantum Theory Project, University of Florida

I am looking for the best modem program for my PC.  I don't care too
much if it's PD, shareware, or commercial (though I'd prefer PD or
shareware), but I have to be able to run at least a demo of it to try
it out before I'll buy it.

The features I'm looking for are:

  Good VT102 emulation (I'll settle for VT100 if necessary).  I have
  to be able to log into the Sun computers I work on and run emacs.
  I've been using QM for a while and I like it except that it starts
  acting a bit flakey when I go to use emacs.  If someone else out
  there has gotten QM to work, please let me know and I'll spend a bit
  more time playing with the settings.

  It has to support zmodem file transfers.

  It would be real nice if I could redefine part or all of my keyboad.

That's all.  Everything else is pretty much optional.

If anyone has any suggestiongs, please email me.

S. Beck (beck@qtp.ufl.edu)
From: bewhite@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (MacroMan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: why does everybody hate microsoft?
Date: 26 Aug 1992 08:07:36 -0500
Organization: Kansas State University
NNTP-Posting-Host: matt.ksu.ksu.edu

stangel@sparc3.cs.uiuc.edu (Mike Stangel) writes:
>>peters@CS.ColoState.EDU (eric peters) writes:
>>- but why is everyone so opposed to Microsoft?

>In fairness to Microsoft and Windows NT, I have to correct you here.  NT
>has (read: HAS, this is no longer vaporware) a DOS client which interacts
>with the Win32 Subsystem.  There is also an OS/2 Subsystem which also
>communicates with the Win32 Subsystem, guaranteeing the ability to run
>both DOS and OS/2 software, as well as being POSIX compliant.

  To clarify a bit here:  Windows NT will be able to run OS/2 1.3
text based programs.  From what I here, MS has no wish to support
OS/2 2.0 programs or any Program Manager (aka windowed) programs.
IBM is also working on OS/2 to be POSIX compliant for portability.
My opinion: Don't go with windows because of Windows NT, NT may
not even be a desktop OS.  If you like Windows, go with it.  If 
you like OS/2, go with it.  If you don't know, take a close look
at both.
  As to why I hate MS: they have a nasty habit of announcing 
programs very similar to any really neat programs just released
by another company.  EX:  PFS introduces First Choice, an 
integrated word processor, database, spreadsheet, etc.  When
MS sees the press making a wahoo about how great it is, they
suddenly announce that they are also working on the same
type of program.  Except, of course, their version is better.
After all, its microsoft.  Consumers hold off waiting for
months for MS's product.
  Another reason:  DOS.  I've seen Apple and now even Commodore
take great steps to improve their operating systems.  DOS has
been around for what?  over ten years now?  I don't see what
I would consider very major improvements.  It took until
quite recently for the OS to even (somewhat) support memory
above 640k.

-- 
  Bruce White(bewhite@matt.ksu.ksu.edu)
  "I live like I type - Fast, and with a lot of mistakes"
From: chena@crs.cl.msu.edu (Antony Chen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: Unix to PC communications
Date: 30 Aug 92 03:22:00 GMT
Organization: Michigan State University

achel@ctp.com (Alex Chelminsky) writes:

>I'm looking for a program that runs under Unix and can drive a PC
>over a TCP/IP network. That is, a program that would run on a 
>window on a workstation and trigger a program that's listening
>on the PC (something like an asynch comm program that is in
>"listen" mode); when I call that IP address, the window will take
>over the PC, and the keystrokes on the workstation will be interpreted
>on the PC.
>There is an equivalent program for asynch communications called
>PC-anywhere by Symantec, but it works over the serial ports
>between two PCs.

>Any suggestions?

This may be a wild goose chase, but I saw some TCP/IP freeware on
wuarchive...check it out...