HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: "bill dehaan" <bill.dehaan@canrem.com>
Subject: is os/2 a dead end?
Reply-To: "bill dehaan" <bill.dehaan@canrem.com>
Organization: Canada Remote Systems
Distribution: comp
Date: 23 Jan 93 13:01:56 EST

In message <72757101915772@flame.ra.anl.gov>, sparapan@flame.ra.anl.gov
(RA Sparapani RA/208/xxx gwing) writes:

RSRG>I have to disagree with Jim.  I believe, and I may be completely wrong, tha
RSRG>OS/2 is not popware like Windows.

Could you define "popware"? Do you mean "pop"ular, or "pop"corn?

RSRG>                                   I think that IBM intended all along for
RSRG>OS/2 to be a professional and corporate operating system, just like CP/M
RSRG>was fifteen years ago.

Oh, that's encouraging ;-) Look where CP/M is today...

RSRG>                        If IBM can sell OS/2 to the large corporations like
RSRG>Microsoft has, then the personal users are sort of secondary.

Yes, that's their philosophy, all right. That's what's killing OS/2,
IMHO; they are restricting themselves to a niche market. Software
developers concentrate on the major markets (Windows), so there's no
software. Without software, there's no new customers. Without new
customers, there's no impetus to develop new software. And so it goes
;-(

RSRG>                                                               I bought OS/
RSRG>to learn what an industry leading product was all about.  I wanted
RSRG>performance and I was willing to pay for the hardware to back it up.  I thi
RSRG>one thing that will hold up OS/2 (or NT or Destiny) is hardware drivers.

Which contradicts your previous comment about selling that selling to
the corporate market as being the way to go. If you are the corporate
market, OS/2 is _great_. There's no concern about drivers (since OS/2
supports the PS/2 hardware, XGA, 8514/A, etc), and there is lots of
vertical market stuff available.

RSRG>The support personnel at industrial sites aren't going to think twice
RSRG>about purchasing one PC OS over another if it means that the hardware they
RSRG>or want is supported.  (Think of the ATI debacle).

Yes, and when is ATI going to produce drivers? When it becomes a
business necessity to do so. They can currently ignore the OS/2 market
because it's small enough. As long as OS/2 is a corporate operating
system, rather than a mass market operating system, the market share
doesn't justify allocating the resources to writing drivers; they are
better off developing drivers for more commercial operating systems,
such as NT.

----------------------------------+-----------------------------------------
Deus Ex Machina                   | Internet:   bill.dehaan@rose.com
Software Consulting and Gator Pit | Eradicate Hunger - Eat the homeless
----------------------------------+-----------------------------------------
---
  SLMR 2.1a  Say... who was that masked interrupt, anyway?
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Canada Remote Systems  - Toronto, Ontario
World's Largest PCBOARD System - 416-629-7000/629-7044
From: sip1@ellis.uchicago.edu (Timothy F. Sipples)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Subject: Re: OS/2 needs better error messages
Date: 25 Jan 93 22:31:35 GMT
Reply-To: sip1@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: Dept. of Econ., Univ. of Chicago

In article <1k1disINNdde@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> dab6@po.CWRU.Edu (Douglas A. Bell) writes:
>OS/2 2.0's command line error messages are poor.  Sometimes they are short
>and bad, such as the messsage that a non bootable disk formatted under 
>os/2 give if a user boots off of it by accident.  What ever happened to
>"non-system disk in drive a:, please remove disk and press any key to 
>continue?"  Other times they are long and bad, such as the error message 
>that replaced "bad command or filename".  The unifing factor here is bad.
>This is especially annoying because it is easy to fix.

Well, HELP (error message number) from within OS/2 gives you more
detailed help.

However, for the specific example you gave, we've been over this
before in this newsgroup.  The reason it was changed was because
non-English reading users would find an English message rather
cryptic.  (Now everyone finds the error numbers cryptic.  :-))  I
understand IBM's looking for a more satisfactory solution, but I like
seeing a U.S. company thinking about customers outside its borders.
(They are always accused of not doing that, it seems.)

-- 
Timothy F. Sipples      | Read the OS/2 FAQ List 2.0i, 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
Subject: re: name of Fujitsu printer in U.S. ?
From: ghdai@vax1.umkc.edu
Date: 23 Jan 93 11:36:41 CST
Organization: University of Missouri - Kansas City
NNTP-Posting-Host: vax1.umkc.edu

>My printer, a Fujitsu DL 3300, is not explicitly named in the list of
>supported printers, also not by OS/2 2.1 beta. Could it be that there
>is a different name for the same product in the U.S. ?

Yes, there is no OS/2 driver for it, but there IS a WinOS2 driver.  As far
as I understand, a DOS program is not able to use an OS/2 driver, and there
are not many major OS/2 applications that use the printer.  Therefore, the
WinOS2 driver will let you print from winbloze apps anyway, but don't forget
to change the OS/2 driver to IBMNULL.

Guohuan H. Dai/2
-- 
GHDai@VAX1.UMKC.Edu |** Happy user of only OS/2 !!! / HPFS on 2 entire HD's **|
|* OS/2 2.1beta includes MMPM/2, Fax/PM, Win3.1 enhanced mode, TT fonts, etc.*|
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
From: janovetz@meibm4.cen.uiuc.edu (Jacob W Janovetz)
Subject: OS/2 2.1 Desktop in Details View... HELP!
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 22:39:29 GMT

   Somehow, through opening, closing reopening, moving, etc Ami Pro 3.0 for
Windows 3.1, and Mathematica for Windows 3.1, my computer got tied up in a
mess of hard drive access...  Anyhow, I ended up rebooting after all got 
settled, and now when I reboot, my OS/2 Desktop is in Details mode.  If you've
ever seen the destop in Details mode, you realize that this sucks.  
   I can't get it back to Icons view now!

   I tried loading the settings notebook.  Selecting Menus, selevting the
    ~Open menu, then tried to change its default action.  (This is how I
   changed the C: 'Drives' icon to 'Details Mode')  However, for the Desktop,
   OS/2 does not allow me to change the Settings on the '~Open' menu.  I
   just downloaded the fixini.zip file from hobbes, but I don't expect that
   to help much.  If anyone has any helpful hints, please let me know.

Thanks,

      / 
   / * /   Jake Janovetz
  *   *

-- 
 Hi, this is Jake's .signature file
From: s914390@minyos.xx.rmit.OZ.AU (Mark Edward Jaskula)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Subject: Installation Woes
Date: 26 Jan 93 03:02:14 GMT
Organization: RMIT Computer Centre
NNTP-Posting-Host: minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au


	I just downloaded a copy of the 2.1 Beta and prepared all the
	disks. Installation is fine until once it finishes loading
	Disk 5 where it requests the installation again. I place the
	installation disk in, however it doesn't recognize the disk
	and requests for it again.
	At this point i'm stranded and unable to continue with the
	installation, if anyone knows of my problem and a solution,
	please post.
	
	Thanks in advance.a
From: dic5340@hertz.njit.edu (David Charlap)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Subject: Re: 2.1b WPS: icon-text-background color still not there
Date: 27 Jan 93 01:08:10 GMT
Article-I.D.: njitgw.1993Jan27.010810.15319
Organization: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, N.J.

In article <93021.194506RONY@awiwuw11.wu-wien.ac.at> RONY@awiwuw11.wu-wien.ac.at (FLATSCHER Rony) writes:
>Therefore people suggested that the icon-text should get its own
>background color, which would be present all the time, so the background
>picture would not hamper people reading the icon-text. Optionally, the
>background color of icon-text could be as a default "screen" as is the
>case with painting icons (i.e. the way it is now).

They wouldn't even need a new color.  If they wish, they can use the
desktop's own background color as icont-text-background.  Since the
desktop is being covered by a bitmap, the color table entry is unused,
anyway.


-- 
  |)  David Charlap          | .signature confiscated by FBI due to
 /|_  dic5340@hertz.njit.edu | an ongoing investigation into the
((|,)                        | source of these .signature virusses
 ~|~
From: friesend@jester.usask.ca (Darryl Friesen)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Subject: Re: OS/2 Wish List
Date: 28 Jan 1993 01:59:46 GMT
Organization: University of Saskatchewan
NNTP-Posting-Host: jester.usask.ca
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL7]

ASI509@DJUKFA11.BITNET wrote:
> Here's another thing I'd like to see in OS/2. It should be *very* easy to add
> and would be quite useful.
> Make a the BACKGROUND color of an icon text selectable. As it is now, many
> bitmap backgrounds look fine but icon texts are unreadable on these bitmaps.
> Take a look at Windows to see how to do it.
> 
> Michael Bode

15. (or whatever number we're at now :)
    As above with the addition to change the font for Shadow and normal
    Icon Text independantly. ie  I what black icon text with the Shadow
    Text being italicized (ala Macintosh aliases).  The way it is now
    you can only change the colors independantly.


------------------------------------------------------------
Darryl Friesen            | Department of Computing Services
friesenda@sask.usask.ca   | University of Saskatchewan
------------------------------------------------------------
From: parry@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au (Tom J Parry)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Subject: Re: Borland C++ 3.1 and OS/2 2.0
Date: 24 Jan 93 23:30:34 GMT
Organization: Monash University, Melb., Australia.
Originator: parry@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au

statters@csaadel.adl.csa.oz.au (Steve Tattersall) writes:
: I have a problem executing programs written using Borland C++
: and applications frameworks under WIN-OS2.
: 
: If the dynamic link option is chosen for the Borland run-time,
: OWL and class libraries, the programme fails to terminate
: properly.
: 
: A GA fault is reported in the run-time DLL and then many errors
: dialogs appear with random characters in them.
: 
: All code has been built using windows 3.0 resources and headers.
: 
: Can anyone shed light on this one?  Do I really need windows 3.1
: in order to run this software (or OS/2 2.1)?
: 

This is a funny old bug. It seems that in Windows 3.0, Mickeysoft screwed
up in a big way - if you have any code in the DLL terminate routine, you'll
crash the application when the DLL get's unloaded. Now although you probably 
have no such code in your DLL's, OWL does. 

So to answer your question - You do not actually **NEED** windows 3.1 OR
OS/2 2.1. You can get around it by writing a small app which does nothing but 
load the OWL (and other OWL derived) DLL's, and sits there until you close the
OS down. This will stop __most__ of the GA's.

I've been developing some Windows Apps (unhappily) for some time now, and
have just installed 2.1b. 'Tis a wonder to behold ! At last I can reassure 
myself that although I'm writting code which runs in an environment created
by the very company who ripped me off SOOOO badly for development tools,
t least I'm developing them in a rich, stable and enjoyable  environment
under OS/2 - and who knows... maybe I'll convert a few customers while I'm
at it.



-- 
Tom J Parry.
Your reality is a figment of my imagination.
From: rlosee@unl.edu (Robert Losee)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Subject: Suggestions for tape, CD, sound card for Gateway 2k
Date: 25 Jan 1993 16:04:05 GMT
Organization: University of Nebraska--Lincoln	
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: unlinfo.unl.edu

I started using OS/2 last summer with GA (and am still running withoug
the SP). My Gateway 2000 486/33 has a Maynard tape drive but OS/2
won't deal with it.  I understand I need a new drive as this one will
never work with OS/2 (is that correct?).  When I get full tape backups
I'm going to go to OS/2 2.1.

I'd like to get a tape, then a CD and sound card on the machine but am
over whelmed by choices and can't figure out what the best
combination would be.  A co-worker has the same machine I do and has
the same quetions.  We've been doing PC stuff for years but just can't
keep up with all the options.  

For instance, can I get a SCSI card on my ISA bus for the tape and CD?
Would this be expensive?  Are there drivers?  Or should I just get a
tape connected thru the disk controller (such as Irwin), and a
Soundblaster multimedia kit with their card and CD drive?  I thought
I heard Soundblaster now has a new 16(?) bit card out?  Is this
something that will work and does it have a CD connection?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.  Thanks.
--
*-------------------------------------------------------------------------*
Robert D. Losee                 BITNET: ucas402@unlvm
University of Nebraska          Internet: rlosee@unlinfo.unl.edu
Lincoln NE  68588-0496          Phone: (402) 472-7663
From: lmp8913@zeus.tamu.edu (PRESTON, LISA M)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Subject: Re: OS/2 2.1 release reminders
Date: 27 Jan 1993 18:08 CST
Organization: Texas A&M University, Academic Computing Services
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: zeus.tamu.edu
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    

In article <1993Jan27.183637.17319@cci632.cci.com>, rom@cci632.cci.com (Rudynell S. Millian) writes.
->	When OS/2 2.1 is released this Spring, I hope the general public will
->be able to go to their local software store and buy it, and I hope that when
->these buyers open their OS/2 2.1 box, they will find, along with the disks or
->CD, a single comprehensive document/user's guide for what they purchased. 
-> 
->		G E T  T H E  I D E A  I B M?!
\> 
	The Docs included with OS/2 far outshine the "Concise Guide to Windows
3.1" included with our AST computer.  I first blamed it on AST, but the title
page says "Microsoft Press".

LISA
From: samiam@netcom.com (Scott Moore)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Subject: S3
Summary: Notes on S3
Keywords: S3 VIDEO
Date: 23 Jan 93 19:38:35 GMT
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest)

In my last call to S3 (I call them every month :), they stated that they
expected to have a seamless driver for os/2 in March. As far as im concerned,
this would pretty much be the end of our video problems, since the S3 series
are the fastest and most capable chips out there. This might be a good time
to call S3 and let them know how important such a driver would be !

           S3 corp.
           San Jose, CA
           (408) 980-5400

                                                 [sam]

-- 
Scott A. Moore [SAM]  | Why should I go outside ? It's unheated, poorly 
samiam@netcom.com     | furnished, and has far to little electrical
Santa Cruz, CA USA    | outlets.
408-423-1624          | 
ExaByte Corp.         | "my opinions do not represent my company, etc."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
From: matcsp@nuscc.nus.sg (Shih-Ping Chan)
Subject: How to manually install Type 1 fonts?
Organization: Department of Mathematics, National University of Singapore
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1993 00:42:15 GMT

How do you manually install Type 1 fonts for PM.
I already have a directory with .PFB, .AFM, .PFM files
(which were installed for ATM under Windows 3.1).

The PM font installation seems to want to copy the
files from a source directory to a target directory.
1. Does it work if source directory = target directroy? I.e.,
   is PM font installer smart enough to realize that the
   fonts are "already there".
2. Where does PM record the Type 1 fonts that it knows
   about. Hidden somewhere in an .INI file??

Thanks for any help you can give.
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
From: roland@margaret (David A. Braun)
Subject: Re: PAS-16 under OS/2
Organization: Choate Rosemary Hall
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 15:14:35 GMT

In article <1993Jan17.053118.16025@rose.com> victor.ng@rose.com (victor ng)  
writes:
> 
> Date Entered: 01-17-93 00:28
> After trying every single frigging DMA channel on the PAS-16
> (0,1,2,3,5,6,7) and using a free IRQ (5), after disabling the SB portion
> of the card (J10->12) the PAS portion of the card refuses to work under
> OS/2.  I've tried it using DOS with a boot disk and the card seems to
> work perfectly fine.
> 
> Is there anyone using a PAS-16 under OS/2 that can get TBPRO to work
> properly, and if so, what are your DOS box settings?
> 
> Thanks
> Vic
> ---
>    RoseReader 1.70 R001778: It's OS/2, Jim, but not OS/2 as we know it.
>    RoseMail 2.00 : RoseNet<=>Usenet Gateway : Rose Media 416-733-2285

Same here, I have two complaints about the PAS-16 that I bought a few weeks ago  
but shouldn't have... 1) TB-PRO or any program that uses the PAS portion of the  
card for that matter doesn't work, and 2) tha SB compatibility won't let me use  
the card as an SB under MMPM/2... WHAT THE F#$K!
AND - the CD-ROM interface won't work...

<roland> I should have gotten an SB package...
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
From: smbrush@lims01.lerc.nasa.gov (Andy Brush @Sverdrup)
Subject: Re: OS/2 and fonts (ATM, etc.)
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center
Date: 28 Jan 1993 08:54 EST  

In article <enk2.89.728002534@po.cwru.edu>, enk2@po.cwru.edu (Erik Kovach) writes...
> 
>It is my understanding that OS/2 itself uses ATM Type One fonts, while 
>Windows (and therefore WIN-OS/2) uses ATM Type Two fonts.  So NO, they
>are not compatable.  Check around FTP sites (namely hobbes.nmsu.edu and such)
>for Type One Fonts.

NO, NO, NO!!!!

OS/2 2.0 uses Adobe type One fonts, using *.PFB and *.AFM files.  Windows, 
using Adobe type One fonts, uses *.PFB and *.PFM files.  From this 
standpoint (AFM vs. PFM), they are "incompatible". HOWEVER, there is a 
utility called PFM2AFM.EXE which will build mostly-complete AFM files from 
the PFM files.  These will work in OS/2.  You can also get the AFM files 
from the mail server at adobe.com (You still have to BUY the PFB files, but 
Windows ones are the same as OS/2 ones).

OS/2 2.0 does not use TrueType or the newer Adobe types.

Andrew S. Brush             | SMBRUSH@LIMS01.lerc.nasa.gov
Sverdrup Technology         | 2001 Aerospace Parkway
NASA LeRC Group             | Brook Park, OH 44142
"Opinions are Mine, Only"   | (216) 826-6770
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
From: pynq@quads.uchicago.edu (Jeremy Mathers)
Subject: Anything like WinBatch {tm} for OS/2 ?
Reply-To: pynq@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: D. J. Dougherty & Associates
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 22:40:20 GMT

I've been using a neat little package called "WinBatch", from Wilson WindowWare,
for some time now.  It is a batch language processor for Windows 3.
That is, it provides the ability to manipulate applications, send
keystrokes to windows, run dialogs, etc, using a simple, Basic-like
language.  Works pretty well.  Impressive.

The package is shareware, slowly evolving into commercialware (I bought
mine (version 4.0) from Programmer's Paradise, but I understand you can
get it, or at least older versions of it, via the BBS's)

I would like to be able to do the same sorts of things in OS/2.
Is there anything similar for OS/2 ?

************************************************************************
I am master of my domain.

	- pynq@quads.uchicago.edu, who is still costing the net
	  hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars, every time he posts -
************************************************************************
From: frampton@vicuna.ocunix.on.ca (Steve Frampton)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Subject: Re: Can I *PLEASE* get a fast COMM driver that &^$#* works!?
Summary: Okay, maybe I'm not *that* "pissed"!  :-)
Date: 27 Jan 93 16:25:40 GMT
Reply-To: frampton@vicuna.ocunix.on.ca
Followup-To: comp.os.os2.misc
Organization: Vicuna Systems, Kingston, Ontario, CANADA
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

sip1@ellis.uchicago.edu (Timothy F. Sipples) writes:

> Steve Frampton writes:
> >Okay, I'll give it a try.  But I'll be plenty pissed if it happens again
> >(why shouldn't it, though, it has been happening with sio001, 002, 011,
> >and 034...)  :-)

> Not to be rude, by why would you be "pissed" if a piece of free
> software did not work?

Ah...you seemed to have overlooked the smiley on the end.  Anyways, I
was a tad miffed when I posted -- right after the system crashed and I
had to spend 1/2 hour cleaning things up on my hard drive.  Should have 
probably taken a walk first.  :-)

> Disappointed, I'll grant you.  But "pissed"?

*Anyways*, I am certainly not "pissed" by the non-functional SIO driver,
after all, you do point out that it is free.  But I *am* "pissed" (well,
getting more and more upset, anyway) at *IBM* for not having a proper
driver in the first place.

Regardless...I feel much better now.  :^)

> >Anyways, no idea what could have caused the system crash?  *Should* I
> >be also running the X00v149a fossil driver with the SIO driver, or is
> >that the cause of my crash?
> 
> Try going without and, if your application works, run that way.

Nope.  I got a few messages about this, and happily removed all
references to the fossil driver.  When the system crashed thereafter,
it *really* added to my "dissapointment" level.

Oh well -- judging by the e-mail I've received I'm not the only one 
who has seen this problem.  Hopefully the cause will be found.

+--------+< Unabashed Shabba Ranks Fan! >+------+--------------------+
| Steve Frampton - frampton@vicuna.ocunix.on.ca | Steve Frampton     |
| I collect postcards!  If you send me one from | 501-A Princess St. |
| your area, I'll send one in return.  Send to >| Kingston, Ontario  |
| (Don't forget both email and mailing address) | CANADA   K7L 1C3   |
+-----------------------------------------------+--------------------+
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
From: os2man@panix.com (Larry Salomon Jr.)
Subject: Re: converting GIF ---===> BMP
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix, NYC
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 13:14:09 GMT

In <1993Jan28.091157.27539@abo.fi> PNIELSEN@FINABO.ABO.FI (Peter Nielsen) writes:

>In <63702@mimsy.umd.edu> pr@umiacs.umd.edu writes:

>> Does anyone know the format for an OS/2 2.0 bitmap?  I would like to port xv 
>> so that it will read and write OS/2 2.0 bitmaps.

>It is exactly the same format as the Windows 3.0 bitmap format. The format
>specs can be found in the Windows programming ref.

I beg to differ.  The OS/2 2.0 bitmap format is *NOT* the same as the Windows
3.0 bitmap format.  The former is a superset of the latter.

Cheers,
Q
-- 
Have a question for the OS/2 Programmer's Monthly (Electronic) Magazine?
Send me email and include your permission to place the question in the
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