I just read [Jim Little's] reply to the fellow having problems with OS/2 Peer-to-Peer. Your response seemed pertinent to a problem I've been having under Warp 3. Whenever I create text files using the system editor or the EPM editor, and I try to make objects from them that I can access from the Desktop, it doesn't work. For instance, I can create a file named c:\mytext.txt. I can then open the drives object, find the file, and attempt to copy it to the desktop; OS/2 won't allow it. The copy and move buttons will be grayed out. To get around this, I open the text file in EPM, choose Save As, and choose a folder on the Desktop as my destination. The save will be allowed, but when I go to open the file by double-clicking on it, only a big white window with a small icon labled 'My file' (or something like it) appears. I am totally unable to open the file. I must right click on it and select 'Open with system editor' to access it. This seems like an awfully difficult way to be able to save text files as WPS objects. Do you have any suggestions on how I can beat this problem?
Normally, the WPS automatically turns any text files it finds into Data
File objects. The fact that it's not in this case means that something is
wrong with the WPS. I would guess INI file corruption, as that is the
most common cause of WPS problems. To solve this, use an INI cleaner such
as the freeware CheckINI or the commercial UniMaint. I wrote an article
about using CheckINI called "How to Rescue a Damaged Desktop" in OS/2
e-Zine! #7 -- it hasn't been updated for OS/2 Warp 4 or the new version of
CheckINI, but the information is probably still accurate.
Your system sounds pretty badly damaged, so I don't know if cleaning the
INI files will work. If not, try recreating your desktop. In Warp 4, the
instructions for doing this are in the "Troubleshooting" online document
-- search for "system files" and open the "Re-creating System Files"
document. In Warp 3, the instructions are in the user manual (see the
previously-mentioned article for the exact page number.)
Judging from your description, it's possible that some of the WPS DLL's
are damaged. This is especially likely if you're running from a FAT
partition or have been rebooting your computer without shutting it down
(or at least pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del first). In that case, there's not much
you can do other than reinstall OS/2.
In your answer to this question you've overlooked one possibility. OS/2 keeps associations for objects locally in the OS2.INI file, regardless of whether or not they're on a local or a network drive. Since these objects referred to in the question are remote objects and Peer-to-Peer doesn't necessarily share the associations across the LAN they will appear as the default data or file object on the remote system. The fix is easy, especially in Warp 4. Open the settings/properties notebook, select type and set the file type to UniformResourceLocator in Warp 4 (I can't remember the Warp 3 equivalent). Then (in Warp 4.0 only) select the Become tab and make sure that the object class is WPUrl (not WPDataFile).
"Is IBM interested in selling more of OS/2 Merlin?"
If the answer is yes then they need to get their selling act together in India.
I am a Registered HOME user of OS/2 in INDIA. I wish to upgrade to Merlin. The Indian counterparts of IBM do not seem to be really able to do much on this!
When contacted last time I was told that they would send their Business Partner over. It has been weeks since then.
In the meanwhile another 'Dealer' says that I have to pay 100% of the amount as advance and he would give me a 'Working Copy' and I'll have to wait for 6 to 8 weeks to get my Legal copy of OS/2 Merlin!
I need an upgrade but I am unable to buy even a full version here straight-away. A upgrade would probably take still more time. My E-mails to IBM have hardly started any action so far.
A Mr. Peter French wrote in the February 3 edition with a suggestion of somehow keeping track of sales/downloads of software based on reviews in your magazine. I have no idea if that concept is even feasible, however, under any circumstances I would ask that OS/2 e-Zine! do no such thing. Mr. French speaks, validly, from a salesperson's point of view. However, any publication that wishes to retain the trust of its readers must walk a fine line between ad revenue (which pays the bills) and editorial content (which produces readers). I fear that tracking sales based on positive responses to product reviews would produce a situation where reviewers would be persuaded to avoid negative commentary. If I knew that such cross-pollination was occuring, I would be unlikely to trust anything you had to say.
In short, I have no problem with reading ad copy, as long as it remains in the ads. In my opinion, OS/2 e-Zine! is the best general OS/2 magazine on the internet. Please continue to maintain your standards.
We agree! Don't worry, there will be no blurring of advertising and editorial content in our pages ever.
- editor
I thought you'd be interested in this response from IBM Anti-virus technical support regarding the lack of protection for OS/2 viruses.
Hello,There are three and only three known viruses for OS/2. These three viruses are not even memory resident. OS/2 does not contain the memory hooks required for the attachment of a virus. You need protect in Windows and Dos sessions of OS/2 and no where else. If you have IBMAV installed your OS/2 and you apply the updates from our web page www.av.ibm.com , then you are protected from the latest known viruses. Please contact us if you have further questions.
- IBM AntiVirus Technical Support
It is unfair to expect IBM AntiVirus to recognise an OS/2 virus created and (I assume) unreleased by Dr. Solomon Corp. The primary means for virus recognition is by some form of key recognition. The keys are created for viruses that are found in the wild.
I am an amature programmer trying to learn PM programming and have read your articles in EDM/2 and OS/2 e-Zine! and learned a lot from them. At the moment, I am trying to build an editor which will also convert HTML files to text files and allow you to view them in the editor.
I am at the point where when you when you exit or open another file I want to check if the current text in the MLE has changed.
In your EDM/2 article #2 you mention sending the MLE a MLM_QUERYCHANGED message to check for the state of the changed flag. I have limited information on this message and would like to know the following:
1. What should the MPARAM parameters in the WinSendMessage be set to?
2. What is WinSendMessage returning with that particular message?
Also, I was wondering if the is a good source of online information to help me with all these functions and messages.
Anonymous
This is a simple one.
1. They should be set to 0. These parameters are preserved and don't have a function yet. This is done more frequently in OS/2. Every message has two partemeters, but they are not always used. If they aren't used, simple set them to 0.
2. It's returning a boolean (BOOL) which has the TRUE or FALSE status.
And in answer to your last question: this is a hard one. Normally a compiler comes with the complete OS/2 Developers kit. This kit contains all the neccesary header files, as
well as examples and the complete OS/2 documentation. I don't know a source that has these online. The closest comes the API project which can be found on the EDM/2 site. I usually get new versions of the developers-kit from the DEVCON (Developers Connection) CD's that IBM is distributing. These CD's can be obtained if you purchase a subscription. I guess this is a rather expansive move for a amateur programmer. Maybe you can contact IBM and ask for one set, or if one set of the documentation is available somewhere.
I hope this helps.
It is good to see more computer makers preloading OS/2. However I think that Louis Gerstner should put commercials on television for this operating system, because there are a lot of people who have not heard of OS/2 Warp. Why doesn't Gerstner put commercials on T.V.? Do any of your readers call IBM and ask why? Tell them to call, I sure do. 1-800-426-3333.
IBM is not losing money!
Okay you sold me. I want Dick Goran's 4th edition of the Rexx Handbook. Problem? Yes! Where can I find the book? I went to Amazon books and they have only the 2nd edition. Where can I purchase the 4th? Any help is greatly appreciated.
Too bad your "Best OS/2 Products" voting page didn't have an entry for books. After reading the review of the latest REXX summary book by Dick Goran, it (and David Moskowitz's) "Unleashed" would have gotten my votes. I have perhaps 50 OS/2-specific books, and while almost all of them have been useful, these two books have been indispensable. So, if possible, add a "Best Book" section to the voting - and forward my two favorites, if you would be so kind.
You can order the Rexx Handbook directly from the CFS website.
- editor
I think there are much better ways to backup your system. A better backup system would be a Syquest EZ135 and Back Again/2 Personal. The personal version doesn't have tape support but works with removeable media, LANs and other partations and it only costs $40. The speed of the Syquest is better than any tape drive I have seen. The last time I checked the internal IDE version was only about $120 and the disks were under $20 each.
The best thing is that you can use the Syquest drive for more than just system backup.
My big problem with the networking apps, these days, is that most of them *aren't* being written with SOCKS Firewall Traversal. OS/2 supports this form of firewall traversal natively, yet applications like NFTP and *most* NNTP readers aren't compiled with it. I can't solely lay blame on the developers, however. SOCKS support is compiled in at the TCP driver level (or should be), so why is it that SOCKS support *isn't* handled by the default TCP/IP calls? It should be. IBM should fix this or AT LEAST publicise/advertise/recommend the proper calls that developers can use to enable this feature.
Firewalls are becoming more and more popular. I see a *good* OS level firewall traversal implementation (ie what SOCKS does for Windows, Linux and Macintosh) being very important in tomorrow's network operations.
I use Windows95, but am looking to get rid of it if I can find something to take it's place. Before I spend $200.00 dollars for OS/2 Warp V4, I would like to know if there will ever be a point when OS/2 software will be available in the local computer store. Most of the places I have found are at least an hour away or completely out of the state. Can/will IBM or anyone else make OS/2 more attractive to the home user rather than just offer them a corporate OS to use at home?
The short (and sad) answer is "no". IBM is not interested in selling to the home market and it is unlikely that OS/2 software will appear in your local store soon. The reason for this though, is the incredible success that mail order and Internet retailers have seen in the OS/2 community. For a market our size these channels make more sense.
Just read that you're not going to abandon WebEx support. All I can say is BIG THANKS! I support this attitude 101%! Let's stop the "Optimized for bla-bla-bla" madness.
The Enhanced E and Enhanced EE you have info on have been updated to version .11 and are available on Hobbes or at:
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/3512/psoft.html
Ha!
I liked this story [Microsoft story on banking market owned by OS/2], particularly the incredible irony of the very end: "Where do you want to go today?" (OS/2 is whupping NT's hide)
You've got to hand it to them, though - Microsoft tries really hard to project an image of honesty and humbleness.
THANKS for a good giggle!
You hit the nail on the a head when you said the "B" in IBM stands for bussiness. IBM does not (and has proved this several times) want the home market for OS2. Just a few examples: 1) They dropped their games support in the DEV-Con CD and killed their OS2 games web page, 2) Creative Labs drops further OS2 support, 3) No Brender for OS2 even though an ISV was working on it but had to stop due to IBM no longer supporting it, 4) IBM's TeamOS2 presence is gone, they do not want to support TeamOS2 anymore.
People who use OS2 have to realize this. It is not the ISV community that is forsaking us it is IBM forsaking them and they can not deliver apps that IBM will not give them support to develop.
So as far as "What has gotten into you?" I'd say many OS2 user's are frustrated by this and can not accept the "B" in IBM. I realize this and will continue to use OS2 to run what it can, but if there is an app I need to run that OS2 can not I can always use boot manager to go to another OS.
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