Epocdigest V1 # 353

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Epoc Digest Tue, 30 Sep 2003 Volume 01 : Number 353

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Sent to: 797 subscribers

In today's Epoc Digest 15 messages:

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- FontMachine and the dissapeared system folders

- WhyFi?

- FontMachine & the disappearing sytem folder

- Offline Web

- Memory lane.

- Betr.: FontMachine and the dissapeared system folders

- Re: Mystery Crashes; Tribute

- M$, OS/2 and DLL's

- Contacts back to DATA (Itamar) # 352 (2)

- PsiWin compatibility,

- Re: WhyFi?

- Re: EPOC DIGEST V1 # 352 (6)

- Advice on Synching-Lotus Notes 5/Windows 2000

- Re: mystery crashes & IR Backup

- Zip preference settings

*++++++++++&

Date: 29 Sep 2003 21:08:56 +0100

From: Richard

Subject: FontMachine and the dissapeared system folders

K wrote:

> In Epoc you have (as the programmer) the choice to make the system-folder availible in the file-dialog or not.

> The browse-dialog seems to take over this setting.

> E.g: If you start RMRZip (this has the system-folder enabled in its open-dialog) and you go from this to the browse-dialog you see the system-folder.

Thanks for replying, Korbinian.

Can you explain further? I don't see the answer to why all the file dialog boxes in Data, Sheet, Word, PhoneMan, Add .sis file in the Add program box (and others), have stopped letting me choose the System folder?

I don't have RMRZip, but I don't see why that should be any different.

This is further background:

In one night I installed on my Malay Netbook:

FontMachine

Web (which, BTW is much faster than Opera 3.62)

Toolbar Patch

SMTPAuth

WinEPOC (fantastic) had been installed about a week earlier. I was not aware of any probs.

And on my PC I installed:

Offline Web

My Pocket

Presumably one of these apps has changed something, somewhere. I have no programming experience, so the (not very good) reasons I have chosen FontMachine as the program that has caused this are:

1 - It is *definitely* incompatible with Mentor. Mentor will not work with FM installed. (Someone else on the Yahoo! Groups for Mentor had identical problems.)

2 - The manual for FM says it makes low-level changes - this is why it needs a reset after being installed.

3 - From memory, someone on the digest was having problems with Font Machine changing something it shouldn't.

Cheers,

Richard

*++++++++++&

Date: 29 Sep 2003 22:23:22 +0100

From: Martin Maxwell

Subject: WhyFi?

Answer to: Richard

Subject: WhyFi?

>>>Why use WiFi with a Psion in a situation where you could use a PC/laptop/Mac? Even if you can get a fast connection speed, you're still using Web or Opera on a much smaller screen.<<<

I would put it completely the other way around. Why use a PC/laptop/Mac when you can use a Psion or similar? Smaller screen, like VGA as in S7/nB, is no issue if you have a well designed application. More important are:

- mobility

- battery life

- invulnerability to virus

- ease of use

- no hangings

greetings

Martin Maxwell

*++++++++++&

Date: 29 Sep 2003 22:44:31 +0100

From: Richard

Subject: FontMachine & the disappearing sytem folder

All right! All right! FontMachine wasn't responsible!

Does no-one else have the System folder displayed in non-system browsing dialog boxes? Can someone confirm? If no-one has the it displayed, I need to write to Sander (who wrote FM) and grovel!

Embarrassingly, now I think I about it, I wonder how often I would ever save a data file in the System folder...

Richard

*++++++++++&

Date: 29 Sep 2003 23:14:38 +0100

From: Richard

Subject: Offline Web

G'd day all,

Has anyone got Offline Web installed? If you do, please can you supply: - a website address

- a "level" limit (of following links to d/load)

- a memory limit

so that I can use those settings to see a setup that I know someone else is happy with.

My surfing with Offline Web is frustrating & pointless. I get the first page, the "Connect to Internet" box appears either a few or 50+ times. After pressing Escape lots of times, eventually I get a "Page not found" message. (Sometimes I'm lucky and the second page will load.) None of the links from that page will work though.

(When I try to surf www.guardian.co.uk offline, I get their logo that endlessly links to itself - and nothing else.) Now that's interactivity!

I've been quite surprised (in a bad way) how TomTom have completely ignored me about this. I thought my recent shareware-buying splurge would improve my karma. No luck yet, it seems.

Cheers,

Richard

The chef at my local curry house has just introduced a new dish: chicken tarka.

It sounds nice, what's it like?

It's like chicken tikka, just a little 'otter.

*++++++++++&

Date: 29 Sep 2003 23:36:01 +0100

From: Trygve Henriksen

Subject: Memory lane.

Greetings!

Itamar Engelsman wrote:

> Answer to: Trygve Henriksen

> Re.: Memory lane - Something wrong with your website or address

> you gave us as it gives "page cannot be found".

AAARGH!!!

I did it again...

The correct URL should be:

http://home.c2i.net/trygveh/english/

:-)

Trygve

*++++++++++&

Date: 29 Sep 2003 23:55:03 +0100

From: Korbinian

Subject: Betr.: FontMachine and the dissapeared system folders

Hi Richard

"I don't see the answer to why all the file dialog boxes in Data, Sheet, Word, PhoneMan, Add .sis file in the Add program box (and others), have stopped letting me choose the System folder?"

This is really normal! Epoc holts the standpoint, which isn't illogical, that you don't need to open with the (standard) apps anything in the system-folder. I think this is a part of security not to damage something. And of course it's much faster if epoc don't have to scan the system-folder (especially the mail-folder).

If you program in OPL you can choose if you allow the system-folder to be choosed or not in your dialogs.

"I don't have RMRZip, but I don't see why that should be any different."

See above! A programmer can choose if he want the system-folder selectable or not. In RMRZip it is selectable because it makes sense to zip for example programs which are in \system\apps\.

"2 - The manual for FM says it makes low-level changes - this is why it needs a reset after being installed."

Yes, you are right! I tried it some time ago too and it caused (or better 'it seems it caused') some strange effects/error.

But anyway, the "problem" you mentioned is really no bug and definitely not a bug of FM!

btw: If you have continuosly problems with FM, you can do that manually.

It's a little bit to late for me to explain it - sorry - but if you interested I could do that tomorrow or so. It's not such difficult but you have to be a little bit carfully. (Try such things always on a CF-Card. You can remove it and reboot without it).

Very short explanation:

- Copy gdr-file (which is a font-file, e.g. comic.gdr) to \system\fonts (D!),

- load with PsiWin th Comic-Font to your Psion and

- reboot

(some time passes in the days when I have tried that)

There are also a tool called 'fontloader' but if I remember correctly this causes also some strange errors....

regards

Korbinian

*++++++++++&

Date: 30 Sep 2003 07:28:48 +0100

From: renee ford

Subject: Re: Mystery Crashes; Tribute

Hi,

Just wanted to add that over here on this side of the pond I've been having the same problem for a few weeks now with my S7, various Gold Card modems, travel modem, land line and all four Earthlink dialups in Tuscon. BTW Earthlink instructed me to drop the eln prefix quite some time ago. I've rebuilt the Email index, and the only thing I haven't tried is the smtp software recently offered here not so long ago. Could someone please repost that info? Maybe just maybe that might help? I"m doing soft resets almost daily and reinstalling Opera just as frequently because all my saved documents default to Web after the reset. TIA

*********

Malcolm wrote:

Bumped around a bit? Er ..... yes. Fall of 400 feet down a mountain in the Lake District (unfortunately I was with the 5MX at the time!), Fall down 3 flights of concrete stairs - survived thanks to a plastic case (the 5MX - not me ;o). Oh - and an immense number of squashes, drops and bounces from all the Worlds airline baggage handlers which have written off four of my suitcases/briefcases over the years.

My Psions have given me the opportunity to do useful work in these strange places and survived (along with me) the odd bump or two - so, I can put up with a cable repair every 18mths or so! I'll keep repairing my 5MX and 5 until POS or the like no longer exist.

Please take heart from the genuine enthusiasm for Psion devices from the contributors to these pages and I wish you good luck with your 5MX. If you have one tenth of the pleasure/productivety from your 5MX that I've had from mine, then you will be a very happy user.

*******

Well said, Malcolm! While my 5mx and S7 aren't so well traveled, they've had their annual share of adventure (and admiration) in Sikkim, India and Nepal (some of you may remember how Solitaire on my 5mx came in handy during a little inconvenience caused by Maoist insurgents last year). They've been impossibly packed (with their not-so-thin owner) along with thirteen to eighteen passengers with baggage, harvested crops, livestock, etc, into jeeps meant to carry six or seven passengers while shocklessly jolting up and down corkscrew armswidth Himalayan mountain roads. The S7 has survived falls, both in and out of my tote; I don't travel over there with anything that even remotely looks like a computer case or bag - too much a temptation for thieves - onto concrete, tile, wood floor and thick Tibetan carpet. The 5mx recorded my extreme relief at having just missed being caught in a massive landslide, and irritation and sadness at the unnecessary death of the European tourist a few cars behind who ignored his driver's warnings to stay in their jeep - he just had to jump out to "capture the moment" - and both machines have been indispensible for keeping track of and working orders.

BTW That 5mx bought the farm in very unseemly fashion: As I was preparing to move a few months ago , I put it on the floor next to the box it was to be packed in and left the room for a minute with its case in hand. I returned to find my roommate's cat, who has a deepseated emotional problem (trust me she's been to the vet a thousand times and there's nothing physically wrong with the poor disturbed thing except she's the poster cat for the Don't Declaw

movement), had thoroughly soaked my machine! She'd seen me using it so many times, (while my cat dozed on my lap) this was her first chance to mark it, and better she ruin the machine than she tear my old geezer to shreds which is what she'd been trying to do most of the time. Up until then I'd planned to send it (the 5mx not the cat) to Palmtop Support to have the power source connection fixed and the cable checked. I still can't bring myself to throw it away, part of me hopes it can be salvaged... Thank goodness I'd moved jotter, contacts and all my data files to compact flash or Lily's pissyfit would have meant disaster as I hadn't done backup.

Best,

Renee

Tucson, AZ

*++++++++++&

Date: 30 Sep 2003 07:47:14 +0100

From: Steve Richardson

Subject: M$, OS/2 and DLL's

I don't wish to labour the point...as this is a Psion forum not an OS/2 one but I think we should set the record straight with Trygve Henriksen and his comments about HPFS

.. If HPFS was so badly flawed then why have I seen OS/2 systems running "flawlessly" for in excess of a year ? In more than a few customers?!

I'm not in a technical position to make any comments about M$ IFS's - but I do know from my own experiences that in most cases NTFS *prefers*

a reboot after a month.

I'm not rubbishing anyone here - its not my job...but OS/2 had a much better reputation for file system stability - certainly from my own observations.

However these are my views and representative of the company I work for.

I don't want to start a major debate..its the wrong forum - but I'd suggest that Trygves' M$ spokesperson was taking the rise and having a pop.

The Journelled File System extension to HPFS went one stage better... sadly M$ ousted OS/2 in the OS stakes - but thats history.. ________________________________

Steve Richardson

*++++++++++&

Date: 30 Sep 2003 08:06:11 +0100

From: vlad a

Subject: Contacts back to DATA (Itamar) # 352 (2)

> Epoc Digest wrote:

> Contacts back to DATA

From the read-me:

Install the packages

DataContact.sis,

Damodel.sis,

Data.sis and

Contact.sis as you do with all SIS files

Usage:

1) Select the Data file you want to import.

2) Select the mode :

=> append will add the records to the former contacts

=> replace will delete all the former contacts before the import 3) If a CF card is present, select the target disk for the

contacts store : C or D.

4) Select the fields you want to import.

5) When the import is done, if you selected 'D' for the target file,

set in Contacts->Tools->Preferences the 'Disk for contacts store' to 'D'. Notice : both the Data file and Contacts must be closed

when running the import.

Hope this helps someone.

best,

vlad a

*++++++++++&

Date: 30 Sep 2003 08:48:39 +0100

From: Eric Lindsay

Subject: PsiWin compatibility,

>Epoc Digest Sat, 27 Sep 2003 Volume 01 : Number 350

>From: Alan Morris

>Subject: Re: PsiWin

>Itamar Engelsman wrote:-

><< Secondly, do you really believe that Microsoft has got a team of people that scrutinise other Companies software (Lotus, Psion) and design ways to make it difficult for those softwares to run on Windows ?

>Well Itamar, Micro$oft did just that with Lotus 123. It was reported in most (all ??) computer journals at the time. It's a true fact. It did happen. So there is a strong possibility that Micro$oft has 'fixed' later versions of it's desktop OS, as EPOC is (sorry was) in direct competion with it's handheld OS.

I certainly can quote chapter and verse (backed by Microsoft emails released in various court cases) relating to Microsoft doing exactly that with Dr-DOS. So, do I believe there is a team that makes compatibility problems? No, I don't. However, if you ask instead whether there is a culture that encourages production of update DLLs that break various rival products, then I think that has clearly been demonstrated in the past.

Eric Lindsay lists at ericlindsay com www.avalook.com

Box 640 Airlie Beach Qld Australia ph +61 7 4948 0435

http://www.ericlindsay.com NEW Airlie-SF-Psion-Epoc

*++++++++++&

Date: 30 Sep 2003 09:35:11 +0100

From: Ian Chapple

Subject: Re: WhyFi?

Answer to Richard:

>>Why use WiFi with a Psion in a situation where you could use a PC/laptop/Mac? Even if you can get a fast connection speed, you're still using Web or Opera on a much smaller screen.<<

I use WiFi/ADSL to read my email on my netbook; it's quick (I can access my mailbox in approx. 10 seconds from opening the netbook), reliable, and not prone to viruses. I agree that the screen is on the small side for web browsing, but it's still good enough for lots of sites; even the BBC website is rendered more-or-less perfectly using Opera, which is very useful, as we no longer are able to view teletext on the BBC here in Holland. Perfect for checking football scores etc. For more heavy-duty browsing, or where I need to be able to print sometjing, I use my wife's iBook.

Cheers, Ian.

*++++++++++&

Date: 30 Sep 2003 13:10:41 +0100

From: Daniele Squarci

Subject: Re: EPOC DIGEST V1 # 352 (6)

Richard wrote: <<Why use WiFi with a Psion in a situation where you could use a PC/laptop/Mac? Even if you can get a fast connection speed, you're still using Web or Opera on a much smaller screen>>

I'd say that the majority of the people of this Digest use only Psions in a mobile situation where they're likely to use WiFi. Right now I'm sitting in a German airport lounge, having downloaded the Digest on my netBook via WiFi. There are others around me with laptops also surfing and checking mail, but they also have huge laptop bags to lug the monsters around! I'm happy using a PC at home or in the office, but Psions are unbeatable when travelling!

Incidentally, has anyone noticed that logging on to some WiFi services, a screen comes up saying "Javascript must be enabled"? How so? I thought Opera always had Javascript enabled.

Ciao

Daniele Squarci - Italy

*++++++++++&

Date: 30 Sep 2003 13:29:11 +0100

From: Terry Waller

Subject: Advice on Synching-Lotus Notes 5/Windows 2000

Now I've been upgraded to win2000 I can't synch the calendar on Lotus Notes 5. From what I've read I need Intellisynch 5.1 and psiwin 2.33 to make this combination work. Has anyone managed synching with this software?

Terry Waller

********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they

are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager.

*++++++++++&

Date: 30 Sep 2003 15:26:33 +0100

From: Chris S Handley

Subject: Re: mystery crashes & IR Backup

***** Mystery Crashes *****

Anthony, et all,

Having seen the many posts here regarding recent 'crashes' using the internet on Psions, having discussed in on EpocChat, and having experienced it severly myself, I have started a new discussion thread on PDA Street:

http://www.pdastreet.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26597

I have summarised what seems to be known so far, and invite all Digest members to post their own experiences, suggest causes, and maybe even suggest fixes.

In particular, we need *anyone* with knowledge of EPOC's kernel & TCP/IP stack to participate, since this seems to be where the problems are located.

Regards,

Chris Handley

> From: Anthony Napier

> Subject: Re: mystery crashes

> I would be certainly very interested to know what is

> happening here. After year of trouble free e mail use I have

> over the last few weeks had countless e mail crashes. I have

> used both an S7 and NetBook with both the travel modem and an

> Ericsson SH888 mobile. It is now such a problem that I have

> almost thought of abandoning use of the Psion. I have tried

> deleting the e mail folder and then replace it from a

> "healthy" machine which seems to have given me a few days

> successful mailing but the problem has returned. My isp is

> which.net. I have not tried asking their advice. Perhaps I

> will.

---------------

Sanjay,

> From: Sanjay Chawla

> Subject: IR Backup

> Unfortunately I have not been able to figure out how to

> backup my Psion devices with PsiWin/EPOC Connect. There

> seems to be a way to manually transfer files but I have a

> 128MB CF card that would take too long to replace all of the

> files.

Could you clarify your problem with CF cards? Are you worried about the time taken to copy files from Psion to CF, or the time from CF to Windows?

The former problem is not an issue when using an incremental backup program on the Psion. The latter problem simply requires using an incremental backup program on Windows.

Regards,

Chris Handley

*++++++++++&

Date: 30 Sep 2003 21:02:37 +0100

From: Jack

Subject: Zip preference settings

To: Astrid Stappenbeck who >>>... had Navigator installed and since then my Psion regards this app as default. <<<,

and who, on suggestions mine, commented >>.

>>What has Macro5 to do with zip files? And what could nConvert possibly do? I mean, >>it might look for nZip or try to convert but insisting on Navigator seems to be exotic! >>(Settings in Extrabars are correct btw.)

-nConvert has a Preference/General / Move files after zipping... which can leave rmrzip blocked if precedent archive was not properly exited (Ctl+L).

-A macro can be launched at startup or switchon or exit which could interfere with zips (ex launching Navigator...)

-Navigator itself presents a Preferences zip/Extract/ determining the file IUD when checked.

+ Assistant1.98 from M Collado offers nice choice preference between the two .Zip launchers.