Epocdigest V1 # 439

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Epoc Digest Wed, 04 Feb 2004 Volume 01 : Number 439

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Sent to: 799 subscribers

In today's Epoc Digest 13 messages:

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- sajid<at>stayfree.co.uk

- USB connector

- Communication Problem

- Re: No more antivirus certification Please

- Ericsson MC218 CD

- Re: CF Fail w/Machine Fail?

- Re: No more antivirus certification Please

- Netpad/problems with the operating system

- Note-taking

- CronTab's & Backups, EC standard plugs,

- XJMail and attachments

- NetBook Pro

- Re: .tcrs, Baen books, eBook

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Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2004

From: Digest administrator

Subject: sajid<at>stayfree.co.uk

Unfortunately your email address continuously returns the digest. We have unsubcribed you for a week and request you kindly to correct this matter.

With best regards

Itamar Engelsman

The Epoc Digest Team

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Date: 3 Feb 2004 13:39:06 +0000

From: Hoffman, Susan

Subject: USB connector

Does anyone make a USB connector for the 5mx? My office PC was replaced last night with a groovy sleek new Dell workstation, but it has only one Serial port (which is being used by the Blackberry). I suppose that I care more about synchronizing my 5mx (calendar and contacts) than my Blackberry (e-mail), so maybe I can just switch temporarily, but I'd have to figure out a way to recharge the Blackberry periodically.

Susan Katz Hoffman

Pepper Hamilton LLP--------------

3000 Two Logan Square

18th & Arch Streets

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Tel: 215-981-4990

Fax: 215-827-5909

e-mail: hoffmans

web address: www.pepperlaw.com

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Date: 3 Feb 2004 13:39:26 +0000

From: Neil Ogden

Subject: Communication Problem

I tried using Hyperterminal to look closer at my ongoing communication problem and it confirmed that there is a signal between the PC and Psion. I didn't try doing what you did, but will do.

What I want to know is, when you had communication problems, did your Psion turn itself on when the computer booted up - a sign that they were in contact with each other? That is what my Psion does.

I will have another play with Hyperterminal and try what you suggest. I'm open to all suggestions now!

Date: 2 Feb 2004 14:46:29 +0000

From: Antony

Subject: EC standard plugs | Connection Problem

Because there are problems with PsiWin communicating with the Psion, I deduced it was an initialisation problem. To resolve this, I tried closing the PsiWin programs on my Windows PC and starting them again, but this didn't resolve the problem.

I then decided to investigate what actually happens when you connect your Psion to your PC, .....

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Date: 3 Feb 2004 17:08:46 +0000

From: Owen Morgan

Subject: Re: No more antivirus certification Please

Howdy!

Jack wrote (> ):

> Time is money &

> "This is an Epoc-mailed msg... irrelevant of

> antivirus.

> Messaging X Epoc Email liberates from viruses,

> worms, horses..."

I actually think our EPOC machines could be very vulnerable to a trojan hidden in a small, seemingly useful utility. If it was triggered at a certain date, the program could spread far and wide in the EPOC community before causing havoc.

I don't know about viruses or worms though. I doubt if a virus spreading via the EPOC e-mail application would be feasible, particularly as most Psions are not kept permanently connected to the Internet. A marked increase in outgoing e-mail traffic would be unlikely to go unnoticed by the user. And of course, only a small minority of the virus mails would actually be received on EPOC computers.

The only Trojan I've ever come across was hidden in a "doctored" version of a small DOS utility called MAPMEM back in the good old days when I ran a RBBS bulletin board in 40Mb of harddisk space. (That's _megs_, not gigs!)

What MAPMEM was supposed to do was give a listing of memory usage, including any TSR's loaded (like the one that allowed me to work on the machine while someone was logged on to the bulletin board). Most of the time the doctored version of MAPMEM would work as normal, but at random times (there's that word again...) it would call the hard-format routine in the hard-disk controller on IBM-XT computers and clones.

I was saved by the fact that on my XT clone, the software in the disk controller asked me to confirm that I really wanted to hard format my drive. I didn't even type "N", I simply switched the computer off (dumping the user who was logged on at the time halfway through his download). On a true IBM-XT, the hard format routine would just start up without confirmation. IIRC, the normal way to call this routine when you _wanted_ to hard format the drive was to start DEBUG and type G=C800:5 or something similar.

Don't criticise me if this is wrong, I've got a Teflon™ brain. Praise gratefully received if I got it right though... :o)

PS. I rather suspect the thread on virus disclaimers will generate more traffic than the disclaimers ever did...

Owen

Thought for the day:

Express an opinion, but send advice by freight.

Owen H. Morgan, Yacht "Naomi J.", LD-928°02.83'N 16°42.89'W

Los Cristianos, Tenerife

http://home.no.net/naomij

Phone and SMS:

In Spain: +34 620520079

In Norway: +47 92053097

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Date: 3 Feb 2004 18:43:08 +0000

From: J. Hamwee

Subject: Ericsson MC218 CD

Will Green wrote:

>> I bought a Erisson MC218 off Ebay a little while a go, unfortunately it

didn't come with the software CD.

>> Apparently the CD comes with a few applications that only work on the

MC218 that are not preloaded in the ROM of the machine.

>> Has any one got a copy of CD they'd like to sell or even email me the

extra programs?

I have a backup copy you are welcome to.

Regards

Joseph

Sorry, I am repeating this message because I forgot to include a subject the first time.

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Date: 3 Feb 2004 19:23:22 +0000

From: Astrid Stappenbeck

Subject: Re: CF Fail w/Machine Fail?

Hi,

Chris S Handley wrote:

> Jim Watson-Gove wrote: <

>> I currently have essentially _all_ of my data on a 128 meg card that I move from 5mx to MBook depending on what I am doing. Both machines tend to stay on "D" drive when the card is resident. Am I playing a fool's game? <<

> I do not think leaving the System screen on the D drive will make corruption more likely than leaving it on the C, because of some very good technical reasons. <

> However, having OPEN FILES on the D drive when you crash *is* likely to cause corruption of the CF card, especially if it was being written to at the time of the crash. So yes, you are "playing a fools game", but not for the reasons you thought. <

> Simply keep all commonly used data files (e.g. Agenda, Jotter, some Word files, maybe even Contacts) on the C drive, but then backup your C drive to the D drive. <

Well, so we should keep all these (large) files on C

and the E-Mail folder since receiving mails when the power is low can cause a corruption of the folder when on D and of the card

and OPX files since apps will run faster that way

and other apps where speed is an issue

and apps that can only run on C

and leave lots of free space on C for memory hungry apps like nConvert or Opera

and all that on machines having 8 to 32 MB available for C - I have just one question:

How ???

Astrid

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

Date: 4 Feb 2004 00:49:03 +0000

From: Owen H. Morgan

Subject: Re: No more antivirus certification Please

Howdy!

Jack wrote (> ):

> Time is money &

> "This is an Epoc-mailed msg... irrelevant of

> antivirus.

> Messaging X Epoc Email liberates from viruses,

> worms, horses..."

Don't criticise me if this is wrong, I've got a Teflon™ brain. Praise gratefully received if I got it right though... :o)

PS. I rather suspect the thread on virus disclaimers will generate more traffic than the disclaimers ever did...

Owen

Thought for the day:

Express an opinion, but send advice by freight.

Owen H. Morgan, Yacht "Naomi J.", LD-928°02.83'N 16°42.89'W

Los Cristianos, Tenerife

http://home.no.net/naomij

Phone and SMS:

In Spain: +34 620520079

In Norway: +47 92053097

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

Date: 4 Feb 2004 08:29:09 +0000

From: Timothy H.D. Williams

Subject: Netpad/problems with the operating system

My Netpad clearly has a problem with its operating system. The most frustrating is the way that the Psiboard does not respond to certain key-presses, thus making it impossible for me to use Macro 5. Which in turn means I can't call up date and time stamps and other useful short cuts.

Is there any way I can update the ROM on the Netpad to a more recent build?

Tim

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

Date: 4 Feb 2004 08:40:50 +0000

From: Timothy H.D. Williams

Subject: Note-taking

Is there an post-it style application that allows you to draw (sketch) notes on the fly?

I find that taking notes in Sketch is very frustrating because the page is soon filled up. What I want is to be able to take hand-write notes but without the bother of creating a new document each time.

The Java JNote is ideal, except that it accepts only text input.

Tim

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

Date: 4 Feb 2004 11:33:05 +0000

From: Itamar Engelsman

Subject: CronTab's & Backups, EC standard plugs,

Answer to: Chris S Handley

Re.: CronTab's & Backups - Thanks for that. However, as both MACRO5 and CronTab were freeware to start with is there really a problem improving it when the author himself long time ago stopped altogether with Psion work ? Anyhow, if you need a tester, feel free to contact me <BG>

Answer to: Antony

Re. EC standard plugs - Is there a difference in the voltage ? Why can't we change the plugs and sockets without changing the circuits ?

Best regards,

Itamar Engelsman

London, UK

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

Date: 4 Feb 2004 15:46:29 +0000

From: Johan Lindahl

Subject: XJMail and attachments

Hi Psioneers!

I have a question about the e-mail client XJMail (http://www.hi-ho.ne.jp/~ktkawabe/densha_e.html). I wonder if it is possible to send attachments with this program. I've managed to set it up with smtp-authorization and that works great - i mainly use a Revo Plus where the java client SmtpAuth is not possible to use because of the memory limitations. Would be great if it managed to send attachments also. Anyone have a clue if it's possible?

Regards,

Johan Lindahl

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

Date: 4 Feb 2004 19:06:41 +0000

From: Peter Rand

Subject: NetBook Pro

I contacted my local Psion expert to ask about a RAM upgrade for my Series 7, and he promptly invited me to come to his office to take a closer look at the new NetBook Pro. Has anyone on this list had any hands-on experience with the new machine? I don't really know what to expect .... If possible, I'll see if I can get the machine for a few days so I can really put it through some real-life testing.

Peter

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

Date: 4 Feb 2004 19:07:00 +0000

From: Gordon Love

Subject: Re: .tcrs, Baen books, eBook

In the 27 Jan 2004 13:09 Epoc Digest, Eric Lindsay wrote: > Tcr seems pretty dead these days.

I am still making new .tcrs, and making the ones from public domain sources available freely at www.gawnsoft.co.sr

(n.b. this runs on a Win98 PC, so sometimes can be a wee bit flaky)

> Simon Quinn's eBook reader is now free, and is said to handle Tcr, > so grab a copy of that.

Simon's eBook does indeed handle .tcrs There's a link to his site from the Gawnsoft site.

> But you can afford the space to have two readers. I'd look at

> Mobipocket, since they have the same format on Psion, Palm, and

> Windows.

I dislik eMobipocket, despite the fact it handles bold and italic, just because it attempts to automate too much of the process of

loading and unloading books.

I dislike apps that know better than I do what I want done...

> I've been reading the free ebook from the Baen site in .prc format

> for Palm (and the hardcover of the most recent Honor Harrington

> included a CD with about 35 ebooks in multiple formats, including

> the entire HH series).

Simon's Ebook handles .prc files too!

I too read the Baen Books - in tcrs I make myself from the .rtf versions. (Just because .tcrs are smaller than .prcs, by about 6%-

16%, which adds up when loading up on books for a trip away).

I've asked to be allowed to contribute these .tcrs to the Baen site, but I've heard nothing so far.

I've heard the licencing terms for the Honor Harrington books on the

CD that came free with the latest book are much looser. Once I

get my hands on them, if its true, I might be able to make the .tcrs

of the HH books available directly.

Yours faithfully,

Gordon Love

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