Epocdigest V1 # 489

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Epoc Digest Thu, 01 Apr 2004 Volume 01 : Number 489

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Sent to: 777 subscribers

In today's Epoc Digest 14 messages:

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- some questions of OPL programming

- Orange SPV & Psion compatibility

- Re. Evolution

- Cleaning Revo Screen

- Re: AOL and Opera 3.62

- Batch file in Win 2k (OT)

- Sigs

- 5 mx repair

- links, the maths of questions and answers # 488

- RE: WiFi SSID

- Cycling, BlueTooth

- SMS service centres

- IR modem faxing

- r520m faxing

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

Date: 30 Mar 2004 19:50:10 +0100

From: Armin Podtschaske

Subject: some questions of OPL programming

Hi Jaap

I'm not sure, if it's a good hint where you can find the technical data how to send data via a serial port. Maybe the book "Programming Psion Computers" can help.

It can be downloaded free as PDF-file (3MB). Maybe you can find it at www.emccsoft.com (this address is from within the file).

> As author of some freeware OPL programs like Biklog and Saillog,

What is Saillog? Can you give us some more informations?

Psee you,

Armin Podtschaske,

Munich, German

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

Date: 31 Mar 2004 11:33:39 +0100

From: Richard

Subject: Orange SPV & Psion compatibility

Hi,

Unfortunately my love of gadgets has forced me into a difficult position, and it partly relies on whether I can get the SPV, PC and my Psions to happily synch and talk to each other.

What have user reports been about synching Outlook with the Windows SPV compared to the P900? Windows<->Windows compatibility must surely be better than Symbian<->Windows compatibility.

Yesterday I got the Orange SPV E200 (the 3rd version of the SPV model.) I have signed for a year's contract with Orange, the phone itself is free. I haven’t yet cancelled my “old” mobile provider (T-Mobile), and I have a Sony Ericsson T68i.

Option 1:

*Keep my new Orange contract & keep the SPV.*

Good – Cool phone

Bad – Expensive and the SPV doesn’t seem to communicate at all with my Psions

Option 2:

*Cancel my new Orange contract, lose the SPV*

Good – Cheap (I would probably go to a T-mobile pay-as-you-go tariff.)

Bad – I lose the cool phone. (But - I could wait a few months or so for PDA phones to become cheaper, and sign then up for a contract to get a P900)

Gah! Decisions, decisions……

Richard

___________________________________________________________ WIN FREE WORLDWIDE FLIGHTS - nominate a cafe in the Yahoo! Mail Internet Cafe Awards www.yahoo.co.uk/internetcafes

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

Date: 31 Mar 2004 13:20:14 +0100

From: Ian Chapple

Subject: Re. Evolution

Martin,

>>As to Darwinism, natural selection is not the same as evolution since natural selection results from the selection of previously existing genetic information and evolution requires the creation of new information. If it were possible to have a generator of the new information then evolution would be possible. So far no such generator has been found.<<

There is already a method for generating new information. Genetic mutations from one generation to the next cause small changes; it is from within these mutations that natural selection occurs. After all, how do you suppose all this genetic information came about in the first place?

Cheers, Ian.

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

Date: 31 Mar 2004 14:47:27 +0100

From: Neil Ogden

Subject: Cleaning Revo Screen

The screen on my Revo has got really marked. Can anyone tell of a good way to clean the screen and then protect it in the future.

Also can anyone tell me where I might be able to purchase an adaptor that converts from the small serial port to the big serial port (still trying to communicate with a PC!! )

Neil

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

Date: 31 Mar 2004 15:45:02 +0100

From: Jakfish

Subject: Re: AOL and Opera 3.62

Kits,

<< Have you thought of getting a S5MX to replace the Revo/Mako ? >> Knock on wood, the Mako is hanging in there, after I performed major surgery and replaced its batteries.

I do have this strange problem with the Mako hard-resetting if I close the machine without turning it off. I've tried ticking-unticking all the shut-off/turn-off properties, but it keeps hard resetting if I forget to turn it off before closing.

Other than that, it functions fine so far, and I find this problem to be

shared by other Mako/Revo+ users.

The hard restting is probably less dramatic for me than it is for them. My

Mako is a completely passive device in my computer loop; it takes in, but I

don't ask it to give anything back, except the current Word file I'm working on, and that's transferred back to the desktop several times a day.

As for switching to the 5MX, while the EPOC word processor is light years

ahead of the Classic Zaurus's, it's still not as sophisticated as TextMaker for H/PC. I'd go to a 5MX if TM ran on EPOC, but until then, I'm hanging onto my

J-720, despite its inferior battery life (and probably inferior weight,

too--the J's 1.1 pounds. What's the weight of the 5MX?).

Jake

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

Date: 31 Mar 2004 18:34:23 +0100

From: Owen H. Morgan

Subject: Batch file in Win 2k (OT)

Hi.

I have a small WindoZe problem. I need to start two WindoZe programs with the same shortcut. I tried writing a .BAT (text) file, but that didn't do it. The BAT file started the first program, then sat around and waited and didn't start the second one until I closed the first. I need to have both programs running at the same time.

Offlist replies please

Owen

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

Date: 31 Mar 2004 18:34:59 +0100

From: Owen H. Morgan

Subject: Sigs

Howdy!

Chris S Handley wrote (> ):

> P.S. Owen, don't you feel ashamed for using a

> 11-16 line signature for a message thats only 3-5

> lines (i.e 3-4 times smaller)? I honestly think

> you'd be doing everyone a favour by having a web

> page containing all that info instead... Then

> only those who want to read it have to.

No, I don't feel ashamed at all.

Everything I put in my sig is there for a reason. I have put some thought into it, and this sig is only used on this digest. I have a slightly longer one which includes my snailmail address which I use for private e-mails.

I've lived on the yacht since long before the digest and it's predecessors were started and always used a mobile phone to connect to the Internet. (Through a Pay As You Go SIM card in Ireland and here in Spain.)

I believe I'm probably the single member of the digest who has spent the most money on phone charges to participate through the years. As I only work for an average of six months per year and sail the rest of the time, I am probably also one of the people with the lowest income on the digest , so I believe I am probably the person here who would have the most reason to be worried about wasted bandwidth.

I do get slightly annoyed by automatic virus disclaimers which are totally irrelevant to this digest, but not enough that I have bothered to complain. I am also annoyed by long off topic discussions that are only of interest to a very small minority, I am annoyed by long and elaborate explanations of a small and simple problem, I am annoyed by people who inculde the entire message they are replying to in their reply and I am annoyed by censorship. I am not bothered at all by users who include a couple of lines of humerous or potentially useful off topic information.

I know many people on the digest like to follow my travels, so I include my present location. On the 28th of March, I sailed from Los Cristianos to Santa Cruz de Tenerife. On the way I wrote e-mails on the Revo, and painstakingly updated my position in the sig from the GPS as I sailed up the coast. The first of my replies was written off Las Galletas on the south coast of Tenerife and the last one was written in Marina de Tenerife after arrival in Santa Cruz. Unfortunately, the digest handler decided to censor most of my sig from all but one of the messages, so those who might have been interested missed the moving positions.

I started including my location many years ago because people on English language lists would assume I was living in a house either in the USA or England and gave me advice that was not relevant to my situation. Many in the US would also assume my Internet connection was free, so I had no right to complain about the wasted bandwidth when they posted several generations of messages in their replies, and in some cases people would send me huge attachments not realizing that it would cost me a fortune to receive them.

There have been instances where people have found one of my messages in the digest archive (where the e-mail address doesn't appear) by googling for information on some EPOC related topic and used the information in my sig to contact me.

If the contact information had not appeared in the message they were looking at, they would probably not have looked for the information in other messages from me, as most people would post the same sig in all messages. In most cases I was not only able to help the people who contacted me via the archive, but also talked them into joining the digest.

I include my URL in my sig, and have made lifelong friends when someone has discovered by clicking on the link that we have non EPOC interests in common. In several cases this has led to very enjoyable meetings, including a Turkish couple I hooked up with in Las Palmas in December after we'd been e-mailing for months and had sailed here from different parts of the world.

I also include my mobile phone number (it's never been abused). On one occasion, a digest member was in Dublin on business, remembered he had seen my phone number in the digest, looked it up on his Psion and we had a nice pint of the dark brown stuff together. On another occasion, my phone rang when I was cycling from Malahide to Dublin. It was a digest user whose Psion had crashed and he could no longer connect it to the Internet. As he didn't have any other computer, he couldn't e-mail anyone to ask for help. Thankfully, he found my phone number in the digest. I was able to help him without stopping my bike, and five minutes later he was collecting his e-mail.

Sigs and thoughts for the day take up very little bandwidth compared to things like the recent completely off topic discussion on Science. I found it totally irrelevant and boring, but I did not complain because until recently, this digest has been populated by friendly and tolerant people who have better things to do than complain about everything that isn't of personal interest to them.

Having been the list owner for a similar (boating oriented) list myself, my experience has been that such discussions always have the same result, namely a few users getting fed up with the sour atmosphere and resigning from the list. Usually, this is the _only_ result of the discussion. The recent couple of months is the first time in half a dozen years I have seen the EPOC digest or its predecessors develop a sour atmosphere.

I do very occasionally post off topic (usually computer related) questions to the digest when I have reason to believe there is someone on the list who knows the answer. When I do, I try to keep the message as short as possible, and always ask for an offlist reply.

As for my thoughts for the day, when some of you were discussing this a while ago, I went through the digests for October, November and December to find out exactly how much bandwidth they take up. As text, the three months worth of complete digests worked out at a whopping 2.9mb.

All the thoughts for the day in those months (mine and other people's) worked out at just under 8kb, around one third of one average digest in three months. That includes the words "Thought For The Day" for each instance. If I've got my maths right, that's 0.27 percent of digest contents. Hardly worth making a fuss over is it? I'm pretty sure the recent discussion on whether they should be allowed or not has taken up far more bandwidth in much less time.

This e-mail is 7kb, so that's the equivalent of almos three months worth of thoughts for the day in one message.

I REST MY CASE!

Owen

Thought for the day:

Statistics are often used as a drunken man uses a lightpost. For support, rather than illumination.

Owen H. Morgan, Yacht "Naomi J.", LD-928°07.85'N 15°25.66'W

Las Palmas, Gran Canaria

http://home.no.net/naomij

Phone and SMS:

In Spain: +34 620520079

In Norway: +47 92053097

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

Date: 31 Mar 2004 19:10:30 +0100

From: Timothy H.D. Williams

Subject: 5 mx repair

On 31 Mar 2004, at 06:wrote:

> The case & screen are obviously new, but so is the keyboard, and main

> & backup batteries were also replaced. It cost £130 including return

> post.

I have always been pleased with POS who are indeed very friendly and

efficient.

But for the same sum, I suspect you can get a reconditioned machine

from the inestimable Chris Pulster for 190 euros. You may have to

contact him for the best prices.

http://pulster.de/

Tim

When I eventually met Mr. Right I had no idea that his first name was

Always.

- Rita Rudner, comedienne (1955 - )

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

Date: 31 Mar 2004 20:36:51 +0100

From: vlad a

Subject: links, the maths of questions and answers # 488

&wrote on 31.3.2004 12:15 Uhr:

> I think Vlad forgot (at least) one website which is "http://pda.tucows.com/"

Itamar, trhanks. Thought I'd included it. In fact, I tried to make a

selection - there still are a few hundred interesting links out there, it's

a true network, wherever you start you find further links and people ready

to answer questions...

> My teacher always said "there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers" !

I disagree (besides, I dislike this kind of teacher ;-). In fact, I guess

there are more stupid answers than stupid questions, as in general a

question will get *several* answers.

Secondly, whether a question or an answer is silly largely depends on

context. For instance, I believe it would be silly to give an intelligent answer to Darwinism here, whereas any ever so silly question about a Psion enjoys a warm reception and all answers bar none are useful ;-)

So thanks again for everything (inlcuding the science "dispute")!

best,

vlad

PS: being smart over silly aphorisms about stupid questions is not very

bright, I admit ;-)

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

Date: 31 Mar 2004 20:58:53 +0100

From: Martin Guthrie

Subject: RE: WiFi SSID

Reply to: Thomas F. VAN DER ZIJDEN

> Hell group,

Gets a little warm occasionally I've noticed, yes... ;¬)

> Anyway, I do not see the SSID's (at least not in the list of hot

> spots in Antwerpen). How can I use these hot spots if I do not

> know their SSID ? I have a Malaybook with the Cisco WiFi card

> (the one from Pulster).

> A question that comes with this one : I hear from Pocke PC users

> that their equipment finds hot spots by making a "scan". I have

> never succeeded in "picking up" a publically available hot spot

> automatically with my Malaybook. Is this possible ?

I'm not aware of a scanning program (I'd like to be!) but it's perfectly possible to use a public hot-spot with your MBook/nBook/7Book/etc. You don't need to specify the SSID (unless it's a closed network - which public ones aren't) - the machine will connect to the 1st one it finds (I assume this is how it chooses anyway - don't think it necessarily searches for the strongest signal). You will probably have to use Opera to search for a website - and get automatically redirected to the hot-spot's own site (where you sign up / pay through the nose / etc.) - before you can do useful things like surf, email, etc. - but it does work just fine. See some of the screenshots on the article I wrote for FoxPop a while back if you want confirmation of this.

Best regards,

Martin Guthrie

—————————

www.pscience5.net

www.freepoc.org

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

Date: 31 Mar 2004 22:44:30 +0100

From: Trygve Henriksen

Subject: Cycling, BlueTooth

Greetings!

Will Green wrote:

> Boris of OrgII fame turned a Org II into a cycle computer (check out

> his website for further info), I wonder if you could do the same for EPOC?

Boris' site is

http://members.surfeu.at/org2/org2.htm

right?

But I can't remember him turning a ORG II into a bicycle computer...

You're not mixing it up with the one I built, are you?

http://home.c2i.net/trygveh/english/download/org2/t2bike.html

It may be possible to do it with an EPOC computer, but I foresee great difficulties in reading the pulses with any accuracy. (On the Org II I have complete control of the hardware and the ability to mix OPL and assembler)

Besides, are you willing to expose a Psion to the shocks, dust, direct sunshine, temperature variations and whatever else occurs?

(The Org II is rather more robust :-)

----

About Bluetooth...

I occasionally experiment with a Parallax Basic Stamp

(A computer the size of a stamp, running a Basic interpreter)

I know that there's a Bluetooth module for this one, costing about $50 if bought directly from www.parallax.com or one of their resellers.

The company that makes the module for them also have a more general version which uses RS-232 with +/-12V level signalling.

(Don't know the price of that one)

If it can be used with computers that runs 4000 to 12000 instructions/s, I see no reason why it can't be attached to just about any computer...

(Maybe I'll try with my Osborne 1, or the Org II. Just have to save up some cash first :-)

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

Date: 31 Mar 2004 22:58:48 +0100

From: Kevin Thorne

Subject: SMS service centres

I haven't yet got a solution to my problem of setting up my S7 to use a particular message centre but to re-iterate:

I want to use the SMS centre number 44793100979 but the messages don't get sent using this number (gereral unspecified error), although they are fine when I use the slightly different 44793100973. However, I need to be able to use the first one as I want to take advantage of inclusive texts, which must go through this first number. No SMS account settings have been changed, other than the service centre number. Why won't my S7 allow messages to go through this first number? They go through fine if I send them directly from the handset (Nokia 8210).

Regards

Kevin Thorne

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

Date: 1 Apr 2004 02:11:15 +0100

From: Donald

Subject: IR modem faxing

Help

I saw in your article in Digest 395, but I didn't see any response.

I have the same issue, well almost. I can not send faxes from either my 5mx or netbook but I can receive faxes and even get connected with the GPRS speed to the internet with OPERA with no problems at all, But I can't fax - this is very important to our business - all our orders are sent from faxes to or suppliers, thats the way they want it to come in.

For years I've been using our Ericsson I888 GSM world phone with IR modem and all faxes were sent with no problems - now that we upgraded to the r520m all works well except faxing out.

HelPPPPPPPPP!

Donald

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

Date: 1 Apr 2004 02:11:15 +0100

From: Donald

Subject: r520m faxing

I saw in your article in Digest 395, but I didn't see any response. I have the same issue, well almost. I can not send faxes from either my 5mxor netbook but I can receive faxes and even get connected with the GPRSspeed to the internet with OPERA with no problems at all, But I can't fax -this is very important to our business - all our orders are sent from faxesto or suppliers, thats the way they want it to come in.

For years I've been using our Ericsson I888 GSM world phone with IR modemand all faxes were sent with no problems - now that we upgraded to the r520mall works well except faxing out.