Epocdigest V1 # 516

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Epoc Digest Mon, 03 May 2004 Volume 01 : Number 516

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Sent to: 777 subscribers

In today's Epoc Digest 12 messages:

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- rebooting a MalayBook (Re: Epoc Digest V1 # 511)

- Re: Epoc Digest V1 # 515 (11)

- netWorking,

- Program quality

- Internet in US

- Re: Networking at work

- Program quality

- Macro Question

- PalmTec Hard Case

- Re: to Bruce Knox

- Home wireless

- Re: mBook image

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Date: 2 May 2004 21:58:04 -0500

From: Gianluca Gallino

Subject: rebooting a MalayBook (Re: Epoc Digest V1 # 511)

Rebooting a MalayBook

(to Andy Hayes, Bruce A.Knox and others)

A few months ago, I personally was involved in helping a good friend of mine in rebooting a malayBook. you can follow the whole thread at Psionplace at the following link:

http://www.pdastreet.com/forums/printthread.php?s=&threadid=18483&perpage=15 &pagenumber=2

Quite a few power users from the whole world came in to give pieces of precious advice. I finally made it and my friend could have his MBook perfectly rebooted back.

Among the various postings, you will find a quote from a David Lir's private message who was actually describing the most correct procedure to reboot a MalayBook.

I have not heard from David for a long time now. I hope that is more than OK and I am looking forward to read his postings on the digest.

Gianluca Gallino

PS: please keep on supporting the petition for an EPOC/Symbian new netBook PRO on www.petitiononline.com/nbookpro/petition.html

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Date: 2 May 2004 23:18:20 -0500

From: David Steer \(Plus\)

Subject: Re: Epoc Digest V1 # 515 (11)

To Andy Hayes

Re: netBook netWorking & coMms

I had the same problem - able to pick up e-mail but not send through my office (wireless) connection - however, I have an advantage over you - I am in charge of the IT equipment at my company so I guessed the problem and resolved it. Our firewall acts as an STPM server and all out going requests for STMP e-mail is routed to the server within the Firewall, since the e-mail send request does not originate from Exchange server (a known IP address) but from your Psion, an unknown IP address (by the firewall) it does not allow the connection. The only way (I know of) to get round this is, if your firewall has and DNS entry for the IP address of your netBook, then it will know and then route the e-mail correctly. I expect that you may not be able to browse the Internet either from your work connection. I can't, however, guess what - it's 'my' firewall and I can resolve that too!

Hope this explains it for you.

To: Ian Chapple

Re: Program quality

You about summed it up! I have released one of my programs recently for the Nokia Communicator, I relied on the emulator to write and test my programme. Then I rely on a friend (half way round the world!) to test on his Nokia! We try hard and my program is where it is today due to the feedback I have had from users. However, only about 2% of my registered users have actually commented and asked for improvements - I always try and respond and do what I can to address what they want. Perhaps we are so used to poor to no support from program vendors and companies like Microsoft that we just don't bother. With the Psion community, most of the programmers are passionate about the system and not motivated by making lost of money. I for one make it a pride point to support my products and I wish I had more comments back from users so I could continue to improve the programs and iron out the issues that do get through my testing.

By the way, I have a Series 5 - can I help with your programme?

Regards

David

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Date: 3 May 2004 00:01:28 -0500

From: Itamar Engelsman

Subject: netWorking,

Answer to: Andy Hayes

Re.: netWorking - I have a D-link ADSL modem connected to a D-llink router and a D-link wireless connection as one of the connections, my PC being the other one. Two sons are connected wireless to the D-link. When I bought my mBook it came with the Cisco wireless card. I inserted the card, set the network setting to Cisco and it worked. I did not have to change any settings whatsoever, just "bang" worked. Of course you need to set your internet and mailbox settings correctly. It should not give you a problem.

Best regards,

Itamar Engelsman

London, UK

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Date: 3 May 2004 00:17:59 -0500

From: Antony Booth

Subject: Program quality

In my early days of programming, I would write programs that would appear to run perfectly, which under testing was adequate. Typical techniques in the program included polling the keyboard buffer when prompting the user for input requests. This would often be a loop that repeated as often as the processor would allow until the required response was made by the user (key pressed that was an allowable key). On its own, as a DOS program, this would be OK, or at least I thought it was. However, it never left the computer any time to do much of anything else, so TSRs such as backup programs like Crontabs would become unstable and either crash or fail to initiate, because INT 7 never could complete before it was repelled. The solution was simple, however, and the poll rate could be dropped down to only a few clock ticks. This is an example of a poorly written program that works perfectly. The program itself was fine, but caused other programs to fail, simply because of poor programming, so the theory "If it works well, it is well written" is completely bogus.

If it is written well, it will work perfectly and will not interfere with the functionality and stability of the system. It will not use excessive resources, will efficiently reuse those resources and release them immediately when no longer used. It will not have incompatibility issues with the operating systems for which it is written. It will reuse procedures within itself instead of performing the same function from different parts of the executable and will attempt to utilise the procedures provided with the operating system, rather that writing a bespoke procedure to achieve the same results.

Using the above rules as a guideline will lead to well written, efficiently performing applications. Of course, stability will also be dependant on the operating system and the quality of other programs running, which is why Microsoft operating systems are unstable. They are poorly written operating systems, based on legacy code from even poorer operating systems, with flawed logic in the OS versioning (DLLs) and have lots of 3rd party applications running on them that are not open source, so fixes are slow and code does not get optimised. It also doesn't help that Microsoft have no incentive to make workstations stable as they have no effective competition as Linux desktops are just breaking into the market and Microsoft own so much of Apple that they are effectively Microsoft anyway. The server market is where stability is promoted by Microsoft, but their servers have the most down time of any O/S, even though servers tend to run a smaller range of applications than workstations do and so are naturally more stable than workstations.

Antony Booth

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Date: 3 May 2004 09:28:55 -0500

From: Thomas F. VAN DER ZIJDEN

Subject: Internet in US

Hello group,

Many thanks to anybody who responded on my questions on Mobile Internet and GSM in the US.

It will probably be Earthlink and T-Mobile then.

The internet site one of you gave was also interesting. It also had a link for cheap international phone calls from a mobile phone. Very nice !

Yours truly,

Thomas van der Zijden

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

Date: 3 May 2004 10:23:36 -0500

From: Marcus von Cube

Subject: Re: Networking at work

Andy,

>I can pick up my mail from Freeserve, but I can't send. The email app just advises that it is connecting, but nothing actually happens. Is SMTPAuth going to solve this problem?

Your connection comes from your employer's network and not via dialup from freesurf, the freesurf SMTP server refuses to accept mail as a means of spam protecion. AFAIK freesurf does not allow a login with the enhanced SMTP protocol supported by SmtpAuth so you cannot use their mail server for mail delivery. But you can try to configure your company's SMTP server instead. SmtpAuth can help to add a "reply-to" header to your mail with your freesurf address. Your from address must probably match the requirements of the SMTP server you are using (ask the network specialists in your office.)

Marcus

http://www.mvcsys.de

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

Date: 3 May 2004 10:38:19 -0500

From: Phil Aypee

Subject: Program quality

Hi Folks,

Ian (Chapple), I don't expect any program to actually be perfect, guaranteed to run on any platform. And I certainly wouldn't expect an explicitly ER3 program to run on an ER5 machine, let alone vice versa.

Most programmers do their best and I use many programs that aren't perfect. When a fault is pointed out most programmers will try to sort it out. Sometimes the fault is not with the program but with how the OS works, but even then they usually try to find a workaround.

If a programmer doesn't respond to honest criticism of his work (though most do) then that is probably a bad programmer and certainly a bad human being!

I may not know your programs (no criticism, my memory isn't very good in that way) but your attitude is exemplary. I honestly wish more had that attitude.

But it is, sadly, true that some programmers are not very competent. I feel qualified to say this because I am one. Because of this I have never released a program, though I hope to do so one day (but it'll probably be a trivial program).

It is, equally sadly, true that some programmers write poor installation routines. This may indicate that they write poor programs too. Certainly they are more likely to be poor programmers than people who write good installation routines.

Happy days,

Phil.

"Bluebell line with trippers teeming,

Primrose leads the trippers' train.

Tender first, and poorly steaming,

Barred from reaching Horsted Keynes,

Ghost of Dovey Junction dreaming

Of Talerddig in the rain."

Try http://www.aypee2.net if you dare.

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

Date: 3 May 2004 11:30:28 -0500

From: Andy Hayes

Subject: Macro Question

Would it be possible to write a macro that closed all of the open applications down except for the application that called the macro?

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

Date: 3 May 2004 11:38:47 -0500

From: Andy Hayes

Subject: PalmTec Hard Case

I have an early PalmTec hard case, pre-Pod model, and no use for it. Its green and scratched, but still the best protection for 5/5mx/MC218 that you could buy. It can be yours for the cost of post and packaging if you live in the UK; say £1.50.

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

Date: 3 May 2004 17:27:31 -0500

From: Christopher Holly

Subject: Re: to Bruce Knox

No, Sita did not load the image. I think there was a file on the CD they supplied. My mBook is now a netBook so I cannot remember any more.

Chris Holly

830 S. Fess Ave.

Bloomington, IN 47401-4946

812-339-0938

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

Date: 3 May 2004 18:55:38 -0500

From: Tony Cabot

Subject: Home wireless

I have just installed a cable broadband wireless 811b system (Linksys)in my home. The router came with a notebook adapter card and although I understand that these can cannect a netBook to my system I can't find any documentation of the settings, etc. needed to do so. Also, I would like to be able to access WIFI hot spots and I am unsure if the settings should be the same or...

I would appreciate it if someone on this list could point me at a source of information on this subject. Thanks,

Tony Cabot

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

Date: 3 May 2004 21:02:58 -0500

From: Armin Podtschaske

Subject: Re: mBook image

Hi Keith,

> Wouldn't it be better to try it out to make sure it works [...]

I'm sure, he already tried it once successfully. Just after buying it, at the initial power-up.