The Hitchhiker's Guide To OS/2 - Issue 2
The Hitchhikers Guide To OS/2
- About The Guide
- Here and Now
- SoftViews
- TechnoWatch
- OS/2 Tips
- Trivia Question
- DESKTOP CONTEST!!!
- How to Submit
About The Guide
The Hitchhikers Guide To OS/2
Issue #2
Published On 3/11/94
This guide is meant to give a concise report on current OS/2 events. Any and all contents are solely my opinion. If you don't agree with them run around the net and delete every copy you can find. Otherwise sue me, but all I have is a 2400 baud modem and a bunch of credit card bills. Anyone is welcome to the latter :). Read on and I hope you enjoy another issue of the HitchHiker's Guide To OS/2.
Any Comments Regarding The Guide or monetary donations can be directed to:
sdudas@austin.onu.edu
Steve Dudas.
Special Thanks go to Dr. V. Phaniraj for letting me know that wp2ipf/2 exists.
In you haven't guessed that is what this is done with.
Thanks to Kim Kruse Hansen for the great job he has done with this application.
Here and Now
Topic #1 The CSD.
Well it's been here for about two weeks, and while I have heard about a number of problems, I have not experienced any of them. A few people have complained that their swap file grows very large and does not shrink properly. Some have suggested that OS/2 may be operating correctly, but I seem to remember the same problem when running OS/2 2.0 GA code. There was a fix for it then and I would look for another fix soon.
On the subject of 2.11 fixes, it should be noted that IBM will most likely NOT update any of the CSD disks. Rather, they will release small patches to be applied to 2.11 code. So if you are thinking about waiting to download it, don't.
Topic #2 Filemanager /2
This pretty wicked filemanager that I reviewed in the last issue has been updated AGAIN to 1.34. Does this guy have a life? Just kidding.. keep up the good work! Again, I have not had a chance to try the new version, but send me your thoughts anyways.
Topic #3 Multiple Message Queues
Ms. Dimpfel, director of Personal Operating Systems Software for IBM, said that Multiple Message Queues will not be implemented in OS/2 in the near future. Apparently OS/2 is too heavily structured around a serialized input queue and IBM is really not sure how to change the queue over to a MMQ setup.
While this may disappoint many of you, she also noted that IBM is working on a solution to the problem of entire system hangs when an application locks the queue. It should also be stated that WorkPlace OS was written from the ground up with Multiple Message Queues. So be patient. :)
Topic #4 Chicago
MicroSoft does it again. Like always they are way off schedule. A beta that was supposed to ship this month has been moved back to "June at the earliest". Apparently they are finding it harder than they thought to build a 32-bit OS. Go figure. I personally think that the March beta was on a DoubleSpaced drive that crashed. :*)
Also MicroSoft "revised" the system requirements for Chicago. According to Microsoft you will need a 386-25 with 4 megs of RAM as a minimum, but they recommend that you have a 486- DX33 with 8 megs of RAM.
Hmm whatever happened to Chicago + Win31 apps running quickly in 4 megs??? Oh well that's okay OS/2 2.11 can run decently on a 486-25SX with 6 megs of RAM. Maybe the boys in Redmond will be calling IBM support for programming tips when the next Chicago beta is due in June.
SoftViews
This Weeks review goes to Hazel 1.2a and the new DTC drivers.
Written by Golden G. Richard III, Hazel is a very nice PM address book. Its very simple and very easy to use. I also downloaded a program called Rolodex 2.5 to make a comparison but there is none. Rolodex loses hands down. Rolodex is an extremely slow and bulky program. It is not well organized and rather difficult to use. I was able to start Hazel right up, and within 10 mins. I had a pretty good working knowledge of the program. I spent over half an hour with Rolodex and only learned how to delete anything that I entered, mind you I was trying to save the new entries at the time. Both programs, like all shareware reviewed here, can be found on ftp-os2.cdrom.com in the /pub/os2 directory.
DTC Driver Review Written By E. Larry Lidz
Well, I just got a Beta Copy of DTC's OS/2.x driver for the DTC3270VL SCSI-2 Controller.. It (along with beta drivers for the rest of their controllers) is on their BBS. What does this mean for DTC users? First, the main difference seems to be the volume of the disk access -- my hard drive now only accesses about 1/4 the time it did before, and I doubt that I would be able to hear it at all if I didn't have the case to my computer off. Second, there is a noticeable speed increase. This comes about since OS/2 is no longer required to send all Disk Access commands through the System BIOS, a time-consuming procedure to say the least! Lastly, of course, is the ability to have SCSI devices on the controller. I haven't tested this, since my only SCSI device is my hard drive, but at least theoretically, it should allow for people to hook up CD-Roms (like the new Nec Quadruple speeds that are due out later this week or so) to their DTC SCSI Controllers, and have them be accessible under OS/2. To get the DTC controllers, call their BBS, the number is in your DTC manual. If there is enough demand, I might submit the 3270 driver to ftp.cdrom.com (the IDE drivers are already there.) Just let me know through Mr. Dudas (Mharmless) if you are interested.
I wonder if this means that DTC has changed their long-held opinion that "OS/2 is a dead operating system"?
- Ea (ellidz@midway.uchicago.edu) [E. Larry Lidz]
TechnoWatch
The day has arrived, this coming Monday (3/14/94), Apple will be releasing the first PowerPC for sale to the general public. From the demos, it appears that the PowerPC 601 averages about two to three times the speed on a Pentium. Now we all get to spend the next ten months waiting for WorkPlace OS to arrive for the PowerPC. It will be a very long wait indeed.
OS/2 Tips
Here is a very easy way to change an icon. Using your drive Icon open a subfolder which contains a number of icons. Such as icons from one of the many icon files you can download from ftp-os2.cdrom.com. Once open, you will see each icon as a separate graphic. Next open the settings of the program whose icon you would like to change, and click on "general". A picture of the current icon will appear in the settings box. Now just drag the new icon over and drop it over the picture of the current icon. Instantly the change takes effect.
Trivia Question
What language did Niklaus Wirth help develop for the IBM 704 computer?
Answer to last Issues Trivia Question:
The machine that Pascal invented was given to Queen Christina of Sweden in 1650. After that the machine was apparently lost.
And to answer the bonus: He discovered the properties of the Cycloid Curve.
Yes I know these are hard... but stop by the library and look it up! Who knows, you may learn something.
DESKTOP CONTEST!!!
Okay folks heres your chance to show off! We are going to have a friendly little desktop contest. Send all entries in a .bmp format to me. Your best chance is to catch me on irc and dcc send it to me, or contact me via e-mail to make some arrangements. I will start the contest off by showing off my desktop. :)
FYI: one of the easiest ways to get a nice .bmp of your desktop is to use PmJpeg 1.5 and its desktop capture option.
P.S. My desktop won't be entered for obvious reasons. :*)
How To Submit an Article
Please Include the following Information in all submissions.
- Your full name (No nicks for you ircers)
- email-address
- Date article was completed on.
- A ONE sentence summary of the article.
- Articles must be in a zipped file. The text should be contained in a single ASCII text file. All graphics should be in the .bmp format and may be in 256 colors. About 300 x 300 is a good size.
** I am unable to return any copies of articles sent to me **
