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1993-02-06
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`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`
*** January 1993 San Diego OS/2 User Group Newsletter ***
`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`
January 1993 marks the release of the second issue of our monthly
newsletter. We've noticed interest in it from people outside
of the San Diego area and would therefore like to provide a
newsletter for any and all interested OS/2 users and potential
users, including those outside of our area.
As we are an informal volunteer user group, we don't have fees or
charge subscriptions for the newsletter. So far we've been
financing user group activities out of our own pockets. But this
could get to be financially burdensome if many people outside of
the San Diego area would like to have the newsletter mailed to
them, so we've come up with a tentative plan to address this
issue in a way we feel will be fair and reasonable to all. Our
intent is to try this plan for a few months and then evaluate how
well it worked and make adjustements if necessary.
If you'd like a sample issue of the San Diego OS/2 Newsletter,
please send a self-addressed stamped envelope with enough postage
to cover 2 ounces ($0.52 in the USA) to our address listed at the
bottom of this announcement. If you'd like more than one issue,
send as many SASE envelopes as issues you'd like to receive.
Since the newsletter costs more than just postage, we also have
to
get funding from people who are interested in it to help pay for
duplicating costs, the post office box, and other newsletter
related expenses. After some discussion, we've decided that for
now the best way to be fair to all concerned is to ask for a
donation to help cover newsletter expenses. We'll leave the
amount up to you, suggesting that you are the best judge of what
you feel is appropriate after you've seen an issue of the
newsletter. Personal checks are completely OK as these are
donations, notsubscriptions. You can make out any donation check
to "Dave Sichak" who is the editor of the newsletter. We'll use
any donations we receive for covering newsletter expenses.
If you'd like to contribute an article to the newsletter, we
welcome your contribution in that regard also. If we use it, you
would be entitled to a complimentary copy of the newsletter in
which we used your material. We have an idea list and some hints
at what we'd like your articles to include. Let us know if you
are interested in contributing articles and would like a copy of
this list. You can submit material via US Mail or via electronic
mail at the addresses listed below.
Here's our mailing address:
San Diego OS/2 User Group
P.O. Box 13346
La Jolla, CA 92039-3346
If you'd like to get in touch with somebody via electronic mail,
you can contact the following people:
EDITOR
======
Dave Sichak Fidonet: 1:202/514
Internet: Dave_Sichak@f514.n202.z1.fidonet.org
SAN DIEGO OS/2 USER GROUP ORGANIZER
===================================
Craig Swanson Fidonet: 1:202/514
Internet: Craig_Swanson@f514.n202.z1.fidonet.org
--------------------------------------------------------------
||| January Meeting |||
||| "OS/2 2.1 Sneak Peek & Visual REXX Discussion" |||
--------------------------------------------------------------
When
January 21, 1992 - 7PM to 10PM
Where
IBM Building
8845 University Center Lane
San Diego, CA 92122
Main
We have two main events this month. Interest in the OS/2 version
from IBM is growing. The news media reports OS/2 2.1 is in beta.
Ron Lingley of IBM will provide a preview of the upcoming
release. Among the anticipated features are Windows 3.1 support,
improved Windows application speed, the ability to do DOS & OS/2
applications while in Win-OS/2 full screen and more -- attend and
find out. Ron will also provide a different look at the REXX
language available in OS/2 by demonstrating "Visual REXX".
Developing your own OS/2 batch files should be more appealing
with this feature.
====>Schedule
* User group announcements and OS/2 news
* OS/2 2.1 presentation
* Visual REXX demonstration
* Our ever-popular OS/2 question and answer session where
you can get help and advice from many other OS/2 users
====>Directions
Driving from south of the UCSD area, take the Interstate 5 north.
Get off at the Nobel Drive exit right after the passing the
Mormon temple which is under construction. The IBM building will
be immediately in front of you as you are stopped at the exit
stop light. Turn right off exit and then left at first light.
Driving from north of the UCSD area, take Interstate 5 south and
get off at the La Jolla Village Drive exit. Head east until you
reach Lebon. Take a right and continue until you reach Nobel.
Take a right onto Nobel Drive and continue until you see the IBM
building at the next light on your right just before reaching
Interstate 5 again.
====>Parking
Free of charge in the IBM parking lot.
====>Cost
As usual, this is a free meeting open to anyone interested in
attending.
-----------------------------
| MARK YOUR CALENDAR... |
-----------------------------
We get together on the third Thursday of the month. Mark your
calendar for these upcoming dates:
Thursday, February 18, 1993 at 7:00pm
Thursday, March 18, 1993 at 7:00pm
Turn off the television set or turn off your PC for a couple of
hours. Come on down and join us.
-----------------------------
| FOR MEETING |
| INFORMATION |
| CALL 587-5955 |
| (Thanks for IBM's Help |
-----------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
| IN THIS ISSUE |
--------------------------------------------------
| Stolen Taglines |
| Spock's Logical Tips |
| Craig's Corner |
| IBM Future Strategy for Personal Software |
| HPFS Tape Backup Support |
| Software Reviews: |
| > HyperAccess/5 |
| > Mr. File/PM |
| > File Commando |
| New OS/2 Software Announcements |
| OS/2 Reading |
| BenchMark Tests |
| Media Scan |
| Consumer Advocate |
| OS/2 User Groups |
| New OS/2 Magazine |
| OS/2 BBS's |
| Where to Buy OS/2 Apps |
--------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
| STOLEN TAGLINES |
----------------------------
Use a mail reader program? Part of the fun is adding the tagline
to your message. Here's a few chuckles seen along the BBS
messages to add to *your* list...
"Artificial Intelligence: No match for natural stupidity."
"Artificial Intelligence: The other guy's opinion."
"On A Clear Disk, You Can Seek Forever."
"Unauthorized amphibians will be toad away."
"Every morning is the dawn of a new error."
"Sociopathic Apathy: I'd kill you if I cared."
"When the chips are down, the buffalo's empty."
"Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations."
"C Code. C Code run. Run code run."
"I'm not confused. I'm just well-mixed."
"Hindsight is an exact science."
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease."
"Dead Atheist: All dressed up with no place to go."
Of course, for those who like doing the OS/2 versus Windows
one-line jabs...
"Bugs come in through open Windows."
"WindowError: 001 No error...yet."
"WindowError: 00F Unexplained Error. Tell us what happened."
"WindowError: 010 Reserved for future errors."
"WindowError: 014 Nonexistent error; cannot really be
happening."
"Windows is a pane."
"Windows. Just another pane in the glass."
"Windows. It's not pretty. It's not ugly. But it's pretty
ugly."
"OS/2: Logic, not magic."
"OS/2: The choice of the next generation."
"OS/2. Industrial strength operating system."
---------------------------
| SPOCK'S LOGICAL TIPS |
---------------------------
You don't have to be a Vulcan to learn the logic of OS/2. It's
not even magic. Earthlings call it common sense. Here's another
little tip to those just starting out.
Question: I just downloaded a couple of dozen ATM fonts from my
favorite OS/2 BBS and now I want to use them in OS/2. But I
haven't been brave enough to figure that out yet. How about
walking me through this process?
Logical Solution: Fear not. While it takes many steps, you'll
find after you do one, it's rather logical in adding a font to
your system to customize the Work Place Shell (WPS) to your
liking. Let's try these steps:
1. Unzip your ATM files to a convenient sub-directory.
Remember where they're at. I unzipped mine to the
D:\OS2\DLL\ subdirectory.
2. Open up the "OS/2 System" folder on the WPS.
3. Click-on the "System Setup" icon.
4. Click-on the "Font Palette" icon. The "Font Palette -
Palette" dialog box opens up.
5. You'll see a group of 8 fonts. This is sort of similar to
the selection we saw when you used Lotus with Allways or in
Excel 2.10.
6. Highlight a font that you want to change or replace.
7. Click-on "Edit" font.
8. The "Edit Font" dialog box opens up. Under "name" you can
click on the "down" arrow to see what fonts you already have
installed. Select "Add".
9. The "Add Font" dialog box opens up. Either put your
diskette in drive a: (if your new fonts are on a diskette)
or tell OS/2 2.0 which sub-directory the font files are in.
In my case, they were in the D:\OS2\DLL\ sub-directory.
10. You'll also need to notice the "copy font files to
drive/directory" area of this dialog box. The default path
shows up where they're at -- the D:\OS2\DLL\ sub-directory.
If you've changed the location since you installed OS/2, you
may see a different sub-directory. If they're already in
the sub-directory you're copying to, don't do anything.
Then select "add".
11. You're back to the "Edit Font" dialog box.
12. Now, the funny thing is, you'll have to close this dialog
box, then select "edit" on the "Font Palette -- Palette"
dialog box for OS/2 to "recognize" the addition of this
font. Well, if you consider the alternative of re-booting
as you sometimes do for system changes, this is a minor
annoyance.
13. Under "name", click on the little "down" arrow and scroll
through til you see your new font. Mine was called
"Old-Town". You'll see an example of it in the lower right
corner. Change the size of the font if you're not satisfied
yet. Then close this dialog box.
14. Your new font is now one of the eight available. If you
want to use it, just drag it with the right mouse button.
For example, drag the font to the WPS. All of the
icons/folder text on the WPS will change to your new font.
If you just want to change a folder's text -- open it up and
drag the font to the folder. Only that folder's fonts for
the icons will change. It's that simple to make a change.
15. What about printing with them you say? You have access in
the OS/2 editors. It's also available with your OS/2
applications. In WinOS/2 -- if you're set up with the
correct printer driver, that is, the "A" for ATM doesn't
have a line through it when you load WinOS2, you can choose
that in any Windows application.
This is just one of many ways to customize the OS/2 WPS to your
liking. Check the next issue for another idea or two. Or send
us your favorite tip.
-----------------------
| CRAIG'S CORNER |
-----------------------
The Operating System Wars Have Just Begun
Over the past two years of spreading the word about OS/2, I've
come to realize that the biggest challenge IBM faces selling OS/2
2.0 is overcoming the "image of failure" that the product has in
the minds of many users because of the biased writings of
journalists who should know better. To illustrate what I'm
talking about, here a couple quotes from a recent issue of the
Ziff-Davis publication Corporate Computing where columnist Robert
Ziff writes about why he thinks OS/2 is doomed to failure:
"The Prognosis for OS/2"
"The unfortunate truth for IBM is that Windows has
become standard. The market has soundly rejected
PM. It is time to face reality and recognize that
the current development of PM products cannot hold
a candle to the daunting pace of software
development for Windows.
"Today, OS/2 conforms to that standard; soon
it won't. That alone is enough to doom OS/2.
I don't care how good it is, or how bad DOS
and NT are."
Is Windows really a standard? That depends on what Ziff means by
the word "standard." As far as market penetration goes, Windows
is very far from running on every personal computer sold. In
that sense, Windows is not a standard like DOS. Recent industry
press reports state that Microsoft claims to have shipped 15 to
16 million copies of Windows 3.0 and 3.1 to date. Assuming that
none of these 3.1 copies are upgrades (which is unclear from the
figures I've seen) and all of those copies are in use (which is
unlikely), that represents only about 15% of International Data
Corporation's October 1992 estimated installed base of 103.8
million PC compatible. That's a far cry from the 90+% usage of
DOS in this same installed base of machines.
An independent study on the usage of Windows 3.0 described in an
early 1992 issue of ComputerWorld found that an estimated 50% to
60% of the 9 to 10 million copies of Windows 3.0 shipped by that
time were actually in use. In the middle of 1992, InfoWorld and
PC Week both reported on a leaked Microsoft study that indicated
the usage rate was even much lower than the independent study
suggested, possibly as low as 30% or less. While these figures
are nothing more than unverifiable statistics like so many
figures printed in the trade press, it is undeniable that a
substantial number of copies of Windows are "shelfware."
This shelfware situation exists even after many years of
improvements to Windows. Considering it has had well over seven
years on the market, Windows still has a very small market
penetration compared to DOS. If anything can be learned from
these figures, it is this: the operating system wars are not
over as it takes a long time for personal computer users to
switch to a new operating system platform.
Mr. Ziff's assertion that the market has rejected Presentation
Manager is ridiculous. Only now are a substantial number of
32-bit OS/2 PM applications starting to be delivered. Prior to
this, the only things the market was rejecting were a lack of PM
applications to buy and the poor quality of several of the OS/2
programs written by companies like Microsoft. It is no wonder
that users would be hesitant to buy products like Excel 3.0 for
OS/2 PM. Microsoft didn't even bother to make the on-line help
functional nor did they take advantage of OS/2's unique features
such as multithreading.
Since the release of OS/2 2.0 there has been a trickle of new
32-bit PM applications. Programs like DeScribe 4.0 take
advantage of multithreading and Workplace Shell functions that
demonstrate how OS/2 software can be better than anything Windows
can offer if the applications are written to use OS/2 well. Soon
the trickle of new OS/2 applications will turn into a torrent as
many significant applications are already in beta testing and
more will start beta testing soon.
Lotus and Computer Associates are both writing new suites of OS/2
applications that use multithreading and Workplace Shell
functionality. The Comdex/Fall 1992 demo of the upcoming 32-bit
cc:Mail for OS/2 showed a quintessential Workplace Shell
application with an extensively object-oriented user interface
and drag-and-drop functionality.
Borland is far along in development of its C++ programming
environment and compiler for OS/2. Word Perfect Corporation has
recently started soliciting beta testers for Word Perfect for
OS/2 PM.
If these applications live up to the promise of some of the beta
versions I've seen and used, several excellent OS/2 PM
applications will be on the market around the time OS/2 2.1 is
expected to be released in March.
Robert Ziff could have written in 1986 that the market had
soundly rejected Windows -- it had hardly any applications, a
pathetic user interface, and no market share. Yet today he is
saying that Windows is the hot fad. The computer industry is
very dynamic. Many customers have not committed to a post-DOS
environment yet. Mr. Ziff's assertion that PM is dead is being
made far too early to have much chance of being accurate by
anything more than chance. One might propose that if he had been
a newspaper reporter in the early 1940's, Mr. Ziff might have
written on December 8, 1941, that the United States had lost
World War II after being crushed by the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor.
Aside from the long time it takes for users to move to new
operating system platforms, one can find other reasons to doubt
that Windows has an unbreakable lock on the market. PC users
sometimes get sidetracked by inferior technologies like Windows,
but usually they realize the limits and start asking for more
power. Although the media often suggests that Windows 3.1 is a
good choice for all applications, especially new technology ones
like multimedia, it is not powerful enough to handle such
applications.
For example, Windows 3.1 is a joke for multimedia because it
lacks preemptive multitasking and multithreading. But if you
don't mind listening to multimedia presentations interrupted by
frequent pauses as you copy files to diskettes or your
spreadsheet macro runs, maybe it would be adequate. Of course,
psychologists might like Windows multimedia support for
experimenting with the effects of randomly corrupted soundtracks
on human patience.
The Windows advocates point out that the shortcomings of Windows
3.1 will be fixed in the upcoming Windows NT, but no matter what
Microsoft may claim, NT isn't going to be a miracle solution to
everybody's needs. While NT will have the preemptive
multitasking and multithreading needed for reliable and powerful
communications and multimedia, it requires significantly more
machine resources than any version of OS/2 to date. Even
Microsoft prints that a system with 8MB RAM and a 100MB hard
drive will be the minimum for NT. If this is anything like the
1MB minimum for Windows, there are going to be a lot of unhappy
owners of machines with 8MB RAM if Microsoft sells more than a
few copies of NT.
The users of the October 1992 NT beta release with whom I've
corresponded point to huge paging file sizes even on machines
with 20MB RAM or more, poor compatibility, slow performance
running DOS and Windows 3.1 applications, and a general
expectation that it won't be available until around the middle of
1993 at earliest.
Why should users be expected to either pick an inferior
technology Windows 3.1 or wait several months for NT and then
have to spend thousands of dollars for hardware upgrades? OS/2
has already proven its technical prowess at communications and
multimedia in a product that can be purchased today.
Windows didn't make a positive impression on users until Windows
3.0 was released in May 1990, about five years after the original
version shipped. Likewise, OS/2 2.0 was the first version of
OS/2 to do well on the market and it also shipped about five
years after the December 1987 release of OS/2 1.0. New operating
systems need time to gain acceptance, no matter how good they
might be. OS/2 2.0 has sold at a rate similar to Windows 3.0 in
its first several months on the market. In fact IBM has sold
more than 2 million copies of OS/2 2.0 to date.
Why is it that the industry press continues to point to Windows
as a success and OS/2 as a flop with small market potential? Is
it resistance to change? If anything, there are significant
market acceptance parallels between the acceptance of Windows and
OS/2 that indicate OS/2 has a chance at being much more important
than the journalists will admit. With the upcoming OS/2 2.1
widely regarded as finally delivering on IBM's April 1991 promise
of providing a "better Windows than Windows," perhaps OS/2 2.1
will do for OS/2 what Windows 3.1 did for Windows and make OS/2 a
new standard. With NT's ship date slipping off into the future
and companies not being able or willing to wait forever to make a
choice for their next-generation operating system, OS/2 2.1 may
surprise the industry. In fact, 1993 should be the best year yet
for OS/2.
Craig Swanson
San Diego OS/2 User Group
--------------------------------
| OPTUNE Does Not Like OS/2 |
| Software Bug Report |
--------------------------------
By Douglas A. Bell
(From Original Area: comp.os.os2.misc) (Thanks to Craig Swanson
for passing along a message he saw.)
Do not use Gazelle software's Optune disk optimizer on any disk
that has extended attributes on it or has ever had extended
attributes on it. It can cross like files and destroy
directories, even when just doing a check disk.
I called Optune's customer support and they confirmed what I have
seen. Optune cannot deal with extended attributes.
-----------------------------------
| COMDEX: IBM Future Strategy |
| for Personal Software |
-----------------------------------
By Ron Lingley - San Diego
(Via NetMail to Craig Swanson)
(Editor's Note: The following is a summary of Lee R. Reiswig's
November 24, 1992 presentation at Comdex -- "The Power of The
Future NOW")
The presentation introduced IBM's Personal Software Products
(PSP) organization and described their product strategy for the
future of personal software. It focused on the continuing
evolution of IBM's current operating systems as well as on IBM's
vision for networking and operating systems in the future.
Future operating systems software must take three factors into
account: software and hardware innovation will continue --
making change a way of life; continued, successful innovation
must protect existing investments; and operating systems must
integrate a broad range of platforms -- from $300 palmtops to
$300,000 workstations.
IBM's PSP strategy was designed to deliver:
-> easy access to information -- anytime, anywhere;
-> systems that will leverage their current investments in
hardware, applications, data and training; and
-> solutions that will adapt easily to new technologies -
allowing customers to keep up with the pace of change.
The IBM Workplace family will initially encompass DOS, OS/2 and
AIX. The technology that unifies them will make the systems easy
to connect and manage, able to develop applications simply, and
extremely easy to use. The family will evolve -- eventually to
include Taligent -- by introducing these unifying technologies:
-> a common desktop user interface, based on the OS/2 2.0
Workplace Shell that will allow users to move readily
between systems. This desktop has two additional benefits
for developers: It provides common services, such as filing
and printing, and it results in applications software that
has a consistent design, regardless of the system for which
it is built.
-> Common components (e.g., databases, mail and communications)
that are implemented in identical ways and are available as
servers from any system, making it simpler to write
applications that will run on multiple systems. The most
significant of these common components is the microkernel.
It will form the basis of the OS/2, AIX and Taligent
operating systems, and make those systems portable across
multiple hardware platforms.
-> Powerful object technology from IBM and Taligent to
introduce software libraries that can be extended and
combined easily to build new applications from existing
parts. Application development will change from a model in
which every applications designed and constructed from
scratch, to one where new designs are adapted from standard
patterns, or frameworks. Like common components, these
software libraries will mask underlying differences in the
operating systems. Applications built using them will be
portable across the Workplace family.
-> Distributed object technology that makes it natural and
simple to build distributed, client/server applications.
Applications can be designed to span multiple machines and
can be tuned to match your particular network. This
technology has been designed to support emerging industry
standards from the Object Management Group (OMG). It also
was designed in cooperation with leading language and
systems vendors. It will allow software in the Workplace
family to communicate simply with software in other systems
that support the OMG standard.
-> Personalities (the unique characteristics of a particular
system) can be hosted on other systems. This means that you
can move to a new operating system and carry forward the
applications from the old one. This feature will enable
applications from non-family systems like Windows and
Macintosh to run on family systems like OS/2 and AIX.
The IBM Workplace family operating systems of the future will
provide a framework that can innovate and evolve while protecting
your investment in hardware, applications and training. Future
family members will consist of a single microkernel that masks
hardware platform differences; server-like components providing
common services, such as file management and communications;
extensible application design frameworks; and personalities that
host the small number of unique characteristics necessary for an
evolving, innovative environment.
--------------------------------
| HPFS Tape Backup Support |
--------------------------------
By Robert Montgomery (from Fidonet);
Additional comments by Craig Swanson
(Edited for Newsletter)
MG> I am tired of backing up my 240 Mb hard drive to 1.44 Mb
MG> floppies and would really like to get a tape drive for my
system. Can
MG> someone help me figure out the least expensive way to get a
tape drive
MG> that will work with OS/2 2.0 on a drive that is 240 Mb HPFS
MG> single partitioned drive?
The problem that bothers a lot of people is how to do
backup/restore. A lot of solutions exist but none are very
satisfactory. Some shareware programs do partial work in this
area. A user typically wants to save the personalized work place
shell; and, if using HPFS a way to insure that the EA'S (Extended
Attributes) are saved.
Using DOS, most users either use diskettes (too much trouble) or
have a QIC-80 tape backup system. Colorado Jumbo has no OS/2
software, but Irwin has a QIC80 system that looks just like the
Jumbo.
Irwin also makes a program called Eztapepm 3.1 that will backup
FAT and HPFS to tape. But Eztapepm 3.1 has one major flaw. It
has no easy way to restore the "personalized" Work place shell.
To restore the operating system, OS/2 2.0, you do the lengthy
reinstall. Not to mention the time to redo the desktop to your
liking. The average user probably cannot afford a SCSI backup
system ($1,500.00 minimum).
Finally, I have discovered a solution. At least if you have the
money to buy:
1. Irwin Accutrack Plus (external) ($350.00?)
2. Irwin 4100 controller ($100.00)
3. IBM Pmtape 2.01 ($88.00 mail order)
Total cost? Hmmm, about $450 to $500. Very reasonable price for
an external unit. I have no experience with the less expensive
internal unit or using the 4251 controller (less money than the
4100) or even an internal system that uses the floppy controller.
But the combination listed above works! I have done a complete
command line standalone restore using Pmtape standalone program
(SR.EXE) on a "virgin" disk. Made the 3 disks for the HPFS and
just rebooted. Inserted the QIC80 tape (DC2120) and voila! My
entire OS/2, from operating system to WPS, to all applications
were automatically restored without error. After rebooting, I
was back in operation.
Now I have a fool proof backup of everything. And it was so
easy! Boot with three disks and insert tape and it was all done
automatically. It works with FAT just as well as HPFS.
The Irwin unit has support for DOS (and Windows) and OS/2 via IBM
Pmtape 2.01. If you are ready to buy a tape unit, go with the
Irwin. If, like me, you have a Jumbo unit, sell it to a DOS
(Windows) user. Some people are waiting for a Jumbo tape backup
application for OS/2. My advice is don't. Experience counts:
Irwin and IBM have supported OS/2 for years. You should also go
with IBM Pmtape 2.01, because it has standalone restore. That
one feature makes it worth the $88.00 mail order, from Corporate
Software (they have an 800#, just call 1-800-555-1212 and ask).
Craig's Response:
I've saved your message because it is very informative and says
basically everything that needs to be said. One factual error,
however, is that the Irwin tape unit is not QIC80, it uses the
Rhomat tape format which is not a QIC format. The fact that it
uses DC2120 tapes is not the same thing. Aside from this slight
mistake, however, this is just the kind of thing we could use for
putting together an OS/2 newsletter.
Robert's last word:
I hope you use it and correct it so that errors such as the QIC
80 don't confuse things. Hopefully I will be able to get some
more info on other variations. And hopefully you will be able to
modify it based on your personal experiences.
--------------------------------
| Software Review |
| HyperAccess/5 Version 2.0 |
--------------------------------
By John Hlavac, NOCCC (North Orange County Computer Club --
California) Beginning Modem SIG Leader (Fidonet area "OS/2")
(Edited for Newsletter)
This program advertises itself as the number one communications
program. Not the cheapest, but the best. I felt this program
had to prove it's worth the extra money. Being a Beginning Modem
SIG leader, I also wanted to make sure that this program is easy
for beginners to configure and learn. HA5 is also a powerful
program chock full of features for the power user. HA5 comes in
an OS/2 version and a DOS version. HA5 has an interesting
guarantee: "We guarantee that you can install and place your
first call in less then 20 minutes." Beginners take note, HA5
won't lose money on either bet.
The user interface is text-based. This means it's fast, not
pretty. It also means that the underlying software is compact,
good news to those trying to wedge another program onto the
harddisk. When installed, the DOS version fits into 1.4mb and
the OS/2 version fits into 1.5mb.
Naturally I installed both so that I could compare and contrast.
Both programs look and 'feel' the same. The difference is in the
operating system. OS/2 will run any DOS-based comm program and
HA5 comes with instructions on how to maximize OS/2 usage of its
DOS version. What isn't made clear, by IBM, is that each of
OS/2's virtual DOS machines has a limit on how many interrupts
per second it will handle. That number is exceeded by modems
faster than 9600 bps. If you want to download any faster than
that you should have an OS/2 based comm program. Another
advantage of the OS/2 version is the ability to run in the
background, powerful given HA5's scripting and BBSing abilities.
Finally, the OS/2 version has a unique diagnostic utility that
collects data that Hilgraeve Customer Support can use to track
down errors or protection violations.
The look and feel of the screen is well thought out. The top
half has the main menu, the bottom half has the system list (or
dialing directory). Navigating the menus is easy using either
the keyboard or the mouse. I found using the keyboard faster. The
menus themselves generally make sense although I found times when
I had to consult the online help facility to do what I wanted.
The documentation is full of suggestions to make the keyboard
even faster once you get used to what you are doing. The
documentation is easy to read and thorough, with only a few thin
spots. It comes spiral-bound so that you can open it flat on the
page you're reading.
Configuring HA5 is easy. 195 specific modems or ISDN desksets
are supported, but setting up cheapie generic modems, like mine,
was easy. I found an undocumented question in the user-defined
modem setup. It gave me a good excuse to try out customer
relations. Unlimited support is available, but it's your phone
call.
The Dialing Directory can be sorted three ways, by frequency of
use, most recent use, or alphabetically. It can also be searched.
All this is handy since the directory can hold up to 2000
entries.
The editor that comes with HA5 shares a lot of features with the
main program. The keys configure easily to your tastes. It's
fast, too fast for OS/2's Workplace Shell to keep up. To
eliminate the jumpiness, HA5 recommends going full screen instead
of in a window -- good advice. One of the nicer editor features
is the ability to work two files at once, even under DOS, so that
you can use one file as input and one as edited output. The
editor has spell checking, but frankly it's wimpy.
The biggest problem I found with HA5 is that the mouse is brain
dead. If you want to flag a filename in the file directories of
your local BBS you can't do it. If you select a filename with
the mouse the software will select text up to the dot and omit
the extension name. On top of that it doesn't just leave you
there, it also adds a CR-LF, so that you can't add the .ZIP with
a macro. It's dumb, dumb, dumb. Another shortcoming is that HA5
has no fax handling capabilities, though all the newer modems are
fax-modems.
Scripting under HA5 is unusual in more ways than one. First, it
works. The learn mode is remarkably perceptive. The only time I
had to go back and edit the learned scripts was when *I* made a
typing mistake while it was in learn mode. Another unusual
aspect of the scripting is that you don't run the script text,
rather you compile it into a binary script. The scripting
language looks to be extensive with more than 150 commands.
Personally I'm not much of a script writer but I have a feeling
that will change. This program just begs to be customized.
Some of the nifty features of HA5 are automatic unzipping of
downloaded files, if you so desire. Extended point and shoot
file handling capabilities are built into the program, so you
don't have to shell out to do basic maintenance. The virus
scanning feature is very nice. Hilgraeve insists that the
scanning takes place even in ZIPped files. If that's true it's a
real breakthrough in virus scanning technology. As most people
know, the zipping process changes the virus' signature, making
most SCAN's of ZIPped files an exercise in futility. I
respectfully declined to test this, although I sure would like to
see it done by an outside authority.
As to upgradability of the signature file Hilgraeve invites
customers to pick up the latest copy quarterly FREE from their
BBS, a classy touch. More evidence of their class is shown by
the respect they pay DSZ, the difficult-to-use shareware zmodem.
Although they have a Zmodem built-in to the software, they
realize that Forsberg is constantly tweaking his DSZ and they
provide prewritten scripts, so that you can easily use it.
Person-to-person telecommunicating is enjoyable using this
program. If the other person is using Hyperprotocol, a free
external protocol available on your local BBS, you can send
bunches of files without having to ZIP them first. The protocol
compresses them for you. If the person at the other end has HA5,
then access to your computer can be turbocharged. DOS or OS/2
access can be extended to the remote computer, so that the host
computer becomes a terminal. Imagine, being on the road and
being able to get something from your home machine. File
transfers are easy. While you're on-line, pick up the mail that
HA5 has been automatically picking up for you. This program will
even call you back, at a predetermined number, if you're really
security conscious.
HA5 has gone out of its way to make it easy for ex-Procomm Plus
users, like myself, to make the change over. They've added
little command macros for the key sequences that I'm used to.
Things like Alt-X to exit the program. I won't say that there is
no learning curve, but I can say that it's not very high. The
ability to add key sequences to a macro and assign it to almost
any key you desire is one of the indicators of the power of this
software. Don't like the menu path that Hilgraeve supplies to do
something? Change it to your way of thinking. That's right,
even stepping through the menus can be automated.
In summary, this is red hot software for communications. All
levels of computer users will find plenty here. Beginners will
find an easy to configure program with a menu and online help
structure that will make learning telecommunications relatively
painless. More advanced users will find a configurable program
that offers true power at what turns out to be an extremely
reasonable price.
The suggested retail price for HA5(DOS) is $99.95, for HA5(OS2)
$199 (carried by bigger software dealers mainly). The
competitive upgrade price is $49.95 for DOS and $99.50 for OS/2.
If you don't have a competitive product, ask for the User's Group
Price, it's the same as the competitive upgrade. Should you have
a older version of HA5, the upgrade is $29.95; I list this to
show that Hilgraeve is not gouging its customers. Call 1-(800)
826-2760 to order. UPS shipping adds $6.00 for everybody.
-----------------------------
| Software Review |
| Mr. File/PM |
-----------------------------
By John Faughnan
(Originally from FIDONET area "OS/2") (Edited for Newsletter)
A SIMPLE, CONFIGURABLE OS/2 FILE MANAGER
Mr. File/PM is a file management utility that comes in 16 bit
(1.x) and 32 bit (2.x) versions. It is a PM application that
supports WPS drag and drop. It is started from the OS/2 command
line: "start mrfile32.exe". I have a copy of Norton
Commander/PM, a commercial file management utility but I prefer
Mr. File/PM. It is faster, less troublesome on my system, and
much closer to native OS/2 operation. Best of all -- it's free!
Double clicking on a file in the Mr. File List launches an
associated application. For example: double clicking on
"config.sys" launches the OS/2 editor. You can copy, move,
delete, clone, rename, change attributes, or print a file or a
group of files. There's a pseudo-tree view, and you can sort
lists by name, extension, date or size. Information on file size
is a quick-key away. You can "remember" a directory and it will
then be available on a list for a quick jump back to it - a
useful feature. You can also copy selected entries to the
clipboard. A super handy feature is the command line available
by striking the <Esc> key.
It's possible to link extensions to commands. You can also link
behavior to dropping files on windows with specific NAMES. Such
as a "*.cmd" or REXX script that runs whenever a file is dropped
into a folder with a specific name. Imagine the possibilities.
The documentation is good and the help file is thorough, but the
application is so easy to use they're almost superfluous.
A must-have utility. Four BYTES for Mr.File/PM!
Mr. File/PM (4.1) (Look for "MRFILEPM.ZIP" 259,033k)
Shareware Author: Mike Kaczmarski
-------------------------
| Software Review |
| File Commando |
-------------------------
By Stewart Davis
(Originally from FIDONET area "OS/2") (Edited for Newsletter)
I had downloaded another OS/2 file, called File Commando (FC.ZIP,
ARJ, etc.). The author makes no bones about patterning File
Commando after Norton's File Commander and has done a pretty good
job at it.
File Commando runs in a text mode only, either as a window on
your screen or as full screen, depending what you choose in the
OS/2 settings for the app. The window is split into two areas
vertically and you can have different directories in each area.
You can mark, delete, copy or move files from one directory to
the other. You can fire up a DOS or OS/2 app directly by simply
highlighting the executable and pressing your <ENTER> key. You
can view ascii text files by highlighting it and pressing your
<ENTER> key. As supplied, FC uses the OS/2 Editor (E.EXE) as
both viewer and editor. You can change that by editing the
TOOLS.INI file used by FC to call up any viewer or editor you
wish. I changed my viewer to LIST and my editor to TEDP.
FC uses menomic keys, such as V for view. You can modify the
setup to have a direct command area at the bottom of the screen.
Function keys can trigger your commands if you choose that
method.
Using the selection bar or the function keys, you can rename
files, view files, edit files, delete'em, move'em , copy'em,
etc.
File Commando, unlike Mr. File/PM, does not use the WPS and does
not really have all the bells and whistles of Mr. File/PM.
However, it is simple, clean and works great within its designed
parameters. If you who have been thinking of buying Norton
Commander for OS/2, I suggest you download give File Commando and
give it a try first. Like Mr. File/PM, it is FREE and may be all
the file management and program launcher you need with OS/2.
On a scale of 10, I would rate FC as a strong 8.
File Commando -- Freeware (tho "a six pack of good beer is always
welcome." -- per readme.doc.)
Written by -- Sean Purcell
Hard Drive Space Needed: 57,531
---------------------------------
| -->> NEW OS/2 2.0 Software |
---------------------------------
ZORTECH C++ FOR OS/2
Symantec has released their new C++ compiler for OS/2. This new
release allows a developer to write text-based or GUI-based
32-bit applications for OS/2 2.0. Zortech now has a compiler
version for OS/2, DOS and Windows 3.1. The OS/2 version carries
a suggested retail price of $499. Upgrades from an earlier OS/2
version will cost $249. Symantec can be reached at (800)
441-7234.
(As reported in PC Week December 14, 1992, page 69)
COLOR TOOLS FOR OS/2
Time Arts, Inc. is shipping the first integrated multimedia
product for OS/2. Color Tools for OS/2 provides tools for
developers to build graphics screens for multimedia applications.
The article also says that multimedia in OS/2 is better than in
Windows 3.1 and Apple's System 7 because of its multitasking and
background tasking. (Remember the film demo of the comparison at
the November meeting?) Color Tools for OS/2 is reported to
include drawing and painting tools, a light box, color palette,
special visual effects and supports importing of other graphic
formats. Suggested retail price is $595. Time Arts, Inc. can be
reached at (800) 959-0509.
(As reported in PC Week December 21, 1992, page 49)
------------------------------
| OS/2 Reading |
| Seen in the bookstores |
------------------------------
Inside OS/2 2.0 Special Edition
By Mark Minasi, John W. Little, Marlene Semple, and Bill Camarda
(New Riders Publishing) ISBN: 1-56205-134-2; 896 pages. Listed
as $34.95 USA, $43.95 CAN & 32.45 UK.
Claims to be the number 1 OS/2 selling title. This is the
successor to the "Inside OS/2" book we reported in our December
newsletter. Featured is a discussion of the inner workings and
technical details of OS/2. Discusses installation, memory
management and backward compatibility options. Troubleshooting
tips and hints are offered for the OS/2 user. In-depth coverage
of the OS/2 WPS is touted. You're told you'll learn how to
access and manage OS/2's generous multitasking and communication
capabilities. (Seen at Bookstar and SD Technical Books)
------------------------
| BENCHMARK TESTS |
------------------------
Craig Swanson came across some folks who had did some comparisons
of the Windows NT beta to Windows 3.1 and OS/2. While perhaps
not fair in that NT is not a shipped product yet, it does show
the progress that needs to be made yet.
October 1992 NT beta performance versus Windows 3.1
Craig's Note: This set of benchmarks were done by Eric Lapaille
and reported on the Fidonet WIN32 echo.
------------------------------------------------------------
| LOAD A 2.3MB WRITE DOCUMENT USING WINDOWS 3.1 WRITE |
-----------------------------------------------------------|
| Windows 3.1 | 28 seconds |
| Windows NT | 40 seconds |
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
| FIND A WORD AT THE END OF THE ABOVE DOCUMENT |
-----------------------------------------------------------|
| Windows 3.1 | 40 seconds |
| Windows NT | 59 seconds |
------------------------------------------------------------
***NT vs. OS/2 vs. Windows 3.1
Craig's Note: The next set of benchmarks were done by Albert
Shan and reported on the Fidonet WIN32 echo.
Test software: October 1992 NT beta, Windows 3.1, December 1992
OS/2 2.1 beta. (NT beta and OS/2 2.1 beta are on
the *same* FAT logical drive) PC Magazine
WinBench 2.51 benchmark software
Test hardware: 486DX2/66 with 20MB RAM
Display adapter is Diamond SpeedStar 24 (ET4000)
ISA bus speed set to 11MHz
Test conditions:
- No other background tasks were running (no clock,
memory meter, etc.).
- The mouse pointer was constantly moved away from the
client window from one benchmark to another. This
minimized mouse cursor blinks while the screen was
updated.
- Tests were done in VGA 640x480 16-color mode.
- Only Enhanced mode was tested for native Windows 3.1
and OS/2 2.1 beta, since most people will be using
Enhanced mode anyway.
- Winmark was run three times and the average was
calculated.
There are two benchmark results, one with the CPU running at full
speed -- turbo speed on; the other with the turbo switch off.
Norton SI 5.0
------------------------------------------------------------
| RUNNING ON PLAIN DOS |
-----------------------------------------------------------|
| Turbo On | 103.3 |
| Turbo Off | 46.5 |
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
| OCTOBER 1992 WINDOWS NT BETA |
-----------------------------------------------------------|
| Turbo On | 2,149,032 pixels/sec. |
| Turbo Off | 1,344,840 pixels/sec. |
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
| WINDOWS 3.1 ENHANCED MODE |
-----------------------------------------------------------|
| Turbo On | 3,996,561 pixels/sec. |
| Turbo Off | 2,384,168 pixels/sec. |
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
| OS/2 2.1 BETA WITH WINOS2 3/1 ENHANCED MODE: FULL SCREEN|
-----------------------------------------------------------|
| Turbo On | 4,009,681 pixels/sec. |
| Turbo Off | 2,383,379 pixels/sec. |
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
| OS/2 2.1 BETA WITH WINOS2 3.1 ENHANCED MODE: SEAMLESS |
-----------------------------------------------------------|
| Turbo On | 3,670,278 pixels/sec. |
| Turbo Off | 2,087,474 pixels/sec. |
------------------------------------------------------------
Just for comparison, seamless WinOS2 3.1 in standard mode under
the latest 2.1 beta with "Turbo ON" achieved a Winmark score of
3,684,381 pixels/second, approximately the same as seamless
WinOS2 3.1 enhanced mode.
------------------------------------
| MEDIA SCAN |
| DECEMBER & JANUARY |
------------------------------------
**OS/2 Sales Increasing?
Each month, Datamation publishes sales rankings of software,
based apparently on figures from Corporate Software, Inc. These
rankings "reflect monthly software sales primarily to Fortune
1000 companies in the U.S."
In the "Utilities/OSs" category, OS/2 has climbed from a ranking
of 8 in the 9/92 data to a ranking of 7 in the 10/92 data. By
cross- referencing the "DOS" and "Utilities/OSs" categories, one
can derive a ranking for OS/2 in relation to the "DOS" software
category.
Using the 9/92 data, OS/2's relative ranking is somewhere below
the (last reported) 10th ranking DOS program (Procomm Plus).
However, using the 10/92 data, OS/2's relative ranking is
equivalent to the 6th ranking DOS program (Harvard Graphics).
This appears to be an indication that OS/2 sales are
significantly increasing, for at least one vendor.
> Datamation, September & October 1992
From Lou Culbertson (From FIDONET "OS/2" area)
**Ship Date of OS/2 2.1 Revised
The beta program for the next version of OS/2, version 2.1,
reportedly increased to include 5,000 users. This beta version
includes more SVGA drivers, 32-bit graphics engine, more printer
drivers, Windows 3.1 support, multimedia extensions. It was
stated that we would be able to run OS/2 and DOS applications
when running full screen Win-OS/2. It's also stated that
Win-OS/2 3.1 could be installed separately, indicating the
likelihood of a future Windows-less OS/2 version. A new
mini-applet that is capable of sending one-page FAXes was also
reported. Estimated ship date is March 1993. If you just can't
wait that long, you can order the OS/2 2.1 beta for $15 (it's
shipped on CD ROM) by calling (800) 342-6672.
> InfoWorld, December 28 - January 4, 1993
PC Week - January 11, 1993
**MACH Microkernel & OS/2's Future
A technical review article offering some insight on the Mach
Microkernel being developed. The idea behind Mach is that the
core of the operating system should be lean and portable. Some
of the vendors working with Mach are NeXT, OSF and IBM. The
article discusses many topics such as the history of Mach, Mach
internals, Multiprocessing, Transparent libraries and Scheduling.
The article tries to inform the reader of what Mach is and isn't
to help evaluate future products based on it.
> PC Week - December 21, 1992
**1-2-3 and Freelance Betas Released
Lotus is readying a suite of OS/2 applications to use the OS/2
WPS interface and 32-bit memory management. PC Week reported the
betas were a bit rougher than expected (remember the demo we saw
in November?) The new 1-2-3 OS/2 version reportedly has better
graphics and charting abilities than it's Windows counterpart.
Freelance for OS/2 is supposed to have spell checking and better
charting options -- features not in it's Windows edition.
SmartIcons are included. The article was an extensive review of
both products. The review deemed them both good upgrades for
OS/2 users.
> PC Week - December 21, 1992
**Medical Center Picks OS/2 Network
Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma is reported to have
revamped its IS by implementing a network of OS/2-based PC's.
It's reported to go live in March 1993. It's using OS/2, Novell
LAN and 3Net Systems, Inc. (for app development) tools. The
reported goal of the project is to save $10 million over 5 years
in eliminating mainframe maintenance costs. The medical center's
mainframe applications were stated to be over 20 years old.
> Computerworld - December 14, 1992
**MicroGrafx & IBM Extend Mirrors Pact
MicroGrafx (MG) and IBM inked a new two-year deal for joint
licensing and development. MG will extend the Mirrors technology
based DMK/2 toolkit to support Windows 3.1, multimedia and
international languages. It will be sold under the MG logo
instead of IBM's. MG is to assist 3rd parties porting apps from
Windows to OS/2. MicroGrafx will ship its own MicroGrafx
Designer for OS/2 later in December.
> PC Week - December 7, 1992
**Co-Creator of BASIC Dies
The BASIC computer language so many of us are familiar with was
co-created by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz in 1964. Mr. Kemeny
died in early January 1993. Autobiographical article.
> Computerworld - January 11, 1993
**Norton Commander for OS/2 Reviewed
As reported in the December newsletter, Symantec had released
Norton Commander for OS/2. Two publications gave it their first
reviews. PC Week gave it a 3.3 out of a possible 5. InfoWorld
gave it a plus for easy use of OS/2's WPS but a minus for lacking
certain features.
> PC Week - December 14, 1992
InfoWorld - December 28, 1992 - January 4, 1993
**Microsoft Reviewed by U.K.
Microsoft is receiving scrutiny by both the FTC in the USA and by
the FTC counterpart in the UK -- the "Office of Fair Trading".
In question is Microsoft's DOS licensing pricing practices.
Simply, Microsoft has vendors pay a fee for all PC's made, even
if MS DOS is not installed on them. If they don't choose this
plan, the MS DOS licensing fee is higher.
> Computerworld - December 21, 1992
**IBM Reorganization
Computerworld ran a front page dual set of columns discussing
IBM's reorganization. From the PC to the AS/400 and OS, IBM's
strategies are reviewed. The analysts also provide their
opinions as to what IBM should have done.
> Computerworld - December 21, 1992
**PC Magazine Award for OS/2 2.0
PC Magazine (believe it) gave IBM's OS/2 2.0 it's 1992 "Award for
Technical Excellence" in the Operating System and Software
Standards category.
> PC Magazine - January 12, 1993
**PC Magazine Reviews OS/2 Books
PC Magazine reviewed 3 books we mentioned in the December
newsletter. The editor's final summary of these books:
"Now That I Have OS/2 on My Computer...What Do I Do Next?" --
easy overview of OS/2's WPS. "Using OS/2 2.0" -- comprehensive
guide. "Inside OS/2" -- for extensive fine tuning of OS/2.
> PC Magazine - January 12, 1993
------------------------------
| CONSUMER ADVOCATE |
------------------------------
This month my investigative mind was aimed at Logitech. I and
many others have waited in vain for months in getting OS/2 to
recognize our Logitech 3-button mouse.
A few months ago I called Logitech direct and left a message on
their BBS, inquiring about mouse and hand-scanner support. Their
initial response was "IBM promised OS/2 would be compatible, not
Logitech." They also indicated that they were not doing any OS/2
development.
I am still frustrated. My routine when I get a system freeze
(mostly in native DOS) on occasion is to:
1. Re-boot.
2. Disconnect the PS/2 style bus-mouse from the back of my PC
for about 15 seconds; reconnect the mouse.
3. Type "MOUSE PC" at a DOS prompt. This does not reactivate
the mouse at this point.
4. Re-boot machine.
5. Mouse re-activates.
Other users have reported problems with other Logitech serial
mice. The common reported fix is to make sure your OS/2
"config.sys" file has the following lines:
DEVICE=C:\OS2\POINTDD.SYS
DEVICE=C:\OS2\PCLOGIC.SYS SERIAL=COM1
DEVICE=C:\OS2\MOUSE.SYS TYPE=PCLOGIC$
January 13, I left another message on Logitech's BBS (510)
795-0408 about my mouse blues. I called back January 17 and
found a message - - they've changed their tune. The terse
response from their tech support was: "Thank you for your
feedback. We are looking at all possibilities of OS/2 for future
consideration."
Then I replied, using my own version of "fuzzy" logic on them.
Their BBS lists statistics of files downloaded. After I
downloaded the latest mouse driver, it noted that 2,936 callers
had downloaded this file. They have a file available for
download that has information on using Logitech mice with OS/2.
It's "1002.TXT". That file has been downloaded 1,311 times.
Therefore, aren't 45% of their mouse customers interested in
OS/2? Stay tuned til we find the answer to this dilemma.
--------------------------
| OS/2 USER GROUPS |
--------------------------
For those who travel and have the time or those who want to
exchange information, we'll try to list known OS/2 User Groups
whenever we get the information. Of course, we can't be
responsible if the information proves to be unreliable -- you,
the reader are our best source of this information. This month
we got the names from a file called "OS2UG.ZIP" that we found on
IBM's OS/2 User Group forum on CompuServe, put together by the
Association of PCUG's.
Bay Area OS/2 User Group
Contact: Guy Scharf
Software Architects, Inc.
2163 Jardin Drive
Mountain View, CA 94040
Meets: 4th Monday @ IBM Mountain View
Phone: Voice -- (415) 948-9186
Fort Wayne OS/2 User Group
Contact: Stephen Gutknecht
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Meets: Central Soya on Cook Rd.
Meets: 7:00pm, 2nd Tuesday
Phone: Voice -- (219) 484-0062 (Bus. Hrs.)
Phone: BBS -- (219) 471-3918
Dallas-Forth Worth OS/2 User Group
Contact: Toby Pennycuff
CompuServe ID: 70007,6267
1211 Wilshire Blvd.
Arlington, TX 76012-4623
Meets: American Airlines HQ
4255 Amon Carter Blvd.
Arlington, TX
Meets: Time & date not listed.
North Suburban Chicago OS/2 User Group
Contact: James R. Schmidt
Meets: William M. Mercer, Inc.
1417 Lake Cook Rd.
Deerfield, IL 60015
Meets: 5:30pmTues preceding 3rd Thurs.
Phone: Voice -- (708) 317-7485
-----------------------------------
| WHERE TO BUY OS/2 SOFTWARE? |
-----------------------------------
Guess what folks? We can obtain OS/2 software applications
locally here in San Diego. No, it's not CompUSA or that new
Computer City store. It's a local company called "PCAware
Technology". David Lents, one of our members and co-sysop with
Sue Lin Poh of the PCAware BBS and Pandora's Cafe BBS, did some
investigative research and put together a list of products that
we can purchase through PCAware Technology. Here's a sampling of
what he has to offer. You can call PCAware for more information
at (619) 291-8864. Their BBS phone number is (619) 291-9792.
PCAware
Product Name Description Price
------------------- ------------------------------------- -----
Coreldraw OS/2 2.5 Graphics for DTP $395
MicroGrafx Draw Graphics drawing & clip art $109
MicroGrafx Designer Graphics for DTP $479
Gamma Tech Util. 32-bit set of hard disk utilities(HPFS)
$115
DCF/2 Disk Compression Utility (HPFS) $ 85
DeScribe 4.0 (32-bit) 32-bit full Word Processing $369
Borland ObjectVision for OS/2 Object development environment$185
WatCom C/386 9.0 32-bit C Compiler (also supporting
DOS & Win 3.x) $535
HyperAccess/5 Text mode (VIO) Communication/Term
(DOS version included, too) $119
PMComm-32 32-bit PM Communication $ 69
Golden CommPass CompuServe communication and navigation $ 65
R:Base 4.0 for OS/2 32-bit database application $500
---------------------------
| NEW OS/2 MAGAZINE! |
---------------------------
By Steve Landrum
I was out making my usual rounds at the mall when I stopped in
the Software Etc. at the Grossmont Shopping Center to ask where
the OS/2 software section was. They never know but I have to let
them know someone wants OS/2 software. But, I did see an OS/2
magazine called OS/2 MONTHLY. I noted a couple of differences
about this magazine. The first difference I noticed was this new
magazine didn't have a slick cover like the other pc magazines.
This is a good clue that the magazine hasn't been around very
long (issue six).
The second difference I noted about the magazine was that there
are more articles than advertisements -- how refreshing. I went
back to the counter to buy OS/2 MONTHLY where the salesclerk
informed me they did have a book about OS/2 called "Inside OS/2"
but no software. "I already have that book," I replied, "I'll
just buy this magazine".
OS/2 MONTHLY seems to be aiming at the broadest possible
audience. Articles ranged from the OS/2's beginner interest "On
the Eve of Installation" by Bill Zinsmeyer, to the Programmer's
interest in "Introducing Containers" by Guy Scharf with several
articles covering the range between these two extremes. I didn't
see a "Letters to the Editor" department and the Q&A department
did not have a question but instead had a good article about the
author's experience in overcoming the media's standard objections
to OS/2. On the whole, I thought the articles were well written
and the magazine was laid out well but artwork was minimal. I
guess OS/2 MONTHLY reminds me most of the LAPALS Paradox user's
group newsletter INSTANT SCRIPTS. The contents of issue Six are
below:
**Features
The OS/2 DOS Environment Part III By Les Bell
On the Eve of Installation by Bill Zinsmeyer
OS/2 + MIS by Gary Murphy
**Departments
Q&A by David Hunt
Discovering the Workplace Shell by Brett Kotch
Review by Ron Beauchemin & Paul Duncanson
Advanced PM Programming by Guy Scharf
The Ultimate OS/2 Game by Timur Tabi
Object Objective by David Moskowitz
In The Trenches by Eric Pinnel
OS/2 MONTHLY is published by:
JDS Publishing
PO Box 4351
Highland Park, NJ 08904
(800) 365-2642
Cover price $4.50
1 Year rate - $39.00; 2 Year rate - $75.00
-------------------
| OS/2 BBS'S |
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Those of you who feel like a "treat" on your phone bill once in a
while, here's a list of some local and some not so local OS/2
specific Bulletin Boards....
OS/2 Connection San Diego, CA 619-558-9475
PCAware TechNet OS/2 San Diego, CA 619-291-9791
PCAware TechNet OS/2 San Diego, CA 619-291-2963
Pandora's Cafe San Diego, CA 619-291-9792
Zzyzx Road El Cajon, CA 619-579-0135
AsmLang and OS/2 San Jose, CA 408-259-2223
Spectre OS/2 Tech Exch Santa Ana, CA 714-751-9307
Communitel OS/2 BBS Las Vegas, NV 702-399-0486
Caddis OS/2 BBS Las Vegas, NV 702-453-6981
Las Vegas OS/2 SIG BBS Las Vegas, NV 702-443-5535
Greater Chicago Online Chicago, IL 708-895-4042
Marquee Systems Miami, FL 305-424-0465
Fernwood Branford, CT 203-483-0348
Fernwood II Branford, CT 203-481-7934
IBM Natl Suppt Ctr Atlanta, GA 404-835-5300
Information Overload Riverdale, GA 404-471-1549
OS/2 Shareware Fairfax, VA 703-385-4325
Short Circuit Boca Raton, FL 407-997-2235
T.E.L. Net Systems #2 Chino, CA 714-597-7858
International Lounge Babylon, NY 516-321-8125
Multitasking Systems Kansas City, MO 816-587-5360
The Looking Glass Memphis, TN 901-872-4386
