Author Topic: eCo Software Runtime Packages - benefits???  (Read 13737 times)

ivan

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Re: eCo Software Runtime Packages - benefits???
« Reply #15 on: April 14, 2017, 01:25:37 am »
Martin,

Strange how the icons in your screen grab are not very much larger than those I have on my screen.  My sight is good out in the great outdoors but I need glasses to read text on the screen, something many of us nudging 80 do.

I am sure that Andreas is correct in saying it is the job of the Presentation Manager driver to give a suitable size to fit the screen resolution.

The main thing is that everyone has a different idea of what they like to see on a computer screen so we will have to agree to differ and hope we each end up with what we like as long as it complies with the way OS/2 does things.  Appearance, to a large extent, depends on the ability of the video drivers which takes us on to the need of improved SNAP to handle wide screen display panels for desktops and laptops (my 1440 x 900 laptop screen is not supported).
 

Rich Walsh

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Re: eCo Software Runtime Packages - benefits???
« Reply #16 on: April 14, 2017, 02:00:21 am »
I can't comment on the eCoSoft runtime but I can tell you a bit about one of the add-ons that use it: PNG Desktop, aka Sunny Icons.

A few weeks ago, eCoSoft gave Arca Noae permission to have me create a customized version called "Dynamic Icons". Since then I've put in an enormous amount of time chasing down bugs and reworking its menus and notebook pages. I have to say that I'm extremely pleased with the results. The version I released yesterday (beta72 - sadly, only available to AN testers right now) is quite stable and, IMHO, easier to use. If you decide to install AOS when it's released, I hope you'll give it a try.

BTW... an AOS-only feature lets you turn customized icons on and off. If you install 3rd-party icons and find you don't like them, you can just turn them off and use expanded versions of the stock icons until you find a set you like.

Also, to follow up on a question that Martin asked a few months ago... It appears that XWP's Xview and PNG Desktop/Dynamic Icons are fundamentally incompatible. Sadly, most of that incompatibility is due to Xview's design. PNG Desktop was designed to support standard WPS folder windows: one folder per window with all of its settings stored as part of the folder object. In contrast, Xview displays multiple folders per window and stores its settings outside the object in os2.ini. Getting the two to mesh would probably take a lot of work.

Doug Bissett

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Re: eCo Software Runtime Packages - benefits???
« Reply #17 on: April 14, 2017, 07:33:33 am »
Quote
A few weeks ago, eCoSoft gave Arca Noae permission to have me create a customized version called "Dynamic Icons". Since then I've put in an enormous amount of time chasing down bugs and reworking its menus and notebook pages. I have to say that I'm extremely pleased with the results. The version I released yesterday (beta72 - sadly, only available to AN testers right now) is quite stable and, IMHO, easier to use. If you decide to install AOS when it's released, I hope you'll give it a try.

I can say that Rich has done a great job with that package. I tried the feature in eCS 2.2b2, and swore I would never try it again, but felt obliged to try it as an AN tester. Very much to my surprise, it seems that the bugs are gone, and the one problem that I did find, got fixed. I am not sure if I will install it, when I do my "permanent" install, but I will definitely need to think about it.

Quote
and when you increase the resolution of the screen the icons and text get smaller and smaller.

That is partly true, but you are much better off using a resolution that matches the dot pattern of your screen (assuming it is not an old CRT type). Then, go to System Setup-> Screen-> DPI tab, and increase the size of things on the screen (that is what it is in Panorama, SNAP should be similar). If you reduce the screen resolution, they do get bigger, but that gives you the jagged edges, and fuzzy characters, that you see in your screen shot. The dots just don't line up properly.

Martin Iturbide

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Re: eCo Software Runtime Packages - benefits???
« Reply #18 on: April 20, 2017, 07:57:28 pm »
Hi Rich.

It is good that the component is going to be included on ArcaOS and had been bug-tested/optimized, but it would be desirable to have something integrated to XWorkplace SOM objects (I guess it is the folder class object) and that can be also included on that project.

I will ask Lewis if there can be a chance to include that project has part of XWorkplace instead of being a separate close source project, but I will have to wait until he releases ArcaOS, I guess he is very busy on this days.

Regards
Martin Iturbide
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Andy Willis

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Re: eCo Software Runtime Packages - benefits???
« Reply #19 on: April 21, 2017, 06:07:35 am »
Hi Rich.

It is good that the component is going to be included on ArcaOS and had been bug-tested/optimized, but it would be desirable to have something integrated to XWorkplace SOM objects (I guess it is the folder class object) and that can be also included on that project.

I will ask Lewis if there can be a chance to include that project has part of XWorkplace instead of being a separate close source project, but I will have to wait until he releases ArcaOS, I guess he is very busy on this days.

Regards
This is just a guess based on Rich's comment but I suspect that to add it to xworkplace would require someone to write an implementation from scratch as I think the code belongs to eCo and is licensed by Arca Noae and not owned (again this is just how I read it).