Mozturbo help

[David Graser]

I was wondering if we are going to have this mozturbo (Falkoturbo) capability with the new FalKon browser or will we even need it?

[xynixme]

And I'm wondering how, where, why and by what a standard e-mail program is set? According to BS_Info.exe my eCS 1.2 install has no such setting.

[Dave Yeo]

@David, likely the QT libs will need marking high and a QTturbo program alongside. Mozturbo can be easily converted to QTturbo, change the name, semaphore and list of DLLs.

@André, Under HINI_USER_PROFILE\WPURLDEFAULTSETTINGS (as reported by reged) DefaultMailExe which points to Thunderbird.exe here. Also default "DefaultMailParameters"="-compose" and there's "DefaultMailWorkingDir".
BTW, my Telus account is down so if you sent anything in the last week...

[xynixme]

Under HINI_USER_PROFILE\WPURLDEFAULTSETTINGS (as reported by reged) DefaultMailExe which points to Thunderbird.exe here. Also default "DefaultMailParameters"="-compose" and there's "DefaultMailWorkingDir".
 
BTW, my Telus account is down so if you sent anything in the last week...

Interesting. Can exactly the same settings be found in OS2.INI, each with a trailing 00'x character? I assumed it was some IBM IAK artifact, because I don't have it set. While the default Mozilla is a DefaultBrowserExe of my eCS, so I've got that setting.

I did, but it does look the default e-mail client setting is an OS2.INI setting. Now I'll first change the code again, to deal with your original request to be able to set this too (Mozilla/SM/TB only, as usual). With support for mixed settings, like SM as the DefaultBrowserExe and TB as the DefaultMailExe. If there's something to change, a new mail executable and/or a new mail working directory, then I'll set "-compose" as a constant value.

[Gregg Young]

ArcaOS has a program for this. In Computer->System Setup->Network->TCP/IP is a program called Default Internet Applications which can be used to set all the default internet related apps. It sets web browser to Firefox and Thunderbird for email if you do a default ArcaOS install. It sets them to SeaMonkey if you install that while installing ArcaOS. They aren't set at all if you don't install any of these when you install ArcaOS.

[xynixme]

ArcaOS has a program for this. In Computer->System Setup->Network->TCP/IP is a program called Default Internet Applications which can be used to set all the default internet related apps.

It sets web browser to Firefox and Thunderbird for email if you do a default ArcaOS install. It sets them to SeaMonkey if you install that while installing ArcaOS. They aren't set at all if you don't install any of these when you install ArcaOS.

Thanks. eCS only sets the browser when Mozilla is installed. Just curious: when will those mail settings actually be used by ArcaOS? mailto:-links in e.g. NewView or PDF files, or a WPUrl which starts with mailto:?

The now unfinished app should support all valid Mozilla-combinations with a turbo, including updates (e.g. a modern SM for e-mails, but a downgrade to a different, older SM for faster browsing). If the user enables any of those checkboxes, then the user has to confirm the new settings, which will be applied later. An unverified sample is included below. It installs a turbo and isn't an OS2.INI manager, so in case of the legacy Mozilla browser with an old or new MOZTIURBO.EXE there's only one turbo-related option. There's no support for marking legacy DLL files to allow using memory above 512 MiB. The current, different default browser is set by an eCS install, so that can be changed. If so, then the user first has to confirm the selection. The Apply-button will actually apply all settings, so answering "Yes" won't change the settings yet. So an actual change of the system's setting has to be enabled (if possible and required), confirmed and applied.

[Doug Bissett]

Just curious: when will those mail settings actually be used by ArcaOS?

While ArcaOS has a tool to set those settings, ArcaOS does not use them (eCS also had a tool, and the tool actually existed before eCS did, and very few things actually use them). Applications are supposed to use them (not OS/2), but most do not. In PMMail, the, soon to be renamed Migration tool (will be PMMail Utility), will set the proper stuff for PMMail (within the limits of what the settings will allow), but even PMMail doesn't actually use those settings for anything, and it doesn't matter if they are set, or not, unless you also use the available PMMDiags package (for extra logging). Then, it is used to find the location of PMMail (forcing the user to do the setting, if they want to use the package).

The bottom line is, that few, if any, apps actually use that stuff, so there has been little incentive for anybody to bother.

[Pete]

Hi All

If an app I write offers a browser or email link then the app will rummage through the os2.ini file to locate the default browser/email client. Obviously if the user has not set the default browser/email client then the link does not work - and I usually remember to code a popup message as to why clicking the link failed :-)

So tools like Configure Internet Applications are very useful, easier to use than an ini file editor - but only if the user runs the tool and enters the necessary data.


Regards

Pete

[xynixme]

PMMail doesn't actually use those settings for anything, and it doesn't matter if they are set, or not, unless you also use the available PMMDiags package (for extra logging). Then, it is used to find the location of PMMail (forcing the user to do the setting, if they want to use the package).

The bottom line is, that few, if any, apps actually use that stuff, so there has been little incentive for anybody to bother.

Why the "if any", when you report that PMMDiags "actually uses that stuff"!? I don't know why PMMail on its own would ever "actually use those settings for anything" anyway, unless such an app would be some extension of PMMail.

A bothered developer or bothered users, a rather clear choice. Presumably you cannot control the number of "apps actually using that stuff" of remaining users of PMMail, and unfortunately the install procedure of an OS sets a different default e-mail client. So the competition, pleased users, integration of an informal and unannounced new OS standard, the simplicity, and e.g. a possibility to synchronize known inboxes can be some incentives for quite a few developers.

BTW: of course anyone has the full freedom to write a fully open default e-mail client installer, a more aggressive installer for a single product, or perhaps even an uninstaller to delete an alleged useless setting. I won't write an open one, for example because I had to pay for my copy of PMMail, it's not as easy as setting a default browser, and e.g. MAILTO.EXE and YARN.EXE are e-mail solutions which may be hard to integrate.

Either way the on-topic installer won't enable a change by default. So the user has to enable, confirm and apply it intentionally. A specific warning could be possible, but apparently users of PMMDiags had to set it earlier. They should be able to recognize their own explicit setting, which will be displayed. In theory PMMail, or a new QT 5-based browser, can be included as an adopted member of the Mozilla family too, but it's not a fully open installer. For one due to its links with the MozTurbo-solutions.

As such the setting does affect the code significantly, but I'll include it because IIRC it was one of the original requests and other apps can and will use such a new "OS" setting. Yet another component of ArcaOS available as an "informal upgrade" for OS/2 and eCS: a default e-mail client setting.

[Doug Bissett]

Why the "if any", when you report that PMMDiags "actually uses that stuff"!? I don't know why PMMail on its own would ever "actually use those settings for anything" anyway, unless such an app would be some extension of PMMail.

PMMDiags uses it because it was the easiest way to find where the user installed PMMail. It was also a way to get people to actually set the defaults, but very few people use PMMDiags, so it probably doesn't matter anyway. PMMail could use it to find out which browser to use, but it hasn't been programmed to do that, it is still a setting in the PMMail program (mostly because there is no way to ensure that the default browser, or the user, would do the proper browser setting).

The basic flaw with using the WPURL settings, with PMMail, is that it can only point to one account, when Mailto is clicked in the browser. PMMail could override that, and offer the user a selection from the configured accounts, but somebody would need to do the programming. I expect that other e-mail programs would have the same restriction, unless they are programmed to handle it. There has been no demand to do it, and programmers are hard to find.

There are other WPURL settings, for other programs too (FTP, News, IRC). I don't know of any program that actually uses them, and since it is unique to OS/2, programs from other operating systems don't know about it. In most cases, there is really no reason to even consider using those settings, so they are rarely actually used.

unfortunately the install procedure of an OS sets a different default e-mail client.

In fact, the OS installer does not, and should not, set any of those things. The program that the setting points to should advertise itself by setting them. PMMail will do that, when it is installed, but the user has the choice, so it doesn't always happen. ArcaOS has included a tool so that a user can do the settings, without having to directly edit an INI file. There was an older program (REXX), that did the same thing.

Note that Firefox, Thunderbird, and Seamonkey do set them (apparently), when they are installed (perhaps only when they are set to be the default program). PMMail gives the user the option, but it IS a user option, it is not required, or done by default. If people think it would be a good idea to just do it, I can arrange that (in future versions of PMMail). Just let me know, but that would be a problem, if the user wants to use more than one e-mail program.

it's not as easy as setting a default browser, and e.g. MAILTO.EXE and YARN.EXE are e-mail solutions which may be hard to integrate.

If they work, in a way that can be integrated, you can change the settings to use them. The main "problem" is that the implementation of the WPURL stuff is totally inadequate for the way that most users would want to use it. This stuff is NOT officially a part of OS/2. AFAIR, it was added by a user (Chuck McInnes, I believe) many years ago. It was mostly ignored, although the idea does have merit.