Messages

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General Discussion / Re: Retro Machine - DOS VDM - OpenOffice

« on: September 05, 2024, 02:56:44 pm »

I have split the topic. Let's hope I did it right.

Martin:- Thanks for handling the housekeeping on this one. Let the far-future archaeologists puzzle over any oddities that resulted from your disentanglement of two streams of thought. I am parked for now, tied up with putting this computer-&-software combo to practical use. But if anyone has more ideas, I am listening reading.

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General Discussion / Re: Re: Do we still need a 64-bit version of OS/2? And a possible roadmap provided ...

« on: September 04, 2024, 04:34:59 pm »

I agree with Neil that this thread has drifted off-topic and am ready to give my DOS/WS problems a rest. As a final update FWIW, I find that adding /MAXCPU=1 to the PSD=ACPI.PSD line in config.sys makes no apparent difference to whether the DOS session crashes (it still does) or Reboot via Ctl+Alt+Del works (it still does). Thank you, people, for having a go at helping.

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General Discussion / Re: Re: Do we still need a 64-bit version of OS/2? And a possible roadmap provided ...

« on: September 03, 2024, 07:49:57 pm »

You might want to test with only one cpu enabled. Add /MAXCPU=1 to the PSD=ACPI.PSD line in config.sys.

* MAXCPU:- Sounds a solid idea; cannot do it at once but soon as possible.

I got to this sooner than expected. Sadly, there was no sign of it doing much, though (if I recall right) key combo Ctl+Alt+Del allowed me to use the Reboot option after a DOS session crash, where (if I recall right) I used to have to use the Reset button on the Lenovo m/c. (But I may not be recalling right.)

Nice idea, though. Thanks again.

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General Discussion / Re: Re: Do we still need a 64-bit version of OS/2? And a possible roadmap provided ...

« on: September 03, 2024, 05:34:57 pm »

Thank you, everyone who made suggestions. And other thanks to those who are patiently sitting through this chatter...

You might want to test with only one cpu enabled. Add /MAXCPU=1 to the PSD=ACPI.PSD line in config.sys.
As for LibreOffice, one of the first things they did when they forked from OpenOffice was remove the OS/2 stuff and since then so much development has happened that re-adding it would be very hard. Even building OpenOffice is next to impossible without the right environment which I understand only one person has.

* MAXCPU:- Sounds a solid idea; cannot do it at once but soon as possible.
* LibreOffice:- Pity. Well, we'll see whether my WS setup can be rescued. As a side-thought: does OS/2 have a text-editor subset of OpenOffice? I mean a program that is aware of the other \OO functions like  spreadsheet, so it can skip references to them, but does only text editing? Being able to work with the ODF file format sounds attractive, for portability if nothing else.

[...]
Open Editor (e.exe) and Save As [BootDrive]H:\OS2\BOOT\ALTF2ON.$$$- Yes, an empty "dummy" file.

This reports every driver that it has loaded during boot which seems to help with timing issues. Also useful if boot gets stuck at some point as you can see how far booting got before failing.

* Dummy file:- I'll give it a go, though I'm managing okay(ish) by being nimble with my Alt+F2 pressing.
* Roderick & ivan:- Fair points. Given my lowly User status, I'd best see what happens with suggestions covered above and hope some bright SMOC discovers how to put things right. Tickets: as appropriate.

Will feed back what I learn. Thanks again.

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General Discussion / Re: Re: Do we still need a 64-bit version of OS/2? And a possible roadmap provided ...

« on: September 02, 2024, 05:34:41 pm »

Doug:... Many thanks for the discussion on the variable results you have had, running versions of OS/2 on sundry machines. Reading your account, I found myself thinking of that AOS booting-up oddity, whereby it pays to press Alt+F2 to ensure a small delay at a critical moment. Is it possible (Wild Guess Dept.) that we have here (sorry, Half-A**ed Attempt At Being Technical follows) timing clashes in a multi-processor m/c? If sequences of code got handled at different rates and the software was not written to cope, one might get problems?

BTW, I have been looking at Wikipedia's article on LibreOffice and wondered if anyone has investigated an OS/2 port. It's a HUGE article but the general notes point to LO being a lot more mature than its ancestor, OpenOffice (whose OS/2 port I bought and still have not installed -- mainly because of distractions).

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General Discussion / Re: Re: Do we still need a 64-bit version of OS/2? And a possible roadmap provided ...

« on: September 02, 2024, 04:32:16 pm »

If one is considering multiboot solutions, then this could be a case where an AToF machine really shines for WordStar and other old non-OS/2 apps ... [...]

Thanks for the thoughts, though AToF is something I have yet to investigate.

The spate of bugs afflicting my DOS and Win-3.1, summarised earlier, started with AOS. The eCS-2 sessions worked beautifully, so maybe our SMOCs (Secret Masters Of Computing) tweaked something that needs to be un-tweaked. Or I could dig out a copy of eCS-2 (hmm, do I still have it?) and install that in its own disk partition, in the hope it can talk to modern-format files in the AOS-5.1 (&c) partitions -- or it can be HPFS-formatted and the AOS partitions could talk to it.

Like was remarked recently elsewhere (paraphrased), life gets complicated. My big hope is that our SMOCs can succeed with un-tweaking. Meanwhile, you'd laugh at the antics I've got up to: (a) write my MS (manuscript) on WS under AOS-5.1, (b) convert the MS to pure-ASCII in WS by replacing the limited set of formatting sequences with ASCII codes (eg "soft tab" --> "@T@"), (c) port this file to my Dell notebook on a USB stick and use Win-10's LibreOffice 7.5 to do spelling fixes, (d) port the new file back to WS and restore the formatting sequences, (e) use WS's "convert to RTF" feature to make a RTF version of the MS, (f) port the RTF back to LibreOffice and insert data on the typeface (because for some reason WS writes "default") and (g) send the RTF to a lucky editor (because the publishing industry still thinks RTF/DOCX is/are the cat's pyjamas of formats)... *mutters*

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General Discussion / Re: Re: Do we still need a 64-bit version of OS/2? And a possible roadmap provided ...

« on: September 01, 2024, 04:13:26 pm »

The MDOS(WinOS2) subsystem in OS/2 is not an emulator, but actual PC-DOS 5 running in ring2. Not quite bare metal but closer then most user programs that run in ring3. You can actually load and run most DOS device drivers with some such as disk, mouse and keyboard getting trapped by the kernel and replaced by the OS/2 driver. So DOS programs can run on HPFS and JFS but you can't easily do something like supporting long file names.
The hardware itself has changed enough that DOS applications just don't run as well as they used to do.

Crikey... Ta for the pointer, which could explain a lot. In WordStar, most functions work as usual, so with care I can do productive writing, but a function that opens extra files (eg: second editing window, spell-checker (but not thesaurus, oddly) & text import/export), the whole shebang freezes, requiring an OS/2 reboot. Trying to use the Oxford Compendium (dictionary + thesaurus + quotes) in Win-3.1 makes it witter about not being able to find one file (I forget which and my OS/2 m/c is turned off right now) and refuses to run. And Borland Quattro Pro crashes if I check the icon in Properties. Otherwise life is dandy. *sigh* Okay, it is time to Be Philosophical -- and Very Careful while dancing in the minefield.

BTW, I did consider setting up a disk partition as DR-DOS-7 and running WS there but am unsure about accessing I/O such as USB, or talking to disk files within my m/c's OS/2 Universe. But that can wait.

(And, yes, to those helpful souls who want to mention WordTsar, I am keeping an eye on that, thanks.)

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Applications / Re: Any way to increase mouse tracking speed other than the regular System applet?

« on: September 01, 2024, 03:40:37 pm »

A long shot... I suppose you've checked the mouse is free of dirt around the ball? When a mouse has started behaving weirdly here, it has usually been a case of popping the ball and cleaning the socket. Gunk can build up surprisingly fast. Of course, your mileage may differ. 

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General Discussion / Retro Machine - DOS VDM - OpenOffice

« on: August 31, 2024, 04:54:22 pm »

This topic fits well with a feeling I have had for some time. However, wording it in a way that makes perfect sense may be tricky.

It comes down to what I want/need to do with that computer in front of me. As I see it, Operators fall into two major classes (ignoring oddball cases, like Manufacturer):

* Developer -- someone who wants to tinker with innards -- make the m/c "better" (faster, bigger data capacity, more physically robust &c);

* User -- someone who wants to manipulate objects such as Texts, Spreadsheets, Emails, Artwork, Designs (for various types of things -- clerical, abstract or tangible), Music, Household Appliances &c.

These days, I tend to fall into the User class but can appreciate the effort it takes to be a useful Designer. Being a creature of habit, I still try to run WordStar and other 16-bit utils. So OS/2's emulators, currently for DOS and Win-3.1 -- not to mention OS/2 itself -- are essential (but still a bit flaky in my AOS-5.1; can we expect an update or two soon(ish)?).

This leads me to wonder whether the best future for OS/2 would be as a place to run retro-software. To the emulators already mentioned, add new ones for (eg) Linux, old games, other OSes that used to host popular software. Think about it: 32 bits already provide massive resources. Since OS/2 began, there have been amazing general refinements in industry standards: I/O commonly relies on USB but could still work with archaic stuff like Centronics; storage devices can run up to (is it?) 2TB per partition; processing speeds are insanely fast;...

And OS/2 would not be stuck-in-the-mud. We could hope for emulators allowing it to be hosted under 64-bits (and whatever higher bit-count the Secret Masters Of Computing, the SMOCs) may decree. And those Developers could carry on, improving the breed.
 
Need I go on?

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Internet / Re: Dooble releases-Qt6

« on: August 23, 2024, 03:33:44 pm »

<sigh> [listing of woes] Why is everything so hard?

In Ancient Times folk would have said something like, "God is testing you for a Great Task, so go with it." These days, dunno. Maybe you're due to have one of those life-rebooting Road To Damascus Warpstock experiences in due course.

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Off Topic discussions / Re: Which Linux desktop for long time OS/2 users?

« on: July 08, 2024, 04:02:42 pm »

By the way Debian is a very good and stable choice for a distribution.

IIRC, Debian is the Linux-of-choice for the Pineapple micro-computers, as sold currently.

Sidebar: I don't suppose there could be an AOS for Pineapples? Or would that mean radical (and costly) retooling to handle different CPU machine code?

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Hardware / Re: F Keys Altenartives on OS/2 - ArcaOS

« on: June 24, 2024, 04:08:25 pm »

But, just as brainstorming, if I can set an alternative for Alt+F4, what do you think can be a good combination of keys to complement it?

Does the "AltGr" key get much use? Perhaps employ that as the "shift" key, with Pete2's suggestion of "Q" (for "quit", I assume).

IIRC, the IBM PC keyboard sends a mix of signals to the OS: printable symbols (abc 0123 &c) go as a key number which is translated into the actual symbol code according to the currently configured national keyboard; but shift keys go as status bits alongside key numbers.

So the keyboard always should send the full set of shift key information, no? The IBM 101-keyboard (as in USian m/cs) is extended in the UK to 102 keys (for GBP/£ sign), which would call for a key number that in the 101-kbd is not available. Whether those oddball kbds ensure a given symbol key sends the right key number, I dunno -- there's a lot of tomfoolery going on in the world of computing these days, IMHO.

If I got any of that wrong, would some kind soul set me straight? Ta.

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Hardware / Re: F Keys Altenartives on OS/2 - ArcaOS

« on: June 22, 2024, 05:05:12 pm »

Some modern PCs keyboards and laptops are suffering of a lack of F keys. Sometimes they replaced with hardware functionality (with an special Fn key) and sometimes they are just gone. Independently if we like it or not, and knowing that there is always a work around to get a full key keyboard, I was wondering if there should be some alternative for the F keys in OS/2.

ISTR that key combos like "Alt+F4" were part of a command set introduced by IBM called "SAA" ("something-something-Architecture"), to eliminate keystroke messes devised by an uncoordinated rabble of programmers. Maybe SAA is history by now (I don't know); but retaining as much of such notations as possible seems practical, even if the [ironic_grovel]All-Wise M$[/ironic_grovel] plans a different future for us.

To keep it simple, why not just buy a keyboard equipped with the keys you need, even if as a plug-in?

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Events / Re: Warpstock Europe 2024 Follow Up

« on: June 21, 2024, 04:15:12 pm »

Using DuckDuckGo (free) on Win-10 on a Dell notebook. Seems to serve my needs. The combination is, as a lady of my former acquaintance who had served in the USAF would say, "good enough for government work".

DDG has the virtue of guarding one's privacy, rejecting most of those rude probes, checking clickable buttons do not lead somewhere other than what is claimed &c. Original idea was to access the Net that way until AOS-5.1 was up and running. It seems, going by these discussions, that idea may stay at the prototype stage for a while -- which I am okay with, if I can do mes devoirs on OS/2, although moving files between systems on USB sticks gets tedious at times.

And so it goes...

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Events / Re: Warpstock Europe 2024 Follow Up

« on: June 19, 2024, 04:56:05 pm »

I watched the WarpStock broadcasts (some of them, at least) and was grateful that the team are working to keep OS/2's technology up-to-date. These days, there seem to be many reasons to worry about the future of OSes that do not follow the latest fashion, such as "AI", which seem designed more to put money into the pockets of a few large corporations than to serve the needs of little people. I also fear there may soon be a change in what is regarded as normal computer hardware, typified by descendants of the IBM PC. Must we soon keep our systems on-line, talking to massive servers owned by folks who demand regular rent from us? Look at the legal trouble Adobe got themselves into recently by doing this; and they were once the Good Guys, supplying free Acrobat PDF readers suited to many OSes.

I am an AOS-5.1 (ex-Warp since the 1980s) End User, not a Developer. My system has humble needs. I do not need a "cloud" to store data. I use my own Intelligence, not somebody else's grandiose Artificial aids to thinking. My work can be done at clock speeds far slower than modern multi-gigahertz marvels. That said, if a m/c runs at super-whizzy speed and its extra RAM does not get in my way and its USB-variant connectors actually connect usefully, I am content to allow them onto my desk.

What it comes down to: are we on the threshold of an evolutionary step? A few years hence, will there be one design of m/cs for Power Users ("all hail the Great AI!") and another set for traditional Practical Modest Users loyal to the likes of OS/2 and Linux (and maybe even DOS)?

To pick up on some comments...

After 7 (!) years, to still come and say how difficult a German translation is (even though almost all tools are available in German translation) is now just ridiculous.

The community here in Germany is more or less dead.

The WarpStock claims that German causes problems when translating from English puzzled me. After all, those two languages are cousins; and, indeed, European languages have become cross-connected over the centuries, through processes like commerce, invasion, tourism, science and literature. Words and phrases get borrowed ("loan words" like "le parking" in French, which apparently annoy the French Academy). Is it the structure of formal German (eg, verb at the end of a sentence) which causes trouble? (FWIW, I know a joke about that.) As some of our pseudo-English-speaking USian friends say: go figure.

One thing I REALLY want to see: AOS software packaged so nobody must download supportive software or make special tweaks to the system before it will work. I wasted >EUR25 on OpenOffice and have yet to install it -- yet OO is promoted as the great saviour of modern computer-based clerical work, which it could be if packaged conveniently and was not so hugely clumsy and... and... and... (You get the idea?)