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Practical Ideas to Enhance OS/2

Started by ddan, 2008.08.10, 10:42:30

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ddan

At least, they look practical to me. Please comment or add to.

1) Look into HPFS.IFS and see if relatively minor changes could remove the
size limit noted at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_file_systems
"14.^ This is the limit of the on-disk structures. The HPFS Installable File
System driver for OS/2 uses the top 5 bits of the volume sector number for its
own use, limiting the volume size that it can handle to 64 GiB." Hmm.

2) A whole installation is relatively small compared to now typical RAM, so
run entirely from RAM via a pre-loader that fakes out BIOS in both directions
to emulate an HD. -- Magic, but is do-able if the boot partition is limited to
just the system, and a few crucial apps (Firefox). Exists in hardware
versions, but I don't see that write-through is necessary, just pre-load from
HD, then, during _orderly_ shutdowns, an auxiliary program that knows how to
access the actual HD copies (the FEW) changed files to it. Even in a crash,
you'd probably lose only recent changes to the Desktop. (See below for a
program that shows how few system files are actually changed. You need to have
booted _today_ for it to be accurate, though I believe that only the .INI
files are significant. Can definitely ignore SWAPPER.DAT.)

3) Similarly, use of a RAM drive pre-loaded by a script during start-up can
speed up apps such as Firefox; I've done some testing, though currently only
have Firefox cache on RAMFS. A REXX script can copy an entire Firefox
directory to RAM drive and run it in LESS time than if run from HD. Again,
changed files are copied to HD upon exit. (The "portable" Firefox method that
was described here recently is preferable; I was only testing speed.)

4) Modify WPS to specify window initial and minimized icon placement, so that
my usual programs are always exactly where I wish. I LIKE having BOTH the Warp
Center list AND icons for minimized programs on the Desktop, but placement of
the icons is essentially random. Perhaps stack in columns by program type.

5) Suppress focus grabbing, or at least add a switch. Focus grabbing is an
idea that seemed neat in design, but is nearly always a nuisance in practice.
(XP has a check box for this in TweakUI, but seems to be a cruel joke.)

6) Update and extend the old EWS JUMPKEY program that gives hot-key access to
running programs. -- Or just install it by default. It's a little puzzling to
set up, but seems reliable.

7) Make use of the "Windows" keys. I'd like to be able to press one of these
and then F1-F12 to start my usual programs, having _fixed_ assignments made in
Settings Notebooks for program objects.

8) Using the below, I notice that my OS2.INI has grown to over 1M... Not
harmful so far as known, but possibly a good area to clean up.

------------------------ TODAY.CMD -----------------
/* TODAY find files created today */

Call RxFuncAdd 'SysLoadFuncs', 'RexxUtil', 'SysLoadFuncs'
Call SysLoadFuncs

today= date('U') /* same format as returned by sysfiletree */
if pos('0', today) > 0 then today= delstr(today, 1, 1,)
say 'Searching for files created 'today

rc= sysfiletree('C:\*', 'list.', 'FS')
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

say list.0||' Files found...'

do n= 1 to list.0
  if pos(today, list.n) > 0 then say list.n
end
say 'Can re-direct output to file...'
exit

ddan

Grrr. I've NO idea how the little icon got into the above. Supposed to be item "8)".

However, I did accidentally paste in the page divider line of my w/p. Delete it from the .cmd file.

ddan

GRRR! Somehow when you type an "8" and a ")" together, it puts in the little symbol!

Ben

Quote from: ddan on 2008.08.10, 10:56:07
GRRR! Somehow when you type an "8" and a ")" together, it puts in the little symbol!

The simple solution is to put a space between the number and the bracket. 8 )   :D

WRT HPFS, it takes forever to check disk a drive even distantly close to 64 Gig. If the max size was any greater, you'd have to start the checking procedure early Friday morning before work, take the family off for a weekend vacation when you got home, and if you are lucky!, it will be done  when the vacation is. :o

Hotkey access to just about anything, running or otherwise, is available now in eCS and XWorkplace does it for base OS/2.

There are a few programs out there now that will allow you to utilize the Windows Keys. I've always found them a bloody nuisance myself and would physically remove them if I could, but I understand how others could find them useful.

Window initialization location exists now. I use it here as my default. I have programs opening in specific virtual desktops in an exact spot within that desktop. It also grabs programs that have had their location lost, outside the desktop boundaries, and pulls them back to their designated startup location as specified by me. In this, Object Desktop is your friend.

Also, utilizing the "Work Area" check box built into the base OS/2 package can give you another option in that direction.

There is nothing for window minimization location that I'm aware of.

With respect to "focus grabbing" Object Desktop's Virtual Desktop has a setting that helps with this. It may not be exactly what you want, but it is a step towards it.

I too, have some issues with the ever-expanding *.INI files. These weren't an issue in bygone days when drives were relatively small and folders few, but I have literally thousands upon thousands of folders spread out of my network and it is a constant task to keep the *.INIs trimmed and tolerant. WPTool's CheckINI together with Unimaintenance helps here... (and I can't wait until Jim Read gets his new version out).

Some good thoughts there though... what we need is a lot more of that these days.  8)

Later...

RobertM

Quote from: ddan on 2008.08.10, 10:42:30
At least, they look practical to me. Please comment or add to.

1) Look into HPFS.IFS and see if relatively minor changes could remove the
size limit noted at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_file_systems
"14.^ This is the limit of the on-disk structures. The HPFS Installable File
System driver for OS/2 uses the top 5 bits of the volume sector number for its
own use, limiting the volume size that it can handle to 64 GiB." Hmm.

Indeed... I see this as a definite want of mine. As happy as I am with JFS, I prefer a file system that doesnt frag as much, and (in the case of HPFS386) one that has "fast-path" to the web server, etc.

Quote from: ddan on 2008.08.10, 10:42:30
2) A whole installation is relatively small compared to now typical RAM, so
run entirely from RAM via a pre-loader that fakes out BIOS in both directions
to emulate an HD. -- Magic, but is do-able if the boot partition is limited to
just the system, and a few crucial apps (Firefox). Exists in hardware
versions, but I don't see that write-through is necessary, just pre-load from
HD, then, during _orderly_ shutdowns, an auxiliary program that knows how to
access the actual HD copies (the FEW) changed files to it. Even in a crash,
you'd probably lose only recent changes to the Desktop. (See below for a
program that shows how few system files are actually changed. You need to have
booted _today_ for it to be accurate, though I believe that only the .INI
files are significant. Can definitely ignore SWAPPER.DAT.)

Excellent suggestion - and something that could probably be implemented using a file system IFS (if it can be made bootable, as was done with JFS). The key here would be to ensure that the IFS driver did not use the shared memory arena...

Quote from: ddan on 2008.08.10, 10:42:30
3) Similarly, use of a RAM drive pre-loaded by a script during start-up can
speed up apps such as Firefox; I've done some testing, though currently only
have Firefox cache on RAMFS. A REXX script can copy an entire Firefox
directory to RAM drive and run it in LESS time than if run from HD. Again,
changed files are copied to HD upon exit. (The "portable" Firefox method that
was described here recently is preferable; I was only testing speed.)

4) Modify WPS to specify window initial and minimized icon placement, so that
my usual programs are always exactly where I wish.

Superclassing the "Minimized Window Viewer" or using some REXX to create (and remove) shortcuts on the desktop would accomplish that. Using REXX would be relatively easy in this respect (after either (a) enabling the feature to minimize to the "Minimized Window Viewer" or (b) by querying the process state and creating icons that way).

Quote from: ddan on 2008.08.10, 10:42:30
I LIKE having BOTH the Warp
Center list AND icons for minimized programs on the Desktop, but placement of
the icons is essentially random. Perhaps stack in columns by program type.

Since one of the xCenter plugins can already do something similar (albeit currently limited to the "Window List Widget" on the xCenter), I dont see why a similar approach (grouping and all) cannot be done based off of that...

Quote from: ddan on 2008.08.10, 10:42:30
5) Suppress focus grabbing, or at least add a switch. Focus grabbing is an
idea that seemed neat in design, but is nearly always a nuisance in practice.
(XP has a check box for this in TweakUI, but seems to be a cruel joke.)

As there have been a ton of addons related to focus grabbing, I'd suspect this isnt that difficult, though would be doing the reverse of what the add-ons seem to do.

Quote from: ddan on 2008.08.10, 10:42:30
6) Update and extend the old EWS JUMPKEY program that gives hot-key access to
running programs. -- Or just install it by default. It's a little puzzling to
set up, but seems reliable.

Styler/2, Object Desktop and other will allow that capability... I think something in eCS can do that as well.

Quote from: ddan on 2008.08.10, 10:42:30
7) Make use of the "Windows" keys. I'd like to be able to press one of these
and then F1-F12 to start my usual programs, having _fixed_ assignments made in
Settings Notebooks for program objects.

8) Using the below, I notice that my OS2.INI has grown to over 1M... Not
harmful so far as known, but possibly a good area to clean up.

I had been thinking about that as well... OS/2 needs some sort of maintenance routine that will clear out dead entries on a regular basis (background thread? shutdown process? user selected manual tool?)

The problems are, it needs to be network aware (and not clean out stuff for network resources because it thinks they are dead because the system isnt logged into the network), and it needs to probably do it on an individual basis (open ini, find dead entry, remove, close ini, repeat) to ensure pending writes arent paused and to ensure that in the event of a crash, that the ini files arent stuck open. I've dropped tons of stuff that way.

Rob


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Kirk's 5 Year Mission Continues at:
Star Trek New Voyages
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abwillis

Quote from: RobertM on 2008.08.11, 00:04:23
Indeed... I see this as a definite want of mine. As happy as I am with JFS, I prefer a file system that doesnt frag as much, and (in the case of HPFS386) one that has "fast-path" to the web server, etc.
HPFS386 works at ring 0 to make a "fast-path" to the file server.  JFS is supposed to be designed to work with TCPIP and supposed to have a "fast-path" for TCPIP apps.
Andy

RobertM

Quote from: abwillis on 2008.08.12, 04:57:49
Quote from: RobertM on 2008.08.11, 00:04:23
Indeed... I see this as a definite want of mine. As happy as I am with JFS, I prefer a file system that doesnt frag as much, and (in the case of HPFS386) one that has "fast-path" to the web server, etc.
HPFS386 works at ring 0 to make a "fast-path" to the file server.  JFS is supposed to be designed to work with TCPIP and supposed to have a "fast-path" for TCPIP apps.
Andy

Thanks abwillis! That's one down. My preference is still an updated HPFS386 that enabled at least 64TB file systems (since it barely fragments, would be ideal for web and ftp serving where there are lots of files)


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Kirk's 5 Year Mission Continues at:
Star Trek New Voyages
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abwillis

Quote from: RobertM on 2008.08.12, 05:08:26
Thanks abwillis! That's one down. My preference is still an updated HPFS386 that enabled at least 64TB file systems (since it barely fragments, would be ideal for web and ftp serving where there are lots of files)
I would prefer to have HPFS386 due to the lack of fragmentation compared to JFS but I have files larger than 4G so I have all JFS system without any HPFS support installed.
Andy