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Epoc Digest      Wed, 31 Dec 2003     Volume 01 : Number 413

************************************************************************

Sent to:  801 subscribers

In today's Epoc Digest 17 messages:

==============================

- Re: problem with Mbook!

- Re: Psion's Backside

- Re: Yet another card format

- Re : nB ID

- Opera, netBook HW, Mail priority, OT Printers, GlobeTrotter, Multitasking...

- Re: Multitasking

- Re: Repeat Agenda Entry

- RE: 4th Day of Month Repeats;Multitasking

- Re. Multitasking

- Re: Backups Again, PDF files (4 David Lir)

- Deleting Email Accounts

- Multi-Tasking

- Extra Bits

- Psion Computer Journal - Out Now!

- MBook warranty in 2 years

- Re: Epoc Digest V1 #412

- 6310i Phonebook / HP Drivers and IE / 6310i Phonebook again / Outlook Priorities

*++++++++++&

Date: 29 Dec 2003 20:52:29 +0100

From: Terry Gordon

Subject: Re: problem with Mbook!

David Lir: you seem to have the most experience with the Malaybook and I could use your or anybody's help.  I have a recurring problem in which my Mbook freezes on start up about once/month.  It just beeps with a blank screen and needs a hard reset.  Then today, it did a hard reset by itself while in my briefcase!  I thought maybe it was the batteries, but the rechargeable reads fine and the Lithium backup reads 3.27 volts when I took it out and checked it.  I am a minimal user and have few programs on the C drive - no macros.  The problem seems to happen when I've kept it off the charger for a few days and it's traveling in my briefcase.  Otherwise, it's a dream machine. With my Apple PowerBook dying, I was planning on using the Mbook only for business trips, but it has to be more reliable.  Any thoughts, anyone?

TG

*++++++++++&

Date: 29 Dec 2003 23:13:36 +0100

From: Alan Morris

Subject: Re: Psion's Backside

Scott Lloyd wrote:-

> Microsoft did a wonderful job of marketing a lame product,

> while Psion did a horrible job of marketing a great

> product.I hope that the remaining "manangers" at Psion are

> not the same ones who had any resposilblity marketing

> their PDA products

I wonder if Mr Potter just made an excellent business move.

In 1981 he formed Psion - Potter's Scientific Instruments Or Nothing.  Two decades ago, designing and manufacturing real products was a way of making money.

All that has now changed.  By selling his very successful product, the EPOC OS and apps, to Symbian, he has made a one off profit and now no doubt, takes income from it's profits.  So no more effort in running a successful company, he can retire with an income from a mass market - mobile phones, where he would not have been able to compete profitably.  Now he's got the 'or nothing'.

The excellent Commodore PET, the first, and best PC of it's era, also failed due to poor marketing.

The company, Psion which ended at it's peak, will remain well known as the designer of the world's best portable computer of it's era.  Micro$oft being known as the world's best marketing company.

I wonder how long it will be before Micro$oft buys the new pro nB to add to it's collection of other's successful products - which started with buying DOS.  Mr David Potter will remain know for his superb products; the other guy for selling unstable, overblown and inefficient software.

--

Alan R Morris, G4ENS.

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK.

Using a Psion netBook & Nokia 6210e.

*++++++++++&

Date: 29 Dec 2003 23:13:46 +0100

From: Alan Morris

Subject: Re: Yet another card format

Owen H. Morgan wrote:-

>> I don't as laptop display is all we

>> need (or LCD projection), in fact the only use I

>> can (personally) see for having a high resolution

>> is as a zoom facility.

>

> Try printing a few of your images at A4 size on a good

> printer and you'll find out why the resolution of cameras

> keeps going up. For acceptable quality at A4 paper size,

> you really need at least 4mp resolution. 1024x768 is OK if

> you only want to print 4x5" prints for your own use, but

> no good if you want to hang an enlargement on the wall or

> it is going to be printed in a magazine.

That's why Owen I added "(personally)" to my comments, as I personally have no interest in paper reproduction.  I was always a slide user, until they became virtually obsolete.

> Also, it leaves you nothing to work with if the images

> need to be cropped or perhaps rotated to correct a slanted

> horizon which is not uncommon for me when quite a few of

> my photos are shot from a moving boat

Now that's a situation I've not considered.  Rotating a digital image to correct a slanted shot.

Perhaps we need a new digest for digital photography, as I've also received e-mails direct after posting here.  Probably there is one that's already running, that's suitable.

--

Alan R Morris, G4ENS.

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK.

Using a Psion netBook & Nokia 6210e.

*++++++++++&

Date: 29 Dec 2003 23:56:15 +0100

From: Jack

Subject: Re : nB ID

To Darryl K.

Can't remember the source but here (quote) might be the answer to your recent asking about determining a nB age:

<Find the serial number of your machine - it is on the side of the box (if yours came in a box) or alternatively there is a sticker inside the CF tray. The code will begin with four letters and will be followed by seven digits. The first three digits following the letters indicate the year and week in that year your unit was manufactured. The year code should be interpreted like this:

8 = 2000

9 = 2001

0 = 2002

1 = 2003

Thus a code of xxxx923xxxx would have been manufactured in the 23rd week of the year 2001.>

HTH

Jack

*++++++++++&

Date: 30 Dec 2003 00:43:17 +0100

From: Trygve Henriksen

Subject: Opera, netBook HW, Mail priority, OT Printers, GlobeTrotter, Multitasking...

Greetings!

Alan Morris wrote:

> Today for the first time I used Opera to connect to a web site with

> the 6210e active after downloading e-mails.  I got an error - Reason

> code: KERN-EXEC and Reason number: 3.

Just a quick guess...

Maybe it ran out of memory?

Opera is a real memory hog, and if you have Email and an active TCP/IP connection, too...

I always close Email before starting Opera...

----

Darryl Kempster asked:

> I am keeping an eye out for a secondhand netBook with the improved

> power supply to the Cf slot - the netBook II? Does anyone know how

> to identify these machines so as to separate them from the original

> chassis netBooks.

Those are the 'post september' models. I think the only way to know, except by maybe opening them up is to look at their serial numbers.

I think there was some mention of this some time back, possibly with the mention of a web page which lists the snr. ranges.

----

Owen H. Morgan asked:

> PS. Has anyone ever received an e-mail marked as LOW priority?

Yes...

A couple of the digests I subscribe to arrive with the 'low priority' flag...

And when it comes to HP and printer drivers...

(totally OT but when I get the chance to make fun of HP... :-)

We use W2K servers at the office and have a mix of NT and XP clients.

This requires us to install BOTH W2K/XP and the older NT drivers for all the networked printers we have...

W2K server have a function for just this, and allows installing drivers for other OS'es(as long as they're M$ OS'es) so that the server can pass them on to the clients when they connect.

Unfortunately, for this to work, the NAME of the printer must be spelled EXACTLY the same in the .inf file for the different drivers.

So, "Hewlett Packard Laserjet 2300 PCL6" and "Hewlett Packard Laserjet 2300PCL 6" would be considered different drivers...

Guess which company is VERY lax about this....

---

Thomas F. VAN DER ZIJDEN wrote:

> Answer to : Trygve Henriks

Ouch!

Either use my complete name or only my first name, thank you....

> Trygve, does this Globetrotter card also support HSCSD ? If so, do you

> know its settings ?

I think it does, but I don't have the settings.

Try asking at www.option.com

Their support staff is STELLAR!

(Sent me parts for my Option Firstfone in express mail, and didn't charge a dime for it, even if it was waaaay past warranty :-)

I'd love to try the phone out, particularly as it has the option of an external antenna, something the Nokia doesn't. (We have some mini offices in large Van's which the DMV inspectors use when they're out pestering truckers, and metal panels aren't good for reception)

Unfortunately, the GlobeTrotter is only available in their online store, and I can't convince my boss to buy them unless there's a Norwegian distributor.

Those who REALLY want to try the GlobeTrotter, or any other PC-Card sized phone in their machine may want to search for the Psion PCMCIA-pod.

It does NOT have the 750mA power-limit which the older netBooks have....

(No, I'm not selling mine!)

Just remember, the pod only supports SERIAL cards, so no network cards, flash disks, PCMCIA to CF/SM/MS/SD/XD or whatever adapters...

----

> The battery of the Netbook Pro should operate at a nominal voltage

> of 10.7 V, which will make the Netbook think that it is almost empty.

And what is the nomial voltage of the battery in the 'old' netBook?

On mine it says 10.8V...

----

Itamar Engelsman asked:

> Re. Multitasking - Lately a lot of people talked about the advantage of

> multitasking of EPOC. I just wonder, who actually uses two programs

> that run at the same time ?

I sometimes do it...

nConvert can take a loooong time to convert a 200 page document, and doing a 'Print to PDF' is equally time consuming...

Then it's nice to be able to switch to another document and work on that.

Ever tried to compress a 2MB Data file?

Also a good opportunity to do something else.

(Or the last time I was stupid enough to create a list of all my books using my own database program.... took ages)

Anyway, AFAIK the palm doesn't actually close programs in the background unless it runs low on memory. Until that happens they're just suspended.

The same kind of multitasking as my Cambridge computers Z-88 in fact :-)

(8 bit 'laptop' that ran 13hours on 4 AA's introduced in 1988 )

:-)

Trygve

*++++++++++&

Date: 30 Dec 2003 02:44:50 +0100

From: Euan Mee

Subject: Re: Multitasking

On 29 Dec 2003, at 23:28, Itamar wrote:

> who actually uses two programs that

> run at the same time ?

I often start a Web page rendering, go off and do something else, and then come back later once I reckon the Web page has been rendered.

Cheers,

    Euan

xlucid

this).sf.(antispam.)net

*++++++++++&

Date: 30 Dec 2003 03:58:27 +0100

From: Keith Giles

Subject: Re: Repeat Agenda Entry

I need to add some info to my question about getting an Agenda entry to repeat on the last Wednesday of each month. I was trying to do that on my MnetBook. I just tried it on my 5mx and it works fine.

Is that some bug in the MnetBook? If so, I suppose I could copy the 5mx Agenda to the MnetBook and see if that works.

Happy Cycling,

Keith

Sunnyvale, CA

http://ohsix827.home.comcast.net

Thought For The Day: If everything seems to be coming your way, you're probably in the wrong lane.

*++++++++++&

Date: 30 Dec 2003 07:07:42 +0100

From: Jim Cooke

Subject: RE: 4th Day of Month Repeats;Multitasking

> Date: 29 Dec 2003 08:04:02 +0100

> From: Keith Giles

> Subject: Repeat Agenda Entry

>

> I am trying to have an Agenda entry repeat on the last

> Wednesday of every month. In Menu/Entry/Set Repeat: I select

> 'Monthly by days' as Type; '1' for Interval; '28/01/2004' for

> From; check the Repeat forever box' and 'All occurrences' for Show.

>

> After clicking the More button: I select 'Last' for

> Occurrence in month; 'Wednesday' for Day in week; then OK.

>

> The entry then appears on the 4th Wednesday of each month

> even if the month has 5 Wednesdays! I've gone back and

> changed the Occurrence in month to 'Last' again, but the

> entry is still on the 4th Wednesday instead of the Last Wednesday.

>

> If, in the More window, I click the "Set day' button, then

> the 'Repeat on above day' changes from No to Yes and the

> 'Number of days set' changes from 1 to 2 (I don't really know

> just what those 2 items mean - I've noticed that selecting

> 'Fourth' for Occurrence in month, "number of days set'

> changes from 1 to 2, but back to 1 if I then re-select

> 'Last'). Then the entry appears on the 4th Wednesday of each

> month plus the Last Wednesday on months that have 5

> Wednesdays. Is this convoluted statement of my problem clear?

>

> Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong?

>

> Happy Cycling,

> Keith

Keith,

This is a bug in Agenda that has been around since the Series 3, I believe.

In reality, the "last" day of any month is always the fourth instance of the

same day in a month. The only workaround I know of is to scroll to the few

months that have five of the same days and remove the repeat from that

appointment and move it to the fifth day. It's normally only a day or two a

year so the task isn't too overwhelming.

Regards, Jim

> Date: 29 Dec 2003 20:28:55 +0100

> From: Itamar Engelsman

> Subject: Multitasking,

>

> To All

>

> Re. Multitasking - Lately a lot of people talked about the

> advantage of multitasking of EPOC. I just wonder, who

> actually uses two programs that run at the same time ? Yes,

> you can leave them open and jump from one to the other, but

> which programs do you run simultaneously that work at the

> same time ?  Route- and streetplanner stop their activity

> when you switch for example. The only one I really use

> sometimes is downloading email and at the same time doing

> something else, or reading an email in my inbox while

> downloading continues (but that is the same program). With

> the Palm the programs close when you change, but reopen again

> at the point where you left them.

>

> Best regards,

> Itamar Engelsman

> London, UK

Itamar,

I use multitasking a lot. For example, having Agenda and Busyview open at

the same time makes it much quicker to see a view of the upcoming month.

Having Contacts open also makes it much easier to use e-mail or link a

contact to an Agenda entry. Without multitasking, Macro 5 will be almost

useless. Alarm+ wouldn't even work without multitasking. I'm sure there are

many other examples of how multitasking is useful with a Psion. Once the

Palm OS6 comes out with true multitasking, there may finally be another

handheld that can compete with the Psion for both simplicity and speed.

Regards, Jim

*++++++++++&

Date: 30 Dec 2003 08:21:01 +0100

From: ian chapple

Subject: Re. Multitasking

Itamar,

>> Re. Multitasking - Lately a lot of people talked about the advantage of multitasking of EPOC. I just wonder, who actually uses two programs that run at the same time ? Yes, you can leave them open and jump from one to the other, but which programs do you run simultaneously that work at the same time ?  <<

One situation would be where you are downloading a large file from the Internet (Web, Opera, FTP etc.) and you want to do something else at the same time. This will certainly not be possible with a Palm...

Cheers, Ian.

*++++++++++&

Date: 30 Dec 2003 09:00:43 +0100

From: Chris S Handley

Subject: Re: Backups Again, PDF files (4 David Lir)

Hello David,

I am replying to several of your posts.

Subject: Re: Backups Again (4 Chris)

David Lir wrote:

>>> FlashBack has a nifty profiles feature that lets the user

>>> specify what individual files, folders or trees are to be

>> I would just point out that FastBackup does all this.

>> Perhaps I'll look at trying to improve the help file...

>> The next version of FastBackup will make it easy to add

>> single files for backup, although the current version

>> already supports this if you add the filename manually.

>

> Yup, I know that FastBackup runs profiles too (and

> opens/closes files) - I use two of them everyday. However,

It sounds VERY much like you have totally misunderstood Profiles in FastBackup, because you do NOT need to use Profiles to backup multiple folders & files!  You only need it if you are using multiple disks simultaneously, which is a fairly unusual need.

If you Edit the Contents, you can add more than one folder (each on a separate line).  When you OK the Contents, the folders will be separated by commas on the single Contents line.

> it is MUCH easier to configure a profile to backup any number of

> folders, trees or individual files in FlashBack then it is in

> FastBackup - from my perspective. In FlashBack the 'Add file'

> dialog has 'Add file', 'Add folder' and 'Add tree' buttons -

Well, you will be relieved to hear that the next version of FastBackup (to be released this coming weekend), has both "Add file" and "Add folder" buttons.

The "Add tree" feature is implemented as part of the "Add folder"; in fact it defaults to backing up all sub-folders (or "tree" as your FlashBack calls it).

Something I suspect FlashBack wob't support is a file pattern for a whole "tree", whereas FastBackup does.

>>> BTW, would it be possible to add an option to FB so that it

>>> could open up in Profiles mode - rather than Backup mode?

>>

>> Yes, it WOULD be possible, but I feel that it would be

>> misleading while the macro canNOT backup using Profile

>> mode...

>

> Sorry, I wasn't very clear. I meant that I wanted FB to open

> up with 'Profiles' selected, rather than 'Backup' in the

> 'Action' field.

I think you mistunderstood me (err, again), rather than vice versa.  The macro runs FastBackup as it was last left, but it only acts as if the Action was set to "Backup" not "Profile".  So it would be misleading to allow FastBackup to start-up in Profile if the macro would not use it.

The code I previously supplied should do exactly what you want.

I might be perswuaded to implement what you want if I thought few people used the macro.

>> P.S.  Feel free to make constructive complaints about

>> FastBackup, or ask dumb questions - you never know, FB may

>> get improved as a result!  :-)

>

> So were my earlier remarks 'constructive complaints' or 'dumb

> questions'? ;)

Well, your questions have made it clear that it is possible to misunderstand how FastBackup works, although I am not sure if that is due to your familiarity with FlashBack or a failing on my part.

Anyway, the new version of FB should be easier to learn & use, and any suggestions regarding the docs would be helpful.

Regards,

Chris Handley

=============

Subject: PDF files (4 Chris H.)

David Lir wrote:

>> There is also an official Adobe Acrobat Reader in Java,

>> which works (sometimes better than PDF+), but unless you

>> have a Netbook with extra RAM installed it is not really

>> worth considering.

>

> I've got an MnetBook with the extra RAM. Does the Java Reader

> run as slowly as the Java version of Lemmings or GrandRapid?

> If so I won't bother with it.

It does run that slowly IF you don't have a Netbook (or Malayabook like you have).  With a Netbook, it is still slower than PDF+, but not greatly so IMHO.  Certainly once it has cached some pages it runs pretty quick.

Any Java program that does anything significant isn't going to be as quick as a native EPOC counterpart, but I find some of them are still quite usable.

BTW, Java seems particularly bad for games, such as Lemmings or the ZX Spectrum emulator.

Regards,

Chris Handley

*++++++++++&

Date: 30 Dec 2003 14:20:02 +0100

From: Roy Maidment

Subject: Deleting Email Accounts

Hello All,

I have sold my 5mx, and have cleared all of my personal data from the memory.  The only thing that I don't seem to be able to delete are my Email account settings.  Any advice on how I can do this?

With best regards,

RoyM

*++++++++++&

Date: 30 Dec 2003 14:21:10 +0100

From: Jim Watson-Gove

Subject: Multi-Tasking

Itamar,

<<Re. Multitasking - Lately a lot of people talked about the advantage of multitasking of EPOC. I just wonder, who actually uses two programs that run at the same time ?>>

I do - email and word for the most part.  I routinely move elist files to my D drive from email.  Having both running makes it easy to switch back and forth.

At the moment I am reading the latest digest. I have copied your question - opened email, leaving word running pasted it into the email and am answering you.  When I am done I will put this message in my outbox and switch back to word to continue reading.

Earlier today I was preparing for a featured reading this coming Saturday. I had word up selecting poems and printing them out,then opening Clock, timing the reading of the poem, them returning to word to move onto the next

poem.

<<With the Palm the programs close when you change, but reopen again at the point where you left them.>>

Time.It's instantaneous with multitasking.  With the Palm you have to wait for the app to reload.  Some Palm apps put you back where you left off (WordSmith, SnapperMail)  some put you at the open screen (Mark/Space mail).  With your machine you probably have a strong enough processor that the difference isn't that much

I can do the same sort of thing with my Palm machines but much slower.

One other multitasking operation where the Psion is actually multitasking is running clock in the background (Count Up) while using word or EMail.

jim - port townsend

*++++++++++&

Date: 30 Dec 2003 14:21:14 +0100

From: Jim Watson-Gove

Subject: Extra Bits

I've figured out what to do with the UK power units that came with the MBook. 

It's got to be a no brainer to build work stations with them (one for my studio, one for my wife's work area (front room) etc.).  All I have to do is come up with a small enclosure and small parts (and a 2:1 power transformer. 

Can someone in the UK tell me a part description for a standard UK three pronged, rectangular pin wall socket so I can search for the part via Google?

Also can someone describe WIFI and tell me if it's worth worrying about (I have the two cards).  Something suggests the acronym probably stands for Wireless Interface For the Internet, or something like that.  I imagine a wireless adapter on a desktop to activate a desktop modem or wide band connection, or a public wireless transceiver at locations like airports.  i suspect this is too basic to take up elist space so perhaps off-list answers are in order.

jim - port townsend

*++++++++++&

Date: 30 Dec 2003 16:41:03 +0100

From: Will Green

Subject: Psion Computer Journal - Out Now!

Dear all,

I hope you will forgive this shameless advertising but I have noticed a few postings regarding the Journal and requests for more information about the magazine.

The Psion Computer Journal is a regular publication dedicated purely to Psion Computers. The magazine is packed full with news, reviews, tutorials & features.

The magazine is 100% Psion dedicated including great retro-Psion & SIBO coverage as well as pages and pages of EPOC content.

More information is available at www.psioncomputer.com including loads of screens shots of the latest issue.

The Journal ships world-wide and there is currently a special subscription rate that runs out at the end of January - so act fast!

Kind Regards,

Will Green.

Editor.

Psion Computer Journal.