Epocdigest V1 # 506

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Epoc Digest Fri, 23 Apr 2004 Volume 01 : Number 506

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Sent to: 775 subscribers

In today's Epoc Digest 17 messages:

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

- Biggus Diccus

- XTEP projects to manipulate ROM image

- Re: S7 freezing on internet connection

- Re: Alternative PDAs; Re: *** SPAM ***

- Re.: freezing on internet

- Re.: freezing on internet (correct)

- Tomeraider lobby!

- Psion freezing

- ROM, S7 freezing on internet connection,

- Kevin Thorne's problem

- ROM program, spam tag...

- Re: Alternative PDAs

- Still 'Overflow'ing and freezing

- Re: What Tech Support

- Re: Changed - see below

- RE: Series 7 and IR Travel Modem

- A Spam free email account

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

Date: 22 Apr 2004 12:20:42 +0000

From: Rick Gillyon

Subject: Biggus Diccus

> From: Itamar Engelsman

> Subject: Sharp Zaurii, *** SPAM ***, Ericsson P900, Offline reader,

> Re.: Sharp Zaurii - Try the following digests : 257, 272,

I let this go the first time, but I'm afraid my pedantry can't let it pass a second. :)

Personally, I suspect the plural of Zaurus is Zauruses, but if you believe they were used in Ancient Rome, the plural would be Zauri. You two are adding an extra "i" (at least!).

Sorry, I know I'm wasting my time...

(4 months without EPOC/Psion and not missing it...:)

Rgds,

Rick

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

Date: 22 Apr 2004 12:51:32 +0000

From: Marcus von Cube

Subject: XTEP projects to manipulate ROM image

Keith,

>Has anybody taken a look at http://gtm.tel.uva.es/xtep/ ? It appears it might be able to do something

about changing the Mbook ROM.

As far as I understand what they are dealing with, they are working with the 5mx pro only. I don't know

in what way the mBook / netBook / netPad ROM images are different in structure (there is an intended

incompatibility between the mBoot and the netBook).

The utilities they provide are able to replace files from a "base image" by files from a different rom

image. This way you can create an English rom with a French keyboard layout if you like. The

reüplaced files must obviously come from another rom image. This seems to be due to the fact that

EPOC rom files have a somewhat different structure then files for read/write drives like C or D.

All my information is from their FAQ page together with some guessing from my own EPOC

background.

Marcus

http://www.mvcsys.de

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

Date: 22 Apr 2004 13:08:01 +0000

From: Marcus von Cube

Subject: Re: S7 freezing on internet connection

Kevin,

If your S7 seems to freeze while you are connected to the Net you might try to upgrade your TCP/IP stack. You will find SIS files on Teklogic's web site. Go for the one *without* ethernet support.

There is a small programm called SINK2 which tackles the TCP/IP freeze from a different side: It opens some TCP ports (without doing anything with the incoming connections except dropping them immediately). The original TCP/IP implementation for EPOC goes into an infinite loop on some occasions which are triggerd by the recent Windows worms. These worms, once being active on a victim Windows machine, try to spread over the Net by opening some TCP/IP connections on random

IP addresses. These connection attempts drive the EPOC TCP/IP implementation crazy.

Marcus

http://www.mvcsys.de

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

Date: 22 Apr 2004 13:31:37 +0000

From: unzip

Subject: Re: Alternative PDAs; Re: *** SPAM ***

To: Mark James Dougan

Subject: Re: Alternative PDAs

Thanks Mark, that review of Zaurus was very interesting.

--------------

To: Itamar Engelsman

Subject: *** SPAM ***

Hi Itamar, I thought that it can be because I was sending this to Digest from other account, but if it's you who is asking - I suppose it's not the reason :). Maybe your e-mail account provider has some sort of filter, that is adding this marker to subject if the message meet some criteria. Then you can easily filter those messages from your mailbox. But if you are getting this marker also on normal messages - then maybe it's too sensitive :)

Best Regards,

Pawel Magott

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

Date: 22 Apr 2004 15:05:14 +0000

From: Jack

Subject: Re.: freezing on internet

To: Kevin Thorne whose >>>>... S7 has started a regular habit of freezing whilst connected to the internet using my Psion IR Travel Modem...<<<

Hi Kevin,

1- TM is quite erratic in sustaining IR connection; have a look at:

http://www.psion.com/mobile/travel_modem.asp

2- Your ISP looks like beeing under attack.... you should install the TCPI Update corresponding to your Epoc machine ie for a 7 the NON ethernet one.

see :

http://www.psionteklogix.com/teknet/pdk/netbook-pdk/update.htm

HTH

Jack

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

Date: 22 Apr 2004 15:26:12 +0000

From: Jack

Subject: Re.: freezing on internet (correct)

To: Kevin Thorne whose >>>>... S7 has started a regular habit of freezing whilst connected to the internet...<<<

Sorry for the wrong indication in my earlier reply; you should install the ETHERNET TCP/IP Update for your 7, as recommended in :

http://www.psionteklogix.com/teknet/pdk/netbook-pdk/update.htm

Jack

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

Date: 22 Apr 2004 17:52:34 +0000

From: vlad a

Subject: Tomeraider lobby!

Hi all!

I had an issue recently with TomeRaider and I wrote Proporta.com support. They were very kind, couldn't help though and told me my issue would be resolved in the new TR version - about to be released.

However, Mat Ripley confessed TomeRaider won't be upgraded for the Epoc platform, sorry as he was (he's a NetBook user himself, he says).

Otoh I understand it's not worth compiling a program for a small user base on shareware basis, oto I find it unfair to users. Proporta still sell those fine Psion cases - and TR!

How many of you are registered TomeRaider users? So lobby Proporta a bit: tomeraider

best,

vlad

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

Date: 22 Apr 2004 19:06:02 +0000

From: Andy Ahern

Subject: Psion freezing

<snip>...My S7 has started a regular habit of freezing whilst connected to the internet using my Psion IR Travel Modem....<snip>

This happens when you are connected to the Internet via a modem, and your Psion is port scanned by another device on the Internet. A bug in the Psion TCPIP stack causes the machine to lock up. There is a small freeware program called Sink2 that solves the problem easily. You simply leave Sink2 running in the background while connecting to the net. Alternatively there is a patched version of the TCPIP stack available, but I haven't tried it personally. Hope this helps,

Cheers,

Andy

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

Date: 22 Apr 2004 19:40:12 +0000

From: Itamar Engelsman

Subject: ROM, S7 freezing on internet connection,

Answer to: Keith Giles

Re.: ROM - I can't make much of it either. However, in general I suppose one should be extremely careful to start messing around with the OS files in ROM. You could end up with a Psion that doesn't run anymore. WIth a mBook or nBook you can always do a hard reset and reinstall the OS from scratch, but with a REVO, 5(MX) or S7 that is not possible.

Answer to: Kevin Thorne

Re.: S7 freezing on internet connection - Now this is totally from memory and I might well be wrong <G>. I seem to remember that the IR modem automatically disconnects when idle for a certain period. This would mean that you would loose your connection and therefore the browser should freeze. However, why that should freeze your Psion I don't know. Do you have another modem to browse with for once and check whether that one works ok or not ? In the end I had always problems with the Psion IR modem and now work exclusively with the modem card when using a phone line connection. I might have a spare one if you are interested, but you can also get them cheaply on eBay.

Best regards,

Itamar Engelsman

London, UK

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

Date: 22 Apr 2004 19:46:53 +0000

From: Philip S. Adkins Potter

Subject: Kevin Thorne's problem

Hi Folks,

Kevin Thorne's S7 problem of freezing on the I'Net and sometimes needing a reset may be the problem many have had. There is an update from Psion which should stop this.

The problem is caused by a Windoze virus probing the Psion and the Psion's reaction is actually to enter a loop. Though it can't be infected it effectively locks up. Sometimes it can be freed by being switched off, sometimes a soft reset is needed.

I think the update/patch is still on the PsionPlace fora, the InterNet forum (the official Psion site is a maze). Make sure that the right one is installed. An alternative is Hans Lub's Sink, written before the patch was released and it should also be available at that PsionPlace forum.

Happy days,

Phil.

Try http://www.aypee2.net if you dare.

"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it,

doesn't go away."

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

Date: 22 Apr 2004 20:21:58 +0000

From: Trygve Henriksen

Subject: ROM program, spam tag...

Greetings!

Keith Giles asked:

> Has anybody taken a look at http://gtm.tel.uva.es/xtep/ ?

I've checked it, and it looks to be a tool to change the ROM image files for the S5mx PRO, with plans to update it for the mbook/netBook and newer machines.

What it will do is allow you to add and remove applications, change files and generally tailor the OS to your liking.

(Fix the annoying battery icons in the Toolbar on the netBook, customize it for new languages, and whatever takes your fancy)

I don't know whether or not it is able to change compiled applications so that they run 'in place' like the other ROM based programs, but if so, it would be an awesome program.

----

Itamar Engelsman asked:

> Re.: *** SPAM *** - Recently I get a lot of email with this text in the

> Subject field. Sometimes it is a real SPAM message, other times a

> normal message like Pawel's message to the digest.

That is the ISP's sorry attempt at helping you combat spam...

They run scripts on the server, marking messages thought to be spam with that signature.

It may be possible to log on to a web-based email interface and switch it off.

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

Date: 22 Apr 2004 21:21:52 +0000

From: Steve Hodgson

Subject: Re: Alternative PDAs

There has been a lot of quite positive replies to this queries. I also a got a very comprehensive reply from a Digest subscriber with some very useful detail on the practicalities of living with one of the localised clamshell machines. Thanks Mike.

A few points from all the responses then. You can't print from the machine which may or may not be an issue. With the localised machines you can't sort contact as they are not in Japanese. All the help files are in Japanese as are some of the configuration dialogs. No incremental backups. Native Word files are much bigger as they use MS *.doc format. True multitasking OS, unlike Palm (at least till Cobalt comes out). The screen is gorgeous. On the clamshell machines some applications do not make full use of the higher resolution screen.

On the PIM application front, the contacts and diary do not have the functionality of Psion equivalents (what does?). Ko/Pi (http://pi-sync.net/html/ko_pi.html) looks promising, particularly as it brings to-dos and diary under the same roof so to speak. The Open Palmtop Integrated Environment (Opie - http://opie.handhelds.org/) looks like a smart environment - check out the screenshots.

I guess if Sharp released the machines in the UK, this would be a no-brainer decision for me but it might just be worth seeing what happens with new Palm machines in the next few months. I'm still awfully tempted though ... maybe a 5600 from Expansys....

Thanks,

Steve Hodgson

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

Date: 22 Apr 2004 23:08:39 +0000

From: Moshe Nahir

Subject: Still 'Overflow'ing and freezing

To Pawel

Thanks very much for your help.

Unfortunateley the problem refuses to go away. I have now done what you have

suggested - I copied all the contents of Drive D to my PC, formatted a disk

(256 MB, from my digital camera), copied all the folders and files back to

the CF - and I get the same problems as before. I wonder if you, or someone

else on the Digest, know what this dreaded 'overflow' means. Since I sent

out my question I tried several other (admittedly old) programs from my

'Extras', and many will sooner or later come up with this 'overflow'

message. By the way, I believe that the 5mx Help file (Fn+Help) is located

on C Disk (in ROM?), so formatting the CF would, as I see it, not solve that

problem.

As the sages have noted long ago, problems like company... I am adding here

the description of the problems and your response, in case someone has a

suggestion.

Again thanks for your help. I will be grateful for any ideas.

Greetings

Moshe Nahir

Winnipeg, Canada

<--When pressing fn+help to get 5mx Help, i get 'overflow'. --When opening

some programs from Extras (the latest, Steve Lichfield's Trivopaedia V.3.0),

the window 'Overflow' appears. --When trying to copy Disk A to a folder on

Disk D (in the 'Copy Entire Disk' window), as soon as I try to change Drive

C to D (in Copy To), the 5mx freezes. Strangely, when I tried it with an

empty, formatted CF, I had no problem. --When using the 'Find files' window,

as soon as the program has finished displaying the files is has found, the

5mx freezes.

<If I were in your shoes, I'd try formatting the CF card. You can do it 'the

safe way' (at least it works safe for me). Just go to anybody with a PC and

a CF card reader (I'm sure there's plenty of people using this stuff in

Winnipeg), copy all the files to a PC harddisk (don't forget to copy also

hidden and system files), and then you can try:

a) fixing CF card with Essential Disk Utilites (Checkdisk)

b) fixing CF card with PC's Scanddisk or similar program - not recommended

c) format the card and copy all the stuff back from PC - that's what I

recommend.

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

Date: 22 Apr 2004 23:37:34 +0000

From: Alan Morris

Subject: Re: What Tech Support

Richard wrote:-

> Over a few months, TomTom have ignored about 5 emails and 5

> phonecalls asking for Tech support, or a refund.

Palmtop (before they changed to a silly marketing name) have been like this for years. I remember sending an e-mail about how I could buy an upgrade to their route planning software, and never received an answer.

I'm afraid that it's a sign of the times for many companies these days.

In January I bought Serif's DrawPlus to produce plans of a motorhome I'm designing. It has a very useful feature that allows one to setup a scale between paper size and the actual size of the object = my motorhome. I can then take dimensions from the vehicle and draw without converting 130cm to the paper line length in inches. They have an e-mail auto-responce that says that their superb support gets an answer back within two days. Big joke! I went to the trouble of producing a screen dump, but they lost it. I sent a replacement that I CCed to another of my addresses, but no further response. I later sent a list of instructions for reproducing the bugs that worked 100% - every time. Eventually a reply - it's not a bug but a problem with Windows, but as a programmer, I know that's wrong.

But there are a few bugs that stop this from working properly, making DrawPlus useless. Their 'Help' staff have such a basic knowledge of their product that I'm insulted by their suggestions.

Last month I bought I bought four of the 'High In The Sky' British counties. Each has the displaying program plus a single bitmap file. Very nice zoomable views of the ground - a bird's eye map. But Norfolk has some corruption in it's file. So I provide them with precise details for reproducing the two areas I've found that's corrupted. Again an auto-responce e-mail, telling me to look on their web site for the FAQs - snag there is only one FAQ, that's got no connection with the fault. Another e-mail to a new address has just been ignored.

Why do these companies have support departments that can't support?

Alan R Morris, G4ENS.

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK.

Using a Psion netBook & Nokia 6210e.

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

Date: 23 Apr 2004 01:19:19 +0000

From: Alan Morris

Subject: Re: Changed - see below

unzip wrote:-

Subject: *** SPAM *** Fuel consumption

Then

Keith Giles wrote:-

Subject: *** SPAM *** ROM

Then

Itamar Engelsman wrote:-

> Recently I get a lot of email with this text in the Subject

> field. Sometimes it is a real SPAM message, other times a

> normal message like Pawel's message to the digest. Where does

> this come from and what can we do about it ?

It may be that the originators are replying to an existing e-mail, which frequently happens, rather than starting a new e-mail. The alternative is that as the Digest Team is receiving postings via Freeserve, then it's Freeserve that's putting it there.

Note my address, yes it's Freeserve. Recently I received notification that they were going to introduce a flagging of all spam, but did not say how they were going to implement it. I now get '*** SPAM ***' placed in front of the original subject. So far it's stuff that I would have deleted with Email anyway, so for me it's just a nuisance as it effectively reduces the length of the subject line displayed, making it more difficult to identify spam.

So Freeserve thinks that unzip's and Keith's e-mails are spam.

There is however, probably a very major problem for all Freeserve customers that are members of Yahoo groups. Recently I've noticed that digests of Yahoo groups arrive truncated, so that a random (there's a nice word for EPOC Digestees) number of messages get lost.

I've just rejoined Yahoo groups using my old e-mail address and get two Yahoo groups to both addresses. Those to Freeserve get random truncation while those to Computer Weekly arrive complete.

But as it's impossible to e-mail Freeserve and a letter would probably be just a waste of time, it's time to leave Freeserve and find another ISP.

Alan R Morris, G4ENS.

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK.

Using a Psion netBook & Nokia 6210e.

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

Date: 23 Apr 2004 06:07:49 +0000

From: Bob

Subject: RE: Series 7 and IR Travel Modem

I have a Netbook, Series 7 and 5mx and when I got my Series 7 it would not work with the Travel Modem and I read something, I think on the The Seven Site, http://www.newth.net/psion7/. that they are not compatible. Since then, I have always used a PC Card Modem and it works great.

Thanks,

Bobbyr

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

Date: 23 Apr 2004 11:41:01 +0000

From: Antony Booth

Subject: A Spam free email account

Just in case anyone in the UK may be interested, Virgin.net now have a built in spam filter on their email. As a result, I have abandoned my PC/Spamfighter setup I recently mentioned in an earlier digest and it works very well.

You can get a pay-as-you-go account to an 0845 number (1p per min BT landline) and are only required to use the service for 1 min per month. This means you can have a spam filtered email account that filters at the server side so you do not download the spam yourself for as little as 12p per year. Their pop3 servers can be accessed from any IP subnet, but you would be required to use your ISPs SMTP server. I find their dialup service has problems using slow mobile connectivity speeds like 9600 baud, but they have a few numbers to try and I didn't spend too long trying to resolve the connection problems as I simply moved to another ISP.

http://www.virgin.net/customers/internetaccess/payg.html?buspart=155

p.s. I am not affiliated with Virgin.net in anyway except I am a long standing, happy customer.