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Epoc Digest Thu, 24 Jun 2004 Volume 01 : Number 546
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Sent to: 765 subscribers
In today's Epoc Digest 18 messages:
==============================
- Unsubscribed email addresses
- Revo, Digest software,
- Re: Moonclock
- 5mx Web browser
- Re: Transferring to PC/MoonClock
- Gold Card
- Re: Emulator newbie
- RE: Web and Opera
- Re: Moonclock
- Re Nightclock
- Re: Emulator Newbie
- Re: Grand-Rapid Browser (and Java Launcher)
- Re: Touch typing on Psions
- Emulator newbie, Transferring to PC, nB battery, Psion usage, MoonClock,
- Malay-book available in Malaysia?
- Re: Grand-Rapid Browser (in reply to PM from Gianluca)
- Request
- DEAD AND NEVER CALLED ME MOTHER - ISSUE TWO, WHERE ARE YOU?
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Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004
From: Digest administrator
Subject: Unsubscribed email addresses
Daniel Rivers, QUS and Kevin Chang have been unsubscribed for 1 week and C. Bukcley and P.A.R. de jonge have been unsubscribed due to their mailboxes returning the digest. We hope they will read this message via our website and either solve the problem or resubscribe with a different email address.
With best regards
Itamar Engelsman
The Epoc Digest Team
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Date: 21 Jun 2004 16:24:51 +0100
From: Itamar Engelsman
Subject: Revo, Digest software,
Answer to: Timothy H.D. Williams
Re.: Revo - I bought my S5 a long time ago and the only problem I ever had with it was the peeling skin. Than I bought my 5MX which I used for something like 2 years or so without any problems, no screencable problem either. In the end I sold it and it is now the back-up machine of someone else I believe. My S7 is still in full working order but is my back-up machine as I bought the mBook for the increased speed and the wireless connectivity. It is in full working order and no problems with either machine. So yes, Psion's sure had their (more than) fair share of problems, but maybe in comparison with other palmtops not all that much more ? (I don't know, this is an open question). As to the netpad, is this a known problem of the netpad or just bad luck of two users ? Was there no guarantee you could claim on ?
Answer to: Martin Guthrie
Re. Digest software - Hi Martin. While all digest operators use the program, it was really written and developed by Rolf Vonau single handed with only some help in the testing and remarks from our side. I think it is best if you contact him off digest and discuss it with him.
Best regards,
Itamar Engelsman
London, UK
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Date: 21 Jun 2004 18:07:46 +0100
From: Astrid Stappenbeck
Subject: Re: Moonclock
Hi Itamar,
Moonclock is a nice little freeware app that allows you to toggle the toolbar-clock into a third view that shows the time (digital) and the current state of the moon (picture). It doesn't work with some third party applications (then you have only the two original views).
But there is a problem reported by several users of Moonclock. It may suddenly start resetting the machine. This can go into a loop as Philip experienced. Those who had it installed on C could only get their Psions back to work via a hard reset. If you install the app on an external drive you can just remove that if Moonclock gives trouble. It is a nice little app, it has never caused any problems on my machine but I wouldn't have dared to install it on C.
Astrid
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Date: 21 Jun 2004 18:27:32 +0100
From: Gilles G. CASANOVA
Subject: 5mx Web browser
OUPS !
Some time ago, I have uninstalled the WEB browser application from my 5Mx. I know it should hide somewhere in the PSIwin CD.
But my CD is old ( version 2.0 ) and I downloaded a PSIwin 2.33 French version which I'd rather use.
Can anyone help ?
Gilles G. CASANOVA
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Date: 21 Jun 2004 19:29:02 +0100
From: Keith Giles
Subject: Re: Transferring to PC/MoonClock
Kevin Thorne wrote:
> But I can now surf the Web with no more trouble with inaccessable > sites, as anyone would expect using IE6.
May I suggest you try using Opera on your laptop - it works great for me. Even though the ad banner is small, I went ahead and paid for it to help the company. There are still 1 or 2 sites where I have to use IE.
> I'm not too sure about EPOC sound files, Agenda or Data files.
Don't know anything about sound files. I guess you can sync with Outlook for your Agenda - I use neither Outlook nor Outlook Express. My e-mail client is TheBat! You can always see your Agenda on the PC if you install the emulator. I have some help notes on my site.
As for Data files, for the most part I've had no problem converting from Psion's Data to MS Access. But it won't go the other way for me - I think it may be because my Access is version 2003 and I think Psion is set for 97. If necessary, I can always create a Data file on the emulator then copy it, via Explorer, to the Psion.
Itamar: Be sure to try the MoonClock - nice.
Happy Cycling,
Keith
Sunnyvale, CA
http://ohsix827.home.comcast.net
Thought For The Day: Lead me not into temptation - I can find it by myself.
All my outgoing e-mails have been checked by Norton Anti-virus.
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Date: 21 Jun 2004 22:33:08 +0100
From: Alan Morris
Subject: Gold Card
There has been some discussion on PC cards used in a nB and/or 7.
When I bought my nB secondhand it came with a Psion 56k + Fax gold card, WAN Global PC Card, Combine.
It's a WGP0MC-001ZZP. It came with a cable to connect to a telephone line.
It's never been used, as I always use a 6210 for internet use. So what can I connect to with it using the WAN Global part?
--
Alan R Morris, G4ENS.
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK.
Using a Psion netBook & Nokia 6210e.
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Date: 21 Jun 2004 22:33:16 +0100
From: Alan Morris
Subject: Re: Emulator newbie
Keith Clarke wrote:-
> But does anyone have any
> tips on using the emulator? For instance, can I change data
> on the emulator then somehow synchronise the two to update
> the 5mx itself?
Keith you need EpocSync. It can synchronise files on any 3 pairs of Psion computers. Taken from it's help file:-
"This program will allow you to synchronise specified folders and files between:
* Two EPOC machines
* Between an EPOC machine and the EPOC Emulator
* Between an EPOC machine and an FTP Server"
It's by Malcolm Bryant and can be found on the Freepoc website.
It allows you to specify which files and whole folders with be used.
It takes the latest version of a file on the pair and copies it to the other computer. You can set it to copy the overwritten file to a special folder before it's overwritten. It does not sync records, only whole files.
The only limitations I know about is that only 3 pairs can be synched, unless you keep changing it's 3 profiles. Also you need to remember which of the pair is the master. But these are minor limitations.
--
Alan R Morris, G4ENS.
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK.
Using a Psion netBook & Nokia 6210e.
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Date: 22 Jun 2004 06:26:01 +0100
From: Bob
Subject: RE: Web and Opera
Thanks for the info that Web can be used on the Netbook. I tried to copy from my Series 5mx backup file and it seemed to copy ok, but when I clicked on it on my Netbook it said "not found". I looked around the Psion web sites and can't find Web to download. Did I miss something on my copy and paste job or won't it work that way. If not, does anyone have a web site where I can download it.
Thanks,
Bobbyr
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Date: 22 Jun 2004 09:29:07 +0100
From: Andrew Gregory
Subject: Re: Moonclock
On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 22:48:03 +0700, Epoc Digest
wrote:
> For Itamar: MoonClock
> (http://www.symbianwave.com/product.php?id=moonclock) is a freeware
> program that produces a picture of the phase of the moon plus a digital
> clock as an additional (tap to change) option to the analogue or digital
> clock-plus-date display at the bottom right of the 5mx/NBook screen. As
> you will have read (and as I should have read had I not focussed on the
> word 'hardware') your 'hardware' needs a soft reset after installation
> of the program.
I installed this last night, and got instant non-stop (every couple of
minutes) System crashes! They continued even after uninstalling it! :-( I
finally stopped them (touch wood) by searching for whatever system files
had been recently altered and replacing them from backups.
Looked nice, but very dodgy. Didn't work for OPL apps either.
Regards,
Andrew Gregory
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Date: 22 Jun 2004 10:00:15 +0100
From: Jack
Subject: Re Nightclock
Itamar wrote (#344)
>>>>>On my 5MX I used the program "Nightclock"......
With the S7/nB the screen of course does not
function to switch on the machine, but I thought I can press "On" and still
see the clock. Unfortunately whenever I activate the program soon after my
mBook does a soft reset. There appears to be an incompatibillity with the
S7/nB units. Did anyone solve this or not ?<<<<<
RE
Hi Itamar
NightClock works well on 7/(m)nB;
1-Have a look at its help datafile for "Known Issues" (password, Crontab....)
2-You could try to delete its .ini file or/and reinstall from fresh.
HTH
Jack
*++++++++++&
Date: 22 Jun 2004 12:47:24 +0100
From: Keith Clarke
Subject: Re: Emulator Newbie
To Chris Handley
Thanks for your helpful replies, Chris. I won't attempt the impossible. I'm not intending to get too involved with the emulator. I just wanted a version of my data that I could view on screen when the 5mx cable finally gives up the ghost and goes off for repair.
One thing the emulator has demonstrated clearly is how deprived we Psioneers are by the lack of a colour screen
Keith Clarke
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Date: 22 Jun 2004 15:19:48 +0100
From: Chris S Handley
Subject: Re: Grand-Rapid Browser (and Java Launcher)
Hi Marcus,
Marcus von Cube wrote:
> Chris Handley wrote:
>> I can provide a copy of my generic Java launcher if it would
>> help quickly test GR on the Psion.
> Thank's Chris, I might be interested. But Java programs can
> be installed on EPOC without an OPL launcher. SmtpAuth is
> designed the "official" way. The startup command line for
> java.exe is put into a text file in the application directory
> and a small utility creates the proper AIF file.
Of course this needs access to a PC running Windows, and then you have to transfer it across, before finally trying it. IMHO, thats quite a pain, especially for just testing if something will work or not.
But yes, for a "proper" release, the official way is probably better if you know how to do it (I just never bothered to find out how). Although the OPL way has the small benefit of allowing some EPOC-specific start-up stuff to be done, such as memory checking, writing a suitable config file (say for screen size), or tidying-up afterwards.
> The present GrandRapid version for EPOC (2.2) breaks some
> EPOC rules (main app directory not under System, ini file not
> on C but on installation drive, window not full screen,
It was obviously quickly 'ported', since it would be quite easy to fix your first complaint (that of not using the :/System/Apps/ folder).
BTW, thanks for your SmptAuth program - I just started using it on my Netbook, now that BT OpenWorld are asking for authentication. Only down side is that it uses 3 MB of memory... thats Java for you :-(
Regards,
Chris Handley
*++++++++++&
Date: 22 Jun 2004 18:14:10 +0100
From: Owen H. Morgan
Subject: Re: Touch typing on Psions
Howdy!
Fergus Flanagan asked (> ):
> Can anyone on this list touch type on the 5
> keyboard, I've never met anyone who could and I
> found no matter how diligently I typed I would
> often have
> to go back and rekey a missed letter, and boy that
> irritated me the most!!
Yes, I touch type on the 5mx as well as the Revo. I don't use my pinkes though, but that is party because I originally taught myself to type as a tweenager on an early bronze age typewriter where each key travelled two inches down and hitting one hard enough for the letter to actually be printed on the paper took considerable effort and determination. My pinkies quite simply weren't strong enough, and if I tried to use them, the machine would bite! I remember the fearful beast standing in the corner of my room snarling at me whenever I ventured within a couple of yards of it...
I would guesstimate my typing speed on the Psions at around 90% of what I used to do on a full size keyboard. Of course, these days I hardly ever type on a big computer, so I'm now faster on the Pisons than I am on my Toshiba.
I do occasionally miss a letter, but as I look at the screen and not the keyboard while I type, I spot and correct most errors immediately. It's quite possible that I miss more letters on the Piosns than I would on a full size keyboard, but not enough to be a problem. I've written a awful lot of copy on Pionss through the years, considerably more than I've done on all other computers put together.
Owen
Thought for the day:
I nver mss ny ltters whn typng n m Pion!
--
Owen H. Morgan, Yacht "Naomi J.", LD-9311
At anc27°46.28'N 15°41.65'W
Anfi Del Mar de Gran Canaria
http://home.no.net/naomij
Phone and SMS:
In Spain: +34 620520079
In Norway: +47 92053097
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Date: 23 Jun 2004 07:22:16 +0100
From: Itamar Engelsman
Subject: Emulator newbie, Transferring to PC, nB battery, Psion usage, MoonClock,
Answer to: Chris S Handley
Re.: Emulator newbie - For sake of good order, with synchronising between the emulator and a Psion you again have to make sure you do NOT copy the OPX files across from one to the other. If you don't, either one will stop functioning properly.
Answer to: Kevin Thorne
Re.: Transferring to PC - With sheet files to and from .XLS I found that quite often Psiwin does a better job than nConvert in translating all the various settings in the sheet. Try it out if you have a lot of them.
Re. nB battery - AFAIK these are still available as the nB and nB Pro are still for sale and both use the same battery (or not ?)
Answer to: Fergus Flanagan
Re.: Psion usage - Yes, I could certainly touch type on a S5(MX) as well, but I now use a mBook (and s7 as spare). Of course the screen of a mB is more suitable to use in car as navigator than a S5 (size, colour), but I found many clients in new cities with my S5 and GPS, the trick is to find the best angle with the car holder, and than play around with contrast and screen brightness.
Answer to: Philip Carlisle
Re.: MoonClock - Thanks, So what is the difference between the programs "Moonclock" and "Moon" ? Is it just the size or something else ?
Best regards,
Itamar Engelsman
London, UK
*++++++++++&
Date: 23 Jun 2004 08:02:20 +0100
From: U Hornstein
Subject: Malay-book available in Malaysia?
Hello Psionists,
a friend of mine is travelling to Malaysia.
Does somebody know if Malaybooks are available there to lower prices than from Sita or from the other known sources?
If so, does (s)he know adresses (postal or www) of shops there?
Is it at alll advisable to buy there in terms of guarantee?
Answers with personal copy please, I read digests which takes longer until I get them.
--
With greetings from Germany
Ulrich Hornstein
For spam protection: Please NEVER type my mail address into a www page ("send to a friend" or similar).
Sent by MC218 (EPOC palmtop)
*++++++++++&
Date: 23 Jun 2004 08:23:55 +0100
From: Marcus von Cube
Subject: Re: Grand-Rapid Browser (in reply to PM from Gianluca)
Hi Gianluca,
I post this on the digest as well to keep the community informed.
On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 09:24:33 +01wrote:
>>>>First off all, I *did not* yet try it on a Psion, just my PC.<<< >PLS do... I tried on my nB but I found it sooo slow... (almost unusable)
When I wrote my first post I wasn't aware of the existing EPOC port. I even could not find a "stand alone" version of the browser on www.grandrapid.com. Meanwhile, GrandRapid 2.2 from the .ru site is installed on my nB. It still has some bugs (see other member's post
about missing help panels and the like). I didn't do any performance tests yet.
>>>>Now to the drawbacks: Grand-Rapid is not free software. A developer (like >me) can buy a license + maintenance for $895 + $200/yr (a special introductory offer reduces the >initial costs by $300 but I'm unsure whether I qualify.) I short, to port the browser to EPOC I would >need some money back from the community, let's say about $20 per copy (+VAT).<<<
>
>the issue of a shareware program can be easily solved. there are many users in the worldwide community who may be interested in such a program as long as it demonstrates itself to be much
more efficient than Opera.
The main advantage of GR is that is is still under active development
while EPOC Opera is not. But a Java program on ER5 will always be
slower than a native application because the EPOC JVM is not
accelerated (no just in time comiler, JIT) but interpreted. And we all
know that Java needs memory! The latter made me think of implementing
the stripped down version of the browser as an alternative.
I don't know yet if the following is possible, but I hope I can tailor
the GUI in a way to make it more pen friendly, especially implement the
select on first tap, execute on second tap philosophy of EPOC.
>BTW, are you aware of the efforts of Xtep, Donkeyontheedge (John Lefebre) and others to change
the OS.IMG file in order to replace some of the files included in the ROM with other ones...
>what about connecting with them and insert Grand-Rapid (rather than opera 5.14) into this concept?
I've heard about this effort but I wouldn't include GR in the newley
tailored ROM. One reason is that it wouldn't save a single bit of
memory compared to installing it in RAM (there are no DLLs that would
benefit from executing in place.) It would be even more advisable to
put the browser on CF so it doesn't occupy memory when not in use.
A second reason not to put GR in ROM is mentioned above: the software
is under active development and regular updates are likely to occur.
Marcus
http://www.mvcsys.de
*++++++++++&
Date: 23 Jun 2004 09:09:52 +0100
From: dd.white
Subject: Request
Are there any downloads which would help reduce the amount of spam I get?
Apparently Microsoft provide for their users.
DDWhite.&nb
*++++++++++&
Date: 24 Jun 2004 08:56:38 +0100
From: Will Green
Subject: DEAD AND NEVER CALLED ME MOTHER - ISSUE TWO, WHERE ARE YOU?
Dear All,
DEAD AND NEVER CALLED ME MOTHER
I've never been a big fan of Macro5, I have to admit. This has nothing to do with the merits of the program - more my inability to understand its complexities.
However with Martin Guthrie's updated version I thought I'd give it a go.
After working through the 'switch to z:/system/app/shell/shell.app' problem, which I solved thanks to the marvellous - but sadly departed "Palmtop User" magazine.
I want to create a macro called 'Mother'. Rather than maternal, this title has a more sinister feel to it, I'm thinking 'The Prisoner' type of thing.
This all said I want to record a macro that will open a Record file and play it. Easy? Well I can't get it to work! The Macro goes fine as far as opening up the Record file, but neither the Space key or Ctrl+P nor screen tap seems to play the file via the macro.
The idea of Mother is to play first a recording saying "Hello number 6, your todo's today are" and then play another file called TO DO TO DAY (which is changed daily) and list my todo's.
Mother will be triggered by CronTab in the morning and tell me what I've got to do today.
Any ideas?
ISSUE TWO, WHERE ARE YOU?
I'm ever so sorry Issue Two of The Psion Computer Journal is running late, despite my 'Issue 2 is Go' promises a couple of weeks a go.
As with all things I think on the very, rather dimmless positive side. Anyway Issue 2 is immense. I think Issue 2 will be the best ever Psion dedicated publication, even books, ever! I say this with confidence as the articles are from the world's best Psion experts. Issue Two is virtually a book itself (that's why it's taken so long). Believe me it's worth the wait. Almost done.
Cheers,
Will.
Viva la Psion!
Will Green.
Editor.
Psion Computer Journal & Society.
email: will
call: (UK) 07958 60 20 80
The Psion Computer Journal - the world's only 100% dedicated Psion magazine.
*++++++++++&
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