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V.O.I.C.E Virtual OS/2 International Consumer Education
February 2006
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Feature articles

- Christian Hennecke: News from the tailor's workroom
- Jeroen Besse: A new Future for eComStation
- Niels Jensen: Warpstock Europe 2005 in Dresden - eAMPT - the one click install of a CMS for eComStation is here!
- Chuck Pettus: Warpstock 2005 - An outsider's impression
- Keith Merrington: SigmaMD5 - A program to check message digests
- Arthur van Egmond: How to create a database using Lotus Smartsuite
- Robert Henschel: Time to think about Warpstock Europe 2006
- Tips
- Letters, Addenda, Errata

Active GUI element

Static GUI element

Code

WPS object

File/Path

Command line

Entry-field content

`[Key combination]`

more

# Legend for markup

Articles published in the VOICE Newsletter use the following markup:

## Inside paragraphs ("inline elements")

"This was the first time a computer was used for such calculations."
  A newly introduced term that is used for the first time in the article, terms in foreign languages, slightly emphasized things.
"Do not format your drive unless you have a working backup."
  A strong emphasis, e.g., for a warning.
V.O.I.C.E
  An acronym or abbreviation. If you move the mouse pointer over the acronym, an explaination is displayed.
You have selected to delete the file test.zip. Continue? or To be or not to be?
  A quote from real persons or books, or program messages.
Hamlet
  The source of a quote. This could tell you whom the "To be or not to be?" quote from above originated from.
Browse or File > New

  Active GUI elements, which cause some action to occur when clicked: menu items, push buttons, checkboxes, radio buttons, lists, combo boxes.

  A ">" seperates elements that have to be selected consecutively. In the above example, this would mean that you first have to select the menu item "File" and then "New."

Shutdown
  Static GUI elements, which are used for information purposes: window and dialog titles, group names. Groups are borders, usually surrounding several associated active GUI elements.
Templates or Local System > System Setup > Mouse

  Workplace Shell desktop objects, both abstract and with a file system pendant.

  A ">" seperates such elements that have to be selected consecutively. In the above example, this would mean that you first have to open the "Local System" folder object, then the "System Setup" folder, and then the "Mouse" object.

CONFIG.SYS, OS2\INSTALL, or C:\OS2\BOOT\OS2DASD.DMD
  The name of a file or folder, or its partial or fully qualified path in the file system.
`SysSetObjectData()`
  Any snippet of program code in a wider sense. E.g., HTML, CSS, REXX, C, Pascal.
`[Ctrl-C]`

  Keyboard input to be entered by the user.

  A "-" or "+" between two keys means that they have to be pressed simultaneously. In the above example, you would have to press both the "Ctrl" and "C" keys.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
  Text that has to be typed in an entry field.
unzip test.zip -d x:\temp
  A command that has to be entered at a command line and executed by pressing the "Enter" key.
unzip: cannot find either test or test.zip.
  Output that is displayed by a program at a command line.
directory or filename
  A variable, variable name, or program argument. Often used to explain command syntax.
192.168.1.1 or comp.os.os2.bugs
  All kinds of addresses.

## Paragraph-like elements ("block elements")

Emacs is an extremely feature-rich and extensible editor. However, these qualities have a price: complexity. Many people have surrendered to the steep learning curve that has to be overcome before one can take advantage of all the program's goodies. To help you avoid the same fate, this article describes the installation and customization of the Emacs editor in great detail.

  The summary of an article. Usually located directly after the title.

"The VOICE bylaws state:

> The name of this organization shall be the "Virtual OS/2 International Consumer Education," hereinafter called VOICE. OS/2 is defined as a computer operating system marketed by IBM. ISV is defined as Independent Software Vendor. SOHO is defined as Small Office/Home Office. OS/2 and IBM are the registered trademarks of the International Business Machines Corporation.

So this organization is about OS/2."

  Quotes that extend over several lines.
OS/2 history
Operating System/2 (OS/2) was originally developed as a joint project between IBM and Microsoft. It's intention was to replace the antiquated Disk Operating System (DOS) as the operating system of choice. At the time, DOS was at version 3.x, and IBM and Microsoft both realized that with the advent of the Intel 80286 in the mid-1980's, it was quickly becoming obsolete. Thus, OS/2 was born, initially as a 16-bit, command-line based operating system. Microsoft worked closely with IBM up to version 1.3. While IBM worked on the "guts," they worked on the new graphical user interface that was due for later versions. OS/2's kernel was developed by IBM from the ground up as the Personal Computer (PC) version of a mainframe operating system, with all of the time-slicing, stability, and other features previously existing solely on those high-end machines.
  A box that contains side notes and digressions that don't otherwise fit into the flow of the article.
Partial CONFIG.SYS

    BUFFERS=100
    IOPL=NO
    DISKCACHE=512,LW,32
    MAXWAIT=1
    MEMMAN=SWAP,PROTECT
    SWAPPATH=H:\ 10240 92160
    BREAK=OFF
    THREADS=1024
    PRINTMONBUFSIZE=2048,134,134

  Generic file content with header.
Example #1: xcenter.c

    SOM_Scope BOOL  SOMLINK xctr_xwpMoveWidget(XCenter *somSelf,
                                               ULONG ulIndex2Move,
                                               ULONG ulBeforeIndex)
    {
        // XCenterData *somThis = XCenterGetData(somSelf);
        XCenterMethodDebug("XCenter","xctr_xwpMoveWidget");

        return ctrpMoveWidget(somSelf, ulIndex2Move, ulBeforeIndex);
    }

  Several lines of code.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
Then it escapes the hunter by hiding behind a bush.
  Several lines that have to be entered into an entry field or similar.

    unzip notexist.zip -d x:\
    unzip:  cannot find either notexist or notexist.zip.

  Input and output at a command line.
While RSU is great to have on standard OS/2 systems, I don't recommend using it on eComStation systems. The eCS Maintenance Tool provides its own method of installing FixPaks over the Internet, and it's already much more advanced than RSU ever was. It also handles post-installation dependencies specific to eComStation (like updating the dialog and icon resources), which RSU does not.
  An important note.
Create a backup of your INI files before installing this software. It is still in beta state and could completely break your WPS.
  A warning.
Now that we have finished the above configuration steps it is save to reboot the machine and start the server for the first time.
  Notes about a larger section of work that has been finished and the consequences thereof.
As you can see, the configuration steps executed above have changed the application's display the way we wished. We need to keep this in mind for later, when we adapt the printout.
  Things to keep in mind.
Congratulations! You have finished configuring the most versatile and complex editor ever developed!
  Specific characteristics that mark an operation's success. Something that is particularly positive about a piece of software or hardware.

## Tables

A table cell
  A non-specific marker for table cells.
A table cell
  A non-specific marker for table cells.
A table cell
  A non-specific marker for table cells.

Tbl. 1: A table caption
Single applications | Tools | Office | Graphics | Sum
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Gui | Textmode | Rexxable | EMX | test
A sub-caption that can be used more than once inside the table
alle | test | test | test | test
500 | 16 | test | test | 516
test | test | test | test | test
test | test | test | test | 516