OS/2 Frequently Asked Questions Release 1.9; December 4, 1991 Compiled by Timothy F. Sipples For changes/suggestions/additions please mail sip1@quads.uchicago.edu. Include subject line "OS/2 FAQ." This List may be freely distributed. The mention of a product does not constitute an endorsement. Answers to questions closer to the bottom of the List may rely on information given in prior answers. Customers outside North America should not rely on 800 telephone numbers or certain part numbers contained in this List. Release Notes: A new question (35) has been added. Questions 4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 22, 23, and 26 have been revised. Questions Addressed in this Release: (1) What is OS/2? (2) What are the differences between versions? (3) What is the difference between Standard and Extended Edition? (4) What about DOS and Windows compatibility? (5) Where can I buy OS/2? (6) How much does OS/2 cost? (7) Can I upgrade to IBM OS/2 1.3 SE from DOS? (8) Can I upgrade to IBM OS/2 1.3 SE from an older version? (9) If I buy IBM OS/2 1.3 now, how much will it cost to get 2.0? (10) Does IBM offer educational discounts on purchases of OS/2? Site licenses? (11) What hardware do I need to run IBM OS/2 1.3 SE? (12) What applications are available for OS/2 1.x? (13) Where can I obtain OS/2 freeware and shareware? (14) My Logitech mouse doesn't seem to be working with OS/2. What's wrong? (15) Is there a driver available for my SCSI adapter? (16) How about a high resolution driver for my video adapter? (17) How about a driver for my printer? (18) How do I access HPFS partitions on my hard drive without booting from the hard drive? I've done something (like changing CONFIG.SYS) that doesn't let me boot OS/2. (19) I can't install OS/2 from Drive B. What's wrong? (20) Is there a Norton Utilities for OS/2? (21) Sometimes Presentation Manager will freeze when I run an application, and I have to reboot. What's wrong? (22) My dealer doesn't know OS/2 from Unix. How can I get answers to my OS/2 questions? (23) How can I get ahold of the beta release of OS/2 2.0? (24) Why should I use HPFS? What does it offer me? Does it work with DOS? (25) I'm a Unix wizard. How do I make OS/2 resemble Unix? (26) I would like to set up an OS/2 BBS. What is available? (27) The printed and online manuals do not document REXX in any detail. Where can I obtain more information? (28) Doesn't OS/2 have applets like Windows? I miss Solitaire. (29) How do I redirect printer output to a file? (30) Can I use COM3 and COM4 in OS/2? (31) On my 1024x768 high resolution display I get obnoxiously large icons (64x64). How do I make them smaller? (32) How do I start a background process from the OS/2 command line? (33) How do I start a DOS application from a PM icon? (34) What are CSDs, how do I tell which I have, and where do I get them? (35) How do I add the Paste option to the system menus of windowed, non-PM applications? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) What is OS/2? OS/2 is an advanced operating system for PCs and PS/2s with an 80286 processor or better. It was codeveloped by Microsoft and IBM and envisioned as the successor to DOS. It was designed from the ground up with multitasking and multithreading in mind. It also protects applications from one another (a single misbehaved program will not typically bring down the entire system), supports up to 16 MB of physical RAM, and supplies virtual memory to applications as requested. As shipped, it does not support multiuser operation, although several third parties have grafted multiuser (character mode) capabilities onto the base operating system. Citrix, OS2YOU, Remote-OS, and Polymod are four such products. Remote-OS is published by The Software Lifeline, tel. 407-994-4466, and OS2YOU is available from the OS/2 shareware/freeware sources (see Question 13). [Other products' contacts?] ------------------------------ (2) What are the differences between versions? IBM OS/2 Version 2.0 was formally announced at Fall Comdex and will be available with promised features in December, 1991, on a limited basis, and in full retail release with "seamless Windows" support and other extra features in March, 1992. Version 2.0 will run only on machines with an 80386SX processor or better. IBM is (now) developing 2.0 independently but is involving third party PC manufacturers in its testing. Improvements will include the ability to preemptively multitask DOS, Windows 2.x, and Windows 3.x (standard mode) applications (without purchasing any of these environments) in separate, robust, protected sessions; an object-oriented WorkPlace shell (including a "shredder" icon); a multiple operating system boot mechanism; 32-bit programming interfaces; support for more than 16 MB of RAM; and more third party device drivers. It will also provide EMS 3.2/4.0 and XMS/DPMI 1.0 (expanded and extended memory) services to DOS and Windows applications. Version 2.0 will demand a minimum of 3 MB of RAM. See Question 4 for more information on OS/2 2.0. IBM OS/2 Version 1.3 (CSD Level 05016; see Question 34) is currently the latest commercially available release. This version distinguishes itself with built-in Adobe Type Manager and reduced memory requirements. Procedures Language/2 (a.k.a. REXX), a powerful batch-oriented programming language, became a part of Standard Edition with this release. (A few OEMs are shipping Microsoft OS/2 Version 1.3, but Microsoft has all but abandoned OS/2 development.) OS/2 Version 1.2 was the first to incorporate the High Performance File System (HPFS, which supports long file names). With this release IBM OS/2 added a dual boot mechanism and IBM Extended Edition introduced REXX. OS/2 Version 1.1 was the first to include the Presentation Manager (PM) GUI/API, now an integral part of the operating system. Microsoft OEM versions added a dual boot mechanism with this release. OS/2 Version 1.0, introduced in 1987, was the first release of OS/2. Task switching was accomplished through a character-based shell and limited DOS compatibility was provided. ------------------------------ (3) What is the difference between Standard and Extended Edition? IBM makes this marketing distinction between two different flavors of OS/2 1.x. OS/2 1.x is available either in its Standard Edition (SE, i.e. the base operating system) or in Extended Edition (EE, with several extra bundled software products including the Communications Manager and the Database Manager). EE includes enhanced mainframe, network, and communications support. The distinction will change slightly when OS/2 2.0 is released. IBM will upgrade EE features and drop LAN Requester from the package, to be renamed Extended Services (ES). LAN Requester will be included in IBM's OS/2 LAN Server product. The new ES 2.0 will still work with OS/2 1.3 and will be tested on a wide variety of PC compatibles. ES 2.1 will likely contain 32-bit code. ------------------------------ (4) What about DOS and Windows compatibility? All 1.x versions of OS/2 include optional the DOS compatibility mode (sometimes called the penalty box) which allows a single, well-behaved DOS application to run alongside multiple OS/2 applications. The DOS application stops running when the user switches to an OS/2 program. However, OS/2 programs will run in the background while a DOS program is running. IBM OS/2 Version 1.3 SE yields approximately 520K free memory in the DOS box. Windows 3.0 will run in real mode in the DOS box. Also, DOS may be started by itself (in native mode) in two ways: by using the dual boot mechanism in OS/2 (described in detail in the printed manual) or by booting from a floppy disk. In both cases DOS has access to all FAT (non-HPFS) partitions on the hard disk (that are not themselves preceded by a HPFS or other "foreign" partition). Version 2.0 will preemptively multitask DOS and Windows (real and standard mode) applications in separate, protected sessions. (Windows enhanced mode features, i.e. DOS multitasking and demand paging of memory, will be provided by OS/2 2.0 directly.) Windows applications will be well integrated into the overall OS/2 PM environment with DDE and Clipboard hooks, and OLE 1.0 will be supported between Windows applications. The "seamless Windows" support planned for March, 1992, means that Windows applications will run alongside other applications on the Presentation Manager desktop. Each DOS application will have up to roughly 640K conventional memory available. OS/2 2.0 will also provide up to 32 MB of EMS 3.2 or 4.0, 16 MB of XMS, and/or 512 MB of DPMI 1.0 for each DOS or Windows application out of its pool of physical and/or virtual memory. DOS applications which utilize DOS extenders will run so long as the extender is DPMI compliant. DOS applications can run either full screen or in PM windows. Windowed DOS applications will be able to use text mode or any graphics mode up to the resolution of the desktop. DOS and Windows device drivers will work with DOS and Windows applications running under OS/2 2.0, but if an OS/2 2.0 driver is available a DOS or Windows device driver is unnecessary. ------------------------------ (5) Where can I buy OS/2? Microsoft versions of OS/2 are available only through OEMs (e.g. Compaq, Dell). IBM OS/2 Version 1.3 is available from any authorized IBM dealer (although persistence helps) or directly from IBM (tel. 800-3 IBM OS2). IBM OS/2 1.3 SE on 5.25 inch disks is IBM part no. 84F7587. For 3.5 inch disks ask for part no. 84F7588. Media are high density. Corresponding EE part nos. are 15F7196 and 15F7195. IBM OS/2 Version 1.3 is also available from several mail order sources, including Egghead Discount Software (tel. 800-344-4323) and Elek-Tek (tel. 708-677-7660). IBM plans to make OS/2 2.0 available everywhere DOS is purchased, to bundle 2.0 with new systems, and to offer free or discounted upgrades depending on the product replaced (DOS, Windows, or OS/2 1.x). ------------------------------ (6) How much does OS/2 cost? IBM OS/2 Version 1.3 SE retails for USD 150. IBM will offer OS/2 2.0 for USD 195 retail. ------------------------------ (7) Can I upgrade to IBM OS/2 1.3 SE from DOS? Yes, as long as you are upgrading from IBM PC-DOS. The upgrade retails for USD 99. Part numbers are 85S1656 for 5.25 inch media and 85S1657 for 3.5 media. ------------------------------ (8) Can I upgrade to IBM OS/2 1.3 SE from an older version? Yes, as long as the previous version is an IBM version. There is a 99 USD charge for this upgrade. Licensees may wish to wait for the free upgrade to OS/2 2.0 that IBM plans to make available. ------------------------------ (9) If I buy IBM OS/2 1.3 now, how much will it cost to get 2.0? All IBM OS/2 1.x licensees upgrading to OS/2 2.0 before July 31, 1992, will pay nothing. Version 1.x EE licensees will receive the full 2.0 ES upgrade. IBM reserves the right to revise or add to these terms. ------------------------------ (10) Does IBM offer educational discounts on purchases of OS/2? Site licenses? IBM has both. The educational price is approximately USD 99 for OS/2 1.3 SE. SE also comes in non-media (manual and license only) packages at a reduced price, part no. 84F8528. An SE additional license (entitles holder to make one copy of media and manual) is part no. 15F1655; EE, 15F7201. ------------------------------ (11) What hardware do I need to run IBM OS/2 1.3 SE? You need a PC, PC compatible, or PS/2 with at least an 80286 CPU, 2 MB or more of RAM (configured as 640K base plus the remainder as extended memory), a 20 MB or larger hard disk, a supported video adapter (CGA, EGA, VGA, MCGA, 8514/A, XGA, or third party driver) with appropriate display, and a high density 3.5 or 5.25 inch floppy drive for installation. A mouse is recommended. PM will not operate with the Monochrome Display Adapter or the Hercules Monochrome Graphics Adapter. Usually PM will fail to work with monochrome EGA. However, some EGA adapters (e.g. Paradise Monochrome EGA Card, ATI EGA Wonder) will emulate all color EGA modes on TTL monochrome monitors and, thus, will work with PM. "Autoswitching" on non-IBM EGA adapters and "shadow RAM" should be disabled (usually with a DIP switch or jumper setting). On ISA bus machines, OS/2 supports 16-bit hard drive adapters which conform to the Western Digital chipset interface standard (i.e. nearly all MFM, RLL, IDE, and ESDI adapters). An adapter capable of sector remapping should be used (and enabled) with hard drives larger than 1024 cylinders. (The 1024 cylinder limit is a BIOS constraint.) IBM OS/2 1.3 is directly compatible with IBM's Microchannel SCSI adapters and attached devices. Question 15 discusses third party SCSI compatibility, including CD-ROM issues. Irwin (tel. 800-348-6242) manufactures OS/2 compatible tape backup systems. [More tape backup systems and Bernoulli information?] Supported printers include the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet family; IBM ExecJets, Proprinters, Quickwriters, Quietwriters, Pageprinters, and Laserprinters; Epson dot matrix printers; Postscript devices; and other printers compatible with these families. A variety of IBM and HP plotters is also supported. If difficulties are encountered in printing make sure the printer port generates interrupts and does not conflict with other installed devices. Also make sure that a high quality, fully wired cable is used. IBM PS/2 Models 90 and 95 must have their parallel printer ports set to compatibility mode using the setup disk. IBM OS/2 1.3 runs on a wide array of clones with a wide variety of hardware. However, compatibility cannot be assured with every non-IBM device. Often problems can be fixed with a BIOS upgrade or an OS/2 CSD (see Question 34; for example, CSD 05016 for IBM OS/2 1.3 fixes a problem involving the loss of CMOS setup information on certain PC compatibles). Version 2.0 will, however, be officially tested and supported on a wide variety of non-IBM equipment, including machines manufactured by Acer, ALR, Apricot, Arche, AST, AT&T, Blackship, Club American, Compaq, CompuAdd, CSS Labs, DEC, Dell, Dolch, Epson, Everex, Hertz, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Logix, Memorex, NCR, NEC, Netframe, Northgate, Olivetti, Panasonic, Parallan, Reply, Siemens, Tandon, Tandy/Grid, Tatung, Tricord, Toshiba, Twinhead, and Wyse. The number of supported peripherals and displays will also increase substantially. ------------------------------ (12) What applications are available for OS/2 1.x? They number in the low thousands at present and include applications from almost every category imaginable. Some are character based applications; some are PM based. DOS applications with OS/2 counterparts include Lotus 1-2-3 (both character and PM), Freelance, Microsoft Word (both character and PM), Excel, Multiplan, Aldus Pagemaker, Ventura Publisher, Corel Draw, WordPerfect, DisplayWrite, AutoCAD, Oracle, RBase, PC SAS, SPSS, HyperAccess/5, DynaComm, Pro-YAM, Borland Sidekick, Paradox, Wingz, Brief, QEdit, and many others. In some cases DOS and OS/2 versions ship together (e.g. Microsoft Word 5.5, Lotus 1-2-3 3.0, Wingz). Utilities include PKZIP/UNZIP, SEA's ARC, LHA, Zoo 2.1, GNU tools, tens of different file finders, desktop clocks, calculators, and many more. Programming languages include Assembler, C++, COBOL, Pascal, C, Fortran, BASIC, REXX, Smalltalk, Modula-2, and still more. The IBM NSC BBS (tel. 404-835-6600) provides an online product database of hardware and software compatible with OS/2. A directory of OS/2 applications, IBM document number G362-0029-00, is published by Graphics Plus, tel. 800-READ-OS2. ------------------------------ (13) Where can I obtain OS/2 freeware and shareware? Many BBSes hold large OS/2 libraries. Fernwood (tel. 203-483-0348) has over 50 MB worth. The OS/2 Shareware BBS (tel. 703-385-0931) and the Windows & OS/2 Magazine BBS (tel. 805-684-0589, fee req.) carry still more. The IBM NSC BBS has some shareware/freeware as well, along with CSDs (see Question 34) and the PS/2 Assistant (an invaluable resource for locating almost any sort of information on OS/2). The Usenet conference comp.binaries.os2 carries OS/2 software. And several sites are available via anonymous ftp. (No ftp? Send a single line message with the word HELP to bitftp@pucc.bitnet to learn about Princeton's ftp mail server.) They include (with Internet node numbers and subdirectories): mtsg.ubc.ca 137.82.27.1 os2: luga.latrobe.edu.au 131.172.2.2 pub/os2 msdos.archive.umich.edu 141.211.164.153 msdos/os2 funic.funet.fi 128.214.6.100 pub/os2 novell.com 130.57.4.1 os2 The last site should not be accessed weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time. Other sources include CompuServe ("GO IBMOS2") and the Bitnet/EARN site BLEKUL11 (send a single line message with the word HELP to LISTSERV@BLEKUL11.BITNET for more information). ------------------------------ (14) My Logitech mouse doesn't seem to be working with OS/2. What's wrong? The Logitech Series 7 and 9 serial mice work with the Mouse Systems PC Mouse driver; all other Logitech serial mice, the Microsoft Serial Mouse driver; bus mice, the Microsoft Bus Mouse (199) driver; PS/2 mice, the IBM PS/2 Mouse driver. Conflicts can arise with OS/2 and native DOS/Windows. The complete Logitech technical bulletin on OS/2, from which the above information was obtained, is required reading for users experiencing problems. It is available from the Logitech Support BBS, tel. 415-795-0408. ------------------------------ (15) Is there a driver available for my SCSI adapter? SCSI support has improved dramatically in the past few months. Users should make sure, however, that driver support extends to multiple SCSI devices, including CD-ROM, tape backup, and both primary (bootable) and secondary (nonbootable) hard disk drives in both FAT and HPFS configurations. Such extensive support is still rare. Columbia Data Products (tel. 407-869-6700, BBS tel. 407-862-4724) supplies or plans to supply OS/2 1.3 device drivers for numerous third party SCSI adapters, including some of the products mentioned below. Support may be limited to a choice of one primary SCSI hard disk drive, or one or more secondary SCSI hard disk drives. Adaptec (tel. 408-945-2550, BBS tel. 408-945-7727) provides OS/2 1.x support for FAT hard disk drives attached to its line of ISA SCSI adapters. Always Technologies makes an OS/2 1.x driver available on its BBS (tel. 818-597-0275) for its IN-2000 ISA SCSI adapter. At present the driver supports secondary hard disk drives only. Bustek (tel. 408- 259-6237) has OS/2 1.x and 2.0 (beta) drivers for both FAT and HPFS hard disk drives attached to its BT-742A EISA SCSI adapter. CE Infosys (tel. 703-435-3800) has OS/2 1.x support largely in place for its Microchannel and ISA SCSI adapters and is committed to future enhancements. DTC/Qume (tel. 408-262-7700, BBS tel. 408-942-4197) supports OS/2 1.x on its 3280 ISA SCSI adapter. Both FAT and HPFS hard disk drives are supported, but secondary drives cannot coexist with a primary drive. Future Domain (tel. 714-253-0400) provides an OS/2 1.x driver with its MCS-700 Microchannel SCSI adapter that supports up to six FAT or HPFS hard disk drives. Hard disk drive support is also available for its 1660 and 1670 ISA SCSI adapters. Western Digital (tel. 714-863-0102, BBS tel. 714- 753-1234) offers OS/2 1.3 driver support with its 7000 FAAST ISA SCSI adapter for both FAT and HPFS hard disk drives. Seagate (BBS tel. 408- 438-8771) has chosen not to supply an OS/2 driver for its ST-01/02 ISA SCSI adapters. Corel Systems (publisher of Corel Draw, tel. 613-728-8200) supplies OS/2 compatible CD-ROM (and rewritable) systems. IBM OS/2 2.0 should include direct support for many third party SCSI adapters and devices. ------------------------------ (16) How about a high resolution driver for my video adapter? In many cases an up-to-date OS/2 driver is available. If not, a driver for an older version of OS/2 may work. If all else fails, standard VGA must suffice. Drivers are available directly from the manufacturer of the video adapter or, in many cases, through the shareware/freeware sources listed above. Orchid (based on Tseng Labs chips) and Trident (among others) have released high resolution drivers for OS/2 1.3; ATI has not. Most OS/2 2.0 features will be available using an OS/2 1.3 display driver. DOS and Windows programs running under OS/2 2.0 will work with their own device drivers as well as with any OS/2-supported device. ------------------------------ (17) How about a driver for my printer? If your printer is not compatible with one of the drivers supplied with OS/2, check with the printer manufacturer first then with the IBM NSC BBS. For example, a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet III driver for IBM OS/2 1.3 is now available on the NSC BBS. If you own an IBM printer, check with the Lexmark BBS (tel. 606-232-5653). Non-PM applications may supply their own printer drivers, and text only output is always an option. ------------------------------ (18) How do I access HPFS partitions on my hard drive without booting from the hard drive? I've done something (like changing CONFIG.SYS) that doesn't let me boot OS/2. With IBM's OS/2, insert the Installation Diskette in Drive A and reboot. When the logo appears on screen, press ESC. You will be given an OS/2 command line prompt. Make sure you backup CONFIG.SYS before making any changes so that you can easily revert to the old version should things go wrong. Incidently, you may use this method to run CHKDSK on your OS/2 boot partition. After obtaining the OS/2 command line prompt, remove the Installation Diskette and insert Diskette 1. Type CHKDSK C: /F to repair damage to the boot partition. ------------------------------ (19) I can't install OS/2 from Drive B. What's wrong? IBM OS/2 can only be installed from Drive A. If you have the wrong disk size go back to your dealer and obtain the correct media. Otherwise you could go inside your machine and swap floppy drive cable connectors, use your system's setup utility to set the new CMOS parameters, and then install OS/2 from the new Drive A. Sometimes the floppy drive cable connectors will not be the same. If so you can use the DOS program FDFORMAT (available via anonymous ftp from wsmr-simtel20.army.mil, directory pd1:) to create 1.44 MB (80 tracks, 18 sectors per track) 5.25 inch disks. As before, reset your CMOS parameters to fool your machine into thinking the 5.25 inch drive is actually a high density 3.5 inch drive, DISKCOPY the diskettes, and install. IBM is working to make the install process friendlier in future releases of OS/2. ------------------------------ (20) Is there a Norton Utilities for OS/2? Not yet. But the GammaTech Utilities should fill the role with UnDelete and other programs. Contact their publisher at tel. 405-359-1219. ------------------------------ (21) Sometimes Presentation Manager will freeze when I run an application, and I have to reboot. What's wrong? Often the problem can be traced to the DOS box. If at all possible, upgrade to true OS/2 applications. OS/2 1.x provides far more protection in native mode. PM has some protection of its own. It can trap applications that do not respond to input, but you have to give it a chance. Press CTRL-ESC (to attempt to bring up the Task Manager), then wait up to a full minute before rebooting (without moving the mouse or pressing any other keys); a dialog box may appear with further instructions. ------------------------------ (22) My dealer doesn't know OS/2 from Unix. How can I get answers to my OS/2 questions? If your question is not answered in this FAQ List, post a note to the appropriate Usenet conference: comp.os.os2.apps carries discussions related to finding or using any OS/2 application, comp.os.os2.programmer addresses anything related to OS/2 programming, and comp.os.os2.misc is for any other OS/2-related discussion. These groups are watched closely by IBM's OS/2 development team. BLEKUL11 (on Bitnet/EARN) distributes its own OS/2 conference by mail; send a single line message with the word HELP to LISTSERV@BLEKUL11.BITNET for full instructions. Your local FidoNet BBS may carry the OS/2 echo conference. If not, ask your system operator to get ahold of it. CompuServe ("GO IBMOS2") is also an excellent source of information. The IBM NSC BBS was established as a support forum. That BBS's message areas, product database, and PS/2 Assistant file(s) are invaluable resources. And the company has launched an OS/2 hotline (tel. 800-342- 6672) for user inquiries and orders. (Ask about the OS/2 T-shirts and videocassettes.) OS/2 has its own magazine as well. To subscribe to IBM Personal Systems Developer, a quarterly publication, telephone 407-982-1105. ------------------------------ (23) How can I get ahold of the beta release of OS/2 2.0? Members of the Early Experience Program and certified developers can receive OS/2 2.0 beta. Details on program enrollment are available through both the IBM NSC BBS and the Hotline. Residents outside North America should contact local IBM branches for specific information on availability of OS/2 2.0 beta. The IBM NSC BBS may, in the future, stop taking orders for OS/2 2.0 beta. ------------------------------ (24) Why should I use HPFS? What does it offer me? Does it work with DOS? HPFS offers long file names (greatly exceeding the "8 dot 3" limit in FAT/DOS file systems) and speedier disk operation, particularly on large hard disks. HPFS is not case sensitive, although it does preserve case in file names. However, HPFS is not currently supported on removable media, although some programs (e.g. BACKUP) preserve long file names on such FAT disks. Also, native mode DOS cannot access a HPFS partition. However, the DOS compatibility box "sees" all files that conform to the "8 dot 3" naming conventions, even if they are stored on HPFS volumes. ------------------------------ (25) I'm a Unix wizard. How do I make OS/2 resemble Unix? A great number of GNU and other standard Unix utilities have been ported to OS/2 native mode and are available from the shareware/freeware sources listed above. A uucp package, UUPC/Extended, is available via anonymous ftp from sun.soe.clarkson.edu, directory pub/uupc; netmail help@kew.com with questions. In addition, the Hamilton C Shell is available from Hamilton Labs, tel. 508-358-5715 or netmail 3890321@mcimail.com. The Thompson Toolkit, a Bourne-like shell, is published by Thompson Automation, tel. 206-224- 1639. Thompson offers a version of awk as well. MKS (tel. 519-884-2251 or netmail pat@mks.com) publishes a number of standard Unix utilities for OS/2. TCP/IP support is available from IBM (and no longer requires EE) or FTP Software (send netmail to info@ftp.com). [BSD shell?] ------------------------------ (26) I would like to set up an OS/2 BBS. What is available? Many packages are available from the shareware/freeware sources listed above. OS/2 is an excellent environment for BBS operation, including large multiline facilities. Related software will enable FidoNet capabilities, gateways to Usenet/UUCP, nodelist processing, additional file transfer protocols, and more. Four popular OS/2 BBSes are Maximus and Simplex (available from shareware/freeware sources), Omega Point/2 (BBS tel. 404-564-1961), and Multi-Net (tel. 503-883-8099, BBS tel. 503-883-8197). ------------------------------ (27) The printed and online manuals do not document REXX in any detail. Where can I obtain more information? IBM publishes two separate manuals: "IBM Operating System/2 Procedures Language 2/REXX User's Guide," Part No. 01F0272, Document No. S01F-0272; and "IBM Operating System/2 Procedures Language 2/REXX Reference," Part No. 01F0271, Document No. S01F-0271. An alternative is "The REXX Language: A Practical Guide to Programming (2nd Ed.)" by Mike Cowlishaw, Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-780651-5. In addition, there are at least two different versions of REXX online references available from one or more of the shareware/freeware sources listed above. ------------------------------ (28) Doesn't OS/2 have applets like Windows? I miss Solitaire. All the Windows applets have been ported to OS/2. The package is called Windows Libraries for OS/2 (WLO) Version 1.0. They should be available from CompuServe and from some of the shareware/freeware sites listed above. IBM OS/2 2.0 will ship with several applets. ------------------------------ (29) How do I redirect printer output to a file? The Postscript printer driver has a built-in option for printing to a file. Navigate through the PM Print Manager configuration options to access this feature. For all other drivers, first hold (pause) the Print Manager queue then print from the application. The output file will be located below the SPOOL subdirectory. COPY the file elsewhere then cancel the job from the Print Manager. (These methods assume the IBM Print Manager (spooler) is installed and active.) ------------------------------ (30) Can I use COM3 and COM4 in OS/2? IBM OS/2 1.x ships with a driver that supports COM3 on Microchannel PS/2s only. However, the Fernwood BBS (and perhaps other sites) carries a replacement driver which supports COM3 and/or COM4 on ISA bus machines. This driver also supports speeds greater than 19,200 bits per second. Ports must not share interrupts on ISA bus machines, however. Fernwood also carries files that describe patches to the stock communications driver to enable certain features. "Smart" (coprocessor controlled) multiport communication adapters should be used when installing more than four ports. Such an adapter will work with OS/2 if the manufacturer has written an appropriate driver. Examples include IBM's own ARTIC products. ------------------------------ (31) On my 1024x768 high resolution display I get obnoxiously large icons (64x64). How do I make them smaller? Patch the display driver file, DISPLAY.DLL, using a program like DOS's DEBUG. Search for the byte sequence 40 00 40 00 20 00 20 00 (hexadecimal) (sometimes the sequence is 28 00 28 00 20 00 20 00) and change it to 20 00 20 00 20 00 20 00. ------------------------------ (32) How do I start a background process from the OS/2 command line? Look up the START and DETACH commands in the online reference. ------------------------------ (33) How do I start a DOS application from a PM icon? In IBM OS/2 1.3 DOS applications can be started from a PM program group icon just like native OS/2 and PM programs (assuming the OS/2 CONFIG.SYS file contains the lines DEVICE=...\DOS.SYS and PROTECTONLY=NO). From the PM desktop go to a program group and select New. Enter the DOS program's title (e.g. "Lotus 1-2-3"), the path to the program (to an EXE, COM, or BAT file, e.g. "C:\Lotus\Lotus.Exe"), and any optional parameters like command line options and/or the DOS application's working directory (e.g. "C:\Lotus"). Select the Add button, and PM will create a DOS icon with that application's name in the program group. These parameters may be altered by highlighting the icon and selecting Properties. Double clicking on that application's icon will cause OS/2 to switch to the DOS compatibility box and start the application. ------------------------------ (34) What are CSDs, how do I tell which I have, and where do I get them? CSDs are Corrective Service Diskettes, or bug fixes, periodically issued by IBM. The OS/2 CSD level number may be obtained using the command SYSLEVEL from the OS/2 command line prompt. CSDs are cumulative, i.e. only the most recent CSD is required to bring a system up from any previous CSD level. However, CSDs only apply within a major version number. For example, a full upgrade, not a CSD, would bring OS/2 Version 1.2 up to Version 1.3. Note also that SE CSDs are not the same as EE CSDs. CSDs may be ordered by anyone with an IBM customer number (usually large sites) directly from IBM (tel. 800-237-5511). OS/2 users without customer numbers should ask an authorized IBM dealer to order the CSD. Many dealers do not know about this program, so be persistent. CSDs may also be downloaded from the IBM NSC BBS or CompuServe ("GO IBMOS2"). ------------------------------ (35) How do I add the Paste option to the system menus of windowed, non-PM applications? In OS/2 1.3, start a windowed text mode application (e.g. the OS/2 Window command line). Bring up the system menu with SHIFT-ESC. Use the down arrow key (not the mouse) to highlight Mark. Press SHIFT-ENTER. Paste will then appear in system menus. -- Timothy F. Sipples sip1@ellis.uchicago.edu (Keeper of the OS/2 FAQ List, avail. via anonymous Department of Economics ftp from 130.57.4.1, directory "os2/faq") Univ. of Chicago 60637