[Oberon] Continue to fix COM4 modem till success

[cglur at onwe.co.za]

> Ghost wrote:
> > > > > Q: How do I read "Tutorial" and/or "Docu" from either the
> > > > > standard interface or Gadgets?
> > > > >
> > > > As I wrote just 'look' at the file name to open the file.
> > > > Some texts need Desktops.OpenDoc ^ (pre-select the file name)
> > > > to open in the proper format.
> > >
> > > I thought I was doing this?  I got empty boxes with no text in them.
> >
> > OK, if the text frame (which shows its name at the left of its menu
> > frame) is empty, then it means you have opened a 'null' file.
> > I.e. mouse was pointing to a token like "boxes" which is not the
> > name of a current file.
> 
> I double clicked to highlight the filename or typed the filename
> in then MM'd the command to open and display the file (I
> tried both methods).

NO !! "double clicked" is Microsoft terminology.
(Native) oberon has a small (easy to master)  exact vocabulary.
Use it.
Don't talk MS.
eg: SELECT the filename ; EXECUTE the command to open and display the file.



> > Well the "Tutorial" and/or "Docu" are just text files the same as
> > V24.Mod . If you managed to open and read V24.Mod , then do the
> > same with some of the *.Text files.
> 
> Yes, these were my thoughts exactly.  Didn't work out that way though.

Exactly what did you do ?   Exactly what happened.

> > Method 1. Eg. use Edit.Open <fileName>.Text , where you
> > execute (i.e. Mid-Mouse on the command "Edit.Open") and fill
> > in the actual <fileName> as it appears in your directory listing.
> 
> Tried this method.

? and what happened ? !

> > 2. Alternatively (and better - less error prone, time wasting typing),
> > you select one or more characters from the begining of the
> > <fileName> .Text immediately in your directory listing.
> 
> No need for a wildcard sucha s "*" in there?

I don't understand.  Wildcard "*" applies (makes sense) for directory
listing, but not for opening a specific/unique file.
When we write *.html needs Desktops.OpenDoc ^ to be viewed, we mean:
"all files with extension 'html' need to use the "Desktops.OpenDoc"
command to be viewed - properly (as normally intended)."

> > 3. Alternatively (and best) just point at the <fileName> .Text
> > in your directory listing (or any appearance of the file name)
> > and do: mid-press, right-press, mid-release.
> 
> Did not try this method.

Are your fingers OK ? 
If it takes me 500 msec to do it, can't you spend 50 seconds to try ?
BTW do you know how to move and resize the various text frames ?
The first time I used Sys 3, I had never used a window, so I couldn't
scroll down, in order to read "how to scroll down".

It's difficult/discouraging to receive email/advice in another OS,
then have to go to n-o to try/test.  The following allows you to
read your email in n-o; received previously in non-n-o mode.

I'm using alpha now, which is different, but my records and
memory of pre-alpa are:
*  save your files (to be viewed later via n-o) in some MSDOS file.
    eg. c:/oberon.fls/email.725
  Best use only alphanumeric chars plus dot for the path and name.
* When you are in n-o, you can do eg:
      DOS.Directory  c:/* ~  to see the root dir of your MSDOS file sys.
      DOS.Directory  c:/oberon.fls  ~
             to see files (for n-o usage) in your MSDOS system.
      DOS.Copy  c:/oberon.fls/email.725  =>  FileFromDOSpartn ~
             to fetch a file from your MSDOS system.
      System.Directory   FileFromDOSpartn\d  will confirm and show size
      Edit.Open  FileFromDOSpartn ~  will show funny line terminators
      ET.OpenAscii    FileFromDOSpartn ~ will show - looks better
      Hex.Open    FileFromDOSpartn ~ will allow you to see hex of contents,
              i.e. also non ascii chars.

*  And then you'll want to be able to write from n-o to MSDOS:
      Miscellaneous.MakeDOSText  NO2DOS.726  => email.726 ~
             This puts the (already created by you) n-o file in MSDOS format,
               which you can confirm, by looking at it.
      DOS.Copy  email.726   => c:/oberon.fls/email.726 ~
            which saves the file to your DOS dir, and is confirmed by:
      DOS.Directory  c:/oberon.fls
----------------
Once you can read and write text files (also to/from DOS) go on to
compile and test the simplest source code text file(s), and read various
tutorials, until you have patched your machine to use the modem via
COM4.

-- Chris Glur.

PS. how is it possible that you opened, edited and saved the V24.Mod
text file, yet you can't open other files ?

With my alpha setup:
 System.Directory  System.Text\d ~ shows the System.Text file's current size
 Edit.Open System.Text ~   shows me the file contentts with line overflow.
 Desktops.OpenDoc   System.Text ~      shows me the file - formatted better.

Can you do this ?