S7YLF4%IRISHMVS@WISCVM.WISC.EDU@caip.RUTGERS.EDU (02/23/86)
From: S7YLF4%IRISHMVS.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU
Lately I have been getting VERY upset with my Amiga. {muttering
epithets} In particular, several problems:
1) When I first used Textcraft and my Epson JX-80, printing out
files at 10-pitch, everything was offset by five characters, so
I switched to 12-pitch, and everything actually looked better,
centered on the page. Now I've recopied stuff over from my
original Textcraft disk (because my #|%@#(*^%$@^) backup crashed),
and it refuses to do it that way. I can't print in 10-pitch, because
for some reason it goes down an extra line at the end of a long
line. Note that when I was printing at 12-pitch, according to Textcraft
the margins were 0 and 80, but the printer was printing out things
five spaces over. Preferences doesn't seem to change this.
2) Another gripe about Preferences: when I try to change the
margins to 0 and 80, save and then go back, they change to <blank>
and 8.
3) A gripe about Preferences and the date command: I CANNOT get
either date OR preferences to save the date!!!
Has anyone else had any of these problems? I am getting increasingly
annoyed with this. I've wasted a lot of time trying to figure out
what the 11~32~5|#_$)@*(%&$#_%^)@(#$*&% is wrong, and cannot.
nj, the Increasingly Miffed <s7ylf4%irishmvs.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.EDU>mwm%ucbopal@BERKELEY.EDU@caip.RUTGERS.EDU (02/23/86)
From: Mike (I'll be mellow when I'm dead) Meyer <mwm%ucbopal@BERKELEY.EDU> I can't help with the other problems, but: > 3) A gripe about Preferences and the date command: I CANNOT get > either date OR preferences to save the date!!! I'm assuming by "save the date," you mean past reboots, not just setting it to the correct time. When AmigaDOS boots, it sets the date to the creation date of the oldest file on the disk (microware take note - OS/9 could use such a feature). Since setting the date with date or preferences doesn't create any files, you haven't changed the date the system will set when it boots. However, if you cause a file to be written on, you have changed the date. From preferences, this is easy: exit with "save." From the CLI, I tend to do things like "date >:now" to set the date (stolen from a script supplied with the C compiler). Either way works. <mike
LMC-TRANS@GUNTER-ADAM.ARPA@caip.RUTGERS.EDU (02/24/86)
From: LMC-TRANS@GUNTER-ADAM.ARPA In response to the message sent Sat, 22 Feb 86 22:21 EST from S7YLF4%IRISHMVS.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU Textcraft and preferences don't get along. Although I haven't been able to solve the problem, I have figured out a way to live with it. When you first boot up Preferences sets up your printer. Later when you use Textcraft, textcraft tries to set it up the way you specified in your textcraft document. To make everything right, start printing a document with textcraft and then immediately stop it (use the cancel icon). After doing that turn your printer off and then back on, that'll clear everything out of the printer. Now when you go back to use Textcraft everything will work as you expect it to. Here's another interesting problem. I'm using telecommunications on my Amiga to connect to a PDP 11 to write assembly programs. When I bring the programs back to the Amiga I want to print them on my FX in the condensed mode. Normally, when using my IBM (gasp), I'd just reach over to the FX dip switches and set the one for condensed (brute force, but very effective). This doesn't work with the Amiga. Apparently, Preferences overrides at least some of the dip switch settings. Didn't know you could do that. Vaughn Wasem Montgomery (this is a real place), Alabama lmc-trans@gunter-adam -------
andy@amiga.UUCP (Andy Finkel) (02/24/86)
<line eater food> nj: I'd reply, but. noticing the rutgers in the reply-to, from my (short) experience on the net, there's apparently little chance of getting through. Anyway, Your printer problems probably come from that 0 as your left margin setting. 0 is an illegal left margin; preferences shouldn't let you choose it. Try 1 and 80 instead. Also, are you using V1.0 or V1.1 ? (or some mixture ?) V1.1 preferences won't let you choose 0 as your left margin. Make sure you're using both V1.1 printer device and preferences. andy finkel Commdore(Amiga) "No matter where you grow...there you are." - Buckaroo Bonsai Disclaimer: "I disclaim all responsibilities, all sizes, all shapes, all colors."
bruceb@amiga.UUCP (Bruce Barrett) (02/24/86)
In article <1349@caip.RUTGERS.EDU> S7YLF4%IRISHMVS@WISCVM.WISC.EDU@caip.RUTGERS.EDU writes: >From: S7YLF4%IRISHMVS.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU > >1) When I first used Textcraft and my Epson JX-80, printing out... >2) Another gripe about Preferences: when I try to change the margins... >3) A gripe about Preferences and the date command: I CANNOT get... Problems 1) 2) and 3) can (probably) ALL be solved by copying your V1.0 Textcraft files to a V1.1 Workbench diskette. (Don't forget to copy the tutorials, if you want them) 1&2) Margin settings in preferences should be 1 and 80. V1.0 pref's didn't like "0" in the second position, as I recall. I assume you are changing the margin settings AND pressing <return>. (This is unintuitive, sometimes.) 3) The V1.0 date setting procedure differs from the V1.1. Both the CLI date command and Preferences for V1.0 will not change 1 V1.1 date. I believe this, at least, was documented. ------------- (Minor flame, *not* directed at network folk!) --------- The problems experienced indicate, rather vividly why developers SHOULD NOT ship Commodore-Amiga system software on their diskettes. When new versions come out people forget/aren't aware they need to update ALL their diskettes. Also given EA's problem with writing to their diskettes and therefore causing users trouble in upgrading printer drivers, etc. further supports my premise. PLEASE, if ypu develop software, do it "right". For my money that means writting a small install program that converts a WB diskette into your (bootable??) application diskette. Or better yet just let the user boot WB themselves, then insert (and enjoy) your application disk. ------------- Flame off ------------------- == Anyone want to open discussion on "what a perfect product looks like" ? I'd be glad to start it off or contribute. ---- If these opinions were those of my employer life would be different. --- Bruce Barrett