[comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d] Other 4DOS Bugs?

routh@eltanin.rtp.semi.harris.com (Kevin Routh x622) (07/07/90)

I just downloaded 4DOS 3.01a from the net about four days ago.  I
installed it on my IBM AT at work (with EMS) and on my IBM XT
at home.  4DOS on the machine at work uses EMS swapping, but I
installed 4DOS at home to be resident in memory with the thought that
it would speed it up by avoiding a disk swap file.  Well, on the XT,
secondary shells do not receive the aliases from the primary shell.  At
work, on the AT, secondary shells do receive the aliases.  I found that 
the only difference was the swapping method (or lack thereof).  So I let
the version on the XT use disk swapping instead of being resident, and
bingo, the aliases got passed to the secondary shells.  I could not find
this behavior descibed in the manual, is this a bug or is it intentional?
Has anyone else seen this?  It's the ONLY flaw I have found so far in the
program, it's a wonderful piece of software so far.
--
Kevin Routh (routh@eltanin.rtp.semi.harris.com)
Harris Smart Power Products, Durham, NC
(919) 361-1622

stebbins@campanella.ucr.edu (john stebbins) (07/08/90)

I haven't fully explored this one yet, so I can't say that I'm sure my
conclusions are completely correct yet, but here goes anyway.  In a batch
file (I happen to be using the .btm type):

Iff condition1 then gosub subroutine
endiff

:subroutine
iff condition2 then commands
endiff
return

gives an error.  Unexpected endiff when it encounters the endiff in the
first iff when condition1 is true.
It acts like the second iff (the one in the subroutine) is making it forget
that it is still in the middle of the first iff.

John Stebbins
stebbins@ucrmath.ucr.edu

laba-3ie@e260-1c.berkeley.edu (Judd Reiffin) (07/08/90)

This isn't actually a bug, because the manual doesn't claim the program does
such a thing, but I miss the workings of the F2 and F3 keys from COMMAND.COM.

They work, but only if nothing else has been typed on the command line yet.

(This is with version 3.00, if 3.01a fixes this, I'd like to know.)

JR
reiffin@ocf.berkeley.edu

routh@eltanin.rtp.semi.harris.com (Kevin Routh x622) (07/08/90)

Please let me clarify the problem I posted yesterday, as some responses
seem to be confused.  To review, this is what I posted yesterday:

>> Date: Sat, 7 Jul 90 15:12:14 GMT

>> I just downloaded 4DOS 3.01a from the net about four days ago.  I
>> installed it on my IBM AT at work (with EMS) and on my IBM XT
>> at home.  4DOS on the machine at work uses EMS swapping, but I
>> installed 4DOS at home to be resident in memory with the thought that
>> it would speed it up by avoiding a disk swap file.  Well, on the XT,
>> secondary shells do not receive the aliases from the primary shell.  At
>> work, on the AT, secondary shells do receive the aliases.  I found that 
>> the only difference was the swapping method (or lack thereof).  So I let
>> the version on the XT use disk swapping instead of being resident, and
>> bingo, the aliases got passed to the secondary shells.  I could not find
>> this behavior descibed in the manual, is this a bug or is it intentional?
>> Has anyone else seen this?  It's the ONLY flaw I have found so far in the
>> program, it's a wonderful piece of software so far.


The following EXACT excerpt from the manual is what makes me think it
might be a bug:
 
top of page 26:  4DOS Reference Manual Copyright 1990, J.P. Software

>        You should not load any memory-resident programs (TSRs) from the
>        4START file, because 4DOS will attempt to load them every time it
>        starts a new shell.
> 
>        You shouldn't load aliases from 4START, since 4DOS will pass them
>        --- --------- ---- ------- ---- ------- ----- ==== ==== ==== ====
>        automatically to secondary shells.
>        ============= == ========= =======

The double underlined statement is not true for shells invoked in the
non-swapping, memory resident mode (at least as far as I can
determine).  Thanks for the help.
--
Kevin Routh (routh@eltanin.rtp.semi.harris.com)
Harris Smart Power Products, Durham, NC
(919) 361-1622

sos@psc90.UUCP (Steffan O'Sullivan) (07/09/90)

I found a 4DOS bug, and reported it to J.P. Software when I registered.
Since I registered, I obviously am not too disturbed by it!  I love this
package, and can't think why any net user who uses an ibm pc wouldn't get it.

The very minor bug involves the internal LIST command: if you LIST multiple
files (say, list *.doc), then press F1 for help, when you leave the current
file it won't read the rest of the files in the queue.

Very minor, as I say.  There is also an undocmented switch for SETDOS that
unix users might like to know about: SETDOS /w.  This changes the switch
character.  (SETDOS /w- changes the switch character to -, just like unix.)

I would love to hear of any other undocmented features of 4DOS.

Thanks,
-Steffan O'Sullivan      sos@psc90.uucp;  (after 7/20: sos@oz.plymouth.edu)
   before 7/19:   uunet!unhd!psc90!sos;   decvax!dartvax!psc90!sos
    after 7/20:   uunet!unhd!oz!sos;      decvax!dartvax!oz!sos

johnv@metaware.metaware.com (John Vinopal) (07/11/90)

	I dislike the filecompletion key.  I'd like to remap it to the
	ESC key and have word delete with CTRL-w -- I don't need line
	delete.  Any words on this?

						john