[comp.windows.ms] Some complaints about Windows

riehm@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca (Carl Riehm) (06/05/90)

 I like the new Windows, but there are a couple of things that bother me. 
Perhaps they can be changed - if so please let me know.

1.  Whenever I use the notepad, the default file specification is *.txt instead
of *.* (which I would prefer...).  Can this be changed?  It's a nuisance to 
always have to change it.

2. When one uses the clipboard, a carriage return and line feed is added to 
the end of what is copied.  This is also a nuisance; for example when I send 
email, I often copy the address with the clipboard; when I then use it in our 
mailer, I have to edit it by adding in%" at the beginning and " at the end.  
But if a carriage return is appended, I don't get a chance to do it.  Any
suggestions?

3.  Is there any way to configure Windows so that on starting up, the File 
Manager occupies one half of the screen, and the Program Manager the other?
Why on earth were not the functions of the two integrated into one utility?

4. In copying from one directory to another, I first get one of the 
directories on the screen using the directory tree, move it over to the other
 side
(after possibly resizing it), then get the  other directory....   Wouldn't it
be nice if the 2 directories decided on their own to share the screen 
without any intervention from me?

Signed, Frustrated in Hamilton, Ontario.    (aka Carl Riehm).

akm@geriatrix.cs.uoregon.edu (Anant Kartik Mithal) (06/05/90)

In article <266AD90F.8969@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca> riehm@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca (Carl Riehm) writes:
> I like the new Windows, but there are a couple of things that bother me. 
>Perhaps they can be changed - if so please let me know.
>1. Whenever I use the notepad, the default file specification is *.txt instead
>of *.* (which I would prefer...).  Can this be changed?  It's a nuisance to 
>always have to change it.

You could associate additional filename extensions with notepad, so
that would expand the number of things you can click on to edit with
notepad. A partial solution, just like the others that follow...

>2. When one uses the clipboard, a carriage return and line feed is added to 
>the end of what is copied.  This is also a nuisance; for example when I send 
>email, I often copy the address with the clipboard; when I then use it in our 
>mailer, I have to edit it by adding in%" at the beginning and " at the end.  
>But if a carriage return is appended, I don't get a chance to do it.  Any
>suggestions?

I surmise that you are using a non-windows comm program. I use WinQVT,
and do precisely what you suggest. WinQVT is available from, among
other places from 35.8.2.1 (clvax1.cl.msu.edu) and Simtel20.

>3.  Is there any way to configure Windows so that on starting up, the File 
>Manager occupies one half of the screen, and the Program Manager the other?
>Why on earth were not the functions of the two integrated into one utility?

That's probably being kept as a goodie for the next upgrade... But you
can use another shareware program called Aporia that will do something
like that. Caveats though. Aporia is not 100% win3 compatible. It has
a system information function that bombs windows. And Windows can't
automatically close it, i.e. when you quit windows with Aporia
running, it will crash windows. However, if you can live with that,
then aporia seems towork fine. One of the things it can do is
associate a window size with an icon, so that if you run the program
from the (Aporia) icon, it comes up in the specified size.

>4. In copying from one directory to another, I first get one of the 
>directories on the screen using the directory tree, move it over to the other
> side
>(after possibly resizing it), then get the  other directory....   Wouldn't it
>be nice if the 2 directories decided on their own to share the screen 
>without any intervention from me?

Two suggestions. First, use the Tile command under _W_indow. (and
forgive me if you already know about it.) Second,
if you have the disk tree open in one window, and a directory in
another, then you can copy files from the directory onto
directories/disks in the disktree window. (Easier for you to try it
than for me to explain it...) I do that, and it saves me a lot of time
opening directories and disks.

kartik



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anant Kartik Mithal					akm@cs.uoregon.edu
Department of Computer Science				akm@oregon.BITNET
University of Oregon					

rspangle@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (Randy Spangler) (06/05/90)

In article <266AD90F.8969@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca> riehm@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca (Carl Riehm) writes:
>4. In copying from one directory to another, I first get one of the 
>directories on the screen using the directory tree, move it over to the other
> side
>(after possibly resizing it), then get the  other directory....   Wouldn't it
>be nice if the 2 directories decided on their own to share the screen 
>without any intervention from me?

Well, you can get almost that good if you go to the menu bar in the File
Manager and select the Tile option (I think) from a pull-down.  This only
tiles the child windows of File Manager, and won't affect Program Manager
or other apps.  (Those you can tile with the Task Manager)


-- 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
|    Randy Spangler                    |    The less things change, the    |
|    rspangle@jarthur.claremont.edu    |    more they remain the same      |
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------

altman@sbstaff2.cs.sunysb.edu (Jeff Altman) (06/05/90)

In answer to numbers 3 and 4, you can use the Tile Option on the 
Task Manager to arrnage the Windows on the screen side by side.
The same goes for the File manager directory issue, just use the 
arrange windows option in the file manager.

Now as far as having windows start up with the File Manager on one
side and the Program Manager on the other.  Try using the Macro Recorder.
Create a Macro which does what you want.  Save it, and place it as
one of the Run options.

As far as question 2 goes (copying text without adding a C/R)
I agree that there should be some way of stating either copy with
a C/R or without.  Without should be default, and Shift-Drag should
be with or something like that.  I don't know how to do it however.

Question 1:  I don't know but you might be able to write a macro for 
that too.

- Jeff (jaltman@ccmail.sunysb.edu)

hadgraft@civeng.monash.edu.au (Roger Hadgraft) (06/07/90)

In article <266AD90F.8969@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca>, riehm@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca (Carl Riehm) writes:
>  I like the new Windows, but there are a couple of things that bother me.
> Perhaps they can be changed - if so please let me know.
>
> 1.  Whenever I use the notepad, the default file specification is *.txt instead
> of *.* (which I would prefer...).  Can this be changed?  It's a nuisance to
> always have to change it.

I simply used PC-WRite to replace the 3 occurrences of TXT that I could find
with *
>
> 2. When one uses the clipboard, a carriage return and line feed is added to
> the end of what is copied.  This is also a nuisance; for example when I send
> email, I often copy the address with the clipboard; when I then use it in our
> mailer, I have to edit it by adding in%" at the beginning and " at the end.
> But if a carriage return is appended, I don't get a chance to do it.  Any
> suggestions?

This used to happen with Win2 sometimes. I haven't noticed it with Win3.
>
> 3.  Is there any way to configure Windows so that on starting up, the File
> Manager occupies one half of the screen, and the Program Manager the other?
> Why on earth were not the functions of the two integrated into one utility?

Wait for Command Post 7.0, I suspect.
>
> 4. In copying from one directory to another, I first get one of the
> directories on the screen using the directory tree, move it over to the other
>  side
> (after possibly resizing it), then get the  other directory....   Wouldn't it
> be nice if the 2 directories decided on their own to share the screen
> without any intervention from me?

Sure would be nice.

The biggest flaw I can see is that the Program Group Items in Program Manager
don't have an associated directory. There are tricks for starting an application
in a different directory, but they're not very satisfactory. I've resorted to
using the Macro recorder to do it for me.
--
Roger Hadgraft                  |  hadgraft@civeng.monash.edu.au
Lecturer in Civil Engineering   |  phone:  +61 3 565 4983
Monash University               |  fax:    +61 3 565 3409
Clayton, Vic. 3168. Australia.  |