More fun with Palm Connect
starnet!apple!trantor.harris-atd.com!chuck (Chuck Musciano)
Message-id: <9311292117.AA27530@trantor.harris-atd.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1993 16:17:04 +0500
From: starnet!apple!trantor.harris-atd.com!chuck (Chuck Musciano)
To: zoomer-list-1993@grot.starconn.com
Subject: More fun with Palm Connect
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Content-Length: 3775
Status: OR
First, I've been trying to run Zoomer apps under Palm Connect, and
Geoworks apps on my Zoomer, with mixed results:
* Clock
The Clock app from Geoworks 2.0 works great on the Zoomer, finally
giving you the onscreen clock you've always wanted! I found that
using the analog clock 0.3 inches high in the lower left corner
of the screen gives great results.
Drawbacks: the configuration window is a little too big to fit on
the screen, but you can tap everything you need to configure the
clock. In addition, the only way to kill the clock app under
Geoworks is to select "Close" from the title bar menu. Since
Zoomer's don't have title bars, the only way to kill the clock
is to soft reset your Zoomer.
Also, install Clock in \GEOWORKS\WORLD\Utilities, so you can start
it from the launcher easily. *Don't* put it in the "Desk
Accessories" folder, since the window will be decorated and be too
big to fit on your screen.
Finally, clock is always in memory, so it reduces the number of
other active apps to just 1 or 2. A small price to pay for the cute
little clock.
* Perf
Perf, from Geoworks 2.0, completely dies, with a KR-01, on the Zoomer.
Too bad, since I was hoping to get a feel for swap rates and memory
use on the Zoomer.
* Text Editor
If you download this and run it, you'll get complaints about missing
system files. It turns out that the only file you are missing is
the "Spell Check Library" in the \GEOWORKS\SYSTEM directory. Copy
this down from your Geoworks SYSTEM library and you'll have a full
featured ASCII text editor.
Copying the "Spell Check Library" is a two step process, since the
File Manager will not overlay a shadow system directory during the
download. Copy it first to your \GEOWORKS directory, and then
move it into the SYSTEM directory.
Major drawback: that Library is 150 Kbytes, so you'll have a nifty
text editor, with no space to store any files. Wait on this one until
you have a 1 or 2 meg PCMCIA card.
* GeoDraw, GeoWrite, GeoCalc
Missing lots of system files, far more than can fit on the B: drive
on the Zoomer. Wait for that PCMCIA card for these apps.
* Pocket Quicken
I wanted to run Pocket Quicken under Palm Connect, so I can see my
accounts on my PC, too. Copying Pocket Quicken to \PALMCONN\WORLD
wasn't enough; you'll need to copy "Date Selector", "Interrupt Float
Library", and "Pocket Quicken Database" from \GEOWORKS\SYSTEM on your
Zoomer to \PALMCONN\SYSTEM on your PC.
Once you do this, PQ works great! It makes its windows a little too
wide, but you can easily resize them. A nice addition to your
Palm Connect world.
In general, the promised interchangeability of GEOS apps across desktops and
PDAs seems a bit overstated. Lots of apps require all sorts of system files
that are missing, and apps really need to be tuned to the display device.
Clock works out fairly well, but doesn't accomodate the small Zoomer screen
too well. PQ, designed for the PDA, has layout difficulties when run on a
larger display.
That's all for now. Next posting: printing bugs, Palm Connect display
problems, and a cool Palm Connect feature.
Chuck Musciano ARPA: chuck@trantor.harris-atd.com
Harris Corporation AOL : CMusciano
PO Box 37, MS 16/1912 AT&T: (407) 727-6131
Melbourne, FL 32902 Fax : (407) 729-3363
A good newspaper is never good enough,
but a lousy newspaper is a joy forever. -- Garrison Keillor