Re: Hallucination or possibility? (XyShell)

[Robert Holmgren holmgren@xxxxxxxx]

** Reply to note from Peter Brown  on Tue, 30 Jan
2001 17:34:49 -0500
> Robert Holmgren writes:

>>Frankly, my only hesitation about releasing XyShell is utter dread
of
>>having to support it! Also, users must install IBM Rexx (free under
>>OS/2 and Linux, but US$49 under Windows).

> So Robert, why not release a beta to some of us on this list?

Well... OK. What the heck.
1) Install U2 v105.
2) Grab http://holmgren.home.acedsl.com/NEWSHELL.ZIP
UnZIP it into an EMPTY(!) temporary directory. View README.WIN (in
the .\DOCS subdirectory) with XyWrite for detailed XyShell
installation instructions. NEWSHELL also contains greatly improved
code for OS/2 (the first ground-up revision in four years).
3) Buy IBM Rexx at:
http://commerce.www.ibm.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce/CategoryDisplay?cgrfnbr=1825312&cntrfnbr=1&cgmenbr=1&cntry=840&lang=en_US
Then upgrade to the latest version of IBM Rexx for Windows at:
ftp://service.boulder.ibm.com/ps/products/ad/obj-xx/ori1030u.exe

You may also want to look at IBM's Rexx "Product Family" page:
http://www.ibm.com/software/ad/rexx
and at the main technical page, chock full of links:
http://www2.hursley.ibm.com/rexx/
Both of these URLs, but especially the latter, will give you a sense
of what Rexx is about in the wider computing world. Rexx has been
IBM's primary scripting language for twenty years. It is available on
all IBM platforms. Rexx code is PORTABLE ACROSS PLATFORMS (write
once, run everywhere). Rexx is pretty amazing.

>> *direct* pasting and copying from/to the system clipboard, or
>> direct downloading of Email into a XyWrite window,

> The way I handle this, as mentioned before on this list, is through a
> macro-making program called Macro Express, along with some simple routines
> on the Xy side. It works well enough, but it ain't fast (windows echo open
> and close on screen), and it was a devil to get started with (you have to
> constantly throw in wait times in your macros for all those windows to open
> and close).

I wrote my own sockets routine for retrieving Email. It is faster
than any Email client I've ever seen (because light). But it is
presently "in development". All of this, in fact, is "in
development". Experimental and possibly buggy. Gotta accept that.
But the part of it which works purely within XyWrite is pretty clean.
The OS/2 code, after evolving for 4+ years, is solid as a rock. Highly
recommended upgrade for OS/2 users: see READMEV2.OS2 in NEWSHELL.ZIP
for upgrade instructions.

> I for one would be more than willing to try out XyShell--and I promise to
> throw it away before asking you to support it.

No no no. I want feedback! I'll let you know if/when I get fed up.
Basically, I'm committed to this, and want to make it work; I'm just
overwhelmed with all sorts of obligations, so a bit curmudgeonly.

> Peter Brown
> pbrown@xxxxxxxx

----------
Robert Holmgren
holmgren@xxxxxxxx
----------