Here are the contents of this file:
Information about frequently asked questions
Then there is the legal stuff:
This version of WebExplorer is a Beta program. That means that it is almost, but not quite ready, to be delivered as a supported product. There are some features of the WebExplorer that are still under development. Please be patient and understanding if the program doesn't behave as expected, or if a particular feature is not yet implemented. You should always check to see if a more recent version is available for download.
BETA versions have version labels according to the date the code was built. Thus, version 950609 was built on June 9, 1995. New BETA versions will be announced by a post to the comp.os.os2.networking.tcp-ip newsgroup. Also you can use the 'Retrieve Software Updates' icon to check for updates to the beta.
When you see a new package you would like to install, select the 'Package descriptions. Read first!...' package and install it. This will allow you to read any important information you need to know before installing any of the other packages.
This Beta version will only run on OS/2 Warp 3.0, not previous releases of OS/2. Please reboot because this will replace a DLL.
This beta should only be installed on OS/2 Warp. Do not attempt to install on OS/2 V2.x. The install checks for OS/2 Warp as a requirement. Do not try to circumvent this check since the beta will not run on OS/2 2.x and will cause severe problems during installation with the OS/2 2.x version of the workplace shell.
This beta requires either the Internet Connection for OS/2 in the Bonus pack of OS/2 Warp or TCP/IP V2.0. If you are using TCP/IP 2.0, you MUST upgrade to the latest Corrective Service Diskette (CSD) for TCP/IP 2.0. The latest CSD is level UN64092 dated 8/30/94. If you are not certain of the CSD level for TCP/IP installed, type "syslevel" at the OS/2 command prompt.
707213 06-09-95 08:39 bin/explore.exe
6528 09-27-94 18:17 bin/explore.ico
23552 03-13-95 13:20 bin/viewstrt.exe
563 05-04-95 07:56 bin/WEB.TXT
45968 09-20-94 13:07 bin/WEBICON.EXE
83681 03-23-95 18:27 dll/TCP32DLL.DLL
16001 06-09-95 08:29 dll/WEBEXURL.DLL
234370 03-16-95 16:16 help/EXPLORE.HLP
1300 04-28-95 15:15 help/WEBEXURL.HLP
22963 06-09-95 08:40 help/wereadme.htm
20767 06-09-95 08:40 help/readme.1st
Based on further customer input, we changed the way image are dragged from WebExplorer. To drag an image, move the cursor onto image and then select the right mouse button. The image will be dragged whether or not you are also selecting the CTRL key.
Based on customer input, we changed the way objects are dragged from WebExplorer. We have switched around the way GIF images and HTML documents are dragged off with the way URLs are dragged off. Now, if you want to drag a URL from WebExplorer, move the cursor onto the document and then select the right mouse button. To drag a GIF or HTML document, move the cursor onto image or document and then select the CTRL key simultaneously with the right mouse button. Like before, you can drop the objects onto a file folder or to the OS/2 Warp desktop to keep them around for future use.
Text and graphics are now displayed as soon as they are received from the network. Place holders for graphics stream in along the text. The display reformats as the graphics comes in to fit the graphics. If the graphics were created with height and width tags, WebExplorer will automatically display the correct amount of space for them.
By default, WebExplorer will start up with fast load and streaming turned on. If you do not want these options, although we're not sure why you wouldn't, you can edit the EXPLORE.INI file to turn them off. (The FastLoad and Streaming parameters are in the [Options] section.)
Support was added for dragging and dropping an object from WebExplorer to create a URL Workplace Shell Object. To drag a URL from WebExplorer, move the cursor onto the document and then select the CTRL key simultaneously with the right mouse button. You can drop the URL object onto a file folder or to the OS/2 Warp desktop to keep it around for future use. You can drop the URL object onto an unactivated WebExplorer icon and WebExplorer will open with the document at that URL. Or you can drop the URL object onto an open WebExplorer window and it will open the document at that URL. Double-click on the URL icon to change the Settings Notebook for the URL object.
Graphics now displayed as soon as they are received from the network. Problems reported when viewing some JPEGs have been fixed. (See acknowledgement below.)
Support was added for mailto tags. When selected, form will come up which allows you to enter a short message which is then mailed via SMTP to the recipient specified in the mailto tag.
Important: The mailto function that has been added required a change to the TCP32DLL.DLL file which is shipped in this package. The installation procedure does not back up your current TCP32DLL.DLL. You should back up this file manually if you want to be able to move back to the production level code. Refer to the contents section above if you want to back up all the files that are going to be replaced by the BETA installation.
News reader articles are displayed as a hierarchical tree of conversations. For example, one person posts an article, then someone replies, then someone replies to them, and so on. This function is available to WebExplorer only when the news server supports it.
The newspost tag is imbedded in the news function. You can post to a news group by selecting the appropriate anchor while viewing news reader articles.
If you need to disable your proxy or socks server configuration to communicate to a specific server, you can use check boxes so that you do not have to re-type the name of the proxy or socks server to reenable it.
If you are currently using Proxy or Socks, you will need to check the enable check box in the Configure/Servers menu item.
Fixed all known FTP problems
Any DOS or Windows program can now be invoked as a viewer
Input form entry fields can contain more than 32 characters
By default, the WebExplorer will show images by using its own internal mechanisms for handling GIF, JPEG, XBM, TIFF, and OS/2 BMP graphics. If you want to use your own program to view images, select Internal Viewer from the Options pull-down menu to toggle this feature on or off. The WebExplorer supports true-color displays--those with 65,000 or 1.67 million colors.
In this version, we have increased the list of viewers that can be configured. If, however, you find that you need to configure a viewing program for file types that are not listed, you can modify the {advanced} stanza of the EXPLORE.INI file to associate a file type with a mime type and to assign a viewing program for the mime type.
Added option of having the current URL displayed in a window below the toolbar. Additionally, you can use this window to access another URL.
The status area now displays separate status information for the document being loaded and any associated images.
A "thread" is a tiny, independent computer program within a larger, more complex program. Think of threads as tiny workers that coordinate to achieve an overall task. The WebExplorer uses separate threads to load documents and images simultaneously, display graphics, and format the screen. This capability enables users to view and interact with one document while loading others in the background.
WebExplorer now correctly handles documents with ISOLatin characters.
Placing the mouse over an image displayed by WebExplorer, pressing the right mouse button, and then moving the mouse while the right mouse button is down will drag an image from the document to another location. Drop it on a file folder or the desktop to keep it around for future use. If you can't find a place to drop it, WebExplorer will place the image on the clipboard so that you can paste it into other applications. Similarly, you can drag image files from other applications or file folders and drop them on the WebExplorer to view them.
The WebExplorer displays the document as it arrives from the network. Since images usually take much longer than text, the WebExplorer senses the size of the image and displays a blank, raised box until all data has arrived. If you want to interact with a document before it is completely loaded, you can stop the loading process by pressing the escape (ESC) key or by selecting the animated icon. Within milliseconds you will be able to continue clicking your way through the World Wide Web.
Depending on how much memory and disk space you have, you may want to increase or decrease the memory used by the WebExplorer. Select Caching from the Configure pull-down menu to tell the WebExplorer how many documents and images to keep in memory. If you want to disable all caching, select the "Disable all caching" checkbox. If the WebExplorer runs out of image space while loading a single document, tiny stub images will be used in their place. You can specify the number of kilobytes dedicated to images and documents.
Using local files, the WebExplorer can help you make outstanding sales pitches, scientific presentations, and public talks. Simply create and link your documents in local files using the HTML language. Next, use the WebExplorer to retrieve all of the documents into memory. Finally, go back to the start of the document and press Alt-P, which will cause the WebExplorer to take over the entire OS/2 desktop. Use Alt-P to return the WebExplorer to its normal size. We suggest a black background, white text, green links, no underlining, and the Very Large font for presentations.
The WebExplorer supports all markup in the HTML/2.0 standard, including forms, ISO-Latin-1 fonts, inline graphics, glossaries, and more. Since some documents on the Internet are not compliant with the proposed standard, the WebExplorer attempts to clean up the document by introducing markup where appropriate. While we claim to handle all correct markup, we may not handle incorrect markup in the same way that Mosaic does. We also support HTTP/1.0 which includes GET and POST access methods, image maps, and MIME headers. IBM is committed to supporting these public standards as they evolve.
Advanced image processing techniques are used to accurately display images and text on both color and monochrome printers. The entire document is also reformatted on the fly to exactly fit the margins of the printer, producing high-quality output for archival or hardcopy distribution of Web documents.
The size, position, colors, fonts, quick list selections, network servers, and home page are all remembered between uses of the WebExplorer in the EXPLORE.INI file. By using the -i flag when starting the WebExplorer, users can specify a particular .INI file to use. This allows a network administrator to make one copy of the executable file accessible by users, while each user can maintain individual .INI files on their local disk.
The QuickLists are written to both the initialization file (EXPLORE.INI) as well as a separate WEBMAP.HTM file in HTML format. These web maps may then be exchanged among user groups, renamed and organized into directories, or stored in databases to maintain an entire library of topical QuickLists.
Question: Every time I start the new WWW V950331 I get following message: "The nameserver gave us garbage. 'File: EXPLORE.EXE' has been abandoned. WebEx still works after this message.
Answer: This happens when you install the web0331.zip package from ftp.ibm.net on top of a version installed via Retrieve Software Updates. The Retrieve Software Updates version can assume that it is installing on top of the WARP IAK and thus fills in the settings for the WebExplorer program objects as follows:
Path and file name: linkup.exe
Parameters: explore.exe
Linkup is the program that checks for a current SLIP or PPP connection before starting the program given as a parmeter. Since TCP/IP 2.0 customers don't have linkup.exe and the beta package web0331.zip is meant to install on top of TCP/IP 2.0, its install fills out the program icon as follows:
Path and file name: explore.exe
It does not clear out the parameters entry since the user may have added some. But this causes the problem you see since if you install in the order mentioned above you get:
Path and file name: explore.exe
Parameters: explore.exe
In this case you get the error you're seeing. Thus to avoid this problem just update the settings to use linkup.exe or remove explore.exe as a parameter.
The WWW Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document resides on the World Wide Web and is updated frequently.
IBM* WebExplorer for OS/2 Warp
Licensed Materials - Property of IBM
(C) Copyright IBM Corp. 1994, 1995. All Rights Reserved.
*IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
This product includes computer software created and made available by CERN. This acknowledgement shall be mentioned in full in any product which includes the CERN computer software included herein or parts thereof.
(C) Copyright IBM Corp. 1994, 1995. All rights reserved.
US Government Users Restricted Rights - Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp.
WebExplorer for OS/2 Warp, version 950515
WebExplorer is NOT to be redistributed. WebExplorer is copyright material and shall only be distributed from IBM designated sites. You should frequently check the distribution sites listed below for updated versions of this software.
Listed below are the IBM designated distribution sites:
1) By anonymous FTP from ftp.ibm.net. Login as user "anonymous". Download the file WEB0515.ZIP. Unzip this file in a temp directory and run WEBINST.EXE to install. You must reboot after installing.
2) By the "Retrieve Software Updates" icon in the Internet Connection for OS/2 in the OS/2 WARP Bonus Pack. Click on this icon and then select the WebExplorer V950515 beta package to download and automatically install. You must reboot after installing.
You are granted the right to use the this version of the WebExplorer software. You may not disassemble, decompose, reverse engineer, or alter this file or any of the other files in the package. This includes, but is not limited to modifying any icons, menus, or displays associated with the software.
This version of the WebExplorer software is provided FOR EVALUATION ONLY and cannot be sold. This restriction does not apply to connect time charges, or flat rate connection/download fees for electronic bulletin board services or Internet dial-in services. This software can not be bundled with any commercial package without express written permission from International Business Machines Corporation.
IBM accepts no responsibility for damages resulting from the use of this software and makes no warranty or representation, either express or implied, including but not limited to, any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. This software is provided "AS IS", and you, its user, assume all risks when using it.
You are encouraged to make use of the Internet Newsgroups for problem determination, frequently asked questions, and bug reports. IBM makes no guarantee to fix any software defects reported in these forums. We ask you to read and post to the comp.os.os2.networking .tcp-ip news group. Please include the Beta version number with your note. You can get the version number by selecting Product Information from the Help menu. There is no support for the Beta product if you call 1-800-IBM-SERV.
The IBM WebExplorer for OS/2 Warp is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.
The IBM Internet Connection for OS/2 incorporates compression code by the Info-ZIP group. There are no extra charges or costs due to the use of this code, and the original compression sources are freely available from CompuServe in the OS2USER forum and by anonymous FTP from the Internet site ftp.uu.net:/pub/archiving/zip.