Anyone Still Here? (8-June-2006)

[Leonard ("Lee") Pilzer]

So far as I can see, the last post to this forum was made nearly six months ago, on December 31, 2005. Does anyone else (i.e., besides me) periodically visit this forum? Is anyone else (again, aside from me) still using OzWin? Just curious.

-- Leonard ("Lee") Pilzer

[Peter Creasey]

[size=3][color=navy]Is anyone else (again, aside from me) still using OzWin?

Lee, Yes, people are posting here...you must be looking at the "new messages" log wrong.

I gave up on OzWin2 shortly after the CIS changeover. I loved OzWin2 and its capabilities.

Now, I am using SeaMonkey for Internet and email work. SeaMonkey is a good package.

[Lindsey]

Is anyone else (again, aside from me) still using OzWin? Just curious.
I can't answer about OzWin, but I know there are still some people who use TAPCIS for e-mail, and we still get occasional questions about its use in the TAPCIS twin to this section. But lack of questions doesn't equate to lack of use; it is equally likely it's a testament to the inherent reliability of the program. :)

Most of the messages on this web site tend to be conversational rather than technical, and the bulk of them are posted in The TapRoom. Come join us!

--Lindsey

[sidney]

Is anyone else (again, aside from me) still using OzWin?

Lee, at least one other person is using OzWin, and probably more that I never hear from. I set up this section within the Tapcis web forum in case anyone had any problems or questions, but as Lindsey said, any topic that is not specific to OzWin would appear in one of the other sections.

As far as the status of OzWin, there isn't much I can do with it anymore. CompuServe eliminated my sponsored account, and it isn't worth it for me to pay just to test the remaining functionality of CompuServe email, now that the forums that OzWin could access are gone. I was going to open-source OzWin, but it turned out that much of the functionality is based on third-party proprietary packages that I would not have the rights to release freely. On top of everything else, my Toshiba laptop has died multiple deaths and Toshiba is buying it back as part of a class action settlement regarding the horrendous repair experience of many people with this particular model. That laptop was my remaining Windows machine... Ten months ago I quit my job to become a full time PhD student in Bioinformatics at the University of Auckland. My research work uses all Linux and Mac OS X machines, and I've replaced the Toshiba laptop with a shiny new MacBook. So I'm not doing Windows anymore and would have a hard time doing any more development of OzWin. If it were an ongoing active product, I could arrange to boot Windows on the MacBook, as it is one of the new Intel based models, but right now I don't even have a Windows disk to install on it.

-- sidney

[Lindsey]

On top of everything else, my Toshiba laptop has died multiple deaths and Toshiba is buying it back as part of a class action settlement regarding the horrendous repair experience of many people with this particular model.
Oh, my word -- I had heard complaints that Toshiba's quality had greatly declined, especially with the less expensive models, but I had no idea it had gotten that bad. I think I'm glad that I switched from Tosh to IBM Thinkpad the last time I had to buy one.

--Lindsey

[fhaber]

Sample of one: Saw a very sick Tecra last week - overheating and disk corruption. I didn't have time to get the model number, but it was fairly recent. That's their business, high-end line.

(Ministrations confined to blowing out the intake and exhaust with canned air. No cloud of dust; no change, no cigar. Walked away. If you try this, don't make the little fan scream too loud -- max RPM is about 10,000. Yes, I said 10,000 - which sounds like a racing motorcycle.)

[Lindsey]

Sample of one: Saw a very sick Tecra last week - overheating and disk corruption. I didn't have time to get the model number, but it was fairly recent. That's their business, high-end line.
Oh -- ouch, ouch, ouch!

--Lindsey

[sidney]

Sample of one: Saw a very sick Tecra last week

As the fact that it was a class action suit indicates, the problems with this model (Satellite Pro 6100) had a much, much larger sample size. To show the extent of it: The settlement pays the maximum amount to people who had at least four repairs that involved any of: Replacement of motherboard due to power failure, failure to boot, bios checksum errors or RTC clock or battery eros; replacement of power supply daughterboard for any of the same reasons; reseating and/or replacement of VGA card due to power related problems; replacement of hard disk within 45 days before to 45 days after any of the previous three repairs. I was able to make my claim based on nine eligible repairs, most of which involved replacing the motherboard, power board, and VGA card all at once, and which incuded three full disk failures that required replacement.

Luckily I purchased a three year extended warranty with the laptop. Toshiba's refusal to provide a way to just swap the laptop for a working model cost them big time, as all repairs were covered under the warranty, now they have to buy back the laptop for $1000, and they have lost me as a customer forever. Not that they care as long as they still make their profits from other people.

-- sidney

[Lindsey]

Not that they care as long as they still make their profits from other people.
Wow, that's pretty awful. But they've lost more than just the people who were affected as customers. As much as I once liked Toshibas, I doubt I'll ever buy one again, after hearing the recent horror stories. I don't know if in the future I'll opt for the Chinese version of the Thinkpad, or something else, but absent some very drastic and obvious changes, it won't be Toshiba.

I wish I could get something without a touchpad at the front of the keyboard, but I don't think anybody makes anything like that any more. I hate touchpads.

--Lindsey

[Mike]

I wish I could get something without a touchpad at the front of the keyboard, but I don't think anybody makes anything like that any more. I hate touchpads.
The Dell my employer assigned to me has both a touchpad and a pointing stick, and either one can be enabled or disabled independently.

I like it, and if I had to buy another personal notebook, that's what I'd get.

[Lindsey]

The Dell my employer assigned to me has both a touchpad and a pointing stick, and either one can be enabled or disabled independently.
Aha! Thanks -- I thought I had looked into that on this PC, but apparently I hadn't, because I pulled up the online help just now and it directed me to a setting to adjust the sensitivity of the touchpad, which turns out to have an option to disable it. Yay! I can't tell you the number of times my palm has brushed that thing, selected a huge chunk of a message I have been working on, and the next letter I type wipes the entire selected area out. :mad:

--Lindsey

[Mike]

I aim to please.

[Lindsey]

I aim to please.
You just love those double entendres, don't you!

--Lindsey

[Mike]

<beam!>

[John Cutmore]

Lee,

I check here occasionally.

I still use Ozwin for mail that some of my contacts still send to my CIS address and to access the vast archives I have from the HMI days.

John

[Judy G. Russell]

Hiya John! Good to "see" you around!

[John Cutmore]

Hello Judy.

I have been popping in from time to time but our lives have been very hectic these past few months. We have had to have a number of major modifications to our home because Margaret's condition has deteriorated and a new, larger, power chair made it difficult for her to get around the home.

Finance is very tight now that I am no longer able to work and my DSL connection may have to go as part of a package of economies.

It will be sad to lose contact with so many online friends.

Kind regards

John

[su/oubeck]

So far as I can see, the last post to this forum was made nearly six months ago, on December 31, 2005. Does anyone else (i.e., besides me) periodically visit this forum? Is anyone else (again, aside from me) still using OzWin? Just curious.

-- Leonard ("Lee") Pilzer

Lee, and everyone else,

I'm still using OzWin for my email. I've got various other options lined up for when the dreadful day comes when it doesn't work, but till then, I'm planning to be using Ozzie for as long as possible.

I've got dsl now, but Ozzie is just so simple, friendly, straightforward - best of all, no blinking ads!

Su

[su/oubeck]

As far as the status of OzWin, there isn't much I can do with it anymore.


Sidney,

I still rely on OzWin. :) :)

So what happens now - it will suddenly cease to function? or collect lots of little problems till it finally crashes? Will we get any warning of its demise?

Thanks,
Su

[Judy G. Russell]

Ah, John... I am sorry to hear of the changes in Margaret's condition. There may be much to be said for growing older (at least when one considers the alternative), but I've long said I have a bone or two to pick with the Original Designer...!

I hear you about the DSL connection, but hope you'll be able to pop in occasionally even if you have to drop back to dial-up! And, even if that's not possible, an occasional email would be much appreciated.