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The LangaList
17-May-99
A Free Email Newsletter from Fred Langa About BrowserTune,
HotSpots, Columns, Tips & Tricks, and Other Activities
In This
Issue:
BT2K version b2.0!
Linux Discussion Continues
You say LINE-ucks, I say LEEN-ucks...
TONS of Reader Suggestions About Defrag Problems
Puka Puka Puka
Room for One More
Just for Grins: Suess.Com
More!
BrowserTune Major Upgrade: Version b2.0!
Whew! I’ve been coding web pages so much lately, I’m starting to think in terms of HTML tags. I don’t take a lunch break, for example. Instead I <lunch> and </lunch>. I don’t sleep, I <snore> and </snore>. And so on.
Here’s why: On Monday May 17th, what will probably be the very last pre-beta of BT2K will go live. It’s almost complete, and I’d love your input.
BT2K actually has two major parts. There’s a "quick diagnosis" component (the automated tests many of you have been following at the BT2K demo site), and a full-blown, test-everything component.
Let’s call the quick diagnosis component "Part One." It’s designed to be a fast, highly automated series of tests that takes just a couple minutes to run. It quickly examines the approximately two-dozen most-common browser trouble spots. Only about five of these tests require user-input, and the rest are to the largest degree possible self-running with automatic scoring of the test results.
At the end of the automated tests BT2K will offer you a detailed, customized, personalized diagnosis/analysis: It's like having your own browser technician at your side, giving you personalized advice!
"Part Two" is a detailed, incredibly thorough series of tests that lets you examine some 300 separate features and functions of your browser! You can use these tests to zero in on a specific problem uncovered in Part One. (Note, while BT2K's Part Two is not ready for public preview, the fully-functional and completely debugged BrowserTune98 is available in its place.)
The idea is that you can run either part alone, but the best way is in concert: Run PART ONE, see what the preliminary diagnosis says, make whatever changes it suggests, and then use PART TWO to explore or to further refine the diagnosis.
However, if you want to test everything you can about your browser in the greatest possible detail, or if you have an idea what's wrong and want to jump straight to the detailed tests for that feature or function, it’s also fine to jump right to PART TWO.
Part One (see http://www.browsertune.com/bt2kdemo/ ) currently tests these essential elements:
- Browser self-identification (e.g. spoofing; user agent, code name)
- Browser OS ID (can indicate misinstallation)
- Scripting support (presence, status, version, 5 separate speed tests)
- Cookie support (presence, status)
- Target window support (loss of target window support is a prime indicator of browser corruption or misconfiguration)
- PopUp window support (ditto)
- Math rounding errors or corrections (3 tests)
- Throughput (2 latency tests and a throughput test to each of three different servers)
- And a few other lesser items that can indicate misinstallation, misconfiguration, or corruption.
The full version ("Part two") will explore all the above in greater detail, but also have tests on:
- Foundation Elements (68 items)
- Graphics (7 items)
- Tables and Frames (8 items)
- Multimedia and Streaming (15 items)
- Scripting (5 items)
- Throughput Speed (7 items)
- Integration (6 items)
- StyleSheets and DHTML (12 items)
- Channels, Push, Desktop/Webtop Integration (7 items)
- XML (5 items)
- Security (21 items)
- Misc (2 items)
(Unlike the current BT98, BT2K’s Part Two is far more modular so you can dip in, just run the tests you want or need, and then bail out.)
My questions to you: Are there any items in Part Two that should be moved to Part One, or vice versa? Does the two-part approach make sense, where the fast test examines the things most likely to go wrong, and the long test looks at subtler or more complex issues? Are there browser functions and technologies I’m missing? Have I included some that don’t matter to you?
As we’re nearing the last stages of BT2K’s development, it’s getting harder to make major changes, so please speak up now! BT2K is your test; how can I make it better for you? Check out the brand-new version at http://www.browsertune.com/bt2kdemo/ and then join in the week-long discussion on the WinMag Dialog Box BBS area starting Monday midafternoon (UT-5) on May 17th!
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Linux Discussion Continues...
With 17 major current distributions now available, and 32 (!) other flavors still in circulation, how do you know which version to pick if or when you want to try Linux?
That’s the subject of the current column at InformationWeek Online Join in the ongoing discussion at http://www.informationweek.com/langaletter !
...But There Was A Typo (Sigh.)
My spell-checker ran amok last week and changed Linus Torvald's first name to the name of the operating system he created: Linux. (Of course, the neologism "Linux" comes from the concatenation of Linus + UNIX.) My apologies to Mr. Torvalds.
Several readers also wrote to ask how to pronounce "Linux." For example, reader Nick Ridge wrote:
"Could you clear up a growing controversy? What is the proper pronunciation of LINUX? Is it Lynn-ux or Lie-nux ? Some of the Linux-heads around here use Lynn-ux. I just assumed Linus Torvalds pronounced his name like Linus of Peanuts fame, and consequently named LINUX after himself."
He did name it after himself, and if Torvalds were American, he probably would call himself LINE-us. But he's not; he pronounces his first name LEEN-oos, and thus calls his operating system LEEN-ucks. It's his name and his OS, so I assume that's definitive.
Many Americans have a little trouble with the very long E in LEEN-ucks, and use the close approximation "LYNN-ucks" instead. At least that is close; LINE-ucks isn't even in the ballpark.
Yow! The Defrag Hot Button
Every once in a while, I add a small item to the newsletter that I think is more or less a minor issue. Last week, for example, in response to a number of reader queries, I wrote about an all-too-common problem where Windows Defrag hangs or runs so slowly as to be useless. I posted a couple quick fixes I hoped would be useful, and---I thought---that was that.
But what a hot button! I got a ton of mail from people who had developed other workarounds and approaches to the problem. Man, you folks are good! Here's a sampling:
Just a note about the defrag problems mentioned in this week's LangaList - you may also wish to mention that it's (here we go again :) memory-resident virus scanners that really slow defrag down, due to the fact that they check each read/write operation for virus signatures. I had the same problem last week - disabling Norton antivirus worked a treat. --- Chris G.
Under certain conditions defrag appears not to know what to do with exceptionally large files and keeps on trying to find a slot of consecutive sectors for it. If it can't find a slot of sufficient length, as its earlier defrag operations have consumed the large slots already amidst non-movable blocks like virtual memory, the system hangs. So in that case the culprit is (one of) the largest files on your disk [especially sound, music and/or video files]. Finding it and temporarily moving it out of the way, may solve the problem. Hope this helps - it worked for me. --- Casey Langenberg
Regarding your comments in this weeks newsletter concerning defrag, I've run into the same problem dozens of times at work. I usually suggest that they run it in safe mode. It works from in there, and I can defrag my own 20gb of space in around 3 hours using it this way. --- Kevin Mefford (and several others)
I purchased Mijenix' ZipFolders (Zif)....After I upgraded his to the newest version (ZipMagic 98), there was a considerable drop in the maintenance routine time since it automatically unzips folders when they are accessed. Perhaps some of your readers have experienced the same thing with these and similar zip utilities. --- Sheryl Clark
I just read the latest of your LangaList newsletters and noticed one of the items was about people having trouble with defrag taking "forever" to complete. I have a tip for these people. They need to go into the system.ini file and replace the shell=Explorer.exe with shell=Defrag.exe, reboot and when done defragging, reboot again but this time hit F8 on bootup to get the boot menu, go into Command prompt only, edit c:\windows\system.ini and change the line back to Explorer.exe. I know that sounds like a lot of hassle but it's the surest way to do it without disk writes during the process.--- Dan Zimmerli
As a Beta tester for Win98, I have learned and agree with you that an application is interfering with the DEFRAG. In 99% of the cases I have come across as a Computer Consultant, the most likely culprit is a Screen Saver. My suggestion is disable the screen saver and opt for a None, and adjust the Power Settings for the monitor, through control panel/display/Screen Saver Tab To turn the monitor off after 30 minutes idle time. --- George C. Tullius
And perhaps the coolest suggestion came from Gregory Shultz (Senior Editor, ZD Journals):
Fred:
I enjoy your newsletter and always find it full of interesting information. In your May 12 edition, you gave users several tips on how to get Defrag to finish its job. I recently discovered another method that I'm going to publish in an upcoming issue of Inside Microsoft Windows 98. However, since you touched on the subject and it's such a cool technique, I thought I'd pass it on to you so that you can get the word out.
Forcing a full defragmentation operation
Have you noticed that occasionally Windows 98’s Disk Defragmenter has trouble completing a defrag operation and must restart multiple times? When this happens, it’s usually because there is some program running in the background that writes to the disk. In the worst case, Disk Defragmenter might never be able to complete its job because of all the interruptions.
Fortunately, we’ve discovered a hidden technique that will allow you to bypass all these interruptions. Let’s take a closer look.
To begin, access the \Tools\Mtsutil folder on your Windows 98 CD-ROM. Then, locate and right-click the Defrag.inf file and select the Install command from the shortcut menu. When you do, the install operation adds the special command, Defrag /All to the RunServicesOnce key in the Registry.
Now, restart Windows 98. When you do, Disk Defragmenter will run before anything else loads from the registry, the StartUp folder or the Win.ini file. It will then be able to complete the defragmentation operation uninterrupted.
If you’d like to be able to defragment your hard drive regularly using this technique, you can copy the Defrag.inf file to a folder on your hard drive. That way you can access it quickly and easily the next time you want to perform a defragmentation operation.
Thanks to all who contributed!
Puka Puka Puka
Every once in a while, I get a letter that makes me laugh out loud. For example, reader "aldago" wrote the following piece of onomatopoetic perfection:
Fred,
I'm using Win98 and, from out of nowhere, it keeps trying to read a: drive. I hear sounds like puka puka puka as it tries to interrogate the drive, the a: drive light comes on and my computer freezes up until it stops. Ever hear of a problem like this and if so, is there a remedy??? Thanks for any help you can give.
aldago
Actually, there are several possible reasons for this behavior. One of the most common is that the floppy drive is in the "Path" that Windows searches when it's looking for a file to open or save. When there's no floppy in the drive, the drive heads seeks several times (and you hear "puka puka puka...") until Windows realizes there's nothing there to read, and gives up.
The Path is usually set in your Autoexec.bat file. There are several ways of seeing (and editing) what's in your Autoexec, but the one that works on all versions of Windows is to open Notepad, and then use File/Open to open the Autoexec.bat file, usually located in the C:\ directory.
In the Autoexec, you'll usually see a Path statement: this tells Windows where to look for files and in what order.
For example, PATH = A:\; C:\; C:\WINDOWS;...
would instruct Windows to look to retrieve or save files first on the A: drive, then in the root directory of the C drive, then in the windows directory on C:, and so on. Generally speaking, a Path shouldn't contain any references to any floppy drives because by their nature, they're used for temporary storage and often won't even have a disk in them.
To prevent this, just delete the reference to the floppy. In the above example, the Path would read PATH = C:\; C:\WINDOWS;... Reboot after saving your edit, and you're done.
(If your system doesn't have an Autoexec.bat, just create a standard text file with Notepad and either save it as or rename it to c:\autoexec.bat; that's all there is to it.)
Sometimes, especially after installing software from a floppy, the A: drive may be temporarily appended to the path, leading to the same effect---but this goes away after a reboot.
There are other ways you can get unwanted floppy activity, but those are the prime culprits!
Always Room for One More
Do you know one other person who might find this newsletter interesting or useful? Click on over to http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#2 to see just how easy it is to send them a free copy, in your name.
Thanks!
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Just For Grins: Suess.Com
Reader Randy Chambers sends along this bit of silliness:
If Dr. Seuss did Technical Books
If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port, and the bus is interrupted as a very last resort, and the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort, then the socket packet pocket has an error to report.
If your cursor finds a menu item followed by a dash, and the double-clicking icon puts your window in the trash, and your data is corrupted 'cause the index doesn't hash, then your situation's hopeless and your system's gonna crash!
If the label on the cable on the table at your house, says the network is connected to the button on your mouse, but your packets want to tunnel on another protocol, that's repeatedly rejected by the printer down the hall, and your screen is all distorted by the side effects of gauss, so your icons in the window are as wavy as a souse, then you may as well reboot and go out with a bang, 'cause as sure as I'm a poet, the sucker's gonna hang!
When the copy of your floppy's getting sloppy on the disk, and the microcode instructions cause unnecessary risk, then you have to flash your memory and you'll want to RAM your ROM. Quickly turn off the computer and be sure to tell your mom.
See you next issue!
Best,
Fred
( fred@langa.com )
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