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Captain Nemo for OS/2 2.0 Version 0.3, June 22nd, 1994 Copyright (C) 1993, 1994 by Adam Mirowski $Id: nemo.doc 1.37 94/06/22 02:36:11 ROOT_DOS Exp $ Introduction ------------ "Captain Nemo" is a text-mode shell program for OS/2. It tries to imitate the Norton Commander (R) for DOS v.2 as closely as possible while providing access to OS/2 specific features. I started writing it in March 1993 after buying NC for OS/2 and being very disappointed by it. At this point Nemo runs on several operating systems, including SVR4, SunOS, early versions of OS/2, and MS-DOS. This version 0.3 is the third alpha release. Unlike the two previous ones, IT IS NO LONGER FREE. Even if it is still incomplete, buggy and full of checks that slow down execution and waste memory (while preventing most of disasters), it is very usable. If you use Captain Nemo regularly, you are required to pay a donation, 20 US dollars or 150 French franks, to the author. Captain Nemo version 0.3 is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. You can use at your own risk, and report whatever problems you have encountered with it. You are free to copy this software ONLY if you include this document file with it. You may NOT charge anyone for a copy of this software other than a small copying fee. You may NOT include this software with any commercial software without the written consent of the author. You can contact me either by writing an e-mail to: Adam Mirowski <mir@chorus.fr> or sending a letter to: Adam Mirowski Residence Les Cypres 10, rue Caruel de Saint-Martin F-78150 Le Chesnay FRANCE You can phone me at +33 (1) 30-64-82-74 (business) or +33 (1) 39-54-27-34 (home). Please note that I live in the GMT+2 time zone. For money transfers, sending US cash in an envelope is probably the most cost-effective way. In France, you may send checks. You might also use postal fund transfer methods, eg. International Money Orders. Features -------- Since you are probably more interested in what is missing than in what is present, let's start by a non-features list. Currently there is no: - <auto> mouse support - <auto> full country information utilisation (the DD/MM/YY HH:MM format is used) Modifications since the previous released versions are listed in the file 'whats-up.doc'. These features are special to Captain Nemo: - <auto> specific "long names" directory format for HPFS disks, allowing up to 16 visible chars on 80 char wide displays and up to 38 on 132 chars. Also used in the logical naming mode. - <auto> specific CD-ROM directory format, similar to the "long names" HPFS format, except that the FAT case convention is used: filenames are displayed in lower case and directory names in upper case. - F12 Text mode task switcher - F9/O/O Filenames on HPFS disks can be automatically displayed using the FAT case convention. - F9/O/W Hidden files can be omitted from directory panels. - F9/O/M Mini-Status windows can show up to 38 or 64 first chars of filenames, if needed. - Alt-F5 "logical file naming" mode in which files can be identified and manipulated using arbitrary logical names rather than hardware 8.3 MS-DOS names. This makes FAT disks appear like HPFS ones, and is also compatible with the Workplace Shell naming (you can rename each other's objects using alternatively NEMO and WPS). - ^F6 logical filename creation - <auto> extended attributes support: EAs follow owning files when those are copied or moved; - Alt-F6 132 column display support F9/C/L - F9/O/R screen-saver (didn't exist in NC v.2) - <auto> the extension file can have an unlimited length - F9/O/V the viewer can be set to an external executable - <auto> history elimination is case-sensitive - grey* inversion of file tags by mask (didn't exist until v.4) - <auto> unix-style text file support in the viewer - F9/O/N case-sensitive file sorting - F9/O/T reverse file sorting - Alt-Enter pasting of the current directory into command line - Shift-Enter execution of current line preceeded by a user-defined prefix, 'start ' by default. Also execution of extension-defined commands, when pressing Shift-Enter over filename. - !* insertion of the list of currently selected files into a command defined through the extension file or the external editor/viewer call line. - F9/O/D ^R can operate as in NC v.2 or as in NC v.3/v.4 - F5/F6/F8 Copy/move/delete operations can act on whole trees. It is possible to copy empty directory trees along with directory attributes, eg. C:\DESKTOP. - [disk:]... "..." is interpreted as "..\.." in command-line CD operations. - <auto> Directory trees of CD-ROMs or read-only diskettes are cached on the hard disk, so as to allow operation of tree panels and NCD with these media These features are shared with the reference program: - <auto> a 100% NC for DOS v.2 look including colors; - F9/[LR]/B "Brief" and F9/[LR]/L "Long" directory formats for FAT disks; - <auto> fully functional command line editor, also in all dialog boxes, including a "hysteresis" backscroll. - <auto> interaction between panels and command line, ^Enter including filename pasting - <auto> full and unlimited length extension file nemo.ext with !, .!, !:, !\ and !! handling; - X: CD.. transparent capture of disk and directory changes CD\ CD and display performed using the command line. CD <dir> Error messages are native OS/2 messages for full OS/2 CMD.EXE illusion; - INS file tagging, preserved between shell command execution and pane hiding; - DEL char deletion; - grey- file untagging by mask; - grey+ file tagging by mask; - Alt-... file selecting by initials; - arrows operate differently according to the type of the current pane, if any; - HOME/END operate differently according to the type of the current pane, if any; - PageUp/Down 100% NC's funny logic; - F1 display help page; - F2 nemo.mnu user menu, local and global; - F3 viewer (can be disabled and set to an external executable through Options/Viewer); - F4 external editor (name can be set through a Options/Editor); - F5 file copying, individual and tagged, with full wildcard support and full set of informational and error messages; - F6 file moving, directory renaming, with full wildcard support and full set of informational and error messages; - F7 directory creation; - F8 file/dir deletion, individual and tagged; - F9 activate menu bar, turn on "Left" or "Right" accordingly to the current panel; - F10 quit - Alt-F1 disk selection - Alt-F2 disk selection - Alt-F3 view currently selected file using alternate viewer - Alt-F4 edit currently selected file using alternate editor - Alt-F5 Toggle usage of logical names - Alt-F6 Toggle 132 column mode vs. 80 column mode - Alt-F7 Find file - Alt-F8 history box - Alt-F9 43/50 lines - Alt-F10 <not yet supported> - Shift-F1 <no action> - Shift-F2 <no action> - Shift-F3 arbitrary file viewing - Shift-F4 arbitrary file editing - Shift-F5 file copying/renaming by mask - Shift-F6 file moving/renaming by mask - Shift-F7 directory creation - Shift-F8 file/dir deletion - Shift-F9 save nemo.ini binary config file - Shift-F10 <no action> - Ctrl-F1 turning left pane on/off - Ctrl-F2 turning right pane on/off - Ctrl-F3 <no action> - Ctrl-F4 <no action> - Ctrl-F5 <no action> - Ctrl-F6 <no action> - Ctrl-F7 <no action> - Ctrl-F8 <no action> - Ctrl-F9 <no action> - Ctrl-F10 <no action> Ctrl-key combinations: - ^A word left - ^B keybar switching - ^C no action in command line, page down in editor - ^D one char forward - ^E previous history entry in command line, line up in editor and in viewer - ^F word right - ^G delete char under cursor - ^H backspace - ^I switch to other panel if any - ^J paste pane selection into command line - ^K killing line end - ^L info panels - ^M execute command line - ^N open menu bar and select current panel menu - ^O panels on/off - ^P non-current pane switching - ^Q <no action> - ^R changing disk for current pane in command line, page up in editor - ^S one char backward - ^T delete word right - ^U swap panels - ^W delete word left - ^X next history entry in command line, line down in editor and in viewer - ^Y delete command line - ^Z <no action> - ^Home goto start of line - ^End goto end of line - ^BS delete word right (same funny semantics for finding the char to stop on as in NC) - F9/[LR]/B brief directory format - F9/[LR]/F full directory format - F9/[LR]/I information - F9/[LR]/O pane on/off switching - F9/[LR]/[NXSMU] all sorting options - F9/[LR]/R directory re-read - F9/[LR]/D drive selection - F9/F/H help - F9/F/U user menu - F9/F/V view file - F9/F/E edit file - F9/F/C copy files - F9/F/M move files - F9/F/M make directory - F9/F/D delete files/directory - F9/F/G tag group of files by mask - F9/F/N untag group of files by mask - F9/F/I invert tagged status of files by mask - F9/F/Q quit NEMO - F9/C/H history menu - F9/C/E EGA lines - F9/C/S swap panels - F9/C/L toggle 132 column mode - F9/C/. toggle logical name usage - F9/C/P panels on/off - F9/C/C compare directories (warning: like in NC, comparing is only on existence/date/time. Not on size, attributes nor EAs.) - F9/C/M menu file edit - F9/C/X extension file edit - F9/O/C color dialog box - F9/O/C/B black and white display mode - F9/O/C/C color display mode - F9/O/C/L laptop display mode - F9/O/A auto menus on/off - F9/O/P path prompt switching vs. disk-only prompt - F9/O/K key bar on/off - F9/O/F full screen vs. half screen - F9/O/I ins moves down on/off - F9/O/L clock on/off - F9/O/V viewer selection - F9/O/V/B built-in viewer selection - F9/O/V/E external viewer selection and defining - F9/O/E editor selection - F9/O/E/B built-in editor selection - F9/O/E/E external editor selection and defining - F9/O/R screen-saver time-out adjusting - F9/O/N case-sensitive file sorting - F9/O/T reverse file sorting - F9/O/H Shift-Enter prefix definition - F9/O/S save setup Known bugs ---------- Known bugs are listed in the 'bugs.doc' file. Remarks ------- [1] Nemo always uses DOS file selection mechanism, ie. the last dot of a file name is considered as "the" dot and the other are seen as ordinary chars. [2] OS/2 locks files and directories when used or current for a process, so you cannot remove them, nor change their physical or logical names. [3] Use ^ in logical names to obtain a newline effect on the WPS desktop. You can even enter the ^ in the WPS, and as soon as you validate the name change it will be transformed into a visual newline. [4] Logical name support is still very uncomplete and somewhat incoherent. Physical names are never updated when changing logical ones. It is possible to have two files under the same logical name, for example when copying a non-8.3 file from an HPFS disk to a FAT disk and then back. [5] If you want an arbitrary number of screen lines (columns must be either 80 or 132), execute the OS/2 "MODE" command before or from within Nemo. [6] It is not possible to have 132 columns in a window. This is a limitation of OS/2 windowed sessions. [7] A command file (.CMD) executed from within Nemo cannot modify Nemo's current disk, nor directory. This is because Nemo executes the .CMD file in a separate child process and child processes don't communicate their current disk/directory to their parent on exit. I don't plan to incorporate a .CMD file interpreter into Nemo right now. For the same reason, it is not possible to use Nemo to change the current disk or directory. [9] The initial message box will not be displayed if Nemo founds a 'nemo.ini' setup file. [10] The viewer uses different display algorithms when scrolling backward and when scrolling forward. This may change the appearance of lines which are over 78 characters. NC exhibits similar differences. [11] While the current disk and directory are saved in nemo.ini for both panels, those for the current panel will be ignored at startup time. Nemo's current panel will inherit the disk and directory of the parent process. [12] The provided setlname.exe utility can be used to attach a logical name (.LONGNAME extended attribute) to a file. Acknowledgements ---------------- Benoit Poulot and Kai Uwe Rommel helped me a lot during the development. The following people have provided bugs reports, ideas and (sometimes clinking) encouragements: Henk den Adel Neil Aggarwal Sébastien Bellefeuille Martin Borstom Egons Bush Harry Bush H. Choe Andy Elkin Oscar M. Fowler Frans Goddijn Simon Goland Kordt Griepenkerl Ralf Grohmann Brian Grunkemeyer Anthony Guetmansky Jon Hacker Richard Johnston Lars Jorgensen Eduard Kappel Jari Laaksonen Christian Laubscher Guylain Lavoie Magnus Lövkvist Leon Loo Sanjay Madhavan Francis Martin James Mehl Max Obkirchner Jan Otterstedt Matthias Rabe Christian Rettner Uwe Schlenther Richard Stanton Ronald Steinhoff Morio Taneda Andreas Tille Eric Trepanier Paul Tylich Thomas Vandahl Alfred Vink William T. Warner, Jr. Sorry if not all their ideas have find their way into this 0.3 release. Paul Tylich is also the author of the alternate Captain Nemo icon. Trademarks ---------- "Norton Commander" (R) is a registered trademark of the Symantec Corporation.