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Date:	Mon, 21 Oct 2002 14:04:57 PST7
From:	"J. R. Fox" <jr_fox@pacbell.net >
Reply-To:	scoug-help@scoug.com
To:	scoug-help@scoug.com
Subject:	SCOUG-Help: Re: 4OS2, Take Command

Content Type: text/plain

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Peter inquired:

> Anybody have any comments pro or con on these free JP Software programs?
>
> 4OS2
> Take Command for OS/2
>
> (http://www.jpsoft.com/download.htm)
>
> In other words, are they worth installing?

I first became aware of this family of alternative Command Processors circa the
Norton-branded version of 4DOS (can't remember what they called it, but it was included
with Norton Util.s from ver. 4.5 on), though I used it only lightly. It had a number of
useful things in it like the DESCRIPT.ION file thingy, by which you could briefly annotate
the file contents of a directory, which would be displayed from then on whenever you took a
DIR. Of course, all of this command line stuff began to go the way of the dodo bird once
GUIs started gaining ever more traction from Win 3.1 on. Today, we OS/2ers are probably
the last of the Mohicans when it comes to anything done via command line. If your typical
Win-user ever *had* to accomplish something at the command line, s/he would likely be
reduced to standing in a corner wearing a look of abject panic ! Which may be why some of
these programs are now being given away free (?) -- if so, a development I had not heard
about.

Anyway, I bought the JP suite on cd a couple years ago. It includes 4DOS, 4OS2, 4NT (said
to be somewhat buggy and of questionable reliability), and Take Command, but no paper
manual. TC is a kind of interesting hybrid, in that it's Text Mode but not simply command
line: you can scroll its window and do certain things almost as if you were in an editor.
The feature sets are extensive, but you'd have to learn them. They have lots of "enhanced"
commands, such as CDD (changes both drive and directory in one shot) rather than just CD.
Actually, that's one of the simpler examples. Anyway, I use these from time to time, but
regret not having bothered to dive more than shallowly into their possibilities. Before
Mark clued me in to the trick for summoning longer / compound-word directory names, TC was
the only way I could get to them from a command line.

One thing I miss which they unfortunately do _not_ offer is an OS/2 equivalent for a set of
basic DOS util.s (originally from PC Mag., I think) that I used to use all the time: UP,
DOWN, & OVER. These were very handy for jumping Directory levels in the requisite
direction. My guess is that someone like Harry or Steven could duplicate their
functionality in REXX, though per my searching to date, no one has bothered to create such
items.

Jordan

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