SCOUG OS/2 For You - November 1998

I have just run the two commercial Internet gate products for OS/2 TCP/IP networks. I purchased the professional package in both instances and the performance is interesting. The support from Italy (Igate) and Denmark (injoy) was comparable to less than no support, or at best something from Monty Python's aggravation room.

The Igate installation manual read like a Alfa Romeo Factory Manual. The first four pages were brilliant, then huge gaps in the documents opened. It was then I experienced problems with their email support. When I described the problem, the answer from the developer was a question rather than a solution. I sent the same email back, painfully rewriting the exact symptoms in reverse order. Then the solution arrived.

The real problem with the software was that it opened multiple PPP sessions that would not close until reboot. When I asked about that problem, the emails began to bounce. Actually, if I wanted to reboot the server all the time I would have bought a Windows product. Igate is a product of Marco Maccaferri Software Development and pricing varies with the number of users. You can get more information about this product from their web site at:

Injoy was far worse. I am considering a false advertising complaint.

The product manual referenced a "good" nameserver. I thought, "Perhaps they have Bad nameservers in Denmark." But when I inquired about the "Good Nameserver," I got an insulting answer with :) on the last line. Three more email letters later and the developer finally said the name server needs to be the IP address of the name server of the ISP. I have come to the conclusion that they do not have a solution for sharing ISDN Internet connections, or email, nor do they have functioning software.

Injoy is a product of F/X Communications and is available in several different levels. Find out more on their web site at:

The bright side was that BMT cheerfully refunded the couple hundered dollars and I only wasted several hours moving TCP/IP settings around. Bottom line, these guys do not know what they are doing, and if you ask even simple questions, you get a defensive insult, or a bounced email.

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