Topic       : Documentation for Thing
Author      : Arno Welzel/Thomas Binder/TransAction
Version     : thing.hyp 1.27E (23/8/1998)
Subject     : Documentation/Shells
Nodes       : 269
Index Size  : 6336
HCP-Version : 4
Compiled on : Atari
@charset    : atarist
@lang       : 
@default    : %I
@help       : %Hilfe
@options    : +g -i -s +y +zz -t4 -d10
@width      : 75
@hostname   : THING   
View Ref-FileKnown problems/Bugs                                                   Thing

"Thing can only get better..."

Unfortunately for both financial and time reasons I can't test every 
conceivable configuration on all possible machines! Thing was developed 
originally on a 1040STe with a monochrome monitor, which is why there were 
problems testing anything to do with colour displays. [Note by Thomas 
Binder: Currently Thing development takes place on a Falcon030 with 4Mb 
memory. I have access to MagiC, MultiTOS, N.AES, TOS 4.04 as well as 
-- much less often -- MagiC PC and STONX. Other equipment is available via 
the beta testers.]

The following list may contain problems which do not neccessarily occur in 
the current Thing release version.

 ∙ For technical reason the adoption of local environments with MultiTOS
   and Co. only works with GEM applications. TOS/TTP programs executed in 
   parallel via MINIWIN.APP always receive a global environment. 

   Incidentally -- this works fine under MagiC -- even when the TOS/TTP 
   programs are executed via VT52.PRG...

 ∙ Freedom up to Version 1.14a inclusive has a bug in connection with 
   the AV Protocol:

   If one or more files/folders are placed on the desktop background or a 
   group window of Thing, Freedom sends an unnecessary VA_STARTmessage.
   Following the saying 'The cleverer one gives way' this message is 
   ignored therefore by Thing when the sender is FREEDOM and it's running 
   as a client.

 ∙ For reasons unknown to me to date, 'non-modal' operation of Freedom 
   1.14 only works properly at the second attempt. It can happen that 
   even though the Freedom window is 'topped', Thing does not recognise 
   its presence or that it is active. Remedy: Use Freedom v1.15 or v2.x!

 ∙ Important: The LogiTech mouse accelerator that used to be provided with 
   the LogiTech Pilot mouse should not be used!
   MACCEL3 from Atari performs the same function and works! Many problems 
   (crashes before/after running programs such as CAT, Kandinsky, Rufus 
   etc. under Single-TOS) are caused by the LogiTech accelerator, which 
   seems to use some rather 'dirty' programming.

 ∙ Shaded windows under WINX v2.3 cause minor redraw problems. I know 
   how to fix this -- I've just been too lazy to implement it.

 ∙ Using Kobold 2 together with Minix file systems will cause problems!
   This is a Kobold problem because it is not able to handle long and/or 
   case-sensitive filenames :-/  From Thing 1.25 onwards there is therefore 
   an option that Kobold is only used if both the source and destination 
   drives contain an 8+3 file system.
 
 ∙ Under Single-TOS the first mouse click after terminating a GEM 
   application is not recognised if no Thing windows are open. This is 
   not a Thing error but the fault of TOS, and also affects other 
   alternative desktops such as Gemini, for instance.

 ∙ Older versions of the utility ParaFin by Hartwig zur Nieden 
   unfortunately only look for the application 'GEMINI  ' and ignore the 
   environmental variable AVSERVER. For this reason cooperation with Thing 
   does not work in the desired manner, unfortunately. Remedy: Get hold of 
   a newer version of ParaFin.

 ∙ PacShell 2.58 has a small bug Drag&Dropping objects PacShell ⇨ Thing: 
   Folder names are passed to Thing without the final '\', so that 
   Thing (and also Gemini) interpret these, logically, as files.

   Remedy: Get PacShell 2.59 or newer, where the bug was removed.