lotus 123 problem under vpix

[Ken Weaverling]

In article <1991Jan5.195630.4541 at midway.uchicago.edu> 
     stuw at quads.uchicago.edu (john  watts) writes:

>I just tried to install Lotus 1-2-3 ver 2.2 (a DOS release) on a Dell
>316sx running Dell Sys V Unix and vp/ix.  After the usual installation
>procedure one would run on a DOS machine (copy files then run Lotus
>install), I tried to start Lotus.  Result:"cannot start 123 because
>file 123.RI is invalid".  I checked, and file 123.RI exists in the 
>123 subdirectory on the vpix Z drive.
>
>I called lotus support (for DOS versions).  Best guess by their rep
>was that lotus requires that two files (123.RI among them) must load
>at *exactly* the same time, but that SYS V may allow the files to load
>at slightly different times, resulting in the error I see. 

Horse manure. I had a problem installing 1-2-3 r 2.2 on a UNIX server so
PC-Interface could use it (kind of similar concept, the DOS drive is actually
the unix file system).

Anyway, it wouldn't work for another reason (wouldn't open the spreadsheets
due to file locking problems).  So I spent hours tracing through Lotus 
to figure it out. From that tracing I can tell you the following steps
Lotus 2.2 does when starting up... (limiting it to file i/o)

First, executes code from 123.exe that ...
  open 123.cmp
  open 123.dld (minor point, 123.dld has to be in same directory as 123.exe)
  If 123.dld file handle is reported as remote by DOS...
      loads in 123.dld
  else
      closes 123.dld
  open 123.set
  read in 123.set
  load 123.cmp
  jump to 123.cmp

>From code in 123.cmp it then does...

  open 123.ri

So, perhaps 123.ri is corrupted. I am not on my UNIX box that has this
stuff on it, so I can't do a sum command on 123.ri for you. However, does
this work on a normal DOS machine?
-- 
>>>---> Ken Weaverling  >>>---->  weave at brahms.udel.edu