Conference 7.286::macintosh

    Well, I reinstalled everything from scratch on the Centris (OT 1.1.2,
    FreePPP v2.5v2, Netscape v2.02) and it still doesn't work.  Netscape
    is unable to launch FreePPP and it cannot see an already open socket
    either.
    
    I'm unsure I trashed every preference files, though. I'll retry once
    again, next time I'll visit my parents...
    
    	-- Ol.
    

>    Well, I reinstalled everything from scratch on the Centris (OT 1.1.2,
>    FreePPP v2.5v2, Netscape v2.02) and it still doesn't work.  Netscape
>    is unable to launch FreePPP and it cannot see an already open socket
>    either.

    just a thought...in FreePPP Setup, there is a box you check
    called 'allow applications to open connection'

    >    just a thought...in FreePPP Setup, there is a box you check
    >    called 'allow applications to open connection'
    
    Yes, I've seen and checked it.  Doesn't work. (sigh!).
    In fact, even when the connection it made before Netscape is launched
    (using the Connect button in the FreePPP control panel) it is unable
    to use that connection and complains about the lack of network
    connection.
    
    Thanks for the suggestion, anyway...
    
    	-- Olivier.
    

    Some random thoughts:
    
     1) Has Netscape expired on your Centris?
     2) Have you verified and re-entered IP addresses?
     3) Have you checked server-supplied address?
     4) Is PPP server selected?
     5) Is your mask set up properly?
    
    I guess what I'm asking is if EVERYTHING in FreePPP Setup looks exactly
    the same on your Centris as on your PowerMac.
    
    /Wayne

    How much memory is on your Centris?
    
    Do you have the same amount of memory allocated to Netscape, OT and
    FreePPP on your Centris as on your PowerMac?
    
    /Wayne

    > 1) Has Netscape expired on your Centris?
    
    I don't think so.  This was provided on CD-ROM by my ISP, and they
    wouldn't mention any expiry date...  I'll check, though.
    ( the error message would be quite unexplicit in that case !)
    
    > 2) Have you verified and re-entered IP addresses?
    
    Verified yes (3 or 4 times!) reentered no, as it was correct in the
    first place...  As a matter of fact, hitting the FreePPP connect button
    creates a new connection (all little symbols qualifying successful
    connection steps show up alright).  Netscape is unable to use that
    connection.  I tried Eudora which just hung the Mac.  I forgot about
    the result of ping, and so on. I'll retry asap.
    I'll also try to trash all preferences files and reenter the full setup
    (do you have any checklist of involved files when using OT1.1.2 and
    FreePPP - TCP/IP DNR in System folder, FreePPP prefs in Preferences
    folder, Netscape prefs in Netscape preferences folder; what else? Thanks!)
    
    > 3) Have you checked server-supplied address?
    
    Yes.  It works on my PM and seems to work as far as FreePPP is
    concerned...
    
    > 4) Is PPP server selected?
    
    Yes.
    
    > 5) Is your mask set up properly?
    
    The ISP uses DNS.  The internet address and the mask are provided
    by the server.
    
    Yes, every setup item looks the same on the Centris and the PowerMac,
    whether it is the TCP/IP setup, the FreePPP one or the Netscape setup
    (proxy, NNTP and SMTP servers, etc...)
    The software versions are the same as well, but as regards Netscape
    (now 3.01 Gold on the PowerMac, but it used to work with 2.02 as well).
    
    The Centris has 32Mb real memory.  MacOS v7.5.5 virtual memory is on
    (about 100Mb are still available on disk after the 64Mb reservation for VM)
    and Netscape is allowed 8 Mb at least, 10Mb preferred (I raised somehow
    the default values).
    
    This is a really stunning problem!
    
    Thanks,
    
    	-- Ol.
    
    
    

I think I mentioned this before, but might I suggest that you download OT/PPP
1.0 from apple.com and try it.  The setup is much easier because all it asks
for is the IP address, name server, and local domain name.  It may work for
you.  FreePPP may claim to be compatible with OT, but it is NOT written with
the proper OT API (application programmer's interface) and therefore is not as
compatible as OT/PPP.  Plus, OT/PPP is from Apple so it must work :-)

good luck,

adam

I may have missed something in earlier replies, but have you consulted
your ISP's tech support people?
My ISP once made some changes that almost totally blew me off the net
for nearly a week because they didn't tell me about their changes!
When I finally got to a Mac-savvy tech support guy, he talked me through 
IP address and other settings that got me reliably back on line.

- tom]

    The only problem with that is that the supposedly exact same setup
    works on a PowerMac.
    
    But, I agree the symptoms smack of a bogus Name Server IP address.
    
    /Wayne

    Last weekend I finally could get Netscape back to work on the Centris 650,
    by removing all setup/preferences files, reinstalling OT 1.1.2, then
    reconfiguring everything from scratch.  I think the configuration
    files went corrupt somehow indeed, which prevented Netscape from
    triggering PPP dialup, and prevented as well PPP from establishing
    a reliable connection (although parameters would display alright in
    the PPP and TCP/IP setup control panels).
    
    Thanks to everybody for the kind and efficient help!
    
    	-- Olivier.
    

    I wrote earlier that when i ran the FreePPP installer on the
    10MB MacLC at our elementary school, it bombed...quit with
    and error message, bomn, and 'restart' button.

    over the weekend, I copied all the bits of FreePPP to a floppy
    and then manually copied them to their various places on the
    LC...and it worked great.

    No idea what is wrong with the installer, but FreePPP itself works great
    bob

    Last night I was giving a neighbor a tutorial on her new
    PowerMac 6400/180 (a REAL nice machine, I thought).  The first
    day she had it, her son signed up for internet access, got
    the 6 or so floppies from their provider, loaded the stuff
    and double-clicked Netscape and started right up surfing the Web.
    I rarely hear of anyone starting up so easily.

    My question...on this machine, I noticed that the version of FreePPP
    that they got was 2.5.6.  Is this an older or new version than 2.5v2?
    I checked www.rockstar.com and 2.5v2 is still the latest released version.

    They did not show a 'phone' icon in the upper right menu bar.

    another question...The floppies came with Netscape 2.02 and they upgraded
    to 3.01.  And their provider's Web Page was set as the home page.
    But in Netscape Options, you could not click on the Home Page
    to change the URL.  It seemed to be just text and not selectable.  Also
    the radio button to set 'blank home page' did not work.  So it was set
    up so that you were stuck using the provider as your home page.

    Any suggestions to get around this?
    bob

>    But in Netscape Options, you could not click on the Home Page
>    to change the URL.  It seemed to be just text and not selectable.  
>    Also    the radio button to set 'blank home page' did not work.  So it 
>    was set up so that you were stuck using the provider as your 
>    home page.

Yeah, I ran into that, too. One of the nice features that Microsoft's
Internet Explorer offers is the fact you can easily set your home 
page in the Preferences by simply opening the page you want and 
clicking a button called "Use Current".

In Netscape, you've pretty much got to enter the URL manually or cut 
and paste it from the URL field at the top of the window. But you
say the text field for the home page URL was not selectable?  That
sounds strange.

Peter

    Re: .42
    
    The author of FreePPP now works for Netscape.  I think that he created
    some additional versions of FreePPP just for Netscape corporation which
    are provided by Netscape to ISP's.
    
    I also seem to recall that the newer versions had problems with the
    FreePPP menu options, so it was disabled in those versions.
    
    ----
    
    As for the Netscape restricting the home page.  Maybe it is a feature
    for ISP's.
    
    One thing that could be tried is to modify the "Netscape Preferences"
    file (System Folder:Preferences:Netscape f:Netscape Preferences) file
    using ResEdit.  The home page URL appears to be stored in the "STR#"
    resource, String ID 2001, Sring 1.
    
    There are some other strings in there that have TRUE/FALSE values, and
    one of those may be the one that activates the Home page option.
    
    The quick and dirty way to handle this is to just save their
    preferences file and drop in a copy of your own Netscape preferences
    file to see if that does the trick.  Or even just save the original and
    leave no preferences file, then let Netscape fill it all out again from
    scratch (but that may be more trouble than it is worth if Netscape
    doesn't default all of the other pref's to something rational).  Give
    it a shot.  As long as you save the original stuff, it should be no
    problem to revert to the original later.
    
    					Bob Harris

    I had a similarly non-problematical install of OT 1.2/PPP on my new
    PowerMac 9500/200 and was able to dial into my ISP immediately. It sort
    of floored me. What also helped was I bought a brand new Sportster
    modem.
    
       erik