NewDeal Technical Support Document 285

SKIPPER FAQ


Frequently asked questions about Skipper web browser

Where can find instructions for using Skipper?
For help with Skipper, press the help button (question mark) in the upper right corner of the Skipper window. For additional help configuring your ISP connection, see technical support document 281.

What are the differences between Skipper SE (which is included in NewDeal Office, NewDeal SchoolSuite, and the Evaluation version) and Skipper Pro (which is included in NewDeal WebSuite)?
The following features available in Skipper Pro are disabled in Skipper SE:
  • Edit (but you can still drag and drop from Skipper SE into NewWrite)
  • View or Edit source
  • Multiple Windows
  • History List
  • View Zoom

Does Skipper support cookies and SSL (Secure Socket Layer)?
No, the current version of Skipper does not support these features, but the next upgrade will. Web sites which require cookies or SSL may not display properly in the current version of Skipper.

How do you get Skipper to recognize a home page? I set it, but every time I start Skipper, it gives me the New/Open dialog box.
After you set the home page in Options, Miscellaneous, remember to Save Options. The New/Open dialog will always pop up.

How is a New document useful in Skipper?
It's not particularly useful, but it's part of the document control feature common to all applications in NewDeal. In Skipper Pro, it enables multiple pages to be open at the same time (use the features in the Window menu to view the pages).

I click in the text box and press Enter, but it doesn't reload the page.
Unless you change the URL, it won't refresh. Choose Reload in the Navigate menu.

I can't get Skipper to list directories on my hard drive. Any files in the directories showed up as blank.
You can't browse your hard drive using the File protocol. The Http protocol will list directories, but does not list files.

What URLs can Skipper Pro accept?
URLs beginning with http: and ftp: are supported. The mailto: protocol is not supported in this version.

Do I need to enter the HTTP:// before the address, or will it add that automatically?
Skipper will insert that automatically.

Skipper is displaying an error message: unknown resource type. What should I do?
Check your GEOS.INI file. Skipper SE should have these lines:
[HTMLView]
version = 302
URL Drivers = {
http = wmg3http.geo
ftp = wmg3ftp.geo
}
Skipper Pro should have these lines instead:
[HTMLView]
version = 200
URL Drivers = {
http = wmg3http.geo
ftp = wmg3ftp.geo
}

Skipper Pro does not have a unique tiny icon in the Express menu. What's up with that?
Your observation is correct. The tiny icon was not implemented in this version of Skipper, so the default NewDeal tiny icon appears.

What does Act as No-Frames Browser do?
Skipper SE and Skipper Pro both support frames. The above option forces Skipper to behave as a no-frames browser, displaying only one frame at a time.

What does the Formatting Cache do? What does Recalculate do?
These two features are related. Skipper first retrieves the HTML code and graphics data for the web page and stores it in the source cache. Then Skipper translates the HTML language into NewDeal system objects, similar to those used by the NewWrite word processor. These system objects are stored in the formatting cache to speed up display of the page without having to repeat the translation. Recalculate forces Skipper to repeat the translation without retrieving the page again.

Sometimes I can drag and drop a whole web page from Skipper to NewWrite. Other times, I cannot. Why?
If the web page contains tables, you can only drag and drop one cell at a time.

Why do some web pages display their contents in columns that are too narrow?
This is a known limitation of the current version of Skipper when displaying web pages that contain tables. The next version of Skipper will have improved display of tables.

What is Socket error code: 37?
Skipper will display Socket error code: 37 if the connection to your ISP cannot be established. The exact cause of the error can be any of the following:
  • The modem is not responding. It may be in use by another program.
  • Your ISP is temporarily unavailable. Perhaps the ISP's local phone connection is busy or out of service.
  • The phone number, login name, password, or DNS numbers are incorrect in Preferences, Internet.
  • If you are using the ODI Ethernet driver, the network may be down, or the network configuration may be incorrect.
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Last Modified 26 Jun 1999