Windows & NetWare: working together; customizing the Windows Program Manager to create a common network desktop. (Microsoft Corp.'s Windows graphical user interface and Novell Inc.'s NetWare network operating system) (includes related article on customization for network printing) (Enterprise Computing) (part 2) (Tutorial)

Two weeks ago, we looked at the problems that arise when Windows and NetWare coexist in a corporate environment. Many network managers are stymied trying to reconcile a network operating system that employs centralized control with a desktop operating environment that gives end-users a great deal of autonomy.

We advised a network installation of Windows, which can give you extraordinary control over the corporate desktop environment. It also allows you to manage all desktops centrally, greatly simplifying software upgrades. Centralized management also allows you to institute consistent access rights while improving network security. And it gives all users a consistent and unified view of the available system and application resources.

Best of all, you can do all of this with the tools you have right now. The facilities for enhancing Windows on a network are included in every copy. With Windows Program Manager, you can build an almost bulletproof network desktop with much of the functionality of third-party shells such as Saber Software Corp.'s Saber Menus. It takes a little tweaking, but the expense is minimal.

Creating a network desktop from the Windows Program Manager is also a better alternative to the clumsy, character-based application menuing system that comes with NetWare.

In fact, NetWare's menuing system can actually conflict with Windows, which is bad news if you are using Windows applications for mission-critical work. NetWare's menuing system is somewhat primitive, interpreting ASCII script files as it runs. Worse, the code remains in memory while programs are running, which wastes memory and makes Windows unreliable.

Like any good application front end, Windows Program Manager provides an easy-to-use interface, can be centrally configured, and can restrict the use of applications as well as the ability to change the interface. It can also restrict these same users from running or installing unauthorized programs, an important consideration in a corporate environment where critical data are at stake. The result is a friendly interface that lets you give a group of users access to a new program by merely dragging and dropping an icon.

PROGMAN.INI. Program Manager is configured using the PROGMAN.INI file. In single-user installations, …