Is anyone here still running RISC OS 6.20?

If you are, would you please run this command:

*Show InetDBase*

and tell me the results. One of the paths that some users have reported, is invalid (it begins with a dot).

Does anyone know where InetDBase$Write is defined in RO 6.20?

I am not a user of RO6, and I cannot remember when I last fired it up. But here is some of what you might want…

%Obey -c Boot:Utils.SetChoices
Set ChoicesDefault$Dir  <Boot$Dir>.Choices.Default
SetMacro Choices$Dir    <Choices$Write>
SetMacro Choices$Path   <Choices$Write>.,<ChoicesDefault$Dir>.,<ChoicesHardware$Dir>.
...
%Obey HostFS::HardDisc4.$.!boot.Resources.!Internet.!Run
Set Inet$Path <Obey$Dir>.
Set InetDBase$Path  Choices:Internet.Files.
Set InetDBase$Write <Choices$Write>.Internet.Files
...
*show inetdbase*
InetDBase$Path : Choices:Internet.Files.
InetDBase$Write : .Internet.Files
...
*show choices*
Choices$Dir(Macro) : <Choices$Write>="HostFS::HardDisc4.$.!boot.Choices.Users.Single"
Choices$Path(Macro) : <Choices$Write>="HostFS::HardDisc4.$.!boot.Choices.Users.Single".,<ChoicesDefault$Dir>="HostFS::HardDisc4.$.!boot.Choices.Default".,<ChoicesHardware$Dir>="HostFS::HardDisc4.$.!boot.Choices.Hardware.Disabled".
Choices$Write : HostFS::HardDisc4.$.!boot.Choices.Users.Single
ChoicesDefault$Dir : HostFS::HardDisc4.$.!boot.Choices.Default

I suspect when the abomination of Default, Hardware & Single were added, someone forgot that if Choices path was a multiple, appending to it for InetDBase path would not work.

I did see this in the NetSurf mailing list but could not reply. (Though posts are sent from the list when it comes to sending posts it decides I am not a member.) This was the post.

“It looks to be a bug in OS6.20, the internet is setup before the user is set, before Choices$Write is set that is. I am not sure that multi-user internet setups are even implemented. Anyway InetDBase$Write does not appear to be used anywhere.”

Moving on. There does appear to be suspect info within the mailing list story.

OS6.20 knows nothing about SSL and Certificate files, that is an OS5, AcornSSL, construct. There are no certificate files in my OS6.20 boot. It should be possible to install AcornSSL, it is in 350.Modules. The CertData file would also need installing, somewhere, I have not looked into that.

A bit later. AcornSSL looks for InetDBase:CertData which is in Choices on OS6.20. Choices.Hardware.Disabled has the other internet ’files", which seems reasonable, one Certicates file should be for all Users.

OS4.39 does correctly set InetDBase$Write.

*fx0
RISC OS 4.39 (28 Apr 2004) [Kernel 6.80]
*show inetdb*
InetDBase$Path : Choices:Internet.Files.
InetDBase$Write : HostFS::HostFS.$.!Boot.Choices.Users.Single.Internet.Files
*

A comparison with OS6.20 shows that the User is set later on in the boot on OS6.20.

In OS4.39 the User is set in !Boot.Utils.SetChoices from line 39 of !Boot.Utils.BootRun.

In OS6.20 for some reason the User is set later between sections 2 and 3 of the progressive boot in line 132 of !Boot.Utils.BootRun. The internet gets set up before the User is set. Moving the User setting up a bit, to before the progressive boot section, does clear the fault.

*fx0
RISC OS 6.20 (01 Dec 2009) [Kernel 10.62]
*show inetdb*
InetDBase$Path : Choices:Internet.Files.
InetDBase$Write : HostFS::HostFS.$.!Boot.Choices.Users.Single.Internet.Files
*

I don’t know why the change was made, it might just be stylistic, or my little ruse might have broken something else, but it is working here so far.