Obsydian 2.2 Question & Answers

Obsydian 2.2 will soon be available. Here are some important details of this upcoming release.

Question	Answer
When will Obsydian 2.2 be generally available?	Obsydian 2.2 will be generally available November 18th, 1996 in North America. Please consult your local representatives for your availability dates.
Will I get Obsydian 2.2 automatically?	You will receive Obsydian 2.2 only if you have requested it. You received an order form in September together with a full highlights and considerations document allowing you to plan for the 2.14, 2.2 and 2.5 releases. If you have requested it will be automatically sent to you. You will be receiving another order form in the mail soon. Alternatively you may download the form here (select the corresponding order form for your region): North America Europe
What is in Obsydian 2.2?	There is a full highlights and considerations document available describing the contents of 2.14, 2,2 and 2.5. You will have received this document in
What media will Obsydian 2.2 be available on?	Both the Obsydian 2.2 product and the documentation will be shipped on CD unless you requested diskettes and hardcopy documentation. A form was sent together with the full highlights and considerations document in September giving you the opportunity to select the media of your choice.
Will I be able to create diskettes from the Obsydian Product CD?	Absolutely! You will be able to run a program on the CD \diskcopy\diskcopy.exe which will guide you through creating installation diskettes. The process will take 30 mins and all you have to do is number and insert diskettes when prompted. You may even decide to reuse Obsydian diskettes from previous releases!
What else is so great about the Obsydian Product being on CD?	Because we have considerably more space on a CD, we are able to provide you with more examples and tutorials. The Obsydian Question and Answer database is also on the CD. Also Obsydian 2.2 marks the first time we are shipping information about 3rd Party class libraries. Members of the Alcatraz program have included demos, screencams, presentations and even free sample models under a directory called Alcatraz on the CD. This information will not be available on diskette! Future releases will see additional details about IBM Rochester developed class libraries as well as software from Synon partners which will compliment your Obsydian development efforts.
Will I get any hardcopy documentation at all?	Yes you will still receive the installation guide and getting started guides as hardcopy documentation. The other manuals will be on a documentation CD and hardcopy will only be available on request.
Why is the documentation going on to CD?	One of the focus group suggestions was to make the documentation available online so that searches and cross references could be performed. In addition, by moving to CD documentation Synon is able to expedite the delivery of Obsydian releases to you and incorporate any last minute changes more easily. Since physical binding and duplication of documentation is usually the most lengthy process prior to the delivery of an Obsydian release. Last but not least we are saving a few trees by doing so too!
What are the changes in the licensing procedure in Obsydian 2.2?	The new licensing scheme will require you to enter a product serial number and later on when you run 2.2 to obtain an authorization code from Synon.
What happens when I install 2.2?	The install will require a Product Serial number. This number will be located on a sticker on the back cover of the Installation Guide. The only other piece of information you may have to supply depends on whether you are licensed to Application Frameworks (see below).
What happens if I am licensed for Application Frameworks?	In order to install the Frameworks you will be prompted for a password. This password will also be located on a separate sticker on the back cover of the Installation Guide. It will only be there if you are licensed to Frameworks.
What happens after I install Obsydian and run 2.2 for the first time?	Obsydian will display a panel allowing you to print out a fax-back form. This fax-back form will contain the Product Serial number as well as a code unique to your PC. Once you fax that in to Synon, our contracts department will generate an authorization code enabling the appropriate product components for your license.
Can I use Obsydian 2.2 before I have obtained the authorization code?	In order to make the transition to the new licensing scheme as smooth as possible for you, each copy of Obsydian 2.2 has a 7 day temporary license which commences the first time you launch Obsydian 2.2. This will give you sufficient time to obtain an authorization code from us.
Will I receive new license diskettes?	No. There are no license diskettes with the new licensing scheme. Obsydian licenses are enabled using an authorization code. Once a PC has been licensed you will be able to transfer the license from PC to PC using any blank diskette or using the network.
How will prior versions of Obsydian be affected by the new licensing?	Versions of Obsydian prior to 2.2 will not be affected. They will continue to use the old licensing scheme and you can have both 2.2 and prior versions of Obsydian on the same PC.
Can I get answers to Obsydian 2.2 questions that I don't see listed?	Yes submit your question via e-mail to Ramon Chen or Wasim Ahmad. We will do our best to provide you with the necessary answers.

Obsydian 2.2 Questions & Answers