What is MacWoof?
MacWoof™ is software that lets you read and send EchoMail and NetMail messages from your Macintosh. You can set MacWoof to dial and request messages automatically, then read and reply to them at your leisure. Not only is this more convenient for you, it allows bulletin boards to support more users and widens the scope of your communications. 

These benefits are possible through FidoNet™, a world-wide not-for-profit network of bulletin boards. In general terms, if you are in New York, and want to send a message to someone in California, you send the message to a bulletin board that is local to you. That board sends it on to another bulletin board that is closer to its destination (hopefully through a local call.) This process continues until it reaches the person for whom it was intended. In practice, the routing follows specific rules. This situation, where a message is destined for a particular person, is called NetMail. In addition, there are “echoes” where more general discussions on a particular topic take place. Messages from these echoes are called EchoMail.

In order to access FidoNet, you will use MacWoof to become a “point.” The bulletin board you receive messages from is called your “Boss.” If you don't already have a Boss, we'll cover how you can find one later. If you should have more than one Boss, you will need to set up multiple message files, one for each Boss. Messages that you get from each Boss will be separate from the messages you receive from the other Boss.

MacWoof is  completely self-contained and complies with FTSC-0001 (FidoNet) protocols (hence the name MacWoof). It doesn't require, nor does it support, a nodelist. (More about nodes and the nodelist later.) MacWoof works either with a modem for connecting to your Boss node (as “point” software) or in conjunction with other mailer software. If you use other mailer software, you can use MacWoof to read and reply to messages (as a “reader”.) It is designed to work with any mailer software that supports basic FTSC mail sessions, such as Tabby, BinkleyTerm, TIMS (the mailer for TBBS), and Front Door. It does not presently support D'Bridge or Opus. A future release will add compatibility with these and other mailers.  Note the software requirements below if you want to use MacWoof with a modem.

There are few limitations on the size of the message database in MacWoof.  You will probably find the amount of free space on your hard disk is a more practical limitation.  You can have 32,767 messages per area, with basically an unlimited number of areas.  The text of each message is limited to 32,767 characters, but in practice you should not exceed about 10K characters.  Several of the software packages used in FidoNet on other platforms cannot deal with messages larger than about 10K.

System Requirements:
You need a Macintosh with a minimum of 2 MB of RAM if you are using MultiFinder or System 7. If you are not using MultiFinder, 1 MB of RAM should be enough. System 6.0.4 or later is required, along with the Communications Toolbox and associated connection tools. The Communications Toolbox is included as part of System 7, however you still need to get the connection tools separately. Specifically, MacWoof needs the Serial Tool. Both the Communications Toolbox and the connection tools are available from a variety of BBS systems as well as APDA.

Licensing Information
MacWoof is distributed as Shareware. This means that although both the software and this manual are copyright ©1991 Craig Vaughan, you are free to distribute this program to anyone you like as long as you don't charge for it, modify the program in any way or add to or subtract from files in the original distribution archives. Users of MacWoof MUST register the program if they intend to continue using the program after a trial period of THIRTY (30) days. Registration is valid for all future versions of the program; you only need to register once.

The base registration cost is $25.00 US. Fill out the form on the next page and send it with a check or money order payable to the author.  For site licenses, contact the author at the address on the registration form. 

When the registration fee is received, you will be sent a 3-1/2”, 800 kilobyte disk containing your registered copy of the program. Software is included to make your registration valid for all future versions of MacWoof.

This program is only guaranteed to take up disk space, nothing else. In other words, if it breaks itself or your system, you own both parts. The author makes no warranty, express or implied, concerning MacWoof’s usability or fitness for any particular purpose. Some states do no allow the exclusion of implied warranties or liability for incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you. However, I will do my very best to fix any bugs reported to me if I have enough information to do so. I can only guarantee support to registered users.

PeerWare
There are, besides the usual moral and legal obligations, other motives to register the software. One, there will be updates. Two, a friend of mine who hates any form of crippleware, helped me devise a new class of Shareware: PeerWare...

PeerWare means that when you first activate the MacWoof application, it creates a resource for the tear (or tag) line, which appears on each EchoMail message that you send, that includes the date you started to use MacWoof. For example, if you started using MacWoof on the 4th of July in 1991 it would read:

      “--- MacWoof Eval:04Jul91” 

The registered version replaces the Eval:ddmonyy with the current version number. This information is used for display purposes only and is not any form of “time bomb” or crippler. It merely lets everyone know how long you have been evaluating MacWoof.

The application is not copy protected or encrypted but I have done my best to make any modification of the resource holding the Evaluation/Registration information disabling. Again, the techniques employed damage nothing and can be fixed by restoring the date.

A copyright is meaningless unless enforced. And this is an ethical, balanced way of doing it. Shareware is always a test of the user's integrity; registering it is also a vote for the continuance of Shareware. There's been a tradition in the past of good Shareware being taken out of the Shareware channels and moved to the commercial channels because of lack of registration. I'd rather see it remain as Shareware - for you, for me and for the entire community.

MacWoof is something I have put a great deal of time into. I am now going to be putting a major part of my family's standard of living on the line with the level of Shareware response. People say: “Shareware on the Mac doesn't work. You will starve.” I think more of the Macintosh community than that.  I see no reason why you should have to pay for fancy packaging and advertising.  Do YOU?
                                                                            Thanks,
                                                                              Craig Vaughan
                                                                                  MacWoof Author