FirstClass has the richest feature set of any communications system. You can try out most of the features in the demo, or you can read about them here:
• Complete Electronic Mail Facility: Electronic mail allows any FirstClass user to send private mail to any other user. All incoming and outgoing mail is placed in the users private mailbox.
Δ WYSIWYG Envelope And Message: The envelope and message are displayed on the screen as they will appear to the recipient.
Δ Attachments: An unlimited number of files may be attached to a message for transfer and distribution. Attaching/Saving is done in the background so that the system can continue to be used. Graphics and Sound Attachments may be viewed online.
Δ Styled Text: FirstClass supports font changes, size, styles (italics, bold) and colour in the message text.
Δ Mail Folders: Users can create folders for organizing their mail, and items may be dragged to folders.
Δ Easy-to-use Addressing: FirstClass has the best addressing of all mail systems - users just type the name of the recipient into the 'To:' or 'Copies:' field. The name is validated and displayed. Multiple matches generate a window, from which the user can select the desired names. There is no limit to the number of entries permitted in the 'To:' and 'Copies:' fields.
Δ Searching: Search your mailbox and filed mail based on sender or recipient, subject, attachment names, or even the text content!
Δ Automatic Notification: Users are notified when new mail is received.
Δ Unread Tracking: Unread messages have an Unread Flag beside them.
Δ Unsent Tracking: Messages may be saved but not sent, to allow later work. Unsent messages are denoted using the Unsent Flag.
Δ Gateways: Using the Gateways feature of FirstClass, mail may be sent to other sites. The FirstClass Server handles the delivery automatically, connecting either over the network or modem. A number of gateways are also available from SoftArc and other companies to connect your FirstClass system to other popular systems such as The Internet, CompuServe, Microsoft Mail.
Δ FAX & Pagers: With the FAX Gateway you can send FAXes as easily as sending e-mail, right from your desktop. The Pager Gateway lets you send short text messages to anyone anywhere using a Radio Pager.
Δ Resumes: All users have a resume, which they can edit. Double clicking on a name in the 'From:', 'To:', or 'Copies:' field of any message will bring up the resume of that user.
Δ Forward And Reply: Forwarding an item will duplicate the message but leave the envelope blank for the user to address. Replying will duplicate the envelope and even works with off-site or foreign mail.
Δ History Tracking: As each recipient reads the message an entry is added to the message's history file showing the date & time and the name of the reader.
Δ Mail Lists: Mail can be sent to groups of users as well as individuals.
• Conferencing: Conferences are "shared mailboxes" that many users can read and send messages to. They are perfect for sharing information among groups of users. A user can send to a conference by just putting the name of the conference in the ‘To:’ list of a message.
Δ Complete Mail Features: All of the FirstClass mail features are available in conferences.
Δ Customizable Conferences: The administrator can create any number of conferences. Each conference has a unique name, and can be given a customized icon.
Δ Subscriptions: Users may ‘subscribe’ to conferences to place an alias or ‘subscription’ on their FirstClass desktop window. The icons on user’s desktops may be moved and arranged according to each user’s preferences.
Δ Supervised Conferences: If a conference is supervised, then all submissions to the conference require approval by the administrator before they can be read by a user.
Δ Private Conferences: The administrator can create conferences that can only be read by a selected set of users.
Δ Complete Permissions System: Permissions to read, send, transfer files etc. can be assigned on an individual or group basis. Conferences may be moderated by one or more individuals.
Δ Distributed Conferences: Using the Gateways feature of FirstClass, conferences may be distributed among multiple servers, and even shared with foreign systems such as the Usenet Newsgroups on the Internet.
Δ Searching: Search single or multiple conferences based on keywords. Searches can specify title/subject and even the content of messages. Hierarchical searching allows searching of all sub-conferences. Searching is performed in the background so you can continue to use the system while it is doing the search.
• Standard Macintosh User Interface: The basic interface to FirstClass is modeled closely on the Macintosh finder - double clicking to open, the ability to drag items, etc. This ensures that the system will be intuitive and easy to learn for all Macintosh users.
Δ Online Help: A complete online help system is available to all users. The help system can also be customized by the administrator for specific applications.
Δ Multiple Viewing/Sorting Modes: Like the Finder, FirstClass can display its folders and items either by icon or by name.
Δ Cut and Paste Support: Users can cut from other documents (eg. a word processor) and paste into a FirstClass message.
Δ Printing: Users can print any FirstClass message.
Δ Color: FirstClass has full support for color, including the use of color icons.
Δ 100% Macintosh Standard: FirstClass conforms completely to Macintosh programming and user interface guidelines, and is System 7.0 compatible.
Δ Full Windowing Support: Most popular electronic mail systems allow only one window to be open at once. FirstClass gives your mail system the power of the Macintosh!
Δ Multi-Windowing: Users may open up multiple windows to view many items at once.
Δ Stack and Tile Windows: To manage your windows, you can tile and stack them on the screen.
Δ Hot Key Access: Dynamic hot keys allow power users to flip between windows with single keystrokes.
• Multiple Transport Access Protocol: FirstClass supports access using either AppleTalk or a modem using the same application, via a proprietary Sliding Window / Prioritized Packet Protocol.
Δ AppleTalk Access: Users on the same network as the server can access the server over AppleTalk. FirstClass supports multiple zones and multiple servers per network.
Δ Modem Access: Users not on the network can access FirstClass via modem. Due to the FirstClass packet protocol, modem access is fast! FirstClass will work with any Hayes compatible modem.
Δ Comm Toolbox: FirstClass supports the connection manager of Apple's Communications Toolbox, allowing it to make connections via ISDN, X.25, TCP/IP or any other third party tool.
• WYSIWYCCO: WYSIWYCCO stands for What You See Is What You Can Click On, and is the underlying philosophy of the FirstClass system. Users will rarely see the dreaded watch cursor!
Δ Background File Transfer: All file transfers between the user and the server are done in the background. This means that users can continue to read and compose mail, even when an upload or download is in progress. This feature is unique to FirstClass, and contributes significantly to user friendliness.
Δ MultiFinder Friendly: With FirstClass and MultiFinder, uploads and downloads will continue even when users are working in other applications.
Δ Very High Performance Protocol: The FirstClass Application communicates with the server using a packet protocol that has been designed specifically for low-speed (eg. modem) applications. By keeping message lengths as short as possible, FirstClass delivers performance never before possible over modems. (Of course, the same packet protocol ensures blinding speed over AppleTalk as well.).
•Attachments: Attachments are one of the most powerful features and allow users to send a copy of any Macintosh file along with your message.
Δ Attach Any Number Of Files: Any message can have any number of attachments.
Δ Attachments Shown By Flag: Any message with an attachment will be shown in the message summary with an attachment icon next to it.
Δ Automatic Icon Selection: The list of attachments in the envelope will even show the appropriate icon for most popular programs, so the user can tell at a glance if the attachment is a spreadsheet, database, word processing document, etc.
Δ Easy Download: To download an attachment in a message, the user just double-clicks on the attachment name. Of course, the download is done in background, so the user is free to perform other tasks.
Δ Viewers: FirstClass includes a graphics (PICT), sound and text viewer so if the attachment is one of those types it can be displayed (or played) online without launching another application.
Δ No Protocol Headaches: Xmodem, Ymodem, Kermit - users don't want to worry about these. FirstClass takes care of all the protocol issues, so the users don't have to.
• File System and CD ROM Access: CD-ROMs, File Servers and additional hard disks may be linked into FirstClass so that they are available to users over modem or network. It works like this: the administrator can create special conferences which, when opened, are actually folders in the Macintosh file system. This a powerful feature, and provides the following exciting application:
Δ CD ROM Access: The administrator can link a CD ROM into FirstClass. Users will then have complete access to the CD ROM, even over a modem. By just double clicking on a file on the CD ROM, a download can be started, and while the download is working in background the user can still browse around.
• Administration: Many current electronic mail and bulletin board packages are very difficult to install and administer. With FirstClass, this is not the case. The FirstClass system has been designed so that it "takes care of itself" as much as possible.
Δ Easy Install: Installing the FirstClass server takes one disk and less than five minutes. Installing the user application is just a matter of dragging a single file. All system setup is done graphically.
Δ Security & Access Control: FirstClass has a comprehensive access control scheme that allows the administrator to easily select who has access to what.
Δ Auto Register: Normally, only users who have been added by the administrator are allowed to log on. If the Auto Register feature is enabled, then new users will be able to register themselves (ideal for bulletin board applications).
Δ Robust Server: Tired of servers that go down? The FirstClass server won't.
Δ Privilege Groups: The administrator may define privilege groups and assign users to these groups. Privilege group membership determines which conferences the user can seem and which features the user has access to. By creating several privilege groups, the administrator is freed from the task of repeatedly configuring new users and since users may belong to more than one group, sophisticated privilege control may be implemented easily.
Δ User Limits: The administrator can limit the amount of time that any user can stay logged on for, and can also collect usage statistics for billing purposes.
Δ Statistics, and Billing: FirstClass includes a full statistics collection facility which saves information in a readily exported format. This information can be used to create sophisticated reports or generate billing information.
Δ On-line Administration: All administration tasks can be performed via LAN or modem, without taking the server down.
Δ Auto Deletion: All messages are assigned a deletion date when they are created, and are automatically deleted after that date (this may be overridden by the administrator). This feature ensures that disk space will not be wasted by out-of-date messages.
• Performance Issues: Too often, a product that looks good in the brochure is a disappointment because the performance is inadequate. FirstClass has been designed to do the opposite: you will wonder how FirstClass can be so fast, even when it operates over a modem. Here are a few of the performance-specific features:
Δ Single Copy Of All Messages: Only a single copy of each message is stored, regardless of the number of entries in the 'To:' or 'Copies:' field. This results in a significant reduction in disk space requirements.
Δ Instant Delivery: Due to the high performance of the FirstClass Server and the single file per message, delivery of any message in FirstClass takes less than 1 second.
Δ Multiple Modem Support On Single Server: A single FirstClass Server running on a Macintosh II with multi-port serial cards will support up to 24 concurrent modem connections, and more using addtional NuBus expansion racks.
Δ Low Server Memory Requirements: The FirstClass server requires less than 1 Megabyte for operation.
Δ MultiFinder Compatible Server: The FirstClass Server is MultiFinder compatible, so it can be run on a non-dedicated Macintosh.
Δ Supports high speed & compressing modems, including hardware handshaking.
Δ Scaleable Architecture: Whether you start with a 5 user pack or a 1000 telecom system, FirstClass is designed for ease of expansion as your needs increase.
• Command Line Interface: With FirstClass's Command Line Interface, non-Macintosh users will be able to access a FirstClass system using a simple but powerful command set. The Command Line Interface requires no extra setup by the Administrator, it simply provides an alternate way to access the information on your server. Among the features of the Command Line Interface are:
Δ Works with any ANSI terminal emulator
Δ Full screen, word-wrap editor for creating messages
Δ Object Oriented command set
Δ Full X, Y and ZModem support when doing file transfers
Δ Automatic Mac to ANSI Character translation (e.g é -> e, • -> *)
