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Messenger Installation V1.41d
====================== ======
To install Messenger, copy the !Messenger application directory to the
required location on your hard disk (e.g. with all your other Internet
applications) and copy !Manuals to some location where it will be
automatically seen by the filer each time you use your machine (e.g. in
!Boot.Resources).
Please see the accompanying documentation for more information on installing
and using Messenger. This can be accessed by selecting Help from the filer
application sub-menu when the !Messenger directory is selected, or by using
the Help... option on Messenger's icon bar menu.
Messenger Pro
=============
Messenger Pro is a commercial version of the existing freeware Messenger
mail and news client. It consists of an enhanced version of Messenger, a
new database engine and IMAP/NNTP support. It remains compatible with all
popular Internet suites, adding support for Voyager for the first time,
and provides all the features currently provided by the freeware version,
as well as offering the following benefits:
* Faster Processing
Messenger Pro features a new offline database manager which offers a speed
advantage over Newsbase in all areas, but particularly during debatch and
expire operations.
In addition, much of the processing that takes place when viewing
messages is now performed in memory rather than via disc, hence making
overall usage appear much faster.
* Easier to Configure
Messenger Pro is designed to be easier to configure than any existing mail
and news software. The installation process will ask for a bare minimum of
details and will then configure itself, obtaining information from your
existing software. Those users who have been intimidated by Newsbase's
user interface in the past will find Messenger Pro's own database
considerably easier to use.
Much effort has also been made to retain Messenger's multi-user support
whilst at the same time removing some of the complexity of multi-user
configuration. Messenger Pro defaults to a single user installation where
the user installing it is given full system administration privileges
without having to create the user himself. The user is then automatically
subscribed to all groups, removing the need to subscribe once for the news
feed and again for himself, as was the case in previous versions.
* IMAP/NNTP Support
Support is provided for reading mail and news online via a connection to a
separate mail and news server, thus removing the requirement to store all
mail and news locally. The standard IMAP mail and NNTP news protocols are
used to do this.
Messenger Pro can be configured for offline or online use and maintains
separate configurations for each, allowing easy switching between them.
* Voyager Support
For the first time, Messenger now supports the Voyager Internet Suite, the
software used by the majority of Argonet users. This is by means of a
dedicated Voyager transport which enables the two pieces of software to
work together.
* More Powerful and Faster Search Facilities
The freeware version of Messenger uses a third party application,
NewsFind, to perform message searches. Messenger Pro removes this
dependency and performs all searches itself, utilising direct access to
the database to considerably speed up the process.
Messenger Pro also offers more flexible search criteria to be specified,
searching on up to four headers or in the body, together with size and
date specifications. Attachments may also be easily found.
In addition, local searches for text in displayed messages may also be
performed.
* Reduced Disc Usage
Messenger Pro uses a more efficient technique of storing messages which
considerably reduces the amount of disc space wasted, and hence the
overall amount of space used. In addition, all messages are held in
compressed form and only decompressed when needed.
* Better Attachment Support
Messenger already has comprehensive support for attachments, but Messenger
Pro extends this to enable identification of those messages with
attachments from the group viewer, removing the need to open each message
first.
A strip attachments option has also been added which allows attachments to
be deleted; useful if you want to archive your mail but don't want to keep
lots of large files around.
When forwarding messages, attachments are now automatically copied across
to the new message, removing the need to do this manually. Attachments are
also now supported in news postings, although warnings are given for those
groups where this would be deemed inappropriate.
* Queue Editing
Messenger Pro features full queue editing facilities; a task that was
previously delegated to the third party QEdit application. This means that
the outgoing mail and news queues can be treated just like another group,
using the same user interface for displaying and manipulating queued
messages. Messages are then edited using the existing editing facilities
with which the user will already be familiar.
* Editing of Stored Messages
Messages may now be edited and saved back to the database, allowing you to
make permanent changes to the headers or the body, e.g. to correct a
mislabelled Subject header, or to annotate messages.
Messages may also be used as the basis of an outgoing edit session, which
is useful for correcting misaddressed mail or for sending another copy of
a message which didn't get through the first time.
* Compliance with the Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval
Messenger Pro is the first newsreader on the RISC OS platform to be
awarded the Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval. This is a tough set of
guidelines which requires that news posting software generate articles
that properly adhere to Internet standards, and provide adequate
protection for the user so that his postings don't annoy other users by
exhibiting common mistakes made by beginners.
Messenger Pro also complies with the latest draft of the USEFOR working
group, who are currently defining the new standard for the format of news
messages.
* Provides More Information
Messenger now displays more header information in its message windows so
you can easily see who else received a particular message, and where
replies/follow ups will go to.
* Safer Deletes
Deletions are now deferred, which means that messages are marked for
deletion and only removed when the user closes or refreshes the current
group window. This also allows the user to change his mind and undelete
them before this happens.
Messenger Pro also has full support for a per-user waste basket, which
automatically catches all deleted messages in the event that they may be
required later or were deleted by accident. Messages are then
automatically deleted from the waste basket after a configurable period of
time.
* A Tidier User Interface
Messenger's user interface has been redesigned with new sprites giving it
a fresher and more professional appearance. The separate mailer,
newsreader and folder windows of the original have been replaced with two
windows which can display any type of group: one for the groups the user
will use every day, and another for archiving or for groups that aren't
accessed very often. These groups are now sorted to ensure that more
focussed groups, and hence those that are more important, appear at the
top of the display for easier access.
Extra buttons have also been added to make commonly used operations such
as folder filing much easier.
* Improved Reply Tracking
Owing to bugs in Newsbase, Messenger's reply tracking often didn't work
very well. Now, when used with the new database engine, a thread can be
followed right back to the root message, by choosing earlier messages from
a menu. Thus with two mouse clicks you can read the message that triggered
the reply you're currently reading, and step back through the discussion
one message or many messages at a time, regardless of where those messages
are stored.
* Better Handling of Important Messages
Important messages can now be marked as requiring attention, which will
highlight them in group viewers and ensure that Messenger won't let you
forget that they exist.
* More Flexible Arrival Notification
Messenger now allows you to assign a sample to a person that will be
played when mail from that person is received, or you may instead have the
names of people who send you mail read out as you receive them (if you
have the speech software). Notification of new mail via the chime can also
be enabled on a per-group basis.
In addition, Messenger's group list windows will now indicate which groups
have had new arrivals since you last opened them.
* Improved Keyboard Support
Messenger now has more keyboard shortcuts and tries harder to keep the
input focus when it closes its windows, thus making it much easier to
control via the keyboard.
* More Reliable
Messenger Pro employs better error recovery procedures, so in the event of
a corrupt overview or configuration file, the file is automatically
repaired or copied from a backup. All critical configuration files are
backed up as a matter of course.
* RISC OS 4 Compatible
Messenger Pro is fully RISC OS 4 compatible.
* Obtaining Messenger Pro
Messenger Pro is being sold through R-Comp - all enquiries should be made
through them. Pricing is £30 for the offline version and £40 for the
online (and offline) version. Site licences are £100. Please see the
R-Comp Messenger Pro web site for more information.
* More Information
Please refer to the following sites for more information about Messenger
Pro:
- The Messenger Pro brochure at the Messenger web site
http://www.neutri.nu/messenger/pro.html
- The R-Comp Messenger Pro web site
http://www.arsvcs.demn.co.uk/r-comp/messpro/index.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark Sawle - mark@neutri.nu
2nd January 2000