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***** MicroQwk ver 1.5 ***** Offline Mail Reader copyright 1993, 94 by Joe Hardy Microduc Software 2111 38th St Des Moines, Iowa 50310 MicroQwk version 1.2 release date : October 31 1993 MicroQwk version 1.2e release date : December 5, 1993 MicroQwk version 1.3b release date : February 15, 1994 MicroQwk version 1.4, 1.4b never realeased MicroQwk version 1.5a release date : August 9, 1994 MicroQwk ver 1.5a page : 1 *** SHAREWARE NOTICE *** MicroQwk and its associated files are not free. They are distributed under the Shareware concept. You are hereby granted a limited license to try this software for a period not to exceed 30 days. If you find it useful and wish to continue to use MicroQwk, you must register it with Microduc Software (see REGISTRATION). Otherwise you must delete the program and its files. You are encouraged to distribute this program to as wide an audience as possible, as long as all files are included and in their original, unaltered form. MicroQwk may not be sold or bundled with any commercial program without permission from Microduc Software. Microqwk is distributed as is. Microduc and it's suppliers disclaim all other warranties, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, with regard to the SOFTWARE and any accompanying written materials. NO LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. In no event shall Microduc or it's suppliers be liable for any damages whatsoever (including without limitation, damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information, or any other pecuniary loss) arising out of the use of or inability to use this Microduc product, even if Microduc has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Because some states/countries do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, the above limitation may not apply. ** Use of this software implies acceptance of the terms of this agreement.** MicroQwk ver 1.5a page : 2 ** Operation of MicroQwk ver 1.5 ** *** System Requirements *** 1. Requirements for this program are an IBM compatible AT or better and an CGA/EGA/VGA video system displaying 16 color, 80 column, 25 line text for use in color mode. MicroQwk now supports mono monitors ( video mode 7) for B/W. Some video problems with VGA mono monitors may be alleviated by typing MODE MONO at the command prompt and hitting the ENTER key. 2. A Microsoft compatible mouse is optional, but recommended. 3. This program has been tested with DOS 5.0 and above. 4. Microqwk version 1.3 will operate under Microsoft Windows given the generous memory requirements that Windows requires. NOTE : MicroQwk may not run on all Systems that conform to the above requirements. *** MicroQwk must be configured in order to operate properly. *** Configuration Though Microqwk will operate without a configuration file, you will not have access to all of it's features if you don't configure. You should confirm all default settings or change to a specific configuration of your own before you attempt to open and read mail. » Directories MicroQwk uses the startup directory as your default download, work, reply, and save areas. Please note that if you decide to change these default settings, Microqwk will not create your directories for you, they must exist. However, Microqwk supplies the name of a temporary work directory that will be created in the work area when you run this program and removed when you quit the program. When a mail packet has been opened, you may not change either the work area or the work directory, however all other directories may be modified. This will allow you to open Qwk packets from different directories without having to restart your program. » Compression Presently, Microqwk offers three choices of compression programs that may be used: PKZIP, LHA, and ARJ. These programs must be included in a directory that is specified in your AUTOEXEC.BAT PATH statement. PKZIP is the default compression program and is noted in the menu. » Editor Microqwk uses DOS's EDIT as the default editor. Should you decide to change this default setting, your Editor must be included in a directory that is specified in your AUTOEXEC.BAT PATH statement. Your Editor must be able to accept a command line that specifies a file to edit. Editors that have been reported to work with MicroQwk include Norton Editor, TED, and Dos's Edit. Many other editors will work with MicroQwk. MicroQwk ver 1.5a page : 3 Configuration Continued » Terminal A terminal program may be specified in the Terminal Configuration section, enabling you to call your BBS directly from MicroQwk. It requires a command statement and the path where your terminal program may be found. If you have configured a terminal progarm and wish to automatically go to your terminal program when you start Microqwk, include "/t" or "/T" to your startup command. ( eg. MICROQWK /t ). » Tagline You may edit and save a single tag line that will be appended to all messages you compose in Microqwk. » Update Qwk packet MicroQwk will keep accurate track of the messages that you have read and messages that you reply to during a session. If you wish to save this information you can configure MicroQwk to "Update Qwk Packet". When this feature is enabled, every time you close a packet this information will be added to the original Qwk packet, so that the next time you open it, you will be able to return to the point that you left off. » Quote Style When you reply to a message, Microqwk will quote the previous message. There are two different styles of quotes that you may choose from: Initials are probably the most widely used style, and is the default style for Microqwk. ( eg. JH> ) An Outline style is also available: ( eg. --- quoting [Sender] ---- +------ to [Recipient] --- from a message on 10-22-93 " ------ ▌ ▌ +------------------------------------------- " end of quote ---------- ) You May also configure Formatted Replies from the Quote Style option. When you choose Formatted Replies, you will be asked to enter the Line Length and the Break Length. Line Length is the length that a line will be formatted to. Line Break is the length that a line will be treated as the end of a paragraph. If you enter 58 as your line break, any line in theoriginal message less than that will be treated as the end of a paragraph, and a carriage return and line feed will be sent to the reply message. Lines longer than 58 will have any subsequent lines wrapped on to the end. You can change these settings inside Qwk Mail by pressing ALT-F6. MicroQwk will attempt to find a previous quote in the message ( quoting a quote ). It will not attempt to format a previous quote. » Color Choose Color or B/W screens. Defaults to B/W. Some video problems with VGA mono monitors may be alleviated by typing MODE MONO at the command prompt and hitting the ENTER key. MicroQwk ver 1.5a page : 4 » Saving Your Configuration Choosing Save from the configure Menu allows you to save your current configuration to MicroQwk's start up directory. This configuration file will be read and your settings made useable every time you run Microqwk. MicroQwk ver 1.5a page : 5 Main Menu Bar » using the Keyboard To access any of the options from the Main Menu Bar press the Alt key plus the first letter of the option. Alt-F for the File option, Alt-M for Mail and so on. On drop down menus use the arrow keys to hilight the option, press <ENTER> to select. Press <ESC> to cancel any operation. » using a Mouse To access any of the options from the Main Menu Bar position the mouse on your selection, and click the Left Button to hilight. Double-click to select. For drop down menus, you may select an option by positioning the mouse cursor on your selection, and clicking the Left Button to hilight that selection. Double-click to select the option. On some selection menus there will be an Ok and Esc button which you may select by Left clicking on them. Clicking the Right Button represents an escape, canceling the current operation. File Menu » Open You must Open a Qwk packet before you can read messages that it contains. You will be able to choose from files with a .qwk extension that are currently in your download path. If you have a reply packet in your save area that corresponds to the BBS packet you are opening, you will be asked if you would like to add new messages to it. Press <ENTER> to add new messages to the saved reply packet, or press any other key to start a new reply packet. » Close Open Qwk packets will be closed when you open a different packet, when you choose Close, or when you quit Microqwk. Any reply messages will be gathered, packed with the current compression program and placed in your Save area where they may be uploaded to the BBS. » Opening Screen Many BBS's send their Opening screen with the Qwk message packet. Choose this option to view the Opening screen. If the file is an ANSI screen you will need to have the ANSI system loaded in order to view the screen properly. » Bulletin Screen Many BBS's send a Bulletin screen with the Qwk message packet. Choose this option to view the Bulletin screen. If the file is an ANSI screen you will need to have the ANSI system loaded in order to view the screen properly. » Closing Screen Many BBS's send their Closing screen with the Qwk message packet. Choose this option to view the Closing screen. If the file is an ANSI screen you will need to have the ANSI system loaded in order to view the screen properly. MicroQwk ver 1.5a page : 6 File Menu Continued » Shell to Dos In order to do file maintainence it is sometimes necessary to go to the DOS prompt. Choose Drop to Dos to go to the Dos prompt. Type "EXIT" to return to Microqwk. » Exit Quit Microqwk. Mail Menu » Qwk Mail Choose Qwk Mail to read and reply to the mail in your open Qwk Packet. Options while in Qwk Mail ( Options are available from the speed bar at the bottom of the display page. ) F1 Help screen F4 Export message as a text file F5 Send a message to any conference F6 Reply to the current message F7 Go To any message in the conference (up and down arrows) Scroll through the current message (left and right arrows) Scan to next or previous message ESC Quit to Choose Conference Other Options available in Qwk Mail ( Options are available from the speed bar excepy where noted .) Positioning Commands Ctrl∙Left Arrow Go To Last Read message Ctrl∙Right Arrow Go To First Unread message ( both commands may be activated by holding down the Control Key and clicking with the Left mouse button on the appropriate arrow on the speed bar at the bottom of the viewing page. ) Home Go To the First Message in the Conference End Go To the Last Message in the Conference Formatted Reply Alt∙F6 Turn On / Set Options for Formatted Reply Ctrl∙F6 Turn Off Formatted Reply Update Qwk Packet and Replies F10 Update and Save Reply Packet Alt∙F10 Update Qwk Packet and Reply Packet Delete Message Without Reply F8 Toggles the Delete Unreplied Message feature. MicroQwk ver 1.5a page : 7 Mail Menu Continued Using a mouse in Qwk Mail When using a mouse, you may use the speed bar at the bottom of the screen. Position the cursor on any of the features noted on the button bar and click the Left Mouse button. For all mouse operations clicking the Right Mouse button represents an escape, and will remove you to the Choose Conference Menu. Special Spitfire BBS Feature while in Qwk Mail MicroQwk now supports the "Delete Previous" feature, an exclusive feature of Spitfire Bulletin Board Systems copyright by Buffalo Creek Software. If Microqwk detects that the current Qwk packet is from a Spitfire BBS, the user will be asked if they would like to delete the "previous" (reference) message that they are replying to. This feature only applies if you are replying to a message, and is not available when you choose to "Send" a message. » Send a message Messages may be sent from the Mail menu without having to first choose and enter Qwk Mail. You will need to choose the conference that the message will be posted, then enter the name of the person that you wish to receive the message and the subject of the message. When you have completed your message and saved it you will be asked if you want the message to be marked "Public" or "Private" or whether you would like to cancel the message. If you decide to send the message you will also be asked if the message should be marked as "Local Echo" or "Net Mail". Previous to Lakota version 1.1i and Spitfire version 3.4 all mail entered in a conference that was cofigured as a Net conference was sent out over the Net. No provisions have ever been made to allow a message to stay local. MicroQwk 1.3b and Lakota 1.1i now have the ability to tag a message as local even though entered in a Net conference. » Read Text As an alternative to the Qwk Mail option, you may convert the entire Qwk Packet to a text file and view or edit it with your editor. » Save Text This option allows you to save a Qwk packet that had previously been opened and converted to a text file, or to convert and save an open Qwk packet in one operation. » Terminal A terminal progragm may be specified in the Terminal Configuration section, enabling you to call your BBS directly from MicroQwk. It requires a command statement and the path where your terminal program may be found. If you have configured a terminal progarm and wish to automatically go to your terminal program when you start Microqwk, include "/t" or "/T" to your startup command. ( eg. MICROQWK /t ). MicroQwk ver 1.5a page : 8 Instructions for Text Entry For any text entry operation : Ctrl-X - Clear entire entry Backspace - Delete last entered character <ENTER> - Confirm entry <ESC> - Cancel operation For Mouse Users In text entry mode pressing the Left Button accepts the entry, the Right Button cancels the operation. MicroQwk ver 1.5a page : 9 If you are a registered user please include all information that might be relevent to the problems you are encountering with MicroQwk. You should include this list when you request support. System Software and version Number: ______________________________________ Type of Computer: _____________________________________________ Memory installed: _____________________________________________ TSR's: _____________________________________________ Type of Monitor: _____________________________________________ Video Card: _____________________________________________ Editor you Use: _____________________________________________ Terminal Program you Use: _____________________________________________ Problems that occurred when you used this program: Suggestions for improvements or additions: Thank you... Messages can be sent to me on Buffalo Creek BBS, through the SFNET @OFFLINE conference or by slow mail: Joe Hardy Microduc Software 2111 38th St Des Moines, Iowa 50310 ***** Registration Note ***** Previous to version 1.5a, the registration fee for MicroQwk was $5 for a single user license. With this version, however the price for a single user license has been raised to $10. Considering the time and energy I've spent in developing MicroQwk, changes and additions to the program on the suggestions of people who never registered, disks, postage and telephone charges, I have never profitted from the release of this program ! More to the point, I've lost money ! It is with some reluctance that I am now making changes to MicroQwk to keep it current and am committing myself to support it through this new release. When I first started this project there was only a small number of QWK mail readers. As of this version there are numerous programs which read QWK packets, send messages, give you the choice of thousands of taglines, manage large message databases, and bloat your hard drive with megs of support files. Oh well ... I will honor any registrations using an original registration form from any previous version at the former license price of $5 through December 1994. After that date I will no longer process $5 registrations or notify the sender of current license price. All checks and money orders sent to me after December 1994 which do not reflect the current licensing price will be destroyed. Cash will be recirculated back into the economy. Registration for Microqwk Offline Mail Reader ver 1.5a TO: FROM: Joe Hardy Name: __________________________________ 2111 38th St. Des Moines, IA 50310 (Company): __________________________________ (Title): __________________________________ Address: __________________________________ City,State: __________________ _____ _________ Zip Code Country: _________________________ Phone Number: _________________________ Fax _________________________ *** MicroQwk version 1.5a *** Registration Fees * 5.25 Diskette with Documentation for one computer ...... $10. ______ ( add $1 extra per 3.5 diskette ) ______ NOTE : You must specify a high density disk or you will receive a double density disk * Commercial site license for the use of MicroQwk (Includes 3.5 and 5.25 diskette with programs & documentation files.) 2 to 15 computers ... at $8 each # computers ___x 8 ______ 15 to 49 computers ... at $6 each # computers ___x 6 ______ 50 or more computers... at $5 each # computers ___x 5 ______ plus Shipping and Handling.. $ 4.00 Total ................. $ ______ * Note : No registrations will be processed that do not include shpping and handling fees ! Make all checks or money orders payable to Joe Hardy.