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Text File | 1994-10-23 | 14.0 KB | 290 lines

NPFPMS Multi-User PMS (C) Copyright 1994 by Ted Harrison, G8NPF This software is NOT Freeware or Public Domain, it is SHAREWARE A copy can be obtained by contacting: Ted Harrison 5 Nelson Gardens Braintree Essex England CM7 6TG Phone (44) 01376 342144 NTS G8NPF@GB7ESX.#31.GBR.EU Internet tedharrison@cix.compulink.co.uk AMPRNet 44.131.185.66 g8npf@gb7eip.ampr.org Please supply a suitable formatted disk, plus packaging/postage. Suitable disks are MSDOS formatted 3.5" 720K or 1.44M (1.44M is best) The PMS code may also be available on various internet sites. Try: ftp.demon.co.uk (158.152.1.69) as /pub/ham/NPFxxxx.EXE ftp.funet.fi (128.214.248.6) as pub/ham/packet/misc/NPFxxxx.EXE uscd.edu (????) (xxxx = version number) It may also be found on some landline BBS systems (PACKET BBS on 0181 5471479) and on some UK Packet Radio BBS's. It can also be downloaded direct from myself (14400 V42bis), by prior (voice) arrangement. *** Beware of old, outdated, versions floating around. Check the file date! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The PMS is written to run as an application under BPQcode (4.05 or greater). The computer should be a 286/386/486 PC compatible. The PMS code will NOT run on a 8086/8088 XT system, sorry! The PMS requires MSDOS >=3.3 or DRDOS >=5.0, and 640K ram. It will also run as a DOS application under OS/2, WINDOWS and DESQview. A hard disk is essential and a reasonably fast PC is advisable. I use a 386SX 25Mhz PC. The PMS includes virtually all 'BBS' commands, most of which have been modified to suit a PMS, rather than a BBS, system. It features, among other things; Multi-user access. 'Simultaneous' operation on all channels. YAPP protocol file transfers and Ascii file transfers. YAPP 'crash recovery' and YappC checksum protocols. Experimental, compressed binary file transfers. Automatic message forwarding using: NNA compatible compressed message forwarding. FBB compatible compressed message forwarding. Standard 'MBL' ascii forwarding. Automatic message acknowledgement. (ACK) REQDIR, REQFIL, FNDFIL and WP servers. Automatic date-expired message killing/deleting. Automatic Listing and Reading of mail on the local NTSBBS. Reads messages in compressed format from FBB systems. Automatic 'AutoList' updating from FBB Unproto header broadcasts. Full function text editor. Local terminal mode, with all normal terminal functions. Remote SysOp access. User database and WP database. Usage & error Log. Multi-colour displays. Automatic password verification when forwarding to/from a BBS using NNA version v2.03 (April 93) or later. FBB password support. .....plus lots more. You may try the PMS program for a period of 30 days. If you then decide to continue using the PMS, and have not previously registered, the requested registration fee is 15.00 UK pounds. You must state the callsign to be used with the PMS, and the full version number of the version you are registering (i.e. G9ABC V2.30e). Also I would appreciate knowing where you obtained the program from (optional, just for my own information). You will then receive a registration number which will remove the ** Un-registered copy of NPFPMS ** line from outgoing messages, and you will be added to the registered users list. Cheques made out to 'E' Harrison please, not 'T ' (Ted is a just nickname!) IF YOU WANT SHAREWARE SUPPORT, THEN REGISTER! Registrations received will be used to help with the cost of running my 24hr multi-port node, which is used for forwarding BBS traffic and gives local users access to the network. Your registration will be making a direct contribution to packet radio. The only documentation available is in the file NOTES.DOC I hope to write a proper manual eventually, but finding time is a real problem! If you have any questions you are welcome to phone me on the above number, or drop me a message on packet. **** VERY IMPORTANT ***** You MUST edit all the sample CONFIG files before using them. Please don't use ANY of the sample files without editing them first! They are included as examples only. You may also wish to edit the sample SCRIPT files, but that's not so important. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Version 2.xx of the PMS has undergone major changes. If you are upgrading from a version prior to 2.20, it is most important that you read the NOTES.DOC file first. Many configuration commands and some filenames have been changed. The forwarding system has been written to interface with BBS's running NNA or FBB BBS code. If any problems arise using it with a BBS running some other BBS code, *please* let me know. I can't test everything, and feedback from users is most welcome. The more details the better! After installation, please read the following files. SYS\SYSOP.TXT FILES\USER.DOC NOTES.DOC ============================================================================== Permission is granted to use this code, provided that this notice and the following disclaimer are included in their entirety and without modifications of any sort. This work may not be sold, or modified and sold, or included with any other product to be sold, without the written permission of the author. No fee or compensation may be requested or received by any person or organisation distributing this program, except by the author or an authorised distributor. Disclaimer: No guarantees or warranties of any kind are expressed or implied. This code is distributed "AS IS" without any warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. You are solely responsible for the selection of the program to achieve your intended results and for the results actually obtained. Should the program prove defective, you (and not the author) assume the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair, or correction. Neither the author nor anyone else who has been involved in the creation, production or delivery of this program shall be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential or incidental damages arising out of the use or inability to use this program. You are free to copy and distribute the code for NON-COMMERCIAL use if: No fee is charged for use, copying or distribution, (except a small charge for media/postage) IT IS NOT MODIFIED IN ANY WAY. Only the original NPFnnn.EXE file should be distributed. If you wish to include the PMS code on a BBS or other distribution system, or include it in a Shareware list, please inform the author first. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Excuses and waffle....... This program is not, and was never intended to be, a 'BBS' program. I wrote it because I enjoy programming, and because I wanted a PMS that would do what *I* wanted it to do, rather than what someone else thinks a BBS/PMS should do. I was developing the pms code primarily for my own use. A lot of other people have found it useful as well, and it is gradually spreading around the world. I am very happy with this, but... please bear in mind that I am NOT a professional programmer, it is just a hobby I do in my *SPARE* time! I welcome reports, suggestions and criticisms, and will help out with advice on setting up the pms (and BPQ), where possible. General advice. Don't configure the pms for more channels than you really need. Although the pms can support up to 14 channels, it may be rather slow, unless you have a very fast PC. Two or three channels should normally be enough. Time slots are shared between channels, and although an inactive channel may not claim all its time slots, each *active* channel will! I run the PMS program in a DESQview window with TCP/IP (WNOS) in another DV window, and BPQcode running underneath everything. The system memory manager is QEMM386. The PC is a 386DX 25Mhz. My autoexec.bat file automatically loads BPQ code into HIGH memory, boots DESQview, and DV then runs the PMS and WNOS code. That enables the whole system to re-start after a power failure. This setup has proved very stable. ============================================================================== ============================================================================== What is Shareware ----------------- These sections are designed to help you understand the nature of shareware and the professionalism that underpins it. Many believe that shareware is actually free - this is NOT the case. Some Definitions You've probably heard the terms "public domain", "freeware", "shareware", and others like them. Your favourite BBS or disk vendor probably has many programs described by one or more of these words. There's a lot of confusion about and between these terms, but they actually have specific meanings and implications. Once you understand them, you will have a much easier time navigating the maze of programs available to you, and understanding what your obligations are, or aren't, with each type of program. Let's start with some basic definitions. "Public domain" has a very specific legal meaning. It means that the creator of a work (in this case, software), who had legal ownership of that work, has given up ownership and dedicated the work "to the public domain". Once something is in the public domain, anyone can use it in any way they choose, and the author has no control over the use and cannot demand payment for it. If you find a program which the author has explicitly put into the public domain, you are free to use it however you see fit without paying for the right to use it. But use care - due to the confusion over the meaning of the words, programs are often described by authors as being "public domain" when, in fact, they are shareware or free, copyrighted software. To be sure a program is public domain, you should look for an explicit statement from the author to that effect. "Copyrighted" is the opposite of public domain. A copyrighted program is one where the author has asserted his or her legal right to control the program's use and distribution by placing the legally required copyright notices in the program and documentation. The law gives copyright owners broad rights to restrict how their work is distributed, and provides for penalties for those who violate these restrictions. When you find a program which is copyrighted, you must use it in accordance with the copyright owner's restrictions regarding distribution and payment. Usually, these are clearly stated in the program documentation. Maintaining a copyright does not necessarily imply charging a fee, so it is perfectly possible and legal to have copyrighted programs which are distributed free of charge. The fact that a program is free, however, does not mean it is in the public domain - though this is a common confusion. "Shareware" is copyrighted software which is distributed by authors through bulletin boards, on-line services, disk vendors, and copies passed among friends. It is commercial software which you are allowed to use and evaluate before paying for it. This makes shareware the ultimate in money back guarantees. The Shareware Concept Most money back guarantees work like this: You pay for the product and then have some period of time to try it out and see whether or not you like it. If you don't like it or find that it doesn't do what you need, you return it (undamaged) and at some point - which might take months - you get your money back. Some software companies won't even let you try their product! In order to qualify for a refund, the diskette envelope must have an unbroken seal. With these "licensing" agreements, you only qualify for your money back if you haven't tried the product. How absurd! Shareware is very different. With shareware you get to use it for a limited time, without spending a penny. You are able to use the software on your own system(s), in your own special work environment, with no sales people looking over your shoulder. If you decide not to continue using it, you throw it away and forget all about it. No paperwork, phone calls, or correspondence to waste your valuable time. If you do continue using it, then - and only then - do you pay for it. Shareware is a distribution method, NOT a type of software. Shareware is produced by accomplished programmers, just like retail software. There is good and bad shareware, just as there is good and bad retail software. The primary difference between shareware and retail software is that with shareware you know if it's good or bad BEFORE you pay for it. As a software user, you benefit because you get to use the software to determine whether it meets your needs before you pay for it, and authors benefit because they are able to get their products into your hands without the hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses it takes to launch a traditional retail software product. There are many programs on the market today which would never have become available without the shareware marketing method. The shareware system and the continued availability of quality shareware products depend on your willingness to register and pay for the shareware you use. It's the registration fees you pay which allow us to support and continue to develop our products. Please show your support for shareware by registering those programs you actually use and by passing them on to others. Shareware is kept alive by YOUR support!