UUPrepare is a program to make it easier for America Online users to download graphics files (and certain other files) from Internet (Usenet) newsgroups. These files are encoded through a method called uuencoding, which allows binary files (like pictures and applications) to travel through the Internet's ASCII-oriented mail system. Various programs, including a very good one called UULite, have been written to decode uuencoded files. However, these programs do not work on files downloaded from AOL, because the AOL software screws the files up considerably. What UUPrepare does is prepare files from AOL so that they can be decoded by another program. UUPrepare does not decode files itself.
See the accompanying tutorial file for detailed instructions on how to use UULite and UUPrepare to download files from America Online.
**Licensing Information:
UUPrepare is copyrighted shareware. It is not released into the public domain, and is not free. However, it may be distributed freely, as long as no extra charges are made for this distribution. You are hereby licensed to use UUPrepare on a trial basis for 15 days from the time when you first received the program. After that time, you will be using the software illegally (without a license) if you do not send in your registration form (which UUPrepare will very nicely print for you) along with a check for $5 (US). This check should be made out to Brian Milch and should be sent to:
Crystal Stylus Software
20 Burncoat Way
Pittsford, NY 14534-2216
USA
If you have any comments about this program, requests for features to be included in future versions, or bug reports, please contact me at the above U.S. Post Office address or at the Internet address below.
BCMilch@aol.com
**Absence of Warranty:
THERE IS NO WARRANTY FOR THE PROGRAM, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. EXCEPT WHEN OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER PROVIDES THE PROGRAM "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE PROGRAM PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION.
IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN WRITING WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY REDISTRIBUTE THE PROGRAM, BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR A FAILURE OF THE PROGRAM TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER PROGRAMS), EVEN IF SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
**Warning:
UUPrepare changes any file that it opens, unless it identifies an error before saving the file. If I made any mistakes programming it, that means it could really ruin your file. So you might want to save a copy of your file before running UUPrepare.
**UUPrepare revision history:
- version 1.0.0: original release (May 1994).
- version 2.0.0: first release bundled with UULite (May 1994). Revisions include:
- handling of files which don't use the BEGIN --- cut here --- Cut Here strings.
- handling of files without a ` before the "end".
- handling of nonstandard line lengths
- a new splash screen
- automatic printing of registration form
- opportunity to customize your copy by having it display your name on the splash
screen
- no longer clips headers and footers, but just leaves them for UULite to handle (this
saves time)
- inclusion of tutorial
- version 2.0.1: fixed bug in printing registration form when PrintMonitor was installed (June 1994).
- version 2.0.2: made UUPrepare compatible with System 6. Users who have System 7 did not need this version, although it still worked fine in System 7 (July 1994).
- version 2.0.3: finally fixed a persistent bug which caused UUPrepare to encounter parsing errors in many files. Made the program run faster in the process (August 1994).
**Acknowledgements:
- This program was written using Symantec THINK C 5.0. Therefore, some portions of the code are copyright Symantec Corporation.
- The following books were used in the development of this program, and some routines in the program are adapted from those in the books:
Knaster, Scott and Keith Rollin. _Macintosh Programming Secrets_. 2nd ed. Reading,
MA: Addison-Wesley, 1992.
Mark, Dave and Cartwright Reed. _Macintosh C Programming Primer_. 2nd ed. Vol. 1.
Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1992.
Apple Computer, Inc. _Inside Macintosh: Macintosh Toolbox Essentials_. Reading, MA:
Addison-Wesley, 1992.
- Thanks also to Dr. James R. Milch and to Jeff Strobel.
