PNLInfo Browser is a gopher+ browser specifically designed for cross-platform use and for easy use by people who are not familiar with gopher or Internet-speak. Version 1.04 is currently available for Windows and Macintosh. Sun and DEC Motif ports are planned.
SPECIAL FEATURES
* Users can Subscribe to dated gopher+ items. A icon appears indicating they have subscribed and whether they have seen the latest copy or not. Then by looking at their list of Subscriptions, a user can tell at a glance which item(s) have new versions.
* Users can expand a directory "in-line" so that the directory is shown in context. This allows users to easily see portions of gopher-space and how they interrelate, and to go back to previously accessed locations. The option of opening a separate window is also provided, so users can mix and match as desired.
* Abstracts are displayed in-line to allow users to quickly scan for items of interest. Users also have the option to turn off abstract display.
* Font and Size can be customized both for directory listings and for text viewing. If the directory font is set very large, large icons will also be used (helpful for people with vision impairments).
* The contents of the current gopher window can be printed. Since the user can expand gopher directories "in-line" this means that a user can print out a listing for a whole portion of gopher-space.
* Viewer Setup has two options. A "Few Choices" window shows only a few common view types, mapped to user-friendly terms, and allows users to select a viewer once for assignment to multiple MIME-types. A "More Choices" window allows more experienced users to assign viewers individually to actual MIME types.
* It provides the capability of preloading a number of interesting search indexes that can be accessed by a "Find" menu item. By default, several are already preloaded. In future releases, we plan to let users change this interactively.
* A tutorial is provided that walks the user through common actions that really are carried out (via access to our server). Online help is also provided.
* A text viewer is built-in. In addition to scrolling, highlight and copy to clipboard, find text string, save, etc. this viewer allows the user to split the screen either horizontally or vertically (or even both if you want to really get cross-eyed) so that you can see and scroll different portions of the document simultaneously.
RECOMMENDED PLATFORM
The Windows version requires the following:
- Windows must be properly installed and configured (it has been
tested extensively on Windows 3.1, and run successfully on
Windows for Workgroups and Windows NT)
- The system must be connected to the Internet
- The system must have a Winsock 1.1-compliant sockets DLL
(winsock.dll) installed to provide TCP/IP networking.
- Recommended hardware is a 386 or better with 4MB RAM. This is
not a minimum; the application runs well on this platform. It
should also run on older ones, but will be slower.
The Macintosh version requires:
- System 7 or better
- MacTCP version 1.1 or better
- The system must be connected to the Internet
HOW TO GET IT
You can get it by anonymous FTP to ftp.pnl.gov in the directory /pub/pnlinfo/win or /pub/pnlinfo/mac
What you will find there is a self-extracting archive including the program, help file, preferences file, installation instructions, and any other files needed to run the program. Make a directory or folder on your computer where you want PNLInfo Browser to reside. FTP the archive file to that location. Then double-click it. It will unpack the various pieces into that same location. Then read the "readme" file for how to finish the installation.
Send any comments or questions to info-browser@pnl.gov. Thanks for trying it out!
FEATURES NOT YET IMPLEMENTED
- CSO is not currently supported.
- ASK blocks are not yet supported.
- Telnet viewer launching is limited. On Windows, the viewer must accept a host and port (in that order). On Macintosh, NCSA Telnet is supported.
IMPORTANT NOTE
You may freely use the PNLInfo Browser binary and associated files. You may also make them available to others free of charge, provided that all documentation is included. You may not resell the PNLInfo Browser binary or associated files, or make derivative works from them, without written permission from the Pacific Northwest Laboratory. For more information, send electronic mail to info-browser@pnl.gov.
DISCLAIMER
This material was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor the United States Department of Energy, nor Battelle, nor any of their employees, MAKES ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, OR ASSUMES ANY LEGAL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, OR USEFULNESS OF ANY INFORMATION, APPARATUS, PRODUCT, SOFTWARE, OR PROCESS DISCLOSED, OR REPRESENTS THAT ITS USE WOULD NOT INFRINGE PRIVATELY OWNED RIGHTS.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This software and its documentation were produced with Government support under Contract Number DE-AC06-76RLO-1830 awarded by the United States Department of Energy. The Government retains a paid-up non-exclusive, irrevocable worldwide license to reproduce, prepare derivative works, perform publicly and display publicly by or for the Government, including the right to distribute to other Government contractors.
