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1993-09-12
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STATUS REPORT ON THE VENDINFO PROJECT
(still in "alpha-test", 9/12/93)
Trade Groups Stand Behind VENDINFO
The following shareware trade groups have formally endorsed the
VENDINFO file-format standard as a means of conveying product
and product-distribution information from authors to users and
distributors.
Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP)
Shareware Trade Association and Resources (STAR)
Association of Shareware Authors and Developers (ASAD)
Educational Software CoOperative (ESC)
Brief Project Description
VENDINFO is a system for conveying software product information
and distribution permissions from the author to distributors.
A standard (public) file format will carry extensive information
in a compressed, efficient form. The associated toolset will aid
the author in constructing the record, and will allow the
distributor to extract portions of the record, or to make
distribution decisions based on its content, in a highly auto-
mated way. VENDINFO will allow automation of many operations now
performed manually by BBS Sysops, disk vendors, etc.
Developers Should Note
On 9/12/93, a minor revision of the Draft VENDINFO file-format
standard (alpha-test version 0.91) was released. The revision
involves a few minor error corrections, and a small but
substantive change to the internal conventions of the
TextBlock data type used for such things as program descriptions.
The new form will be no more difficult to process, but any
software already written based on the older draft specification
will need minor modification.
We still hope to start tools testing in September (this
should be the final test phase for the standard itself).
The basic tools involved in this testing will be the VendEdit
editor, the VendPrcs processor, and the software developer's
library.
Availability of Concept Paper and Draft File-Format Standard
A package containing the VENDINFO Concept Paper and the draft
file-format standard can be obtained from the SHAREWARE forum on
CompuServe (lib 0, VNDINF.ZIP); the UKSHARE forum on CompuServe
(lib 11, VNDINF.ZIP); by download or FidoNet/RIME file
request (as VENDINFO.ZIP) from the Rams' Island Software BBS
(see below); or from various other sources. If absolutely
necessary, hardcopies are available for mailing within the
United States upon receipt of $3.00 U.S. and a mailing label.
A complete set of VENDINFO information, including some material
not available electronically, can be obtained for $5.00 U.S.
and a mailing label.
Products Now "Committed in Principle" to Support VENDINFO
The following software manufacturers are "committed in principle"
to "support" the VENDINFO standard. That is, subject to our
development of a satisfactory standard and software developer's
library, these manufacturers agree to extract relevant product
description information directly from the VENDINFO record, much
like today's use of FILE_ID.DIZ. They have not been asked to
make any direct use of the distribution policy information in the
VENDINFO record. That is the function of a separate tool,
optionally available to the Sysop.
BBSes
PCBoard, Clark Development Co.
Wildcat!, Mustang Software, Inc.
Major BBS, Galacticomm
RBBS, RBBS Development Team
Searchlight BBS, Searchlight Software
TBBS, eSoft
Auntie BBS, Wes Meier
Executive Host BBS, Steve Wood
MainLine BBS, Scott Green, City Limits Software
OmegaComm BBS, Larry Loiselle
PowerBBS for Windows, Russell Frey
ProBoard BBS, Philippe Leybaert
Sapphire BBS, Pinnacle Software
Tinyhost, Bruce Krobusek
UltraBBS, UltraBBS Software
Windowed Modem Environment, Jason Fesler
File Upload Processors
CatScan, Mike Ortiz
CheckZip, Bill Hull
DIZIT, Robert Neal/CorpSoft
HoboScan, Floyd Hobson
TransScan, Craig Dunstan
Other Products
Colorado Utilities Disk Manager, Micro Systems Solutions
SmartCat Disk Cataloger, Oakley Data Services
================================================================
Rams' Island Software
7644 E. Lakecliff Way _______
Parker, CO 80134-5904 (USA) ____|__ | (R)
--| | |-------------------
Voice: (303) 841-2848 | ____|__ | Association of
BBS: (303) 841-6269 | | |_| Shareware
CompuServe: 76244,324 |__| o | Professionals
-----| | |---------------------
FidoNet: 1:104/333 |___|___| MEMBER
RIME: RAMSISLE
Internet: 76244.324@CompuServe.Com