Copyright ⌐1988-92, Spider Island Software, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
About TeleFinder/User
TeleFinder/User is a Macintosh application that connects your Macintosh to a TeleFinder bulletin board system (BBS). TeleFinder requires a Macintosh Plus, or higher, and a Hayes-compatible modem. Through your TeleFinder/User-BBS interface, you╒ll find business services, customer support, as well as ╥friendly chat.╙ A BBS can also serve as a conference forum, provide electronic mail service, and store files to transfer. The individual or company operating the BBS ( the Sysop ) determines which services to offer its callers. The Sysop also decides whether the BBS will be open to public use, or kept for private use.
We invite you to connect to Spider Island Software╒s support BBS, at (714) 730-5785. Please use the name ╥Guest╙ and password ╥Guest╙ to log on. There are TeleFinder bulletin boards operating all over the United States, Canada, Japan, Europe and many other locations around the world. Many of them advertise their BBS phone numbers on the Spider Island BBS.
What is this guide for?
This guide helps you get up and running with TeleFinder/User quickly. Getting Started presents a condensed version of the steps you need to take to make a connection to a TeleFinder BBS. It tells you how to transfer files, send mail, and participate in a conference.
Let╒s get started!
Ñ Open the TeleFinder/User application.
TeleFinder replicates of the Macintosh desktop to allow easy access to all BBS functions. The mouse, moveable icons, and sizeable window operate in the same manner as they do in the Macintosh Finder. All you do is click, drag, and open icons to work with files, mail and messages. TeleFinder also includes a text editor, address book, and a mail outbox for automating the pickup and delivery of mail.
The icons along the bottom of the screen provide many of TeleFinder╒s commonly used features. Double-click the ╥Modem Port╙ icon to use the Auto Dialer. Use the Receive and Send icons to transfer files between your Macintosh and the bulletin board. Use the Trash icon to remove items from your disk or your BBS mailbox. Use the Address icon to maintain a list of users you frequently send mail to. Use the Mail Outbox icon to send mail unattended at predetermined times. You can drag these icons to any position on TeleFinder╒s desktop.
Ñ Turn on Balloon Help.
This way, TeleFinder can explain itself to you when you point at different items with the mouse.
The following sections tell you how to set up and use the software.
Setting up TeleFinder
TeleFinder/User uses the Modem Setups file to store settings needed to make a connection to a TeleFinder BBS. These settings configure the modem, set communications parameters, and provide your name and password. You need to perform these steps only once. The program saves the modem settings once you load them.
Ñ Select ╥Change Ports╙ from the Modem menu. Then select the serial port used for your modem from the serial ports list. Choose from the two built-in serial ports or any serial port registered with the communications toolbox.
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Ñ Open the Auto Dialer window by opening the Modem Port icon. The default location of this icon is the lower left hand part of the desktop.
Ñ Select the modem setup appropriate for your modem from the list.
Ñ Scroll through the Modem Settings list until you find the modem name that most closely matches the name of your modem.
Ñ Click on the name that most closely matches the name of your modem to select it.
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Notice that for some modems, there is a standard version and an ╥HH╙ version. ╥HH╙ stands for ╥Handshake Hardware╙ cable. Using a hardware handshake cable permits faster transfers with V.32, V.32 bis, error-correcting modems.
Your modem will not function properly if you select an ╥HH╙ setup but do not have a Handshake Hardware cable.
Dialing
Ñ Enter your name, password and the telephone number of your BBS in the Auto Dialer.
Use "Guest" and "Guest" to log on to the Spider Island BBS at 1 714 730-5785.
Ñ Click in the Dial button to place the call.
TeleFinder dials the number using your modem and then waits for the BBS to answer your call. Click in the Redial button to make repeated attempts to connect to a busy line. You normally see the following messages while TeleFinder is connecting.
Waking up the modem╔
Dialing the number╔
Waiting for an answer╔
Connected at 2400 bps. (Or 1200, 9600, etc.)
After the modems connect, TeleFinder logs you on to the bulletin board. This is when the bulletin board checks your name and password. The BBS starts this process. You should see these messages displayed in the dialer as log on takes place.
Waiting for the host╔
Sending name and password╔
Waiting for verification╔
Sending confirmation╔
Successful connection!
If the log on fails, it is usually because the modems did not make a good connection. Poor connections often result from using the wrong settings. Select different modem settings into TeleFinder if you have problems connecting. The full TeleFinder documentation contains a complete section on trouble shooting various problems with your modem.
If your name or password are wrong the BBS sends a ╥TeleFinder Message╙ saying that your name or password did not match. Correct the name and password entered in the Auto Dialer and dial again.
Icons received from the bulletin board
After a successful connection, the BBS sends the icons you have access to. TeleFinder draws these icons on the right hand side of the replica desktop. Double-click on them to open them.
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This screen is an example of what you see after connecting to the Spider Island Software BBS. Bold icon names indicate new or recently changed files. TeleFinder displays the Guest Files icon to provide you access to demos, utilities and public domain software. The Mailbox icon contains your mail. The Conferences icon contains message threads with news, information and public discussions. The BBS administrator chooses the icons and names of BBS areas.
When you connect a ╥Read Me╙ document may open on your screen. The administrator of the BBS uses this for special announcements. You can save the document as a text file or print it. The Session Time window shows your current connection time and time remaining.
Mail is waiting for you
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When mail is waiting your mailbox icon shows a letter sticking out of it. No letter means there are no files in your mailbox. Mail remains in your mailbox until you drag it to the Trash icon to remove it.
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Your mailbox can contain both messages and files. You can read the messages by opening their icons. Reply to a message by bringing its window to the front. Then select ╥New Mail Form╙ from the Mail menu. Use the Mail form to compose, address, and send messages.
When a file is in your mailbox drag its icon to your disk. This transfers the file to your Macintosh. After the file transfer is complete, you can open the file with the application used to create it.
Sending mail
Select the ╥New Mail Form╙ command from the Mail menu. The mail form uses standard Macintosh text editing commands.
Ñ Address the message one of two ways.
- Type a user╒s name in the field next to the To button.
- You can also click in the To button and select a name from your address book.
Ñ After composing your message, click in the Mail button in the Mail window to send it.
Conferences and Message Topics
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TeleFinder BBSes use conference icons to organize public discussions. You╒ll find message topic icons, and possibly other conference icons, in a conference. Message Topic icons are two-way containers of public messages. You can post messages to them, and use them to read messages written by others. You can only create Message Topics in Conference folders.
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Click in the Post button to add a question or message to the topic. Use the Reply button to add a message to topic using the same subject. Use the arrows, By Number, By Date and From List buttons to read different messages in the topic. The trash icon button is active if you are able to remove the message in view.
Sending files
You can send files to the BBS or to another user.
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Shown here are the BBS Send icon and the Drop-Box icon for guest mail.
Drag a file╒s icon to the Send icon on your screen. That is all that is necessary to begin a file transfer using TeleFinder. After the transfer is complete, there will be an exact copy of the file on the BBS╒s hard disk. The person who sets up the BBS decides which folder stores the file.
TeleFinder uses Drop-Box icons to send files to the mailboxes of other users. Select the ╥Get the Drop-box of╔╙ item from the Mail menu. Then enter the user╒s name and click in the OK button. Then the BBS sends the user╒s drop-box icon to your desktop. Drag the icon of the file that you want to send to the user╒s Drop-Box. TeleFinder transfers a copy of the file to the user╒s Mailbox.
The ╥Locate a User╙ function is also useful to get a Drop-Box icon. Select this item from the mail menu and enter a small portion of another user╒s name. TeleFinder then presents a list of users in the Users List window. Select the correct name from the list. Then click in the Mailbox button of the user list window.
If you plan to send files to a user frequently, save his name in the address book. The address book can get the Drop-Box icon for you.
BBS Find File
BBS Find File quickly searches selected parts of the BBS for a file.
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Ñ Select the part of the BBS you want to search from the ╥Search╙ pop-up menu.
Every BBS icon that you have access to appears in this menu.
Ñ Next enter a part of a file name in the ╥names containing╙ edit field.
Ñ Then click in the ╥Find╙ button to begin the search.
Ñ Open text files, folders, and message threads from the list of matching files using the open button. The open button for other types of files opens that file╒s info window and file comment.
Receive Icon
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The Receive icon represents a folder on one of your disks. Open the Receive icon to select a folder to use as your default folder. You can drag files from the BBS to this icon to begin a file transfer. After the transfer is complete, a copy of the file will be in the default folder.
File information
Select a file icon then select ╥Get Info╙ from the File menu. TeleFinder displays the file╒s name, size, and date information in the Info window. A description of the file may also be present. You can also descriptions to local files using this window.
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Ñ Click on the Receive button to transfer the file to your default folder. The file transfer process begins automatically. Drag the file╒s icon to a specific folder to transfer it to that location.
Folder access privileges
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The icons in the upper left portion of windows describe the access privileges you have for a given folder. The BBS administrator may assign you any combination of Write, Delete, See Files and See Folders access. The most common access for a file download area is ╥No Write, No Delete, See Files and See Folders.╙ With these privileges you can download the files contained within that folder but cannot delete or add new files to the area. Conference areas are usually : ╥Write, No Delete, See Files and See Folders.╙ With these privileges you can create new topics within the conference and post your own messages to existing topics.
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File transfer protocols
TeleFinder supports ZMODEM , XMODEM-CRC, and XMODEM-1K file transfers. Select the file transfer protocol you wish to use from TeleFinder╒s Special Menu.
ZMODEM file transfers have the advantage of 32 bit CRC╒s and file recovery. If a ZMODEM file transfer fails to complete, TeleFinder saves the part of the file already received. You can complete the transfer either on another call, or during the same call. Just drag the file to the same location to continue the transfer where it left off. Use ZMODEM (windowed) when you cannot provide proper flow control. Use ZMODEM (streaming) for faster transfers when you are using hardware handshaking.
The XMODEM file transfer protocol does not require flow control and has less overhead than ZMODEM. Use XMODEM when you have small files to transfer, or when you have problems with flow control. XMODEM does not support file recovery.
Flow control with V.42
Flow control regulates the speed of data transfer between two computers. Flow control is very important with high speed modems. Modems that use V.42 or MNP require a hardware handshake modem cable to work properly. This cable is not the same as the standard modem cable. If you have a V.42 or MNP modem use TeleFinder╒s modem settings without the ╥-HH╙ label.
Use the settings labeled ╥-HH╙ after you install a hardware handshake modem cable. Data-Spec and others manufacture these cables. Data-Spec calls it the ╥Hayes V-Series to Mac II╙ modem cable.
Getting more information
That╒s all there is to Getting Started! Use this information to connect to your BBS, transfer some files and send mail. The complete TeleFinder administrator╒s manual contains more information on the following subjects.
Ñ How to create your own modem settings.
Ñ Details on using the text editor.
Ñ Creating a new topic in a conference window.
Ñ Details on navigating a message thread.
Ñ Trouble Shooting.
Ñ Explanation of the differences in file transfer protocols.
Ñ Locating a user name from the BBS.
Ñ Adding and editing names in the Address Book.
Ñ Using the Mail Outbox to mail files to other users.
Ñ Batch file transfers.
You can reach Spider Island Software by the following means.
mail: Spider Island Software
4790 Irvine Boulevard, Suite 105-347
Irvine, CA 92720 USA
fax: 1 (714) 669-1383;
tel: 1(714) 669-9260
TeleFinder BBS: 1(714) 730-5785;
America Online: SpiderIsla; CompuServe: 73457,2756; AppleLink D4955
