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Monster Media 1996 #14
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Monster Media No. 14 (April 1996) (Monster Media, Inc.).ISO
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BLUEQWK.DOC
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BlueQWK v1.60 - BLUEQ160.ZIP - 08-January-1996
Copyright (C) 1992,96 Simple Solutions Software,
All Rights Reserved.
Residence: Geoffrey Sy
1322-14 Blevins Place
Toronto ON M5A 3M5
Canada
FidoNet: 1:250/814
InterNet: sy@sshq.tor250.org
rn.4261@rose.com
ae873@torfree.net
Support BBS: CAP/CANADA (416) 287-0935 v.Everything
(416) 287-0234 v.Everything
CAP/USA (708) 854-0255 v.Everything
Conference: CL_SimpleSoln #4
Latest versions of most QWK utilities, including BlueQWK, can
be found on The Lunatic Fringe BBS 214-235-5288 (1:124/2113).
FTP: ftp.coast.net /SimTel/msdos/offline on the internet for
the latest version of your favourite offline mail utilities.
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
BlueQWK converts BlueWave mail packets to a format readable
by QWK mail readers. It is designed to interface seamlessly
with most DOS-based QWK off-line mail readers.
INSTALLATION for 1stReader (as well as other OLMRs):
1. Copy BLUEQWK.EXE into your 1stReader directory. If
using 1stReader v1.10, unZIP 1ST11.RDR into your
1stReader directory. If using 1stReader v2.0 unZIP
1ST20.RDR into your 1stReader directory.
OPERATION:
1. This version of BlueQWK needs more memory than older
versions, so you might need to enable 1stReader's
SuperShell to free up some memory before executing
BlueQWK.
2. When you start 1stReader, append the switch /QWK:* to
the 1stReader command line. This switch can also go
into your SWITCHES.1ST file.
BlueQWK automatically copies BlueWave *.INF files into same
directory as itself. This allows for conversion of replies
without the need for a BlueWave packet to be present.
The reply packet for uploading to the BlueWave door still
have the .REP extension. 1st Reader doesn't have any hooks
to take care of this. The 1st Reader /REP: NEW switch won't
work in this case unless you want all your reply packets to
have the .NEW extension. This isn't a problem because the
replies packet is automatically renamed to <BBS_ID>.NEW when
the Bluewave door received it.
There is an internal hook that 1stReader provide for BW-QWK
conversion. It does not work when writing replies without
the presence of a mail packet. This hook causes DOS to issue
'Bad command or file name' when reading Bluewave packets. If
this DOS error annoys you, download DLXTEXT.EXE or QMTEXT.EXE
from Sparky to edit your 1STTEXT file. Place the word REM in
front of records #297, 298, and 299 in 1STTEXT to fix this.
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
INSTALLATION for other readers:
1. Put BLUEQWK.EXE into your reader directory or
anywhere on your DOS PATH.
2. Replace the compression/decompression utilities with
batch files. Then do some simple batch programming.
Included in this package are several files with the
.RDR extension. These are .ZIP files containing
sample .CFG and .BAT files for use with other mail
readers. They also contain configuration files for
the mail reader, so becareful not to overwrite your
mail reader's configuration files. These files are:
DLX12.RDR - For use with Sparkware's Deluxe² v1.2x
and probably older versions as well.
OLX22.RDR - For use with OLX v2.2. Will probably
work with SLMR and earlier OLX versions
OLX30.RDR - For use with OLX v3.1.52. May work with
prior release of OLX v3.xx
SR140.RDR - For use with Speed Read v1.40. May work
with earlier and later versions.
RM130.RDR - For use with RoboMail v1.30. May work
with earlier and later versions.
Unzip the appropriate .RDR into the same directory as
BLUEQWK.EXE. Then configure your reader to call the
appropriate PACKER/UNPACKER .BATch file. Please refer
to the README.TXT file inside the .RDR files for more
information.
3. You may need to change the extension of the BW mail
packets to *.QWK inorder for your mail reader to find
the mail packets.
If the above steps don't work for your OLMR, these
information may help:
The basic command line to run BlueQWK follows:
BLUEQWK BBS_ID conversion_method
- BBS_ID can be anything that contains the name of
the QWK/REP packet. This may include the mail
packet name as passed by your mail reader to the
compression/decompression utilities. If the BBS_ID
is not known, use an asterisk '*' to let BlueQWK
find/guess the BBS_ID.
- conversion_method has 3 options:
1. BW-QWK converts BlueWave mail packet to QWK for
reading with your QWK reader.
2. BW-REP converts BlueWave replies to .REP for
re-editing them with your QWK reader.
3. REP-BW converts .REP to BlueWave for uploading
to the BlueWave door
The BLUEQWK.CFG needs the following info:
Line 1: Directory of QWK work directory. This is
where your mail reader decompress the mail
packet to. Most readers will change to this
directory before opening the mail packet,
so a ".\" (without the quotes) will work in
most cases.
Line 2: Directory of REP work directory. This is
where BlueQWK expects to find the reply
file created by your mail reader. BlueQWK
uses this directory to store the converted
Bluewave replies. Most readers don't use a
separate directory for this purpose. In
such case, create a work directory and copy
the reply file into it. Please refer to
OLX22.RDR for the solution to this problem.
Line 3: Optional switches for BlueQWK. Currently
these switches are supported:
/Quiet
Tells BlueQWK not to list the header of
messages it processed.
/NoNDX
Tells BlueQWK not to create the QWK
index (*.NDX) files.
/1stBM
Fix a problem with 1stReader v2's "new"
book-mark scheme. If BlueQWK finds
BOOKMARK.DAT in the QWK work directory,
it will not attempt to convert the BW
mail packet. This new book-mark scheme
is unquestionably the worst function
found in 1stReader.
/NoERR
Suppress error messages such as "No
Replies found" or "No BW mail packet
found".
These .CFG options may be appended to the command
normal BlueQWK command line if they do not exceed the
DOS command line limit of 128 characters. For
example:
BLUEQWK BBS_ID cvt_method qwk_dir rep_dir /switches
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
STANDALONE OPERATION:
1. Create a temporary work directory and decompress your
Blue Wave mail packet into it.
2. Copy BLUEQWK.EXE to a directory on your DOS path. Make
sure it resides a directory different from the work
directory created in step 1.
3. Execute BlueQWK with the following options:
BLUEQWK * BW-QWK .\ .\
4. If the above step is sucessful, re-compress the content
of work the directory packet into a QWK packet.
5. If you cannot perform perform the above 4 steps, then
you really need help in PC operation basics. I can
provide personal one-on-one in-home training starting
from $25.00 per hour plus expenses.
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
That's all there's to it. You can now read BlueWave mail
packets with your favorite QWK reader.
I like to think this document short, complete and helpful.
If you have problems with the program, please do not hesitate
to contact me.
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
MAILER READER INTERFACE FOR BLUEQWK: For QWK reader authors:
These simple additions to any mail reader would be helpful
for third party programs to interface with the mail reader.
To interface with BlueQWK, the mail reader should provide the
ability to run 3 .BAT files and pass 3 parameters to BlueQWK.
The .BAT files:
1. POSTQWK.BAT - Run after the reader decompress the .QWK
packet.
2. POSTREP.BAT - Run after the reader decompress the .REP
packet.
3. PREREP.BAT - Run before the reader compress the .MSG
into a .REP file.
These .BAT files can be any name, as long as they are known
to the users of the mail reader (ie: documented).
The Parameters:
1. QWK work path - Path to the directory where the QWK
packet was decompressed to.
2. REP work path - The directory where the <BBS_ID>.MSG is
stored.
3. The <BBS_ID> - The name of the QWK file. This is not
necessary, but can reduce error if
BlueQWK doesn't have to guess.
Optional:
Make the reader recognize the Bluewave naming format. The
current naming convention for Bluewave format folows:
<BBS_ID>.DA# - DA is the first 2 letter of the day followed
by a number 0 to 9. Thus the first mail
packet downloaded on Monday would have .MO0
as the file extension.
<BBS_ID>.### - This newer naming convention gives the file
extension any number between 000 to 999.
<BBS_ID>.NEW - The Bluewave reply packet should have .NEW
as the file extension.
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
REVISION HISTORY:
08-Jan-1996 - v1.60 -----------------------------------------
■ Additional command line parameters replace the need for
BLUEQWK.CFG. DOS only supports command lines up to 128
characters, use BLUEQWK.CFG if paths and command line
options exceed this limit.
■ BlueQWK will now accept parameter #3 as the QWK work
directory, #4 as REP work directory, everything after are
optional switches. For example:
BLUEQWK bbs_id cvt qwk_dir rep_dir
■ For registered users with internet email address, please
request your 386/486 optimized version of BlueQWK. This
386 version will not work without a valid registration key.
11-Dec-1994 - v1.55 -----------------------------------------
■ The previous update caused BlueQWK to load the .INF file to
the wrong memory address under certain conditions. This
can cause the computer to lock-up.
■ Run time errors are now logged to ERRORLOG.GS.
09-Dec-1994 - v1.54 -----------------------------------------
■ Increased memory requirement to process large .INF files.
■ Instead of exiting quietly, error messages are now
displayed.
■ Added /NoERR to suppress display of error messages.
15-Sep-1994 - v1.53 -----------------------------------------
■ Added the ability to convert the .INF to a CONTROL.DAT
with-out the need for the rest of the mail packet. Needed
for SPEED Read.
■ Brought back the asterisk '*'. If the mail packet is not
known, use the the asterisk in place of the BBS_ID and
BlueQWK will automatically locate the BBS_ID.
■ Added configurations for SPEED READ and RoboMail.
12-Aug-1994 - v1.52 -----------------------------------------
■ Updated to comply with the official Bluewave specification.
■ Included sample configuration files for other mail readers.
■ Added options /Quiet, /NoNDX, /1stBM
28-Feb-1994 - v1.51 -----------------------------------------
■ Updated contact information.
10-Nov-1993 - v1.50 -----------------------------------------
■ Updated for compatibility with other versions of the
Bluewave door. Previous versions of BlueQWK only worked
with Remote Access and QuickBBS versions of the Bluewave
door.
■ Beginning with this version, BlueQWK is now Shareware.
Please register if you it regularly.
19-Jul-1993 - v1.31 -----------------------------------------
■ Minor cosmetic to the R2B module. If you can read fast
enough, you'll see the messages being converted.
25-Jun-1993 - v1.30 -----------------------------------------
■ I've moved recently. Please note the new address.
■ More compatible with the BlueWave door.
■ Added the 3rd conversion module BW-REP.
■ Combined all 3 conversion modules into a single .EXE.
■ Command line options changed.
25-Feb-1993 - v1.20 -----------------------------------------
■ Speeded up some more
■ Added some junk into the .UPI file to cure some BlueWave
door rejecting good replies as duplicates.
? I still don't have a clue what some of the junk in the .UPI
file is. So don't expect this to be 100% compatible with
all BlueWave doors. Anyone been able to get the BlueWave
structure from the author?
10-Feb-1993 - v1.10 -----------------------------------------
■ Speeded up by at least 2 times
■ R2B converts from .REP to BlueWave
15-Nov-1992 - v1.00 -----------------------------------------
■ Initial Release
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
REGISTRATION:
If you have questions, bugs, comments or suggestions, please
email me. Registered users of my other Shareware packages may
contact me using the voice number in the registration document.
Since BlueQWK is user supported software, I don't expect you
to register if you don't like it or if it doesn't meet your
needs. Just stop using it after a reasonable trial period.
BlueQWK is not crippled in any way, but some minor annoyance
features may be active in unregistered mode.
BlueQWK is an on-going project, it will be enhanced and
updated as long as I can financially afford to do so. If you
like the program and use it regularly, please register it.
The registration cost is a one-time fee of $5.00. With the
registration you'll receive unlimited voice support and
upgrades. Your registration encourages further development,
enhancements and my continued support of the product. Please
send your registration in the form of a Money Order, Personal
cheque, or Cashier's cheque to the above address.
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
STANDARD DISCLAIMER:
This program is provided on an "AS IS" basis. No warranty of
any kind is expressed or implied. I take no responsibility
for any damage caused directly or indirectly from the use or
the inability to use this program. Only features in the
current .EXE, including bugs, critters and anything else that
might be pressent, are available to the users. Users are not
to expect future upgrades or additional features. The program
will not change to suit the needs of the users if such needs
change in the future. By using this program the user
automatically accepts these terms and conditions.
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
COPYRIGHTS:
Products mentioned in this documentation are Copyrighted or
Trademarks of their respective holders:
1stReader, Deluxe: Mark "Sparky" Herring of Sparkware.
The original creator of the popular
QWK mail standard.
BlueWave: George Hatchew of Cutting Edge
Computing. The original creator of
the BlueWave format.
OLX: Mustang Software Inc.
SPEED READ: Jim Smith.
RoboMail: Parson Consulting.
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════