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Monster Media 1994 #2
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renegade
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HISTORY.DOC
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1994-06-22
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╔══════════════════════════════╗
║ Express Call-Back Verifier ║
║ ║
║ Revision History ║
╚══════════════════════════════╝
This file contains brief descriptions of program modifications made
throughout the history of the program. Refer to the main documentation
(XCBV.DOC) for details on program usage.
--<< Version 1.0 (Beta) >>--
■ First release, for Renegade 7-09 Beta.
--<< Version 1.1 (Beta) >>--
■ Updated for Renegade 8-10 user file structure changes.
■ Modified comm routines to increase output efficiency.
--<< Version 1.2 (Beta) >>--
■ Fixed bug that sometimes caused call-back failure on high-speed
modems, due to program not recognizing modem result codes. Now it
just checks for carrier.
■ Fixed bug that, in some cases, caused incorrect user count and logged
"Error reading user record".
■ All printable ASCII characters are now accepted in password entry.
■ Program now accepts multiple allowed area codes (specified in .CFG
file). For each code, SysOp can specify exactly what to dial before
the phone number (usually just the area code itself, so long-distance
calls won't go through).
■ SysOp now specifies modem initialization & dial prefix strings in
.CFG file.
■ Displays special file when user duplicates a phone number already on
record, instead of displaying a built-in message, for more
flexibility.
--<< Version 1.3 (Beta) >>--
■ Long-distance support! Calling LD is optional, but provided because
of demand.
■ On successful verification, program now changes user's AC and AR
flags, in addition to SL and DSL, as specified in the .CFG file.
User's time left is also updated for the new SL.
■ BBS data file compatibility checks are now performed when program is
run to help prevent file corruption, in case the program is run with
an incompatible release of Renegade. NOT FOOLPROOF! Don't rely on
it.
■ In the .CFG file, any text beginning with a less-than (<) symbol is
now ignored, so you can add helpful remarks. (This is handy
considering how this file has been growing!) See the sample
(documented) .CFG file included with this release.
■ Most error messages are now shown on local screen as well as written
to the log (in case SysOp is watching).
■ SysOp can now specify a minimum time required for users to proceed
with call-back; if a user doesn't have this much time remaining,
special file is displayed and program exits to BBS.
■ Program is more multinode-cooperative. Only one node can run the
program at once. If program is in use and another node tries to run
it, a special file is displayed and program exits back to BBS.
■ A user running the program locally will run a simulated call-back,
used mainly to test display files and to see exactly what would be
dialed in certain circumstances, so you can test your set-up. A user
with High Security Access may also do this. During a simulated
call-back, user's access is not changed, and his phone number is not
added to the database.
■ If a user runs the verifier, but he's already on record (same name
and phone number), and his SL is less than the configured verified
SL, the program immediately upgrades the user, rather than refusing
to verify him because of a duplicate phone number. (Because of this,
you shouldn't allow those whom you purposely downgraded to run the
verifier.)
■ Added option to hang up on ALL calls.
■ SysOp can now list "illegal" dialing sequences, such as 911 or 976,
in the .CFG file, to thwart the efforts of malicious users. If a
user tries one of these, the attempt is recorded in the log (if
used), and the program displays a special file and gives the user
another try.
--<< Version 1.4 >>--
■ Fixed major bug introduced in 1.3 by compatibility checking routine.
Bug sometimes caused "Incompatible BBS data files" error even though
they were compatible.
■ You can now disable BBS version compatibility checking altogether.
■ Edit Mode has been improved. You can now go to any record number,
and browse around inside the database. When scanning user file by
SL, you're prompted for a range instead of one value. You can now
choose to confirm each addition to the database.
■ Program no longer writes to log file when running locally outside
Edit Mode.
■ Number of call-back attempts is now configurable.
■ Version specification on title screen now indicates the release of
Renegade for which the program was made. (May also work with
versions later than the one indicated.)
■ Added sample .ANS files to distribution package. Take a look!
--<< Version 1.41 >>--
■ Increased maximum number of "illegal" sequences (in .CFG) from 20 to
100. (Ones after first 100 are ignored.)
■ Now allows up to 10 local area codes (listed in .CFG).
--<< Version 1.42 >>--
■ Added option to automatically upgrade long-distance callers, without
actually calling them back, to provide fairness to LD users when you
don't want the program to call LD. (Requires some honesty on the
part of users!) The new display file AUTOUPLD (.TXT or .ANS) is
shown to LD callers when this option is enabled.
■ Fixed bug that sometimes caused ANSI files to be displayed
incorrectly to remote callers. They looked fine locally, but remote
users would see a scrambled mess.
■ Reasons for program prematurely exiting (such as lost carrier) are now
written to log (if used), instead of just "Dumped user".
--<< Version 1.43 >>--
■ Updated for Renegade 11-29 Beta.
■ You can now list area codes that require special dialing prefixes in
the .CFG. If the user is in one of these area codes, the
corresponding prefix is dialed before the user's actual number
(prefix + ###-####). (In this case, the LD prefix is NOT used, even
if the user says he's LD.) See XCBV.DOC!
■ The user record is now updated even in Simulate Mode, to allow more
local testing. (The phone number you enter is still NOT added to the
call-back database.)
■ .TXT files are now .ASC. (Rename your files. Renegade color codes
not supported.)
--<< Version 1.44 >>--
■ Removed a small glitch introduced in 1.43 in dialing procedure that
was evident for some modems. (It wouldn't dial!)
■ Re-establishing connection with user should now be faster.
--<< Version 1.45 >>--
■ Updated for Renegade 02-28 file structure changes.
■ Modified program to prevent lock-up on some multinode systems given a
certain situation.
--<< Version 2.0 >>--
■ Program now requires a 286 or higher processor (as does Renegade).
■ New easy-to-use installation & upgrade programs. Run HELPME.BAT for
more information.
■ Easier configuration: You now run CONFIG.EXE to change your set-up,
rather than editing the XCBV.CFG file with a text editor. This
eliminates the possibility of problems caused by screwing up XCBV.CFG
(formerly a text file).
■ There's now a file called SPECIAL.TXT that you modify with a text
editor to list special area codes and illegal dialing sequences
(previously in XCBV.CFG file).
■ The pipe (|) and tilde (~) characters now represent a carriage return
and a 1/2 second delay, respectively, for the modem command strings.
■ The call-back routine has been completely rewritten and should be
more reliable, especially with high-speed modems.
IMPORTANT: Word result codes are now used instead of numbers. Your
modem initialization command should set the modem accordingly ("V1"
for Hayes-compatible).
■ Added "Hang-up" and "Offhook" modem commands. The hang-up command is
only used if lowering the DTR fails to disconnect. The offhook
command is used so that the line will be busy to anyone trying to
call the BBS (thus helping to prevent interrupted call-backs).
■ The delay between call-backs is now configurable.
■ Because of the vast amount of time and effort put into this project,
Registration is no longer free (see XCBV.DOC). For those who
registered free of charge prior to this release, it will be necessary
to register this version to obtain a new "key" file. Thanks for your
understanding.
--<< Version 2.1 >>--
■ Updated for Renegade 06-25 file structure changes.
--<< Version 2.2 >>--
■ Program would not always put modem onhook just before dialing user --
should be fixed now.
■ At title screen, added explanatory message "Scanning user records..."
so impatient users would not hang up.
--<< Version 2.3 >>--
■ Adjusted the dial routine to ALWAYS dial a 1 for long-distance calls
(it used to omit the 1 on the special area codes).
--<< Version 2.4 >>--
■ Updated for Renegade release 5-31-94.
--<< Version 3.0 >>--
■ You no longer specify the SL, DSL, AC, and AR flags in CONFIG.
Instead, you simply select the validation level (A-Z) for verified
users. Soft and hard AC/AR upgrades are fully supported. This should
make many SysOps happy!
■ In CONFIG, you no longer need to specify your BBS name, since it gets
this information from your BBS configuration.
■ Improved multinode support. XCBV can now be run simultaneously on
multiple nodes. For this to work properly, SHARE.EXE must be
installed.
■ The user number is now passed to XCBV, so finding the user's record
is instantaneous.
■ Edit Mode is no longer a function of XCBV. Instead, there's a
completely separate program, EDIT.EXE, which performs the same (and
more) functions. This resulted in a smaller XCBV.EXE, which may run
slightly faster.
■ In EDIT, checking for duplicate accounts while scanning the user file
is now optional. If you elect not to check for duplicates, the
scanning process is much faster, especially if you have many users.
■ By popular demand, user names (handles), as well as real names, are
now stored in the verification records. You can now search by user
name in addition to real name and phone number.
<<END>>