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Monster Media 1996 #15
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Monster Media Number 15 (Monster Media)(July 1996).ISO
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HISTORY.DOC
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1996-06-02
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───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
History File for Base Runner, Copyright(C)1994-95 CompuData Systems
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Version 1, Wide Beta 1. Released Oct 95.
Version 1, Beta 2.
------------------
- Memory swapping code implemented leaving only 1K in memory for DOS
shells. This should satisfy all those memory guzzling Virus Scanners!
- Whole new file processing look and feel. The now familiar popup window
to show DOS output is no longer. This was to accomodate above swapping
code. Now the screen clears and the file goes through all the shells
before the screen is restored, showing you the new values. This is
also applicable in requests while importing files(they go through a
full process) and also in Orphan(Adoptions) Checking while importing
files.
- New field in Cfg->File Areas->Editing called Uploads. Tells Base
Runner whether or not to process user uploads into that file area or
not.
- Config program now refreshes the status line after file area edits.
Also applies to new adds(Alt-A).
- Added a new field to the config program in the nodes database. When
editing you see "Days to keep?". This tells Base Runner how many days
to keep attach TICs and files before deleting them. This is not a
registered only feature, it is available to all Base Runner users.
Both the file attach and the attach message are removed from disk. A
setting of 0 in this field disables this feature.
Version 1, Beta 3.
------------------
- The command line switches are now all inverted so that instead of
disabling the features, the parameters enable them. No command line
assumes complete processing but does not shut off VGA palette
manipulation. In order to do both you must now use the "-All -Ega"
command line.
- Upload processing has been totally rewritten. There were quite a few
small problems with it writing the new indexes, so I just scrapped it
and started again. It appears to be working fine now.
- The age old problem with the DIR writes has been finally solved. The
importation procedure was not recognizing the end of file on file id
reads. If you used TIC descriptions, you would not have noticed this.
Only while reading file id files, the end of file marker was being
stuffed into the filebase description. Then when the DIR writes came
along, the opened text file(DIR) would get this end of file marker
written to it as part of the description and the file would be
automatcially closed by DOS. Base Runner would not know this and would
happily continue on writing to this now closed file causing the
crashes. The file id reads are now fixed and there should be no
problems. You may, however, still have problems with old files still
in your bases, so you may either edit them or just wipe out that base
and let auto-adoptions or uploads readopt them in the new format.
- Inserting comments into .ARC files is now fixed. It used to prompt you
to press enter. The comments in RAR, however, are still giving me a
hard time, mostly with screen output.
- The netmail messages are now recording the proper date, instead of the
date always being one month in the future.
- The file date updates have been removed as they are no longer needed.
They were used to read the actual dates of the bases to determine
whether the DIR files had to be written.
- Swapping code added to Cfg prog. This was to accomodate the editor
shells for larger editors. Appr. 1K is left in conventional memory
during the editor execution.
- Nodes Edit, the window now properly shows the number of days to keep
file attaches instead of the "N". This was a display problem only and
did not affect edits at all but was a nuisance.
- Install program now properly copies the resource file into the
destination dir.
- Dates are properly inserted during file movements now.
- File buffering on both the echo and areas files have been added during
TIC file processing. No intention of loading these files up directly
as it would then break the "unlimited" mechanism so just reading them
"lightning" fast will have to do. This is only noticed on large echo
bases up larger than 500-1000 areas.
- Screen "blink" is gone for TIC processing. This occured when no
processing was to be done on the file but the screen would clear and
reupdate anyways, looking very cheesy. It now does not even clear the
screen but goes about its business when there is no processing to be
done.
Version 1, Beta 4 - MAJOR UPDATE!
---------------------------------
- Converted the filebase system completely to a new format. This format
uses 3 files per base now, *.IDX,*.HDR and *.TXT. Since DOS would not
appreciate 3 files per base on large systems with over 500
areas(resulting in 1500 files) , the current filebase directory will
now have 3 more sub directories under it respectively called HDR, IDX
and TXT. Since Base Runners old system was far from what is now
considered reliable, there was no conversion program written. Simply
readopt or process as uploads the new bases. Please read beta docs
for more details.
- New command line option , HIStory(HIS is all that is required) tells
Base Runner to trim the history list to the configured number of days.
This used to be automatic for every pass.
- Config program is now taking extra measures to parse out the PCB
envoironment variables. Seems that extra parameters would make Base
Runner think it was another directory and not be able to find the
proper configuration files. Current variables that are checked are
PCB,PCBDAT and PCBNODE
- Problem with file id addition is fixed. This is where the newly added
file id should be the only file added but Base Runner was adding all
files from the home BR directory. This is now fixed.
Version 1, Beta 5.
------------------
- New field in config->system_info->paths called "Magic List". This is
kind of self explanatory but to go into it, this serves as the master
magic list so that magic names may be used by your front end(or BR's
request modules) to honor magic filename requests. If a tic file is
found to have a control field "Magic" , it will honor it and update
the magic file list with this new addition. If the entry is already
there, it will be replaced.
- New field in echo database, "Magic List". This is asking if you would
like BR to process magic list updates for this area. This is usually
set to yes if you offer magic filename requesting. BR is now FULL
Magic list aware.
- BRUtil now has one more input field for "Replaces" in the hatching
module. You may press enter to abort, but if you do not, the TIC file
will reflect the filename(no path) that will be replaced.
- If new record added to fareas, the garbage at the top of the dialogs
now default to the first item instead of the top of the box, and no
garbage characters show up there at all.
- Now in Nodes edit, the "auto-add" field is no longer simply a yes or
no question, but a small menu with 3 options on it. Off is the same
as "N" before, Clone Farea is the same as the old "Y"(to clone both a
new echo area and a file area) and the new one added is Use Initial,
which tells us not to create a new file area but to point the new echo
area to the initial file area of the echo clone record.
- Sometimes nodes could sneak files into an echo without actually being
an uplink. This was a serious security threat and is now fixed.
If your system global menu options are set for "move to bad dir", the
attached tic file and the file itself will be move to the bad
directory. It used to be that you could get away without putting the
uplink into your echo list but with this added security, you must now
be sure to have them configured properly as either uplinks or both in
the echo database.
- Up arrow in echo editing for TIC options does not go down anymore
instead of up.
- BREdit's internal editor has a couple new things, backspace in
overwrite mode will space out the current character and will pull the
line back. I am still not happy with it, but will continue to work on
it. If it is not yet acceptable, please use the F2 key for external
editor. Make sure it is configured on BRconfig first in order to work.
- You may now press Escape during echo importing to abort the process.
This is only for importing TIC files and their associated attaches, it
does not apply to other operations. They are simply too critical in
nature to be able to abort them at this time.
- New global menu field for echo editing, Uploaded by. This one allows
the addition/removal/change of the uploaded by lines in echo areas and
acts just as any other global command does.
Version 1, Beta 6(Biggy, lots of cleanup here and additions)
------------------------------------------------------------
- Destination drive is tested to see how much free drive space is
available. There is a new field in BRCONFIG to reflect the default for
this value. If a file is to be move to any drive where this value is
greater than the existing free disk space, then the file is ignored
and the log is updated with the error. You must then clear up some
drive space on that particular drive or set this value lower in the
config program. To accomodate this further, there is a new field in
system info->paths/filenames called CD Drives. This field holds the
letters of all your CDROM drives. The drive checking routine will
record this string and not perform operations on any CDROM drives.
This makes the file area "CD_ROM" prompt obsolete.
- BREDIT's screen display routines have been cleaned up for the files
editing screens. In particular the page down and end key commands were
sometimes not showing the whole screenful of files, only the top few
and the last line. This was only true of the last page of files in a
multiple page area.
- Uploaded by line in echo importing parses out the macros a little bit
better. Also, if two files were imported and this last one had no
uploaded by field, the last ones line used to be inserted instead of
nothing at all. This should be all fixed up now. Please let me know if
you notice anything acting up on this.
- In nodes database, the editing screen has one more field added. Now
you may configure the areamgr netmail status the same as with regular
message attach's.
- System Info also has a new field, "Hatch to" right under FileList.
This field is in regards to the master list and tells Base Runner
which area to hatch the master list out to. Leave this field blank to
disable this feature.
- Some extra measures are now being taken to ensure that proper
configuration is setup. Routines check for existance of certain
critical paths as well as certain required files.
- Further to this, in the config program, there is now a diagnostics
module that runs at the exit of the program. If you press enter or
"Y", you will see Base Runner go through a series of system checks. A
report is written out to a file called "BRDIAGS.$$$" in the same
directory. This file will hold any information you might need in
determining whether or not a problem exists in your present
configuration. This also aids in tracking down inherent setup
problems.
- BREdit now logs hatching as well as other certain critical
information. Up until now, BREdit did not log anything. You may
identify which program is logging by the header, Base Runner itself
uses "Batter Up!", BREdit uses "Batter Up, Where's the Ump?" and
BRUtil uses "Batter Up, Pinch Hitter!" ;) Hey, we are trying to stick
with the theme here, hehe.
- BREdit now checks, logs and reports to the screen any copies or moves
that could not be completed if it was due to the destination drive not
having enough free disk space.
- Attribute setting has been added to both add node and change node in
the echo area global menu.
- Convert program now creates a copy of the "BAD_FILES" record.
- The problem with the registration keys is now fixed in regard to the
announcements not working. That is completely fixed. Also affected is
the comment insertion.
- Comment modifying is done at the end of importing either TICs or
adoptions. There is a macro in comments for file size which will be
inaccurate if files were deleted or added after the comment was added.
- New field added to BRCONFIG for announcement directory. This is a dir
that will be used to place announcment packets into. If none is
specified here then the inbound path is used instead. This will
accomodate such systems as Qfront and Front Door which can use
different inbound paths for secure and unsecure mail.
- New file area global toggle added called Wide Dupe. This is documented
in BASERUN.DOC to denote whether or not wide dupes should be toggled
in folders selected during global operations.
- Totally rewrote the area manager code to optimize it for speed. It was
much too slow for my liking. It now verifies the existance of uplinked
areas in the uplink lists before actually asking for the uplink as
well as reporting it as requested from the downlink.
- Origin Node in Announcement text now points to our uplink, not the
original hatching node. Our immediate uplink seemed like a more
suitable alternative.
- Toggle for (BBS areas) deletions in global was interfering with keep
days toggle as they were addressing the same bit in memory... fixed...
Also in the BBS editing field.
- Will call file areas BBS areas to keep some continuity with the sysop
and their envoironment. Will call echo areas TIC areas now, helping to
seperate the idea of file/BBS areas vs. echo/TIC areas.
- BREdit, fixed the file id add and file id to desc. They were ok but
just looking for the filename in the header, which was not always in
sync with the correct filename, depending on conversion stats.
- Added support for 10 virus scanners instead of just 1. Leaving the
field blank will disable that slot.
- Quiet feature enabled, allowing use of stdout or flat ascii output.
This is to accomodate some systems that cannot support either the EGA
or the VGA modes and/or who wish to not have to see the full screen
with boxes, colors, dialogs etc. It is of course the fastest way to
run the main program. Since interactivity is still required in the
editor, util and config programs, this is limited to the main Base
Runner program itself.
- Multiple log formats implemented. Now you may select Front Door, Base
Runner, Remote Access or PcBoard format(which is the same as GAP or
ProBoard). Also, Base Runners format has been slightly improved
offering more information. Many others will be implemented as they
become available to us such as Qfront,Intermail,SuperBBS,LoraBBS etc.
- Seperated the Zic(uncompress TIC archives) block from the TIC
importing code, allowing for configurable Zic parameters. New command
line to support this called Zic.
- New macro added to msg text for announcements. %Z<0..9>% - This
translates to a 4 char wide macro which is hard coded to denote the
default tab stop for description indents. A string that looks like...
%Z6% would then tell Base Runner to indent description text 6 x 4
spaces for a total of 24 spaces from the left margin. The default is
zero for left flush description text and does not have to be inserted
in order to automatically be used.
- Added 3 new fields to BRConfig, Node editor. 1 - Max Size will tell
Base Runner what size to keep the outgoing archives to. This refers to
when downlinks wish to have their files and/or tics compressed into a
default format. This is a KB value, not bytes, 2 - Achiver format is
a 3 character extension string of the archiver in your archiver database
to use as the default archiver for that node. F2 will pull up a menu with
available archiver types and 3 - Ticmode will tell Base Runner which
Tic mode you wish to use. The 5 available modes are Tic/File(what we
originally had),File Only(no tic, only file is attached), Pack Tics
which is to pack up the tic files but attach the main files regular,
Pack Both which is to pack both tics and files into small archives and
last but not least we support Packing of files with no tics. This
covers all situations.
- With that Base Runner now does all of the above. A default archiver
must be set up for a node who wishes to use any of the packing features.
Archives are sequentially created in this way...
ZZNNNOOO.%AC
| | | ||
| | | | - Starts at A and goes to Z, then starts on 0 to 9.
| | | -- First letter of this nodes archiver type
| | |
| | ----- Originating node minus destination node
| -------- Originating net minus destination net
----------- Originating zone minus destination zone
- Added support to area manager for above features. You may now send
Base Runners area manager the following new commands...
- TICMODE <NewMode> where NewMode is one of the following...
FILESONLY - Sends files but no tic attaches.
FILESANDTICS - Sends both files and tics.
PACKTICS - Packs just tics, files are regularily sent.
PACKFILESONLY- Packs just files with no tics attached.
PACKBOTH - Packs files and tics into larger archives.
- ARCHIVER <NewArchiver> where archiver can be any available archiver
from that node in a 3 character string such
as ZIP,ARJ etc...