Labels:text | screenshot | majorelle blue | electric blue OCR: Qmodem Version 5 with OLX by Tony Curro For years I have extolled the quality of shareware products. At the top of my list were the communications programs. ProComm, Telix, Boyan, and Qmodem were all shareware products. The first and last have since gone commercial. I have been a Qmodem user since 1989. In the last quarter of, 1991, Mustang Software Inc. (MSI), makers of Wildcat! BBS software, acquired two new products: Qmodem and Silly Little Mail Reader (SLMR) . The authors of both of these products have moved on to MSI to future improve them. SLMR has since become OffLine express (OLX) and is incorporated with Qmodem into one package. Qmodem has been vastly improved since the first release that I used. However, through it all, the screen has basically stayed the same. There have been some additions, like the NEW batch upload window introduced in version 4.0, and of course there were other enhancements and improvements. As always there is online help for ALL the features of the program. When choosing an option, press F1 to get help about that area or specific sub ject. Qmodem 05.01 is being sold in many popular software stores. This version has some minor revisions and new packaging. Having OLX as part of the program makes the product price very attractive. OLX installs as part of Qmodem. This means that you can just hotkey (ALT-M), into the reader to read your mail. I have one quirk about Qmodem v5.01. The opening screen takes almost 10 seconds to clear. It seems like an extremely long delay. Earlier version never took that long. However, this should not detract from a fine product. Qmodem takes you through each step of the installation very painlessly. QM has a modem configuration file that has setting for most of the modems on the market. You can also update this, with a call to the MSI BBS. It supports the 16550 UART chip, which is used mostly on high speed modems; allow you to use EMS memory (if available) for the overlay file that will speed up operations. Many readers and users have asked me how to set up external protocols, mainly 2 modem. Many of the external protocols on the boards have a .BAT file for use with Qmodem. Qmodem will support any protocol that is out, even BiModem. However, Qmodem has the most popular already built-in. 2 modem is part of Qmodem, and has caused me to eliminate the need for the external 2 protocol. If you have an MNP modem you also have X and Ymodem-G available. Colors are all configurable to your particular taste. There is even a HOST mode. I have used, and been pleased with, the ease of operation that Host requires. You invoke it with a hotkey and have no need to do anything else. You can leave and read messages; change the opening screen information; upload and download files and more. Of course this is NOT a full blown BBS program, and is not meant to replace one. But, for those who have a few friends or associates who need to leave a message, or get an important document or other information, Qmodem Host mode should fit right in. Bath uploads have been added. You can send multiple files to a BBS, or you can create a file list BEFORE calling the BBS. Then once online invoking that list will have all the files specified uploaded to that board. This is good if you are sending the same files to several boards, as it prevents you from having to select them each time. Qmodem has always had a built-in text editor. Now they have taken this a step further. You can use QMEDIT as a stand-alone editor to edit any text files on your system, even AUTOEXEC. BAT and CONFIG.SYS. Qmodem allows you to program the function keys for oft-used information. For example, if you prefer to enter you password manually you can by using an F key. Set the key up to do it for you, and then, by pressing the corresponding F key, the information will appear as if you typed it. Using the CTRL, SHIFT and ALT keys in addition to the others, you have a total of 91 programmable keys. Creating scripts is also very easy with Qmodem. The scripting language has been fine tuned and does work better now than it has in the past. The OffLine express mail reader is a complete reader. It uses the same hotkey (ALT-N), as does Qmodem to invoke its setup program. This is what I like about integrated programs. You do NOT have to remember different keys for the same functions. OLX allows you to read messages different ways. You can have them sorted by subject, or by number. Use a bookmark to return you to your place. Rename and save a packet when you are done with it, or just delete it. From OLX main menu you can see how much of the packet you actually read and if you have replies to that BBS. OLX even allows you to steal a tagline. It also has it own editor or you can choose your own. Just like Qmodem. Both Qmodem and OLX have test-drive versions available on BBSs. The test-drive version of Qmodem will always be one release behind the commercial version. In essence V4.5x is currently on the boards. Registered users of previous versions of Qmodem can register the test-drive version in the same fashion as they did earlier versions. MSI will give technical support on both the test-drive and commercial versions. Registered users can also upgrade to the complete Version 5 package for $35 + 4 s/h. In speaking with Jim Harrer, President of MSI, I was told that they are working on future enhancements and a better meshing of Qmodem and OLX. He wants to see Qmodem be "the best communications program on the market .. " From my use of both Qmodem and OLX I have not come across any problems with them "meshing," but I know we always want to see things improve. MSI wants to make a completely integrated system: BBS, Communcations program, Mail Reader. That would be great. I was reading an article a few months ago in the N.Y. Times that stated that Wildcat! BBS was one of the top 4 best-selling BBS programs out. As long as Jim and John continue in the vein they are in, they do not have to worry about being the best. You can only improve on quality! Qmodem has always been a quality program to me . Program Information IF Qmodem Version 5 with OLX List Price $99.00 Upgrade $35 + 4 s/h Mustang Software, Inc . || P. O. Box 2264 Bakersfield, CA 93303 800-999-9619
(.png)
