SDN INTERNATIONAL(sm) The Shareware Distribution Network SDNmaker(c) revision April 20th 1996 (c)Copyright 1996 by Ray L. Kaliss as The SDN Project http://www.pcnet.com/~kaliss/sdn.html The SDN Project BBS 1-203-634-0370 Fidonet 1:141/840 kaliss@sdn.com SDN International(sm) SDNMaker(c) Utility Version 1.0 For Commercial Distribution Services Submissions COPYRIGHT NOTICE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SDNMaker is Copyright 1996 by Ray L. Kaliss as The SDN Project. All rights are reserved. SDNMaker may be distributed as a whole and complete package and is intended for preparation of shareware programs for submission to SDN International's Commercial Distribution Services. LIMITED LICENSE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Shareware authors and publisher are allowed a limited license to use SDNMaker to prepare shareware programs for submission to SDN International. It is a violation of copyright license to use SDNMaker for any other purpose. SDNMaker and it's information is periodically updated, authors should inquire for updates before using. By submitting through the use of SDNMaker, the author agrees to current distribution fees and policy as posted at The SDN Project BBS in Meriden, Connecticut, U.S.A. Data 1-203-634-0370. Use of SDNMaker contitues agreement with the criteria of the SDN Author Kit guidelines for submission to SDN. C O N T E N T S --------------- CONTENTS CHAPTER -------- ------- Purpose......................................... 1 Password............................... 1.1 Operation....................................... 2 SDN.ID................................. 2.1 VENDINFO.DIZ.......................... 2.2 Price List and Fees............................. 3 Submitting To SDN............................... 4 Postal Mailing......................... 4.1 Direct Uploading....................... 4.2 FTP Incoming........................... 4.3 Fidonet File-Attach.................... 4.4 Confirmation.................................... 5 Obtaining Current Information................... 6 .................................................. 1. PURPOSE ~~~~~~~~~~ SDN International(sm) is the Shareware Distribution Network. With the cooperation of amateur and commercial networks, online services, and electronic media, SDN is the worlds first shareware distribution network. SDN is designed to aide the new shareware author who does not have the means for significant world wide marketing and distribution, and the experienced author managing out-sourced distribution as part of a successful shareware business plan. Unless an author has no-charge access to online services, long distance calls, dial up service providers, satellite services, and thousands of bulletin boards world wide, SDN distribution is less expensive than an author's own distribution efforts, and far more effective. SDNMaker packages the shareware author's program, allows site selection, records distribution information, and allows an author to submit electronically. The result of SDNMaker is an encrypted, secured and authenticated package to be submitted for processing distribution. SDNMaker should be used to prepare all submissions to SDN except public service submission limited to Fidonet. 1.1 PASSWORD ~~~~~~~~~~~~ SDNMaker uses a verified password, assigned by SDN International. If this is the first time you are using SDNMaker and do not yet have an assigned password, you should enter '?' at the password prompt and print the short application form. Fill out the form picking a password and recording it, then return to processing. Enter the password you have chosen at the prompt. Copy the resultant (your-filename).SDN package onto a 1.44k disk, and postal mail it to us along with your password application and payment. The name and password you put on the form and use with SDNMaker should match exactly, case is significant. NOTE: The password you may be using at The SDN Project BBS is not necessarily the same as used for SDNMaker. 2. OPERATION ~~~~~~~~~~~~ SDNMaker is a DOS utility. It will run under DOS 3.x or higher. It has been tested in the OS/2 and Windows DOS 'box'. It makes calls to PKWare's pkzip.exe program on 'path' to function properly and will abort if pkzip.exe is not on the environment path. SDNMaker will query the author for a SOURCE drive and directory, and a TARGET drive and directory. 2.1 SDN.ID ~~~~~~~~~~ The SOURCE directory should contain only two files, an SDN.ID and the author's program, zip compressed in the file name it is to be distributed as. 2.3 VENDINFO.DIZ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thanks to the cooperation of Ram's Island Software's VENDINFO System, SDNMaker can create an acceptable SDN.ID from information contained in a VENDINFO.DIZ readable header. The resultant SDN.ID created should be edited with a plain ASCII text editor by the author. An example SOURCE directory for XWORD Editor, version 2.10. SDN.ID (or VENDINFO.DIZ) XWRD210.ZIP With today's high speed modems and error correction, downloadable files can be larger than in the past. Most programs should be compressed into one .zip file. If the program is so large as to need more than one .zip file, a set, SDNMaker must be run on each .zip individually with SDN.ID files for each. SDN's flat distribution fee is for the program version, not the number of .zip files, however there is a reasonable limit of 3 megs zipped, per program. Information needed for distribution to various sites will be taken from the SDN.ID and used when possible. The SDN.ID, in form and format, not content, is copyright to SDN International and may be distributed with the final archive to identify to the public the origin of the distribution and the assurance of our verification and security features. The author will be presented with all sites that will accept the specific type of software being processed. If special forms are required by any sites, the author will be prompted to complete the forms through SDNMaker and they will be included in the final package for use during processing and distribution. 3. PRICE LIST and FEES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Commercial Distribution Services by SDN are currently flat fee based and apply to the distribution service itself, there are no individual site fees. This allows us to expand or change sites to match the dynamics of the online world. The fee schedule and current distribution sites, which is a companion document for SDNMaker, is PRICE.LST and is updated by SDN periodically. PRICE.LST is published and posted at The SDN Project BBS 203-634-0370. The current PRICE.LST superceeds all lists of earlier date or in circulation. The definition of 'site' for distribution purposes often designates a gateway. For example, Fidonet is considered one site, yet it is composed of 30,000 plus individual bulletin boards world wide of all sizes, SDN probably reaches 10-15,000 of these. 4. SUBMITTING TO SDN ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SDNMaker creates an archive package in the TARGET directory. The package is named with the name given to your original .zip file, but given a .SDN extension (your-filename.sdn). It is uniquely encrypted for security and origin verification, it is what you submit to SDN. There are three basic methods to send the .SDN package to SDN for submission. 4.1 Postal Mail ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you do not already have an approved password, your submission must be Postal Mailed to us on a 1.44k disk. Include the password application form that SDNMaker will allow you to print out, and your payment in money order, or credit card information. Personal checks can only be accepted if drawn on United States banks. 4.2 Direct Uploading ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Authors in the United States and Canada, please upload directly to our BBS. The parameters are 8,N,1. Our 28.8k modem (V.Everything) will attempt to connect at the highest speed with your modem. Once on our BBS, go to Main Menu, then to the Files Section and upload into Files Area (3). All uploads are hidden. Leave a message upon logoff that you have uploaded so we can look for your submission. 4.3 FTP Incoming ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SDN maintains an incoming ftp site at ftp.sdn.com (alternative address ftp.pcnet.com) for incoming .SDN files. We prefer to leave this way open for our international authors, but if this is your most convenient way, just be sure you don't forget to do a binary transfer. Once connected, change directory as follows. ftp.sdn.com /users/sdn/incoming ftp.pcnet.com /users/sdn/incoming Binary transfer and then send email to kaliss@sdn.com and tell us what file and program you have submitted. The only files we will accept are SDNMaker (filename.sdn) packages, all others are deleted. 4.4 Fidonet File-Attach ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A few authors have Fidonet capability, for these, crash File-Attach your .SDN file to 1:141/840 with a netmail message. 4.5 Internet Email MIME Attach ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There is a limit on what POP3 and SMPT can handle with MIME attaches. This can be an unreliable method. If you need to, give it a try. Send to: kaliss@sdn.com 5. CONFIRMATION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SDNMaker will ask you if have an Internet email address. If you do, enter it and you will be sent an automatic confirmation message when your submission is processed. Don't forget, if you are a member of an online service that is connected to the Internet, you automatically have an internet address of your login name and online service (SDNInter@aol.com). 6. OBTAINING CURRENT INFORMATION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SDN policy, the SDNMaker utility and PRICE LIST are revised periodically to reflect the changing online world. Please be sure you are up to date. SDN's Commercial Distribution fees and available distribution sites are updated in PRICE.LST. The fees and sites in the current PRICE LIST prevail. Below are various methods to obtain current information. Download ~~~~~~~~ The SDN Project BBS 1-203-634-0370 FTP ~~~ ftp.sdn.com /users/sdn ftp.pcnet.com /users/sdn World Wide Web ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.pcnet.com/~kaliss/sdn.html Internet Return Email ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Information can be return reply requested through Internet email by entering key words in the Subject: line. No message body is needed. In all cases the "To:" address is the same... Example: To: kaliss@sdn.com Subject: Mailer! Current WHAT SUBJECT LINE TO USE WHAT IS RETURNED ------------------------ ---------------------------- "Mailer! Current" Current list of all items "Mailer! Price List" Current Price List "Mailer! SDNMaker" Current SDNMaker utility "Mailer! Author Kit" Current SDN Author's Kit "Mailer! SDN.ID Format" Current SDN.ID Format "Mailer! SDNTest" SDN security seal test utility Fidonet File-Request ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fidonet capable authors can file-request from 1:141/840 using file-request magic names. They are, "Current", "Sites", "SDNMaker", "Postal", "Kit", "SDNID", and "Fidonet". /eof