Libris Britannia 4/science library(b).zip/science library(b)/INFO/HOF0692.ZIP/README.HOF

Text File | 1992-06-19 | 12KB | 237 lines

                   ╔═══════════════════════════════╗
                   ║   THE FREEWARE HALL OF FAME   ║
                   ╚═══════════════════════════════╝

       ┌─────────┐
       WHAT IS IT?  We are a list of programs and databases which are
       └─────────┘  commonly found on public access Bulletin Boards.
       The programs on this list have been tested and found to work as
       described, and to be worth downloading. The list is limited to
       Freeware.  These are programs and databases for which NO FEE is
       required for use by individuals. (The meaning of Freeware,
       Shareware and Public Domain are given below.)

       ┌────────┐
       WHAT'S NEW  We've added three dozen or so new entries for June
       │FOR 6/92│  including more PCB utilities and some interesting
       └────────┘  OS/2 files.  Among the authors to join the list is
       Mark Herring, known for his QMail Door and off-line reader.
       Sparky's done some freeware also.

       We're still looking for nominationa of OS/2 Freeware to be
       included here. The HOF believes OS/2 has a future and we would
       hate to see it wall-to-wall with annoyware and beg-screens.

       ┌───┐
       NAMES  in the circle of Great Freeware Writers for their output
       └───┘  and quality are John McNamara, Raymond Kaya, Vern Buerg,
       Ward Christensen, Robert Vostreys, Frederick Volking, Michael
       Mefford, Keith Graham, Keith Ledbetter and the writer who gave
       us CED and so much more, Chris Dunford.

       ┌────┐
       IN ALL  the HOF lists more than 370 entries by 270 authors
       └────┘  indexed 3 ways--by author, program name and use.

       ┌────┐
       LAYOUT  The Freeware Hall of Fame comprises three sorted ASCII
       └────┘  indexes.  Each index contains the same information:
       Author, Program Name, a brief Description of the program, and
       the Program Category.  Index One is sorted by Author, Index Two
       by Program and Index Three by Description.

       ┌──────┐
       TO PRINT  the indexes, set standard 80-col narrow-carriage
       └──────┘  printers for 12 chars per inch (Elite).  The file
       prints very nicely with appropriate page breaks on 8½ by 11
       paper, and this edition runs 24 pages.  QEDIT prints it
       perfectly.  Otherwise you can type HALLFAME.TXT > PRN or PRINT
       HALLFAME.TXT or use any word processor. The file is prepared
       using QuattroPro 2.0 and appears here in standard ASCII.

       ┌─────┐
       UPDATES  will always be named HOFmmyy.ZIP and there will never
       └─────┘  be two in one month.  HOF packets should contain
       HALLFAME.TXT, README.HOF and a SYSOP.NOTe, and may or may not
       contain a FHOF Logo and description.  These are commonly
       stripped off during uploads.

       ┌────────────┐
       WANT A HOF D/L  We are now giving the ON-LINE Freeware Hall of
       │DIRECTORY ON│  Fame to any Sysop who wants it for his callers.
       │ YOUR BBS?  │  The 3.6-megs of Freeware amount to 116 or so
       └────────────┘  programs and in index in PCBoard format.
       These are a choice selection of the programs themselves, not
       merely an index. With it comes a DIR created for PCBoard
       containing multi-line descriptions of the files.  We estimate
       there are about 50 Boards in North America and Europe now
       carrying the ON-LINE FHOF.  See SYSOP.NOT for more information.

       ┌───────┐
       JUST WANT  We give files to others also.  If you have a local
       │ FILES?│  or school computer club and would like 100+ Freeware
       └───────┘  programs, call us.  We mail these out on 1.2 meg
       diskettes.  These are self-extracting versions of the programs
       prepared with a Freeware archiver and no commercial programs
       are needed at any step in the process. There's no charge for
       the set of diskettes.  We hope they'll be copied and circulated
       to other clubs and schools.

       ┌──────┐
       WHO'S IN  Among the most prominent people in the computer
       THE HOF?  world, past and present, are those programers who
       └──────┘  allow us to use their programs at no cost. Writing
       software and distributing it via Bulletin Boards with no
       request for payment, they enable everyone to share the fruit of
       their knowledge, the benefit of their discoveries, and the
       steady advances that have typified the computer industry from
       the beginning.

       ┌───────┐
       GRATITUDE  This file is intended to honor those generous and
       └───────┘  wonderful people.  The file is not finished and
       never will be. It's a list that will grow every few months as
       we attempt to catch up with the hundreds of fine people who
       represent the hobby side of the PC world, some from the era of
       CP/M (lest we forget), some writing for DOS, and now we're
       expanding to include OS/2.

       ┌────────┐
       AMONG THEM  are some of the best programmers in the profession,
       └────────┘  software experts sought after and employed by the
       most advanced government and industry employers in the world.
       The Freeware they write on their own time (cough) commonly
       reflects the highest level of concept and execution.

       ┌──────┐
       BENEFITS  This Freeware Hall of Fame is the only published
       └──────┘  guide to tested Freeware. All these programs work.
       All are free. Nearly all are commonly available on public
       access Bulletin Boards. We can recommend them as programs that
       will do the job they were intended for.

       ┌───────┐
       WHERE YOU  The file is indexed to make these programs easier to
       FIND THEM  find, but locating them on a Bulletin Board can
       └───────┘  require a search. The Board's ZIP, ARC or LZE
       packets commonly are named with an abbreviation of a program's
       full name, often adding a version number to that. You might
       have to hunt and peek unless the Sysop has set up a Freeware
       Hall of Fame Directory all to itself.

       ┌─────┐
       PCBOARD  Some of the programs for running a BBS such as PCBoard
       └─────┘  make the search easier. On a PCBoard, entering
                             Z filename A
       should reveal every version of <filename> the BBS has available
       for download. For example, you will not find DIRX, a file
       management program for compressed files, listed in a BBS file
       index. The index name for the program is DXRxxx where xxx is
       the version number, and that changes every few months. The Z
       command in PCBoard is a -text search- command and it will find
       the word DIRX in the file -description- since it can't be found
       in the file index.

       ┌──────┐
       FREEWARE  Freeware refers to programs or databases that an
       DEFINED│  individual may use without payment of money to the
       └──────┘  author. Commonly the author will copyright his work
       as a way of legally insisting that no one re-write it prior to
       getting his approval. The copyright has nothing to do with a
       user fee, aside from giving the author a legal right to require
       one. Freeware authors don't exercise that right, though in some
       cases a program will be Freeware for an individual but require
       a site license if used by a business. The HOF includes these.

       ┌────┐
       PUBLIC  Other Freeware is in the Public Domain, which means the
       DOMAIN  author donated his work to the public and retains no
       └────┘  ownership rights. No fee can be required for the use of
       these programs, though a polite and sometimes humorous request
       for author support might drift into the Docs.

       ┌────────┐
       WHAT'S NOT  Shareware is not here.  Shareware refers to a way
       │ HERE?  │  of marketing programs on the "try before you buy"
       └────────┘  plan.  Because you must buy it, it isn't Freeware.
       As Shareware, many superb programs are made available at
       reasonable cost and on a far fairer plan than purchasing
       "commercial" software where you must buy before knowing if a
       program will do what you need. Most Shareware is a delight to
       use. Some is not.

       ┌───────┐
       SHAREWARE  always asks for a fee for continued use of the
       └───────┘  program and the author says so, usually in a
       professional way. A few authors aren't professional in the
       least when discussing payment. They presume you're not going to
       pay and in their Docs they insult you.

       ┌──────┐
       CRIPPLED  Some Shareware comes crippled. You get only a
       └──────┘  limited version of the program until you buy it.
       Shareware might have annoying delays and payment dunnings built
       into the program which only go away when you purchase a
       registration number. Some Shareware quits working if you don't
       buy a code nunber within a few weeks.

       ┌──────┐
       FREEWARE  does none of these things. The author might
       └──────┘  ask as one did that you take him to dinner (he called
       his method Dinnerware), and another suggests you take your
       spouse out to atone for the time you spend at the computer.
       Freeware authors often show a sense of humor. They also
       frequently provide the source code.

       ┌───────────┐
       WHO GOT HERE?  To gain entry to the Freeware Hall of Fame,
       └───────────┘  a program can be discovered by the FHOF compiler
       or nominated by someone.  Anyone may nominate a program and we
       encourage Freeware authors to nominate their own programs. The
       only requirement is that the file nominated be a PC program or
       database available for use at no cost. Every program gets a
       1-line listing. Ward Christensen gets one line for his CP/M
       communications programs--perhaps the most influential Freeware
       of all time--and you'll get a one-line entry for your program.

       ┌─────────┐
       NOMINATIONS  are made to the compiler of this list and we need
       └─────────┘  to know 4 things:
       (1) Author name
       (2) Software name
       (3) Brief description of what the program does
       (4) Your certainty the program is Freeware.

       ┌───────────┐
       CALL THE HALL  We can be contacted three ways: via the ILink
       └───────────┘  computer network anywhere, on Usenet as
       "[e-mail]", and through our FHOF BBS.

       ┌───┐
       ILINK  Hundreds of BBS's around the world are members of the
       └───┘  ILink network and many North American cities have an
       Ilink affiliate or two. The network is a collection of 270 or
       so topic conferences which are provided to member Bulletin
       Boards for the use of their callers. The HOF monitors the
       Shareware conference for mail addressed to Rey Barry. The
       monitoring is autonated so watch the spelling. All Ilink
       messages are public.

       ┌────┐
       │FHOF│  Our BBS operates 24 hrs a day, 7 days, using PCBoard
       │ BBS│  software and a USRobotics Dual Standard modem.  The
       └────┘  FHOF conference is #3.  Enter J 3 at the main menu.
       804-293-4710.  Both public and private messages can be left in
       the Conference.  We invite nominations for the freeware index.

       ┌───────┐
       COPYRIGHT  This file, the accompanying files HALLFAME.TXT and
       └───────┘  SYSOP.NOT, and the name "Freeware Hall of Fame" are
       Copyright 1989-92 by Rey Barry. HALLFAME.TXT is a Freeware
       database offered for the use of all to accord Freeware authors
       the recognition their monumental contributions have made to the
       PC hobby.
                                     Charlottesville, VA, USA  6/92
                                     FHOF BBS -- 804-293-4710