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1994-12-25
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The HOLIDATE Computer Dating Service
────────────────────────────────────
Shareware Release
copyright 1994 by Kevin Spencer
2715 10th St Apt 12-102
Roanoke, VA 24012
(703) 563-1430
e-mail TAKempis@AOL.COM
Introduction
────────────
I'm so glad you decided to try out this program! I'm rather proud of it, and
I believe that, although there are a number of Computer Dating Service doors
around, this one is the BEST! I don't want to give away any secrets, but let
me give you a brief summary of how the HOLIDATE Computer Dating Service works.
Every User of the Service must fill out a 34 question questionnaire which is
designed to provide a profile of their personality, their likes and dislikes.
22 of these questions are graded from 0 - 9, which provides a high level of
"fine-tuning" ability to the program. In addition, these questions have been
"weighted" to factor in the concept that some differences are more important
than others. "Do you like Dogs?", for instance, as compared to "Do you like
Children?"
When using the Computer Matchmaker, the User's record is compared with every
record of the opposite sex, and a list of the top 200 (if there are that
many) is returned, sorted from top to bottom. The computer then names the top
candidate, gives the compatibility percentage, and displays each one in order,
reporting the compatibility percentage for each one, until told to quit by
the User, or until the list is exhausted.
In addition to Computer Matchmaker, a "Browse the Files" function is included,
which allows the User to define search criteria, and returns the records of
the individuals found as a result. This is useful if one wants to look up the
record of an individual whose name is known, or if a User is looking for a
particular quality, and doesn't want the computer to do the "guesswork."
Online Help is accessible and convenient, with scrolling windows of context-
sensitive information. From within one Help file, the User can call up a
related Help file.
I took a pre-release copy of this program to Knoxville with me when visiting
family down there. I had entered a large number of fake people in the data
file, and had each of my sisters and their husbands independently fill out
applications. Lo and behold! The program matched each of my sisters with their
husbands! Try it out on a few people YOU know. It might be fun, at least!
System Requirements
───────────────────
This program is designed to be run on the IBM 8086 family of computers (any
computer with "-86" at the end, such as "286", "386", 486" etc. In addition,
you will need to obtain a FOSSIL driver to operate this. For those of you
who don't know, a FOSSIL driver is a TSR which handles modem communications.
If you are running certain BBS's, such as RENEGADE, you already have a
FOSSIL driver, as it is necessary to have one to operate the BBS. I use the
BNU FOSSIL driver. They are available from some BBS's as shareware, and on
America Online as shareware, and easy to install and operate.
You must have ANSI.SYS loaded to run this program. The installation utility
which comes with this program will check to see whether you have ANSI.SYS
loaded, and modify your CONFIG.SYS file (with your permission) if necessary.
NOTE: If you are running OS2 or any other operating system other than MSDOS,
you may have trouble with the scan for ANSI.SYS on the CONFIG.SYS file. If
you know that you are running ANSI.SYS, answer "N" when prompted whether you
want it added to your CONFIG.SYS file.
This program uses no dropfiles. Future releases will be configured to get
port information, etc. from popular dropfiles. However, this program will get
the information it needs from the PORT.DAT file, and needs no drop file.
For this reason, you may not be able to run HOLIDATE on multiple nodes. Watch
for future releases (see Support Boards listed below).
Files Included in This Program
──────────────────────────────
There are only 4 files included in this package:
HOLIDATE.EXE
INSTALL.EXE
README.TXT
SAMPLE.ZIP
In addition, the program will CREATE files which it needs to operate:
PORT.DAT (Holds the Comport number)
PASSWORD.DAT (Holds the Sysop access password)
MEN.DAT (Holds the data files of Men)
WOMEN.DAT (Holds the data files of Women)
Once you run INSTALL, which creates (if needed) a directory called C:\NEWDBMS,
all of these files will be placed in that directory automatically.
Registration
────────────
I'm not going to go into a lot of legalese here. I know what it's like to be
poor, because I AM! Therefore, I know that some of you out there are just
getting started, and can't afford to pay for this program. I'm not going to
send the Computer Police after you if you don't register. HOWEVER, if you can
AT ALL afford to register this program, I am requesting a mere 20 bucks for
its' use after a reasonable (45 days) trial period. Check it out. It's my
guess that many people on your BBS will be willing to pay YOU for access to
the program, once there are a large number of poeple using it.
Send your check or money order to:
Kevin Spencer
2715 10th St, Apt 12-102
Roanoke, VA 24012
Installation Instructions
─────────────────────────
This program comes with its' own installation utility, INSTALL.EXE. From
whatever directory you have unzipped the file to, simply type INSTALL. The
utility will do the following, and can be aborted at any time:
1. Asks if you have a directory called C:\NEWDBMS. If you don't
it will offer to make one for you. It is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY
for you to have a directory named C:\NEWDBMS to run this porgram.
2. Asks you for the Comport your modem is using (COM1, COM2, COM3, or
COM4 only). It will then record this information in a file called
PORT.DAT on your NEWDBMS directory.
If, at any time in the future, you need to change the Comport your
modem is using, simply re-run the install program using the
parameter "-p". ("INSTALL -p") This will only get Comport infor-
mation, and skip the rest of the installation routines.
3. Moves all the files from the current directory to C:\NEWDBMS. In
fact, it unzips the files to that directory, and then deletes them
in the current directory. So MAKE SURE THAT THE FILE "HDATE.EXE" IS
IN THE DIRECTORY YOU ARE WORKING FROM!!
4. Scans your CONFIG.SYS file to see if ANSI.SYS is loaded. If it is
not, the program will offer to add ANSI.SYS to your CONFIG.SYS file.
All of these things can be accomplished by you on your own, but many people
don't know how to modify their CONFIG.SYS file, and the program makes sure
that ALL steps necessary to installation are carried out. Besides, the Com-
port information is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to run the program. In other words,
RUN THE INSTALLATION UTILITY BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO USE HOLIDATE!
Testing HOLIDATE
────────────────
For your convenience, a ZIP file called SAMPLE.ZIP has been included. This
contains data files (MEN.DAT & WOMEN.DAT) with a whole bunch of imaginary
people in them. If you unzip these files in your C:\NEWDBMS directory, you
can take your HOLIDATE Computer Dating Service for a test drive.
HOLIDATE is designed to send Output BOTH to the modem, and to the local
monitor, and is designed to receive Input BOTH from the remote User, and/or
from the local Keyboard. So, you don't have to be running your BBS to take it
for a test drive. Just make sure you have your FOSSIL driver running.
Fill out a New User Questionnaire, and use Computer Matchmaker to watch the
program pick out the best imaginary candidates for your entry. Try the Browse
the Files function. And you can use this opportunity to enter your Sysop
password. The first time you try to enter the Sysop's Corner (Edit the Files
on the Main Menu), the program will tell you that you haven't entered a pass-
word yet, and will prompt you for one. Once you have entered your password
for the first time, the program will always prompt anyone attempting to enter
this section of the program for a password. If they don't get it in 3 tries,
It boots them out of the program.
Don't forget to check out the way cool Online Help!
And DON'T FORGET TO DELETE THE MEN.DAT AND WOMEN.DAT FILES WITH THE FAKE
INFORMATION ON THEM BEFORE RUNNING THE PROGRAM ON YOUR BBS!
Maintenance (Edit the Files Section)
────────────────────────────────────
In the Sysop's Corner there are 4 Menu Items of interest:
1. Change Password. Obviously, this function allows you to change the
sysop Password at any time. Of course, you have to enter the cur-
rent password to access this function.
If you ever forget the password: You can't read the password by
using the "type" command on PASSWORD.DAT. It is encrypted. However,
you CAN delete PASSWORD.DAT, in which case, the next time you try
to enter the Sysop's Corner it will prompt you to enter a NEW
password!
NOTE: The PASSWORD.DAT file is created the FIRST time the Sysop's
Corner is used. If there is no PASSWORD.DAT file, the user will
be prompted to enter one. Be the first user to do this! If, by
chance, someone else gets in there, because you forgot to make a
new Password, delete the PASSWORD.DAT file, and make a new one by
entering the Sysop's corner.
2. Delete Files. Self-Explanatory. Will pull up the file requested,
display it, and prompt you twice before deleting.
3. Purge Files. If you delete a lot of files it will save hard-disk
space if you use this function from time to time. Every time you
delete a file it leaves a hole in the data file. When you Purge the
Files, all files are moved to the front of the file, and holes are
shoved to the end, where they will be overwritten with new data.
4. Edit files. A User cannot change his/her record once he/she has
accepted the initial configuration. Only the Sysop is able to edit
files. Occasionally, a User may contact you and request that their
file be changed. After all, Users are only human. some people may
not understand fully when they are using the program initailly, and
do something stupid, leaving erroneous information in their record.
Using this function You can come to the rescue!
Suggestions For Making Money With HOLIDATE
──────────────────────────────────────────
HOLIDATE can be a very attractive item on a BBS. However, it will not attract
as many Users if it doesn't have any people on it. So, you may want to make
access to the program FREE to the first, say, 50 people of either sex who use
the program, and charge money after that.
Chances are, the data files won't change that much over a short period of
time. A monthly fee would probably be best advised. That way, Users could pay
for a month, stay off for a couple of months, pay for another month, etc.
Support, Suggestions, and Hate Mail
───────────────────────────────────
For problems, bug reports, if you have any suggestions, and for the latest
release of HOLIDATE and other software by Kevin Spencer, my Internet (AOL)
address is:
TAKempis@AOL.COM
Support Boards:
╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ The ROanoke Christian networK (ROCK) - (703) 563-1430 ║
║ Sysop: Kevin Spencer (Kev) ║
║ Hours: 7:00 pm to 6:00 pm (23 hours) ║
║ 2400 Baud ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ The Blue Ridge Connection - 2 Nodes! - (703) 977-0045 & (703) 977-0057 ║
║ Sysop: Mike Astin ║
║ 24 Hours ║
║ 14.4k Baud ║
║ FIDO 1:2602/320 ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Hey, good luck!
Other Software by Kevin Spencer
───────────────────────────────
L.ocal A.rea M.inistry B.ase door Program for BBS. Features - Keyword Search
enables users to find the ministry they (or someone they know) need by simply
typing in a Keyword related to the need. Wildcard Search enables users to
locate ministries based on partial information. Colorful ANSI interface, on-
line help files, context-sensitive. Easy installation! Shareware.
AUTOPASS version 2.0, Password Protection for your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Keeps
unauthorized users from getting into your computer. Operates at boot-up.
Features: Encrypted Password data file, Colorful User Interface. Easy instal-
lation! Shareware.