Nothing!! Just a ton of bug fixes. We wanted to fix bugs first before we even thought about adding features. This release has been well tested and is very stable. We took all your bug reports and acted on them. Most reported bugs were fixed. Please let us know about any that got by us.
What's FreePPP's future now that Apple has OT PPP?
The FreePPP group supports OT PPP. Some members of the group have even consulted on the Apple PPP project.
It's up to you which PPP you use. Both PPPs work very well. If you already have OT PPP installed and its working fine for you then don't bother switching. If you are using an older version of Free or MacPPP then we suggest you upgrade. If you get OT PPP in future Mac OSª releases and FreePPP is working fine for you then again there's no need to switch (unless other software you use requires OT PPP).
FreePPP will be around for a while. Don't worry about that. We're working on 2.5.1 for release by the end of 1996 and 3.0 for release when the full Mac OSª 8 is available.
What is it and where did it come from?
First off, FreePPP is not the work of one individual. It's a group effort, by the not so coincidentally named FreePPP Group, to enhance the work done at Merit Network by Larry J. Blunk and others that produced versions of MacPPP 2.01.
The folks in the FreePPP Group that have contributed to this version of FreePPP are, in alphabetical order: Mike Alexander, Yan Arrouye, Steve Brecher, Jim Browne, Alec Carlson, Steve Dagley, Tom Evans, Joe Husk, Cliff McCollum, Edward Moy, Richard Reynolds, Tom Shaw and John Stephen.
Additional thanks to: Aleks Totic and Jamie McCarthy. And of course a big thanks to all the beta testers for finding some really obscure bugs.
FreePPP is a Link Access Protocol module (aka MDEV) for MacTCP or Open Transport. In plain English, it allows you to establish a dial-up PPP connection with a TCP/IP network like the Internet from your Macintosh.
How much is it?
FreePPP, as it's name is meant to convey, is free for individual use. Should you feel that FreePPP is something you really would like to pay for you are asked to make a charitable contribution, the amount of which is completely up to you, to one of the following charitable organizations (either a local chapter or the national organization):
Make A Wish Foundation
Institute for Objectivist Studies
South Hillsborough County Adult Day-Care
Project Inform
American Cancer Society
Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc.
The Nature Conservancy
American Red Cross
Green Peace
Any local public school
How do I get support?
Your first line of support should always be your Internet Service Provider's tech support department - after all, you are paying them for support - not us. This is especially important when it comes to configuration questions which are very time consuming to diagnose, especially remotely.
If you are having problems, you should first try comp.sys.mac.comm. If not there, try the home
page at http://www.rockstar.com. There may be help in the faq or pointers to other
sites. If everything else fails please send e-mail to sdagley@iu.net with a subject header of 'FreePPP Problem Report' and try to provide a detailed yet concise report of the problem.
Please do not call RockStar Studios or Apple Computer with FreePPP technical support questions. They cannot help you.
A note for ISDN users
FreePPP 2.5's logic for dealing with long distance dialing and area codes does not properly handle the double phone number sequence required for multi link PPP connections with ISDN terminal adapters like the Motorola BitSurfr Pro and Farallon Netopia ISDN modem. This will be addressed in FreePPP 2.5.1.
Compatibility Issues.
RAM Doubler
We have seen reports that RAM Doubler causes problems. We have not been able to reproduce problems with the latest version of RAM Doubler.
Apple Fax Extension
FreePPP is not compatible with Apple Fax Extension.
ConfigPPP
FreePPP v2.5 and greater is not compatible with older versions of FreePPP (pre 2.5) and
MacPPP 2.2 and earlier. The Internet Setup Monkey will remove them and
you should not put them back.
Third Party PPP Utilities
FreePPP 2.5 breaks a great deal of 3rd party utilities such as PPPop and
the PPP Control Strip. Please don't use these with FreePPP 2.5.
RockStar Studios has an SDK that they give away FREE to developers of
freeware products. If you are a developer of one of these utilities or want
to be one, go to http://www.rockstar.com to get information on the FreePPP
SDK.
Note: Please be patient, RockStar is working on the freeware license. Also note that
"freeware" means a product written for public consumption and available to the
Mac community at large.
Some changes from FreePPP 1.0.5 and other Free/MacPPP versions.
FreePPP 2.5 has many more connection options then other versions. When
installed FreePPP is set up to :
¥ Auto Detect your modem to come up with the best init string.
Not all modems are in the auto detect database. If your modem is not
detected read the Auto Detection Errors section of this document.
¥ Connect Directly (Use PAP or CHAP Authentication)
If you normally use a connection script or terminal session to connect, you
must set this option in the FreePPP Setup application included with FreePPP
2.5. To do so follow these steps:
1) Launch the FreePPP Setup application located in the FreePPP Folder on
your hard drive.
2) Expand the FreePPP Setup window and click on the "Accounts" tab.
3) Select your account (configuration) and click "Edit..."
4) Select the correct setting in the "Connect:" pop-up menu.
5) Close FreePPP Setup.
Auto Detection Errors
If FreePPP cannot detect your modem and you can't connect you will need to
specify an init string for your modem. To determine a valid init string
consult your modem manual or contact the maker of your particular modem. To
change your init string, follow these steps:
1) Launch the FreePPP Setup application located in the FreePPP Folder on
your hard drive.
2) Expand the FreePPP Setup window and click on the "Modem setup..." button.
3) Select "Per Server Init String".
4) Close the Modem Setup dialog.
5) Switch to the Accounts tab.
6) Select the service you want to modify and hit the "EditÉ" button.
7) Switch to the Connection tab and enter the modem init in the field provided.
8) Close the account configuration dialog.
9) Close FreePPP Setup.
A note from the FreePPP Group
There are two pieces to FreePPP 2.5, "FreePPP", the mdev that is in your
Extensions Folder, and "FreePPP Setup " the setup application that replaces
ConfigPPP.
FreePPP (the mdev) handles the connection and does all the dirty work
including displaying the connection dialog and connection alerts. This is a
very tricky piece of software that must get along with every aspect of the
Mac OS. So far it seems to play nicely.
FreePPP Setup is your interface to preferences that FreePPP uses to connect
etc. Post your comments on the new interface to comp.sys.mac.comm. We'll
be reading your posts and will definitely consider all of them.
The FreePPP Menu and FreePPP Control Strip Item are owned by RockStar
Studios Inc. They are included with FreePPP because they are very useful
and replace current shareware utilities that will break under this release
of FreePPP.
FreePPP 2.5 and MacPPP 2.2
Get rid of MacPPP 2.2 and use FreePPP 2.5. nuff said.
Latest news and information including a FAQ
For the latest news on FreePPP 2.5 go to http://www.rockstar.com.
There you will find the FreePPP FAQ and other tidbits of information.
We've strived to create the best PPP solution for the Macintosh and keep
it free and available. A lot of time and energy when into our creation and
we hope it shows when you use this software. Steve, Rick, Yan and the rest
of the group will be looking to comp.sys.mac.com and other Macintosh
publications anxiously awaiting your comments. Enjoy it!!
FreePPP, the FreePPP Icon and FreePPP Setup are copyrights owned by the FreePPP Group Inc.
RockStar Studios and the RockStar Studios Logo are Trademarks of RockStar Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.
All other product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Mention of non-FreePPP Group or RockStar Studios products is for informational purposes and constitutes neither anendorsement nor a recommendation. FreePPP Group and RockStar Studios assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance, or use of these products. Apple, Mac OS, and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
