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OS/2 Help File
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1999-03-04
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Introduction ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Welcome to NetLookout.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.1. What is it? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
NetLookout is an internet notifier. It will watch Web, FTP and Gopher sites,
and tell you if anything has changed. You can tell NetLookout how often you
want it to check a particular site, how you want it to notify you when
something at the site changes, and things that Lookout can ignore when it
checks a site.
Throughout this documentation, the "agents" or "bots" that track individual
sites are referred to as "Lookouts".
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Copyright Notice & Software License ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-----------------------------------------------------------------
DEFINITION OF SHAREWARE
Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it.
If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to
register. Individual programs differ on details -- some request registration
while others require it, some specify a maximum trial period. With
registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue using the
software to an updated program with printed manual.
Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software, and the
copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as stated
below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial
authors, and the programs are of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are
good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of
distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy and distribute
the software, either to all and sundry or to a specific group. For example,
some authors require written permission before a commercial disk vendor may
copy their Shareware.
Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should find
software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's commercial or
Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs easier, because you
can try before you buy. And because the overhead is low, prices are low also.
Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the
product, you don't pay for it.
DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT
Users of NetLookout must accept this disclaimer of warranty: "NetLookout is
supplied as is. The author disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied,
including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness
for any purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or conse-
quential, which may result from the use of NetLookout."
NetLookout is a "shareware program" and is provided at no charge to the user
for evaluation. Feel free to share it with your friends, but please do not
give it away altered or as part of another system. The essence of
"user-supported" software is to provide personal computer users with quality
software without high prices, and yet to provide incentive for programmers to
continue to develop new products. If you find this program useful and find
that you are using NetLookout and continue to use NetLookout after a reasonable
trial period, you must make a reg- istration payment of US$20 to Frugal
Software, Inc.. The US$20 registration fee will license one copy for use on
any one computer at any one time. You must treat this software just like a
book. An example is that this software may be used by any number of people and
may be freely moved from one computer location to another, so long as there is
no possibility of it being used at one location while it's being used at
another. Just as a book cannot be read by two different persons at the same
time.
Commercial users of NetLookout must register and pay for their copies of
NetLookout within 30 days of first use or their license is withdrawn.
Site-License arrangements may be made by con- tacting Frugal Software, Inc..
Anyone distributing NetLookout for any kind of remuneration must first contact
Frugal Software, Inc. at the address below for authorization. This
authorization will be automatically granted to distributors recognized by the
Frugal Software, Inc. as adhering to its guidelines for shareware distributors,
and such distributors may begin offering NetLookout immediately (However Frugal
Software, Inc. must still be advised so that the distributor can be kept
up-to-date with the latest version of Lookout.).
You are encouraged to pass a copy of NetLookout along to your friends for
evaluation. Please encourage them to register their copy if they find that
they can use it. All registered users will receive a copy of the latest
version of the NetLookout system.
This document is a legal agreement between you and Frugal Software, Inc. Use
of the accompanying software ("SOFTWARE") indicates your acceptance of these
terms.
LICENSE GRANT.
This SOFTWARE as well as any accompanying documents are proprietary products of
Frugal Software, Inc. and are protected under international copyright laws.
This SOFTWARE as well as any accompanying documents remain the property of
Frugal Software Incorporated. This SOFTWARE is provided to you AS IS and
Frugal Software, Inc. makes no warranties.
Without the express permission of Frugal Software, Inc. you may not
1. Install or use this SOFTWARE for multiple user, networks or multiple
computer applications in absence of individual licenses from Frugal Software,
Inc.
2. Translate, emulate, reverse program, disassemble, decompile, reduce, or
otherwise reverse engineer the SOFTWARE.
3. Use, copy, modify, alter, transfer, electronically or otherwise, the
SOFTWARE or documentation except as expressly allowed in this agreement.
4. Sublicense or lease this SOFTWARE or its documentation.
TERMINATION
This license is effective from your date of purchase and shall remain in force
until terminated. You may terminate this license and this agreement at any
time by destroying the SOFTWARE and its documenation, together with all copies
in any form. Frugal Software, Inc. may terminate the license should you fail to
comply with this agreement. In such case, you shall destroy the SOFTWARE and
its documentation, together with all copies in any form.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Using NetLookout ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Using NetLookout
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1. The Main Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The main window in NetLookout consists of a list of sites and information about
them, a menu bar, a status bar, and optionally, a tool bar. When NetLookout
starts, it will display the message "Initializing..." in the status bar. Once
all of the Lookouts have been created, the "Initializing..." message will be
erased.
The list of Lookouts contains fivecolumns:
Column Description
-Icon- Icon representing the Lookout, either Web, FTP or Gopher.
Can also display icons according to the Lookout's status.
See What do the status icons mean?
-Description- Description of the Lookout
-Status- The current status of the Lookout
-Last Checked- The date and time that the Lookout last checked it's site.
-Last Changed- The date and time that the site last changed.
The very first time you start the program, there will be no Lookouts
displayed. A dialog will be displayed that will ask you if you want to import
Lookouts from other programs. Otherwise, you can add Lookouts by creating
them yourself, dragging them from Netscape or your desktop, or importing them
from a bookmark file.
The -Status- column can have several values:
No change - The Lookout did not detect any changes the last time it
checked the site.
Changed! - Something has changed at the site.
Checking... - The Lookout is currently checking the site...
Host unavailable - The host is not responding to requests. You may check
the site again after a little while, to see if the host is responding.
Doc not found - Only for Web Lookouts. The requested document was not
found on the server. Edit the Lookout, and check the URL for
correctness.
Please reset connection - This is more serious. This can be caused by
either: The host name you entered when you created the Lookout is
invalid, or your Domain Name Server cannot resolve the host name you
entered. When you see a Lookout with this status, first try to reset it
by selecting "Reset Host" from the popup menu. If this works, the
Lookout's status will be reset to "No change". If this doesn't work, you
will hear a low-pitched beep, and the status will remain "Please reset
host". At this point, you need to edit the Lookout, and correct the host
name.
Error - This is usually caused by an FTP error. A message box should
display, giving you more information.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.2. Creating Lookouts ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
If you want NetLookout to tell you when a site has changed, you need to create
a Lookout to watch that particular site. Lookouts can watch Web, FTP or Gopher
sites.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.2.1. Creating a Web Lookout ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
To create a Web Lookout, select "Lookout | New | Web... " from the pulldown
menu, or use the shortcut key, Ctrl-W. This will display the "Web Lookout
Settings" dialog:
Description - This will be displayed in the -Description- field in the
main list.
URL - The address of the page to watch, something like
"http://www.polyex.com" ( without the quotes ).
Check every - How often you want this Lookout to check the site. The
first field is the number, the second is the units. So, if you want the
site checked once a day, you would enter "1" in the first field, then
select the pulldown list and choose "Day(s)".
Notification - How you want to be notified when this site changes. You
have the following options:
- Execute program - An executable or .cmd file will be run every time
this site changes. To run a .cmd file, you must use cmd.exe as the
program name, and pass it at least the following parameters: /C "
cmdfile.cmd ". Within the quotes, you can include any of the
parameters listed under Web Client Parameters
-- Command Line & Parameters - Enter the command line of the
program you want to run. Use the same tags for information
about this Lookout as are used in the Global Web Lookout
settings page of the Settings notebook
- Message box - A message box with the description of this site will
be displayed when this site changes.
- Play tone - Two tones will be played through the PC speaker when
this site changes.
- Play sound file - A "wave" file will be played whenever this site
changes. You can specify the "wave" file to play by entering the
file name ( including path ) in the entry field below this check
box, or you can select the "..." button to browse for a sound file.
- Send an email - When this site changes, an email message will be
sent to the address(es) in the entry field. You must have an SMTP
Host specified on the Preferences page of the Settings notebook
More... - Displays the "More Web Settings" dialog box:
Ignore tokens with these characters - Select this check box if you want
this Lookout to ignore certain HTML tags and tokens on this site. You
can enter the tokens you want ignored, one on each line, in the field
below this check box. Good HTML tags to ignore are "img src" and
"cgi-bin". These tags are used in most dynamically generated web page
features.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.2.2. Creating an FTP Lookout ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
To create an FTP Lookout, select "Lookout | New | FTP..." from the pulldown
menu, or use the shortcut key, Ctrl-F. This will display the "FTP Lookout
Settings" dialog:
Description - This will be displayed in the -Description- field in the
main list.
Host - The name of the FTP server, like "ftp.cdrom.com", without the
quotes.
Port - The port that the server is watching for FTP connections.
Defaults to 21, and you shouldn't have to change it.
Username - The name you use to log in to the server. For anonymous FTP
connections, use "anonymous", without the quotes. To change the default
user name and password for FTP Lookouts, go to the Settings notebook.
Password - The password you use to log in. For anonymous FTP
connections, use your e-mail address.
Directory - The directory on the server that you want this Lookout to
watch. Defaults to the root directory, or "/".
Check every - How often you want this Lookout to check the site. The
first field is the number, the second is the units. So, if you want the
site checked once a day, you would enter "1" in the first field, then
select the pulldown list and choose "Day(s)".
Notification - How you want to be notified when this site changes. You
have the following options:
- Execute program - An executable or .cmd file will be run every time
this site changes. To run a .cmd file, you must use cmd.exe as the
program name, and pass it at least the following parameters: /C "
cmdfile.cmd ". Within the quotes, you can include any of the
parameters listed under FTP Client Parameters
-- Command Line & Parameters - Enter the command line of the
program you want to run. Use the same tags for information
about this Lookout as are used in the Global FTP Lookout
settings page of the Settings notebook
- Message box - A message box with the description of this site will
be displayed when this site changes.
- Play tone - Two tones will be played through the PC speaker when
this site changes.
- Play sound file - A "wave" file will be played whenever this site
changes. You can specify the "wave" file to play by entering the
file name ( including path ) in the entry field below this check
box, or you can select the "..." button to browse for a sound file.
- Send an email - When this site changes, an email message will be
sent to the address(es) in the entry field. You must have an SMTP
Host specified on the Preferences page of the Settings notebook
More... - Displays the "More FTP Settings" dialog box:
Look for file - Select this check box if you want this Lookout to watch
for a certain file. Enter the file name in the field to the right of
this check box.
Ignore these files - Select this check box if you want this Lookout to
ignore certain files when determining if the site has changed. Enter the
file names, or parts of file names, on separate lines in the multi-line
field below this check box.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.2.3. Creating a Gopher Lookout ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
To create a Gopher Lookout, select "Lookout | New | Gopher..." from the
pulldown menu, or use the shortcut key, Ctrl-G. This will display the "Gopher
Lookout Settings" dialog:
Description - This will be displayed in the -Description- field in the
main list.
Host - The name of the Gopher server, like "gopher.micro.umn.edu",
without the quotes.
Port - The port that the server is watching for Gopher connections.
Defaults to 70, and you shouldn't have to change it.
Selection string - The string that denotes what directory or document you
want watched. Defaults to a line feed / carriage return.
Check every - How often you want this Lookout to check the site. The
first field is the number, the second is the units. So, if you want the
site checked once a day, you would enter "1" in the first field, then
select the pulldown list and choose "Day(s)".
Notification - How you want to be notified when this site changes. You
have the following options:
- Execute program - An executable or .cmd file will be run every time
this site changes. To run a .cmd file, you must use cmd.exe as the
program name, and pass it at least the following parameters: /C "
cmdfile.cmd ". Within the quotes, you can include any of the
parameters listed under Gopher Client Parameters
-- Command Line & Parameters - Enter the command line of the
program you want to run. Use the same tags for information
about this Lookout as are used in the Global Gopher Lookout
settings page of the Settings notebook
- Message box - A message box with the description of this site will
be displayed when this site changes.
- Play tone - Two tones will be played through the PC speaker when
this site changes.
- Play sound file - A "wave" file will be played whenever this site
changes. You can specify the "wave" file to play by entering the
file name ( including path ) in the entry field below this check
box, or you can select the "..." button to browse for a sound file.
- Send an email - When this site changes, an email message will be
sent to the address(es) in the entry field. You must have an SMTP
Host specified on the Preferences page of the Settings notebook
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.3. What do the status icons mean? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
When you select the menu option Display | Use status icons, the icon for each
Lookout reflects that Lookout's status. Here are the possible icons and their
descriptions:
No change, no activity.
Lookout is checking it's site.
The site has changed.
The host was reached, but there was a problem. Highlight the Lookout to
display it's status in the status bar.
The site could not be reached. For FTP and Gopher Lookouts, check the
host in the Lookout Settings dialog. For Web Lookouts, check the URL in
the Lookout Settings dialog.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4. Checking sites ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Lookouts will check their sites automatically at the intervals you specify. If
you want to check a site yourself, you have a few options.
First, you can highlight the Lookout's line in the list, then select "Lookout |
Check" from the pulldown menu.
Or, you can right-click on the Lookout's line and select "Check" from the popup
menu.
You can use the shortcut key, Ctrl-C, to check the currently highlighted
Lookout.
Or, if you want to check all of the Lookouts at once, you can select "Actions |
Check All" from the pulldown menu.
You can use the shortcut key, Ctrl-Shift-C, to check all of the Lookouts.
While the Lookout is checking the site, the status of that site in the list of
Lookouts is "Checking...".
If the site has not changed, the status of that site in the list of Lookouts
will be set to "No change".
If the site changes, the status of that site in the list of Lookouts will be
set to "Changed!".
If, for some reason, the site cannot be reached, the status of that site in the
list will be set to "Host Unavailable".
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.5. The Settings Notebook ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The following pages are available on the Settings notebook:
FTP Settings - Global FTP Lookout settings.
Web Settings - Global Web Lookout settings.
Gopher Settings - Global Gopher Lookout settings.
Global Overrides - Global notification overrides.
Preferences - Preferences.
Defaults - Defaults.
Proxies - Proxies.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.5.1. Global FTP Lookout settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
FTP Client - The program to use to view FTP sites. If the program is not
in a directory in your PATH, then you need to enter the full path in the
FTP Client field. Defaults to FTPPM.EXE
Browse - Pushing this button displays the file open dialog box, which you
can use to locate the program to view FTP sites with.
FTP Client Parameters - The command-line parameters you want passed to
the FTP Client. NetLookout can pass the following, using this format:
- %host - The FTP host.
- %user - The user name.
- %password - The password.
- %dir - The directory to view.
- %port - The port that the FTP host is listening on.
- %URL - The Universal Resource Locator (URL) of the site. Use this
if you use a web browser to view your FTP sites.
- %desc - The description of the site.
Reset - Resets the FTP Client and FTP Client Parameters fields to the
values they contained when the dialog was displayed.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.5.2. Global Web Lookout settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Web Client - The program to use to view Web sites. If the program is not
in a directory in your PATH, then you need to enter the full path in the
Web Client field. Defaults to NETSCAPE.EXE
Browse - Pushing this button displays the file open dialog box, which you
can use to locate the program to view Web sites with.
Web Client Parameters - The command-line parameters you want passed to
the Web Client. NetLookout can pass the following, using this format:
- %URL - The Universal Resource Locator (URL) of the site
- %desc - The description of the site.
Reset - Resets the Web Client and Web Client Parameters fields to the
values they contained when the dialog was displayed.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.5.3. Global Gopher Lookout settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Gopher Client - The program to use to view Gopher sites. If the program
is not in a directory in your PATH, then you need to enter the full path
in the Gopher Client field. Defaults to GOPHER.EXE
Browse - Pushing this button displays the file open dialog box, which you
can use to locate the program to view Gopher sites with.
Gopher Client Parameters - The command-line parameters you want passed to
the Gopher Client. NetLookout can pass the following, using this format:
- %host - The Gopher host.
- %port - The port that the Gopher host is listening on.
- %selector - The selector string of the directory or file you want
watched.
- %URL - The Universal Resource Locator (URL) of the site. Use this
if you use a web browser to view your Gopher sites.
- %desc - The description of the site.
Reset - Resets the Gopher Client and Gopher Client Parameters fields to
the values they contained when the dialog was displayed.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.5.4. Global Overrides ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Message Box Overrides - Spin button to override notifications by message
box. Values are "Don't override message boxes", "Show message boxes for
all Lookouts", and "Don't show message boxes for any Lookouts". The
first option doesn't change anything, the second will display a message
box whenever any Lookout changes, and the third will not display message
boxes for any Lookouts when they change.
Tones Overrides - Spin button to override notifications by playing tones.
Values are "Don't override tones", "Play tones for all Lookouts", and
"Don't play tones for any Lookouts". The first option doesn't change
anything, the second will play tones whenever any Lookout changes, and
the third will not play tones for any Lookouts when they change.
Sound File Overrides - Spin button to override notifications by playing
sound files. Values are "Don't override sound files", "Play sound file
for all Lookouts", and "Don't play sound files for any Lookouts". The
first option doesn't change anything, the second will play a specified
sound file whenever any Lookout changes, and the third will not play
sound files for any Lookouts when they change.
Sound File - Entry field for the sound file to play as part of the
override. Enter the full path and name of the sound file, or use the
"Browse" button.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.5.5. Preferences ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Check Lookouts after they've changed. - Check this box if you want
NetLookout to automatically check sites that changed the last time they
were checked. This defaults to off.
Check all Lookouts on program startup - Check this box if you want all
Lookouts checked every time you start the program.
Show Settings Dialog on drag'n'drop only when needed - Check this box to
have the Settings Dialog display on drag'n'drop only when the object(s)
being dropped do not have a description.
Connection time-out - How long a Lookout should try to connect to a host.
Maximum number of connections - How many Lookouts will be checked at one
time. Decrease if you have a slow internet connection ( 5 connections is
a good number for a 28.8 modem ).
Your email address - Just what it says. This address is used for the
"From" and "Reply-To" fields of any email notifications sent.
SMTP Host - Name of the SMTP host to use for sending email notifications.
Port - Port of the SMTP host. Default is 25.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.5.6. Defaults ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The values entered on this page define the default values for new Lookouts.
These values will either be pre-filled into the "Create" dialogs, or will be
used when Lookouts are imported from another program.
Default FTP User Name - This user name will be filled in on the "FTP
Settings" dialog box when you create a new FTP Lookout.
Default FTP Password - This password will be filled in on the "FTP
Settings" dialog box when you create a new FTP Lookout.
Check Every - How often you want Lookouts to check their site. The first
field is the number, the second is the units. So, if you want the
program to default to checking sites once a day, you would enter "1" in
the first field, then select the combo box and choose "Day(s)".
Notification - How you want to be notified when a site changes. You have
the following options:
- Execute program - An executable or .cmd file will be run every time
a site changes.
- Message box - A message box with the description of the site will be
displayed when a site changes.
- Play tone - Two tones will be played through the PC speaker when a
site changes.
- Play sound file - A "wave" file will be played whenever a site
changes. You can specify the "wave" file to play by entering the
file name ( including path ) in the entry field next to this check
box, or you can select the "Browse..." button to browse for a sound
file.
- Send an email - When this site changes, an email message will be
sent to the address(es) in the entry field. You must have an SMTP
Host specified on the Preferences page of the Settings notebook
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.5.7. Proxies ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Use HTTP Proxy - Check this box if you connect to the Internet through a
proxy.
Host - Enter the IP address or host name of the proxy.
Port - Enter the port number that the proxy is listening on.
Needs User Name & Password - Check this box if you must enter a user name
and password when you connect to the proxy.
User Name - Enter your proxy user name.
Password - Enter your proxy password.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.6. Importing Lookouts ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
NetLookout can import bookmarks and favorites from the following programs:
Connexion Collection Version 1.x
EmTec FTP
FTP Browser
IBM WebExplorer
Lookout Version 1.x
Netscape Navigator Versions 2.x through 4.x
Opera Web Browser Versions 2.x through 3.x
VxFTP
Web Navigator Versions 1.x through 2.x
Also, NetLookout can import links from any HTML file.
To import bookmarks from another program, do the following:
1. From the menu bar, select "Actions | Import".
2. The Import Lookouts dialog is displayed.
3. From the combo box, select the program to import from.
4. Enter the path to the bookmark file, or select Browse... and locate the
bookmark file.
5. Select the Import file to list below button. All of the bookmarks in the
selected file will be added to the list box.
6. Choose the bookmarks to import by selecting from the list, or use the
Select All and Deselect All buttons.
7. When all of the bookmarks you want to import are highlighted, select the
Add Selections Now button. Lookouts will be created for the highlighted
bookmarks, using the default settings from the Defaults page of the
Settings notebook
8. To import more bookmarks, select the Clear List button, and start again.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.7. Running NetLookout Unattended ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
To run NetLookout in "batch" or "unattended" mode, add the "/batch" parameter
after "netlook". This causes NetLookout to run minimized, check all of the
sites in it's list, then exit.
To have NetLookout write the results to a text file, add the "/text <text file
name>" parameter to the command line, and replace "<text file name>" with the
full path to the text file you want created.
To have NetLookout write the results to an HTML file, add the "/html <html file
name>" parameter to the command line, and replace "<html file name>" with the
full path to the HTML file you want created.
To have NetLookout notify you that it's finished by playing a WAV file, instead
of displaying a message box, add the "/wav <wav file name>" parameter to the
command line, and replace "<wav file name>" with the full path of the WAV file
you want played.
Here's a sample command line, using all of the above switches:
netlook.exe /batch /text c:\output.txt /html d:\netscape\home.htm /wav
e:\sounds\groovy.wav
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Problems & Suggestions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Please send any bug reports or suggestions for improvements to:
Chris Kennedy
ckennedy@frugalsoft.com
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Registering ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
For more information, see the file "register.txt" included with this
distribution.
If you find NetLookout useful, we would appreciate it if you registered.
Registration costs US$20.
Registration entitles you to free updates through version 2.99999...
You can register through:
BMT Micro
http://www.bmtmicro.com
Orders: (800) 414-4268
orders@bmtmicro.com
When you register, you will be given a user name and a registration key. When
running NetLookout, select "Help | Register...".
The Registration dialog is displayed. Enter the user name and key you received
EXACTLY the way you received it. If you used the right key, the start-up nag
screen will no longer display.
Frugal Software