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- The Premium Offline Message Base Manager - TM
v1.10
SPEED READ, Copyright (c) 1991-92, J.E. Smith, All rights reserved.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ...................................................... 1
Features .......................................................... 2
Distribution ...................................................... 3
Quick Start Installation .......................................... 4
Configuring SPEED ................................................. 5
General Setup ................................................ 6
Toggles/Options .............................................. 10
Colors, Edit Picklists and User Hot-Keys...................... 13
Using SPEED READ - A Sample Session ............................... 14
Help System and Popup Menus........................................ 17
Hot-Keys .......................................................... 18
BBS List Window ................................................... 20
Conference/Area Window ............................................ 22
Read Message Screen ............................................... 25
Read Replies Screen ............................................... 32
Entering and Replying To Messages ................................. 33
Picklists ......................................................... 35
Taglines .......................................................... 36
Twit Filter and Word Censor ....................................... 37
Fido Mode ......................................................... 38
Command Line Arguments ............................................ 39
Text Editing ...................................................... 40
Technical Support and Upgrade Policy .............................. 41
Kudos ............................................................. 42
License Agreement and Other Legal Matters ......................... 43
Error Messages .................................................... 44
Commonly Asked Questions and Answers .............................. 45
INTRODUCTION SPEED v1.10 pg. -1-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to SPEED READ! SPEED is a next-generation offline QWK
compatible message manager. Unlike most of the leading offline mail
readers, SPEED allows you to combine incoming mail packets with an
existing message base. This provides you with seamless access to older
messages, much like you would have when reading messages on-line.
The real beauty of SPEED is in its user interface. SPEED was designed
to make you feel right at home from the very first time you use it.
Every attempt was made to structure the key sequences in a logical
manner. To aid in learning SPEED, popup menus are available in many
places by pressing the (/) key.
An extensive, on-line, context-sensitive, hyper-text, help system is
always just one key away. Whenever you have a question, just press
(F1) for detailed help. It's like always having the manual open to
the right page.
Many new features are planned for future versions of SPEED. However,
they can only be implemented with your support. The registered version
of SPEED does not require you to enter a 5-digit access code at start
up. It removes the ending screen and your registration number will
appear in your taglines where [NR] is currently displayed. Also,
registered versions come with a "Special Bonus Thing". If you've never
had one, you're in for a treat!
The cost of SPEED is $25 (US funds). Include $5 shipping and handling
for orders outside the United States. Add $5 if you require SPEED on a
3-1/2" disk. A completed and signed order form MUST accompany each
order. The order form is found in the file ORDER.FRM, or you can print
one by pressing (ALT-O) within SPEED.
Orders are processed as they are received. Generally, orders are
shipped within 7 days. However, please allow 2-8 weeks for delivery
from the time your order is mailed.
A lot of thought and time went into the design of SPEED. I think you
will find it both intuitive and easy to use.
FEATURES SPEED v1.10 pg. -2-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPEED treats offline reading much like a BBS. It allows you to specify
a number of old messages to keep in each conference and each new packet
updates the message base. This allows you to seamlessly access old
messages while reading the new ones. By setting the number of old
messages to zero you can use SPEED as a conventional offline mail
reader (See the CTRL-F2 command in the CONFERENCE/AREA WINDOW section).
SPEED allows you to delete individual messages or mark them for long-
term storage. You may easily delete all the messages in a particular
conference, or mark them as read or unread. It keeps up with which
messages you have read and which messages came in the last packet.
SPEED includes a twit filter that prevents selected messages in the
message base from being displayed. It also includes a censor to keep
you from seeing certain words.
The emphasis of SPEED is ease of use on small to medium sized message
bases. Every effort was made to make SPEED user-friendly. It offers
a comprehensive, on-line, context-sensitive, hyper-text help system
and convenient popup menus.
Other features include:
- Command line option to auto-import QWK packets.
- Ability to read messages in thread order *WITHOUT* sorting.
- Option to compress the message base to save disk space.
- Automatic multiple packet import (by date -- oldest packet first).
- Option to swap out to XMS/EMS/DISK before running external programs.
- Support for up to 50,000 taglines.
- Ability to steal any line of text as a tagline.
- External tagline support (JH, etc.).
- Decrypt JH2 encrypted taglines.
- Reply recovery, in case of a system crash.
- Smart quoting option.
- Save individual messages to a text file.
- Print individual messages.
- User-defined picklists, (to, subject, save file, etc.).
- Advanced searching features within the picklists.
- Popup menus, while you're learning the program.
- Advanced threading based on subject or reference number.
- Support for 3000-4000 conferences (depending on the system).
- FIDO mode option by BBS, and auto-detection.
- Automatic pruning of message base (and manual pruning).
- Support for external lister and editor.
- 10 user-defined hot-keys.
- Text search within message base.
- RIME routing.
- Splitting of long replies, and subsequent merging for re-editing.
- "Special Bonus Thing" for registered users.
- ...and many more.
DISTRIBUTION SPEED v1.10 pg. -3-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPEED is distributed as shareware. It is *NOT* public domain, freeware
or "free software". You may evaluate SPEED for 30 days, after which
you must either register it or stop using it. Registration is required
for use in a business, government or institutional setting.
Unaltered copies of SPEED's *original* shareware distribution archive
may be freely copied and shared with others as long as no fee is
charged to do so. It may be uploaded to local and national BBS's.
Anyone desiring to distribute SPEED by charging a per disk fee
(i.e. disk vendors) must obtain written permission from the author,
J.E. Smith, before doing so.
SPEED may be distributed via subscription BBS's as long as no inference
is made that the subscription in any way pays for the use or evaluation
of SPEED.
QUICK START INSTALLATION SPEED v1.10 pg. -4-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This section assumes you are installing SPEED onto a hard disk. Since
SPEED is disk intensive and its message bases require a greater amount
of storage than conventional non-message base readers, it is not
recommended that you run SPEED using floppy disks.
Make a subdirectory off the root directory for your SPEED files and
extract the archive into it. You should *NEVER* run SPEED from the
root directory of any drive. If you have registered SPEED, make sure
your CONFIG.SR file is in your SPEED directory (the same directory
where SR.EXE is). Start SPEED by typing:
SR (ENTER)
If SPEED cannot locate a copy of PKZIP and PKUNZIP it will terminate,
and let you know it could not find these needed files. If that happens
make sure that PKZIP.EXE and PKUNZIP.EXE are in your defined path, and
you have not renamed them. Since SPEED will need to access the ZIP
programs from various directories, the programs should be in a
directory included within your path, not just in your SPEED directory.
Assuming the ZIP utilities are located, you are greeted with a new user
window. It lets you know that certain settings must be defined before
SPEED will allow you to continue. To display the General Configuration
screen, press (TAB). Fill in the required information for each of the
fields. Use the up and down arrows to move to another field. Don't
forget if you have any questions, press (F1) for a detailed help screen.
The most important information to enter is:
New Packet Directory - This tells SPEED where to look for
unprocessed mail.
Reply Packet Directory - This tells SPEED where to put your replies
(.REP files) so your communication program
can find them to upload.
External Editor - This version of SPEED does not come with
an editor. You must provide your own that
processes ASCII files. Note that the "%s"
should go where the filename to edit would
normally go and it should be lower case.
External Lister - Though not required, this is nice to have.
SPEED has a limited internal lister that
allows you to view Welcome, News and other
BBS screens.
The three items above, excluding the External Lister, are all that you
need to start SPEED. However, as you become more comfortable with
SPEED you will want to customize it to meet your personal preferences.
You may change the configuration at any time by pressing (ALT-C), and
selecting the area you want to configure. See the CONFIGURING SPEED
section for complete details.
CONFIGURING SPEED SPEED v1.10 pg. -5-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
You may change SPEED's configuration at any time by pressing (ALT-C).
This will display a menu from which you can choose a specific area
to configure. When colors are changed, it may be necessary to leave
an area before the changes are noticeable.
The following options are available from this menu:
General Setup
This is the screen you saw when SPEED was run for the first time.
It is used to change many of SPEED's general settings, such as
upload/download directories, message editor, quote string, etc.
To select an item to change use the up and down arrows to move the
highlight bar. The settings on some items are toggled by pressing
the space bar, while others require you to directly enter text. See
the GENERAL SETUP section for more information.
Toggles/Options
The Toggles/Options screen allows you to select your preference on
several aspects of SPEED, such as the twit filter, censor, beeping
on personal messages, swapping to high memory before running external
programs, etc. See the TOGGLES/OPTIONS section for more information.
Select Colors
From this screen you can change SPEED's default colors. Note that
you will only see the changes as new windows and screens are
displayed. See the COLORS, EDIT PICKLIST AND USER HOT-KEYS section
for more information.
Picklists
A picklist is a convenient way to choose an item. Some picklists
allow you to enter commonly used entries. These include taglines,
To: fields, Subject: fields, save files, twits and censored words.
(ALT-L) displays a menu of these, from which you can choose a
specific picklist to edit. Once a picklist is chosen, you may add
new entries, delete unwanted entries and/or edit existing entries.
Use the up and down arrows to highlight the desired picklist, then
(ENTER) to select the highlighted item. For more information please
see the PICKLISTS section.
User Hot-Keys
SPEED supports 10 user-defined hot-keys. They allow you to execute
any program or DOS command by pressing (ALT-F1 to ALT-F10). See
the COLORS, EDIT PICKLIST AND USER HOT-KEYS section for more
information.
CONFIGURING SPEED
GENERAL SETUP SPEED v1.10 pg. -6-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIRECTORIES
New Packets:
This item tells SPEED where to look for new message packets.
Normally this is the same directory as your communication program's
download directory. When entering the directory you should use the
full path name, including the drive. For example:
New Packets: C:/DOWNLOAD/
Reply Packets:
This item tells SPEED where to put your reply packets. If your
communications program has an upload directory, you should use that,
or you may choose to use the same directory as your communications
program. When entering the directory you should use the full path
name, including the drive. For example:
Reply Packets: C:/COMPRG/
QUOTING
Initials:
SPEED offers three different styles of quoting messages, dependent
upon how initials are used; First, All and None. Press the space
bar to toggle through the choices.
- FIRST
JS> This is an example of "First". Notice that the initials
> are only displayed on the first quoted line of each
> paragraph.
- ALL (*ALL will quote blank lines also)
JS> This is an example of the "All" option. It displays
JS> initials on every quoted line. This is the most
JS> common style.
- NONE (*NONE will quote blank lines also)
> "None" does not use any initials. This can be very
> confusing when there are several quotes from different
> people.
CONFIGURING SPEED
GENERAL SETUP -- continued SPEED v1.10 pg. -7-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quote String:
The quote string is the text placed between the initials (if any)
and the message text. The most common character used is the '>'
symbol.
Some networks (such as FidoNet) do not allow high bit characters
(those greater than 127) and control characters (those less than
32). While in the Fido mode, SPEED will replace a quote string
containing high bit characters with the quote string "> ".
*NEVER USE VALUE 227 (the pi symbol), THIS IS A QWK CONTROL
CHARACTER*
High bit and control characters are entered by holding down the
(ALT) key and entering the desired character's ASCII value using
the numeric key pad. For example, to generate the "block"
character, press the (ALT) key, enter 254 on the numeric keypad and
then release the (ALT) key. For a complete list of available values
please refer to an ASCII chart located in most computer manuals.
Press (F1) while in this field to see a list of popular values.
Smart Quoting:
With smart quoting toggled On, SPEED will not quote quotes when you
reply to a message. In most instances this improves the readability
of a message. Press the space bar to toggle this option On and Off.
Presented below are examples of each.
Without Smart Quoting: BB>SS>BB> Hi Steve, how's it going?
BB>SS> Very good Bill. How about you?
BB> Just fine.
With Smart Quoting: BB> Hi Steve, how's it going?
SS> Very good Bill. How about you?
BB> Just fine.
CONFIGURING SPEED
GENERAL SETUP -- continued SPEED v1.10 pg. -8-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXTERNAL PROGRAMS
Editor:
Enter here the DOS command needed to start your text editor
including all command line options (see below). If your editor is
not located within your PATH, the full path should be included
along with the program's name. It is not necessary to specify an
extension. The editor should read and write ASCII text files.
You should always have at least 1 command line option, %s. Use %s
(the %s must be lower case) where the file name to edit would go.
SPEED will replace %s with the actual file name. The %s MUST be
included, even if the editor does not accept command line options.
EXAMPLES: Editor: MYEDITOR %s
Editor: C:/UTILITY/MYEDITOR /bw %s
Editor: C:/UTILITY/MYEDITOR.EXE %s -ems
Lister:
Enter here the DOS command needed to start your external file lister
including command line options (see below). If the lister is not
located within your PATH, the path should be included along with the
program's name. It is not necessary to specify an extension.
A lister allows you to view text files. The lister can be called
via the (ALT-V) hot-key. The lister is not necessary to use SPEED.
You should always have at least 1 command line option, %s. Use %s
(%s must be lower case) where the file name to list would go.
SPEED will replace %s with the actual file name. The %s MUST be
included, even if the lister does not accept command line options.
EXAMPLES: Lister: MYLISTER %s
Lister: C:/UTILITY/MYLISTER /bw %s
Lister: C:/UTILITY/MYLISTER.EXE %s -ems
CONFIGURING SPEED
GENERAL SETUP -- continued SPEED v1.10 pg. -9-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tagline Mgr:
SPEED supports external tagline managers, such as the popular John
Hancock program. Other similar programs are also supported.
Enter here the DOS command needed to start your external tagline
manager. Include all command line options, if any. The executable
program(s) and any supporting data files should be placed in the
same directory as your SPEED executable (SR.EXE). It is not
necessary to specify an extension.
The program is invoked from within the Message Header window by
pressing (F9).
EXAMPLE: Tagline Mgr: JH
Tag Ret. File:
External tagline managers, such as John Hancock, let SPEED know
which tagline was chosen by placing it in a special return file.
In the case of John Hancock, the file name is always JH?.REP. Like
in DOS the '?' is a wildcard, which means it can be any character.
Enter the name of the return file used by your external tagline
manager. You may include wildcards ('*' and '?'), if necessary.
Do NOT include a path unless the return file is in a directory other
than the one containing SR.EXE and your tagline manager.
NOTE: It is not necessary for JH users to complete this option. JH
will work with this field blank or completed as shown below in
the example.
EXAMPLE: Tag Ret. File: JH*.REP
CONFIGURING SPEED
TOGGLES/OPTIONS SPEED v1.10 pg. -10-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Use the up and down arrows to select the item you want to change.
Don't forget that help is available for each item by pressing (F1).
You can toggle through the available options by pressing the space bar.
Below is a description of each of the items.
Twit Filter:
Each time you enter a conference or message area, SPEED loads the
message index for that area. If the Twit Filter option is "On",
all messages with a To:, From: or Subj: matching an entry in your
twit list are marked as twits. These messages are hidden from you.
To later read the twitted messages, set this option to "Off" and
re-enter the conference. Twits are defined with the (ALT-L)
command. Select "Off" if no twits are defined.
Censor:
If the Censor option is "On", SPEED checks each message for
offending words. If any are found, each character in the word is
replaced with the '%' character. If you want to read messages
uncensored, set this option to "Off", and you will see them as
originally posted. Censored words are defined by the user with the
(ALT-L) command. Select "Off" if no censored words are defined.
Personal Beep:
If you want SPEED to beep each time the displayed message is
addressed to you, select "On", otherwise select "Off".
Delete *.Q!*:
When SPEED adds a .QWK packet to your message base, it renames the
old *.QW* file to a file with an extension of *.Q!*. Once processed
successfully, the old .QWK file is no longer needed by SPEED.
If you want SPEED to delete processed mail packets before exiting
to DOS, select "On", otherwise select "Off". If "On" is selected,
all files in the download directory matching the DOS wildcard
expression of "*.Q!*" are deleted.
Edit Header:
When entering a new message, or replying to an old one, SPEED needs
to know certain information such as who the message is to, the
subject of the message, message status, area, etc. You tell SPEED
this information in the Message Header Window. This toggle lets
you determine when this information is requested.
Before - Enter information BEFORE a message is entered.
After - Enter information AFTER a message is entered.
Both - Enter information BOTH before and after editing a
message.
The "Both" option allows you to enter the information before the
message is edited, and then change it after editing the message.
This is useful if you decide to change the subject or tagline to
reflect the content of your message.
CONFIGURING SPEED
TOGGLES/OPTIONS -- continued SPEED v1.10 pg. -11-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Swapping:
When this option is toggled "On", SPEED is moved out of conventional
memory before external programs (such as your editor, compressor,
and DOS command processor) are executed. This frees more memory
for the external program. SPEED will attempt to swap itself to high
memory first. If there is not enough memory, it will attempt to
swap itself to disk. Toggle this option by pressing the space bar.
The advantage to swapping, as stated above, is the increased memory
capacity afforded the external program. However, it will take
longer to execute the program because of the time needed to remove
SPEED from conventional memory. Disk swaps take longer than memory
swaps. Therefore, if your applications will run without swapping,
it is to your advantage to leave this option toggled Off.
Snow Control:
SPEED uses direct screen writes to display text. This is much faster
than other available methods. However, on some older CGA video
cards this produces a "snow" effect when the screen is updated.
If you see "snow" while using SPEED, toggle this option to On. If
your CGA card does not produce "snow" toggle this Off to get faster
screen writes. Since snow is only associated with CGA video cards,
this option should be Off if your system uses any other card.
Taglines:
This option defines how SPEED selects a tagline, or if a tagline is
selected at all. Below is a brief description of each option:
Off - No tagline is added to your replies. This only
refers to the user portion of the tagline. The
name "SPEED", version number and [NR] or your
registration number is always added. There is no
provision to turn this off in the registered or
unregistered version.
Random - A tagline is randomly selected from the entire
tagline pool.
Smart Random - Taglines are randomly selected from the remaining
tagline pool. The same tagline is not reused until
all taglines have been selected. The pool is reset
to the entire list whenever SPEED is started or the
total number of taglines changes.
Sequential - The taglines are selected in the same order as they
appear in the tagline list.
Same - The same tagline is used until you choose another.
From:/To:
By default SPEED displays messages with the sender's name first
(From: on top) and the recipient's name second (To: below From:).
If you prefer seeing the To: field above the From: field, select
"To:/From:". Otherwise, select "From:/To:" and the From: field will
be displayed above the To: field.
CONFIGURING SPEED
TOGGLES/OPTIONS -- continued SPEED v1.10 pg. -12-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply Header:
If this toggle is "On", SPEED will include a copy of the message's
header (To:, From:, Subject:, etc.) in the quoted reply. This is
for informational purposes only, and is deleted before SPEED creates
the final reply.
Mark Twit Read:
If you want twitted messages marked as read, and you do not want to
later go back and read them, then toggle this option On. If you
want to later go back and read the twitted messages, then toggle
this option "Off".
Save Unread:
When this option is "On", messages will continue to accumulate until
they are read, irrespective of the Keep Old setting. If you do not
want to purge unread messages, then toggle this option to On. If
you want to limit the size of your message base toggle this option
"Off".
CONFIGURING SPEED
COLORS, EDIT PICKLISTS AND USER HOT-KEYS SPEED v1.10 pg. -13-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
SELECT COLORS
From this screen you can change the colors used by SPEED. Use the
up and down arrows to select which item to change. Use the left and
right arrows to change the color of the highlighted item. Sample
screens are provided to let you test your selections. See below for
other valid commands.
(D) Sets the colors to the original factory settings.
(B) Sets the colors to black and white.
(R) Reloads the last saved colors from disk. Use this option if
you want to start over.
(TAB) Quits and saves the displayed colors as the default colors.
(ESC) Quits and reloads the default colors from disk.
EDIT PICKLIST
From this menu you may choose a specific picklist to edit. Once
a picklist is chosen, you may add new entries, delete unwanted
entries and/or edit existing entries. Use the up and down arrows
to highlight the desired picklist, then (ENTER) to select the
highlighted item. This menu is directly accessible via the (ALT-L)
hot-key. See the PICKLIST section for more information.
USER-DEFINED HOT-KEYS
This screen allows you to assign a DOS command to one of the user
defined hot-keys. There are 10 user-defined hot-keys (ALT-F1 to
ALT-F10). Enter the information just as you would at the DOS
prompt. Include full path names, if needed.
For example: C:\ED\EDITOR C:\SPEED\NOTES.TXT
Batch files and internal DOS commands, are run as shells from
COMMAND.COM.
For example: COMMAND.COM /C MYBATCH.BAT
COMMAND.COM /C DIR /P
Some programs, such as John Hancock's tagline stealer Guido, require
that the screen not be cleared before running them. To run a
program without clearing the screen, make the first character an '!'
in the command.
For example: !C:\SPEED\GUIDO C:\SPEED\JH.TAG
USING SPEED READ - A SAMPLE SESSION SPEED v1.10 pg. -14-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Assuming you have successfully completed the setup section, you are now
ready to begin reading mail with SPEED. The first thing you will need
is a QWK mail packet.
To get a mail packet load your communications software and log-on to
a BBS supporting QWK compatible mail. On most BBS's, QWK mail is not
built in to the software; you must run a DOOR or external program to
access the mail. Look for commands such as "DOOR" or "Offline Mail".
If it supports doors type DOOR for a list of available doors, and look
for a door with "QWK" or "offline" in the description.
Normally, the first time you enter a QWK mail section on a BBS you
must provide certain information. This includes which conferences
you want to receive mail from, your transfer protocol, the type of
compression (always choose ZIP here) and other various items depending
on the door.
It's a good idea to toggle "On" the option that sends you the messages
YOU enter. This defaults to OFF on most QWK systems. By having your
messages in the message base it allows for better threading using the
(]) and ([) keys.
Once configured, you are ready to download a QWK mail packet. On most
systems the command to do this is 'D'. Check the menu on the system
you are using. Follow all the instructions as they are displayed.
When prompted, start the download within your communication software.
Once the transfer is complete, you can log-off the BBS (normally, 'G'
for Goodbye).
You are now ready to read your mail. To do so, change to the SPEED
directory and enter
SR (ENTER)
This will load SPEED. If you are using an unregistered version, you
will need to enter the unregistered access code and press (ENTER).
If SPEED can find the packet you just downloaded it will display the
BBS ID in the BBS List Window. Also notice that there is a 'YES' in
'New Packet' column. This means an unprocessed mail packet is waiting.
If the window is blank, then SPEED cannot find the mail packet. Make
sure the mail packet is in the 'New Packet' directory as defined in
your General Setup configuration (ALT-C).
Select the BBS with the unprocessed mail packet and press (ENTER).
Use the arrow keys to highlight it if there is more than one entry.
SPEED will then unpack the QWK packet and convert the mail to its
internal format. When the conversion is complete, the Conference/
Areas Window is displayed.
USING SPEED READ - A SAMPLE SESSION -- continued SPEED v1.10 pg. -15-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Use the (+) and (-) keys to jump to the next/previous area with unread
mail (see the CONFERENCE/AREA WINDOW section for other available
commands). Select a conference to read and press (ENTER). SPEED will
then display the first unread message in that area.
To view additional messages press (ENTER) or the right arrow. To view
a previous message in this area press the left arrow. (ESC) will take
you back to the Conference/Area Window. Pressing (ENTER) while the
last message in this area is displayed will take you to the first
unread message in the next conference with unread mail.
To reply to a displayed message press (R). The Message Header Window
will be displayed. Make sure all the information is correct and then
press (TAB). If you need to change any of the information in the
Message Header Window, use the up and down arrows to highlight the
desired field and enter the correct information.
SPEED will load your editor and display the original message quoted.
Edit this file to add your reply. Remember to delete unnecessary parts
of the original quoted message. When the reply is just the way you
want it, save it and exit your editor.
If an error occurred and SPEED could not load your editor, press
(ALT-C), select General Setup and make sure your editor's name is
entered correctly. Use the full path name if the editor cannot be
located within your path statement. If the editor loads but the
original quoted message is not loaded, make sure the %s is included
in your editor's command line where the file to be edited should go.
The %s MUST be in lower case.
When you return to SPEED the Message Header Window is displayed again.
This allows you a final chance to make changes, like a new subject line
or a different tagline to reflect the content of your message. If the
displayed information is correct, press (TAB) to save your reply (or
(ESC) will abort the process and not save your reply).
To view a reply you've entered, press (HOME) twice in the Conference/
Area Window. This will take you to the first conference which is
Replies. Press (ENTER) and read the replies just as you would in any
other conference. (DEL) will toggle the delete flag for the displayed
message in case you later decide not to send the reply. When finished
viewing the replies, press (ESC).
To enter a new message, instead of replying to an existing one, press
(E) in the Conference/Area Window with the desired conference
highlighted; or press (E) while a message is displayed in the desired
conference. When the message header is displayed you must supply the
information for the To: and Subject: field. These cannot be left
blank. When your editor is loaded there is no quoted message of
course, since you are not replying to an existing message. Otherwise,
everything else is the same as above.
USING SPEED READ - A SAMPLE SESSION -- continued SPEED v1.10 pg. -16-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once you have finished reading and replying to the messages from
this BBS, exit the reader by pressing (ESC) until you are back at
the DOS prompt.
You are now ready to send any replies you've written. When you exited
SPEED it packed up your replies in a file that will be uploaded to the
BBS. The name of the file is the same as the QWK packet downloaded
except its extension is REP instead of QWK.
Load your communications software once again and call the BBS. Enter
the QWK mail section as you did before (except this time you will not
have go through all the setup procedures as you did the first time).
Select the option to upload the reply packet (usually it is 'U').
When prompted, start the upload with your communications software.
After the upload is finished you can either log-off, or download
another mail packet. Don't forget to delete the REP file once it is
uploaded; everyone frowns on receiving duplicate messages.
It would be impossible to touch on everything related to offline
reading in this document. Hopefully the above will be enough to get
you started or at least arm you with enough information that you can
ask the right questions. If you have problems sending or receiving
mail packets ask the BBS's Sysop for assistance. Most are very
willing to lend a hand. Also, regular users of the BBS can provide
you with valuable assistance in using an offline reader.
Good luck!
HELP SYSTEM SPEED v1.10 pg. -17-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPEED contains an on-line, context-sensitive, hyper-text help system.
At any time, you can view a help screen relating to your specific
position in SPEED by pressing (F1).
The importance of using (F1) throughout the program cannot be
emphasized enough. SPEED's help system is rich with specific and
detailed information on all aspects of the program. Nearly as much
time went into the help screens as the actual program. Much of this
manual was compiled using information from the help screens.
Presented below is a summary of the valid commands while in the help
window.
(ARROW KEYS) Select a topic by moving the highlight bar with
any of the arrow keys.
(ENTER) View the help screen relating to the highlighted topic.
(ANY LETTER) Jumps to the next selection beginning with that letter.
(HOME) Moves the highlight bar to the first selection.
(END) Moves the highlight bar to the last selection.
(PGUP) Moves the highlight bar 1/10 back in the list.
(PGDN) Moves the highlight bar 1/10 forward in the list.
(ESC) or (-) Leave the help system and return to program.
POPUP MENUS
In addition to the help system, SPEED provides popup menus in
several major areas (BBS List Window, Choose Conference/Area Window
Read Message Screen and Read Replies Screen). The popup menu, when
available, is accessed by pressing the (/) key.
The popup menu allows you to select a function from a list of options.
Only the major options are listed in each of the popup menus. It makes
learning SPEED's commands easy while using SPEED. To help you learn
the shortcut keys, they are displayed next to each item in the menu.
To skip the menu, just press the shortcut where you pressed (/) before.
The following keys are valid while the menu window is active.
(UP) Move the highlight bar up one item.
(DOWN) Move the highlight bar down one item.
(HOME) Move the highlight bar to the first item.
(END) Move the highlight bar to the last item.
(ENTER) Select the highlighted item.
(ESC) Exit the Popup Menu.
HOT-KEYS SPEED v1.10 pg. -18-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hot-Keys are key combinations that are available to you anytime SPEED
is waiting on a key to be pressed.
Valid Hot-Keys include:
(F1) Context-sensitive help. (see HELP SYSTEM)
(ALT-C) Configure (setup) SPEED. (see CONFIGURING SPEED)
(ALT-L) Picklists menu. (see PICKLISTS)
(ALT-M) Available memory and other key information.
(ALT-S) Shell to DOS, return to SPEED by typing EXIT.
(ALT-T) Choose active tagline file. (see TAGLINES)
(ALT-V) Execute external file Lister/Viewer.
(CTRL-ENTER) Launch user-defined hot-key program.
(ALT-F1..ALT-F10) User-defined hot-keys. (see CONFIGURING SPEED)
Detailed information on selected hot-keys.
(ALT-M) SYSTEM INFORMATION
Key system information is available to you anytime by pressing (ALT-M).
The following information is displayed.
NEAR FREE Amount of free memory on the near heap. This number is
really not useful to you, since you cannot control it.
FAR FREE Amount of free memory that SPEED and other programs can use.
When you shell to DOS or SPEED runs other programs, this is
the memory that is used. Also, the message index is stored
here. When this memory runs out you cannot add new
messages to the message base.
NEAR/FAR HEAP Test to check the near/far heap.
PROCESS How long it took to perform the last timed event, such as
TIME updating or sorting a message base.
(ALT-S) DOS SHELL
Pressing (ALT-S) will allow you to shell to DOS without exiting SPEED.
This allows you to perform DOS related functions such as formatting
disks, copying files or any other needed activity. When you are
finished just type EXIT and you will immediately return to SPEED
exactly where you were when you shelled to DOS.
If Swapping is turned "Off", SPEED is left in conventional memory.
This will limit the amount of free memory while in DOS. If you get
errors such as 'Program too big to fit in memory' or 'Out of memory'
try turning Swapping on before shelling to DOS. To change the Swap
setting press (ALT-C) for configuration, select General Setup, then
use the down arrow to choose Swapping. Press the space bar to toggle
the setting, then (TAB) to save it.
HOT-KEYS -- continued SPEED v1.10 pg. -19-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
(ALT-V) EXTERNAL FILE LISTER/VIEWER
The external file lister allows you to view text files. When you press
(ALT-V) you are prompted to enter a file name. If your lister does not
need a filename at the command line, you can just press (ENTER) and
continue on.
A Lister is not necessary to use SPEED, however it is nice to have when
viewing long text files, like SPEED's documentation. The Lister is
defined under the "General Setup" portion of the configuration. Press
(ALT-C) and select "General Setup".
(CTRL-ENTER) LAUNCH PROGRAM
This displays a picklist of user-defined hot-keys (ALT-F1 to ALT-F10).
You can execute the command/program by highlighting it and pressing
(ENTER).
It is a convenient way to access the user-defined commands while
learning the shortcut key strokes. To use the shortcut keys, press
(ALT) and the function key corresponding to the number of the command.
You cannot edit the commands from the picklist. They may only
be edited from the configuration screen. To do so press (ALT-C) and
select "User Hot-Keys".
BBS LIST WINDOW SPEED v1.10 pg. -20-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the opening screen, the next screen you see is the BBS List
Window. From this screen you may choose a BBS message base to read.
To select one, position the highlight bar over the desired BBS and then
press (ENTER). To move the highlight bar use the up and down arrows.
The columns are defined as:
Compress - YES in this column means the message base is compressed
when not in use. A compressed message base uses less
disk space, but takes longer to access. Toggle this
option with (F2).
Reply Packet - YES here means a reply packet is present for this BBS.
New Packet - A YES here means that this BBS has unprocessed mail.
% Read - The percent of *total* messages that have been read.
BBS ID - A unique ID (or description) for this BBS.
The following keys are valid in the BBS List Window:
(ENTER) Select highlighted BBS. This will process any new packets and
display a window with all the BBS's conferences.
(ESC) Quit SPEED READ.
(DEL) Delete popup window. This menu will allow you to execute a
special delete function, such as deleting a reply packet or an
entire message base. Each of the listed functions can be
accessed directly with the key combination shown to the right
of the option. The popup menu provides an easy way to perform
the functions, while learning the keystrokes.
(F2) Message base compression. This allows you to choose whether
or not you want to compress a BBS's message base. A
compressed message base uses less disk space, but takes longer
to access. Since this is selectable by BBS, you may choose to
leave your favorite BBS's uncompressed, while compressing the
others to save space. The default is uncompressed.
(ALT-R) Delete reply packet. If a reply packet is available for the
highlighted BBS, you may delete it by pressing (ALT-R). You
will be prompted before the packet is deleted. Once a packet
is uploaded to a BBS, you should delete it to make sure it is
not uploaded again.
BBS LIST WINDOW -- continued SPEED v1.10 pg. -21-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
(ALT-D) Delete message base. You may delete the highlighted message
base by pressing (ALT-D) or selecting it from the delete menu
(DEL). You are prompted before the message base is deleted.
Once deleted, you will not be able to recover it.
WARNING: This deletes *ALL* messages and replies for the
highlighted message base, including those marked as
"Keep". => Use With Caution! <=
(ALT-U) Update/refresh display. This will reread your disk looking
for new mail packets, BBS's, reply packets, etc. It is not
necessary to use this command unless you are using
multitasking software such as Windows or DESQview.
When SPEED is first run it builds a list of BBS's, checks for
mail packets, replies, etc. Thereafter, it updates the list
as things change. It does not "reread" the data from disk.
This does not present a problem on single tasking systems.
However, on a multitasking system it is possible to be
reading mail and downloading a new mail packet at the same
time. (ALT-U) forces SPEED to rebuild the BBS list, so the
new mail packets are recognized, along with any other changes.
(HOME) First screen.
(END) Last screen.
(UP) Move highlight bar up one item.
(DOWN) Move highlight bar down one item.
(PGUP) Previous screen.
(PGDN) Next screen.
(CTRL-HOME) First displayed line.
(CTRL-END) Last displayed line.
(+) Move to next item with a new (unprocessed) packet.
(-) Move to previous item with a new (unprocessed) packet.
(RIGHT) Move to next item with a reply packet.
(LEFT) Move to previous item with a reply packet.
CONFERENCE/AREA WINDOW SPEED v1.10 pg. -22-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
From this window you may choose a conference/area to read. To select
one, position the highlight bar on the desired item and then press
(ENTER). To move the highlight bar use the up and down arrows. The
BBS's name is displayed on the window's top border, and its Sysop's
name is displayed on the bottom border.
The columns are defined as:
Area The ID number associated with this conference.
Total Msgs Total number of messages in this conference.
Keep Old The number of old messages to keep. Use (F2) to change.
Last Packet The number of messages received in the last packet.
Unread The number of messages you have not read.
Description The name or ID of the highlighted conference/area.
The following keys are valid in the Conference/Area Window:
(ENTER) Select area to read messages.
(F10) Displays a picklist used to search for or jump to a
specific area. (see PICKLISTS)
(ESC) Return to the BBS List Window.
(E) Enter a new message in the highlighted area. A window
will appear requesting certain information, such as the
message recipient, subject, etc.
(F2) This allows you to define how many old messages are kept
in the message base for the highlighted conference. The
'Keep Old' number includes messages marked as "Keep", but
excludes new messages.
This will only change the 'Keep Old' variable for the
highlighted conference. Use (CTRL-F2) to change all
conferences.
Consideration should be given to the process time and disk
space when deciding how many old messages to keep. If you
do not want to keep any old messages enter 0 (zero). The
default is 50 messages.
(CTRL-F2) This allows you to define how many old messages are kept
in all of the conferences. This is a global command and
will change *ALL* keep old variables for this BBS. Use
(F2) to change only the highlighted conference.
CONFERENCE/AREA WINDOW -- continued SPEED v1.10 pg. -23-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
(T) View summary totals.
(ALT-F) Toggle FIDO mode. This is selectable by BBS. (see FIDO
MODE).
(ALT-D) Delete all messages in the highlighted conference. You
are prompted before the messages are deleted. Once
deleted, you will not be able to recover them.
WARNING: This deletes *ALL* messages and replies for the
highlighted conference/area, including those
marked as "Keep". => Use With Caution! <=
(ALT-P) Prune the highlighted conference/area. Pruning consists
of deleting all messages flagged as "*KILL*" and deleting
messages in excess of the 'Keep Old' variable. When total
messages exceeds the 'Keep Old' variable, messages are
deleted on a first-in-first-out basis.
(CTRL-P) Prune *ALL* conferences/areas.
(HOME/END) Display First/Last screen.
(A/D) Add/Drop conferences/areas from within SPEED. To Add a
conference, highlight it and press (A), or to drop a
conference highlight it and press (D). You are asked to
confirm your selection.
A special reply message is generated for the mail door in
the chosen conference. It is addressed to QMAIL and the
subject is either ADD or DROP depending upon which option
was selected. You may view these messages in the Replies
area. When the special messages are uploaded, the mail
door will act upon them and add or drop the specified
conferences from the list of areas from which you receive
mail.
NOTE: These commands may not work with all mail doors.
For example, the new Qmail doors have their own special
configuration. You might ask your Sysop before trying
them, or experiment in a local conference first.
(CTRL-HOME/END) Highlight the First/Last displayed conference.
(UP/DOWN) Previous/Next conference.
(PGUP/PGDN) Previous/Next screen.
(+/-) Next/Previous conference with unread messages.
(RIGHT/LEFT) Next/Previous conference with any messages.
(CTRL RIGHT/LFT) Next/Previous conference with messages in last packet.
CONFERENCE/AREA WINDOW -- continued SPEED v1.10 pg. -24-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
(ALT-R) Mark all messages in the highlighted conference/area as
read. A similar command is available while reading
messages.
(CTRL-R) Mark all messages in *ALL* conferences/areas as read.
(ALT-U) Mark all messages in the highlighted conference/area as
not read. This allows you to go back and reread all the
messages and have SPEED keep up with which ones have been
read. A similar command is available while reading
messages.
In addition to messages, most mail doors include several other
information files. Below are the commands used to view them.
(W) Display welcome screen. The screen you normally see when
logging onto the BBS.
(N) Display current news the Sysop would like for you to know.
(B) Display bulletin picklist.
(F) Display a list of new files since you last called the BBS.
(G) Display goodbye screen. The screen you normally see when
logging off the BBS.
If the above files contain ANSI and you have ANSI.SYS included in your
CONFIG.SYS file, then the files will be displayed in color. Check your
DOS manual for more information on ANSI.SYS and CONFIG.SYS.
(CTRL-W/N/B/F/G)
To view the above files using your external file lister/viewer, press
(CTRL-"letter"). Where "letter" is the normal command letter of the
file you want to view. For example, press (CTRL-F) to view the files
list.
READ MESSAGE SCREEN SPEED v1.10 pg. -25-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This screen's main purpose is to read and reply to messages. The
screen is divided into three parts: a header section, message window
and a mouse bar.
Header - This provides you with useful information about the
displayed message.
Message Window - The actual text of the message.
Mouse Bar - Clicking the left mouse button while on this bar is
the same as pressing the selected key. NOTE: Mouse
support is not implemented in v1.10.
Below, each of the items in the message header is defined:
Date/Time - Date and time the message was created (or uploaded).
From - The name of the person who wrote the message.
To - To whom the message is addressed (sent).
Subject - Short summary of the message's content.
Number - The message number on *THIS* BBS. Networked messages
have different numbers on each BBS that receives them.
Refer - Original message to which displayed message refers.
Board ID - A short, unique identification for the active BBS.
Conf - The conference/area in which this message was posted.
Flags - *KILL*: The message is marked to be deleted.
Keep: The message is marked to be retained.
## of ## - SPEED's message number and total number of messages in
this conference.
Recvd - "Yes" if the message has been read by the addressee
before you downloaded the message packet.
Status - "Public" all can see it; "Private" only you can see it.
The Sysop can also read private messages.
Commands available while reading messages.
Movement within a message:
(HOME/END) First/Last screen.
(UP/DOWN) Scroll Up/Down one line.
(PGUP/PGDN) Previous/Next screen.
(SPACE) Next screen or next message.
READ MESSAGE SCREEN -- continued SPEED v1.10 pg. -26-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Movement within the conference/area:
(SPACE) Single key to read through the message base. If the
displayed message is longer than what can be displayed on
one screen, then the (SPACEBAR) acts like the (PGDN) key.
When the last screen of a message is displayed the
(SPACEBAR) acts like the (ENTER) key.
(.) Single key to read through the message base in thread
order. If the displayed message is longer than what can
be displayed on one screen, then the (.) acts like the
(PGDN) key. When the last screen of a message is displayed
the (.) acts like the (+) key, and will take to the next
unread message with the same subject or the next unread
message, if none of the unread messages have the same
subject as the displayed message.
(RIGHT) Next absolute message.
(LEFT) Previous absolute message.
(ENTER) Move to the next unread message. If all messages have been
read, it is used to move to the next message in the last
packet. Pressing (ENTER) on the last message in the
current conference moves you to the next conference with
unread mail. The first unread message is displayed, just
as if the conference were selected from the areas list. If
the remaining conferences do not contain any unread mail
you are returned to the areas list.
(CTRL-HOME) First message.
(CTRL-END) Last message.
Movement within the last packet added to the message base:
SPEED remembers which messages were received in the last packet and
allows you to isolate them if you so choose. If the message base is
sorted so that new messages are mixed in with old messages, you will
want to use the commands shown below to read the message base.
(ENTER) Jump to next unread message, if available. Otherwise jump
to the next message in the last mail packet.
(*) Jump to the first message in the last mail packet.
(CTRL-RIGHT) Jump to the next message in the last mail packet. Use
this instead of the right-arrow (RIGHT).
(CTRL-LEFT) Jump to a previous message in the last mail packet. Use
this instead of the left-arrow (LEFT).
READ MESSAGE SCREEN -- continued SPEED v1.10 pg. -27-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Movement within threads:
One of the strengths of an offline message base is its ability to trace
message threads (specific conversations) back to their origin and
forward again. Below are the commands used in threading.
([) Chain back to the referenced message. If the displayed
message shows a number in the "Refer" field, and the
referenced message is in the message base, ([) will allow
you to instantly view it. You can continue to step back
like this, up to 100 messages.
(]) Chain forward or reverse the sequence of the ([) key. As
you step back with the ([) key SPEED remembers the path
you took. Pressing (]) allows you to follow the same path
back to your original message. NOTE: If you stray from
the path by moving to a message not contained in the path,
you will not be able to return to the defined path.
(-) Display previous message whose subject matches the
displayed message, if available. Only the first 20
characters are used in comparing subjects.
(+) Display the next message whose subject matches the
displayed message, if available. Only the first 20
characters are used in comparing subjects.
(CTRL-PGDN) Jumps to the next message whose sort field is different
than the displayed message. For example, in a message base
sorted by subject, (CTRL-PGDN) will display the next
message with a different subject. For message bases not
sorted or sorted by number, (CTRL-PGDN) will display the
next available message.
(CTRL-PGUP) Jumps to a previous message whose sort field is different
than the displayed message. For example, in a message base
sorted by subject, (CTRL-PGUP) will display the first
previous message with a different subject. For message
bases not sorted or sorted by number, (CTRL-PGUP) will
display the previous message.
READ MESSAGE SCREEN -- continued SPEED v1.10 pg. -28-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marking and flagging messages:
(ALT-U) Unread messages. This will mark all messages after the
current message to the last message as unread. This allows
you to reread the messages as if they were never read the
first time.
(ALT-R) Mark messages as read. This will mark all messages, from
the current message to the last message, as read. This
allows you to skip over the messages as if they were read.
(INS) Mark displayed message for permanent storage. To toggle
the displayed message's Keep flag press the (INS) key.
Based on its previous status, the message will either be
flagged for permanent storage or un-flagged. Messages
tagged for permanent storage will display "Keep" in the
header's Flag: field.
Messages tagged for permanent storage will not be deleted
until they are un-flagged. To un-flag a Keep message press
(INS).
Care should be exercised in tagging messages for permanent
storage. Since "Keep" messages are processed each time the
message base is updated, the more you have the longer your
process times. Also note, "Keep" messages ARE included in
the "Keep Old" total. Therefore, the number of transient
"Keep Old" messages is reduced.
(DEL) Mark displayed message for deletion. To toggle the
displayed message's *KILL* flag press the (DEL) key.
Depending on its previous status, the message will either
be flagged for deletion or un-flagged. If a message is
tagged for deletion, "*KILL*" will appear in the header's
Flag: field.
Messages in a given area are not actually deleted until a
new mail packet is added to that particular area, or the
area is pruned. Up until the message is actually deleted
you can un-flag it by pressing (DEL).
READ MESSAGE SCREEN -- continued SPEED v1.10 pg. -29-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other commands:
(A) Display message with ANSI sequences. Some messages contain
special codes that allow the message to display color
and/or perform animation. These messages are easily
identified because of their abundance of special escape
sequences. Messages with escape sequences are littered
with the [ character.
For this function to operate you must include ANSI.SYS in
your CONFIG.SYS file. For more information on using
ANSI.SYS and CONFIG.SYS, please refer to your DOS manual.
(E) Enter new message (see the ENTERING AND REPLYING TO
MESSAGES section).
(F) Find text, same as (L) command. (see below)
(I) Message index. The message index displays a concise
listing of all the messages' headers. The From, To and
Subject fields are displayed. If the message has been
read, an asterisk is displayed to the left of the From
field. Below are the available commands while viewing an
index.
(ESC) Leave the index and return to the message
you were reading.
(ENTER) Display the highlighted message.
(O) Sort the index.
(SPACE) Toggle read/unread status.
(PGUP) Previous screen.
(PGDN) Next screen.
(HOME) First screen.
(END) Last screen.
(*) Go to original message.
(UP) Move highlight bar up one message.
(DOWN) Move highlight bar down one message.
(CTRL-HOME) Move to the first displayed line.
(CTRL-END) Move to the last displayed line.
(+) Move highlight bar down 5 messages.
(-) Move highlight bar up 5 messages.
READ MESSAGE SCREEN -- continued SPEED v1.10 pg. -30-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
(L) Locate (search for) text. The (L) command opens a window
and requests that you enter a search key. SPEED will then
search the active conference for text matching the key.
The search will begin with the next line of the current
message and continue line by line through the last message.
Once a search key is defined the following commands are
available:
(F3) Search the active conference from the
*CURRENT* message through the final
message. The defined search key is used.
(F4) Search the active conference from the
*FIRST* message through the last message.
The defined search key is used.
For compatibility with other readers, the (F) key can be
used interchangeably with the (L) key.
(O) Sort messages. Sometimes it is convenient to view messages
in an order different than SPEED normally stores them.
There are five sort options available for your use. They
are: No Sort, Sort by Number, From, To and Subject. The
default setting is No Sort, which cannot be changed due to
the way the message base is pruned (see below).
Since messages are deleted on a First-In-First-Out (FIFO)
basis, it is necessary to store the message base index in
the order they were received from the BBS. Therefore,
before an updated index is written to disk it is sorted
with the "No Sort" option.
(P) Print displayed message. Note this command only supports
LPT1. The Save Command can also be use to print messages,
see (S) below. If your system's printer is NOT connected
to LPT1, you must use the Save Command (S) and specify the
correct device.
(R) Reply to displayed message (see the ENTERING AND REPLYING
TO MESSAGES section).
READ MESSAGE SCREEN -- continued SPEED v1.10 pg. -31-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
(S) Save displayed message to a text file. A window will open
displaying a default file name, or the last name you used
when saving a file. You may use the displayed name, change
it, enter a new name or press (F10) to choose one from the
'Save Picklist'. See TEXT EDITING for valid commands while
entering text.
If the file already exists, you are asked if you want to
append it. If you select 'yes' the saved message is added
to the end of the existing file. Answering 'no' will cause
the existing file to be overwritten.
The save command can also be used to print messages. By
specifying PRN, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, etc., you can send
the output to a printer port instead of a disk file. Note
that the Print Command (P) assumes LPT1 as printer port.
If your printer is not connected to LPT1, you must use the
Save command (S) and specify the correct device to print
the message.
(T) Steal tagline. If the message you are reading has a
tagline you would like to use, then you can steal it by
pressing (T). A window will appear with SPEED's guess at
which line was the tagline. If SPEED guesses wrong, or you
want to grab another line of text, use the up and down
arrows to select which line to steal.
Once the desired line is displayed you may change it before
saving. To save the stolen tagline and add it to the active
tagline file, press (ENTER). (ESC) aborts the process.
If the line is longer than 55 characters, SPEED will only
pick up the last 55 characters of the line.
(F9) will decrypt/encrypt John Hancock (version 2)
taglines.
(ALT-F) Toggle FIDO mode (see the FIDO MODE section).
READ REPLIES SCREEN SPEED v1.10 pg. -32-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This screen allows you to review previously written replies and to
see them displayed the same way others will see them. To view this
screen select "Replies" from the Conference/Area Window. It is the
first item in the list.
This screen is identical in appearance to the read message screen.
However, you will notice there are fewer commands available while in
this screen than the normal message screen. That is because replies
are transient in nature, and are not accumulated in a separate message
base.
Presented below is a short summary of the available commands. Please
refer to the READ MESSAGE SCREEN section for a detailed description
of each command.
(ENTER) Display next message.
(ESC) Quit to Conference/Area Window.
(A) Display messages with ANSI.
(E) Edit displayed message.
(H) Edit the reply header information.
(I) Message index.
(T) Steal tagline.
(DEL) Delete displayed message.
(ALT-F) Toggle FIDO mode.
(UP) Scroll up one line.
(DOWN) Scroll down one line.
(HOME) Display top of message.
(END) Display bottom of message.
(PGUP) Display previous screen.
(PGDN) Display next screen.
(CTRL-HOME) First message.
(CTRL-END) Last message.
(RIGHT) Display next message.
(LEFT) Display previous message.
ENTERING AND REPLYING TO MESSAGES SPEED v1.10 pg. -33-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
To enter a new message press (E) from the Conference/Area Window or
while a message is displayed. To reply to the displayed message press
(R). When entering a new message or replying to an old one, SPEED
needs certain information to make sure your message is delivered to
who and where you want it sent. This is accomplished in the Message
Header Window. The following information is entered in the Message
Header Window:
FROM FIELD
This is your name. SPEED uses the name supplied to it by the BBS
to fill in this field. You should not have to change it. Most
offline mail doors will not allow you to upload messages that are
not from you.
TO FIELD
The name of the person to whom you are sending the message goes
here. If you are replying to a message SPEED enters the author of
that message as the default. If the message is to everyone, enter
ALL. If the message is to the person running the BBS, enter SYSOP.
A picklist is available for this field by pressing (F10). The
first entry in this picklist, if you are replying to a displayed
message, is the person to whom the original message was addressed
to. This field cannot be blank.
SUBJECT FIELD
This field is used to enter a short summary of your message. If
you are replying to a message, the subject of that message is
entered as the default. This field cannot be blank.
It is important that you change the subject field if the content
of your message is substantially different than the displayed
subject. Some people choose which messages to read by scanning
the subject field. A picklist is available for this field by
pressing (F10).
PRIVATE FIELD
A "N" in this field marks the message as public, which means that
anyone can read it. Unless you have a special reason for the
message to be private, you should leave it as public.
To make your message private enter a "Y" in this field. Private
messages can only be read by you, the person you sent it to, the
Sysop and anyone else who has enough security to read private
messages. As you can see, private messages are not always that
private. Remember that when sending them.
ENTERING AND REPLYING TO MESSAGES -- continued SPEED v1.10 pg. -34-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
AREA FIELD
Enter the ID number of the conference/area where your message is
to appear. This number defaults to the conference you are in. Once
you enter a number and move to another field, the description of the
selected conference appears to the right of this field.
This field is used when you want to move a message or reply to a
different conference/area. Sometimes when a discussion strays from
the conference topic, you are asked to continue the discussion in a
more appropriate area. A picklist is available for this field by
pressing (F10).
TAGLINE FIELD
If taglines are enabled, SPEED will choose a tagline from the active
file and put it in this field. You can accept it, change it or type
in one of your own. Taglines are limited to 55 characters.
A tagline is a cute/witty (or silly, depending on your point of
view) phrase added to the end of a message. SPEED comes with a
sample tagline file GENERAL.TAG. A picklist is available for this
field by pressing (F10).
Once the information is as you want it, press (TAB) to continue, or
(ESC) to abort the message. The Message Header Window is available
before editing, after editing or both depending on how this option is
set in your configuration. The default is both. See CONFIGURING SPEED
for more information.
PICKLISTS SPEED v1.10 pg. -35-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
A picklist allows you to choose an item from a list of choices. To
locate a particular item, begin typing that item or the number to the
left of the item into the Search field. As you type, the highlight
bar jumps to the closest match. If you make a mistake, use the
(BACKSPACE) key to correct it.
Picklists are available for the following items by pressing (F10) while
in the appropriate field:
Taglines - You can save up to 100 taglines per file.
To: Field - You can store 24 names to use in the To: field when
creating a message. The first item in the picklist
is the name shown in the To: field of the displayed
message, it cannot be edited or deleted.
Subj: Field - You can save up to 25 Subj: titles.
Save - You can store up to 25 save file names.
Twits - You can have up to 25 names of people (or subjects)
you want twitted.
Censor - You can have up to 25 words you want censored from
messages.
Areas - This displays the areas for the current BBS. Note
the areas list cannot be changed or edited.
Picklists are also used in other places, such as the bulletin list and
tagline file list. They all function the same way, though some
commands are disabled depending on the picklist displayed. Disabled
commands are not highlighted at the bottom of the picklist window.
The following keys are valid while using a picklist:
(ENTER) Select highlighted item.
(ESC) Exit picklist.
(DEL) Delete highlighted item.
(INS) Insert new item.
(HOME/END) First/Last screen.
(CTRL-HOME/END) Move highlight bar to the First/Last displayed line.
(PGUP/PGDN) Next/Previous screen.
(DOWN/UP) Move the highlight bar Down/Up one item.
(F2) Edit highlighted item.
(F3) Search for next match, begin with next item.
(F4) Search for first match, begin with first item.
(F5) Clear search key.
(F10) Jump to original item.
TAGLINES SPEED v1.10 pg. -36-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are two tagline picklists available within SPEED:
1. Tagline File picklist (ALT-T).
2. Tagline Entry picklist (ALT-L).
The Tagline File picklist allows you to select the active tagline
file. It is accessed by pressing (ALT-T). You can have up to 500
tagline files, with each having up to 100 entries, for a total of
50,000 taglines. You add new tagline files with the (INS) key and
delete old ones with the (DEL) key. A tagline file stays active
until another one is selected. See below for information on editing.
The Tagline Entry picklist allows you to add, delete or edit
individual entries within a tagline file. To access it press
(ALT-L) and select "Taglines", or while in the Message Header
window highlight the "Tagline" field and press (F10). The (INS),
(DEL) and (F2) keys are active in this picklist.
TWIT FILTER AND WORD CENSOR SPEED v1.10 pg. -37-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
TWIT FILTER
A twit filter allows you to screen the messages you see. When SPEED
reads an area's index it compares the message's To:, From: and Subj:
fields with the entries in the twit list. If a match is found, the
message is marked as a twit. SPEED will not display twitted
messages, thereby screening out unwanted messages to or from an
individual, or with a particular subject.
SPEED always tries to skip twitted messages. However, sometimes
this is impossible (i.e. if all the messages are twitted). If SPEED
cannot skip a twitted message, for whatever reason, it will display
a blank message with "*TWIT*" in the header fields and a box in the
message area letting you know the message is a twit.
To enter items in the twit list, press (ALT-L) for the picklist
listing. Then select "Twits" from the list. The Twit Filter option
must be set to "On" for the twit filter to function. To do so press
(ALT-C), select "Toggles/Options" and then toggle Twit Filter "On".
CENSOR
SPEED allows you to define up to 25 words to be censored from all
messages. When a word is found in a message that matches an entry
in your censor list, SPEED replaces each character in the word with
a percent sign '%'.
You may use wildcards in the words. For example:
Censored Word Words Censored
darn darn
darn* Any word beginning with "darn" (darn, darnit, etc).
*darn* Any word containing the string "darn" (darn,
darnit, goshdarn, goshdarnit, etc).
?ow Any 3 letter word ending with "ow" (how, cow, etc).
To enter words in the censor list, press (ALT-L) for the picklist
listing. Then select "Censored Words" from the list. The Censor
option must be "On" for the censor to function. To toggle this "On"
press (ALT-C), select "Toggles/Options" and then toggle Censor "On".
FIDO MODE SPEED v1.10 pg. -38-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Fido mode is toggled "On" and "Off" for a particular BBS by pressing
the (ALT-F) key while viewing the Conference/Area Window or viewing a
message. The default is OFF. This option is selectable by individual
BBS. Even when you are not in the Fido mode, SPEED will automatically
switch to the Fido mode if you are replying to a Fido message.
The FidoNet network requires its messages to meet certain standards.
This includes not using extended and control characters such as the
block character found in SPEED's tagline. Also, messages must contain
only one tear line. That is the line with "---" above the tagline. If
you leave messages on a FidoNet BBS, you MUST use SPEED's Fido mode.
If you are unsure whether a particular board is a member of FidoNet or
not, check with your Sysop (the person running the BBS) before leaving
messages in an echoed area.
While in the Fido Mode, SPEED scans all the replies you generate for
offending characters and replaces them with spaces. If your quote
string contains extended characters, it is replaced with the standard
"> " quote string.
COMMAND LINE ARGUMENTS SPEED v1.10 pg. -39-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
MONOCHROME MODE
The MONO command line option forces the program into a monochrome
mode thus eliminating the use of colors. Normally, SPEED will
detect the type of video card in your computer and adjust the colors
accordingly. However, if you are using a color card (CGA, EGA or
VGA) and a monochrome monitor, SPEED will attempt to display colors.
This may be difficult to read. To override the auto-detect and
force the program into a monochrome mode, start SPEED as such:
SR MONO (ENTER)
LINE FEED OFF
Some printers automatically send a line feed after each line of
text. By default, SPEED sends a line feed after each line of text.
If both SPEED and your printer are sending a line feed, then the
printout will be double spaced. To turn off SPEED's line feed use
the command line option LFOFF when starting SPEED, as shown below:
SR LFOFF (ENTER)
AUTOMATIC IMPORT
Two command line options are provided to automate the task of
importing new mail packets.
/I This option imports all unprocessed QWK packets in the
download directory into their respective message base.
Example: SR /I (ENTER)
/I:BBS_ID This option imports all unprocessed mail packets for the
specified BBS. You can get the proper BBS_ID name from
the BBS List Window.
Example: SR /I:8250 (ENTER)
When a message base is updated via the /I switch, the BBS List
Window will show XX under % read.
ANSI MUSIC
Some external ANSI drivers support ANSI music. SPEED by default
suppresses ANSI music control codes, since most ANSI drivers do not
support it. However, if your ANSI driver does support music, start
SPEED with the /M command line option.
Example: SR /M (ENTER)
Some ANSI music can be quite long (and annoying). To abort the
ANSI, press any key. It may take a few seconds for the music buffer
to empty and for the music to stop.
TEXT EDITING SPEED v1.10 pg. -40-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
When entering certain text information, such as a message subject, you
may use the following text editing commands:
(HOME) Moves the cursor to the beginning of the line.
(END) Moves the cursor to the end of the line.
(LEFT) Moves the cursor one space to the left.
(RIGHT) Moves the cursor one space to the right.
(CTRL-LEFT) Moves the cursor one word to the left.
(CTRL-RIGHT) Moves the cursor one word to the right.
(DEL) Deletes one character at the cursor.
(BACKSPACE) Moves the cursor one space to the left and deletes
one character.
(INS) Toggles between the insert and over-type mode. While
in the insert mode the cursor's height will increase and
new characters are inserted by shifting all remaining
text one position to the right of the cursor. Toggling
back to the over-type mode will restore the cursor to
its normal size and characters entered will replace
those at the cursor.
(F5) Converts all the text to upper case.
(F6) Converts all the text to lower case.
(F7) Makes the first letter of each word upper case.
(F8) Reverses the character's case at the cursor.
(PGDN) Reverse all changes and continue editing.
(ESC) Reverse all changes and quit.
(ENTER) Accept all changes and quit.
In some instances, the input line will appear with text already in it.
This is either the default or the last entered text. Pressing any
character will erase the line and allow you to enter new text.
However, you may choose to edit the text by first pressing a control
key. A control key is any valid non-alphanumeric key such as (INS) or
(LEFT).
TECHNICAL SUPPORT SPEED v1.10 pg. -41-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Questions or comments about this product should be directed to:
Jim E. Smith Channel 8250
344 Observatory Drive or SPEED Conference #25
Birmingham, AL 35206 205-744-8546
I also monitor the following network conferences:
U'NI-Net/US - SPEED, shareware and offline
ILink - shareware and offline
Intelec - shareware and offline
PlanoNet - SPEED_Support
Address messages to JIM SMITH.
In addition to the above, registered users are provided with my home
phone number for immediate technical support.
UPGRADE POLICY
- Open-ended promises are easy to make, but difficult to keep. In the
end, the user usually feels cheated.
- I want to offer free updates as long as it is economically feasible
and other circumstances do not preclude it.
- By "economically feasible", I mean, for example, as long as enough
new orders are coming in to cover the cost of continued development.
- By "other circumstances do not preclude it", I mean, for example, if
someone hacks and distributes the key file scheme, it will have to
be changed and new key files mailed out on a subsequent upgrade.
In this example, the registered user would have to pay a small
upgrade fee to cover the postage and handling.
- In addition, all registered users are eligible to beta test the latest
version, just by downloading it from Channel 8250 [205-744-8546] conf.
#25 or the Lunatic Fringe [214-422-2936] conf. #169. This will give
the loyal supporters first crack at anything new, and provide me with
an experienced pool of SPEED users. On Channel 8250, leave a comment
to the Sysop and request access to the SPEED conference. You may
access the SPEED conference on your first call to the Lunatic Fringe.
I reserve the right to withdraw this at any time, with no forewarning.
KUDOS SPEED v1.10 pg. -42-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
No successful program is the result of only one person's labor. This
program is no exception. I would like to thank all the people that have
significantly contributed to SPEED READ.
First, I would like to thank all the people who have registered SPEED.
If you had not done so, SPEED would have ceased to exist. I would
like to give a special thanks to the registered users who chose to help
beta test the latest version of SPEED. Thanks!
Next, I would like to recognize the Sysops of Channel 8250,
RANDY HILLIARD (local) and MIKE TYNER (remote). They have willingly
given of their time, energies and system resources, to provide SPEED
a home BBS. Thanks!
I would like to give a special recognition to the original beta team.
They were there when SPEED was just a dream and a bunch of buggy
code. Each of these people have earned a special heartfelt thanks:
DANE BEKO ERIC HUNT VALERIA PALMER MIKE STROCK
GEORGE DE BRUIN BLAKE MILLER JOHN STEWART
Also, I would like thank PATRICK SPRENG, Sysop of The Blue Flame BBS
in Dallas, TX for creating the original SPEED.ICO. I appreciate
Patrick's willingness to loan his artistic talent.
LEGAL SPEED v1.10 pg. -43-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
LICENSE AGREEMENT
SPEED READ (the software) is licensed to you. The author, J.E. Smith,
retains sole ownership of the software.
You may try the shareware version for no more than 30 days, after which
you must either register it or quit using the program. Registered
users may only use the software on one computer at a time. At no time
should more than one copy of software be running on different computers
at the same time.
Registered users are permitted to make a backup copy of the CONFIG.SR
file for their own use in case the original disk becomes defective.
All other copies of this file are prohibited. The CONFIG.SR file
should not be loaned, given away or otherwise used by anyone other than
the licensee.
You may NOT alter, decompile or disassemble the software or any of the
supporting files other than what occurs during the natural use of the
program.
You may NOT assign, sublicense, or transfer the program or any rights
under this License to anyone else. This License Agreement is NOT
transferable, and can only be revoked by the user if he or she destroys
ALL copies of the program.
DISCLAIMER OF ALL WARRANTIES AND LIABILITY
SPEED READ IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER
EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. YOU ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK OF USING THE PRODUCT.
THE AUTHOR WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DIRECT, INDIRECT,
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM ANY DEFECT IN, OR USE
OF, THE SOFTWARE.
OTHER
Throughout this document mention is made of other companies' products
and trademarks. This is for reference purposes only. In no way does
the author of SPEED READ imply any relationship to these companies or
trademarks. The trademarks mentioned are the property of their
respective owners.
ERROR MESSAGES SPEED v1.10 pg. -44-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whenever SPEED runs into a problem it will usually popup an error message.
Most are self-explanatory or provide a help screen for more detailed
information. However, some errors seem to generate more questions than
others. Below is a listing with an explanation of these errors.
1. ERROR #512
This means that SPEED can not find an executable program such as PKZIP
and PKUNZIP in your path. When this happens usually the user has placed a
copy of the two ZIP programs in the SPEED directory. When SPEED changes out
of this directory, it can no longer find the executables. To correct this,
either put PKZIP.EXE and PKUNZIP.EXE in a directory within your path, or add
the directory where they reside to the path.
2. One copy of SPEED is already loaded in memory.
Normally, you should press N and type EXIT.
Continue on? (y/N)
The above error message occurs if you shell to DOS and try to run another
copy of SPEED. When SPEED in run it creates the file LOCK.SR and marks a
certain location in memory. If you try to run a second copy of SPEED it
sees the LOCK.SR file and/or the marked memory location and gives you the
above warning. It is not safe to run more than one copy of SPEED. Doing
so puts your message base at risk.
However, you will also get this warning if you lose power while running
SPEED. If there is not another copy of SPEED in memory, select "Y" and
continue on.
3. Cannot open file: A:/SR.EXE/SET2.SR
This error occurs if you attempt to run SPEED from the root directory of a
drive. SPEED should always be run from its own directory off of the root
directory.
COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SPEED v1.10 pg. -45-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Why does the total number of messages exceed the 'Keep Old' setting?
A: The keep old setting only includes "old" messages, not new messages.
For example if your keep old is set at 20 and your new packet has 7
messages, SPEED will keep 20 -old- messages and 7 -new- messages for a
total of 27 messages. If the keep old of 20 included new messages that
would cause a problem if your new packet had say 40 messages. The first
20 would be lost. That is why the keep old count excludes new messages
so you will never lose a new message, no matter how many come in the last
packet.
Each time a new packet is added to a conference, SPEED will first prune
it to get the number of messages down to the keep old level. Then it
will add on the new messages. Note that if the new QWK packet does not
have messages for a particular conference, then that conference will not
be pruned. Conference are only automatically pruned when new messages
are added.
Q: How can I beta test SPEED?
A: All registered users are eligible to beta test SPEED. You can pick up
betas on Channel 8250 in the SPEED conference #25. Call and answer the
new-user questions and leave the sysop a comment saying you are a
registered user and would like access to the SPEED conference. You will
not be able to download the beta on the first call, but the Sysop usually
gives you full access within 24 hours. 8250 is a 2-node message only BBS
so it is very easy to get into. The phone numbers are 205-744-8546 and
205-744-5166.
Betas are also available on John Stewart's Lunatic Fringe within 24 hours
after they are posted on 8250. John's BBS allows first time callers to
download after filling out the new-user questions. The SPEED conference
is #169. The phone number is 214-422-2936.
On both BBS's it is necessary to join the SPEED conference before
downloading the beta file.
Q: How can my BBS become an official distribution site for SPEED?
A: To be an official distribution BBS, I require the board to:
1. Carry the SPEED conference. Which requires joining either
U'ni-net/US or PlanoNET.
2. Provide the latest version of SPEED to first time callers. Channel
8250 normally does not allow downloads to first time callers, so 2
doors were set up to allow Z-modem and X-modem downloads of SPEED to
first time callers.
3. Carry the latest beta version of SPEED for registered users, in the
SPEED conference. All registered users are eligible to beta test
SPEED.
COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS -- continued SPEED v1.10 pg. -46-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Is there any way to access a copy of the messge I am replying to?
A: The file REFER.SR contains an exact duplicate of the message you are
replying to. This file can be used as a reference file or in
conjunction with an external quoting program.