home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
BBS Toolkit
/
BBS Toolkit.iso
/
wildcat
/
digfos11.zip
/
DF.DOC
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1993-01-11
|
12KB
|
331 lines
DIGIFOSSIL V1.1 - Jan 11, 1992
Fossil Interpreter for DigiBoards
=================================
Technique Computer Systems
Ste 110, 1841 Oak Bay Ave
Victoria, BC V8R 1C4
CANADA
BBS: (604) 598-1546
FAX: (604) 598-4318
What is it?
-----------
DIGIFOSSIL (DF) is the program YOU need in order to get a huge
number of doors, written for FOSSIL systems, working with your
Wildcat! IM system. (if you need a FOSSIL for a non-IM/Digiboard
system, try either X00 or BNU, which are available from many
BBSs)
What is a FOSSIL anyway?
------------------------
FOSSIL (Fido/Opus/Seadog Standard Interface layer) was created
to provide a standard communications interface during the
evolution of some other BBS software (namely Fido(tm), Opus and
Seadog(tm)). It provided a superset of the serial port calls
available on the early IBM PC, and provided a way to port
programs from one system to another, that may no use hardware
compatible serial ports to the IBM PC.
By writing programs that use a standard set of calls, all that is
required to move the system to dissimilar hardware, is a new
Fossil driver.
What does DIGIFOSSIL do?
------------------------
It provides the translation services so that calls made to FOSSIL
standards are translated into equivalent Digiboard calls. This
allows HUNDREDS of applications written for FOSSIL to run under
IM, as if they were running on a FOSSIL based system. This list
includes many popular doors such as Tradewars & Scrabble (tm).
Think of it as the 'missing link' between your Wildcat! IM
system, and vast number of existing doors.
- 1 -
DigiFossil (c) Copyright 1992, Technique Computer Systems
Installation
------------
Simple, part of your AUTOEXEC.BAT, before Desqview is loaded,
should load the TSR driver for DF. Simply add:
DFTSR
to your AUTOEXEC.BAT. When DFTSR starts, it will identify
itself, and indicate the type of Digiboard installed. DFTSR
currently takes about 14k of memory, and can be loaded into
'HIGHRAM' using QEMM's LOADHI, or DOS 5's LOADHIGH commands.
It must be loaded AFTER the DigiBoard (XIDOS5) driver is loaded.
Using Doors that work with FOSSIL Drivers
-----------------------------------------
Although DIGIFOSSIL may not run all doors, it will run those
doors that require or support FOSSILs. If a program does not
mention that it will utilize a FOSSIL, it probably doesn't use
it, and work with DIGIFOSSIL.
When running a door that requires FOSSIL support, simply use the
program DF to enable or disable FOSSIL support in the DIGIFOSSIL
driver (DFTSR which was loaded in your AUTOEXEC.BAT). To run DF,
simply specify which Digiboard channel, and whether to enable or
disable support. If no port number is given, DF will use the
port specified by the environment variable WCPORTID.
** NOTE **
** Be sure that if you enable FOSSIL support, that you
** disable it again before re-loading Wildcat!.
** (I suggest that you add DF OFF to your CAT.BAT)
examples: DF ON 1 - turn on FOSSIL support for port 1
DF OFF - turn off support for port WCPORTID
DF LOCK 1 - turn on FOSSIL support for port 1
but don't allow the door to change
the baud rate.
When using doors that support FOSSIL, such as Scrabble, COM1
(w/FOSSIL), is the same as Digiboard channel 1. That is to say,
if you set WCPORTID to 1, your should tell the DOOR to use
(FOSSIL) COM1.
If you have a door that does NOT support a locked DTE rate (that
is when the baud rate to the modem is higher than the actual link
connection speed), AND you are using a modem that has a locked
DTE, you should can use the DF LOCK command rather than the DF ON
command, which will prevent the DOOR from changing the baud rate
on the modem.
- 2 -
DigiFossil (c) Copyright 1992, Technique Computer Systems
NOTE!
Programmers writing code that makes FOSSIL calls
should note COM1, and WCPORTID=1 both refer to
channel 0 (DX=0) in the actual with respect to the
actual FOSSIL and DigiBoard drivers.
Examples
--------
This is an example DOOR.BAT for Chris Hall's excellent Scrabble
door.
DOOR1.BAT
@ECHO OFF
REM This batch file is located in your HOME directory,
REM and is copied to the work directory and executed.
REM It needs to change to the right location of the
REM door and run the program
REM
REM ******* Enable Fossil
DF ON
CD \DOORS\scrab
scrabdor node%WCNODEID%.cfg
CD \WC30
REM ******* Remember to turn it off again
DF OFF
REM The above example takes its parameters from a
REM configuration file located in the door directory.
REM Others may take command line arguments for information
REM such as CHESS.EXE %WCPORTID% where the %WCPORTID% gets
REM replaced by the com port number by DOS when
REM the program is run.
Files
-----
The following files should be included in this archive, and for
authenticity, it should contain the PKZIP authenticity
verification for TECHNIQUE COMPUTER SYSTEMS.
DF.EXE - to enable and disable DIGIFOSSIL support
DFTSR.EXE - the DIGIFOSSIL driver
DF.DOC - this document file
ORDERFRM.DOC - Ordering information
Registration & Ordering
-----------------------
DIGIFOSSIL is NOT free. Although it is distributed in a fully
functional form, continued use beyond 30 days requires
registration. Registered versions are always available to
registered users on the PLYWOOD PC BBS at 604-598-1546.
Registration costs $15 (US), or $18 (Canadian). To order, please
use the order form found in this archive. You can also order the
product online on the Plywood PC BBS at 604-598-1546, or FAX
completed order forms to 604-598-4318.
- 3 -
DigiFossil (c) Copyright 1992, Technique Computer Systems
Support
-------
For further information, or technical support of DIGIFOSSIL, your
best bet is to call the call the Plywood PC BBS at 604-598-1546
(V32bis/HST), and join conference 2 (DIGIFOSSIL support).
Other options are: leave email to SCOTT BRYNEN in the 3rd party
support conference on MSI's Bulletin Board (805-395-0650), or the
MSI-OffTopic conference, that is echoed to many email networks.
Another option is to FAX us at 604-598-4318.
Some FOSSIL applications may not work. If you have problems with
a specific application (or have found one that works well), let
us know, so that in future versions we can list doors that are
known to work.
If you have a node that crashes during operation of the
DIGIFOSSIL, please make a note of the conditions under which it
happened, and if you are able, open another DOS window in
Desqview, and type
DF STAT <port-number>
where <port-number> is the port that has failed. This
information that this provides will be most helpful in trying to
diagnose what has happened.
Updates
-------
By registering the product with Technique Computer, you will
receive the most recent version by mail (please allow 6-8 weeks),
and be able to download the latest version of it from our BBS.
Once you are registered, you can download future versions of
DIGIFOSSIL from the Plywood PC BBS.
Credits
-------
I have a few people to thank. Firstly, I would like to thank Ron
Green, and Ken O'Connor for their patience, and for letting me at
their Wildcat! IM baby in order to get DIGIFOSSIL working, and
also to Ron Green for saying "but we can't run Scrabble now we've
gone to Wildcat! IM", and to Chip North (and his co-sysop), for
actually proving that it works with more than Scrabble.
- 4 -
DigiFossil (c) Copyright 1992, Technique Computer Systems
History
-------
Version 1.1 - Jan 11/1993
- Added support for forcing Locked DTEs.
- Added beg screen to unregistered version.
(lack of registrations caused this)
- Fixed minor typos in the orderform.
- Added better support for detecting errors during
installation.
Version 1.0 - Dec 25/1992
- Initial Release
Legal Stuff
-----------
DIGIFOSSIL is Copyright 1992-1993, Technique Computer Systems,
all rights reserved. This product is provided "AS-IS" without
warranty of any kind. All risk as to the results and performance
are assumed by you. Technique Computer Systems will not be
liable for any damages, direct or indirect, resulting from the
use, or inability to use, this product.
Wildcat! isn't actually a trademark of Mustang Software Inc (but
is a very good BBS package)
DigiBoard could be a trademark of DigiBoard
Fossil (Fido(tm)/Opus/Seadog(tm) interface layer), is the
combined product and ideas of Tom Jennings, Thom
Henderson, Vince Perriello, & Wynn Wagner (& many
more).
Fido is a trade mark of Tom Jennings
Seadog is a trade mark of Thom Henderson and/or System
Enhancements Associates.
QEMM and Desqview are trade marks of Quarterdeck Office Systems.
- 5 -
DigiFossil (c) Copyright 1992, Technique Computer Systems