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-
- JC-QWK - A QWK Offline Mail Door for Remote Access
-
- General help file
- -----------------
-
- This help file will cover all options available on this door. It
- will be sent with the first mail packet you download from this
- door, so you can browse it offline.
-
- What is JC-QWK anyway?
-
- JC-QWK is an electronic mail system designed to run on Remote
- Access and compatible bulletin board systems.
-
- Reading and replying to bulletin board mail is time
- consuming, often taking up your entire allocated time on a
- BBS. If you read lots of mail, spend a lot of time on-line
- replying to and entering new mail, and/or have large phone
- bills from calling computer bulletin board systems (BBS's),
- then JC-QWK may be just what you need!
-
- With JC-QWK you can collect the latest mail in the conferences
- you choose and download them to your own computer, so you can
- read it at your leisure. However, you will need a QWK
- compatible mail reader, available for download from this BBS.
-
- JC-QWK will scan mail in all selected message areas. After
- scanning it will show the size of the packet and ask to
- continue downloading. Once you have downloaded the mail packet
- to your PC, you can log off and use a QWK compatible
- mailreader to read and reply to your mail.
-
- In summary, the JC-QWK lets you do the following:
-
- a) Select your favorite mail conferences
- b) Scan for your new mail and optional new bulletins
- c) Bundle the mail into the common QWK packet format
- d) Compress the bundle using your favorite archiver
- e) Transfer the packet to your PC using a standard file transfer
- Protocol such as Xmodem, Ymodem, or Zmodem
- f) Use a commonly available reader program after logging off to read
- and reply to the new mail
- g) Log back on the same BBS to upload the reply packet if you have
- written messages.
- h) Repeat from the beginning.
-
-
- JC-QWK is fun to use but also has value by saving you time
- and money. Try it out. Your electronic mailing will never be
- the same!
-
- <D>ownload mail
-
- Downloading means JC-QWK will SCAN for new mail, pack it up
- with an archiver, and send it to your PC. When you select
- this option, JC-QWK will begin to scan your selected mail
- areas for new mail. This is called the scanning process. When
- it is done, it will show you the packet size and ask you if
- you want to continue downloading of a file - for example,
- BBSNAME.QWK. This file is called the QWK MAIL PACKET. When
- you press enter or Yes, it will begin to send the QWK file to
- you using the file transfer method you selected.
-
- <U>pload mail
-
- When you use a QWK compatible mail reader on your PC to reply
- or create new mail, the reader will create a file with the
- extension REP, for example BBSNAME.REP. This is called the
- QWK REPLY file. To send mail to JC-QWK, you must upload this
- reply file.
-
- When you select this option, JC-QWK will tell you to start
- sending your mail using the FILE TRANSFER method you
- selected. Consult your communications program's documentation
- for instructions on how to do this, if you aren't familiar
- with it.
-
- When the file transfer is completed, JC-QWK will begin to
- "toss" the mail into the appropiate mail areas.
-
- <R>estore pointers (To last run)
-
- This option will reset the mail pointers to the value(s) they
- had at the previous succeesed mail run. Use this if something
- goes wrong with a QWK packet and you want to redo it.
-
- <M>odify pointers
-
- This option will prompt you to enter the number of messages
- you wish to receive per area in the next mail run. You can
- also do this when you first select the area - when asked if
- you want to select all messages starting from last read
- message, answer NO. You will be prompted for a number of
- messages for only that area.
-
- What are Last Read Pointers anyway?
-
- The last read pointers are markers maintained by the BBS and
- by JC-QWK to indicate where exactly in the mail system you
- last read your mail. This allows for the BBS and JC-QWK to
- quickly find all new messages beginning from the last one you
- read.
-
- Normally, as a user, you do not need to play with your last
- read pointers. However, there are times when you may want to
- alter the last read pointers to either get MORE mail or get
- LESS mail or to basically restart from the beginning.
-
- <S>elect areas (Mail areas)
-
- In this section, you define the mail areas of interest for
- mail scanning. Bulletin boards usually carry a tremendous
- amount of mail areas. But JC-QWK allows you to select the
- areas of interest and only those areas selected are scanned
- for mail. The mail areas are numbered sequentially.
-
-
- <I>ndex files toggle (*.NDX on/off)
-
- Traditional QWK mail has index files for its mail. Some QWK
- readers do not use or need them. Deselecting this option
- will tell JC-QWK not to create the index files for QWK mail
- packets.
-
- <N>ew files toggle
-
- If you turn this option ON, JC-QWK will sent you a file
- containing new (public) files available on the system during
- the last 30 days With your offline mail reader, you will be
- able to read the new files list and possibly use the file
- request system to download files. (not available yet in this
- JC-QWK release)
-
- <B>ulletin Toggle
-
- When bulletin toggle is on you will receive all bulletins
- which have been updated or are new since the last time you
- successfully downloaded a QWK packet.
-
-
- <C>ompression method (ZIP ARJ LHA)
-
- Your sysop has provided a list of available archiver
- programs. Archivers are programs that compress and expand
- multiple files into a single, smaller file. This allows you
-
- <T>ransfer protocol (Z-Y-X-modem)
-
- This option will list the available file transfer protocols
- for selection. Use your favorite transfer protocol for
- downloading and uploading messages.
-
- ZMODEM is a very popular and efficient file transfer
- mechanism and is highly recommended.
-
- <Q>uit to BBS
-
- Quit will take you back to the BBS.
-
-
- <G>oodbye (Logoff)
-
- Goodbye will log you off and hang up the phone.
-
-
-
- Fido style Netmal
-
- JCQWK does support Fido style Netmail, even though the QWK
- readers were not designed to handle it normally. The one thing
- missing from a normal message that is required for netmail is the
- destination address and flags.
-
- JCQWK interprets the subject of the message as containing the
- destination address if it starts with an "@" sign. Itunderstands
- both full addresses as wel as a variety of short-form addresses
- (where the remaining part of the address is based om the main address
- or AKA for the netmail message area.
- Some examples (assuming an address of 2:281/610):
-
- On messages exported from the BBS, the subject line will contain
- the originating address for the netmail areas. This was done to allow
- you to reply without entering the address, since it will already be
- in the subject line.
-
- If you want the subject to look normal om the netmail messages you
- write, you need to use the first message textline as the subject and
- start it with "Subj:". Exemple:
-
- Subj: QWK message readers
-
-
-
-
- Sending control messages to JC-QWK
-
- ADD/DROP
-
- You can control JC-QWK's settings offline. When you want to add/drop
- an area, just send a message to JC-QWK, with subject ADD or DROP.
- The message body has to contain the areaname.
-
- RESET
- Same story on reset. If you want to reset your message pointers, just
- put a message to JC-QWK, subject RESET <MESSAGENUMBER> and the pointer
- will be reset to this messagenumber.
-
- Many offline readers have shortcuts included in which they let you
- choose an action (add/drop/reset) and write the message itself.
-
-
- */end helpfile/*
-
-