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Cream of the Crop 21
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Cream of the Crop 21 (Terry Blount) (October 1996).iso
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HISTORY
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1996-08-24
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Recent Revision History
-----------------------
This file contains a list of changes to the current release and also to one or
more previous releases. If you have used {COMMO} before, please make sure you
are aware of the many changes and improvements.
See the file 70INFO.DOC for important announcements and {COMMO} product
information.
IMPORTANT! {COMMO} registration eliminates the startup delay and makes you
eligible for full technical support.
----------- ---------------
{COMMO} 7.0 August 24, 1996
----------- ---------------
Bugs Fixed
----------
When arguments were used with the BEEP function, the "BEEPing" message on the
Status Line would not always go away when the BEEP was finished.
Compiling a source Macro File larger than 65510 bytes caused a system crash.
The sound on the INFOrm function didn't always work correctly after
using the "S2" switch.
Improvements/Changes
--------------------
{COMMO} now supports external communications drivers that use the standard INT
14 interface. These include various FOSSIL drivers, network communications
drivers, Internet protocol drivers and the BIOS in your computer (which was
the original INT 14 interface).
See the new Appendix L for instructions on using the INT 14 interface.
You can now set any port speed that is valid for your serial port (or internal
modem). If you try to set an invalid speed, {COMMO} will set the nearest
valid speed. Note that the two character speed abbreviations are no longer
allowed (i.e., 57 will now be 57 bps, not 57600).
You can also change the serial port "frequency" (for most PC hardware, this
is 115200, which is the default). This parameter may be specified in the
"com=" item in COMMO.SET or with the PARMs-C macro function. For example:
{com=4,2e8,3,256000}. This value must be the speed that results when the
Baud Rate Divisor is equal to one (this is usually the crystal frequency
divided by 16). It may be as high as 40,000,000 bps (approx.).
16 serial ports (COM1 to COM16) are now supported. All ports beyond COM4
default to {com=n,3f8,4}. Change these as necessary by adding {com=...} items
in COMMO.SET. Note that the {com=...} item is ignored when using an external
communications driver (INT 14).
The Alt+P key command now presents the Terminal Parameters in string format
and allows you to edit them directly.
You can now specify the size of Variable Space in the Setup File. The new
item (in the Miscellaneous section) is:
{vsp=3} Variable Space size in kilobytes (1-64)
Note that the value is now in kilobytes instead of bytes.
IMPORTANT! The /v command line switch must now be in kilobytes as well.
The SETEsc function has a new switch "K". "K0" causes {COMMO} to ignore all
typed keys except Ctrl-Break. "K1" (the default) allows all keys again.
If a macro label is included with SETEsc, the macro will be executed when
Ctrl-Break is pressed (no warning message). Otherwise Ctrl-Break causes the
macro to STOP. In either case, the keyboard is active again as soon as
Ctrl-Break is pressed.
Example: {sete-k0 label}.
NOTE: System keys such as Ctrl+Alt+Del, Shift+PrtSc, NumLock, etc., are not
affected (they remain active).
Two built-in variables have been added:
_cfs Capture File status: 0=closed, 1=open
_elt Elapsed timer in clock ticks (18ths of a second)
{COMMO} now has a B Plus protocol overlay for use on CompuServe. The file
BPLUS1.POV must be in your {COMMO} directory. New macros are included in
COMMO.MAC to support this. See "Uploading / Downloading" in COMMO.DOC for
important details (this protocol is not very speech friendly.)
There is a new option "auto" for the "min=" item in COMMO.SET. This setting
will cause the Modem Init String to be sent only if Carrier Detect is OFF at
program startup. The /in or /iy switches will override the setting.
{min=auto} Send Modem Init String (auto/yes/no)
A switch "N" on the SETLook function provides an important new feature. You
can now set a label to GOTO if no data comes in from the serial port for a
specified amount of time. See SETLook in MACRO.DOC.
The INPUt macro function has a new switch "Lnnn" which defines the length of
the input field. "nnn" can range from 1 to 120; values outside this range (or
no switch) will default to 60.
The Alt+U Utility Menu has a new item "U" to unload the current auxiliary
Macro File.
The SCREen macro function no longer displays a "saving" message (the message
is still displayed in manual mode). This will speed up macros that use this
function to extract data from the screen.
In Zmodem {COMMO} will now skip incoming files whose names are not DOS
compatible. Previously, the rest of the batch would be cancelled when such a
filename was received.
In ANSI-BBS and TTY emulation modes {COMMO} will now wrap to column 1 when a
character is displayed in the last column on the screen. Previously the
cursor would remain in the last column until another character or positioning
command was received. This change brings {COMMO} into line with more recent
industry standards. Note that VT102 emulation works as before.
Certain display situations will improve, but in rare instances you may
notice double spacing or screen scrolling where there was none before. This
is normal and must be corrected at the host (which can turn off linewrap,
if necessary; see Appendix E).
The restriction that port addresses must be 200h or greater has been
eliminated. Use addresses below 200h with caution.
The key-label "art" has been replaced with "aen" (Alt+Enter). Macros that use
"art" will have to be changed to "aen".
Speech Friendly Interface
-------------------------
The "sfi" item in COMMO.SET can now be set to "expert." The "yes" option
("novice") will speak additional information, primarily when windows pop up.
The Online Help file and the .DOC files are more speech friendly. Brackets
have been removed from key names (for example Alt+A instead of [Alt-A]). Most
keys are now shown on separate lines in COMMO.HLP.
The Alt+L Capture File menu has a new selection "G" to get the current Capture
File status. It'll tell you the filename and whether the file is open or
closed.
A message announcing Chat Mode on/off will now be given when Speech is on.
----------- -----------------
{COMMO} 6.6 December 16, 1995
----------- -----------------
Bugs Fixed
----------
If no SETGet was executed, {COMMO} would sometimes send a garbage terminator
response at the end of a GETString.
The edit option on the Utility Menu was not allowing a new file to be created.
The "N" switch on EXECute was being ignored if the "S" switch was present.
When saving the screen, {COMMO} was sometimes getting more video data than
necessary (certain Windows video drivers were upset by this).
The progress indicator wasn't working properly in Ymodem and Zmodem
"mini-batch mode" (where each file is sent as a separate batch).
The "no carrier" macro feature was causing certain macro functions (LOOKfor,
GETString, PAUSe, HOLD, ASCIiup) to "fall through" when carrier dropped and no
macro label was set. Now the function will continue as usual unless a label
has been set.
The hardware interrupt (IRQ) was not always being masked properly when exiting
{COMMO} if Shell to DOS or EXECute were used (didn't affect most systems).
Improvements/Changes
--------------------
* The five Terminal Parameters in the {ddp=...} item in COMMO.SET may now be
specified as separate items (this should make it easier for new users). The
new COMMO.SET reflects this change (note that "ddp" is still valid).
* Modem messages received during a successful d