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WHATSNEW.DOC
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1994-07-05
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============
PGPShell 3.2
============
PGPShell v3.2 has been updated to be compatible with the MIT PGP v2.6
and Mathew's clever v2.6ui version. It is still compatible with PGP
v2.3a for those who are not interested in the 'licensing wars' of late
and want to stick to the tried and true.
In addition to the compatibility update, I've improved on several
other things:
* new directory dialogue improvements which allow you to choose
files across directories and drives (and with a mouse)
* ability to load and switch among several PGP keyring files
located along PGPPATH. Good for viewing your secret key ring
and your public key ring while in PGPShell
* the use of 4 new config variables located in PGP's CONFIG.TXT,
three of which are PGP-specific and the fourth the MyName var.
The three PGP-specific configuration items allow you to
customize PGPShell by choosing a particular key ring file at
startup, your own third-party text editor rather than the
internal one, and a default text message directory to choose
text files from.
* debugging of some strange code, including a complete rewrite
of keyring information loading into the KMS. A few users
reported seeing only garbage in the KMS, so improved error
correcting should correct this problem.
* PGPShell now sends the entire UserID to PGP for processing.
This problem popped up when more than one UserID shared the
same first and last name, e.g., "Steve Jones." Now PGPShell
will send: "Steve Jones <jones@domain.com>" to ensure that
the correct key is being acted upon.
PGPShell 3.1
============
PGPShell version 3.0 was a complete from-the-ground-up rewrite of the
successful, yet clumsy version 2.2. While it was a drastic improvement
(design and otherwise) over previous versions, some serious bugs worked
their way in there. Version 3.1 takes care of them all and has some
extra bells and whistles thrown in as well.
o In MS-DOS ver 6.0+ with the double-space option enabled,
the FAT table is organized differently. Some of my assembly
routines conflicted with DOS/double-space and locked up the
computer (cold, dead complete lockup...) Resorted to tried
and true methods and squashed this bug.
o Improved and made exception handling more robust, especially
in the opening key data gathering. PGPShell now displays an
error message in lieu of the Key Management Screen if key
data was not gathered properly. Now the only lock-up can
occur if the PGP key ring is corrupted, which requires the
user type "pgp -kc" at the DOS prompt. (May or may not clear
up the problem.)
o PGPShell now supports full UserIDs, instead of last names only,
so that if before "Smith" was sent to PGP (and PGP complained
that there were two Smith's) the full "Robert S. Smith" is now
sent.
o Fixed the overly restrictive requirement that the PGP.EXE file
exist in the PGPPATH. PGPShell now searches the entire path
*and* the PGPPATH for the PGP.EXE file enabling users to keep
the executable in one place and the data files in another.
o PGPSHELL.EXE can now be run from anywhere in the path, not just
from the current directory. PGPShell still requires that the
PGP DOS environment variable PGPPATH be set though, because it
will look there for the output files that it uses to display
the key ring.
o Fixed several small glitches in the PGPShell Editor. The Editor
no longer rejects valid DOS file names. Also fixed a backspace
bug and a wordwrap glitch.
o When entering the Key Management Screen (KMS) information is
instantly displayed without pressing a key. Also, scrolling
with the mouse or arrow keys updates the key information
automatically.
o Put in a CRC routine to ensure greater confidence in the
executable. Now you can type "PGPSHELL CRC" to get the CRC
checksum.
What I Want to Do in the Very Near Future, (or What I Would Have
Done, Had I Had More Time Over Spring Break...)
----------------------------------------------------------------
o Add support for an external string table for all error
messages and help screens rather than hard coding them in
the executable. This will facilitate translation of PGPShell
into languages other than English. (Perhaps my wife will
volunteer for the Spanish translation...)
o Add support for an external text editor to use in lieu of the
PGPShell Editor 1.0a. That way those still stuck on edlin
can go for it!
I'll try to get to these two things in particular this summer
(Jun 94). Those of you who are bi/tri/multi-lingual (!) and would
like to see PGPShell translated into a particular language, please
send me the translation! To do it, go through PGPShell and write
down the title of the help screen (or error message) and the text
after that in the translated language. Don't worry about the line
count, I'll pad the lines if need be *unless* it is longer than
will fit in the box. It can be shorter than the English text, but
it can't be longer or the message will get truncated!
All programs have a couple of bugs hanging around... Don't keep 'em
to yourself! Let me know about them so that I can make PGPShell even
better than ever. Don't assume someone else already wrote about it,
because odds are they didn't. You can e-mail me at:
still@rintintin.colorado.edu
or leave a [C]omment to me as the sysop of the Hieroglyphic Voodoo
Machine BBS at +1 303 443 2457 (V.32bis N81) 24 hours a day. Enjoy!