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1992-11-03
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O f f l i n e m a i l r e a d e r
Version 1.0S (C)
Brought to you by MicroArt Ltd.
Contents of this document:
1. Introduction to the program
2. CHIPS distribution
2.a Shareware arrangement
2.b Commercial arrangement
3. Installation
3.a Simple
3.b Advanced
3.c Special parameters
4. Navigating CHIPS
4.a ...using the keyboard.
4.b ...using the mouse.
5. Getting help within CHIPS.
6. Configuring CHIPS
7. Features
7.a Standard features
7.b Special
7.c User-defined functions
Appendix A: Error messages
Appendix B: Trademarks & Warranties
Appendix C: Acknowledgements
Appendix D: Contents of the program package
Appendix E: Contacting the author
1. Introduction to the program
Welcome to CHIPS, the QWK electronic mail packet off-line reader.
What's that anyway? For whom may not know anything about the subject,
let's begin from the very basics.
BBS, Bulletin Board System, is a computer centre equipped with one or
several telephone lines reserved for modem communication where users
can log-on with their own home computers and exchange files and data.
The most important issue about BBSes are the electronic mail
services. Nowadays the BBS networks have spread all over the globe
and make electronic mail communicating with a person from the other
side of the planet as easy and almost as fast as if he or she were in
the neighbourhood. There are nets that integrate thousands of BBSes
from hundreds of countries. Ten thousands of users world-wide can
make your mail portion really large, which makes it, if you keep
reading it on-line, not easily surveyed, thus annoying, inefficient
and, last but not least, very expensive. Special BBS service
programs, also known as 'doors', specialised as 'mail managers' which
can keep track of your inbound and outbound mail, are designed to
enable the users read their mail at home, with the phone line off.
They create files following a standard that was began by QMail (tm),
and is known as QWK format, after the file extension. These files are
then downloaded to the user's, after which all you need is an
off-line reader like CHIPS. Once in a QWK mail packet, the messages
are fast and easy to handle, and this way CHIPS helps you to reduce
telephone bills and time, needed to find and read the interesting
messages.
2. CHIPS distribution
CHIPS is being distributed as shareware software. Please feel free to
give it to your friends or upload it on a BBS, provided that it is an
originally archived version. The program itself is fully functional
and is not crippled in any way. The unregistered version's only
difference from the commercial version is in the CHIPS.REG file.
The limitations of the unregistered version are:
- ten messages per conference and ten replies per BBS only
- extra "begging" screens
The unregistered version can be used by anyone, CHIPS will deduce the
user's name from the current packet's caller name.
2.a Shareware arrangement
This limitations are removed simply by registering the program. For
the price of 33 USD or 49 DEM it will give you 250 messages per
conference and 250 replies per BBS. You will be the only to be able
to use your registration file, and only with your own mail packets,
while of the other packets you will be able to see the messages only,
unable to reply, enter messages or modify the packet.
You can order this program by sending the order form from the file
ORDER.FRM with the data fulfilled, either via ordinary mail to our
address, or send a fax, or upload it on our BBS as an ASCII file, or
leave it as a message.
After our acknowledgement of the payment you will be polled for the
registration file or left the file (appr. 100 bytes) for download.
2.b Commercial arrangement
Send the same order form as in the previous arrangement. After the
payment is acknowledged you will be sent an original package
including: floppy disks with the program and files dependant and a
printed manual. Call us price information.
This procedures are valid for the foreign customers only.
For contact procedure see Appendix E.
3. Installation
3.a Simple
If you just got the program and never used it before, you'll have to
make room for it and create a directory in the first place, for ex.:
MD C:\CHIPS <ENTER>
CD C:\CHIPS <ENTER>
COPY A:CHIPS.ZIP <ENTER>
Unpack the archive in to the newly open directory,
PKUNZIP CHIPS.ZIP
...and that's all.
Just type CHIPS and press enter. If the CHIPS.CFG file doesn't exist, as
it sure shouldn't if this is the first time, you will be given the
configuration menu at once. You don't really have to configure anything,
the only thing we advise you to set-up are the directories, especially
the source directory with mail packets and the destination directory for
replies, that should be the appropriate DL and UL directories of your
communication program.
3.b Advanced
CHIPS can be set-up for use in a local network so that although there
are two or more users using chips they don't have to keep separate
copies of the .EXE, .HLP and .CTX files and keep only the private files
in their private directories. To do that in a network:
- put the .EXE, .CTX and .HLP files in a separate directory on a
network drive.
- every single user should create one or more private directories,
whether on a network drive or a local one, where to put private files:
.REG, .CFG and .CPSs on a main directory, and the private mail packets,
replies in their appropriate directories, pay special attention to the
work directory; it MUST be private and totally dedicated to CHIPS in
order to prevent data loss or damage.
- Add the following information to your AUTOEXEC.BAT:
>The variable PATH should contain the path to the .EXE file.:
SET PATH=%path%;<the path to the directory with CHIPS.EXE>
>To let the program know where your private files are add:
SET CHIPS=<the path to the main private directory (.REG etc...)>
You may want to share CHIPS on a single computer, well, then the only
solution is the use of personalised batch commands for every single
user, which still has to have his own private directories. The batch
command should whether change directory to the main private one and then
call CHIPS or modify the CHIPS variable in order to make it point on the
main private directory and then call the program.
Johnny's batch file:
CD C:\USERS\JOHNNY
CHIPS
Bob's batch file:
SET CHIPS=C:\USERS\BOB
CHIPS
ATTENTION! If one of the users uses the variable method, everybody must
use it. CHIPS looks in the directory pointed to by the environment
variable in the first place, which would make Johnny always end up in
Bob's directory.
3.c Special parameters
CHIPS has some special parameters, they have been added following the
wishes of some beta-testers. You may find them useful and even use
them... Here they are:
HGC - forces CHIPS to work as if you had a hercules monochromatic
display.
AUTORF - automatically selects the first packet in the pick list and
positions you on the first message in the conference view.
AUTORL - automatically selects the already open packet (if there is
one) and positions you on the first message in the conference
view.
AUTOUNRF - automatically selects the first