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1994-02-13
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RoboMail 1.3 Upgrade Kit 02/14/94
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to RoboMail 1.3!
This file contains upgrade instructions as well as a listing of all
changes to RoboMail since the 1.2 release. This upgrade has been a
long time coming, and I hope that you will enjoy the many new
features it contains.
I'd like to extend a big thank you to the beta testers who really
pounded away on this version to make sure it is the most solid
release ever and to everyone who contributed suggestions for
enhancements. The primary goals for this release were improved
memory management and Internet mail handling. I think we have
accomplished both of the goals with the switch to protected mode,
improved support for very long messages and the addition of many
Internet-specific addressing features.
Development on the next release, which will expand RoboMail's
ability to read other mail formats is already under way, so please
be sure to let me know about any additional features you would like
to see. When trying to contact me, please keep in mind that the
"echo conferences" are primarily for user-to-user communications.
For a prompt response, use any of the following methods:
Email: dan.parsons@group1.sccsi.com
72167.3662@compuserve.com
CompuServe: 72167,3662
FAX: 312-752-1222
BBS: 312-752-1258 or 312-752-6528 (Use "C"omment command)
Thanks very much for your continuing support!
-- Dan Parsons
IMPORTANT NEWS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ROBOMAIL IS NOW A PROTECTED MODE EXECUTABLE! - This means that the
program will now use a built-in DOS Extender to access extended
memory (any memory above the 1 megabyte mark) to execute both code
and data. This new method of operation provides significantly
enhanced speed as well as increased reliability.
In order to function in protected mode, your machine must be able
to provide the following resources to RoboMail:
o A 80286 "AT" or higher CPU.
o At least 1 megabyte of free "extended" memory. Extended
memory is any memory installed in your machine above one
megabyte. RoboMail can use almost any type of free memory,
and contains a built in DPMI server which will be used in
the event your memory manager does not already provide DPMI
or VCPI services.
NOTE: If you are a registered user and your machine is unable to
run this protected mode version, leave a message on Group
One BBS asking for access to the special "real mode"
version of RoboMail 1.3.
INSTALLATION
~~~~~~~~~~~~
To upgrade to RoboMail 1.3 from any previous version of RoboMail,
perform the following steps:
1 - Make a complete backup of your existing RoboMail directory!
The 1.3 version will convert the format of several data
files the first time it is run and you will need your
backup if there should be any problem during the conversion
process.
2 - Unzip the ROBOM13U.ZIP file into your existing RoboMail
directory. Answer "Y"es to over-write the previously
existing files when prompted.
3 - Run the INSTALL.BAT file by typing INSTALL at the DOS
prompt in your ROBOMAIL directory.
4 - Start RoboMail by typing ROBOMAIL at the DOS prompt in your
RoboMail directory.
5 - Be sure to review this file to learn about the new features
and changes in the release. There are several new
configuration options discussed below that you will want to
set up right away!
PERFORMANCE AND CONFIGURATION ISSUES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When running in protected mode, all of ROBOMAIL.EXE is loaded in
memory at once. The amount of conventional (below 640K) memory
available when you start the program is not very important. As
long as there is at least 320K of conventional memory and
sufficient extended memory the program will run very well.
People using many TSRs, DesqView, Windows or running in a
network environment will now find that RoboMail runs much better
and provides greatly improved memory management.
Previous versions of RoboMail made extensive use of EMS memory.
If you are certain that no other programs on your system will
need EMS memory, and you have verified that your system will
support protected mode operations, you may want to set up your
system so that EMS memory is disabled. Doing so will provide
you with an additional 64K of high memory which can be used by
other programs. Please consult your DOS or 3rd-party memory
management documentation for details.
RUNNING UNDER DOS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just run ROBOMAIL.EXE from within the same directory as your
RoboMail data files. The program will examine your hardware and
memory environment and verify that protected mode operations
are possible. All available extended memory (up to 8 megabytes)
will be used.
RUNNING UNDER WINDOWS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By default, RoboMail will request up to 8 megabytes of extended
memory before resorting to a disk swap file. This all happens
automatically without you needing to do any special
modifications of any settings. In effect, RoboMail will be
using Window's own swap file mechanism for its own virtual
memory operations. This is very efficient and fast.
If you are running other applications simultaneously and want
to stop RoboMail from using a full 8 megabytes of Windows
virtual memory, you can add a MAXMEM:nnnn switch to your
ROBOMAIL environment variable. However, don't do this unless
you feel RoboMail's appetite for memory is adversely affecting
the performance of other programs running at the same time. For
example, to limit RoboMail to 4 megabytes of extended memory,
you would use the environment variable:
SET ROBOMAIL=MAXMEM:4096
If you need help setting up a program item for RoboMail on your
Windows desktop, use the sample ROBOMAIL.PIF that has been
supplied in this upgrade kit.
RUNNING UNDER DESQVIEW
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To run successfully under DesqView make sure that the minimum
program size is set to at least 400 and that you specify at
least 1024 in the PIF setting for Expanded memory usage. A
sample RM-PIF.DVP file has been supplied that contains the
settings needed for normal operations. If you have sufficient
resources, you should increase the amount of Expanded memory to
4096 for optimal performance.
If you find that you are unable to open other windows while
RoboMail is running, you may want to place an absolute limit on
the amount of physical memory that will be requested by adding:
SET ROBOMAIL=MAXMEM:2048
...to your environment.
RUNNING UNDER OS/2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You should edit your DOS settings to provide at least 4
megabytes of DPMI memory (8 is better) and 640K XMS (for
fastest swapping to external programs). Because of a conflict
between RoboMail, OS/2 2.1 and PKZIP's usage of DPMI memory, it
is important that you do not remove the supplied PKZIP.CFG file
from your RoboMail directory. The file disables PKZIP's DPMI
usage when shelled out from RoboMail.
Under OS/2 2.1 GA, the TAME21 utility (available on Group One -
The RoboMail support BBS) is required for correct t