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1994-02-28
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- The Premium Offline Message Base Manager - TM
v1.40
SPEED READ, Copyright (c) 1991-94, J.E. Smith, All rights reserved.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ...................................................... 1
Features .......................................................... 2
Distribution ...................................................... 3
Quick Start Installation .......................................... 4
Configuring SPEED ................................................. 5
General Setup ................................................ 6
Toggles/Options .............................................. 10
Colors, Edit Picklists and User Hot-Keys ..................... 16
Work/RAM Disk ................................................ 17
Compression Programs ......................................... 19
Using SPEED READ - A Sample Session ............................... 20
Help System and Popup Menus........................................ 23
Hot-Keys .......................................................... 24
Keyboard Macros ................................................... 26
BBS List Window ................................................... 27
Conference/Area Window ............................................ 30
Read Message Screen ............................................... 34
BBS and Conference Specific Parameters ........................... 44
Read Replies Screen ............................................... 46
Entering and Replying To Messages ................................. 47
Picklists ......................................................... 51
Taglines .......................................................... 52
Twit Filter and Word Censor ....................................... 53
Fido Mode ......................................................... 54
Command Line Arguments ............................................ 55
Text Field Editing ................................................ 57
Mouse Support ..................................................... 58
Address Book ...................................................... 60
Advanced Topics
Quoting From an External Editor ................................. 61
Mailing Lists ................................................... 62
Technical Support and Upgrade Policy .............................. 63
Kudos ............................................................. 64
License Agreement and Other Legal Matters ......................... 65
Error Messages .................................................... 66
Special *WARNING* ................................................. 67
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers ............................ 68
INTRODUCTION SPEED v1.40 pg. -1-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to SPEED READ! SPEED is a next-generation offline QWK
compatible message manager. SPEED allows you to combine incoming mail
packets with an existing message base. This provides you with seamless
access to older messages, much like you would have when reading mail
on-line.
The real beauty of SPEED is its user interface. SPEED was designed
to make you feel right at home from the very first time you use it.
Every attempt was made to structure the key sequences in a logical
manner. To aid in learning SPEED, popup menus are available in many
places by pressing the (/) key.
The emphasis of SPEED is ease of use on small to medium sized message
bases. An extensive, on-line, context-sensitive, hyper-text help
system is always just one key away. Whenever you have a question, just
press (F1) for detailed help. It's like always having the manual open
to the right page.
Many new features are planned for future versions of SPEED. However,
they can only be implemented with your support. The registered version
of SPEED does not require you to enter a 5-digit access code at start
up. It removes the ending screen and your registration number will
appear in your taglines where [NR] is currently displayed. Also,
registered versions come with a "Special Bonus Thing". If you've never
had one, you're in for a treat!
The cost of SPEED is $25 (US funds). Include $5 shipping and handling
for orders outside the United States. Add $5 if you require SPEED on a
3-1/2" disk. A completed and signed order form MUST accompany each
order. The order form is found in the file ORDER.FRM, or you can print
one by pressing (ALT-O) within SPEED. MC/VISA welcomed.
Orders are processed as they are received. Generally, they are shipped
within 7 days. However, please allow 2-8 weeks for delivery from the
time your order is mailed.
A lot of thought and time went into the design of SPEED. I think you
will find it both intuitive and easy to use.
FEATURES SPEED v1.40 pg. -2-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPEED treats offline reading much like a BBS. It allows you to specify
a number of old messages to keep in each conference and each new packet
updates the message base. You can seamlessly access old messages while
reading new ones.
SPEED allows you to delete individual messages or mark them for long-
term storage. You may easily delete all the messages in a particular
conference, or mark them as read or unread. It keeps up with which
messages you have read and which messages came in the last packet.
Other features include:
- Ability to cross-post messages to any active BBS/conference.
- Folders for storing similar messages, irrespective of origin.
- Quote feature to mark text from various messages (even from an
external editor).
- View Mode allows you to run multiple sessions of SPEED.
- Direct support for 25/28/43/50 line mode.
- Bulk marking commands.
- Address book.
- Mailing lists.
- Enhanced routing support via First line field.
- Auto-signature option.
- Limited mouse support via /MOUSE command line option.
- BBS specific settings (Fido, tagfile, lines, sig. file).
- Personal message toggle to save messages you send.
- Wide/long message support up to 32k bytes, 32000 cols & 1000 lines.
- User-defined keyboard macros, with descriptions.
- File attaches.
- Carbon copies and the ability to forward a message.
- Default BBS, message and conference sort option.
- Extensive RAM disk support.
- Support for ZIP, ARJ, LZH and one user-defined compression program.
- Conference specific settings (Fido, tagfile, lines, sig. file).
- PostLink support.
- Command line option to auto-import QWK packets.
- Ability to read messages in thread order *WITHOUT* sorting.
- Option to compress the message base to save disk space.
- Option to swap out to XMS/EMS/DISK before running external programs.
- Ability to steal any line of text as a tagline or routing info.
- External tagline support (JH3, etc.).
- Save and print individual messages.
- User-defined picklists with advanced searching features.
- Advanced threading based on subject or reference number.
- Support for 2500-10000 conferences (depending on the system).
- Automatic pruning of message base (and manual pruning).
- 10 user-defined hot-keys.
- Twit filter and word censor.
- Multiple key text search within message base.
- Splitting of long replies, and subsequent merging for re-editing.
- "Special Bonus Thing" for registered users ...and much more.
DISTRIBUTION SPEED v1.40 pg. -3-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPEED is distributed as shareware. It is *NOT* public domain, freeware
or "free software". You may evaluate SPEED for 30 days, after which
you must either register or stop using it. Registration is required
for use in a business, government or institutional setting.
Unaltered copies of SPEED's *original* shareware distribution archive
may be freely copied and shared with others as long as no fee is
charged to do so. It may be uploaded to local and national BBS's.
SPEED may be distributed via subscription BBS's as long as no inference
is made that the subscription in any way pays for the use or evaluation
of SPEED.
QUICK START INSTALLATION SPEED v1.40 pg. -4-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This section assumes you are installing SPEED onto a hard disk. Since
SPEED is disk intensive and its message bases require a greater amount
of storage than conventional non-message base readers, it is not
recommended that you run SPEED using floppy disks.
Make a subdirectory off the root directory for your SPEED files and
extract the archive into it. You should *NEVER* run SPEED from the
root directory of any drive. If you have registered SPEED, make sure
your CONFIG.SR file is in your SPEED directory (the same directory
where SR.EXE is). Start SPEED by typing:
SR (ENTER)
Since SPEED will need to access external programs (your editor, lister,
PKZIP, etc.) from various directories, the programs should be in a
directory included within your path. If the programs are not in a
directory included in your path, you will need to include the full
pathname to the program in the setup section (ALT-C).
Next you are greeted with a new user window. It lets you know that
certain settings must be defined before SPEED will allow you to
continue. To display the General Configuration screen, press (TAB).
Fill in the required information for each of the fields. Use the up
and down arrows to move to another field. Don't forget if you have any
questions, press (F1) for a detailed help screen.
The most important information to enter is:
New Packet Directory - This tells SPEED where to look for
unprocessed mail.
Reply Packet Directory - This tells SPEED where to put your replies
(.REP files) so your communications program
can find them to upload.
External Editor - SPEED does not come with an editor. You
must provide an editor that processes
ASCII/text files. Note that the "%s" should
go where the filename to edit would normally
go and it MUST be lower case.
External Lister - Though not required, this is nice to have.
SPEED has a limited internal lister that
allows you to view Welcome, News and other
BBS screens.
The three items above, excluding the External Lister, are all that you
need to start SPEED. However, as you become more comfortable with
SPEED you will want to customize it to meet your personal preferences.
You may change the configuration at any time by pressing (ALT-C), and
selecting the area you want to configure. See the CONFIGURING SPEED
section for complete details.
CONFIGURING SPEED SPEED v1.40 pg. -5-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
You may change SPEED's configuration at any time by pressing (ALT-C).
This will display a menu from which you can choose a specific area
to configure. When colors are changed, it may be necessary to leave
an area before the changes are noticeable.
The following options are available from this menu:
General Setup
This is the screen you saw when SPEED was run for the first time.
It is used to change many of SPEED's general settings, such as
upload/download directories, message editor, quote string, etc.
To select an item to change, use the up and down arrows to move the
highlight bar. The settings on some items are toggled by pressing
the space bar, while others require you to directly enter text. See
the GENERAL SETUP section for more information.
Toggles/Options
The Toggles/Options screen allows you to select your preference on
several aspects of SPEED, such as the twit filter, censor, beeping
on personal messages, swapping to high memory before running external
programs, etc. See the TOGGLES/OPTIONS section for more information.
Select Colors
From this screen you can change SPEED's default colors. Note that
you will only see the changes as new windows and screens are
displayed. See the COLORS, EDIT PICKLIST AND USER HOT-KEYS section.
Picklists
A picklist is a convenient way to choose an item. Some picklists
allow you to enter commonly used entries. These include taglines,
To: fields, Subject: fields, save files, twits and censored words.
(ALT-L) displays a menu of these, from which you can choose a
specific picklist to edit. Once a picklist is chosen, you may add
new entries, delete unwanted entries and/or edit existing entries.
Use the up and down arrows to highlight the desired picklist, then
(ENTER) to select the highlighted item. See the PICKLISTS section.
User Hot-Keys
SPEED supports 10 user-defined hot-keys. They allow you to execute
any program or DOS command by pressing (ALT-F1 to ALT-F10). See
the COLORS, EDIT PICKLIST AND USER HOT-KEYS section for more
information.
Work/RAM Disk
The work disk is where temporary files are written. This includes
the contents of new mail packets, swap files, etc. The toggles
below this field defines what work is done on/in the work disk. The
work disk can be a RAM disk. This allows for the fastest operation.
See the WORK/RAM DISK section for more details.
Compression Programs
SPEED directly supports three popular compression formats: ZIP, ARJ
and LZH. See the COMPRESSION PROGRAMS section for more information.
CONFIGURING SPEED
GENERAL SETUP SPEED v1.40 pg. -6-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIRECTORIES
New Packets:
This item tells SPEED where to look for new message packets.
Normally this is the same directory as your communications program's
download directory. When entering the directory you should use the
full path name, including the drive. For example:
New Packets: C:\DOWNLOAD\
Reply Packets:
This item tells SPEED where to put your reply packets. If your
communications program has an upload directory, you should use that,
or you may choose to use the same directory as your communications
program. When entering the directory you should use the full path
name, including the drive. For example:
Reply Packets: C:\COMPRG\
QUOTING
Initials:
SPEED offers three different styles of quoting messages, dependent
upon how initials are used; First, All and None. Press the space
bar to toggle through the choices.
- FIRST
JS> This is an example of "First". Notice that the initials
> are only displayed on the first quoted line of each
> paragraph.
- ALL (*ALL will quote blank lines also)
JS> This is an example of the "All" option. It displays
JS> initials on every quoted line. This is the most
JS> common style.
- NONE (*NONE will quote blank lines also)
> "None" does not use any initials. This can be very
> confusing when there are several quotes from different
> people.
CONFIGURING SPEED
GENERAL SETUP -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -7-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quote String:
The quote string is the text placed between the initials (if any)
and the message text. The most common character used is the '>'
symbol.
Some networks (such as FidoNet) do not allow high-bit characters
(those greater than 127) and control characters (those less than
32). While in the Fido mode, SPEED will replace a quote string
containing high-bit characters with the quote string "> ".
*NEVER USE VALUE 227 (the pi symbol); THIS IS A QWK CONTROL
CHARACTER*
High-bit and control characters are entered by holding down the
(ALT) key and entering the desired character's ASCII value using
the numeric key pad. For example, to generate the "block"
character, press the (ALT) key, enter 254 on the numeric keypad and
then release the (ALT) key. For a complete list of available values
please refer to an ASCII chart located in most computer manuals.
Press (F1) while in this field to see a list of popular values.
Smart Quoting:
With smart quoting toggled On, SPEED will not quote quotes when you
reply to a message. In most instances this improves the readability
of a message. Press the space bar to toggle this option "On" and
"Off". Presented below are examples of each.
Without Smart Quoting: BB>SS>BB> Hi Steve, how's it going?
BB>SS> Very good Bill. How about you?
BB> Just fine.
With Smart Quoting: BB> Hi Steve, how's it going?
SS> Very good Bill. How about you?
BB> Just fine.
CONFIGURING SPEED
GENERAL SETUP -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -8-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXTERNAL PROGRAMS
Editor:
Enter here the DOS command needed to start your text editor
including all command line options (see below). If you are using
a batch file or alias to call your editor, preface the command with
"COMMAND /C " (or "4DOS /C ", if you are using 4DOS). If your
editor is not located within your PATH, the full path should be
included along with the program's name. It is not necessary to
specify an extension. The editor should read and write ASCII text
files.
You should always have at least 1 command line option, %s (the %s
*MUST* be lower case). Use %s where the file name to edit would
go. SPEED will replace %s with the actual file name. The %s
MUST be included, even if the editor does not accept command line
options.
EXAMPLES: Editor: MYEDITOR %s
Editor: COMMAND /C ED-BAT /bw %s
Editor: C:\UTILITY\MYEDITOR.EXE %s -ems
Lister:
Enter here the DOS command needed to start your external file
lister, including command line options (see below). If the
lister is not located within your PATH, the path should be
included along with the program's name. It is not necessary to
specify an extension.
A lister allows you to view text files. The lister can be called
via the (ALT-V) hot-key. The lister is not necessary to use SPEED.
You should always have at least 1 command line option, %s (the %s
*MUST* be lower case). Use %s where the file name to list would
go. SPEED will replace %s with the actual file name. The %s
MUST be included, even if the lister does not accept command line
options.
EXAMPLES: Lister: MYLISTER %s
Lister: C:\UTILITY\MYLISTER /bw %s
Lister: C:\UTILITY\MYLISTER.EXE %s -ems
CONFIGURING SPEED
GENERAL SETUP -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -9-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tagline Mgr:
SPEED supports external tagline managers, such as the popular John
Hancock program. Other similar programs are also supported.
Enter here the DOS command needed to start your external tagline
manager. Include all command line options, if any. The executable
program(s) and any supporting data files should be placed in the
same directory as your SPEED executable (SR.EXE). It is not
necessary to specify an extension.
The program is invoked from within the Message Header window by
pressing (F9), or it can be configured to automatically execute
each time a message/reply is created. See the Taglines option
in the TOGGLES/OPTIONS section for more information.
EXAMPLE: Tagline Mgr: JH3
Tag Ret. File:
External tagline managers, such as John Hancock, let SPEED know
which tagline was chosen by placing it in a special return file.
In the case of John Hancock, the file name is always JH?.REP. Like
in DOS the '?' is a wildcard, which means it can be any character.
Enter the name of the return file used by your external tagline
manager. You may include wildcards ('*' and '?'), if necessary.
Do NOT include a path unless the return file is in a directory other
than the one containing SR.EXE and your tagline manager.
NOTE: It is not necessary for JH users to complete this option. JH
will work with this field blank or completed as shown below in
the example.
EXAMPLE: Tag Ret. File: JH*.REP
CONFIGURING SPEED
TOGGLES/OPTIONS SPEED v1.40 pg. -10-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Use the up and down arrows to select the item you want to change.
Don't forget that help is available for each item by pressing (F1).
You can toggle through the available choices by pressing the space bar.
Below is a description of each of the items.
TWIT FILTER
Each time you enter a conference or message area, SPEED loads the
message index for that area. If the Twit Filter option is "On",
all messages with a To:, From: or Subj: matching an entry in your
twit list are marked as twits. These messages are hidden from you.
To later read the twitted messages, set this option to "Off" and
re-enter the conference. Twits are defined with the (ALT-L)
command. Select "Off" if no twits are defined.
CENSOR
If the Censor option is "On", SPEED checks each message for
offending words. If any are found, each character in the word is
replaced with the '%' character. If you want to read messages
uncensored, set this option to "Off", and you will see them as
originally posted. Censored words are defined by the user with the
(ALT-L) command. Select "Off" if no censored words are defined.
PERSONAL BEEP
If you want SPEED to beep each time the displayed message is
addressed to you, select "On", otherwise select "Off".
DELETE *.Q!*
When SPEED adds a .QWK packet to your message base, it renames the
old *.QW* file to a file with an extension of *.Q!*. Once processed
successfully, the old .QWK file is no longer needed by SPEED.
If you want SPEED to delete processed mail packets before exiting
to DOS, select "On", otherwise select "Off". If "On" is selected,
all files in the download directory matching the DOS wildcard
expression of "*.Q!*" are deleted.
EDIT HEADER
When entering a new message, or replying to an old one, SPEED needs
to know certain information such as who the message is to, the
subject of the message, message status, area, etc. You tell SPEED
this information in the Message Header Window. This toggle lets
you determine when this information is requested.
Before - Enter information BEFORE a message is composed.
After - Enter information AFTER a message is composed.
Both - Enter information BOTH before and after editing a
message.
The "Both" option allows you to enter the information before the
message is edited, and then change it after editing the message.
This is useful if you decide to change the subject or tagline to
reflect the content of your message.
CONFIGURING SPEED
TOGGLES/OPTIONS -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -11-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SWAPPING
When this option is toggled "On" (either SPAWNO or SWAP), SPEED is
moved out of conventional memory before external programs (such as
your editor, compressor, and DOS command processor) are executed.
This frees more memory for the external program. SPEED will attempt
to swap itself to high memory first. If there is not enough memory,
it will attempt to swap itself to disk. SPAWNO and SWAP are two
different swapping routines. If one doesn't work, try the other.
Toggle this option by pressing the space bar.
The advantage to swapping, as stated above, is the increased memory
capacity afforded the external program. However, it will take
longer to execute the program because of the time needed to remove
SPEED from conventional memory. Disk swaps take longer than memory
swaps. Therefore, if your applications will run without swapping,
it is to your advantage to leave this option toggled "Off".
SNOW CONTROL
SPEED uses direct screen writes to display text. This is much faster
than other available methods. However, on some older CGA video
cards this produces a "snow" effect when the screen is updated.
If you see "snow" while using SPEED, toggle this option to "On". If
your CGA card does not produce "snow" toggle this "Off" to get faster
screen writes. Since snow is only associated with CGA video cards,
this option should be "Off" if your system uses any other card.
TAGLINES
This option defines how SPEED selects a tagline, or if a tagline is
selected at all. Below is a brief description of each option:
Off - No tagline is added to your replies. This only
refers to the user portion of the tagline. The
name "SPEED", version number and [NR] or your
registration number is still added.
Random - A tagline is randomly selected from the entire
tagline pool.
Smart Random - Taglines are randomly selected from the remaining
tagline pool. The same tagline is not reused until
all taglines have been selected. The pool is reset
to the entire list whenever SPEED is started or the
total number of taglines changes.
Sequential - The taglines are selected in the same order as they
appear in the tagline list.
Same - The same tagline is used until you choose another.
Reg. Off - No tagline is added, including the "SPEED" portion.
This is only available in the registered version.
External - Automatically executes external tagline manager
each time a message/reply is created.
CONFIGURING SPEED
TOGGLES/OPTIONS -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -12-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
FROM:/TO:
By default SPEED displays messages with the sender's name first
(From: on top) and the recipient's name second (To: below From:).
If you prefer seeing the To: field above the From: field, select
"To:/From:". Otherwise, select "From:/To:" and the From: field will
be displayed above the To: field.
REPLY HEADER
If this toggle is "On", SPEED will include a copy of the message's
header (To:, From:, Subject:, etc.) in the quoted reply. This is
for informational purposes only, and is deleted before SPEED creates
the final reply.
MARK TWIT READ
If you want twitted messages marked as read, and you do not want to
later go back and read them, then toggle this option "On". If you
want to later go back and read the twitted messages, then toggle
this option "Off".
SAVE UNREAD
When this option is "On", messages will continue to accumulate until
they are read, irrespective of the Keep Old setting. If you do not
want to purge unread messages, then toggle this option to "On". If
you want to limit the size of your message base toggle this option
"Off".
REPLIES
Networks using the PostLink software, such as RIME, allow for
messages to be directly routed to a specific BBS. By routing a
message you can limit the number of people who see it, and the
number of BBSs who have to pay to move it around the world. If a
message has little or no information in it that would interest
anyone other than to whom it is addressed, then it should be routed.
SPEED supports the following routing options:
Never - Routing information is never added to a reply, except
when the message is marked as private.
Always - Routing information is always added to the reply.
If Routed - Routing information is only added to the reply if
the original message was routed.
Ask - You are asked each time if you want the message routed.
CONFIGURING SPEED
TOGGLES/OPTIONS -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -13-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
YOUR MSGS READ
By selecting an option other than "Off", SPEED will automatically
mark certain messages as read when they are imported.
The following options are supported:
Off - All messages are imported as normal.
To: YOU - Messages addressed *TO* you are marked as read when
they are imported (except in the personal conference).
From: YOU - Messages *FROM* you are marked as read when they are
imported.
Both - Messages *TO* and *FROM* you are marked as read when
they are imported.
PERSONAL MESSAGES
This option allows you to define what messages, if any, will go into
the personal conference. The options are:
Off - No messages are imported into the Personal conference.
To You - Messages addressed to you are imported into the
Personal conference.
To/From You - Messages addressed to you and from you are imported
into the Personal conference. To import messages from
you, the door/bbs must be set to include those
messages in the mail packet.
MUSIC
SPEED does not support ANSI music directly, however, some external
ANSI drivers allow SPEED to play ANSI music. If your ANSI driver
supports music, the music toggle should be set to "On", otherwise
set it to "Off". When it is "Off", the ANSI music code sequences
are suppressed so that they do not interfere with the display.
Some ANSI music can be quite long (and annoying). To abort the
ANSI, press any key. It may take a few seconds for the music buffer
to empty and for the music to stop.
AUTO FIDO
This toggle allows SPEED to automatically detect when Fido mode is
needed. If this option is "On", SPEED will switch into Fido mode
when replying to a message with an "Origin" line. If this option is
"Off", SPEED will use the global or local Fido setting when replying
to a message.
DEFAULT SORT
This toggle defines how SPEED will sort the messages when a
conference is entered or an index is displayed. Messages are
indexed and stored in the order they are received. If any option is
selected other than "No Sort", then the messages in the selected
conference are sorted each time the conference is entered, and
unsorted before the index is updated.
CONFIGURING SPEED
TOGGLES/OPTIONS -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -14-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SYMBOLIC LANGUAGE
Some languages (such as Chinese and Japanese) use a symbolic
character set instead of an alphabet. These languages make
extensive use of high-bit characters to extend the number of
available characters. SPEED uses the high-bit characters to draw
lines and boxes. This can produce a confusing display.
This toggle converts high-bit line drawing characters to comparable
low-bit characters, in selected places.
FILTER CTRL-A
Some software includes lines in Fido messages beginning with CTRL-A,
(ASCII code 01, see example below). These line are generally not
useful for the person reading the mail, but instead tend to clutter
the message. This toggle filters out lines beginning with CTRL-A.
(^A)EID:a364 19839560
(^A)MSGID: 1:107/932 2b1e555a
--- Mailer v0.00
* Origin: HST 16.8 & V.32b (1:000/000)
(^A)SEEN-BY: 13/13 19/150 69/201 101/1 121 102/743 104/69 739 909
(^A)SEEN-BY: 107/332 932 5001 115/769 116/19 125/10 138/103 142/208
(^A)PATH: 107/932 331 322/360 322/360
[SPEED] PROMPT
When this toggle is "On" SPEED will display "[SPEED]" as part of
the prompt when shelled to DOS. Otherwise, your normal DOS prompt
is used. This is used to remind you that you are shelled out of
SPEED and can return at any time by typing EXIT. This feature
does not work with the "SWAP" swapping option, but does work with
the "Off" and "SPAWNO" options.
AUTO SIGNATURE
When this toggle is "On", SPEED will add your custom signature to
the bottom of all your replies. The signature added is stored in
the file SIG.SR located in the SPEED directory. If this file
does not exist, use a text editor to create it with your desired
signature.
VIDEO ROWS
This is the number of rows that SPEED sets the video display to
after the opening screen. The choices are 25, 28, 43 and 50 rows.
The "As Is" option uses the number of lines detected when SPEED is
started.
VIDEO EXIT
This is the number of rows that SPEED sets the video display to upon
exiting the program. The choices are 25, 28, 43 and 50 rows. The
"As Is" option uses does not reset upon exit (Video Exit).
CONFIGURING SPEED
TOGGLES/OPTIONS -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -15-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SORT CONFERENCES/AREAS
This toggle defines how SPEED will sort the messages when a BBS is
selected. The conference list can be sorted by the following:
Conf. # - Conference number.
Unread Msgs. - The number of unread messages.
Total Msgs. - Total number of messages.
Conf. Name - The conference name.
Last Packet - The number of messages in the last packet.
SORT BBS LIST
By default the BBS listing is not sorted -- that is, it appears in
the same order the BBS's subdirectories are found in the SPEED
directory. This toggle allows you to select to sort the BBS list in
alphabetical order.
CONFIGURING SPEED
COLORS, EDIT PICKLISTS AND USER HOT-KEYS SPEED v1.40 pg. -16-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SELECT COLORS
From this screen you can change the colors used by SPEED. Use the
up and down arrows to select which item to change. Use the left and
right arrows to change the color of the highlighted item. Sample
screens are provided to let you test your selections. See below for
other valid commands.
(D) Sets the colors to the original factory settings.
(B) Sets the colors to black and white.
(R) Reloads the last saved colors from disk. Use this option if
you want to start over.
(TAB) Quits and saves the displayed colors as the default colors.
(ESC) Quits and reloads the default colors from disk.
EDIT PICKLIST
From this menu you may choose a specific picklist to edit. Once
a picklist is chosen, you may add new entries, delete unwanted
entries and/or edit existing entries. Use the up and down arrows
to highlight the desired picklist, then press (ENTER) to select the
highlighted item. This menu is directly accessible via the (ALT-L)
hot-key. See the PICKLIST section for more information.
USER-DEFINED HOT-KEYS
This screen allows you to assign a DOS command to one of the user
defined hot-keys. There are 10 user-defined hot-keys (ALT-F1 to
ALT-F10). Enter the information just as you would at the DOS
prompt. Include full path names, if needed.
For example: C:\ED\EDITOR C:\SPEED\NOTES.TXT
Batch files and internal DOS commands are run as shells from
COMMAND.COM.
For example: COMMAND.COM /C MYBATCH.BAT
COMMAND.COM /C DIR /P
Some programs, such as John Hancock's tagline stealer Guido, require
that the screen not be cleared before running them. To run a
program without clearing the screen, make the first character an '!'
in the command.
For example: !C:\SPEED\GUIDO C:\SPEED\STOLEN.TAG
CONFIGURING SPEED
WORK/RAM DISK SPEED v1.40 pg. -17-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The work disk is where temporary files are written. This includes the
contents of new mail packets, swap files, etc. The toggles below define
what work is done on/in the work disk. The work disk can be a RAM disk.
This allows for the fastest operation.
NOTE: Changes will not take effect until SPEED is exited, then restarted.
Work Disk:
Enter in this field the drive (A-Z) that you want SPEED to use as
the work disk. If it is blank, SPEED will uses the current disk
as the work disk.
New QWKs:
If this option is toggled "On", SPEED will use the work disk, as
defined above, to store the contents of an unprocessed QWK packet
when it is unarchived. Otherwise, the current disk will be used.
Toggle this option with the (SPACEBAR).
Replies:
If this option is toggled "On", SPEED will use the work disk, as
defined above, to store your replies. Otherwise, the current disk
will be used.
* WARNING * If your work disk is a RAM disk and this option is
toggled "On", you run the risk of losing your replies if the power
goes off or you reboot your computer. Use this option with caution.
Swap File:
When executing an external program, SPEED will try to swap first to
XMS, then EMS and finally to disk. This option allows you define
which disk to use if XMS or EMS memory is not available.
If this option is toggled "On", SPEED will use the work disk, as
defined above, to write the temporary swap file. Otherwise, the
current disk will be used. The swapping option under "Toggles/
Options" must also be "On" for this toggle to have an effect.
Imports:
If this option is toggled "On", SPEED will use the work disk, to
import new mail packets and for reading messages. Note that for
this option to work, the message base *MUST* be compressed.
If you compress your message bases and have a large enough RAM disk,
this option could save you a significant amount of time.
CONFIGURING SPEED
WORK/RAM DISK -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -18-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Expand Factor:
The Expand Factor helps SPEED to decide if it should use the work
disk or the default disk when uncompressing a message base. If the
size of the compressed message base multiplied by the Expand Factor
exceeds the amount of free disk space on the work drive, then the
current disk drive will be used to uncompress the message base
instead of the work drive.
The default for this option is 3.1. You may need to adjust it up
or down depending on the average compression rate of your message
base. If you consistently run out of disk space when uncompressing
to the work disk, then increase the Expand Factor.
CONFIGURING SPEED
COMPRESSION PROGRAMS SPEED v1.40 pg. -19-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Default Compression Format:
SPEED directly supports three popular compression formats: ZIP,
ARJ and LZH, with a fourth user-defined format available.
Once a message base is compressed, SPEED detects the compression
format and uses the same method on the message base thereafter.
To change the format, use (F2) to uncompress, then recompress
with (F2) using the desired format.
For replies, SPEED selects the compression method based on the
format used to compress: 1. an existing .REP for this BBS, 2. an
old .REP packet (i.e. BBSID.RE*), 3. an undeleted mail packet for
this BBS, 4. or the default format if no other match is found.
Compression Programs:
Enter here the DOS command, including command line options, needed
to execute the specified compressor or uncompressor. If the program
is not located within your PATH, the full path should be included.
It is not necessary to specify an extension.
You should always have at least 1 command line option, %s. Use %s
(the %s should be lower case) where the archive filename would go.
SPEED will replace %s with the actual filename(s).
USING SPEED READ - A SAMPLE SESSION SPEED v1.40 pg. -20-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Assuming you have successfully completed the setup section, you are now
ready to begin reading mail with SPEED. The first thing you will need
is a QWK mail packet.
To get a mail packet load your communications software and log-on to
a BBS supporting QWK compatible mail. On most BBSs, QWK mail is not
built in to the software; you must run a DOOR or external program to
access the mail. Look for commands such as "DOOR" or "Offline Mail".
If it supports doors type DOOR for a list of available doors, and look
for a door with "QWK" or "offline" in the description.
Normally, the first time you enter a QWK mail section on a BBS you
must provide certain information. This includes which conferences
you want to receive mail from, your transfer protocol, the type of
compression and other various items depending on the door.
It's a good idea to toggle "On" the option that sends you the messages
YOU enter. This defaults to "Off" on most QWK systems. By having your
messages in the message base it allows for better threading using the
(]/[) and (+/-) keys.
Once configured, you are ready to download a QWK mail packet. On most
systems the command to do this is 'D'. Check the menu on the system
you are using. Follow all the instructions as they are displayed.
When prompted, start the download within your communications software.
Once the transfer is complete, you can log-off the BBS (normally, 'G'
for Goodbye).
You are now ready to read your mail. To do so, change to the SPEED
directory and enter:
SR (ENTER)
This will load SPEED. If you are using an unregistered version, you
may need to enter the unregistered access code and press (ENTER).
If SPEED can find the packet you just downloaded it will display the
BBS ID in the BBS List Window. Also notice that there is a 'YES' in
'New Packet' column. This means an unprocessed mail packet is waiting.
If the window is blank, then SPEED cannot find the mail packet. Make
sure the mail packet is in the 'New Packet' directory as defined in
your General Setup configuration (ALT-C).
Select the BBS with the unprocessed mail packet and press (ENTER).
Use the arrow keys to highlight it if there is more than one entry.
SPEED will then unpack the QWK packet and convert the mail to its
internal format. When the conversion is complete, the Conference/
Areas Window is displayed.
USING SPEED READ - A SAMPLE SESSION -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -21-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Use the (+) and (-) keys to jump to the next/previous area with unread
mail (see the CONFERENCE/AREA WINDOW section for other available
commands). Select a conference to read and press (ENTER). SPEED will
then display the first unread message in that area.
To view additional messages press (ENTER) or the right arrow. To view
a previous message in this area press the left arrow. (ESC) will take
you back to the Conference/Area Window. Pressing (ENTER) while the
last message in this area is displayed will take you to the first
unread message in the next conference with unread mail.
To reply to a displayed message press (R). The Message Header Window
will be displayed. Make sure all the information is correct and then
press (TAB). If you need to change any of the information in the
Message Header Window, use the up and down arrows to highlight the
desired field and enter the correct information.
SPEED will load your editor and display the original message quoted.
Edit this file to add your reply. Remember to delete unnecessary parts
of the original quoted message. When the reply is just the way you
want it, save it and exit your editor.
If an error occurred and SPEED could not load your editor, press
(ALT-C), select General Setup and make sure your editor's name is
entered correctly. Use the full path name if the editor cannot be
located within your path statement. If the editor loads but the
original quoted message is not loaded, make sure the %s is included
in your editor's command line where the file to be edited should go.
The %s MUST be in lower case.
When you return to SPEED the Message Header Window is displayed again.
This allows you a final chance to make changes, like a new subject line
or a different tagline to reflect the content of your message. If the
displayed information is correct, press (TAB) to save your reply (or
(ESC) will abort the process and not save your reply).
To view a reply you've entered, press (HOME) twice in the Conference/
Area Window. This will take you to the first conference which is
Replies. Press (ENTER) and read the replies just as you would in any
other conference. (DEL) will toggle the delete flag for the displayed
message in case you later decide not to send the reply. When finished
viewing the replies, press (ESC).
To enter a new message, instead of replying to an existing one, press
(E) in the Conference/Area Window with the desired conference
highlighted; or press (E) while a message is displayed in the desired
conference. When the message header is displayed you must supply the
information for the To: and Subject: field. These cannot be left
blank. When your editor is loaded there is no quoted message, of
course, since you are not replying to an existing message. Otherwise,
everything else is the same as above.
USING SPEED READ - A SAMPLE SESSION -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -22-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once you have finished reading and replying to the messages from
this BBS, exit the reader by pressing (ESC) until you are back at
the DOS prompt.
You are now ready to send any replies you've written. When you exited
SPEED it packed up your replies in a file that will be uploaded to the
BBS. The name of the file is the same as the QWK packet downloaded
except its extension is REP instead of QWK.
Load your communications software once again and call the BBS. Enter
the QWK mail section as you did before (except this time you will not
have go through all the setup procedures as you did the first time).
Select the option to upload the reply packet (usually it is 'U').
When prompted, start the upload with your communications software.
After the upload is finished you can either log-off, or download
another mail packet. Don't forget to delete the REP file once it is
uploaded; everyone frowns on receiving duplicate messages.
It would be impossible to touch on everything related to offline
reading in this document. Hopefully the above will be enough to get
you started or at least arm you with enough information that you can
ask the right questions. If you have problems sending or receiving
mail packets ask the BBS's Sysop for assistance. Most are very
willing to lend a hand. Also, regular users of the BBS can provide
you with valuable assistance in using an offline reader.
Good luck!
HELP SYSTEM AND POPUP MENUS SPEED v1.40 pg. -23-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPEED contains an on-line, context-sensitive, hyper-text help system.
At any time, you can view a help screen relating to your specific
position in SPEED by pressing (F1).
The importance of using (F1) throughout the program cannot be
over-emphasized. SPEED's help system is rich with specific and
detailed information on all aspects of the program. Nearly as much
time went into the help screens as the actual program. Much of this
manual was compiled using information from the help screens.
Presented below is a summary of the valid commands while in the help
system.
(ARROW KEYS) Select a topic by moving the highlight bar with
any of the arrow keys.
(ENTER) View the help screen relating to the highlighted topic.
(ANY LETTER) Jump to the next selection beginning with that letter.
(HOME) Move the highlight bar to the first selection.
(END) Move the highlight bar to the last selection.
(PGUP) Move the highlight bar 1/10 back in the list.
(PGDN) Move the highlight bar 1/10 forward in the list.
(ESC) Leave the help system and return to program.
POPUP MENUS
In addition to the help system, SPEED provides popup menus in
several major areas (BBS List Window, Choose Conference/Area Window,
Read Message Screen and Read Replies Screen). The popup menu, when
available, is accessed by pressing the (/) key.
The popup menu allows you to select a function from a list of options.
Only the major options are listed in each of the popup menus. It makes
learning SPEED's commands easier while using SPEED. To help you learn
the shortcut keys, they are displayed next to each item in the menu.
To skip the menu, just press the shortcut where you pressed (/) before.
The following keys are valid while the menu window is active.
(UP) Move the highlight bar up one item.
(DOWN) Move the highlight bar down one item.
(HOME) Move the highlight bar to the first item.
(END) Move the highlight bar to the last item.
(ENTER) Select the highlighted item.
(ESC) Exit the Popup Menu.
HOT-KEYS SPEED v1.40 pg. -24-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hot-Keys are key combinations that are available to you anytime SPEED
is waiting on a key to be pressed.
Valid Hot-Keys include:
(F1) Context-sensitive help. (see HELP SYSTEM)
(ALT-C) Configure (setup) SPEED. (see CONFIGURING SPEED)
(ALT-L) Picklists menu. (see PICKLISTS)
(ALT-M) Available memory and other key information.
(ALT-S) Shell to DOS, return to SPEED by typing EXIT.
(ALT-T) Choose active tagline file. (see TAGLINES)
(ALT-V) Execute external file Lister/Viewer.
(CTRL-\) or (CTRL-D) Execute DOS command from within SPEED.
(CTRL-ENTER) Launch user-defined hot-key program.
(ALT-F1..ALT-F10) User-defined hot-keys. (see CONFIGURING SPEED)
Presented below is detailed information on selected hot-keys;
(ALT-M) SYSTEM INFORMATION
Key system information is available to you anytime by pressing (ALT-M).
The following information is displayed.
NEAR FREE Amount of free memory on the near heap. This number is
really not useful to you, since you cannot control it.
FAR FREE Amount of free memory that SPEED and other programs can use.
When you shell to DOS or SPEED runs other programs, this is
the memory that is used. Also, the message index is stored
here. When this memory runs out you cannot add new
messages to the message base.
NEAR/FAR HEAP Test to check the near/far heap.
PROCESS How long it took to perform the last timed event, such as
TIME updating or sorting a message base.
(ALT-S) DOS SHELL
Pressing (ALT-S) will allow you to shell to DOS without exiting SPEED.
This allows you to perform DOS related functions such as formatting
disks, copying files or any other needed activity. When you are
finished just type EXIT and you will immediately return to SPEED
exactly where you were when you shelled to DOS.
If Swapping is turned "Off", SPEED is left in conventional memory.
This will limit the amount of free memory while in DOS. If you get
errors such as 'Program too big to fit in memory' or 'Out of memory'
try turning Swapping on before shelling to DOS. To change the Swap
setting press (ALT-C) for configuration, select General Setup, then
use the down arrow to choose Swapping. Press the space bar to toggle
the setting, then (TAB) to save it.
HOT-KEYS -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -25-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(ALT-V) EXTERNAL FILE LISTER/VIEWER
The external file lister allows you to view text files. When you press
(ALT-V) you are prompted to enter a file name. If your lister does not
need a filename at the command line, you can just press (ENTER) and
continue on.
A Lister is not necessary to use SPEED, however it is nice to have when
viewing long text files, such as SPEED's documentation. The Lister is
defined under the "General Setup" portion of the configuration. Press
(ALT-C) and select "General Setup".
(CTRL-\) or (CTRL-D) EXECUTE DOS COMMAND
The DOS Command (CTRL-\) or (CTRL-D) allows you to execute a DOS
command without exiting SPEED. You can perform DOS related functions
such as formatting disks, copying files or any other needed activity.
Enter the command in the prompt window just like you would from a DOS
prompt. When the operation is finished, you are automatically returned
to SPEED.
If Swapping is turned off, SPEED is left in conventional memory. This
will limit the amount of free memory while executing the DOS command.
If you get errors such as 'Program too big to fit in memory' or 'Out of
memory' try turning Swapping on before shelling to DOS. To change the
Swap setting press (ALT-C), select Toggles/Options, set Swapping to
either SWAP or SPAWNO and press (TAB) to save the change.
(CTRL-ENTER) LAUNCH PROGRAM
This displays a picklist of user-defined hot-keys (ALT-F1 to ALT-F10).
You can execute the command/program by highlighting it and pressing
(ENTER).
It is a convenient way to access the user-defined commands while
learning the shortcut key strokes. To use the shortcut keys, press
(ALT) and the function key corresponding to the number of the command.
You cannot edit the commands from the picklist. They may only
be edited from the configuration screen. To do so press (ALT-C) and
select "User Hot-Keys".
KEYBOARD MACROS SPEED v1.40 pg. -26-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keyboard macros allow you to assign a sequence of keystrokes to a
single key combination, (ALT-1) through (ALT-0). Thereafter, each time
you want to execute that particular set of keystrokes, all you need to
do is press the assigned key, (ALT-1) through (ALT-0).
To record a keyboard macro, press (CTRL-]) or (CTRL--) and select a
key. You will hear a single beep to let you know the the recording has
begun. Next enter the key sequence as you normally would. SPEED will
record the keys as you enter them. When you are finished, press
(CTRL-]) or (CTRL--) once again to terminate the the recording session.
You will hear two beeps to let you know the recording is finished.
Each keyboard macro can save up to 100 keystrokes. Macros must begin
and end from the Read Message Screen, Read Reply Screen, BBS Window,
Conference Window or Index screen.
EXAMPLE:
Say you want to define a keyboard macro that will sort a conference by
subject and take you to the first message. Press these keys from the
read message screen:
(CTR-]) ; To display key selection menu
(END) ; Highlight (ALT-0)
(ENTER) ; Select (ALT-0) as the macro key
(O) ; Display sort menu
(END) ; Highlight sort by subject
(ENTER) ; Select sort by subject
(CTRL-HOME) ; Go to the first message
(CTRL-]) ; Terminate recording session
Now whenever a message is displayed and you want to sort the conference
by subject and go to the first message, all you have to do is press
(ALT-0).
BBS LIST WINDOW SPEED v1.40 pg. -27-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the opening screen, the next screen you see is the BBS List
Window. From this screen you may choose a BBS message base to read.
To select one, position the highlight bar over the desired BBS and then
press (ENTER) or (SPACEBAR). To move the highlight bar use the up
and down arrows.
The columns are defined as:
Compress - YES in this column means the message base is compressed
when not in use. A compressed message base uses less
disk space, but takes longer to access. Toggle this
option with (F2).
Reply - Total number of replies associated with this BBS.
New - A YES here means that this BBS has unprocessed mail.
Total - Total number of messages in all conferences.
Unread - Number of unread messages in all conferences.
%Read - The percent of *total* messages that have been read.
Yours - Count of unread messages to you in the PERSONAL conf.
BBS ID - A unique ID (or description) for this BBS.
The following keys are valid in the BBS List Window:
(ENTER) Select highlighted BBS. This will process any new packets and
display a window with all the BBS's conferences.
(SPACEBAR) Same as (ENTER).
(ESC) Quit SPEED READ.
(DEL) Delete popup window. This menu will allow you to execute a
special delete function, such as deleting a reply packet or an
entire message base. Each of the listed functions can be
accessed directly with the key combination shown to the right
of the option. The popup menu provides an easy way to perform
the functions, while learning the keystrokes.
(F2) Message base compression. This window allows you to choose
the desired compression method for an uncompressed message
base, or elect to uncompress a previously compressed message
base. A compressed message base uses less disk space, but
takes longer to access. Since this is selectable by BBS, you
may choose to leave your favorite ones uncompressed, while
compressing the others to save space. The default is
uncompressed.
(ALT-R) Delete reply packet. If a reply packet is available for the
highlighted BBS, you may delete it by pressing (ALT-R). You
will be prompted before the packet is deleted. Once a packet
is uploaded to a BBS, you should delete it to make sure it is
not uploaded again.
BBS LIST WINDOW -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -28-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(ALT-D) Delete message base. You may delete the highlighted message
base by pressing (ALT-D) or selecting it from the delete menu
(DEL). You are prompted before the message base is deleted.
Once deleted, you will not be able to recover it.
WARNING: This deletes *ALL* messages for the highlighted
message base, including those marked as "Keep".
=> Use With Caution! <=
(ALT-B) Build a reply packet for the highlighted BBS. This command
can be used to back up new replies or prepare a reply packet
for uploading. Using a macro you can build a reply packet,
execute your communications program and update the BBS display
all in one key stroke.
(ALT-U) Update/refresh display. This will reread your disk looking
for new mail packets, BBSs, reply packets, etc. It is not
necessary to use this command unless you are using
multitasking software such as Windows or DESQview.
When SPEED is first run it builds a list of BBSs, checks for
mail packets, replies, etc. Thereafter, it updates the list
as things change. It does not "reread" the data from disk.
This does not present a problem on single tasking systems.
However, on a multitasking system it is possible to be
reading mail and downloading a new mail packet at the same
time. (ALT-U) forces SPEED to rebuild the BBS list, so the
new mail packets are recognized, along with any other changes.
(F) Folder menu. This command displays the folder menu. The
folder menu is a convenient way to access the folder commands
(View, Delete and Prune). These commands display a picklist
of available folders.
(V) The view folder command is used to read messages in the
selected folder.
(D) The delete folder command deletes/erases all messages in the
selected folder.
(P) The prune folder command removes all messages marked as
*KILL* from the selected folder.
(HOME) First screen.
(END) Last screen.
(UP) Move highlight bar up one item.
(DOWN) Move highlight bar down one item.
BBS LIST WINDOW -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -29-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(PGUP) Previous screen.
(PGDN) Next screen.
(CTRL-HOME) First displayed line.
(CTRL-END) Last displayed line.
(+) Move to next item with a new (unprocessed) packet.
(-) Move to previous item with a new (unprocessed) packet.
(RIGHT) Move to next item with a reply packet.
(LEFT) Move to previous item with a reply packet.
CONFERENCE/AREA WINDOW SPEED v1.40 pg. -30-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
From this window you may choose a conference/area to read. To select
one, position the highlight bar on the desired item and then press
(ENTER) or (SPACEBAR). To move the highlight bar use the up and down
arrows. The BBS's name is displayed on the window's top border, and
its Sysop's name is displayed on the bottom border.
The columns are defined as:
Area - The ID number associated with this conference.
Total Msgs - Total number of messages in this conference.
Keep Old - The number of old messages to keep. Use (F2) to change.
Last Packet - The number of messages received in the last packet.
Unread - The number of messages you have not read.
Description - The name or ID of the highlighted conference/area.
The following keys are valid in the Conference/Area Window:
(ENTER) Select area to read messages.
(SPACEBAR) Same as (ENTER).
(F10) Displays a picklist used to search for or jump to a
specific area. (see PICKLISTS)
(ESC) Return to the BBS List Window.
(E) Enter a new message in the highlighted area. A window
will appear requesting certain information, such as the
message recipient, subject, etc.
(F2) This allows you to define how many old messages are kept
in the message base for the highlighted conference. The
'Keep Old' number includes messages marked as "Keep", but
excludes new messages.
This will only change the 'Keep Old' variable for the
highlighted conference. Use (CTRL-F2) to change all
conferences.
Consideration should be given to the process time and disk
space when deciding how many old messages to keep. If you
do not want to keep any old messages enter 0 (zero). The
default is 50 messages.
(CTRL-F2) This allows you to define how many old messages are kept
in all of the conferences. This is a global command and
will change *ALL* keep old variables for this BBS. Use
(F2) to change only the highlighted conference.
CONFERENCE/AREA WINDOW -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -31-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(T) View summary totals.
(ALT-B) BBS specific parameters (see the BBS AND CONFERENCE
SPECIFIC PARAMETERS section).
(ALT-D) Delete all messages in the highlighted conference. You
are prompted before the messages are deleted. Once
deleted, you will not be able to recover them.
WARNING: This deletes *ALL* messages and replies for the
highlighted conference/area, including those
marked as "Keep". => Use With Caution! <=
(ALT-P) Prune the highlighted conference/area. Pruning consists
of deleting all messages flagged as "*KILL*" and deleting
messages in excess of the 'Keep Old' variable. When total
messages exceeds the 'Keep Old' variable, messages are
deleted on a first-in-first-out basis.
(CTRL-P) Prune *ALL* conferences/areas.
(HOME/END) Display First/Last screen.
(A/D) Add/Drop conferences/areas from within SPEED. To Add a
conference, highlight it and press (A), or to drop a
conference highlight it and press (D). You are asked to
confirm your selection.
A special reply message is generated for the mail door in
the chosen conference. It is addressed to QMAIL and the
subject is either ADD or DROP depending upon which option
was selected. You may view these messages in the Replies
area. When the special messages are uploaded, the mail
door will act upon them and add or drop the specified
conferences from the list of areas from which you receive
mail.
NOTE: These commands may not work with all mail doors.
For example, the new Qmail doors have their own special
configuration. You might ask your Sysop before trying
them, or experiment in a local conference first.
(I) Message index. The message index displays a concise
listing of all the message headers. The From, To and
Subject fields are displayed. If the message has been
read, an asterisk is displayed to the left of the From
field. See the READ MESSAGE SCREEN section for a list of
available commands while viewing an index. The (5) key
will also display this screen.
CONFERENCE/AREA WINDOW -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -32-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(F) Folder menu. This command displays the folder menu. The
folder menu is a convenient way to access the folder
commands (View, Delete and Prune). These commands display
a picklist of available folders.
- View Folder command is used to read messages in the
selected folder.
- Delete Folder command deletes/erases all messages in
selected folder.
- Prune Folder command removes all messages marked as
*KILL* from the selected folder.
(O) Sort/order conference list. The conference list can be
sorted by the following:
Conf. # - Conference number.
Unread Msgs. - The number of unread messages.
Total Msgs. - Total number of messages.
Conf. Name - The conference name.
Last Packet - The number of messages in the last packet.
(CTRL-HOME/END) Highlight the First/Last displayed conference.
(UP/DOWN) Previous/Next conference.
(PGUP/PGDN) Previous/Next screen.
(+/-) Next/Previous conference with unread messages.
(RIGHT/LEFT) Next/Previous conference with any messages.
(CTRL RIGHT/LEFT) Next/Previous conference with messages in last packet.
(ALT-R) Mark all messages in the highlighted conference/area as
read. The same command is available while reading
messages.
(CTRL-R) Mark all messages in *ALL* conferences/areas as read.
(ALT-U) Mark all messages in the highlighted conference/area as
not read. This allows you to go back and reread all the
messages and have SPEED keep up with which ones have been
read. The same command is available while reading
messages.
CONFERENCE/AREA WINDOW -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -33-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In addition to messages, most mail doors include several other
information files. Below are the commands used to view them.
(W) Display welcome screen. The screen you normally see when
logging onto the BBS.
(N) Display current news the Sysop would like for you to know.
(B) Display bulletin picklist.
(L) Display a list of new files since you last called the BBS.
(G) Display good-bye screen. The screen you normally see when
logging off the BBS.
If the above files contain ANSI and you have ANSI.SYS included in your
CONFIG.SYS file, then the files will be displayed in color. Check your
DOS manual for more information on ANSI.SYS and CONFIG.SYS.
(CTRL-W/N/B/L/G)
To view the above files using your external file lister/viewer, press
(CTRL-"letter"). Where "letter" is the normal command letter of the
file you want to view. For example, press (CTRL-L) to view the files
list.
READ MESSAGE SCREEN SPEED v1.40 pg. -34-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This screen's main purpose is to read and reply to messages. The
screen is divided into three parts: a header section, message window
and a footer bar.
Header - This provides you with useful information about the
displayed message.
Message Window - The actual text of the message.
Footer Bar - This provides you additional information such as the
number of unread messages, lines, etc.
Below, each of the items in the message header is defined:
Date/Time - Date and time the message was created (or uploaded).
From - The name of the person who wrote the message.
To - To whom the message is addressed (sent).
Subject - Short summary of the message's content.
Number - The message number on *THIS* BBS. Networked messages
have different numbers on each BBS that receives them.
Refer - Original message to which displayed message refers.
Board ID - A short, unique identification for the active BBS.
Conf - The conference/area in which this message was posted.
Flags - *KILL*: The message is marked to be deleted.
Keep: The message is marked to be retained.
MARKED: The message is flagged as Bulk Marked.
## of ## - SPEED's message number and total number of messages in
this conference.
Recvd - "Yes" if the message has been read by the addressee
before you downloaded the message packet.
Status - "Public" all can see it; "Private" only you can see it.
The Sysop can also read private messages.
Commands available while reading messages.
Movement within a message:
(HOME/END) First/Last screen.
(UP/DOWN) Scroll Up/Down one line.
(PGUP/PGDN) Previous/Next screen.
(4/6) Scrolls displayed message 1 column to left/right.
(SHIFT-TAB/TAB) Scrolls displayed message 40 columns to left/right.
READ MESSAGE SCREEN -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -35-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Movement within the conference/area:
(SPACE) Single key to read through the message base. If the
displayed message is longer than what can be displayed on
one screen, then the (SPACEBAR) acts like the (PGDN) key.
When the last screen of a message is displayed the
(SPACEBAR) acts like the (ENTER) key.
(.) Single key to read through the message base in thread
order. If the displayed message is longer than what can
be displayed on one screen, then the (.) acts like the
(PGDN) key. When the last screen of a message is displayed
the (.) acts like the (+) key, and will take to the next
unread message with the same subject or the next unread
message, if none of the unread messages have the same
subject as the displayed message.
(RIGHT) Next absolute message.
(LEFT) Previous absolute message.
(ENTER) Move to the next unread message. If all messages have been
read, it is used to move to the next message in the last
packet. Pressing (ENTER) on the last message in the
current conference moves you to the next conference with
unread mail. The first unread message is displayed, just
as if the conference were selected from the areas list. If
the remaining conferences do not contain any unread mail
you are returned to the areas list.
(CTRL-HOME) First message.
(CTRL-END) Last message.
Movement within the last packet added to the message base:
SPEED remembers which messages were received in the last packet and
allows you to isolate them if you so choose. If the message base is
sorted so that new messages are mixed in with old messages, you will
want to use the commands shown below to read the message base.
(ENTER) Jump to next unread message, if available. Otherwise jump
to the next message in the last mail packet.
(*) Jump to the first message in the last mail packet.
(CTRL-RIGHT) Jump to the next message in the last mail packet. Use
this instead of the right-arrow (RIGHT).
(CTRL-LEFT) Jump to a previous message in the last mail packet. Use
this instead of the left-arrow (LEFT).
READ MESSAGE SCREEN -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -36-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Movement within threads:
One of the strengths of an offline message base is its ability to trace
message threads (specific conversations) back to their origin and
forward again. Below are the commands used in threading.
([) or (<) Chain back to the referenced message. If the displayed
message shows a number in the "Refer" field, and the
referenced message is in the message base, ([) or (<) will
allow you to instantly view it. You can continue to step
back like this, up to 100 messages.
(]) or (>) Chain forward or reverse the sequence of the ([) or (<)
key. As you step back with the ([) or (<) key SPEED
remembers the path you took. Pressing (]) or (>) allows
you to follow the same path back to your original message.
NOTE: If you stray from the path by moving to a message not
contained in the path, you will not be able to return to
the defined path.
(-) Display previous message whose subject matches the
displayed message, if available. Only the first 20
characters are used in comparing subjects.
(+) Display the next message whose subject matches the
displayed message, if available. Only the first 20
characters are used in comparing subjects.
(CTRL-PGDN) Jumps to the next message whose sort field is different
than the displayed message. For example, in a message base
sorted by subject, (CTRL-PGDN) will display the next
message with a different subject. For message bases not
sorted or sorted by number, (CTRL-PGDN) will display the
next available message.
(CTRL-PGUP) Jumps to a previous message whose sort field is different
than the displayed message. For example, in a message base
sorted by subject, (CTRL-PGUP) will display the first
previous message with a different subject. For message
bases not sorted or sorted by number, (CTRL-PGUP) will
display the previous message.
READ MESSAGE SCREEN -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -37-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marking and flagging messages:
(ALT-U) Unread messages. This will mark all messages after the
current message to the last message as unread. This allows
you to reread the messages as if they were never read the
first time.
(CTRL-R) Mark all messages in the current thread (those with the
same subject) as read. Only the first 20 characters are
used in comparing subjects.
(ALT-R) Mark messages as read. This will mark all messages, from
the current message to the last message, as read. This
allows you to skip over the messages as if they were read.
(INS) Mark displayed message for permanent storage. To toggle
the displayed message's Keep flag press the (INS) key.
Based on its previous status, the message will either be
flagged for permanent storage or un-flagged. Messages
tagged for permanent storage will display "Keep" in the
header's Flag: field.
Messages tagged for permanent storage will not be deleted
until they are un-flagged. To un-flag a Keep message press
(INS).
Care should be exercised in tagging messages for permanent
storage. Since "Keep" messages are processed each time the
message base is updated, the more you have the longer your
process times. Also note, "Keep" messages ARE included in
the "Keep Old" total. Therefore, the number of transient
"Keep Old" messages is reduced. Consider moving messages
you want to keep indefinitely to a folder.
(DEL) Mark displayed message for deletion. To toggle the
displayed message's *KILL* flag press the (DEL) key.
Depending on its previous status, the message will either
be flagged for deletion or un-flagged. If a message is
tagged for deletion, "*KILL*" will appear in the header's
Flag: field.
Messages in a given area are not actually deleted until a
new mail packet is added to that particular area, or the
area is pruned. Up until the message is actually deleted
you can un-flag it by pressing (DEL).
READ MESSAGE SCREEN -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -38-
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Quoting from multiple messages:
SPEED allows you to extract portions of different messages to be
included in a reply. The quotes are accumulated in a file then
automatically inserted at the beginning of your next reply.
(Q) Marks the first displayed line of the active message.
Marked lines are shown in reverse video.
(ALT-Q) Command is used to write marked lines to a text file. This
file is automatically inserted at the beginning of your
next reply. If a quote file exists, you are given the
option to append.
(CTRL-Q) Command functions exactly like the (ALT-Q) command except
initials and the quote string are omitted.
Other commands:
(A) Display message with ANSI sequences. Some messages contain
special codes that allow the message to display color
and/or perform animation. These messages are easily
identified because of their abundance of special escape
sequences. Messages with escape sequences are littered
with the [ character.
For this function to operate you must include ANSI.SYS in
your CONFIG.SYS file. For more information on using
ANSI.SYS and CONFIG.SYS, please refer to your DOS manual.
(B) Bulk marking allows you to mark a group of messages that
match the entered search criteria such as To, From and
Subject. Once marked, you can perform an action (such as
saving, printing etc.) on the entire group with a single
command.
The logic field allows you to define how matches are
determined. "And" means that all the fields must match the
input fields before a message is bulk marked. "Or" means
any one of the fields must match before a message is bulk
marked. Toggle with (SPACEBAR).
Valid commands include:
(DOWN/UP) Next/previous field.
(F9) Display action menu (see below).
(F10) Display picklist (To, From and Subject field
only).
(TAB) Mark messages that match specified criteria.
READ MESSAGE SCREEN -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -39-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(F9) Bulk action menu allows you to choose what happens to
bulk marked messages. Options include:
Clear Marked - Remove Bulk Mark tags (≡) from all
messages.
Mark All - Add Bulk Mark tags (≡) to all messages.
Clear Fields - Blank the search criteria fields (To, From,
Subj.)
Mark As Read - Mark all tagged messages (≡) as read.
Mark As Unread - Mark all tagged messages (≡) as unread.
Mark As Keep - Mark all tagged messages (≡) as Keep.
Mark As Kill - Mark all tagged messages (≡) as KILL.
Not Keep/Kill - Unmark all tagged messages (≡) as KILL.
Save Marked - Save all tagged messages (≡) to a text
file.
Print Marked - Print all tagged messages (≡).
Copy To Folder - Copy all tagged messages (≡) to a folder.
(M) This command allows you to toggle the bulk mark status on
an individual message (the one displayed or highlighted).
A bulk marked message is displayed with "MARKED" in the
Flag field or with a '≡' displayed in the message index.
(C) Copy Message to a Folder. This command allows you to
copy the displayed message to a folder. When you press
(C) you are prompted to enter the folder's name. To
create a new folder, enter any DOS valid filename. To
select an existing folder, press (F10) and choose the
desired folder from the displayed picklist.
Messages saved to a folder can be viewed from the BBS
List window by pressing (V).
(E) Enter new message (see the ENTERING AND REPLYING TO
MESSAGES section).
(F) Find text, same as (L) command. (see below)
READ MESSAGE SCREEN -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -40-
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(I) Message index. The message index displays a concise
listing of all the message headers. The From, To and
Subject fields are displayed. Note the (5) key will also
display this screen.
Some messages will have a symbol to the left of the From
field. The symbols are defined as:
(+) Message marked as Keep.
(-) Message marked as Kill.
(*) Message marked as Read.
(≡) Bulk marked message.
Below are the available commands while viewing an
index.
(ESC) Leave the index and return to the message
you were reading.
(ENTER) Display the highlighted message.
(O) Sort the messages
(SPACE) Toggle read/unread status.
(PGUP) Previous screen.
(PGDN) Next screen.
(HOME) First screen.
(END) Last screen.
(*) Go to original message.
(UP) Move highlight bar up one message.
(DOWN) Move highlight bar down one message.
(CTRL-HOME) Move to the first displayed line.
(CTRL-END) Move to the last displayed line.
(+) Move highlight bar down 5 messages.
(-) Move highlight bar up 5 messages.
(INS) Toggle Keep status.
(DEL) Toggle Kill status.
(M) Toggle bulk marked status.
(B) Bulk mark menu.
(F9) Bulk mark action.
READ MESSAGE SCREEN -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -41-
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(L) Locate (search for) text. The (L) command opens a window
and requests that you enter a search key. The search key
can contain one or more search strings (up to 10) separated
with a semicolon ';'. SPEED will then search the active
conference for text matching the key. The search will begin
with the next line of the current message and continue line
by line through the last message. Once a search key is
defined the following commands are available:
(F3) Search the active conference from the
*CURRENT* message through the final
message. The defined search key is used,
if one is not defined, you are prompted
to enter one.
(F4) Search the active conference from the
*FIRST* message through the last message.
The defined search key is used, if one is
not defined, you are prompted to enter one.
For compatibility with other readers, the (F) key can be
used interchangeably with the (L) key.
(O) Sort messages. Sometimes it is convenient to view messages
in an order different than SPEED normally stores them.
There are five sort options available for your use. They
are: No Sort, Sort by Number, From, To and Subject.
Since messages are deleted on a First-In-First-Out (FIFO)
basis, it is necessary to store the message base index in
the order they were received from the BBS. Therefore,
before an updated index is written to disk it is sorted
with the "No Sort" option.
(P) Print displayed message. Note this command only supports
LPT1. The Save Command can also be use to print messages,
see (S) below. If your system's printer is NOT connected
to LPT1, you must use the Save Command (S) and specify the
correct device.
(R) Reply to displayed message (see the ENTERING AND REPLYING
TO MESSAGES section).
READ MESSAGE SCREEN -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -42-
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(S) Save displayed message to a text file. A window will open
displaying a default file name, or the last name you used
when saving a file. You may use the displayed name, change
it, enter a new name or press (F10) to choose one from the
'Save Picklist'.
If the file already exists, you are asked if you want to
append it. If you select 'yes' the saved message is added
to the end of the existing file. Answering 'no' will cause
the existing file to be overwritten.
The save command can also be used to print messages. By
specifying PRN, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, etc., you can send
the output to a printer port instead of a disk file. Note
that the Print Command (P) assumes LPT1 as printer port.
If your printer is not connected to LPT1, you must use the
Save command (S) and specify the correct device to print
the message.
(T) Steal tagline. If the message you are reading has a
tagline you would like to use or routing information (such
as an Internet address), then you can steal it by pressing
(T). A window will appear with SPEED's guess at which line
was the tagline. If SPEED guesses wrong, or you want to
grab another line of text, use the up and down arrows to
select which line to steal.
Once the desired line is displayed you may change it before
saving. To save the stolen tagline and add it to the
active tagline file, press (ENTER). To select a different
tagline file, or FIRST.SR for routing information, press
(F10). SPEED will automatically reload the original
tagline file when finished. (ESC) aborts the process.
If the line is longer than 55 characters, SPEED will only
pick up the last 55 characters of the line.
(F9) will decrypt/encrypt John Hancock (version 2)
taglines.
(CTRL-F) The Forward Message command allows you to redirect a
message to another person. This is especially useful if
the other person does not follow the conference where the
message originated. A header is added to let the user know
the message was forwarded, when the original message was
written and the original people involved. A sample header
is shown below:
* Forwarded by JIM SMITH from the SPEED conference.
* Original from JOE MCUSER to MIKE O'MIE on 11-23-92.
READ MESSAGE SCREEN -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -43-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(CTRL-W) Wrap long lines. Certain mail software incorrectly
prepares messages with entire paragraphs on a single line.
(CTRL-W) allows you to wrap these long lines for easier
reading. This command toggles between wrapping long lines
and displaying them as sent in the mail packet. When in
the wrapping mode lines are terminated at the first space
beyond the 70th character.
When SPEED is started this option toggled to "Off". This
toggle setting is not saved when SPEED is exited.
(ALT-P) Conference specific parameters (see the BBS AND
CONFERENCE SPECIFIC PARAMETERS section).
(F5) Request an attached file. Some doors support attaching
files to messages. Not all methods are compatible.
SPEED supports the methodology used by WildCat/TomCat
and TBBS/QSO.
Files attached to messages via eSoft's QSO are flagged
with a blinking asterisk in the upper-left corner of the
message header. Also, the last line of the message will
contain the name of the attached file.
If the attached files are not automatically sent, you can
request them within SPEED by pressing (F5) while viewing a
message with an attached file.
(F5) generates a special reply message for the mail door.
It is addressed to QMAIL and the subject is REQUEST ###,
where ### is the message number that contains an attached
file. When the reply is uploaded, the mail door will
include the requested files in the next packet downloaded.
SPEED will automatically copy the files to your download
directory, as defined in your configuration.
BBS AND CONFERENCE SPECIFIC PARAMETERS SPEED v1.40 pg. -44-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPEED allows you to override certain global settings (such as Fido mode
and default tagline file). These overrides can be assigned to specific
BBSs, using (ALT-B) from the select conference window, or conferences
within a BBS, using (ALT-P) with a message displayed.
For example, if all the conferences that you read on a certain BBS are
PC based, except one that is a Fido echo, you can set the BBS's Fido
mode to "Off" with and toggle "On" the local Fido mode for that one
specific conference.
Another use of Local Parameters is to segregate your taglines based
on topic and then assign a tagline file to a conference based on its
content. For example, you could use COOK.TAG for the Cooking
conference and PROG.TAG for the programming conference, etc.
TAGLINE FILE:
This field allows you to associate a tagline file with a specific BBS
or conference. By doing so you can select a group of taglines that
best fits the mood and topic of the BBS or conference.
Press (ENTER) to pop-up a picklist of available tagline files.
Highlight the desired file and press (ENTER).
To reset this field to the global tagline file press (DEL). The global
setting is displayed to the right of the local setting for
informational purposes only.
FIDO MODE:
Some BBSs carry both Fidonet and PC based networks. The local Fido
mode allows you to override the BBS setting for a specific conference.
The available options are:
*GLOBAL* - The conference setting is the same as the BBS setting.
On - Fido mode is On for this conference, even if the
BBS setting is Off.
Off - Fido mode is Off for this conference, even if the
BBS setting is On.
BBS AND CONFERENCE SPECIFIC PARAMETERS -- cont. SPEED v1.40 pg. -45-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
APPEND SIG.SR:
The BBS and local Append SIG.SR settings allows you to override the
global setting for a specific BBS or conference. When "On", the
signature stored in the file SIG.SR, located in the SPEED directory, is
added to the end of your message. If this file does not exist, use a
text editor to create it with your desired signature.
The available options are:
*GLOBAL* - The conference setting is the same as the global
setting.
On - SIG.SR will be added to messages left in this
BBS or conference.
Off - SIG.SR will NOT be added to messages left in this
BBS or conference.
Conference specific settings have the highest precedence followed by
BBS specific settings then global settings.
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF LINES/REPLY:
The BBS or local Maximum Number of Lines per Reply setting allows you
to override the global or BBS setting for a specific BBS or conference.
When the number of lines in a reply is greater than this number, the
reply is split into multiple parts. SPEED automatically adds
"Continued" messages on each part of the reply.
Enter a number between 10 and 995 in this field. If the BBS or local
setting is less than 10 the global setting is used.
ADDITIONAL MSGS:
This is an estimate of how many more messages that can be added to
that conference before you run out of memory.
READ REPLIES SCREEN SPEED v1.40 pg. -46-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This screen allows you to review previously written replies and to
see them displayed the same way others will see them. To view this
screen select "Replies" from the Conference/Area Window. It is the
first item in the list.
This screen is identical in appearance to the read message screen.
However, you will notice there are fewer commands available while in
this screen than the normal message screen. That is because replies
are transient in nature, and are not accumulated in a separate message
base.
Presented below is a short summary of the available commands. Please
refer to the READ MESSAGE SCREEN section for a detailed description
of each command.
(ENTER) Display next message.
(ESC) Quit to Conference/Area Window.
(A) Display messages with ANSI escape codes.
(C) Copy message to a folder.
(E) Edit displayed message.
(H) Edit the reply header. This allows you to make
changes to the information (To:, Subject:, Tagline:,
etc.) of a reply without having to edit the reply
text. Use (E) or (R) to edit a reply.
(I) Message index. Note the (5) key will also display
this screen.
(P) Print message.
(S) Save message.
(T) Steal tagline.
(DEL) Delete displayed message.
(UP) Scroll up one line.
(DOWN) Scroll down one line.
(HOME) Display top of message.
(END) Display bottom of message.
(PGUP) Display previous screen.
(PGDN) Display next screen.
(CTRL-HOME) First message.
(CTRL-END) Last message.
(RIGHT) Display next message.
(LEFT) Display previous message.
ENTERING AND REPLYING TO MESSAGES SPEED v1.40 pg. -47-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
To enter a new message press (E) from the Conference/Area Window or
while a message is displayed. To reply to the displayed message press
(R). When entering a new message or replying to an old one, SPEED
needs certain information to make sure your message is delivered to
who and where you want it sent. This is accomplished in the Message
Header Window. You may use the Address Book to fill in this
information by pressing (SHIFT-TAB). See the the Address Book section
for more information. The following information is entered in the
Message Header Window:
FROM FIELD
This is your name. SPEED uses the name supplied to it by the BBS
to fill in this field. You should not have to change it. Most
offline mail doors will not allow you to upload messages that are
not from you.
TO FIELD
The name of the person, or mailing list, to whom you are sending the
message goes here. If you are replying to a message SPEED enters the
author of that message as the default. If the message is to
everyone, enter ALL. If the message is to the person running the
BBS, enter SYSOP.
A picklist is available for this field by pressing (F10). The first
entry in this picklist, if you are replying to a displayed message,
is the person to whom the original message was addressed to. You may
add a comment to items in this field's picklist. All characters
including and after '//' are ignored. The To: field cannot be
blank.
SUBJECT FIELD
This field is used to enter a short summary of your message. If
you are replying to a message, the subject of that message is
entered as the default. The Subject: field cannot be blank.
It is important that you change the subject field if the content
of your message is substantially different than the displayed
subject. Some people choose which messages to read by scanning
the subject field. A picklist is available for this field by
pressing (F10).
ENTERING AND REPLYING TO MESSAGES -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -48-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CARBON COPIES
A "Y" in this field allows you to send carbon copies to other users.
After the regular message is completed, the Header Window will
reappear with a title of Carbon Copy and the number of the current
carbon copy. Enter the new information, and press (TAB). The carbon
copy messages will announce it is a carbon copy, show who the
original message was to and which conference it was in. To quit
press (ESC) or change the CC: field to "N".
An asterisk (*) in this field is the same as a "Y", except the carbon
copy header is not added at the beginning of each message.
PRIVATE FIELD
A "N" in this field marks the message as public, which means that
anyone can read it. Unless you have a special reason for the
message to be private, you should leave it as public.
To make your message private enter a "Y" in this field. Private
messages can only be read by you, the person you sent it to, the
Sysop and anyone else who has enough security to read private
messages. As you can see, private messages are not always that
private. Remember that when sending them.
BBS/BOARD ID
This field is used to redirect a reply/message to a specific BBS.
To use press (F10) and select the desired BBS from the picklist.
Then select the desired conference.
AREA FIELD
Enter the ID number of the conference/area where your message is
to appear. This number defaults to the conference you are in. Once
you enter a number and move to another field, the description of the
selected conference appears to the right of this field.
This field is used when you want to move a message or reply to a
different conference/area. Sometimes when a discussion strays from
the conference topic, you are asked to continue the discussion in a
more appropriate area. A picklist is available for this field by
pressing (F10).
FIDO FIELD
The Fido field allows you to change the Fido mode of a reply. This
option should only be changed *BEFORE* editing a message since SPEED
potentially could use a different quote string for Fido messages.
Also the toggle should only be changed *AFTER* the BBS ID and Area
is set because the Fido mode will be saved as the conference
specific setting if the areas data is written to disk.
ENTERING AND REPLYING TO MESSAGES -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -49-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAGLINE FIELD
If taglines are enabled, SPEED will choose a tagline from the active
file and put it in this field. You can accept it, change it or type
in one of your own. Taglines are limited to 55 characters.
A tagline is a cute/witty (or silly, depending on your point of
view) phrase added to the end of a message. SPEED comes with a
sample tagline file GENERAL.TAG. A picklist is available for this
field by pressing (F10).
Registered users can completely turn off the tagline for a specific
reply by entering an '*' into this field. Note: '*' is only 1
character long.
ATTACHED FILES
Some doors/BBSs allow you to attach a file to a message. This option
is usually limited to certain areas selected by the sysop. Before
using this feature ask your sysop if it is available.
To attach a file to the active reply, enter the file's name in the
"Att. File:" field. You must specify the full path name so SPEED can
locate the file. When the message is processed the file is copied to
to the reply directory, renamed and included in the next reply
packet.
ENTERING AND REPLYING TO MESSAGES -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -50-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
FIRST LINE
Some networks/doors/BBSs allow you to directly route a message to its
intended receiver by putting an address on the first line. This
field, and its associated picklist, allow for easy routing of such
messages.
Examples: ->1282 // The Lunatic Fringe BBS
To: jim.smith@the-matrix.com // Jim Smith
You may add a comment to items in this field's picklist. All
characters including and after '//' are ignored.
You can have multiple First Lines by placing a pi symbol (ALT-227)
wherever you want a new line to begin. For example:
"(1:300/14)π(CRASH)πTo: jim.smith@the-matrix.com" will convert to
three lines when the .REP packet is constructed.
Once the information is as you want it, press (TAB) to continue, or
(ESC) to abort the message. The Message Header Window is available
before editing, after editing or both depending on how this option is
set in your configuration. The default is both. See CONFIGURING SPEED
for more information.
When composing a reply, you can override some of SPEED's default
settings by using special dot commands. Dot commands must begin in the
first column of a line. Below are the valid dot commands.
.#nnn - Split reply every 'nnn' lines instead of the default 95
lines. 'nnn' is a number between 10 and 995. (e.g. .#150)
.pg - Force a split in the reply beginning with the line
immediately following the '.pg'.
PICKLISTS SPEED v1.40 pg. -51-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A picklist allows you to choose an item from a list of choices. To
locate a particular item, begin typing that item or the number to the
left of the item into the Search field. As you type, the highlight
bar jumps to the closest match. If you make a mistake, use the
(BACKSPACE) key to correct it.
Picklists are available for the following items by pressing (F10) while
in the appropriate field:
Taglines - You can save up to 100 taglines per file.
To: Field - The first item in the picklist is the name shown in
the To: field of the displayed message, it cannot be
edited or deleted.
Subj: Field - Message subject/titles.
Save - Filenames stores text file saves.
Twits - Names of people (or subjects) you want twitted.
Censor - Words you want censored from messages.
Areas - This displays the areas for the current BBS. Note
the areas list cannot be changed or edited.
First Line - Routing information.
Picklists are also used in other places, such as the bulletin list and
tagline file list. They all function the same way, though some
commands are disabled depending on the picklist displayed. Disabled
commands are not highlighted at the bottom of the picklist window.
The following keys are valid while using a picklist, except as noted
above:
(ENTER) Select highlighted item.
(ESC) Exit picklist.
(DEL) Delete highlighted item.
(INS) Insert new item.
(HOME/END) First/Last screen.
(CTRL-HOME/END) Move highlight bar to the First/Last displayed line.
(PGUP/PGDN) Next/Previous screen.
(DOWN/UP) Move the highlight bar Down/Up one item.
(F2) Edit highlighted item.
(F3) Search for next match, begin with next item.
(F4) Search for first match, begin with first item.
(F5) Clear search key.
(F10) Jump to original item.
TAGLINES SPEED v1.40 pg. -52-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are two tagline picklists available within SPEED:
1. Tagline File picklist (ALT-T).
2. Tagline Entry picklist (ALT-L).
The Tagline File picklist allows you to select the active global
tagline file. It is accessed by pressing (ALT-T). You can have up to
500 tagline files, with each having up to 100 entries, for a total of
50,000 taglines. The (INS) key is used to add new tagline files and
existing files are deleted with the (DEL) key. A global tagline file
stays active until another one is selected. See below for information
on editing.
The Tagline Entry picklist allows you to add, delete or edit
individual entries within a tagline file. To access it press
(ALT-L) and select "Taglines", or while in the Message Header
window highlight the "Tagline" field and press (F10). The (INS),
(DEL) and (F2) keys are active in this picklist.
TWIT FILTER AND WORD CENSOR SPEED v1.40 pg. -53-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TWIT FILTER
A twit filter allows you to screen the messages you see. When SPEED
reads an area's index it compares the message's To:, From: and Subj:
fields with the entries in the twit list. If a match is found, the
message is marked as a twit. An option is also available to mark
twitted messages as read. SPEED will not display twitted messages,
thereby screening out unwanted messages to or from an individual, or
with a particular subject.
SPEED always tries to skip twitted messages. However, sometimes this
is impossible (i.e. if all the messages are twitted). If SPEED cannot
skip a twitted message, for whatever reason, it will display a blank
message with "*TWIT*" in the header fields and a box in the message
area letting you know the message is a twit.
To enter items in the twit list, press (ALT-L) for the picklist
listing, then select "Twits" from the list. The Twit Filter option
must be set to "On" for the twit filter to function. To do so press
(ALT-C), select "Toggles/Options" and then toggle Twit Filter "On".
CENSOR
SPEED allows you to define up to 25 words to be censored from all
messages. When a word is found in a message that matches an entry
in your censor list, SPEED replaces each character in the word with
a percent sign '%'.
You may use wildcards in the words. For example:
Censored Word Words Censored
------------- -----------------------------------------------------
darn darn
darn* Any word beginning with "darn" (darn, darnit, etc).
*darn* Any word containing the string "darn" (darn,
darnit, goshdarn, goshdarnit, etc).
?ow Any 3 letter word ending with "ow" (how, cow, etc).
To enter words in the censor list, press (ALT-L) for the picklist
listing. Then select "Censored Words" from the list. The Censor
option must be "On" for the censor to function. To toggle this "On"
press (ALT-C), select "Toggles/Options" and then toggle Censor "On".
FIDO MODE SPEED v1.40 pg. -54-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Fido mode is toggled "On" and "Off" for a particular BBS by
pressing the (ALT-B) key while viewing the conference/area screen
and selecting a setting in the Fido field. This option is
selectable for each individual BBS and/or by conference using
(ALT-P) when a message is displayed. If the Fido auto detect toggle
is "On", SPEED will automatically switch to the Fido mode if you are
replying to a message with an "* Origin" line.
The FidoNet network requires its messages to meet certain standards.
This includes not using extended and control characters such as the
block character found in SPEED's tagline. Also, messages must contain
only one tear line. That is the line with "---" above the tagline. If
you leave messages on a FidoNet BBS, you MUST use SPEED's Fido mode.
If you are unsure whether a particular board is a member of FidoNet or
not, check with your Sysop (the person running the BBS) before leaving
messages in an echoed area.
While in the Fido Mode, SPEED scans all the replies you generate for
offending characters and replaces them with spaces. If your quote
string contains extended characters, it is replaced with the standard
"> " quote string.
COMMAND LINE ARGUMENTS SPEED v1.40 pg. -55-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MONOCHROME MODE
The /MONO command line option forces the program into a monochrome
mode thus eliminating the use of colors. Normally, SPEED will
detect the type of video card in your computer and adjust the colors
accordingly. However, if you are using a color card (CGA, EGA or
VGA) and a monochrome monitor, SPEED will attempt to display colors.
This may be difficult to read. To override the auto-detect and
force the program into a monochrome mode, start SPEED as such:
SR /MONO (ENTER)
VIEW MODE
When SPEED is started with a /v command line switch it goes into a
View Mode. View Mode allows you to read through messages without
SPEED marking the messages as read. When in the view mode SPEED
disallows several functions such as pruning, deleting, replying or
most any other function that would alter the message base. This
option is also useful for retrieving quotes from an external editor.
To start SPEED in the View Mode enter the following:
SR /v (ENTER)
Hint: Setup a user-defined hot-key to start another session of
SPEED. For example:
ALT-F10: C:\SPEED\SR /XMS /EMS /V
Would start another SPEED session without terminating the
current on. This could be used to look at messages in another
area/BBS/folder/etc. without losing your current place.
For information on how to use this feature to quote from other
messages using your external editor, please refer to the Advanced
Topics section.
LINE FEED OFF
Some printers automatically send a line feed after each line of
text. By default, SPEED sends a line feed after each line of text.
If both SPEED and your printer are sending a line feed, then the
printout will be double spaced. To turn off SPEED's line feed use
the command line option /LFOFF when starting SPEED, as shown below:
SR /LFOFF (ENTER)
README
The /R command line switch will display a hyper-text README file.
COMMAND LINE ARGUMENTS -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -56-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
AUTOMATIC IMPORT
Two command line options are provided to automate the task of
importing new mail packets.
/I This option imports all unprocessed QWK packets in the
download directory into their respective message base.
Example: SR /I (ENTER)
/I:BBS_ID This option imports all unprocessed mail packets for the
specified BBS. You can get the proper BBS_ID name from
the BBS List Window.
Example: SR /I:8250 (ENTER)
When a message base is updated via the /I switch, the BBS List
Window will show XX under % read.
SWAP OVERLAYS TO EXTENDED/EXPANDED MEMORY
Beginning with version 1.40, internal program overlays are used to
pack more program code into the same amount of space. This allows
SPEED to add more features without stealing the memory needed to read
messages.
The downside to overlays is that since the program code is not always
in memory it has to be loaded from disk when needed then later
discarded when that segment of code is finished. Loading program
code from disk takes longer to execute than if it were always
available in memory.
SPEED offers two command line options designed to speed up this
process by swapping the discarded program code to Extended and/or
Expanded memory for later use. The command line options are:
/XMS - Swap discarded program code to EXTENDED memory for
later use. The detection of available extended memory
is not always successful because of the multitude of
different cache and RAM disk programs that take over
extended memory without leaving a mark. USE WITH
CARE!
/EMS - Swap discarded program code to EXPANDED memory for
later use.
ENABLE MOUSE
The /MOUSE command line option will enable mouse support.
TEXT FIELD EDITING SPEED v1.40 pg. -57-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
When entering certain text information, such as a message subject, you
may use the following text editing commands:
(HOME) Move the cursor to the beginning of the line.
(END) Move the cursor to the end of the line.
(LEFT) Move the cursor one space to the left.
(RIGHT) Move the cursor one space to the right.
(CTRL-LEFT) Move the cursor one word to the left.
(CTRL-RIGHT) Move the cursor one word to the right.
(DEL) Delete one character at the cursor.
(BACKSPACE) Move the cursor one space to the left and delete
one character.
(CTRL-E) Delete all text at and to the right of the cursor.
(INS) Toggle between the insert and over-type mode. While
in the insert mode the cursor's height will increase and
new characters are inserted by shifting all remaining
text one position to the right of the cursor. Toggling
back to the over-type mode will restore the cursor to
its normal size and characters entered will replace
those at the cursor.
(F5) Convert all the text to upper case.
(F6) Convert all the text to lower case.
(F7) Make the first letter of each word upper case.
(F8) Reverse the character's case at the cursor.
(PGDN) Reverse all changes and continue editing.
(ESC) Reverse all changes and quit.
(ENTER) Accept all changes and quit.
In some instances, the input line will appear with text already in it.
This is either the default or the last entered text. Pressing any
character will erase the line and allow you to enter new text. You may
choose to edit the text by first pressing a control key. A control key
is any valid non-alphanumeric key such as (INS) or (LEFT).
MOUSE SUPPORT SPEED v1.40 pg. -58-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPEED employs a simple mouse interface. Each of the buttons and movements
have the following default settings:
Left Button - (ENTER) Move Up - (UP-ARROW)
Right Button - (ESC) Move Down - (DOWN-ARROW)
Center Button - (TAB) Move Left - (LEFT-ARROW)
Left+Right Button - (F10) Move Right - (RIGHT-ARROW)
Some of the default settings are redefined in the following areas:
Read Messages BBS Window Message Header
Read Replies Areas Window
MOUSE READ MESSAGE/REPLIES
While reading messages/replies mouse settings are as follows:
Left Button - (.) - Next message in a thread.
Right Button - (ESC) - Return to select conference window.
Center Button - (I) - Display message index.
Left+Right Button - (/) - Pop-up command menu.
Move Up - Up one line. Move Left - Scroll message left.
Move Down - Down one line. Move Right - Scroll message right.
MOUSE BBS LIST WINDOW
While in the BBS list window mouse settings are as follows:
Left Button - (ENTER) - Select highlighted BBS.
Right Button - (ESC) - Exit SPEED READ.
Center Button - (F) - Folder menu.
Left+Right Button - (/) - Pop-up command menu.
Move Up - Up one line. Move Left - Previous rep.
Move Down - Down one line. Move Right - Next w/reply.
MOUSE AREAS WINDOW
While in the areas window mouse settings are as follows:
Left Button - (ENTER) - Select highlighted BBS.
Right Button - (ESC) - Return to BBS window.
Center Button - (I) - Display index.
Left+Right Button - (/) - Pop-up command menu.
Move Up - Up one line. Move Left - Previous msgs.
Move Down - Down one line. Move Right - Next w/msgs.
MOUSE SUPPORT -- continued SPEED v1.40 pg. -59-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MOUSE EDIT MESSAGE HEADER
While in the edit message header mouse settings are as follows:
Left Button - (TAB) - Save/load editor.
Right Button - (ESC) - Exit.
Center Button - (TAB) - Save/load editor.
Left+Right Button - (F10) - Picklist.
Move Up - Up one line. Move Left - Left arrow.
Move Down - Down one line. Move Right - Right arrow.
To enable the mouse, start SPEED using the /MOUSE command line option. For
example:
SR /MOUSE (ENTER)
ADDRESS BOOK SPEED v1.40 pg. -60-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPEED's Address Book allows you to store the name, address, BBS,
routing info, etc. of anyone with whom you regularly communicate. To
view the address book, press (SHIFT-TAB) from the edit message header
window. SPEED will automatically look for a match; if one is not
found, you are given the option to add a new entry. Below are the
valid commands after pressing (SHIFT-TAB):
(RIGHT/LEFT) Display next/previous entry. (F2) Edit displayed entry.
(HOME) Display the first entry. (DEL) Kill displayed entry.
(END) Display the last entry. (TAB) Select item.
(PGUP) Move 1/10th back in list. (ENTER) Select item. Copies
(PGDN) Move 1/10 forward in list. data to header window.
(CTRL-C) Clone displayed item. This command will clone (make an exact
duplicate) of the displayed entry. This will allow you to
maintain two or more different entries for the same person. This
is useful if a person can be contacted in different ways (i.e.
on different BBSs, conferences, Internet addresses, etc.).
You can search the address book by typing in the person's name. As
you type, the closest match will display. If you mistype, press
(BACKSPACE) to erase the last letter entered.
In addition to the standard fields (name, BBS, area, etc.), the
address book provides space to store the person's address, phone
number and two lines of general comments. These fields default to
blank. It is not necessary to complete them to use the address book.
QUOTING FROM AN EXTERNAL EDITOR SPEED v1.40 pg. -61-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Most external editors can easily be configured to retrieve additional
quoted text using SPEED READ. To do so the editor must have the
ability to use macros, text imports and execute DOS commands. Most
editors, including SEDIT, can easily do this.
Here is a sample SEDIT macro to insert additional quoted text into your
file:
;==========================================================================
;
; MACRO to retrieve a quote from SPEED.
;
; (key),# of times pressed (default 1)
;
;-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(CTRL-]) ; Begin recording, select key, description, etc..
(F8) ; DOS command window.
D:\SPEED\SR /XMS /EMS /V ; Execute SPEED in view mode.
[QUOTE] ; Highlight & save quote while in SPEED, then exit.
(ESC) ; Clear DOS screen.
(CTRL-K R) ; Read in file.
..\QUOTE.SR ; The file to read in.
(F8) ; DOS command window.
DEL ..\QUOTE.SR ; Delete the quote file.
(ESC) ; Clear DOS screen.
(CTRL-]) ; End recording.
The logic in this macro could easily be transferred to any other text
editor that uses macros, text imports and DOS commands.
MAILING LISTS SPEED v1.40 pg. -62-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mailing lists are used to send a group of people the same message
without having to prepare an individual message for each person. You
can think of them as an electronic distribution list.
Mailing lists are ASCII text files in a prescribed format. They must
begin with @, have an extension of .LST and be located in the SPEED
directory. There should not be any blank lines in the mailing list
file. Each line should either contain a comment or an entry. Comment
lines begin with // (two slashes). An entry consists 5 fields,
separated by commas. The fields are:
Name - (required field, 25 characters maximum)
BBS - (required field, 8 characters maximum)
Area - (required field, 4 characters maximum)
Fido - (required field, 1 character maximum)
Line One - (optional field, 55 characters maximum)
A sample mailing list file, @SAMPLE.LST, is provided for you to use as
a template when creating new mailing lists. Remember to delete or
comment out the 2 sample entries.
To use a mailing list, enter the list's filename in the the To: field,
with no extension (i.e. @SAMPLE). SPEED will automatically generate a
message addressed to each person in the mailing list.
Hint: To force a message to be private, put something in the Line One
field (i.e. "Private", etc.)
TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND UPGRADE POLICY SPEED v1.40 pg. -63-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Questions or comments about this product should be directed to:
Jim E. Smith Channel 8250
344 Observatory Drive or SPEED Conference #25
Birmingham, AL 35206 205-744-8546
Internet: jim.smith@the-matrix.com or jim.smith@lunatic.com
I also monitor the following network conferences:
U'NI-Net - SPEED, Shareware and Offline
ILink - SPEED, Shareware and Offline
PlanoNet - SPEED_Support and Offline
RIME - Offline and Shareware
Fido - Offline
Address messages to JIM SMITH.
In addition to the above, registered users are provided with my home
phone number for immediate technical support.
UPGRADE POLICY
- Open-ended promises are easy to make, but difficult to keep. In the
end, the user usually feels cheated.
- I want to offer free updates as long as it is economically feasible
and other circumstances do not preclude it.
- By "economically feasible", I mean, for example, as long as enough
new orders are coming in to cover the cost of continued development.
- By "other circumstances do not preclude it", I mean, for example, if
someone hacks and distributes the key file scheme, it will have to
be changed and new key files mailed out on a subsequent upgrade.
In this example, the registered user would have to pay a small
upgrade fee to cover the postage and handling.
- In addition, all registered users are eligible to beta test the latest
version, just by downloading it from an Official Distribution site.
See the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS section for more
information.
KUDOS SPEED v1.40 pg. -64-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
No successful program is the result of only one person's labor. This
program is no exception. I would like to thank all the people who have
significantly contributed to SPEED READ.
First, I would like to thank all the people who have registered SPEED.
If you had not done so, SPEED would have ceased to exist. I would
like to give a special thanks to the registered users who chose to help
beta test the latest version of SPEED. Thanks!
Next, I would like to recognize the Sysops of Channel 8250, RANDY
HILLIARD (local) and MIKE TYNER (remote). They have willingly given of
their time, energies and system resources, to provide SPEED a home BBS.
Thanks!
I would like to give a special recognition to the original beta team.
They were there when SPEED was just a dream and a bunch of buggy
code. Each of these people have earned a special heartfelt thanks:
DANE BEKO ERIC HUNT VALERIA PALMER MIKE STROCK
GEORGE DE BRUIN BLAKE MILLER JOHN STEWART
This product uses the SPAWNO routines by Ralf Brown to minimize
memory use while shelling to DOS and running other programs.
LEGAL SPEED v1.40 pg. -65-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
LICENSE AGREEMENT
SPEED READ (the software) is licensed to you. The author, J.E. Smith,
retains sole ownership of the software.
You may try the shareware version for no more than 30 days, after which
you must either register it or quit using the program. Registered
users may only use the software on one computer at a time. At no time
should more than one copy of software be running on different computers
at the same time.
Registered users are permitted to make a backup copy of the CONFIG.SR
file for their own use in case the original disk becomes defective.
All other copies of this file are prohibited. The CONFIG.SR file
should not be loaned, given away or otherwise used by anyone other than
the licensee.
You may NOT alter, decompile or disassemble the software or any of the
supporting files other than what occurs during the natural use of the
program.
You may NOT assign, sublicense, or transfer the program or any rights
under this License to anyone else. This License Agreement is NOT
transferable, and can only be revoked by the user if he or she destroys
ALL copies of the program.
DISCLAIMER OF ALL WARRANTIES AND LIABILITY
SPEED READ IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER
EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. YOU ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK OF USING THE PRODUCT.
THE AUTHOR WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DIRECT, INDIRECT,
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM ANY DEFECT IN, OR USE
OF, THE SOFTWARE.
OTHER
Throughout this document mention is made of other companies' products
and trademarks. This is for reference purposes only. In no way does
the author of SPEED READ imply any relationship to these companies or
trademarks. The trademarks mentioned are the property of their
respective owners.
ERROR MESSAGES SPEED v1.40 pg. -66-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whenever SPEED runs into a problem it will usually pop up an error message.
Most are self-explanatory or provide a help screen for more detailed
information. However, some errors seem to generate more questions than
others. Below is a listing with an explanation of these errors.
1. ERROR #512
This means that SPEED cannot find an executable program such as PKZIP
and PKUNZIP in your path. When this happens usually the user has placed a
copy of the two ZIP programs in the SPEED directory. When SPEED changes to
another directory, it can no longer find the executables. To correct this,
either put PKZIP.EXE and PKUNZIP.EXE in a directory within your path, or add
the directory where they reside to the path.
2. Cannot open file: A:\SR.EXE\SET2.SR
This error occurs if you attempt to run SPEED from the root directory of a
drive. SPEED should always be run from its own directory off of the root
directory.
SPECIAL *WARNING* SPEED v1.40 pg. -67-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some of the popular shareware games reprogram the PC's timer to gain
additional speed. In many cases this causes the PC's internal clock to
run fast. If the program does not reset the timer and/or system time
upon termination, this could cause damage to your message bases.
If a game has set the system time several hours or several days into the
future, when SPEED is run and the message base is updated some of the
files will have date/times well into the future. Later when the computer
is rebooted and/or the system time is reset to the correct time, this
could cause problems for SPEED under certain circumstances.
By default, SPEED uses the update option when creating a compressed message
base. This means only files with a newer date than what is in the message
base are added when compressing. Hence, the problem: If a file(s) in the
compressed message base is dated several days/hours in the future then
your compression program (PKZIP, etc.) will think it is the most recent
file and *NOT* update the message base with the changed file you have been
working with.
For example, if you were to play a game that sets the system time 2 days
into the future, then go directly into SPEED and read a compressed message
base, the index (.IDX) files would be updated with the new "future" dates.
Later after rebooting, your system time would be correct, but before the
"future" dated index file. Let's say you import a new mail packet. This
changes both the index (.IDX) and the conference (.CNF) files. Then when
you exit SPEED your compression program will update the message base. The
index (.IDX) file will not be updated, because it is dated before the one
in the compressed message base. However, the conference file (.CNF) will
be updated since the one in message base does not have a "future" date.
Now you have an index (.IDX) file that does not match your conference
(.CNF) file. This will likely cause a system crash when that conference
is read.
You should take the time to learn which games (or other programs) change
the system time when run and do not reset it upon termination. Then
reboot or manually reset the system date/time after running these programs.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SPEED v1.40 pg. -68-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Why does the total number of messages exceed the 'Keep Old' setting?
A: The keep old setting only includes "old" messages, not new messages.
For example if your keep old is set at 20 and your new packet has 7
messages, SPEED will keep 20 -old- messages and 7 -new- messages for a
total of 27 messages. If the keep old of 20 included new messages that
would cause a problem if your new packet had say 40 messages. The first
20 would be lost, assuming the Keep Unread toggle is off. That is why
the keep old count excludes new messages so you will never lose a new
message, no matter how many come in the last packet.
Each time a new packet is imported in a conference, SPEED prunes the
conference to get the number of messages down to the 'Keep Old' level
before the new messages are added. Note that if the new QWK packet does
not have messages for a particular conference, then that conference will
not be pruned. Conferences are only automatically pruned when new
messages are added.
Q: How can I beta test SPEED?
A: All registered users are eligible to beta test SPEED. You can pick up
betas on any official distribution site.
Q: Where are the official distribution sites?
A: The latest version of SPEED and the latest beta version can be
downloaded from the following BBSs:
Channel 8250, Birmingham, AL Node 1 205-744-8546 300-9600 HST/DS
Conference 25 Node 2 205-744-5166 300-9600 HST/DS
* Door 11 - Z-modem download * Door 12 - X-modem download *
Lunatic Fringe, Richardson, TX, 214-235-5288 9600+ HST/DS
Conference 169 (1:124/2113) Fido FREQ: Magic name SPEED
The MATRIX, Birmingham, AL Nodes 1-14 205-323-2016 300-2400
Conference 372 Nodes 20-27 205-323-6016 9600+ HST/DS
The Windmill BBS, Geneva, IL, Node 1 708-232-1015 9600+ HST/DS
Conference 50 Node 2 708-232-1250 2400
Invention Factory, New York, NY Nodes 2-48 212-274-8110 16.8 HST/DS
Conference 326
Sempervirens BBS, Pittsburg, CA 510-432-7579. V.32bis/14400 HST D/S
Conference 50
McMeier & Son BBS, Obfelden/Switzerland +41-1-761-27-94 HST/DS 21.2
Conference 0, dir 3 +41-1-761-27-37 Zyxel 19.2
+41-1-776-10-06/09 ISDN-V.110 38.4
+41-1-776-10-07 ISDN-X.75 115.2
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS -- cont. SPEED v1.40 pg. -69-
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Q: How can my BBS become an official distribution site for SPEED?
A: To be an official distribution BBS, I require the board to:
1. Carry the SPEED conference. Which requires joining either
U'ni-Net, PlanoNET or ILink.
2. Provide the latest version of SPEED to first time callers. Channel
8250 normally does not allow downloads to first time callers, so 2
doors were set up to allow Z-modem and X-modem downloads of SPEED to
first time callers.
3. Carry the latest beta version of SPEED for registered users, in the
SPEED conference. All registered users are eligible to beta test
SPEED.
Q: Is there any way to access a copy of the message I am replying to?
A: The file REFER.SR contains an exact duplicate of the message you are
replying to. This file can be used as a reference file or in
conjunction with an external quoting program.