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GO.INF
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1992-10-17
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GO!
The Install-From-Diskette Program
User's Manual
Copyright (C) 1991, 1992
and
All Rights Reserved
by
-- PINNACLE SOFTWARE --
CP 386 Ville Mont Royal
Quebec, Canada, H3P 3C6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
FROM THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY:
GO, v.i. Start, depart ... with self-originated or imparted motion, from
some place, position, time etc. ... always specified if it matters ...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------
Legal Notices
-------------
The GO program and related files are distributed using freeware/shareware
concepts. You are entitled to use these programs for free, but certain
restrictions apply. Refer to the section of this manual entitled "Versions
and Registration" for details.
The following products are mentioned in this manual and are trademarked or
otherwise protected:
PRODUCT For Information Contact
------- -----------------------
ARC System Enhancement Associates (SEA)
ARCE Vernon Buerg, or System Enhancement Associates
COPYQM Sydex
DIET Teddy Matsumoto
FORMATQM Sydex
LHARC Haruyasu Yoshizaki
LIST Vernon Buerg
PKLITE PKWare
PKUNZIP PKWare
Several text editor programs are mentioned in this manual. These are
trademarked or otherwise protected by their respective companies or authors.
ii
-----------------
Table of Contents
-----------------
Legal Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
A Quick Overview of the GO Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Basic Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
What is GO?
How GO Works
Using GO
Optional Menu Lines
The "Information" Selection
Colorization Rules
The "Install" Selection
Changing the Dearchiving Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Doing it the Easy Way
Doing It the Hard Way
Intermediate Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Start-Up Parameters
Generating an Introductory Screen
Letting the User Choose His Viewing Method
Information and Install Menus
Menu Order
Advanced Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Using the .GO Extension of Text Files
The ;INST Command
Multi-Disk Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Installation Example
NAMe
SENDto
STARt
THISdisk
NEWDisk
NEWFile
The GO-COPY Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
What is GO-COPY?
The GO-COPY.COP File
The GO-DISKS Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
What is GO-DISKS?
GO-COPY and GO-DISKS Samples
iii
Using GO in Batch Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
What is GO-MENU?
Using GO -D With GO-Menu
The GO.HDG File
Hints and Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Specifying GO-COPY File Names
Renaming Copy Files
Other Programs Included with GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
SEE
GO_SMALL
READING
SETERR
WAITBLK
Versions and Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Changes Between Versions
Free Usage of GO Programs
Ordering Upgrades to GO
Standard Discount
Thank-You
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
iv
----------------------------------
A Quick Overview of the GO Package
----------------------------------
The GO package includes the following programs:
GO
Place this program on any diskette you send out which contains compressed
archive files (e.g. .ZIP or .LZH). The GO program will make installation
easy. This is especially important if you send disks to computer novices.
GO can also display information, or print out a reply form.
GO-COPY
This program makes it possible for computer novices to copy selected files
from your disk onto another diskette. This is handy if you are a
shareware author, since you want to make your software easy to pass
around.
GO-DISKS
This program reads in a list of file names, then copies those files to
diskettes. Since the files are kept in RAM during the copy, you can mass-
produce disks much more quickly than if you were using the COPY command.
GO-MENU
This program is used in a batch file to present a menu of up to 10 items.
This is ideal for organizing a diskette containing several unrelated
programs. A much simpler "pick an option" program is also included in the
GO package -- see the GETKEY program mentioned below.
The package also includes these small utility programs which have proved
themselves useful in packaging software:
SEE File viewer/printer
GO_SMALL A compressed but fully functional version of GO.EXE
READING Places the message "Reading disk..." on the screen
SETERR Sets the DOS Errorlevel
GETKEY Waits for user to hit a key and reports result as ERRORLEVEL
WAIT Waits for time-out or for a key-press
WAITBLK Waits for a blank diskette in the indicated drive
Each of these programs are described in more detail later.
1
--------------
Basic Concepts
--------------
What is GO?
-----------
"GO" is an installation program. It is a simple "shell" for "dearchiving
programs" such as PKUNZIP, ARCE, LHARC and so on. GO is a very specialized
shell. You use it for ONE purpose only: distribution of software via
diskette.
If you've ever given a computer novice a diskette with an archived file, you
know the routine:
"Okay, you put the diskette in the drive, then type PKUNZIP followed by
the root name of the zip and then the name of the directory it's going
to, unless you're there already ... and don't forget to separate the
parameters with spaces!"
The usual comment after such an explanation is:
"Can't you make it any easier that that?"
Thanks to GO ... you can!
How GO Works
------------
NOTE: In this manual, we refer to archive files as ZIP files. The shareware
version of GO is initially configured to dearchive files produced by
PKWare's PKZIP program, but it can also work with ARC, PAK, ZOO or
other archive formats. We ourselves like to use the LZH format on some
of our distribution diskettes.
When you're preparing a diskette for somebody, copy one or more ZIP files (up
to a maximum of 9) onto the diskette, plus the dearchiving program, plus the
file GO.EXE. Then write a short explanation on the diskette label:
Put this diskette in the A: drive
At the DOS pro