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- README file for NewPop v4.0:
-
- Please read all the notes in this file BEFORE starting up NewPop v4.0!
- Thanks to all the beta testers; Ed, Ken, Aris, Chris, Thomas [ordered
- from smallest name to biggest].
-
- Lots of things have changed [again] for this release. The NewPop manual,
- NewPop.doc, has not changed drastically since the v3.0 release. If you
- have not read the v3.x manual, I suggest that you do so now. The most
- important new feature [since pre-v3.0] is the user configuration file,
- [s:].newpoprc. All configurable features are listed in .newpoprc.
-
- *NOTE*: Be sure to look at .newpoprc before running the new version of
- NewPop! Copy it to s: and then edit it to taste. Please pass the
- unmodified version of .newpoprc to other users.
-
- New notes for NewPop 4.0:
- Some things have changed, most have to be enabled by the user by setting
- options in [s:].newpoprc. This release works better with 2.0 by using the
- System() call instead of Execute(), if available, to startup a new shell.
- In conjunction with the use of 2.0's System() call, where available, I have
- decided to junk the auto-detach `feature' of NewPop (was done by linking
- with with cback.o), this will allow more information to be copied to the
- pop'd shell --- this is most desirable. This means you will want to use
- one of the following command lines to start NewPop up now:
-
- run newpop
- newpop <nil: >nil: & (for those blessed with the WShell)
- run <nil: >nil: newpop
- run <null: >null: newpop (for those blessed with the null: device)
- runback <null: >null: newpop (for those with runback...)
-
- Some of these command lines will cause NewPop to keep a lock on the
- console window from which it is started. Under 1.3.2+,
- `run <nil: >nil: newpop' should run fine and detach NewPop from the
- starting window with no problem. If you don't have WB 1.3.2+ and
- thus can't get NewPop to detach, then I don't feel sorry for you...
- Life is moving on and NewPop will most likely be 2.0 only within
- months of the official release from Commodore...
-
- 'newpop -q' is considered to be obsolete, and `break [cli number of
- NewPop]' is now the official way to stop a running NewPop from the cli.
- In fact, NewPop now takes NO command line options ('-q', the last command
- line option, has been removed).
-
- From the WorkBench, a double click on the NewPop icon will start NewPop if
- not currently running or stop a running NewPop. Those blessed with 2.0 can
- just copy NewPop over to their WBStartUp directory and copy .newpoprc to s:
- (and then edit it!) and everything will magically work the next time you
- boot. [Note: NewPop has been runnable from the WorkBench for some time, I
- just never bothered to tell anyone, as it seemed kind of silly that you
- would want to... With the 2.0 WBStartUp directory, it makes sense to
- explain that NewPop is Workbench friendly.]
-
- Be sure to use your old version of NewPop to halt an old version that is
- running, as the 'quit' mechanism has changed quite a bit in recent
- releases. Actually, as some have found out, there was a problem with
- past releases of NewPop that could cause a system crash if NewPop was
- stopped on an A3000 (while running 2.0) machine (or, it appears, any
- machine with a C= SCSI controller) under some circumstances. This problem
- has been found and fixed, but it may cause you trouble while stopping an
- old version to install this new one. Thanks to the above listed beta
- testers, NewPop is quite stable, just be careful getting rid of an old
- version if you fall into the class described above (i.e. you may want to
- reboot to get rid of a running NewPop, sorry...).
-
- This version can now be compiled with 2.0 includes (and must be as it uses
- some of the new features if it finds you are running AmigaOS 2.0). Please
- see [s:].newpop and ChangeLog for more details and the full list of new
- features.
-
- Currently NewPop just quits with no error message if it encounters any
- error condition at startup time. The one exception is a parse error on
- the [s:].newpoprc file; these are pointed out as stated in .newpoprc.
- No errer messages of any kind are emitted if NewPop is started up from
- the WorkBench. Better error reporting is slated for a future upgrade as
- are some other neat things I don't want to reveal just yet... :-0
-
- It makes me happy just to know you use and like NewPop. I would like to
- hear from everyone who uses NewPop (and from people who see it, but decide
- not to use it). This is not guiltware, this is totally free software (see
- NewPop.doc for more information). If you decide you want to do something
- nice for me and you live in the ChicagoLand area, you could take me out for
- a pizza sometime. :-)
-
- Thanks,
- Loren J. Rittle
- l-rittle@uiuc.edu
- Sat Apr 27 07:13:31 1991
-