Gold Medal Software 3

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Gold Medal Software 3 / Gold Medal Software - Volume 3 (Gold Medal) (1994).iso / netutils / hc200.arj / HYPER200.DOC < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1994-02-17 | 22.0 KB | 720 lines

╥ ┬ ╓─────┐ ║ │ ║ ╟─────┤ ╥ ┬ ╥──┐ ╥──┐ ╥──┐ ║ ╥ ┬ ╓──┐ ╓─╥─┐ ║ │ ╙──┤ ╟──┘ ╟─ ╟─┬┘ ║ ╟──┤ ╟──┤ ║ ╨ ┴ ╙──┘ ╨ ╨──┘ ╨ ┴─ ╙─────┘ ╨ ┴ ╨ ┴ ╨ v2.0 (c) 1994 by Kevin Nebus HyperChat (C) 1994 by Kevin Nebus INDEX DESCRIPTION PAGE SECTION ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Introduction 1 --- Sysop Features 2 A1 User Features 2 A2 Moderator Features 2 A3 Future Features 2 A4 Requirements 3 B Setup 3 C Sub-directories 3 C1 Comport Assignments 3 C2 HyperCfg 5 C3 RemoteAccess Setup 5 C4 Command line arguements 6 C5 Hints & Tips 6 D Color Codes 7 D1 Registration Information 8 E Registration Form 9 --- Miscellaneous Information 10 F HyperChat (C) 1994 by Kevin Nebus INTRODUCTION Hello! I'd first like to get the legals out of the way, so ... By using this program, you USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK. This means there are no warranties, none, zilch, nada!! I have tested this program on my own machine using DesqView. The program works great for me with the configuration I am using. I did not have Beta Testers until Van Hoyle contacted me. He can be reached at 1:379/502. In which translates to: "If there is a bug either you or he will find it!" This is my first attempt at the Shareware market. This program IS a SHAREWARE product. You may use this program for as long as you wish without registering if you so desire... But it's in both of our best interests if you register. Reasons: 1. It provides me with incentive to improve the program 2. It provides me with incentive to write other software 3. It takes out all the nags and restrictions in the program 4. It gives you technical support by FidoNet (as much as I can provide, that is.) 5. Your users will love to use the program!! I could go on with a few more, but I figured 5 was enough. Now, you ask: "But what does the program actually DO?" In one sentence, HyperChat is a multi-node, multi-user, Real- Time Action Conference System. The name HyperChat and all the executable files connected with it are copyrighted by Kevin Nebus of the Edge of Reality BBS in Bossier City, La. HyperChat Documents have been rewritten by Van Hoyle of Heilheim Electronics BBS in Shelby, North Carolina. 1 HyperChat (C) 1994 by Kevin Nebus A. FEATURES A1. Sysop Features Ability to use DORINFOx.DEF, EXITINFO.BBS, and DOOR.SYS drop files. No special hardware or software to run it (Except for a smart BBS package such as RemoteAccess). I am also assuming you already have an operating BBS!! A2. User Features ACTIONS! ANSI Color Colorized actions Differentiation between sexes Personal rooms for every user Virtually unlimited number of people in the teleconference (That one is based on which version of HC you purchase). Ability to edit personal data Room themes Personalized enter/exit/vanish/etc.. messages A3. Moderators Ability to edit any user that is currently online or offline. Ability to mute users. Ability to confine users to their rooms. Ability to remove a user from the teleconference completely Invisibility. Plus all the features for the Users. There are more features that will be in detail in the Users Manual. A4 Future Features: The future features will depend upon your suggestions. However, let me say one thing about your suggestions. Do not suggest a split screen chat. It is not going to happen with this program. Other suggestions can be sent to either Kevin Nebus at 1:380/75 or Van Hoyle at 1:379/502 Please use the form that is included in this package for your suggestions. That will allow us to keep them on record and to get to them one at a time. 2 HyperChat (C) 1994 by Kevin Nebus B. REQUIREMENTS - a minimum of 256k of free memory - A BBS Package capable of creating DOOR.SYS (FULL), DORINFOx.DEF, or EXITINFO.BBS HyperChat prefers DOOR.SYS since it contains ALL necessary startup info on the user. - A Modem (of course) - A Multi-tasker of some sort (DESQView is the only one HC has been tested on!! - A knowledge of how multi-node operations work - A RAM Drive or a directory that can be erased EVERY NIGHT - Minimum of 256k free memory - 100% IBM Compatible machine C. SETUP I will assume you are using RemoteAccess since it's the only BBS package HC has been tested on. You can modify the instructions according to your own BBS setup. C1. SUB-DIRECTORIES Create a sub-directory in your RA directory called HYPER Example: (C:\RA\HYPER). Place all of the files in the archive into that directory. Now create the directory 'HYPERTMP' on your RAM drive if you have one. If you don't use a RAM drive create HYPERTMP as a sub-directory in the HYPER directory Example: (C:\RA\HYPER\HYPERTMP). C2. COMPORT ASSIGNMENTS Now run the program 'COMMCFG.EXE'. The defaults are already loaded, so all you have to do is modify the port characteristics to your own liking. If you are using the Standard Port assignments, just press the key to load the defaults. Most of the port characteristics are self explanatory, however, there are a few that need explaining... The PROTOCOL option defines your data flow control. On the left side of the slash is what your local computer is using. The right side is what the remote computer is EXPECTED to be using. Be careful with this option. It's tricky. Set it up the same way you have your FOSSIL driver set up (if you use 3 HyperChat (C) 1994 by Kevin Nebus one, if not, set it the same way your BBS is set up). Now comes another tricky option... If you are NOT using a multi-port COMM card, SKIP this next section. The AUX address is the port number on your multi-port card. The Card Type can be one of these options: NORMAL (For normal COMM operations) INTELH (For the Intel Hub 6) DIGCXI (For the Digiboard COMXI cards) ARNETSPLUS (For the Arnet Smartplus series) DIGPCX (For the Digiboard PC/Xi, PC/Xm and PC/Xe cards) The card segment should be self-explanatory if you use any of the above cards (except for NORMAL) The SFlags can be: NOCHANGE This should ALWAYS be on. IGNORE_16550 This is used if you have a 16550UART and don't want it to be used DTR (Don't use if NOCHANGE is set) This tells the COMM-DRV library NOT to change the DTR setting when HC exits RTS (Don't use if NOCHANGE is set) This tells the COMM-DRV library NOT to change the RTS setting when HC exits DMODSIG If you want to hang up on your users when they exit HC, this is the option to set! The Protocol needs a little bit of explanation too... The protocol is used for flow control. The first set is the local modem protocol, the second set is what the remote modem is EXPECTED to be using. Under normal circumstances, you would select a protocol that uses NON for the remote modem. You should have this set to whatever your BBS or FOSSIL driver (if applicable) is using. If this has the wrong setting, HyperChat will NOT work correctly. 4 HyperChat (C) 1994 by Kevin Nebus C3. HYPERCFG: 1. The Data files path is where your HYPERxxx.DAT files and the *.HYP files are located. Do not put them in the HYPERTMP directory. Put them in directory where you have the .EXE files (C:\RA\HYPER). 2. The Temp files path is where all the inter-node communication takes place. This SHOULD be a RAM drive with at least 50k for each node! If you are not using a RAM drive this path should be pointing to the HYPERTMP directory. 3. The Message poll time tells HC how often to poll for messages from other nodes. The more nodes you have, the higher this setting should be. It is recommend 2 ticks for each node (Multiply your number of nodes on your BBS by 2, and that's what you should put here) If this setting is too low, it will actually slow HC down because of all the disk access. 4. The room poll time tells HC how often to check the room file and data change indications. This should be set to 18 (18 is the number of clock ticks in one second). That should be sufficient. 5. The screen write mode tells HC how to handle screen comms. If your multi-tasker can handle direct writes, then use it. If not, use BIOS. But, be warned. If you use BIOS, HC will be slowed down somewhat. The slower your system is, the more noticeable the speed difference is. 6. Time slice should be set to YES if you are using DesqView. You can try this setting with other multi- taskers but it has only been tested with DesqView. So be careful with this one. C4. REMOTEACCESS SETUP The menu type should be 7 (Shell to program), and your options line should look something like this: C:\RA\HYPER\HYPER.EXE /D0C:\RA\NODE*n\DOOR.SYS /CC:\RA\HYPER\ Be sure to add the *M to swap out memory at the end of the optional data line. 5 HyperChat (C) 1994 by Kevin Nebus C5. COMMAND LINE ARGUEMENTS If you have another BBS package, the command line arguments are: /N<Node> This sets the node you are running from /D<n><Path/Filename> This tells HyperChat which drop file you will be using, where it's located, and the filename of the drop file <n> should be 0 to 2. 0 to 2 are defined as: 0 = Door.sys 1 = Dorinfox.def - Requires /N<n> switch 2 = Exitinfo.bbs - Requires /N<n>, /P<n>, and /B<n> switches /P<Port> This sets what COMM port you will use. This corresponds to the COMM setup in your HYPERCOM.DAT file /B<BPS> This sets what BPS rate you will be using. Valid rates are: 110, 150, 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600, and 115200 /C<Path> This is the path to HYPERCFG.DAT. It should have an ending '\' on it. HC will not work without it. /? Sysops can use this at the command line to see all the commandline arguements /M Mute user on entry to teleconference. /T<time> Max amount of time user can stay in HC. If users REAL time is LESS than this amount, then this setting will have no effect. D. HINTS&TIPS: Don't set HyperChat's temp directory to a physical disk drive. Set it to a RAM Drive ONLY!! If you set it to a hard disk, you will get about 3 to 5 nodes online, then things get REAL slow. On a RAM drive, you can get up to around 10 nodes and still have a reasonable amount of speed. I wouldn't recommend having above 30 nodes because it would be too slow to be bearable and HyperChat might bomb out on you. I am working on a way to improve the speed, but it might be awhile before I put the method into HyperChat. Another thing you could do to improve your speed even further is put ALL files on a RAM drive (Data files included). Just 6 HyperChat (C) 1994 by Kevin Nebus be sure to copy the data files back to their permanent holding area before resetting the machine!! This will allow you to have up to 25 nodes with reasonable speed and you should not exceed 40 nodes. The number of nodes I have quoted above are theoretical. They have not been tested because of my own hardware limitations (MEMORY mainly I cannot guarantee that any number of nodes will work on your setup. The best you can do is experiment, and wait for me to find a faster way of communicating between nodes. Since most of you out there will NOT have above 10 nodes, HyperChat should work flawless on a system with the data files on a HD and the temp files on a RAM drive. D1 COLOR CODES The .HYP files can be changed to suit your individual taste and desire. HOWEVER, you should be warned now that you can NOT use an ANSI editor such as TheDraw or any other ANSI editor. If you want to change the colors then use an editor that will allow you to insert control codes such as RPED. Or you if you do not have RPED you can edit the colors from within the ActionEditor itself. The color codes you should use are as follows. ^P0 = Grey ^P2 = Red ^PA = White ^PC = Bright Red ^P4 = Cyan ^P6 = Brown ^PE = Bright Cyan ^PG = Yellow ^P1 = Blue ^P3 = Green ^PB = Bright Blue ^PD = Bright Green ^P5 = Magenta ^PF = Bright Magenta Example: ^PEVan_Hoyle ^P0is a great guy The above would translate to "Van Hoyle" being in bright Cyan and "is a great guy" being in Grey. For those who do not know how to obtain the ^P it is simple, just depress the Ctrl key and hold it while you depress the P key. This will create the desired code that is visable on your screen. If you do not see the code, then either you are not doing it exactly right or you are not using an editor that will display them. 7 HyperChat (C) 1994 by Kevin Nebus E. REGISTRATION C'mon... if you like it, register it! It's not that much, and it will disable all the nags and pauses, and unwanted messages, and all that. It will also enable many of the features of HyperChat. HyperChat is registered on a per node basis only. Basic registration for 2 nodes is $15. Additional nodes are $2 each. If you wish to upgrade to more nodes later, just fill out the form again and include your current registration code, and current number of nodes, and include the cost of the extra nodes. REGISTRATION FEES ARE THE SAME FOR EVERYONE. There are no special licences or fees for government, educational, or corporations. You CAN run this program on multiple machines as long as all copies communicate using the same directories on each machine. (In other words, all nodes talk to all nodes) Registrations are in US Dollars only. Mail All Registrations to: Kevin Nebus 2520 Belle Grove Drive Bossier City, La 71111 8 HyperChat (C) 1994 by Kevin Nebus REGISTRATION FORM Please PRINT CLEARLY. Only MONEY ORDERS or CERTIFIED CHECKS in US Currency accepted. SysOp Name (As it appears in HYPERCFG, case does not matter) ________________________________________________________ System Name (As it appears in HYPERCFG, case does not matter) ________________________________________________________ Your VOICE Phone number: __________________ Your DATA Phone number: __________________ FidoNet Address (If Applicable): ____________ Number of NODES you are registering______________________ Previous # of nodes registered __________________________ Total amount enclosed: $_________ Your Mailing Address: Name:_________________________________________________ City & State___________________________________________ Complete zip code______________________________________ Comments/Suggestions: ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Current registration code (if applicable): ________________ 02141994 V200 R5 9 HyperChat (C) 1994 by Kevin Nebus F MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION Your registration number will be sent via FidoNet CRASHMail if you have specified a FidoNet address. If you do not have a FidoNet address, it will be sent to the address on the registration form. Latest versions of HyperChat can be FREQed from the author or any of the Beta Test Sites using the magic name of HYPER Addresses: Kevin Nebus (Author) Fido Address 1:380/75 Van Hoyle (Beta Test Site) Fido Address 1:379/502 Phone Numbers: Kevin Nebus (Author) Voice = (318)-742-4488 Data = (318)-742-0654 Van Hoyle (Beta Test Site) Data = (704)-484-0935 (14400 BPS) Data = (704)-480-7463 (2400 BPS) Read the FIXES.HC for more information that may not be in this set of documents. 10