This document is for those users, who are already familiar with the previous version of Charon. It describes the main differences you are likely to encounter in using Charon.
• Slightly changed config files
Important: This version of Charon will give you an error if you try to use your old config-files. This is due to the change in the format for storing information about which serial ports to use. The old version was not flexible enough. Anyway, all you have to do, is to use the "Open…" menu item to read in the old config file, and then use the "Edit Boss Config" option to edit the old config file, and then save it again. Most of the information will be read in and remain unchanged; the only setting you'll have to pay attention to, is the serial ports pop-up. You should now be able to use all the serial ports on your Mac, instead of just the Modem and Printer ports.
• New Menu Structure:
Charon's menus have been reorganized.Under the File menu, you now find the usual Mac items "New" and "Open…", "Save" and "Save as…". The "New" item roughly corresponds to the old "Add Boss Config" item, although you are not prompted to save the config after you've finished editing it. Once you've entered the data for the new config, you can dial out immediately, without having to save it first. If you try to do something that might cause you to lose the newly entered data (by quitting Charon, for instance), a dialog will pop up asking you if you want to save the config before you continue. You can of course use the "Save" and "Save as" menu options at any time to save you config.
The "Open…" option loads a config file into memory, and does nothing else. After a config has been opened, you can "Dial" out, or "Edit" it. If you choose either "Dial" or "Edit" without having a config file open, Charon will ask you whether you want to open a file first. You also have the option of automating that process ("Dial" implies "Open…", without a dialog asking about it) by clicking on the "Yes & Don't ask again" button. Once you have done that, hitting "Dial" will behave just as in previous versions of Charon if no config has been loaded. Another way of changing these preferences, is to use AppleScript.
The main problem with the reorganization is that you cannot if a config is loaded, or which one it is. I'm still trying to find an elegant way of doing this (suggestions are welcome).
• Unattended Mode:
You can now set an "autopilot" within Charon, called the Unattended Mode. If it is on, and you double-click a config file in the Finder, Charon will automatically start dialing out based on that config. You can find the Unattended Mode in the "Special" menu. Holding the Option key pressed while launching will suppress the Unattended Mode.
• Preferences:
Under the "Special" menu, you will now find a new menu item, called "Edit Preferences…". This allows you to edit Charon's global preferences, mainly the stuff that used to be in 'STR ' resources previously. The meaning of the various settings is pretty obvious, it would seem to me, but then there's always Balloon Help to help you out. The preferences are saved automatically once you click on the "OK" button in the dialog.
• Lots of small stuff:
There are many, many other, smallish, changes to Charon, such as the addition of cps counters, the enabling of menus while Charon is dialing, etc. Read the beta docs for a detailed chronology of all the changes.
