•Failure while setting Preferences soon after log on fixed.
•Some fixes have been put in place for File transfers with a 3.5 Server.
•The Palette should be more legible on black and white monitors.
•Fixed a problem with the Speech menu becoming corrupted if the quit process was cancelled.
2.5 (final release)
•Fixed a problem with version 3.5 servers that caused an "Error while setting preferences".
•"Other" item in the (font) Size submenu now works again.
•Choosing "Mark as Unread" from the Mail menu now works again when an Incoming message is frontmost.
•More timing changes when sending messages.
•Small tweak to TCP routines to fix one potential cause of a crash.
•Fixed a problem with window titles of Incoming messages under non-US date systems. (same fix as in 2.5b6 message list, but extended to the window title)
2.5b6
•Made some changes to TCP/IP routines that should improve reliability.
•Added compatibility with the upcoming FC Server 3.5 version of the CLUI (assuming 3.5's CLUI is the same as the current CLUI on SoftArc Online).
•Added (in Service setup->Exchange settings) the ability to change the size at which outgoing messages will be divided into multiple parts; feel free to set this as high as 32000. If a sending a large message causes the CLUI message editor to crash, you should then lower the number to less than the character count at which the crash occurred. I suspect this change will turn out to be a support headache for me, but we'll see.
•Cosmetic changes to the Service settings windows for consistency.
•Another tweak to the incoming message list display to better accommodate international date formats.
•"Mark as unread" will now toggle the read/unread flag if all messages in a selection are either read or unread; otherwise it simply marks as unread. This is the same as FirstClass Client's behavior.
•Added Speech Manager support.
2.5b5
•Fixed a bug introduced in 2.5b4 that sometimes caused the "Delete mail on server" routine to enter an endless loop.
•When connected via a logon script, BulkRate now attempts all downloads using XModem-128 instead of XModem-1K. Apparently the FirstClass CLUI implementation of XModem-1K is broken under more than just TCP/IP connections...
•File requests no longer truncate the file list at 255 characters.
•"Reply all" no longer truncates the copied To and cc lists at 255 characters. (In the case of replying to spam, this could be a bad thing, but user beware...)
2.5b4
•More changes in timeouts, again, to try to fix the "timeout occurred while waiting for message sent confirmation" problem that occurs with some FirstClass Servers, especially Windows NT based servers.
•Fixed a sorting problem in the Address Book. (Sorting was case sensitive) (Broken in 2.5b1)
•Fixed arrow key behavior in outgoing messages. (Broken in 2.5b1)
•Fixed a problem in BulkRate scripts that led to "Invalid or missing service file" errors. (Broken in 2.5b1)
•Fixed a problem with scripts that contained multiple services and one or more services had multiple access numbers; this problem caused the services to be exchanged with several times rather that just once per script.
•Fixed a problem where an error during the setting of FirstClass preferences could cause BulkRate to idle indefinitely; until the user clicked on "Cancel".
•Cleaned up window activations to eliminate some of the flashing.
2.5b3
•Another attempt to fix the "timeout occurred while waiting for message sent confirmation" problem that occurs with some FirstClass Servers, especially Windows NT based servers.
•Fixed a problem with downloading files whose filename ends in a question mark.
•Quoting preferences should now be properly remembered again (broken in 2.5b1).
2.5b2
I had reports of crashes with BulkRate 2.5b1 on SE/30s. I don't have an SE/30, but I do have a Mac Plus, and BulkRate 2.5b1 did crash on the Plus. 2.5b2 appears to run fine on a Mac Plus running System 6.0.4 and a PowerMac 7500/100 running System 7.5.3 (My main development machine). I hope that means it will behave on most if not all the machines in between.
•2.5b1 refused to upload attached files. Fixed.
•It was impossible to enter multiple phone numbers in the Connection settings in 2.5b1. Fixed now.
•2.5b1 incorrectly displayed dates and times in some international formats (it did fine with the standard US date format). This has been fixed.
•There still seems to be a strange occasional problem that results in a "File not open error" which is not fatal, but causes the current window to display garbage. I'm still trying to reproduce this one reliably so I can fix it. Closing the window will allow you to continue normally in most cases.
2.5b1
•BulkRate 2.5b1 adds the ability to connect over a TCP/IP network. The main Service window and the Service settings dialogs have been changed to allow you to enter TCP/IP information.
•To configure a Service file to use a TCP connection, choose "Service setup" under the Service menu.
Under "Connect via:" select TCP/IP.
In the TCP/IP section, enter the TCP/IP host name under "Connect to:", and the appropriate port number under "Port:". Typically the port number is 3000 or 3004.
•TCP Caveats:
Because of the network overhead, TCP connections over a modem are slower than "straight" modem connections - so mail exchanges will run more slowly. Worse, the already-slow FC CLUI message editor gets even slower under a TCP/IP connection, so sending messages will be even slower than normal.
•The FirstClass CLUI appears to have yet another bug - XModem-1K downloads refuse to work under a TCP/IP connection, so BulkRate steps down to a XModem-128 file transfer. Uploads still work with 1K blocks.
•If your TCP connection is via modem (SLIP or PPP or TCP over ARA) - don't run a script that has some services connecting via regular dial-up modem, and some that connect via TCP. This is almost guaranteed to fail, since once the PPP connection is up, the modem port is no longer available for "regular" connections.
•Why did I jump from 2.2b1 to 2.5b1?
2.2b1 never made it to official release status. After 2.2b1 was released, I added the TCP code. I felt that was a major enough change to warrant a bigger version number jump.
2.2b1
•BulkRate 2.2b1 adds the ability to access serial ports other than the standard Macintosh modem and printer ports. The modem settings dialog has been changed in order to allow you to select from any available serial port.
(Technical note: BulkRate is now CTB-aware and should be able to access any serial port registered with the CommToolbox via the Communications Resource Manager.)
If you do not need to access serial ports other than the regular modem or printer port, I do not recommend that you test this software at this time.
2.1.3
• Fixed a bug that caused a crash when BulkRate tried to write very large incoming messages to disk.
• Fixed a bug in the Find text routines that caused BulkRate to eventually use up all available memory and then crash.
• Fixed a problem that caused BulkRate to hang or crash if an empty .sig file was accessed.
• Changed window positioning routines to keep windows from getting placed under the menu bar and also to better remember their previous position and size.
• Added the ability to auto-download and file request "bare" uploaded files (these are files that are not attached to a message).
2.1.2
• New additions to the address book (1/2): Command-] copies the address of the sender of the currently open incoming message to the current address book. (You can also invoke this from the Address Book submenu under the View menu).
• New additions to the address book (2/2): You may now enter a note or memo for each address book entry. The note is visible only when editing address book entries.
• Fixed a problem that sometimes caused BulkRate to hang when exchanging mail in the background.
• Fixed a bug that caused BulkRate to crash when dealing with very large incoming messages formatted as large blocks of text without spaces or return characters; typically BinHexed or UUEncoded files embedded within the message body.
2.1.1
• Fixed a problem with some FirstClass BBSs that caused outgoing messages to send improperly and appear as a single character.
• Adjusted the outgoing message splitting code so as not to split in the middle of a word; first it attempts to split on a paragraph boundary, then on a space character.
• Changed the message sort routine:
1) When sorting by Conference, the MailBox now always sorts to the top.
2) All sorts are now secondarily sorted by date/time.
3) You may now sort items in a list window by clicking on the header at the top of the
window, just like in the Finder.
2.1 (final release)
• Enhanced the Find text command to look for text in the entire mailbox, rather than in just the open window.
• Fixed a bug where a blank subject line in an outgoing message was sent as a single random character.
• The Other... menu item under the Size submenu in the Edit menu now works again; it apparently stopped working in some earlier version and I had not noticed this.
• BulkRate no longer reformats text that has been word wrapped at 80 characters (typically messages from the Internet). This is an experiment, I may change this back in the future, or make it an option.
• Creation dates are now preserved on mailboxes.
• Other minor bug fixes and enhancements.
2.1b9
• Support for extended keyboard editing keys: Cut, Copy, Paste, Page up, Page down
• New "Reply special" menu: Reply to sender, conference, or all.
• Improved Address Book functionality
- type a name and BulkRate will replace it with the appropriate address
• Improved message handling
- outgoing mail window can stay open during an exchange
- you may create, edit and delete outgoing mail during an exchange
• Automatic translation of extended characters in outgoing mail
• Improved connections when using an .fcl log on script
• Option to delete old mail in your mailbox on the server
• Many bug fixes
• Documentation is now in DOCMaker™ form. This requires no specific word processor to read.
2.1b8
• Fixed a bug that sometimes occurred when attempting to turn on "Delete mail from server after reading" under Exchange settings in Service setup.
2.1b7
• Fixed a bug that caused messages in mailboxes to become corrupted after deleting or archiving.
• Fixed a bug in the automatic file downloading that caused BulkRate to fail to download a file if the filename appeared anywhere else in the message.
• Fixed a bug that caused a crash that occurred under certain circumstances when closing a message window.
• Added option to delete mailbox mail on server after retrieval.
2.1b6 (was never released to the public)
2.1b5
• Fixed a bug in BR 2.1b3 and 2.1b4 where failing to close all open messages before closing the associated message list window or starting a mail exchange causes the mailbox file to not be closed properly, which can result in file (or disk) errors and crashes when later attempting to open a mailbox file.
• BulkRate 2.1b3 and 2.1b4 do not correctly deal with address book files opened from the File menu or by double-clicking or dragging-and-dropping. Opening address book files this way will cause loss of data. This has been fixed.
• In 2.0.2, 2.1b3 and 2.1b4, closing two windows rapidly with Command-W, Command-W will usually result in a crash. This has been fixed.
• Message list scroll bar problem reported in 2.1b4 has been fixed.
• Other minor fixes and tweaks.
2.1b4
• Scripts: In certain situations, BulkRate would report "Bad service file" and refuse to run scripts that ran fine under earlier versions. This has been fixed.
I recommend that you trash any scripts you tried to create or modify under 2.1b3 and create new ones.
• Service files: 2.1b3 steadfastly refused to recognize incoming and outgoing mailboxes in any location other than the same folder as the service file. This has been fixed.
Note: to undo the damage caused by this bug in 2.1b3, I recommend using the Choose... or Create... buttons in Mailbox settings to reselect the mailboxes you wish to use in all of your service files.
• File downloading: 2.1b3 would refuse to download files that were given an illegal filename (one containing colons) on the host. 2.1b4 now detects this situation and replaces colons with spaces.
• File retrieval requests:
Requests were not saved properly under 2.1b3 if "Use threaded replies" was turned off, resulting in failure of the retrieval. Fixed.
2.1b3 refused to create a File Retrieval Request for files that were attached to messages in your auto-download conferences. Fixed.
New: BulkRate now puts a message in your mailbox which tells you the results of your file retrieval request.
• Cursor: the cursor failed to turn into an arrow in scroll bars in 2.1b3; instead it remained an I-Beam. Fixed.
• Text highlighting: Under 2.1b3, text was sometime inappropriately and strangely highlighted when switching from window to window or application to application. Fixed.
• Address book: Certain sorting problems fixed; new "Leave address book open" checkbox turns off the "Auto-close" feature so you can more easily use multiple addresses; you still need to select addresses one at a time.
• Date sorting is now (finally!) accurate under US script systems; international support has not been added but will be added soon.
• "Your screen name:" in Exchange settings can now hold multiple names; total number of characters in this field is limited to 255, however, so it will hold only a few names.
2.1b3
• File transfers
BulkRate can now upload and download attached files. You can attach files to outgoing mail, and you can download files two ways: first, by specifying conferences and file sizes for automatic downloads, and secondly, by requesting BulkRate to retrieve an attached file on the next mail exchange. **File transfers are enabled only on registered copies of BulkRate.**
• .fcl scripting
BulkRate now supports .fcl logon scripts. If you must use an .fcl script with FirstClass® Client to connect to a BBS, you can use a copy of the same script with BulkRate.
• Threaded replies
An option now exists to insert replies in their proper thread on the FirstClass® Server.
• New delete options
Choosing Delete from the Mail menu or clicking the Palette delete button now marks the message for later deletion. These messages will be deleted when the list window is closed. You can force delete messages if you wish by holding down the option key as you delete.
• Additional service options
You may now instruct BulkRate to automatically delete all read or sent messages and/or all messages older than a given number of days.
You can specify default sort options for incoming and outgoing mailboxes.
• Archive current message
When reading a message, you can now archive just that message, or add it to an existing archive, without having to find and select it in the list.
• Added "Hold" option to outgoing mail to allow you to mark a message so it won't be sent till later.
• Address Book window now displays the name of the current address book file.
• Incoming and outgoing list windows now zoom in and out properly.
• Mail settings and Modem settings menu items have been replaced by a single "Service setup" item; setup dialogs have been revamped to allow room for all the new options in BulkRate 2.1.
• Replies are now addressed so as to be consistent with the default reply preferences for FirstClass® Client:
Replies to messages in your MailBox go to all To: and cc: names as well as the originator. Replies to conference messages are addressed only to the conference itself. If you specify your screen name in the new Service setup, your name will automatically be deleted from To and cc lists in a reply.
• Lots of minor tweaks and bug fixes.
2.0.2
• Fixed a bug that caused the amount of memory used by BulkRate to slowly creep up until it ran out of memory.
• Fixed a bug that sometimes caused a crash when closing windows.
• Added more helpful messages when a logon fails.
• BulkRate should no longer choke when it encounters "bare" uploaded files; that is, files not attached to a message.
• BulkRate now strips all control characters from the text of outgoing mail: inclusion of control characters could cause bizarre behavior as the FirstClass® CLUI message editor responded to them as editing commands.
2.0 (final release)
• Removed the serial port status check added in 2.0b7, because it annoyed people with fax software and PowerBook 500-series owners. It may return in the future with a preferences setting to turn it on and off.
• BulkRate now strips escape characters from any outgoing mail, which cause the FC CLUI text editor to abort.
• "Save as..." suggests the Subject name once again; a bug introduced in 2.0b7.
• Changes to script routines should now allow a script to quit or shutdown if a connection fails.
2.0b8
• Fixed a bug that affected non-registered copies of BulkRate 2.0b7, resulting in a dialog that claimed that resources has been altered, followed by a crash.
• Minor speed-enhancing tweaks to the message read process.
• Improved display of message lists when an item is too wide for its column.
• Should now be compatible with FirstClass® BBSs running the F1 front door (for FidoNet). (This was actually added in 2.0b6, I simply neglected to mention it.)
2.0b7
• Changed how BulkRate handles timeouts when waiting for message lists or messages. With any luck, those of you who had frequent timeout errors using BulkRate on some BBSs will find this version an improvement.
• BulkRate now splits the rare incoming message that is over 32K in length into two (or more) messages.
• BulkRate now splits large outgoing messages into multiple parts so as not to run afoul of the CLUI text editor, which cannot deal well with messages over about 5K in length.
• Address Book window is wider, allowing more characters to be visible.
• Mail log now "autoshrinks" down to under 32K each time you quit BulkRate.
• BulkRate Help menu item should now appear under the Apple Menu with System 6 - it will still be under the Help menu in System 7.
• Creation date is now displayed in the Outgoing message list window.
• BulkRate now checks the status of the serial port before using it, and asks if you want to override if it's busy. (Removed in 2.0 (final))
• BulkRate should now deal with disk full situations with more grace.
• Exchange status window now indicates how many messages remaining to be read in the current conference.
• Better "View by Subject" algorithm, thanks to John A. Wasser of BMUG Boston.
• 2.0b6 "broke" the Next in Thread function, it should be working again.
• Fixed (I hope) a subtle problem when sending long addresses (typically Internet addresses) that triggered multiple matches (typically multiple Internet gateways).
2.0b6
• Fixed the major bug affecting 68000-based Macs (Plus, SE, Classic, PowerBook 100, Portable) which resulted in frequent crashes while trying to read or otherwise manipulate messages.
• Hold down the option key while deleting to skip the confirmation dialog.
• The Help file is now accessible via the Help menu under System 7 or the Apple menu under System 6.
• Fixed problem with horizontal palette causing other windows to not activate fully.
• Registration window now waits for you to dismiss it before opening a Service window, unless a script is running.
• When launching BulkRate by double-clicking on a Script, instead of opening an "untitled service," the first service in the exchange list is opened.
• Hitting Delete or Next Thread on an empty list no long crashes BulkRate.
• Fixed a subtle problem that could crop up when closing a window that resulted in a rather nasty crash.
