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Text File | 1996-10-31 | 16.0 KB | 359 lines

Wincode: Multi-Purpose Encoder/Decoder for Windows (C) _Snappy_ (1993-1996) ------------------------------------------------------------ written by George H. Silva ***PLEASE DISTRIBUTE FREELY WITH ALL FILES INTACT*** Files: WINCODE.EXE the main executable program WCENGINE.DLL dynamic link library of coding functions WCEHOOK.DLL dynamic link library of menu hook functions WCEFMEXT.DLL File Manager Extension dynamic link library WCHLPKEY.DLL Help file option dynamic link library WCESOCK.EXE a companion Winsock e-mail/post daemon WCEPADDR.WAB default Wincode address book WINSORT.EXE a companion file-sort utility UNINSTLL.EXE Wincode package UnInstall program ZIPLINK.EXE executable link to PKZIP/PKUNZIP ZIPLINK.PIF ZIPLINK.EXE program information file VSWLINK.EXE Windows executable link to VSDLINK VSDLINK.EXE executable link to DOS Virus Scan software VSDLINK.PIF VSDLINK.EXE program information file VSDLINK.DAT VSDLINK Virus Scanner exit codes MACAPPFC.DAT MAC Finder information database WCEDCSIG.DAT Application information database WCEMIME.DAT MIME information database WAOL.HKS Hook Script for AOL software WINCIM.HKS Hook Script for WinCIM software SUM.EXE a BONUS "sum -r/size" DOS utility README.NOW important info file README.TXT this file HELPME.HLP Wincode basics and information for obtaining the real HELP file (WINCODE.HLP) LICENSE.TXT _Snappy_ "User-Friendly" FREEWARE License INSTALL.EXE the Install/Upgrade program INSTALL.HLP the Installer HELP file INSTALL.INF the Installer information file CHECKSUM.REF checksum reference file FILE_ID.DIZ BBS identification file **************************************************** PLEASE SEE THE FOLLOWING FILES FOR MORE INFORMATION: README.NOW HELPME.HLP (formerly HELPME.TXT -> now a Windows HELP file) VSDLINK.DAT LICENSE.TXT **************************************************** This file contains the following information: I. About Wincode II. Wincode Features (very brief list! - MANY NEW FEATURES :-) III. Coming Soon IV. Requirements V. Installing/Running/UnInstalling Wincode VI. Availability VII. Note to HELP Registered Users VIII. Copyrights NOTE: There is alot of helpful information in the file HELPME.HLP. You can now automatically access this file from Wincode by selecting any "Help" option (this file is now the "default help file" if you are not a registered user - if you are registered, this file is not needed since it duplicates portions of the *real* HELP file :-). I. *** About Wincode *** Wincode is a Windows 3.1x program which converts 8-bit BINARY (EXE, COM,GIF, etc) files to 7-bit ASCII (Text) files (and vice versa) through a process known as bit-shifting. Wincode currently supports UU, XX, USR, Base64 (MIME 1.0 conformant), BINHEX, BTOA and BOO encoding/decoding. This BINARY/ASCII conversion allows you to send and receive binary files via e-mail or any other ascii-based communications system. It provides a quick and easy way to distribute programs to people all over the world (it takes a few minutes, on average, for e-mail to reach across the world). UUcoding is a common practice on many Internet NewsGroups in which users wish to exchange binary data. Base64 coding is used by MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) conformant e-mail software as a method for attaching binary data to ascii e-mail. BINHEX is a popular encoding algorithm used mainly on Apple Macintosh computers. BTOA is a somewhat different variation of the common BINARY/ASCII conversion process which supports simple compression, several checksum options and will generally create encoded files that are smaller than other methods due to its conversion algorithm (mod 85). BOO is an older (extinct?) algorithm used in cross-platform file transfers that is provided for compatibility (it requires previous knowledge of decoded output filesize and may hence be unreliable). All these methods perform the same overall function (i.e. allow binary data to be safely transmitted through e-mail) but require different formatting algorithms (e.g. BINHEX supports Run-Length Encoding, BTOA uses mod 85 coding, etc). Wincode and the associated executables and DLLs (NOT including the HELP file) are distributed as FREEWARE. However, we want to make a distinction: the program is FREEWARE, but it is NOT Public Domain. _Snappy_ still retains the Copyright to the source code and to the use and distribution of the program (see the file LICENSE.TXT). The HELP file is available for a small fee ($10.00 US) but is NOT required for Wincode to function correctly. Ordering the HELP file also entitles you to future updates and e-mail based support. The $10.00 fee is mainly to offset development costs and the amount of personal time invested. See below and the file HELPME.HLP for more information on obtaining support. Wincode is 100% compatible with all standard UUcoders, MIME 1.0 conformant software, BINHEX 4.0 and BTOA v4.0 and v5.2 coders. The MIME (Base64) support was developed under the guidelines of RFC 1521 (September 1993) and is subject to our understanding of the document. The BINHEX support was developed under the guidelines of RFC 1741 (December 1994) and is subject to our understanding of the document. The BTOA v4.0 and v5.2 support was developed based on freely available documents by Paul Rutter, Joe Orost & Stefan Parmark (the creators of BTOA). We welcome all comments and error corrections. As part of our goal to support all BINARY/ASCII conversion methods in one (quality :-) product, Wincode now supports encoding/decoding of *seven* different formats. We have tried to incorporate as many extra features as possible to make the en/de-coding process painless (check out the two forms of auto-detection used by the decode algorithm - refer to the HELPME.HLP file (Decode section) for details). The average user may not need/use all of Wincode's features, but they *are* Free! NOTE TO DEVELOPERS: WCENGINE.DLL contains ALL of Wincode's 'working' code (currently) accessed through 80+ functions/procedures. We created this SIMPLE interface to allow Developers to integrate the Wincode Engine into any program. We will provide the API and royalty free usage to interested developers under certain conditions. Please contact the _Snappy_ development team for more details: development@snappy-software.com II. *** Wincode Features (very brief list!) *** - Full featured Windows 3.1 program - Easy access ButtonBar for hassle-free operation - Drag and Drop support (use for batch en/de-coding -> Wincode also allows multi-file selection from File Open dialogs) - SMART decoding (handles single files, multi-part files, can determine what is encoded or not, etc. -> see the HELP file for more information) - Fully configurable...We're not joking! - EMBL UUcode compatible - Supports UU, XX or User defined En/De-coding - Supports Base64 (MIME conformant) En/De-coding - Supports BINHEX En/De-coding (with option to include MAC finder info when encoding to make decoding on a MAC *very* easy!) - Supports BTOA v4.0 and v5.2 En/De-coding - Supports BOO En/De-coding - Supports En/De-coding to/from the Clipboard! - Supports automatic CODE TYPE detection - either "quick-pass" (Auto-1) or "full-pass" (Auto-2) - see HELPME.HLP. - Powerful Scripting language can be used to "program" Wincode (includes new automatic "Repair" damaged files option!) - Supports automatic ZIP/UNZIP (requires PKWare's ZIP/UNZIP 2.0) - Supports automatic Virus Scanning (requires a DOS Virus Scanner - see the VSDLINK.DAT file for more information) - Application menu hooking option to integrate Wincode's menu into any application. New scripting feature makes encoding *into* application documents a SNAP! - Includes INSTALL program for upgrades - Includes UNINSTALL program for removal - Integrated file-sorting companion program (separate executable for easier upgrading) which handles MANY types of file header formats - Integrated Winsock compatible e-mail/post daemon (separate executable for easier upgrading) to allow for automatic e-mailing and posting of encoded documents (see Requirements) - Multimedia support - see the HELP file for details - It's ALL FREE... III. *** Coming Soon *** - 32-bit Win95/WinNT version. In progress but no date set yet. Keep an eye on our HomePage for early BETAs... - User suggestions...? IV. *** Requirements *** - IBM compatible running DOS 3.3 or higher - 286 or higher processor with at least 2MB memory - Windows 3.1/3.11 running in standard or enhanced mode OR Win95/NT - About 1.8MB of disk space without HELP file (~2.5MB with HELP file) Sorry about the disk space - this should be reduced in the coming months with the release of 32-bit version. - ***NOTE*** To use Wincodes built-in E-Mail/Post capabilities, you must have a Winsock setup. This means that you are using a Windows Socket stack (WINSOCK.DLL) of some sort connected directly to the internet (ethernet, SLIP, PPP, TwinSock, TIA, SLiRP, etc). The E-Mail/Post Daemon is a Winsock v1.1 compatible app and has been tested with Trumpet Winsock, SunSoft PCNFSPro Winsock, and Winsock running under Win95. Improper or missing Winsock setup will only result in harmless error messages :-) V. *** Installing/Running/UnInstalling Wincode *** If you have not already done so, expand the ZIP archive into a temporary directory (or a floppy-disk). Start Windows, select FILE|RUN from Program Manager or File Manager and type in the full path of the INSTALL.EXE program (run it). The INSTALL program will copy/expand all the files to a directory you specify (overwriting older files), upgrade your WINCODE.INI (if you are running an older version of Wincode) and create a Program Manager Group and/or icon. See the HELPME.HLP file for basic instructions on using Wincode. ***IMPORTANT NOTES: 1) ALL files (listed above) must be present in the same directory for Installer to function properly. You should INSTALL first, then move selected files to directories of your choice (i.e. delete the README.TXT, place SUM.EXE in your DOS directory, etc). The install program uses the Windows LZEXPAND.DLL to decompress and copy the required files. If you receive any error messages during install, please contact _Snappy_ for assistance. 2) If you receive a Program Manager DDE failure (usually under Windows95), try RE-STARTING Windows. We have only observed this error under Win95 on computers that have been used extensively without restart. If this fails, installation WILL proceed but PM Groups will not be created. Wincode can now be un-installed in 2 easy steps. First, run Wincode and select 'Options|Configuration...' (CTRL-F) from the menu. You will see the configuration dialog which has an 'UnInstall...' button. Choose this to select the UnInstall method. You may also use the "Uninstall Wincode" icon in your "Wincode" Program Manager group. The UnInstaller will remove/copy/list all files included in the Wincode package. However, it does NOT remove itself OR the directories that Wincode may have used. Therefore, the second step is to remove these directories and UNINSTLL.EXE from your drive. Wincode should now be completely erased from your drive. VI. *** Availability *** Recent versions of Wincode (or other _Snappy_ software) are always available at the following locations: - The Internet - the _Snappy_ Software site! All of our software is available by three different methods: 1) WWW forms - point your browser at: http://snappy-software.com/ and check out our HomePage! If you can't get through, try our MIRROR site at: http://www.global2000.net/users/snappy/snappy/ (YES, there are two "snappy/" in the address! :-) You can also try one of the many WWW search engines to locate "Wincode". 2) Anonymous FTP - visit us at: snappy-software.com MIRROR: www.global2000.net/users/snappy/ 3) Automated e-mail - send a request to our server and receive an encoded copy by e-mail. Visit our HomePage for more info or send a BLANK e-mail to: snappy@snappy-software.com for a TEXT copy of our HomePage. In the future, we will try to establish mirror sites for our software. Please visit our HomePage for recent developments... - CompuServe (check the WinShare forum; keyword: Snappy, Wincode, etc) - America Online (keyword: Snappy, Wincode, etc) VII. *** Note to HELP Registered Users *** If you are a registered user but have not received your HELP file, *please* contact us at: support@snappy-software.com with your registration info (name, address, e-mail address, etc). Many orders arrived with illegible and/or missing e-mail addresses. _Snappy_ uses your e-mail address as your user registration code. Further, some orders were shipped but *not received*. We can't track mail failures (we don't have the resources) so we rely on customers to please get in touch with us if they have a problem. Please note that registration is a ONE-TIME fee. In other words, your initial registration keeps you in our database to be eligible for future HELP file updates! However, it is up to YOU to keep us up to date with your registration info (e-mail address) and to request the HELP file updates from our server (this is now a built-in feature of Wincode). If you need phone support, drop us an e-mail and we'll send you a contact number. This service is ONLY for registered users and calls are INCOMING ONLY. VIII. *** Copyrights *** Wincode is a TradeMark of _Snappy_ Software. - portions of this program are copyright (C) 1983,1995 Borland - Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation - PKZIP/UNZIP are copyright (C) 1989-1993 PKWARE Inc. All Rights Reserved. - GIF is a service mark of CompuServe Incorporated - WordPerfect is a registered trademark of Corel Corporation. - Procomm Plus for Windows is copyright (C) 1992-1993 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. - Star Trek: The Next Generation is a registered trademark of Paramount Pictures - The Simpsons is trademark and copyright (C) Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved. - Pinky and the Brain is copyright (C) Amblin Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Animation - DOOM is copyright (C) 1993 Id Software, Inc. Copyrights or Trademarks referenced in any material accompanying this software but not mentioned above have been omitted in error. _Snappy_ observes and respects all copyrights and trademarks. Have fun! _Snappy_ Software ;-) _Snappy_ Info: snappy@snappy-software.com Wincode Info: wincode@snappy-software.com Bug Reports: bugs@snappy-software.com FeedBack: feedback@snappy-software.com HomePage: http://snappy-software.com/ MIRROR: http://www.global2000.net/users/snappy/snappy/ (YES, there are two "snappy/" in the address! :-) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [GHS 10/31/96]