Boxer -- A Waffle News Reader and MailBox Viewer for Windows ============================================================ Release: Beta 0.7 Date: 12 December 1993 Copyright 1993 Paul Gillingwater and Actrix Networks Limited paul@actrix.co.at This is MailBoxer, a Windows mailbox and new reader for Waffle. It has been written using Microsoft Visual Basic Version 3.0. New versions will be available via anon. FTP from eunet.co.at in ~/pub/news/eep. Currently, this program is read only for Mailboxes. It now updates the JOIN file, so please ensure you have a backup copy while testing. The DELETE key does not actually delete any messages. Double click on a message to display it, and use the Right Mouse Button to view some header info, as well as adding addresses to an address book. I intend to add more news reading functionality, and support for sending and receiving MIME format messages. When choosing threads, note that you can use the Control key to select groups of items from the list box. Simply hold this key down when dragging or selecting with the mouse. Additional buttons have been provided that allow you to select all messages for reading, as well as all NEW messages (those lower than the previous high message number.) A word or two about message reading. I have used an innovative approach to selecting messages for reading, which is still not perfect. Currently, when you first enter a news group, all messages are sorted numerically according to article number (the file name). When you click on the message list, you can read any message in the list. Use the down arrow, and the very next message will be displayed. Use the Next button, however, and all messages below the previous high message number will be skipped. This is the best Waffle can do while retaining compatibility with the JOIN file. Later, a true NEWSRC which records actual messages read may be implemented, according to Waffle 1.66. When you select Threaded message reading (with the Thread button), a thread list will be built based on Message ID's (not subjects.) All subject lines and authors will be displayed (unlike some threaded readers which supress one or both of these.) Using the Next button will act in the same way as the down arrow, because the high message number is less relevant when reading threaded. There is an additional button which allows you to select all New messages for reading--this will automatically mark all threads which have message numbers higher than the previous high message number. Note that the benefit of this approach to reading messages is that you can select a few threads, read them, then go back into the thread list and pick some more. You are not forced to mark all you want in one hit as with tin, trn or rusnews. You can also examine any older message at will. Please let me know what you think of Boxer. I am releasing this Beta version for some feedback to improve the design. Installation ============ MailBoxer now has a SETUP.EXE program which creates a directory (usually C:\BOXER) and an Icon. Note that you will probably have to edit the BOXER.INI file in this directory to check paths to other programs (e.g. UUDECODE.EXE if you have it.) The SETUP program requires VBRUN300.DLL to already exit in your WINDOWS directory. Files ending with "_" are compressed using Microsoft's COMPRESS, and will be extracted during the SETUP process. Boxer no longer uses WIN.INI -- instead, it assumes that the BOXER.INI will be found in the directory where you run BOXER.EXE. You can also pass the user name on the command line (put this in the Properties of Windows.) Because this is Visual Basic, you must have the VBRUN300.DLL file in your C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM or C:\WINDOWS directory. If you don't have VBRUN300.DLL, you will find a copy available for anonymous FTP at eunet.co.at, in ~pub/news/eep as VBRUN300.ZIP. You really should have this file, as many other useful Windows programs will require it in future. Make sure that your WAFFLE environment variable includes the drive letter if you're running Waffle on a drive different from where you run Boxer. Cost of Boxer ============= The Beta versions of Boxer are free for the purpose of evaluation. The official release will be shareware, probably $20 for a single user indefinite license. Subscribers to Actrix Information Exchange BBS (Southern Well) in New Zealand are granted license to use Boxer as part of their subscription. Site licenses (e.g. a LAN) will be $100. Boxer is not crippled in any way, and does not "nag", or ask for money when you run it. All versions of Boxer are Copyright 1993 Paul Gillingwater and Actrix Networks Limited. Revision History ================ Alpha 0.1 -- First release to go out onto the net. Uses NOTEPAD to display mail messages. Handles multiple mailboxes using MDI. Alpha 0.2 -- Accepts default user name as command line parameter. Changed MDI interface to group all controls on MDI Form, not on child forms. Major changes to internal data structures to support MDI. Added simple directory of e-mail addresses (use right mouse button.) Alpha 0.3 -- Started using HellDiver Send for the mail. The on-line help for BOXER is still non-existent. Boxer now sends mail messages. Alpha 0.4 -- Added address book feature. Boxer now uses a file called ADDRESS.LST in the \USER\ directory to store addresses, which can be used when preparing outgoing mail. Beta 0.5 -- Moved to Beta status. Added Windows installation support (not yet complete because it doesn't touch WIN.INI.) Added NEWS reading and Threading capability. Note that this BETA version does not update the JOIN or NEWSRC files (in fact these are ignored presently), and does not update the mailbox in anyway, so it's perfectly safe to use. Beta 0.6 -- Boxer now updates the JOIN file. Threading is improved. Improved error handling added when opening files. No longer uses WIN.INI, and uses reasonable defaults for many parameters. Beta 0.7 -- Redesigned address book interface for easier use. Boxer now adds the SIG file automatically if it exists. Receipt request works. The Windows TEMP environment variable is used for all temporary files. Boxer looks for its own executable, and uses the directory path to find other files, such as HSEND. The Reply-To: field is used in preference to the From: line. The opening screen is now prettier. If an address book doesn't exist, one will be created. A Catch-Up button now exists, but doesn't do anything yet. The thread list will be remembered until a different news group is opened. Future Directions ================= Boxer is intended to act as an On-Line reader, therefore it will not operate with packet formats such as QWK or SOUP. This means that it must have access to the news directories of the host system. When used with Waffle, the host system will be the local PC, or another PC on the LAN. It is planned that a future version of Boxer will enable the user to connect to a UNIX system, and read messages on-line through the use of a server program, based on EEP. Acknowledgements ================ Grateful acknowledgement is given to Rhys Weatherley for his permission to make use of HSEND.EXE. The HSEND format (coming soon to an RFC near you) is in my opinion an excellent standard, although it won't allow posting of articles to local newsgroups (sigh.) Does anyone want to write an HSEND that will work with NNTP/IMAP/SMTP over Windows Sockets? :-) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Helldiver Send, Copyright (C) 1991-1992 Rhys Weatherley, rhys@cs.uq.oz.au Permission to use, copy, and distribute this material for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies, and that the name of Rhys Weatherley not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining to this material without specific, prior written permission. RHYS WEATHERLEY MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE ACCURACY OR SUITABILITY OF THIS MATERIAL FOR ANY PURPOSE. IT IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------