A detailed history of Paul Vigay's !NetReader application

Read the !Help file within !NetReader for full instructions
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v1.16 (19th Sep 1999)
  1. Extended range of codes allowed in email addresses so that the underscore ("_") character is now valid.
  2. 'To' field now correctly blanked when posting a new message.
  3. Fixed no space in date bug.
  4. Fixed keypress being lost on some wordwraps.
  5. Fixed bug in replying to mailing list/private reply messages.
  6. Added automatic mail list forwarding.
  7. Made Mode selection window just to the front if you click on it.
  8. Amended 'Export message' format slightly so that messages exported with short headers can now be loaded back into NetReader.
  9. Fixed bug in censoring routing where string too long errors could be given if the censored word list is empty.
  10. Fixed bug in screen redraw routine if a selection of messages are set to read/unread status.
  11. Dramatically improved wimp polling to reduce processor load.
  12. Fixed bug where severely corrupted Marcel INBOXs froze NetReader on loading.
  13. Removed checking for bad message headers so that severely corrupted INBOXs should still be loaded.
  14. Invalid aliases in 'To' leave the caret at the end of the icon.


v1.15 (12th Mar 1999) **** MAJOR UPDATE ****
  1. Fixed bug where 'send'ing a message truncated the message if the cursor was not on the last line of the message (N.B. 'Sign'ing a message worked ok though!)
  2. Fixed bug where new mail waiting status was only updated when a user logged out. It is now re-checked every time you click on the icon bar icon.
  3. Added facility to select which email transport you use when you post a new private email whilst already reading a newsgroup message.
  4. Removed warning message when you quit or logout with a reply window open, but haven't yet entered any text (ie.nothing to lose anyway)
  5. Fixed minor bug to ensure that no lines are marked for quoting when initially open the message window.
  6. Amended window size of main message window slightly to match toolbar.
  7. Fixed bug where other windows can go between the message window and the toolbar window, so that the toolabr window stays attached to the message window.
  8. Removed ability to highlight lines for quoting when no message is loaded.
  9. Added option in messages file to disable searching for self-refs and disable message count whilst loading new message files. This should slightly speed up the message loading time.
  10. Added ability to censor content of email messages, and forward.
  11. Added total no.of bytes posted to statistics logging.
  12. Added error message if unable to generate statistics analysis.
  13. Fixed bug in statistical analysis where 'unknown' user was always top of the list.
  14. Added checking for new mail waiting status when you close the input file.
  15. Added new 'interactive warning' feature, mainly for censorship warnings, but also to remind users of the bin status when reading messages.
  16. Clicking on reply if already writing a reply merely brings the window to the front rather than issuing a warning message.
  17. Added ability to reply automatically to a mail list or user (adjust click on 'reply' will always reply to author)
  18. Wrote an installation program to install NetReader correctly over previous versions so that people don't lose user settings etc and to make future updates easy.
  19. Fixed bug in password change routine, which resulted in changes being added onto the end of the file and not back into the original position.
  20. User choices format changed. This unfortunately means that each user will need to reconfigure their choices, as installing this version will reset to the preset default values. The new installation app should perform this automatically for you so it shouldn't pose too much of a problem.
  21. Added deletion warning option to Misc user choices.
  22. Fixed bug in user counting routine.
  23. Added option to send preset reply to Micro$oft Outlook Express users telling them how to configure their software correctly.
  24. Made cursor down on email address evaluate aliases too.
  25. Added 'Post message' icon to toolbar.
  26. Fixed bug so that error message is now given when trying to post a message and the reply file can't be found.
  27. Added ability to save your replies as text.
  28. Swapped 'Private Email' and 'Public Newsgroup' options in menu and made 'New message' default to sending a private message.


v1.14 (4th Nov 1998) **** MAJOR UPDATE ****
  1. Made global choices default user writable (for erasing default user)
  2. Fixed bug where you couldn't create a new user from the user icon in the global choices window.
  3. Removed LEFT$(email,"@") from self reference checking.
  4. When logging in a user, made username non case sensitive.
  5. Removed recursive error quit choice when entering the wrong password more than 3 times.
  6. Made individual email addresses, source & destination file locations lockable by the system. (ie. users can't change their file locations)
  7. Fixed a couple of bugs in the message redraw on mode change routine.
  8. Amended routine to flag new messages and update mode window.
  9. Made default message-loading non-multitasking.
  10. Added CTRL-DEL to editor controls to delete a whole line (same as f10)
  11. Added 'D' flag to message index window so you can see which messages are flagged for deletion.
  12. Fixed bug in message-sign routine where the last line of sig files without a correct terminator were missed out.
  13. Fixed bug in logout routine, where if you cancel the logout, it left the user in a partially logged out state.
  14. Tidied up 'Quit' routine so that the relevant messages and actions are consistent.
  15. Fixed bug in search routine which inadvertently crept in at v1.12
  16. Amended so that all writable icons are reset when the user logs out.
  17. Added new feature:- Ability to create and delete mailing lists. This copies a default set of template files for you to edit manually, but ensures that all the relevant files are created for you. (see manual for more details)
  18. Implemented quick printing via the Risc OS printer drivers instead of directly via VDU system.
  19. Added check to see if the reply window is open if you try to close the file or quit NetReader.
  20. Added debug mode to help in tracking down obscure errors.
  21. Changed default background colour for reply window to white.
  22. Fixed a couple of bugs in the URL launching mechanism, so reply to's should work ok now.
  23. Added PRINT and TAB key recognition to reply window text editor.
  24. Fixed bug in export routine so that if NetReader is unable to create the export file, the file is not left open.
  25. Saved links now have their filetype set to B28 (URL) to be compatible with Fresco's URL saving.
  26. Fixed bug in message purging routine where the file was left unaltered if there was a continuous block to the end of the file to purge.


v1.13 (19th Sep 1998)
  1. Amended logon so that if no default user is defined, NetReader will move the caret to the username icon rather than open the choices windows.
  2. Fixed bug in window template so that numbers can now be entered for the password logon.
  3. Tidied 'Purge' routine so that Cix email message files are correctly purged when you close the file and delete messages.
  4. Amended so that Risc OS version is read using OS_Byte 129 rather than the value returned by the window manager. This allows NetReader to work on pre-Risc OS 3.5 machines with the new Window manager installed.


v1.12 (9th Sep 1998)
  1. Fixed bug in tagline quoting (bad filename)
  2. Fixed bug in signature routine where blank lines resulted in ÿ being quoted instead.
  3. Fixed bug where cookies longer than the line length were truncated. They now wrap correctly. However, they should not be more than two lines long!
  4. Added Reply-Mode: to mailing lists so that you can force mailing list messages to be sent via a specific mail mode. (see manual)
  5. Added ability to automatically join people to mailing lists with appropriate welcome messages (on Utils menu)
  6. Added ability to remove people from mailing lists with appropriate messages being sent if the person is a member or not. (see manual)
  7. Fixed wordwrap bug when forwarding messages to mailing lists.
  8. Fixed bug when sending blank messages with no signature called a fatal internal error.
  9. Suppressed fortune cookies if no signature is added (such as bouncing messages, sending rather than signing etc)
  10. Tidied and re-wrote some of the accompanying documentation. I now need to get around to writing a proper manual!
  11. Amended control bar so that correct mouse pointers are given depending upon whether a mail message or a news message is being written.
  12. Added 'Name' option to Personal choices, so that NetReader knows your correct name. This gets added to the From: field when using the Ant mode.
  13. Message headers and footers now have surplus spaces truncated correctly.
  14. Amended registration procedure slightly (unregistered days left given).
  15. Added ability to disable the list of users from the logon window.
    N.B. This feature is automatically turned on if there are more than 150 users.
  16. Altered message pointers so that empty message files or non-existent message files don't indicate any new messages.
  17. Amended so that the reply window title updates for the recipient of new emails.


v1.11 (8th Aug 1998)
  1. Bug fix - Duplicate headers sent when forwarding mail to mailing lists.
  2. Tidied headers so that the correct To: and From: are sent to messages forwarded to mailing lists.
  3. Added 'Bounce back' option to return unwanted emails to the original sender, with a suitable pre-amble (!NetReader.Files.bounce).
  4. Amended outgoing news messages so that they are posted to the same group of newsgroups as the original message. Previous versions merely posted just to the current newsgroup.


v1.10 (26th Jun 1998)
  1. Added batch user creation ability.
  2. Bug fix: Closed imput file correctly if unable to find the message header.
  3. Amended message list window to only highlight self references in news messages (ie. mode>2)


v1.09 (23rd Jun 1998)
  1. Re-structured toolbar screen display and user front-end to give icon toolbar and amended (tidier) screen display).
  2. Linked text window to control bar so that the two are no longer independent windows.
  3. Sorted minor bug whereby clicking MENU over the control bar didn't always perform the correct menu option.
  4. Amended quoting line length to take account of the " >" at the beginning of lines.
  5. Amended so that mailing list headers/footers are correctly added to emails originated from NetReader, rather than just forwarded ones.
  6. Closed main window correctly after a new message has been posted.
  7. Added 'Stats' option to global choices. Allows user stats to be compiled.
  8. Fixed bug in exporting links.
  9. Added access time control. (see manual for operation)
  10. If no users are available, open global choices on clicking on icon bar.
  11. If an attempt to create an existing username, the name and password icons are blanked out before making you re-enter the name.
  12. Allowed names in mailing lists to be temporarily skipped by starting the line with a # character.


v1.08 (13th May 1998)
  1. Added support for decoding UUencoded email attachments.
  2. Fixed bug where 'From:' line of outgoing messages got corrupted. (filter <&> in FNfilterspam)
  3. Amended Julian date conversions to avoid territory problems.
  4. Fixed bug where file attachment option was available on sending new messages.
  5. Amended button functions on selecting mode. Adjust will simply select the relevant mail mode, whereas Select will load any messages.
  6. Changed control bar icons slightly.
  7. Amended message send so that messages with no subject can be sent. <No Subject> is included automatically.
  8. Amended send new message routine to ignore trying to find maillist addresses in the address book, thus preventing the 'invalid address book' error when sending new messages to mailing lists.


v1.07 (1st Dec 1997)
  1. Amended Message-ID header line to contain a checksum for the message.
  2. Added user-defined Reply-To line to mailing lists, so replies can be guided back to the list more easily.
  3. Added ability to forward messages.
  4. Added mailing list signatures. (stored within MailLists.sigs)
  5. Added mailing list headers. (stored within MailLists.headers)
  6. Fixed bug where 'fortune cooky' option only worked on a single mode.
  7. Added 'Misc' choices for all five modes - so each email system can have it's own misc choices.
  8. Added additional colour choice for signatures.
  9. Fixed minor bug whereby some headers got included at the top of the message text.
  10. Added checking to see if you have setup your email address before you try sending a message.
  11. Added 'backspace' key recognition to message editor.
  12. Error trapped blank email addresses when posting new messages.
  13. Added checking to see if the email file has changed since the user last logged on. (if so, a '*' symbol will be given next to the username in the menu of users)
  14. Fixed bug which wouldn't allow zero length passwords to be set.
  15. Moved minimum password length setting from 'messages' file to global choices.
  16. Added 'lockable replies' facility (for school networks). See manual for more info.
  17. Added 'Anti-Spam' mode to encrypt/decrypt email addresses using X-Antispam header.
  18. Added pointer to mode window to indicate which mode is currently active.
  19. Disabled list/from toggle in control bar window when a message is not from a mailing list.
  20. Fixed bug where clicking on save or ok in the choices didn't update the 'Misc' writable icons unless return has been pressed. Return is no longer needed.


v1.06 (4th Oct 1997)
  1. Added support for local domains (ie. no email domain will have the local address appended to it)
  2. Fixed bug where creating additional users left the 'self ref' code the same.
  3. Added additional support to send local email messages to other users (useful for local sites running over Acorn networks). Send emails to xxxx@localsite where xxxx is the name of the local user.
  4. Added confirmation warning before deleting entries from the address book.
  5. Changed cursor down from subject icon to go to email address rather than reply window.
  6. Added ability to reply to email addresses in the message text.
  7. Added option to export links and email addresses from the message text.
  8. Added ability to press tab instead of return in 'Subject' and 'Email to' fields.
  9. Added support for interactive help


v1.05 (23rd Sep 1997) *** MAJOR RE-WRITE ***
  1. Supports multiple users and individual choices for each user.
  2. Supports multiple mail mechanisms for different types of mail message.
  3. Networkable to allow multi-users to password protect mail.
  4. Complete overhaul of code.
  5. Added URL hotlinking, so clicking on URLs in email messages jumps to the URL (if a browser is loaded and you're online!)

    Too many extra features to list here!


v1.04 (20th Jul 1997)
  1. Added 'Multi user' support for Ant, although I still haven't 'hacked' their password algorithm, so passwords are not supported! (a bit of a security leak really, as you can read anyone else's messages. If I can't hack Ant's routine, I may just write my own, so that NetReader uses it's own passwords)
  2. Fixed bug in 'Quick Print' routine.
  3. Prevented exporting messages moving the message window to the front.
  4. Added ability to display 'full' headers in exported messages, rather than just long or short.
  5. Made detection of Ant suite a bit more intelligent.
  6. Fixed bug where message subject index would get out of step if no subject was detected in a message.
  7. Added new title screen.
  8. Fixed bug where , was added to email addresses in mailing lists sent to Ant.
  9. Amended so that full headers are always sent to messages sent to Ant.


v1.03a (12 Dec 1996)
  1. Added compatibility to Ant Suite for loading Marcel email messages.
    N.B. Only single user support is currently provided. I may change this depending upon how much free time I get, as NetReader is on a back burner at present. However, Ant mailing lists are supported.
  2. Added short/full header information
  3. Checked StrongArm compatibility
  4. Added ascii "=" code translation. For example, =B0 converts to a degree sign.
  5. Fixed bug where you were occasioanally asked if you want to delete tagged files on Quitting, even though you had closed the file.
  6. Fixed bug where closing a file with only one message forgot to ask you if you want to delete tagged messages.
  7. Now gives an error message if you try reading a blank file.
  8. Swapped prompt icons around on 'Delete tagged messages' to avoid accidental deletion if you double-click by mistake on Close file.
  9. Added additional signature file for Ant messages.
  10. Disabled 'Auto delete before reply' choice when using Ant email messages.
  11. Fixed 'Internal error' bug occuring if non-compatible email files are dragged onto !NetReader.
  12. Re-worded some of the warning prompts to make it easier to understand.
  13. Changed flag settings so that loading previous stored files do not become all read on loading. (Actual lines are just commented out!)
  14. Made main windows appear at intelligent places on the screen instead of bunched in the corner.


v1.03 (18th Sep 1996)
  1. Fixed deleting messages from file bug.
  2. Various house-keeping tidy-ups
  3. Fixed message truncating at 100 lines bug
  4. Fixed exporting bug where sometimes nothing is saved.


v1.02 (29th Oct 1995)
  1. Added X-Organisation and X-Mailer to sending newsmessages.
  2. Tidied bug so that you are no longer asked to delete tagged messages when QUITing and you've already closed the input file.


v1.01 (3rd Aug 1995)
  1. Extended length of reply menu slightly so that 'Blind Copies' doesn't overflow the end when desktop font is System.


v1.00 (21st Jul 1995)
  1. Amended private replies to include : after command, eg. cc:
  2. Removed ending , after the to: in private replies when also doing a cc:
  3. Fixed minor bug when closing a file (and deleting messages) then quitting, you were still asked if you want to delete messages. This no longer happens.
  4. Added name search so that when you enter a name without an @ symbol into the name field, !NetReader will scan it's directory of people and fill in the full email address for you (if the person is in the list)
  5. Amended newsgroup input so that if a newsgroup already exists, subsequent ones can be added to it - to post to multiple groups.
  6. Added support for Followup-to: replies.


v0.10 (7th Jun 1995) **** MAJOR UPDATE ****
  1. Amended goto message by subject to a window rather than a menu. This is very much faster and can be open all the time.
  2. Newsgroups are automatically added to a file (!NetReader.Stored.Newsgroups) as they are seen for the first time. When sending a message a newsgroup can be selected from a menu by pressing MENU over the newsgroup icon in the control window.
  3. Facility to change window colours added. (from Choices window)
  4. Tidied up some error messages and the way NetReader copes with quits and abort loads.
  5. Changed icon colours to give a more 'professional' look.
  6. Changed stored messages filename from msgsfile to Usenet.
  7. When importing private messages, a list of email numbers is also build up in a similar fashion to the newsgroups. This file is called !NetReader.Stored.People
  8. Speeded up loading of messages slightly.
  9. Wimpslot increased to rectify occasional 'heap full' errors.
  10. Separate message files to store 'Usenet' and 'Private' messages.
  11. Ability to send to more than one newsgroup added.
  12. Added additional signature file so that newsgroup messages and private messages can have different long signatures (if req.)
  13. Re-designed control window slightly (wider) with pointer display added.
  14. Added checking for Reply files on startup. Warning given if dodgy filenames are detected. Useful if !NetReader has been copied from one machine to another and Reply files had already been setup in the choices window.
  15. Added Misc directory in which to store miscellaneous files which may be useful to !NetReader users. See Docs.MiscDir for details.
  16. Cleared subject lines from control bar when new message is loaded.
  17. Fixed bug where 'from' details in subject index were sometimes repeated in the following entry.
  18. Bug fix: When exploding messages, null filenames are converted to "NoSubj".
  19. Added 'Skipfile' facility to skip over messages from certain people.
  20. Added facility to add date when quoting from messages.
  21. Added 'approx number of messages' calculation to loading window.
  22. Tidied up sensing of msgtype slightly to avoid confusion.
  23. Subject index window can only be opened when the whole input file has been loaded.
  24. Added ability to handle mailing lists, so you can send a message to a specified group of people without having to keep entering the list. These are stored as text files in the directory !NetReader.Stored.MailLists (More instructions in the manual)
  25. Hourglass now comes on when Importing text into the reply window.
  26. Added 'Quick print' option to do a quick (VDU 2 type) print on line printers, either the current message or the current reply (depending upon which menu you select it from)


v0.09 (6th Apr 1995) **** MAJOR UPDATE ****
  1. Extended wimpslot size to 416k.
  2. Quotes now miss out blank lines rather than saying "line skipped".
    N.B. Still gives lines skipped if textual lines actually are skipped.
  3. Lines now correctly wrap when quoting long lines (making quoted lines look a bit more tidy).
  4. Amended reply editor slightly, so that if you click past the end of the text, the caret is positioned correctly at the end of the line, rather than in the middle of a blank area.
  5. In case of emergency, pressing ESCAPE will now abort loading a message, part way through. Use with care!
  6. Removed bleep from sounding when the thread window opens, as it was rather annoying.
  7. A message is now stored if the 'store' is set, irrespective of whether the message has already been read or not. This allows you to go back to previous messages and store them. However, it doesn't stop you from storing a message more than once. This action was changed due to popular demand.
  8. Irritating window added, to encourage people to register.
  9. Set loading flag to FALSE if the load is aborted on message 1.
  10. Speeded up loading of messages a tiny bit.
  11. Amended Lines: value in reply messages to give the correct value.
  12. Tidied up some of the windows a bit.
  13. Added 'Back' icon to thread window, to take you back through the threaded messages you've just read. A pointer bar also gives you a graphical representation of the approx position in the file.
  14. Amended delete time to allow deletion after 0 days, allowing for deletion of all messages (previous versions had 1 day min)
  15. Fixed but where typing in a new value for delete after was ignored.
  16. Added 'New message' option to icon bar menu, so that you don't have to have a file loaded in order to send a message.
  17. Tidied status window up a bit to allow cursor movement and re-draw after sending a new message. Previous settings are now restored.
  18. Keyboard handler now correctly recognises f12 being pressed from any position.
  19. Added name to messages file for improved detection of messages mentioning your name.
  20. Amended bug in explode routine so that "Re:" is removed from the beginning of filenames.
  21. Added origin verification to check NNTP-posting-host with message ID ??? is displayed to the left of 'From' is there is a discrepency.
  22. Re-arranged directory structure to make NetReader's internal organisation a bit easier to understand.


v0.08 (3rd Mar 1995)
  1. a) Fixed minor bug in loading routine, to work on RISC PC's.


v0.07 (8th Dec 1994)
  1. Fixed small bug in date evaluation routine.
  2. Fixed bug in 'Purgefile' routine, so that (hopefully) the read,binned files should be deleted ok.
  3. Added basic thread following to messages.
  4. Added support for archived source files.


v0.06 (1st Dec 1994)
  1. Made loading of messages multi-tasking if required (so you can carry on working when loading large files) For those who want to run at maximum speed (but not do anything in the meantime) you can turn it off if required.
  2. Re-designed 'Choices' window again.
  3. Amended 'Goto' menu to include subject and user. These have now been truncated (subject to 38 chars, name to 20 chars) to fit them into the menu structure.
  4. Added extra 'confirmation' error messages when about to quit or close the file.
  5. Fixed bug where 'Explode' gave 'directory full' error if the directory was already ready nearing completion when Exploded.
  6. Extended message statck slightly to cater for up to around 1000 messages in a single file.
  7. Added ADFS/DOS format to explode filenames. ADFS truncates names to 10 characters, whereas DOS truncates to 8 characters.


v0.05 (21st Nov 1994)
  1. Modified age routine to bin messages older than OR EQUAL to the age set in choices.
  2. Amended quotes so that they wrap words to the start of the next line, rather than truncating half way through a word.
  3. Added short 'bleep' to notify when long messages have been truncated.
  4. Amended title page to load at the correct sprite allocation area, rather than at 20*1024*1024, thus allowing for !SparkFS etc to be already load.
  5. Caret auto-positions when you select send new message.
  6. 'Space' now works correctly at the beginning of reply lines.


v0.04 (7th Nov 1994) **** MAJOR UPDATE ****
  1. Reset no. of deletions when loading new file (bug fix)
  2. Modified loader routine to automatically distinguish between cr,lf and lf separated lines in the message input file.
  3. Changed warning icons from simple 'OK' and 'Cancel' to slightly more descriptive ones.
  4. Added 'Private' reply facility.
  5. Facility to choose the line separators of reply files.
  6. Added the ability to change the value of tab stops used to display messages. (usually only relevant to signatures)
  7. Added explode feature (see !Help for more info)
  8. Amended purge routine so that when deleting messages, only those that have been read will be deleted. Not those that haven't.
  9. Added 'Utils' menu (see !Help for more info)
  10. Fixed bug in message reader so that ctrl codes below 32 are filtered out.
  11. 'Find self' option added (see !Help for more info)
  12. References to your user ID are automatically highlighted.
  13. Fixed a whole host of minor bugs in the reply editor - mainly where the cursor position got confused resulting in corrupted window data occasionally.
  14. Added 'Reference to self' led to main control window.
  15. Removed bug whereby 'Explode' routine gave filename error if the subject contained an invalid character.
  16. Fixed bug where too many lines were added between reply text and signature (maxry%) when multiple replies were sent.


v0.03 (27th Oct 1994)
  1. Speeded up deletion of messages by doing multiple messages in one go.
  2. Changed 'Continue' icon to 'OK' icon in warning window.
  3. Changed colour of hourglass (only on RISC OS 3) when storing message.
  4. Fixed bug where multiple deletes didn't work correctly.
  5. Rearranged 'Choices' window to provide options for private replies.


v0.02 (23rd Oct 1994) - SENT TO ACORN COMPUTING MAGAZINE
  1. Bug fix - Floating point exception when a message with 0 lines is decoded.
  2. Feature - ... line(s) skipped ... added to reply file where a non-continous section of text is being quoted.
  3. Feature - To quote <name> added when quoting messages, together with 'to quote again' when making subsequent quotes from the same message.
    The exact wording can be changed by editing the !NetReader.Resources.Messages file. BE CAREFUL THOUGH!
  4. Bug fix - File open errors now cause !NetReader to suffer a recoverable error instead of quitting.
  5. Feature - "Lines: x" now added automatically to reply headers.
  6. Feature - Reply routine re-written to fix a few bugs and include long signatures.
  7. Feature - "Re:" added automatically to subject line if you reply to a message that is not already a reply.
  8. Feature - References: header line added to replies to thread reply.
  9. Feature - The ability to delete 'tagged' messages.
  10. Feature - Ability to drag text files into the reply window.
  11. Feature - Ability to enter 'new' messages.


v0.01 (6th Oct 1994) - UPLOADED TO CIX
  1. Original release version (just about working)
  2. - probably quite a few bugs, but I thought I'd let people see what I was writing, and offer any comments.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any
additional ideas for features.

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