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- Saturday, May 21, 1988
- Howdy!
-
- These two diskettes contain two large archives, well-filled with some
- very interesting utility programs. Since many of these programs are pretty
- unusual, it's unlikely that anyone but me will find them ALL useful.
- However, it's virtually certain that you will find at least some of them
- helpful, and a few may give you ideas for something else you could use.
-
- These programs have nearly all been written in an unusually nice
- programming language, SNOBOL4, which deserves to be better known than it
- has been so far. A valid question when looking at any new langugage is,
- "gee, what kinds of things could I do with it?" Although there are as many
- answers to that question as there are SNOBOL4 users, the programs that make
- up this package are some of the great variety of things that I've found to
- use the language for, thus far.
-
- Please use the utility PKXARC to "un-archive" the files contained on the
- two diskettes. (NOTE: this will be somewhat complicated if you only have
- 360Kb floppy disks and no hard drive on your system. If you're not sure how,
- your best bet is to ask one of your more knowledgeable friends at your local
- computer club or computer store to help you. The two archives together
- contain something like 36 files, more than 1.6Mb of documentation and
- programs. The print file containing the user's guide is by itself too large
- to fit on a 360K floppy disk). The command lines to perform the un-archiving
- should look something like:
-
- c:
- mkdir \snoutils
- cd \snoutils
- (put the first diskette in drive A:)
- copy a:pkxarc.*
- pkxarc a:snoutil1
- (put the second diskette in drive A:)
- pkxarc a:snoutil2
-
- When this has been done, you will find a large documentation file
- (UTILSDOC.PRT) which contains the manual for the complete set of utilities.
- This manual can either be read directly from disk as an on-line reference
- (to use it in this mode, I strongly suggest the use of Vernon Buerg's
- extremely fine LIST program) or you can print the manual. The file is
- set up for printing in COMPRESSED MODE (please put the printer into
- compressed print mode before printing the manual; the print file does not
- know what control codes might be required with your printer). The resulting
- document, when trimmed, will fit nicely into a standard MS-DOS binder, or
- can be bound into a conveniently sized handbook. You will get the best
- results if your printer supports the IBM extended graphics characters; if
- not, there will be a few places where some characters may not print right.
-
- This set of programs is being distributed as Shareware. This means that
- you are free to use the programs as long as it takes to decide whether or
- not they are useful to you. However, if you use any of the programs on an
- ongoing basis, you should "register" as a user. This nominal registration
- fee will get you the latest versions of each of the programs in the package,
- compiled with the newest and most problem-free version of the SNOBOL4+ system.
- In addition, the "registered" versions take up less disk space and are faster
- when executed, since the shareware information screens displayed at the end
- of many of the programs are eliminated in the registered versions.
-
- Foreign users are especially encouraged to register their use of the
- package, and may find it most convenient to pay using American Express
- Traveler's Checks, available in US dollar denominations at American Express
- Travel Service offices in most major cities around the world. This will
- eliminate the heavy fees that many foreign banks charge for payments in
- US currency. Residents of the British Isles or France may also pay in
- checks denominated in either sterling or French francs.
-
- Thank you, and I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
-
- Gordon E. Peterson II
- P.O. Box 40476
- San Antonio, TX 78229-1476
- USA
-
- P.S. You can earn a free "registered" version of any one of these utilities
- (your choice!) if you upload this entire package (both diskettes, unmodified)
- onto your local bulletin board, or put it into the diskette library of your
- local computer club or users' group for distribution to other members of the
- club or users' group. Just send me "proof" of having done so, and I'll send
- your free registered program. (This offer is limited, and may be withdrawn
- without notice.)