Chip: Internet/Chip Internet.iso/wwwutil/slnot150.ins/slipread.tx_/slipread.tx

Text File | 1996-02-26 | 8KB | 168 lines

Feb. 28, 1996

Welcome to SlipKnot Version 1.50

The first operation is to run the program and set up all of the terminal
characteristics before trying to connect to your UNIX host.  Before trying
the Terminal setup dance, bring up the Help documentation, and keep it
visible while going through the settings.

Note that since SlipKnot is also an offline WEB renderer, after
bringing up SlipKnot, you can immediately press the "World Wide Web"
button, which should show you SlipKnot's local home pages (try it!).

=================== Known problems and workarounds =======================

If you are having initialization difficulties, please read the SNTFAQ1.TXT
document that came inside the distribution file.

1. If you are having problems with "Host Initialization", (when you attempt
   to press the "to World Wide Web" button for the first time) there is a
   temporary Debug menu item that will log modem traffic (and other
   debugging information) to a file called: SLIPKNOT.DEB. Turn on this
   option just before pressing the "to World Wide Web" button, and turn it
   off just after the failure.  Peruse this file (though it may not be very
   meaningful), or send it to us ([e-mail]).

2. There are known problems (as of Jan. 16, 1995) with the Korn shell (ksh)
   on the Netcom service as well as the zsh shell on Panix.  These problems
   manifest themselves as failed Web document retrievals.  If you are a
   user of Netcom and the ksh shell, or a Panix user of the zsh shell, please
   change shells prior to pressing the "World Wide Web" button.

3. If a document retrieval appears to be stuck, first check whether it
   really is by looking at your modem lights (if you have an external
   modem) and checking whether there is any data coming in.  If so,
   let it go for a while.  Sometimes the document retrieval odometer
   (showing how many bytes have been downloaded) doesn't move.  Click
   momentarily on the red window to unstick the odometer.  If these
   instructions are gibberish now (because you are reading the README
   before seeing the program in action), you'll know what we mean when the
   WEB renderer starts working.  If it is still stuck, close the document
   retrieval window (the one that is in red) by double-clicking on the
   control button in the upper-left (the way you normally close any
   window).


========== What SlipKnot supports and what it doesn't =====================

First of all, may have difficulty with Norton DeskTop and/or a program
called VSAFE.

In terms of Web documents, SlipKnot supports the HTML 1.0 definition of
the HyperText Markup Language.  There are several HTML 2.0 and HTML+
constructs that some documents on the Internet have included that
SlipKnot will either not support or ignore.  Some of these are listed
below:

Sending and retrieving files:

-  Yes: HTTP protocol
-  Yes: FTP protocol
-  Yes: GOPHER protocol (for SlipKnop registered users only)
-  Yes: TELNET protocol
-  Yes: MAILTO: protocol (outgoing email)

-  Yes, (mostly): documents containing "fill-in" forms are either
   handled within SlipKnot or are handled by bringing up the UNIX lynx
   program (depending upon the version of lynx on your UNIX system).

-  No: Newsgroup reading and posting (SlipKnot users can always return
       to SlipKnot Terminal and use a UNIX-based newsreader)
-  No: incoming email (no email reader).

======================== SlipKnot Feature List ==========================

SlipKnot was designed from the ground up for modem users -- using slower
communications lines than folks on expensive high-speed links to the
Internet.  Hence, many of the features were included to make life easier
specifically for us lower-speed folks.

Some of these features you may already be aware of, some not.

1. Of course, no SLIP or PPP or TCP/IP services required from your host.

2. Background document retrieval while browsing documents in the foreground.

3. Save entire documents (including embedded pictures) in your own
   user-defined folders for later display.  This allows you to demo the WWW
   without being online.  Also, this is kinder to the Internet, since you
   do not have to retrieve those favorite documents every time you want to
   display them.

4. Up to 10 different documents can be displayed on the screen simultaneously.

5. You need not wait for a document to come in before asking for another
   one.  You can ask for the retrieval of many documents, and these
   requests will be queued up to be activated one-by-one.

6. Ability to switch between WWW and your UNIX terminal session whenever
   you wish (except then you are in the middle of retrieving a document).

7. An "infinite history cache" saves all documents you have retrieved
   during any session in a temporary directory, and even saves them between
   sessions if you desire (limited only by available disk space).

8. Since SlipKnot is an Internet communications program, it can upgrade
   itself when new versions become available. You can use its One-Touch
   Upgrade mechanism (about seven touches, actually) to download just the
   version changes and activate SlipKnot's upgrade program.

9. Change screen fonts and colors, printer fonts, document colors, etc.
   And then use SlipKnot's built-in documents to test the appearance of
   your chosen fonts and colors.

10. You can choose not to retrieve the pictures embedded inside documents
    and speed up the downloading process significantly.  Then, if you
    change your mind, ask SlipKnot to get the same document with the
    pictures.

11. Install "viewers" to handle files of various types.  For instance,
    SlipKnot already comes with 2 "viewers": 1) LVIEW31 to view and
    manipulate graphics files and 2) WPLANY to play sound clips.

12. Use SlipKnot to help you develop your own home pages.  If you master
    the document language, HTML, or use an HTML-editor, you can use
    SlipKnot to display the pages while you are working on them.  You
    can also install one of these pages to come up automatically each time
    you enter SlipKnot Web.

13. Use SlipKnot to retrieve files from anonymous FTP sites.  If you know
    how to express your request for a file in the form of a URL, SlipKnot
    will retrieve it for you (in the background, as usual), and place the
    file wherever you wish.

14. Use SlipKnot's FTP support to navigate remote directories, and pick the
    files you want SlipKnot to download (also queue up to 30 of them for
    sequential retrieval).

15. Use SlipKnot as a graphical Gopher.

16. SlipKnot contains some features to handle screen clutter (especially if
    you have several documents displayed simultaneously).  There is an icon
    to help you cycle through your visible documents (in case one is hidden
    behind another).  And if you minimize a visible document, a small
    numbered icon appears in a prominent place to help you display it again
    immediately.

17. SlipKnot has an (optional) scripting language to automate your login
    and logout procedures.

18. You can also use the SlipKnot Terminal to upload and download files.

19. After you complete the setup process and are successfully using
    SlipKnot, you can pass on the complete setup information to others,
    because it is all saved in a text file (except for your login id and
    password).  These settings can be posted as downloadable files.
    Conversely, you can receive these settings from other users on the same
    UNIX system if you are having trouble.  The setup information for
    a Host that you create is in you SlipKnot home directory in a file
    with suffix: .HST (containing everything except your login id and
    password).  It is a text file -- feel free to look at it (though,
    please do not modify it).


Peter Brooks
MicroMind, Inc.
[e-mail]