There are currently two MONICA Helper applications to assist you in loading the queue. These are described in the file "Readme_Helpers".
5. MONICA AND OTHER PROGRAMS
5.1 MONICA and Hotline
Hotline is a really great net program from Hotline Communications ( www.hotlinesw.com ). If you don't already use it I really recommend it.
MONICA is NOT an officially sanctioned Hotline product, and is not affiliated with Hotline Communications in any way. The Hotline applications themselves were not decompiled in any way to provide MONICA's Hotline functionality - the protocol was analysed through monitoring the communications. MONICA should be regarded as a "helper" application for Hotline, the type of program that has been actively encouraged by Hotline Communications.
While MONICA can now download files from Hotline servers I wish to state a few things about this, and Hotline etiquette. Firstly, MONICA is NOT a full Hotline client and is NOT meant to replace using the Hotline application. MONICA only downloads files, she does not allow newsreading, messaging, chatting etc. Consequently I suggest the following unless you wish to incur the wrath of the Hotline server admins:
1. Connect using Hotline not MONICA.
2. Request permission from the admin to use MONICA to download files.
3. If refused - then use Hotline to get the files. If granted - well then you know what to do ;).
4. Remain connected with Hotline itself ( for chat, messages etc ).
Username, password and port are not required if you are logging in as a guest to a server using the standard Hotline port ( 5500 ).
You may enter your Hotline nickname and preferred icon number in MONICA's preferences.
What advantages does MONICA have over the Hotline application for getting files?
1. Items are placed in a queue and are not lost if you are disconnected from the server.
2. MONICA will keep retrying if all server download slots are full.
3. MONICA can be downloading from up to four servers simultaneously.
4. MONICA does not load the often-lengthy News, and ignores all incoming messages/chat etc.
Note that:
• MONICA allows only one connection per server at a time ( queue your downloads! ).
• MONICA will only try to get the next file in the queue for the same server if the queue is running.
• Many Hotline servers contain special characters in their file names. In certain cases Monica has to translate these into hex values.
5.2 MONICA and Applescript
MONICA now has some very basic scriptability. The following commands are supported:
1. Put a new URL in the queue: GetURL
tell application "Monica" to GetURL "http://www.somewhere.com/file.zip"
2. Purge the queue: PurgeQ
tell application "Monica" to PurgeQ
3. Start the queue : StartQ
tell application "Monica" to StartQ
4. Stop the queue: StopQ
tell application "Monica" to StopQ
5. Start Monica ( ie load and run the application ): StartUp
tell application "Monica" to StartUp
6. PPP control: StartPPP and StopPPP
tell application "Monica" to StopPPP
tell application "Monica" to StartPPP
7. Remote List Control: Activate "Get File" Function
tell application "Monica" to GetList
5.3 MONICA and PPP
With version 2 of the RealBASIC compiler came preliminary support for PPP control. It is still a bit unreliable, but I have chosen to leave the new PPP functions in MONICA .
PLEASE NOTE: The PPP functions ONLY work with the PPP supplied with MacOS and Open Transport. They do NOT work with FreePPP. This is a RealBASIC issue.
If the PPP functions do not work for you please let me know the machine you are running on, the Open Transport version, and the version of PPP/Remote Access you are running.
6. PROBLEMS AND FUNNIES
6.1 Known Problems
1. I am not sure what less common http error codes are worth trying to restart on. If you have any opinions please contact me.
2. A throughput problem has been reported on very fast connections. By connecting to a Hotline server both on my G3 I get speeds of about 200k/sec. Some cable modem users have reported this, and others who I have asked to test this report speeds of up to 200k/sec. So my impression is that it relates to something between the cable modem and Open Transport, as MONICA CAN process data at pretty good speeds.
3. Flickering displays. This is a known problem with Realbasic.
4. There is sometimes a problem connecting to remote passive ftp data ports. I am trying to get to the bottom of this one.
5. See the VM problem below ( Section 6.2 ).
99. You tell me! Please :)
6.2 Virtual Memory Problem
Some testers have had problems with frequent Type 2 errors if VM is enabled. Others have experienced no problems. I am endeavouring to find the real cause of this, but it appears to be caused by RealBASIC and is probably beyond my control. By all means try MONICA with VM enabled, but if you get Type whatever errors then disable VM.
6.3 Other Problems?
If it doesn't function in the expected fashion please note any error messages that occur and, if possible, take a screenshot of MONICA's window. Please then email me, describing as fully as possible what was going on. I would really appreciate your taking the time to do this!
6.4 Funnies
1. There are some ftp servers out there that talk nonsense! This server says it is restarting but doesn't - it starts again with the whole file:
ftp://ftp.fh-bingen.de/
It is a BSD 44 server, or so it says. I don't know how to handle this.
2. Comms errors DO occur which can result in corrupt files. I have seen this on certain http servers more than once, where files larger than expected have been received.
3. There are some http servers that talk nonsense too! This url gives a 206 ( restarting with partial content ) but starts with whole file:
I have forced MONICA to delete any local file and restart if the server says it is restarting but does not give a content length.
4. Some http servers insist on sending one byte if you attempt to restart but already have the complete file. The Netscape-Enterprise/2.01 server does this. These servers miscalculate the byte range for sending. I have kludged around this problem.
5. Proxy server funny. Some proxy servers, if they have an incomplete part of a file in their cache, will transmit ONLY that part even if you request the whole file. I have set MONICA to request the proxy never to use its cache, but Proxies seem a law unto themselves sometimes!
7 DISTRIBUTION, REGISTRATION & PRICE
7.1 Distribution
MONICA may be freely distributed on the Internet on condition that the original archive is not modified in any way. MONICA may not be distributed on CD, disk or DVD without our prior written permission.
7.2 Registering Monica
Detailed instructions about how to register and pay for MONICA are contained in the file "Registering Monica".
7.3 Price
Single user license - US$20-00
Site license - US$400-00
Worldwide License US$2000-00
Special Pricing.
If you are a disabled person and because of your disability are unable to afford the shareware fee, OR if you are over 25 years old and for some other reason feel you cannot afford the registration, kindly email us explaining your circumstances, and we will consider a free registration. People who genuinely cannot afford registration will be accommodated, but, as they say in the Personals, "No Chancers Please! ". This does not apply to students - if your parents can afford University fees, they can afford the registration.
Contributors - Complimentary Registrations.
The people/companies mentioned by name in the Acknowledgements ( section 10.1 ), Testers and Translators ( section 10.2 ) sections are entitled to free registration - please email us for a registration code.
8 CONDITIONS OF USE AND COPYRIGHT
8.1 Legal Conditions of Use
This is used ENTIRELY at your own risk. No warranty of ANY sort whatsoever is given, and the author disclaims all warranties relating to this software, whether express or implied, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. If it trashes your Mac don't cry to me. Voetstoots. As is. I am NOT liable for ANY damages of ANY nature, whether consequential, special, incidental, indirect or due to loss of data or any other reason, even if I have been advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event will I be liable for any damages, regardless of the form of the claim. The person using the software bears all risk as to the quality and performance of the software. Given out under the law of the Republic of South Africa. Any legal issues to be dealt with in the Magistrate's Court of Gauteng Province, Republic of South Africa. All Copyrights reserved.
8.2 Copyright
Copyright Peter Job 1998/1999. All rights reserved.
To the best of my knowledge nothing in the program infringes on any Copyrights held by any third parties. Graphics and plugins used by permission.
9 OTHER THINGS
9.1 Some Other Things
1. NOTE!!! Not all servers can resume! This is their problem not MONICA's!
2. All files are downloaded as binary - NO text translation takes place. WYSIWYG.
3. The queue is written to disk on quit, and is auto-saved approximately every 8 minutes.
4. Note that closing the main window shuts down the program. Win95's way is better ;) .
5. MONICA is programmed in RealBasic.
6. Balloon help is available.
7. The main window pushbutton functions are mirrored in appropriate menus, with shortcut keys.
8. MONICA will follow http redirection statements from the server. Occasionally some servers move files temporarily to another server. MONICA will still try to get the file,as long as the new file has the same name.
9. From version 2.1 MONICA is distributed as a 68K binary. This is for technical reasons relating to certain plugins that MONICA uses.
9.2 Note on Apple Data Detectors and Contextual Menus
The most common request I get is to add a contextual menu item to the default browser to allow easy loading of items into MONICA's queue. One way of doing this would be to use Apple's Data Detectors. However these only function if you have a USA keyboard, so I cannot even begin to try this. If you know of any way of providing this functionality without writing a whole browser plugin ( something I am not capable of doing ) please let me know.
10 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
10.1 Acknowledgments
1. Junkyard for the really great pics!
2. HT, Fatbits, Junkyard, Nurgle for testing. Nurf for REALLY testing, and for moral support ( thank you! ).
3. Fatbits, Junkyard and Eamonn Murphy for the icons.
4. Brian F. Jones, author of the original RealBasic ftp socket. I didn't use your socket but I used some ideas.
5. Dan Vanderkam, author of the original RealBasic http socket. I didn't use your socket either but I used some ideas.
6. Alex Shovkoplyas, author of Net Vampire, for ideas, techniques, and for making the Vamp free!
7. Einhugur Software for the original spinners used in the Times function.
8. Mappy and Inertia for testing on Japanese Macs. Thanks for your input!
9. Jim Riggs for the great FileManager plugin.
10. Hotline is a program by Hotline Communications.
11. A big Thank-You to those who have registered. MONICA has turned into quite a large project - it takes a LOT of my time, and there are frequent costs ( compilers, plugins, web services etc ). Your registration helps keep MONICA's development going.
10.2 Testers and Translators
A MASSIVE thank you to the following people for their very hard work.
Translators:
Japanese:
Kenji Iguchi (Needle)
needle@tky.3web.ne.jp
Testers:
Stephen Gray
xgray@kdi.com
stepheng@jump.net
Richard Bannister
Nurf
Sally Lucas
beachgirl@mail.artnet.net
Extra Help:
Greg Buchner
gjb@wavetech.net
Eamonn Murphy
www.EamonnsWeb.free-online.co.uk
RealBASIC Plugins:
Jim Riggs (aka Jim IV)
Jim_IV@macfreak.com
Björn Eiríksson of Einhugur Software
einhugur@islandia.is
11 CONTACTS, QUERIES AND SUGGESTIONS
11.1 Contact Details
Please feel free to make contact. Suggestions for the improvement of MONICA are very welcome.
Primary website:
http://www.ziggy.speedhost.com/
Technical and support questions may be addressed to Peter Job:
ziggy@icon.co.za
Any questions about the processing of your payment should be addressed to:
sales@kagi.com.
Any questions about your registration code should be emailed to our registration mailbox:
ziggy@intekom.co.za
If anything else is making you tear your hair out in frustration, please mail us - we are there to help.
