The Datafile PD-CD 5/DATAFILE_PDCD5.iso/internet/starterfaq

Text File | 1997-06-20 | 35.8 KB | 895 lines

        ***************************************************************
        * An Internet Starter Pack - For ACORN RISC OS 3.1+ Computers *
        ***************************************************************


FAQ & Starter Pack Version 1.2 1st June 1995
---------------------------------------------

*** Read this through once before doing anything else ***

Legalities & Disclaimer
-----------------------
Copyright 1994, 1995 Dr Alan Hassey. ([e-mail])
This document is freely distributable in unmodified form. No charge
may be made for the use of The Starter-Pack or any part of it without
the specific consent of the authors.

The author takes no responsibility for the accuracy of information
contained in this document. It is provided without express or implied
warranty or guarantee and its contents may be changed without notice.

If you have any comments or suggestions for improvements or
alterations, then please contact me at [e-mail].
                                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In general, queries or comments about individual applications should be
addressed to the respective s/w authors (see section D). All the
authors' copyrights and conditions of use must be preserved unless you
have their specific permission to do otherwise.

Users of older RISC OS 3 machines should check whether they need the
serial patch modules located in the Starter-Pack SerialApps directory.
You will not need them if you have RISC OS 3.11 or above.
You may also need a patched serial cable if you've got an A310, 440,
4x0/1, A3000, A540, R140, or R260 Acorn machine. The wiring for an "Arc"
type modem-lead are given in the file SerialComm.

The details of the serial port configuration is posted regularly as the:

Comp.Sys.Acorn FAQ List Posting (1/2) Section 2.6.

The serial modules can be found in the Starter-Pack:

(ref SerModules = StarterPak.SerialApps.SerModules)

If you are in doubt about the modules, then read the ReadMe file:

(ref ReadMe = StarterPak.SerialApps.SerModules.ReadMe)

The "Arc" wiring for a modem-lead can be found in:

(ref SerialConn = StarterPak.SerialApps.SerialConn)

Helpful Hints > modem-leads, PC vs Arc
---------------------------------------
If you have a copy of ArcTerm7 there is an easy test you can apply to
check which type of modem-cable you have. In ArcTerm7, select the driver
as internal_pc (or sp_dualpc). Now check the status line near the bottom
right of the screen. If ArcTerm7 thinks the modem is permanently online
(even with the modem switched off), then it's an Acorn cable, so use the
internal (or sp_dual) serial driver. (Courtesy of Hugo Fiennes)

For users of !Hearsay there is also a quick test to check-out your modem
lead. use the Terminal setup->Misc sub menu and open the command
line editor. You enter the line:  {tprinti(devdcdbit)}
followed by <return>. If this prints 0 on the terminal you have an old
style (Arc) modem lead, if it prints 1, then you have a PC lead.
This will only work if Hearsay is *not* set up for block operation.
NB. !Hearsay does NOT need the block-drivers. (Courtesy of David Pilling)
---

Contents
========

A. Introduction
B. Starter-Pack contents
C. Connecting to the Internet
D. Acknowledgments

                            --------------------

A. This Guide / FAQ / Manual
============================

Introduction
------------
This Guide is a short (and friendly) introduction to The Internet for
Acorn RISC OS 3.1+ computer users. The Guide is written primarily for
those connecting to the Internet via Demon. Most Acorn users seem to
have a found a home of sorts at Demon and most of the help, advice
and software you will need is there. (Though not from Demon Support!).
It should be fairly simple to change the configuration setup to suit
other service providers. Most of these changes will be to the !Slipdial
scripts.

The main aim of the guide is to get you up and running with your
Acorn computer in the minimum possible time and with the minimum fuss.

The guide is not comprehensive and will not tell you everything you
always wanted to know about the net... but it will tell you enough to
configure your computer and a basic set of software. The Internet
Starter-Pack will provide you with software to perform the following
functions:

    Dialup connection to Demon Internet
    News/Email facilities
    Telnet/ftp facilities

The Starter-Pack does not provide a browser or other s/ware for access
to the World-Wide-Web, though this s/ware is available for download from
Demon's ftp site.

You will not need any special technical skills to follow the guide or
configure your system. If I can manage it, then so can you!

Read the Guide right through once before you start unpacking anything!

The Starter-Pack software & guide will only be posted to Demon &
Arcade BB initially, but feel free to pass it on anywhere else you
think it might be useful. Only use the latest version of The Starter
Pack. You must also ensure that the version of this Guide matches the
Starter-Pack version!

(ref ftp.demon.co.uk - in directory /pub/archimedes/acorn-starter-pak)
                       (files are StarterTXT, sparkplug & StarterPak)
(ref ARCADE BBS = 0181 654 2212)

Once you are connected, most of the software you need is available
via the Demon Internet FTP (File Transfer Protocol) site:

ftp.demon.co.uk - in directory /pub/archimedes.

Unfortunately, Demon Support seem to know almost nothing about
Acorn computers, though there are now signs of this changing!
(Dave Williams - [e-mail] is trying to educate Demon about
Acorn RISC OS computers!)

The best place to get help and advice is probably via the newsgroups
(see below).
The group: demon.ip.support.archimedes is particularly useful.


B. Starter-Pack Contents
------------------------

This guide should be enough to get you started. For more detailed help
and advice, I have included several other documemts in the FAQs directory

(ref FAQs = StarterPak.Docs.FAQs)

These are:

1. Demon <Dir>   - Demon Internet files (see files 1a - h below).
 1a ModemTxt     - Demon's "ModemTxT" FAQ - Modem setup textfile.
 1b Welcome      - Demon's "Welcome" FAQ.
 1c VirtPoPs     - Demon's virtual PoPs phone list.
 1d Services     - Demon services
 1e ServersUPd   - Up to date list of Demon gateways.
 1f WWW_TxT      - Demon's introduction to the World Wide Web.
 1g BatchFTP     - Demon's batch FTP service - FAQ.
 1h RoadMap      - Pointer to resources for new users.
2. Acorn FAQ     - Kevin Quinn's FAQ - Using Acorns for Internet access.
3. Guide1_21     - Paul Allen & The ARM Club's KA9Q guide (to TCPIP v1.21).
4. Zynet <Dir>   - Zynet FAQ.
 4a ZynetFAQ     - Information about Zynet.
5. ScriptHelp    - How to edit/write !Slipdial scripts.
6. Useful?       - Miscellaneous hints & tips.
7. Freenet <Dir> - This module & its associated programs are going to
                   revolutionise access to the Internet for RISC OS users!
 7a. 1           - !Freenet announcement 1.
 7b  2           - !Freenet announcement 2.
 7c  3           - Program description.
 7d  FreeNSetUp  - How to set up !Freenet applications.
 7e  FreeNSite   - !Freenet ftp site.

!Freenet has only just been released and these documents are a brief introduction to !Freenet, what it does & where to find it.

The software described below may not be the "best" or most elegant
way of accessing Demon Internet, but it all works and is fairly simple
to configure. New software for accessing the Internet apears nearly
every month. I will make no attempt to keep the Starter-Pack up-to-date
with every version change etc, but will review it with major version
changes and when important new software is released, stable and
documented.

To get started, you will need:

!SparkPlug
!DemConfig   >>>  - Will configure all the rest & create !NewsDir
!TCPIP
!TCPIPUser
!TTFN
!NewsBase
!Slipdial
!SerialApps  >>>  - Contains !SerialDev (serial device drivers)
Utilities         - Contains !UUcoder & newgroups

!Sparkplug is a great little program for unpacking files. It is
supplied as a self-extracting basic program in the starter-pack.
Make sure that the  file-type option is set to Basic, then double-
click over the basic program Sparkplug. It will unpack itself and
place itself in your root directory.

Double-click on the !SparkPlug icon to load it onto the icon-bar. To
unpack everything else, drop their icons onto !SparkPlug on the icon-
bar. You will use this program time and again to unpack archives from
the Internet. The latest version can be found by ftp'ing to demon in:
/pub/archimedes/utils.

Let's Go !!!
------------
Before you start, you should know:

1. Your nodename (mine is midwife)
2. Your IP address (mine is 158.152.38.98)
3. Your password (keep it a secret!)

NB. You MUST have this information for the rest of the setup to succeed.
!DemConfig can try to get it for you, but several users have reported
difficulties with this part of the Starter-Pack and it's only fair to
warn you about this. Demon Support should be able to give you this initial
information if you have problems.

Create a directory to store all your Internet applications in;
eg. ADFS::IDEdisc4.$.Internet
    SCSI::HardDisc5.$.Comms

Unpack (use !Sparkplug for this) the programs into your
Internet directory.

When you have finished, your directory structure should look like this:

ADFS::IDEDisc4.$.Internet (directory)

!DemConfig            Application
!NewsBase                "
!TTFN                    "
!NewsDir              This will be created by !DemConfig
!TCPIP                   "
!TCPIPUser               "
!Slipdial                "
SerialApps             <dir>
!SerialDev            Unpack this application from the SerialApps <dir>
Utilities              <dir>
Docs                  The Guide & FAQs <dir>

!SerialDev & !Sparkplug may reside in this directory if you wish, as may
any other files or directories. When you have connected to the Internet
you may wish to add other applications (eg !ChangeFSI !Freenet & the
various WWW (World-Wide-Web fetchers) so this directory could become
quite large very quickly.

1. !DemConfig
--------------

If you have never logged on to Demon, and you don't have a password or
IP address, !DemConfig can now carry out an initial logon for you.
A new option "Call Demon now to get IP address" has been added.
If you select this option, then when you click on the Configure button,
!DemConfig starts up !SLIPdial with a special script which dials Demon
to perform the initial login.  The purpose is to set a password
and to get your IP address, which is needed by !TCPIP.  Note that
!DemConfig closes down while this login is being done; it is restarted
when the SLIPdial script completes.  The script can cope if the password
has already been set (as long as you don't change it).

!DemConfig no longer deletes the !NewsDir directory when run, so
!DemConfig can now safely be used many times without losing mail or news.

Whenever you click on the <Configure> button, !DemConfig saves the
choices made so far.  So if you make a slight modification, you don't
have to enter everything again from scratch.

As software upgrades become available - update each application
separately & do not use !DemConfig unless you want to start again.

!DemConfig will make initial configuration of your Internet software
very easy! Double-click over the application icon to run !DemConfig
and the dialogue window will open. Fill in the dialogue boxes as
shown below.
NB. !DemConfig supports the Acorn !Help application, so
interactive help is available for you as you start the program.

!DemConfig will then configure your Starter-Pack software for you.

!DemConfig - dialogue window;

Modem & Serial Interface:
Modem type:      Select from list (if you choose "other" the driver just
                 sends the "ATZ" string.
Serial port:     Internal for standard ACORN machine or SP_Dual if you
                 have "The Serial Port's" dual card fitted. If a commerc-
                 -ially obtained PC-wired modem lead is being used, then
                 the block driver name must be specified as SP_DualPC.
                 An "ARC" wired lead must be used with SP_Dual.
Cable type:      Acorn or PC
Serial speed:    This is the serial port speed (not the modem speed). It
                 will always work if you set it to "0", though you are
                 unlikely to get the best possible performance. Try
                 increasing it in multiples of 19200 - so an A5000 or
                 RISC PC will typically be able to run at 57600.
Phone details
Mercury Button:  Press to select/deselect Mercury dialler info to be
                 added to demonconfg file in !Slipdial.
Mercury PIN:     132 or 131,xxxxxxxxxx <<< the comma is vital !!!
Use Mercury for
all PoPs:        Toggle on/off by selecting/de-selecting.
Nearest PoP:     Select your nearest vPoP from the menu button.
2nd choice PoP:  As above.
3rd Choice PoP:  As above.
Demon Account:
Node name:       Your nodename (mine is midwife)
Password:        Enter your new password (keep this secret)
                 Passwords should be 6 characters minimum & MUST include
                 at least one letter and number (eg abc1xyz)
IP address;      158.152.38.98 (this is mine)

*** Select the "Call Demon now to get IP address" button if you need
to set a password & collect your IP address, otherwise turn it off ***


User details:
Userid:          "jbloggs" - or whatever you call yourself! - I'm "alan".
Name:            Full name - I'm Alan Hassey!
Organisation:    Optional - I'm at "The Hacienda" (geddit?).

Then press the <Configure> button.

The !NewsDir application will be created during configuration and added
to your Internet directory.

You will be informed when the configuration process is complete.

Most of the work is now done :-)

If you want more information on the !DemConfig application look at the
!DemConfig Help file:

(ref !Help = !DemConfig.!Help)

2. !TCPIP (KA9Q) & !TCPIPUser
-----------------------------

TCP = Transmission Control Protocol, IP = Internet Protocol = TCPIP

TCPIP is your interface with the Internet. It receives and sends messages
to and from the Internet and RISC OS applications. Confusingly, TCPIP is
also known as KA9Q. TCPIP (KA9Q) must be carefully configured before you
can use it. The programs share information - so be wary of making changes
anywhere! If you want to experiment, then keep a COMPLETE backup of your
Internet directory somewhere safe...you have been warned!

!DemConfig will configure !TCPIP & !TCPIPUser for you. You do not need to
do anything else. However, if you want to alter your !TCPIP configuration
then change the data in the !Setup file and run !Config.

(ref !Setup = !TCPIPUser.TCPIP_New.!Setup)
(ref !Config = !TCPIPUser.TCPIP_New.!Config)

!TCPIP is a complicated program to get to know. It may well be worth your
while loading and running !TCPIP by itself so you can explore & experiment
a bit without damaging your phone bill.

TCPIP Hints: I strongly suggest you look at the macros menus available
from the TCPIP main window (to the R of the top dialogue box).

When using ftp (file transfer protocol) I suggest you set the "path"
option to "auto". This will ensure that you download files with the
correct filetype. You need to do this at the beginning of each ftp
session.

(This can also be done via the ftpopt command in the !TCPIPUser.Config
file, or by creating a command file called via the aftp command).

NB. Remember the RISC OS 10 character filename limit!!!
~~~ Most ftp sites are Unix-based & allow long-filenames.

If you forget & "get" 2 imaginary files from an ftp site, eg:

1. get arcNetprog_0.45.spk (Unix long filename)
2. get arcNetprog_0.45.txt

They will both be downloaded with the name "arcNetprog" (10 chars)
& the 2nd file will over-write the first, so you lose it!
Use the "get" command like this:

1. get arcNetprog_0.45.spk aNet045spk
2. get arcNetprog_0.45.txt aNet045txt

This version of the "get" command gets the files & renames them:

get <long_filename> & rename as <short_filename>
So you will end up with the 2 files aNet045spk & aNet045txt in your
Downloads directory.

If you set the path to "auto" from the macros menu, then TCPIP will
attempt to download the file into a directory of the appropriate filetype.
So you will receive the above xxx.spk file into <dir>:downloads.archives
                            & xxx.txt file into <dir>:downloads.Docs

The "get" command is supplemented by "mget" (multiple get) which can be
used to get several files. The format for the command is:

mget <filename1> <filename2> <filename3> etc which means
get filename1 & get filename2 & get filename3 etc.
Filenames should be separated by spaces.

NB. If you use "mget", make sure you set the "path auto" option first
because the <long_filename> <short_filename> option has been replaced by
mget <filelist.....>

aftp
====
I have included some ftp "accounts", these are for:

1) Demon ftp
2) Graham Allen's mnhep ftp site (for !NewsBase upgrades)
3) The !Freenet site at Southampton
To access these type:
   aftp demon <return> for demon
   aftp mnhep <return> for the !NewsBase site
   aftp cslib <return> for the !Freenet site

I'm not going into great detail about the aftp command but it is so useful
it deserves this special mention.

The aftp command for either logs you into the appropriate ftp site and sets
various parameters as follows:
        prompt short
        trace 0
        path auto
        i
        hash 1

This aftp setup is fairly safe & will not do anything silly. The setup
parameters passed in this file set path auto, binary filetype (i) and
hash 1.

For more detail - see the help files etc written by Adam Goodfellow and
enclosed in the Starter-Pack !TCPIP application within the TCPIP_Doc
directory.

(ref !ReadMe = !TCPIP.TCPIP_Doc.Notes & TCPIP_Doc.History)

More Macro Menus!
I have included some extra macros menus for you to try, supplied by other
users. These offer some extra services via the macros menu. There are 2
alternative "ftp" menus and a "Talkers" menu. The "Talkers" menu should
replace the "Main" menu in: !TCPIPUser.Menus - after you have UUdecoded it!
(Use !UUcoder for this).

(ref alternative menus = !TCPIPUser.Menus.AltMenus)

Each of the AltMenus includes directions and advice.

I have also enclosed the old ArcKA9Q manual which is rather out of date
but gives some useful tips on TCPIP commands. This has been renamed
Guide1_21 and can be found in the FAQs directory.

(ref Guide1_21 = StarterPak.Docs.FAQs.Guide1_21)

I suggest you do not make any changes to your configuration files based
on this old document until you know what you are doing!

Trying to get to grips with !TCPIP is the most difficult part of this
whole process. Don't waste too much time on it - you can connect, send
& receive mail/news, logout, read  & reply to your mail/news & never issue
a !TCPIP command directly! You will need some basic commands to do telnet
or ftp sessions. Even so - don't get bogged down in !TCPIP - it's about to
be replaced by !Freenet which has a whole new set of commands to worry
about :-)

3. !NewsBase
-------------
!NewsBase works with TTFN to process news and mail. The NewsBase program
basically splits the downloaded news file into separate messages.
The news file is often referred to as a "news batch", and the process
of splitting it up is often referred to as "debatching".

!NewsBase now supports the Acorn interactive help program and !StrongHelp.
There is no longer a "Docs" directory within !NewsBase, so use the inter-
active help - it's very good.

Double-click on !NewsBase to load it onto the icon bar. The first thing
!NewsBase will try to do is look for the !NewsDir application. If it
does not exist, then !NewsBase will create !NewsDir in your Internet
directory.

If you change your setup, or accidentally delete !NewsDir, then you will
be warned, that !NewsBase cannot find !NewsDir. A News Directory box will
appear, drag the icon to your Internet directory, where your new !NewsDir
will appear.

NB. Remember to keep all your applications in the same directory.
(Or at least on the same disk!)

!NewsBase will then start and will attempt to configure itself from the
data you supplied to !DemConfig. When NewsBase has finished, you will
be notified of the arrival of four new articles & mail for postmaster.
Click on the <Read> button to install !TTFN on the icon-bar.
!TTFN is your news & mail reader program (see below).

!NewsBase has more detailed setup options and you can look at these by
clicking <menu> over the !NewsBase icon & selecting <setup>, or by
clicking with <adjust>. The NewsBase Control Panel will appear, with 6
options for configuring or reconfiguring !NewsBase, these are:

1. Site
2. General
3. Transports
4. Groups
5. Configure Users
6. Filters

1. Site - should need no further attention.
2. General - no need for further entries now.
3. Transports - should read ka9q. Leave this alone unless you know about
   Taylor, soup & uucp.
4. Groups - a suggested group list is given below and I recommend that
   you read the !NewsBase documentation carefully here.
5. Users - change the Username to your name from the options list
   and press <Save>.
6. Filters - I suggest you leave this option alone until you have read
   the !NewsBase documentation carefully. No need for further entries now.


!NewsBase holds information on newsgroups of 2 types :-
1. Those in the "Newsfeed"
2. Those in the "Database", ie. those with files in !NewsDir.

To add more newsgroups, select the "Newsfeed" option & enter the name of the
group(s) you wish to receive. Wildcards are valid, so entering:

comp.sys.acorn* will ensure you get all the groups under this hierarchy.
Groups in the newsfeed will usually join the database list as traffic flows
in that newsgroup. (This replaces the old concept of "active" & "current"
newsgroups in !NewsBase versions up to 0.54i)

I have listed below a few newsgroups you might want to subscribe to:

demon.ip.support.archimedes
demon.announce
demon.archives.announce
demon.news
comp.sys.acorn*             (This will give you all the acorn groups)
news.announce.newusers

The groups:

comp.sys.acorn.announce
comp.sys.acorn.networking
demon.announce
demon.ip.support.archimedes

are in the "Newsfeed" & should be fed to you anyway.

A full list of newsgroups available via Demon can be obtained by ftp to:
ftp.demon.co.uk:/pub/news/active.zip (or active.Z).

!NewsBase can also work with the !Groups application. This is a very nice
little program which makes editing the newsgroup database very easy.
!Groups is included in the !NewsBase autoboot <dir> and is accessed via
the !NewsBase icon menu by selecting the "New Groups..." option.
It can be configured to edit newsgroup details either from a database of
all newsgroups (eg active.zip above) or from your own defined feed.

For !Groups to work it must be able to find the file:
!NewsDir.newsbase.newgroups.

This file will not be created until after your first connection to Demon.
I have included a "dummy" newgroups file which you should move from the
Utilities <Dir> to !NewsDir.newsbase, so you can access the !Groups program.
To add groups to the newsfeed, drag them from the "New groups" window to the
"Your news feed" window". To delete groups from the newsfeed, click <adjust>
over the group to be deleted. You will be asked to confirm group changes.

If you have (or get) a copy of Active.zip, you can use !Groups to add all
the newsgroups you want by pressing mouse <menu> over the Newsgroups display window & <select>ing the "Configure..." option. Unzip the file & drag it
to the configuration window and you will have a choice of thousands of
newsgroups.

The !Groups program contains full details of setup and operation.

(ref !Groups = !NewsBase.Autoboot.!Groups)
(ref newgroups = !Utilities.newgroups) move to (!NewsDir.newsbase)
(ref Help = !NewsBase.Autoboot.!Groups.!Help)

This version of !NewsBase also includes access to the !Qedit program.
This allows you to view the mail/news queue and perform a variety of
operations on  it. To access !Qedit, press <menu> over the !NewsBase
icon on the icon-bar and choose the "Queues..." option. Menu and help
screen are available by clicking <menu> over the !Qedit window. A !Help
file is also available within the program application directory.

(ref !Help = !TCPIPUser.AutoBoot.!Qedit.!Help)

!Qedit can also be accessed via the macros menu of !TCPIP.

4.!NewsDir
----------
This application stores your news & mail. It also stores some config-
uration information for !NewsBase & some information about you. It is
worth having a look at your UserHome directory & setting up your
signature & userinfo details.

(ref = !NewsDir.UserHome.yourname <dir>)


5. !TTFN
---------

(TTFN = The Thread Following NewsReader)

This is the news & mail reader provided to work with NewsBase. This
should be installed on the icon-bar with your name underneath. If not,
double-click on its icon in the Starter-Pack to load !TTFN.

You will have noticed a "New Newsgroup Created" box has appeared,
asking if you would like to subscribe to the newsgroup;
newsbase.announce.newusers. Click on <Yes>.
The Newsgroups Status window for user "you" will now appear. Select the
radio-button on the left to enable thread-following. This allows you to
collect together news/mail with the same subject-line as a "thread".
Double-click on the line newsbase.announce.newusers and the titles of
four articles will appear. These articles are actually regularly posted
FAQs which you should read.

Click menu over the !TTFN icon & change the user to "postmaster".
You will find some Email is waiting for "postmaster".

!TTFN's setup screens are accessed via <menu> or <adjust> from the icon-bar.
Setup is easy and the documentation provided is very good. You do not
need to make any changes to TTFN Setup unless you want to. Press <Save>
to store any changes permanently.

To subscribe a new user to the currently available newsgroups, click on
the TTFN menu & select the "Users..." option. From here, select
"Create User". Give yourself an ID (mine is "alan"). Then click on the
"Group subscription" button to open the subscription list.
Click on the groups you wish to join. If you want to join a group which
is not listed, then create the group via the "Groups" option in !NewsBase.
This option is not available until you have a list of groups created to
choose from.

(ref !TTFN documentation = !TTFN.Docs.UserGuide)

Clicking <adjust> over the !TTFN icon, opens a scrollable Setup window.
Open the address book. This contains a few names and Email addresses
for you. You can edit this list as you wish.

6. !Slipdial
-------------

Slipdial is your dialler program. It will run a script (default is
Demon) which will connect you to the Demon PoPs of your choice, then
autoboot !TCPIP to connect you to Internet. When you disconnect from
Internet, the Demon script will load !TTFN & !NewsBase, commence
debatching news & mail and advise you when your news and mail is ready
to read.

You need to make sure your modem is properly configured to run !Slipdial.
Demon produce a good FAQ to help with modems & this is included in the
FAQs directory:

(ref = ModemTxt = StarterPak.Docs.FAQs.Demon.ModemTxt)

This file gives full details on setting up your modem for connection
to the Internet.

NB. Most of the problems reported with !Slipdial are serial/cable
problems (check your cable & your serial driver).

The information you supplied to !DemConfig will have created a file
called "demconfg" (previously called demonconfg in earlier versions of
the Starter-Pack),  which you can view/edit in the scripts subdirectory.

NB. Be careful of making ANY changes here.

(ref demconfg = !Slipdial.Scripts.demconfg)

To check or change the !Slipdial default script, click menu over the
!Slipdial icon & select choices. The default script will appear in the
dialogue box in the format:

ADFS::IDEdisc4.$.!Slipdial.Scripts.demon

The Auto-run button should be ticked. You can choose to run other scripts

eg. .....Slipdial.myscript

or you can deselect the Auto-run facility.

I have included several example scripts for you to play with.

If you are interested in writing your own scripts, then see Alan Fitch's
excellent ScriptHelp in the FAQs directory.
(I suggest you read it anyway!)

(ref ScriptHelp = StarterPak.Docs.FAQs.ScriptHelp)

The default "Demon" script now uses the new Demon Virtual PoPs (vPoPs).
This script also gives you access to the new "local" facility for making
local call connections & by-passing your Mercury PIN. (Only relevant if
you have a Mercury account & a local vPoP). The mew "Demon" script allows
much more control over dialling options and debugging. Full details are
in ScriptHelp (see above).

The "Demon" script allows you to specify which modem-driver you want.
I'm always on the lookout for new modem-scripts, so if you've got one that
works - please send it to me & I'll include it in the Starter-Pack.

(ref drivers = !Slipdial.Drivers.ReadMe)

!Slipdial can be controlled from the program window. Click on the program
icon to open the !Slipdial window. The "Select..." dialogue allows you
to choose which script to run when the program is stopped, or which PoP
to call when the script is paused. The other icons on the right control:
redialling, pause (toggle) & stop.

!DemConfig will configure !Slipdial for Mercury or BT use.


7. !SerialDev
--------------

The serial device drivers are run under the !SerialDev application.
!SerialDev be unpacked from the SerialApps <dir> and placed in your
internet or root directory:

eg ADFS::IDEDisc4.$.!SerialDev or
   ADFS::IDEDisc4.$.Internet.!SerialDev

(ref !SerialDev = SerialApps.!SerialDev)

The rest of the SerialApps directory can be placed in a separate
directory out of the way if you don't need it.

You should always use the latest version of the drivers which are
available from demon in; /pub/archimedes/blockdrivers.
They are a resource used by other applications which need to be able
to "see" them - hence put them in your root directory, or if this is
too untidy for you - then in your comms or Internet directory.

NB. This version of the blockdrivers is compatible with !Freenet.

The serial port on your computer can cause problems, especially if
you have an early RISC OS 3 machine. Various patches and modules are
available to help remedy these problems - please refer to The AcornFAQ
in the documents directory sections 8a,b & the ReadMe file in the
SerModules sub-directory. These patch modules are included in the
SerialApps directory. You will need them if you run RISC OS 3.1 or
earlier. Versions 3.11+ should be OK. Also included is a wiring diagram
for an Arc modem lead connection (SerialConn).

(ref AcornFAQ = StarterPak.Docs.AcornFAQ)
(ref SerModules = StarterPak.SerialApps.SerModules)
(ref ReadMe     = StarterPak.SerialApps.SerModules.ReadMe)
(ref SerialConn = StarterPak.SerialApps.SerialConn)


8. Utilities (!UUCoder & newgroups)
-----------------------------------

!UUcoder is in the Utilities <dir>. It makes UUencoding & decoding
very easy. (!TTFN can also UUdecode files for you). You will need it if
you want to send binary files via Email. Full instructions are included
within the application. Try it out on the "Talkers" file mentioned earlier.

(ref Help = Utilities.!UUcoder.!Help)

The newgroups file should be moved into !MailDir.newsbase <Dir>.
(See !Groups above)

That's it - you are now ready to go!!!         :-)


C. Running the software & connecting to the Internet
====================================================

************************
*** Before you start ***
************************


The commonest 2 reasons for failure to connect are:

1. You did not read the documentation properly.
2. Wrong combination of serial-driver & modem-lead.

These 2 reasons account for >90% of the calls I get because
"Your *%$!@~? Starter-Pack does not work........"

So, before you call me or any of the authors, please:

1. RTFM :-)
2. Check your modem-lead & serial setup.


So what next?
-------------

I suggest you reboot your machine & then open your Internet directory.
Remember that the applications need to have "seen" the !SerialDev,
!Scrap & !System applications to work properly.

Double-click on !Slipdial, which will load onto the icon-bar & open its
dialogue box. Wait a second or two for the appropriate script to load,
select your vPoP from the menu & double-click. Your modem will now
dial-out & connect you to your chosen PoP. Or click over the "Local"
icon to direct-dial your local vPoP.
!Slipdial will display several messages as it connects & logs in.
When a full connection is established, it will boot !TCPIP & install it
on the icon-bar. Mail & news can now be sent/retrieved via the smtp &
nntp kick commands.
(This can be automated via your !TCPIPUser.AutoExec file).

You will be notified of incoming mail and news, which you can read via
!TTFN & !NewsBase.

A selection of commonly used commands are available directly from the
macros menu at the top right of the TCPIP main screen. At first, it may
well be worth changing to the long time-out option (also via the macro
menu) so that TCPIP does not hang up before you have had an opportunity
to find your way around.

When you have finished your session(s),log-out by typing "quit" & pressing
the RETURN key. !Slipdial will disconnect, stop !TCPIP & remove it from
the icon-bar. It will then load !TTFN & !NewsBase. Your news and mail will
be debatched for reading.

If you decide to dial back into the Internet, !Slipdial will remove !TTFN
& !NewsBase from the icon-bar as it runs the script-file again.

When quitting altogether, it is wiser to do a controlled shutdown via the
ACORN icon (or CTRL+SHIFT+F12) than a reset (CTRL+BREAK or RESET button)

Have fun and please let me know how the ACORN RISC OS 3.1+ Internet
Starter-Pack could be improved :-)


D. Acknowledgements
-------------------

To all the authors who agreed to the inclusion of their programs,
FAQs & other documents in the Starter-Pack;

*  Robert Orwin for !TTFN.
*  Graham Allen for !Slipdial
*  Graham Allen, Thomas Aeby & Gunnar Zotl for !NewsBase.
*  Adam Goodfellow, Anthony Frost & Jonathan Naylor for !TCPIP.
*  David Pilling for !SparkPlug & SerialBuff.
*  Hugo Fiennes for !SerialDev.
*  Colin Hogben for !DemConfig.
*  David Croft for !Qedit & !Groups.
*  John Allen for !UUcoder.
*  David Dade & ACORN Ltd for the serial modules.
*  Paul Allen & The ARM Club for the KA9Q guide1_21.
*  Alan Fitch for  !ScriptHelp & the "Demon" !Slipdial script.
*  Demon Internet Ltd for the Demon documents.
*  Kevin Quinn for the Acorn FAQ.
*  Merlyn Kline for the Zynet FAQ.

To everybody else who contributed and to you for using it.

Comments & queries about specific software should be addressed to the
authors as follows;

¤  !TTFN                     [e-mail]
¤  !NewsBase  & !Slipdial    [e-mail]
¤  !Slipdial scripts         [e-mail]
¤  !TCPIP & !TCPIPUser       [e-mail]
¤  !SerialDev                [e-mail]
¤  !DemConfig                [e-mail]
¤  !Qedit                    [e-mail]
¤  !SparkPlug & SerialBuff   [e-mail]
¤  SerialUtil & SerialDev    [e-mail]
¤  !UUcoder                  [e-mail]
¤  Guide1_21                 [e-mail]
¤  AcornFAQ                  [e-mail]
¤  Demon Internet            [e-mail]
¤  Zynet                     [e-mail]
¤  Guide (This doc)          [e-mail]

I hope I have adequately acknowledged the contributions of all the main
authors. I have tried hard to ensure that all the authors' own copyrights
and conditions of use are maintained. If I have made any errors, then I
apologise in advance and undertake to correct them as soon as possible.

Thanks also to everybody who has sent me modem driver files - please
keep them coming!

                             Alan Hassey ([e-mail])
                             =====================================

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