IBM PC Company BBS USER.TXT Version 4.0 03/31/97 Contents ________ 1.0......Main Menu 4.0......Off-Line Reader - QWK 1.01...........M)essage Areas 4.01...........T)ag Area 1.02...........S)tatistics 4.02...........D)ownload New Msgs 1.03...........B)ulletin Menu 4.03...........R)estrict Date 1.04...........C)hange Setup 4.04...........U)pload Replies 1.05...........W)ho Is On? 4.05...........P)rotocol Default 1.06...........I)BBS Info 4.06...........A)rchiver Default 1.07...........F)ile Areas 1.08...........U)serlist 1.09...........Q)Off-Line Reader 1.10...........G)oodbye 1.11...........V)ersion of BBS 2.0......File Menu 5.0......PCC BBS SPECIFIC HELP: 2.01...........A)rea Change 5.01...........B)lue Access 2.02...........C)ontents 5.02...........B)ulletins 2.03...........F)ile Titles 5.03...........P)C Assistant Download 2.04...........J)ump to Messages 5.04...........X)CSD Download 2.05...........B)lue Access 2.06...........N)ew Files Scan 2.07...........L)ocate a file 2.08...........D)ownload (receive) 2.09...........V)iew (show) 2.10...........S)tatistics 2.11...........T)ag Files 2.12...........P)C Assistant Download 2.13...........X)CSD Download 3.0......Message Menu 3.01...........A)rea Change 3.02...........R)eply to message 3.03...........U)pload Message 3.04...........K)ill Message 3.05...........P)rior Message 3.06...........-)Read Original 3.07...........B)rowse Messages 3.08...........*)Current Message 3.09...........$)Reply Elsewhere 3.10...........N)ext Message 3.11...........=)Read Nonstop 3.12...........J)ump to Files 3.13...........E)nter Message 3.14...........+)Read Reply 3.15...........Q)Off-Line Reader 3.16...........T)ag Areas 3.17...........F)orward Message 1.0......MAIN MENU HELP: _____________________________________________________________________________ 1.01...M)essage Areas 1.07...F)ile Areas 1.02...S)tatistics 1.08...U)serlist 1.03...B)ulletin Menu 1.09...Q)Off-Line Reader 1.04...C)hange Setup 1.10...G)oodbye 1.05...W)ho Is On? 1.11...V)ersion of BBS 1.06...I)BBS Info 1.01...........................................................M)essage Areas This option will take you to the message menu. The message menu is used for creating, reading and replying to messages. There, you can enter private (e-mail) messages to other users. 1.02..............................................................S)tatistics This option displays your statistics, including your on-line time for today, the number of kilobytes you have downloaded, and more. 1.03...........................................................B)ulletin Menu (See 5.02) This command will display the system bulletins. These bulletins are created by your SysOp, and they usually contain some important information about using the system. 1.04............................................................C)hange Setup This option will take you to the Change Setup menu. The commands on the CHANGE menu allow you to modify your user profile. This menu allows you to set your screen length, change your graphics mode, password, toggle the full-screen editor, and so forth. 1.05..............................................................W)ho Is On? This command will show you which users (if any) are on the other lines of the system. 1.06...............................................................I)BBS Info Displays basic BBS policy. 1.07..............................................................F)ile Areas This option will take you to the files menu. The files menu allows you to receive files from this BBS. 1.08................................................................U)serlist This command will display a list of all active users currently on this system. 1.09........................................................Q)Off-Line Reader This command invokes the Maximus Off-Line Reader menu. This menu allows you to download messages in the QWK format, suitable for off- line reading and reply. Once you've downloaded a packet, you can use any of the commonly-available QWK readers to read and reply to the messages you receive. 1.10.................................................................G)oodbye This option logs you off the system and hangs up the phone. 1.11..........................................................V)ersion of BBS This displays information about Maximus, including the current version number, the compilation date, the FOSSIL, and the current heap memory. 2.0......FILE MENU HELP: _____________________________________________________________________________ 2.01...A)rea Change 2.07...L)ocate a file 2.02...C)ontents 2.08...D)ownload (receive) 2.03...F)ile Titles 2.09...V)iew (show) 2.04...J)ump to Messages 2.10...S)tatistics 2.05...B)lue Access 2.11...T)ag Files 2.06...N)ew Files Scan 2.12...P)C Assistant Download 2.13...X)CSD Download 2.01.............................................................A)rea Change The Area Change command lets you change to another file area. This system has files divided into numerous categories (Announcements, Reference Disks, etc.), so you can use this command to access these areas. 2.02................................................................C)ontents The Contents command allows you to look at the contents of a compressed file. Contents will display the filenames, sizes, dates, and other information about each file in the archive you specify. The Contents command can view any .ZIP, .ARC, .PAK, .LZH or .ARJ file. 2.03.............................................................F)ile Titles The File Titles command displays a list of files and descriptions for the current file area. If you specify a "*" at the prompt, Max will only list NEW files at the current area. In addition, you can also perform a search on the current area by entering any text string at the prompt. To list all files, simply press . 2.04........................................................J)ump to Messages This command will take you directly to the message areas. Instead of going back to the main menu and then selecting M)essage, the Jump command allows you to directly switch between the message and file sections. 2.05.............................................................B)lue Access (See 5.01) The Blue Access command lets you access file/s assigned to YOUR user ID by an IBM PC Company HelpCenter support member. If no files have been assigned to your ID you will be prompted with, "You do not have any files assigned to you.", else you will be prompted with the file/s assigned for download. 2.06..........................................................N)ew Files Scan The New Files Scan command allows to you search ALL file areas for files that were added to the BBS after a specified date. 2.07...........................................................L)ocate a file The Locate command allows you to search ALL file areas on the system for a particular filename or description. The text you type will be matched anywhere in the file name or description, so wildcards are not needed. If you specify "*" at the prompt, Max will only list files which were added since the date of your last call. 2.08......................................................D)ownload (receive) The Download command allows you to receive files from the system, assuming your access level is high enough to perform this command. After selecting this command, Maximus may ask you to choose a file transfer protocol. (If you've selected a default protocol in the C)hange menu, Max will go right to the next step.) Next, you can enter one or more filenames to be downloaded. (To download more than one file at the same time, you must be using a batch protocol such as Zmodem or SEAlink.) If you've queued any files with the TAG command, those files will be added to the current transfer. You may enter up to 30 filenames to be transferred at once. Max will search ALL file areas for the filename you specify, so you don't have to change areas before starting a download. When specifying filenames, you don't need to specify a file extension. If no extension is given, Max will automatically add a ".*" to the end of each file you specify. In addition to entering filenames, you can also enter several commands at the download program. The "/e" command can be used to edit the filename list, "/q" can be used to abort the download, and "/g" can be used to automatically log off after the download completes. After entering the last filename, press to start the transfer. From that point, you should activate the downloading function in your terminal program. 2.09.............................................................V)iew (show) The View command allows you to display the contents of any ASCII text file contained in the current area. Since View only works for ASCII files, you cannot use this command to display an .EXE, .GIF, or anything else except pure ASCII. 2.10..............................................................S)tatistics This option displays your statistics, including your on-line time for today, the number of kilobytes you have downloaded, and more. 2.11...............................................................T)ag Files The Tag command allows you to queue a file for downloading later in the current session. Tagging a file simply adds it to an internal list of "files to send". Later, when you select the download option, all of the files you tagged can be downloaded at the same time. Files can also be tagged while performing a file listing; you can use the "t" command at a "More [Y,n,=,t]?" prompt to tag one of the files that you see on-screen. Up to 30 files may be tagged at one time. When entering filenames, wildcards ARE allowed, and files can be downloaded from any area on the system. 2.12...................................................P)C Assistant Download (See 5.03) 2.13...........................................................X)CSD Download (See 5.04) 3.0......MESSAGE MENU HELP: _____________________________________________________________________________ 3.01...A)rea Change 3.10...N)ext Message 3.02...R)eply to message 3.11...=)Read Nonstop 3.03...U)pload Message 3.12...J)ump to Files 3.04...K)ill Message 3.13...E)nter Message 3.05...P)rior Message 3.14...+)Read Reply 3.06...-)Read Original 3.15...Q)Off-Line Reader 3.07...B)rowse Messages 3.16...T)ag Areas 3.08...*)Current Message 3.17...F)orward Message 3.09...$)Reply Elsewhere 3.01.............................................................A)rea Change The Area Change command lets you change to another message area. The messages on this BBS are divided into categories, usually by subject. Before entering a message, make sure that you are in the right message area. 3.02........................................................R)eply to message The Reply command allows you to send a response to the author whose message you read last. The reply command is similar to the Enter command, except some of the message fields will be filled in for you (the author of the message you're replying to will be automatically inserted into the "To:" field of the message you're writing), and you can agree to those defaults by pressing ENTER. Also, once in the editor, you can also QUOTE the previous message, which helps to preserve message-thread continuity. 3.03..........................................................U)pload Message The Upload command allows you to directly upload a message to the current area. This is identical to the Enter Message command, except instead of invoking the editor, MaxEd will start an Xmodem upload. Instead of typing in your message, you should tell your terminal to upload the pre-typed file containing the message text. This is much easier than doing an ASCII upload into the BORED editor, since you don't have to fiddle with pace characters, line delays, etc. 3.04............................................................K)ill Message The Kill command allows you to delete a message in the current area. However, you can only kill messages which are TO or FROM you; you cannot delete someone else's mail unless you are the SysOp. 3.05...........................................................P)rior Message The Prior Message command will display the previous message in the current area. To keep reading messages in this direction, you can press the ENTER key at the next prompt. 3.06..........................................................-)Read Original The Read Original command will display the message which the current message is a reply of. (You can tell if a message is a reply to another, since there will be a "- #xxxx" tag at the top of the message header.) 3.07.........................................................B)rowse Messages The Browse command allows you to perform many sophisticated search and retrieval commands on the message base. Browse can display all new messages, search for keywords, pack messages into QWK bundles, list messages one to a line, and more. For more information, select the Browse command and choose "?" at the first menu. 3.08........................................................*)Current Message The Read Current option allows you to reread the current message. Maximus will display the message currently pointed to by your lastread pointer. The current forward/reverse reading direction will not be modified by this command. 3.09........................................................$)Reply Elsewhere This command allows you to reply to the current message in a different message area. Before entering the message header information, Maximus will prompt you for the destination area of the message. When you save the reply, Maximus will place it in the specified area. 3.10............................................................N)ext Message The Next Message command will display the next message in the current area. To keep reading messages in this direction, you can press the ENTER key at the next prompt. 3.11...........................................................=)Read Nonstop The Non-Stop Read command allows you to read all of the messages in the current area (starting with the current message), without pausing between each message. This is useful if your terminal program has a `capture' or `buffer' command, which will let you save the messages to disk for later perusal. 3.12...........................................................J)ump to Files This command will take you directly to the file areas. Instead of going back to the main menu and then selecting F)iles, the Jump command allows you to directly switch between the message and file sections. 3.13...........................................................E)nter Message The Enter Message command allows you to send a message to someone else on this system. After you select this command, the BBS will prompt you for some information it needs to know to send the message -- Such as who the message is to, the subject of the message, and whether or not the message is private. After entering this information, then you will be placed into one of the message editors; either the BORED line editor, or the MaxEd full-screen editor. (Your configuration in the Change Setup menu will determine which editor is started.) Once you're in the editor, you can enter your message. If you decide that you didn't really want to send the message, you can choose the ABORT command (ESC twice using the full screen editor); otherwise, you can choose the SAVE command to write the message to disk. 3.14.............................................................+)Read Reply The Read Reply command will display any replies to the current message. (You can tell if a message has any replies, since there will be a "+ #xxxx" tag at the top of the message header.) 3.15........................................................Q)Off-Line Reader This command invokes the Maximus Off-Line Reader menu. This menu allows you to download messages in the QWK format, suitable for off- line reading and reply. Once you've downloaded a packet, you can use any of the commonly-available QWK readers to read and reply to the messages you receive. 3.16...............................................................T)ag Areas The Tag Areas command allows you to select a set of messages areas which interest you. The set of areas that you select can be referenced through either the browse command or the QWK mail packer. Tagging and then browsing is a quick way of finding messages that you're looking for. 3.17.........................................................F)orward Message The Forward command allows you to make a copy of a message in the current area, and send it to someone else. Just type in the message number to forward, and enter the name of the person you wish to send the message to. You can also forward a message directly into another area by typing the area number when prompted. 4.0......OFF-LINE READER HELP: _____________________________________________________________________________ HELP for the OFFLINE READER The Maximus Offline Reader function allows you to pack up messages from your areas of interest, download them, then read and reply to offline. You then call back and upload your "reply bundle". You will need offline reader software to perform your reading and replying. The Maximus Offline Reader function supports any QWK format reader. This format is widely used and you will find your QWK reader will also work with such systems as PC Board and Remote Access. Two popular offline readers are MR/2 and KWQ. Be sure to check out the Browse and Tag functions. Select any of the following functions for more detailed information. 4.01...T)ag Area 4.04...U)pload Replies 4.02...D)ownload New Msgs 4.02...P)rotocol Default 4.03...R)estrict Date 4.06...A)rchiver Default 4.01................................................................T)ag Area Select which areas you would like to pack with the offline reader using the "Download New Messages" function. 4.02.......................................................D)ownload New Msgs Maximus will pack all new messages in your Tagged areas (see TAG AREA function above), then present them for you to download. Do not forget that you can select a default download protocol from the CHANGE Menu (choose at the MAIN Menu). 4.03...........................................................R)estrict Date This command allows you to specify the minimum date required to pack messages into a QWK packet. Messages which arrived on the system before the date that you specify will not be packed into the QWK packet. This setting remains in effect for the current session only. 4.04..........................................................U)pload Replies After reading and replying offline, your offline reader will prepare a bundle for upload called IBMBBS.REP. This option is where you will upload your reply bundle. After the upload, Maximus will show you the message headers as they are moved to the correct message areas. Do not forget that you can select a default upload protocol from the CHANGE menu (choose at the MAIN Menu). 4.05........................................................P)rotocol Default You may specify your default file transfer protocol here. Once you select a protocol, it will be used for all file transfers to and from the PC Company BBS and you will not be asked to select a protocol each time you want to transfer messages or files. 4.06........................................................A)rchiver Default You may specify your message compression method here. Once you select a compression method, you will not be asked to select a compression method each time you download messages for your offline reader. 5.0......PCC BBS SPECIFIC HELP: _____________________________________________________________________________ 5.01...B)lue Access....................[From the File menu] 5.02...B)ulletins......................[From the Main menu] 5.03...P)C Assistant Download..........[From the File menu] 5.04...X)CSD Download..................[From the File menu] 5.01.............................................................B)lue Access The Blue Access command lets you access file/s assigned to YOUR user ID by an IBM PC Company HelpCenter support member. If no files have been assigned to your ID you will be prompted with, "You do not have any files assigned to you.". If files have been assigned to you, you will be presented with a menu. Choose [L] to list out the files assigned to you and [M] from there to mark those files you wish to download. Files are marked by entering the corresponding letter beside the desired file. You may remove marked files from your queue by choosing the [V]iew/Edit option at the Blue Access menu. Select [D] to begin downloading the files you have marked. You will be prompted for a protocol regardless of whether you have a default protocol selected in your setup. 5.02...............................................................B)ulletins This command will display the system bulletins. These bulletins are created by your SysOp, and they usually contain some important information about using the system. After entering, you will be presented with a menu. Choose [L] to list out the current bulletins and [M] from there to mark those bulletins you wish to download. Files are marked by entering the corresponding letter beside the desired file. You may also read a bulletin on-line by choosing the [R]ead option while listing. You may remove marked files from your queue by choosing the [V]iew/Edit option at the Bulletins menu. Select [D] to begin downloading the files you have marked. You will be prompted for a protocol regardless of whether you have a default protocol selected in your setup. 5.03...................................................P)C Assistant Download The PC Assistant download is a process for downlaoding IBM's PC Assistant for OS/2. Individual Assistant files can be marked for download. The entire collection can also be downloaded in one ZIP file. Simply enter the corresponding letter of the PC Assistant file you wish to download. Enter the letter again to unmark that selection. When finished marking those packages you want, type 'Q' to begin downloading. Type 'X' to leave the PC Assistant menu. NOTE: When you leave the PC Assistant menu. The files you have marked will no longer be in your download queue. 5.04...........................................................X)CSD Download The CSD Download command is used for downloading FixPaks for IBM Operating Systems. After entering this area, a list of currently available FixPaks will be presented. Simply enter the corresponding letter of the FixPak you wish to download. Enter the letter again to unmark that selection. Also, some of the FixPaks contain more than one file. The BBS has a limit of 32 files that may be marked for download at a time. If you try to exceed this limit, that selection will not be marked. When finished marking those packages you want, type 'Q' to begin downloading. Type 'X' to leave the CSD menu. NOTE: When you leave the CSD menu. The files you have marked will no longer be in your download queue.