---------------------------------------------------------------------- FrontDoor 2.30.mL // FDFIXES.230 // 13-Mar-98 Copyright 1998 Definite Solutions HB; All rights reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This document describes most of the major new features and functions, as well as some minor corrections and additions, in FrontDoor 2.30.mL since version 2.20c.mL. General ======= (*) All FrontDoor programs (FD, FM, FDNC, and FDSETUP) now require that a 80286 CPU or above is present. The NEC V20 CPU will also work for this purpose. (*) Support for up to 30+1 network addresses/AKAs. (*) Incremental searching in most lists displayed to allow a selection of one or more entries to be made. (*) Mouse support in dialogs, pick lists, and menus (except FDSETUP). (*) Improved behavior in multi-tasking environments such as W95, WNT, OS/2, and DESQview. (*) Improved behavior in LAN environments such as Novell, LANtastic, etc. (*) Support for UIL - User Interface Level - allowing many technical and advanced functions to be hidden from the user. Three UI levels exist: Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced. (*) Use of virtual memory (EMS/XMS/Disk) for temporary data storage. This allows the various programs to display lists (to choose from) with more items than can fit in conventional RAM. FDSETUP does not use virtual memory. (*) Improved nodelist browsing; with proper support for zone entries with higher numbers than regions and nets within that zone. (*) File and directory browsers when selecting files for input and output (except FDSETUP). (*) Improved handling of UNC-style (\\) pathnames. (*) Improved nodelist and userlist browsers. (*) Support (internal) for 80x28 and 80x33 screen-modes (VGA). (*) Improved support for large disks (in excess of 2GB) when checking for available diskspace. (*) Improved handling of system macros; and more system macros. (*) Configurable semaphore-timer; allowing shorter response times to changes in semaphores. FD (Mailer) =========== (*) Support for a static queue (STQ); dramatically extending the capabilities and capacity of FD as a store-and-forward e-mail system. This is a particularly welcome addition for anyone with downlinks. (*) Much improved event handling, specially in regards to overlapping events. (*) Improved handling of CONNECT messages. (*) Improved FDSERVER functionality and capacity. (*) Enhanced Service Request functionality. (*) Enhanced Alias (file request) functionality. (*) Improved inbound file request handling. (*) Support for inbound 0000.REQ-style requests that some other software insist on sending when configured as a Client/Point system. (*) Improved Zmodem file-transfer protocol. (*) Improved mail routing. (*) A more detailed session window with session totals, file-transfer bar, and list of files sent and received during the session. (*) New activity monitor database interface allowing external applications to monitor one or more FDs from another computer. Definite Solutions will be releasing FDACTMON, an activity monitor for FD; the initial release will be a Win 3.x application. (*) Support for launching an external voice mail application when receiving "VOICE" (or similar) has been added. (*) Support for launching an external application based on received data during initial session set-up; including modem connect messages (similar to the above). (*) Support for automated time synchronization has been added. (*) More flexibility in the modem manager used to control how and if FD dials a specific system. (*) The ability to configure FD to ignore script files (.SCR) for console services; useful when scripts are only used for terminal access and/or mail routing commands. (*) Support for a "Max RINGING counter" to prevent FD from wasting too much time when calling systems that do not answer. (*) Improved answer-control functionality. (*) Support for EMSI/MD5; this is a more secure session-level password exchange mechanism where no clear-text passwords are transmitted. This feature is only available if FD is running on a system with a 80386 or better CPU. Kudos to Ray Gwinn (of X00/SIO fame) for the assembler code implementing the MD5 algorithm. (*) Better handling of EMSI sessions in regards to interpreting the addresses presented by the remote system and the number of supported addresses. (*) Much improved script language with support for calling of external programs, checking for errorlevels, checking for semaphore files, creating semaphore files, and more. (*) The fixed-number limit on the number of entries in the security manager (session password) database has been removed in FD. (*) Improved handling of IP-addresses used as telephone numbers to "dial" remote systems using Telnet/VMODEM/etc. (*) Improved handling of the POLL route command and POLL console command. FD will not consider the POLL to have been successful unless the session turned around and was successfully ended by the remote system. (*) All automatic script support for PC-Pursuit have been removed. (*) All FCB I/O calls have been removed from FD; they were previously used to remove files (*.PKT, *.FDC, etc). (*) Handling of non-DOS filenames in attachments has been added; FD can now safely be used as a "transit site" for two, for example, OS/2 systems sending attachments with "long filenames" between each other. Furthermore, FD will be able to handle the reception of duplicate filenames and passing the correct file *and* filename onto the final destination. (*) Mail packets to-be-transmitted by FD are only created immediately prior to transmission; i.e. they are no longer created when FD is processing outbound mail. (*) ^aVia information added by FD on transit messages should now list the time as UTC (GMT). (*) Support for FOSSIL port numbers 1-255. FM (Editor) =========== (*) Support for the JAM message base format. (*) Support for folder separators; allowing an almost group-like handling of folders. (*) Improved handling of folders with a large number of messages. (*) Improved handling of message-text quoting when commenting and replying to messages; support for original sender initials, etc. (*) Much improved message Survey functionality. (*) Support for (this message has been "Replied-To") indicator and message status. (*) Additional macros; for use when commenting and replying to messages. (*) Improved NAMES.FD support; with the ability to specify a "prompt gateway" entry where FM will prompt for the Internet recipient address, and the ability to browse NAMES.FD entries interactively. (*) Support for "Bounce Reply" function.. (*) Support for "Blind Forward" function. (*) Support for "Reply in other folder" and "Comment in other folder" functions. (*) Support for "Non-proportional (fixed) display", "Do not pack (for NetMail packers)", and "PGM (Program Generated Message)" message status. (*) Support for accessing a "Nodelist Browser" from almost anywhere. (*) Support for Newsgroup-type Conference folders. (*) Enhanced folder selection screen with total and unread messages statistics. (*) Support for increased number of folders. (*) Automatic display of folder list when the next message is selected to be displayed and the last message in a folder is already being displayed. (*) Support for the FDRESCAN.NOW semaphore in *any* .MSG-style folder. (*) Support for hidden crossposting targets. (*) Support for a default address for a given FrontDoor user. (*) Improved handling of Carbon Copies; when writing new messages and replying to existing messages; up to 2000 recipients can be added. Support for advanced CCL (Carbon Copy List) files with specific message status for each recipient, etc. (*) Support for random as well as truly empty origin-line information. (*) Support for external file viewer. (*) Support for external fax printer. (*) Improved handling of HMB-type (Hudson Message Base) folders. (*) Support for automated NetMail-style replies when "Reply" function is used in a given folder. (*) The "TO:" line inserted at top of "UUCP" messages is now visible immediately when the cursor appears in the text window. (*) Support for the FWDFROM, FWDTO, FWDORIG, FWDDEST, and FWDMSGID extended ("kludge") information data as per FSC-0092. Terminal ======== (*) Support for task-dependant "Add-on terminal init string", sent in addition to the general terminal modem initialization string. (*) Support for "hex dump mode", which displays the ASCII codes of received control characters in hexadecimal notation. (*) Support for Latin1 character-set translation. (*) Increased command-history list capacity. (*) Improved phone directory functionality; including the Terminal "remembering" queued entries when the phone directory window is closed. (*) Support for running a script from within the Terminal at any time; i.e. not just to establish a connection with a remote system. (*) Support for a "Max RINGING counter" to prevent the Terminal from wasting too much time when calling systems that do not answer. (*) The ability to configure the Terminal to ignore script files (.SCR) for dial entry screens; useful when scripts are only used for the mailer. (*) Improved handling of CONNECT messages. (*) Improved Xmodem file-transfer protocol; it should finally be possible to use the Terminal to update modem firmware with modems that support the Xmodem protocol for this. (*) Improved VT52, VT100, ANSI, and AVATAR/0+ (AVT/0+) emulation. (*) Configurable colors for the VT100 emulation protocol. (*) Configurable handling of the backspace key in the VT100 emulation protocol. (*) Improved Zmodem file-transfer protocol. (*) Configurable cursor size (Block, Medium, and Normal). FDNC (Nodelist compiler/manager) ================================ (*) Removed limit of 65535 entries in the nodelist database. (*) Improved handling of "Internet-callable" systems and the telephone number translation for such systems. (*) Distinct errorlevels for various operations and errors; making it more suitable for batch-file and automated-process integration. (*) Improved syntax checking of FDNODE.CTL and nodelist source files. (*) Internal ASCII file editor with cut and paste support. (*) Much improved user interface. FDSETUP (Configuration) ======================= (*) Improved Folder Manager with support for separators, allowing an almost group-like handling of folders, and the ability to handle more folders. (*) Increased capacity in the Security Manager; up to 10000 entries should now be supported. (*) Improved Event Manager. (*) Improved color configuration options. And needless to say, MUCH more. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Definite Solutions HB FidoNet: 2:201/329 and 2:201/330 Forskottsvagen 11 Internet: sales@defsol.se S-129 32 Hagersten WWW: www.defsol.se SWEDEN Fax: +46 8 55630102 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- // end of file "fdfixes.230"