gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL (Doug Gwyn ) (10/24/88)
The people who wrote the AppleLink PE software seem to not know how to design software. When I first joined AppleLink PE, I saw a "new version of AppleLink" to download. Supposedly when run it would copy your old working disk to a new one, applying updates in the process. (Why such a complicated scheme is considered necessary I don't know -- perhaps some form of copy protection.) This wasn't really how I wanted to operate, since like most serious computer users I run software from a hard disk, not 3.5" fwoppies. However, I managed to get set up the way they wanted, and found that the "newer" version (which did have a higher version number) would simply keep asking me to insert the system disk. I never could get it to work following the supplied instructions. Upon looking at the "newer" version I saw that it wasn't organized at all the same as the one I bought from my Apple dealer; it appeared to have no 16-bit support. I don't see it shown on AppleLink PE any more, so I guess it's been withdrawn. Too bad I spent funds downloading this garbage. Of course all AppleLink PE users know how bad the menu operation is. MouseTalk gets it right; why not AppleLink? Just now, I saw that ACU (AppleLink Conversion Utility) had been made available. Again, I read and followed the instructions, then downloaded a couple of ACU-uploaded files to try it out. Would you believe that ACU.SYS16, no matter how run (including setting up path prefix from within AppleLink then running ACU from the AppleLink menu), starts off by looking (somewhere!) for "ACU files on a disk". It probes all my drives. Why the hell the prefix is ignored I don't know. Anyway, I did put the supposedly ACU files on a 3.5" disk as well as the root of my hard disk and tried again. ACU behaved exactly the same. I never did get it to even acknowledge the existence of the ACU files. Nor did I ever see the PACK or UNPACK menu items mentioned in the documentation. Having given up on ACU, I thought I'd try BLU. Turns out the downloaded files weren't even in Binary II format! Another total waste of funds downloading this stuff. I don't know who is responsible for the AppleLink PE software, but they have so far done an ATROCIOUS design job. I don't think I can afford to lose any more money on it. I would have to recommend not wasting your money on this product/"service". Buy MouseTalk or some other reputable telecommunications package instead, and get the further advantage that you'll be able to use it with almost every bulletin board system and commercial timesharing service EXCEPT AppleLink.
bh1e+@ANDREW.CMU.EDU (Brendan Gallagher Hoar) (10/24/88)
Its obvious what the problem with your ACU was... the files AREN'T supposed to be in the prefix or in the volume directory... they should be in an ACU directory /volname/xxxalinkdirectoryname should contain all alink files plus the new OV20 file you were supposed to dl then in /volname/xxxalinkdirname/ACU the files ACU00-03, ACUOV, ACU.CFG, and HELP0-2 are stored. its not that hard. Also, the reason that there is a complicated process for downloading upgraded Alink software is that the password (which changes with every login) is saved todisk on every login. So, you download the new version on a NEW disk. Say yes when it asks you to get the password stuff from the old disk, and then you can login with the new software. The password that changes with every login feature makes the ALink software useable from only one disk...copies of the disk won't work, because, as soon as you run one of them and login, the other one's password is no longer valid. Its not copy protection, its ACCOUNT protection. You can copy the disk...whichever (the copy or original) is used to log in on will be the only one that will work the next time. Brendan G. Hoar Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA bh1e+@andrew.cmu.edu
gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL (Doug Gwyn ) (10/24/88)
In article <4XMdm9t48k-0M5o0xs@andrew.cmu.edu> bh1e+@ANDREW.CMU.EDU (Brendan Gallagher Hoar) writes: >Its obvious what the problem with your ACU was... No it isn't. >the files AREN'T supposed to be in the prefix or in the volume directory... I was talking about the *.ACU archive files. >they should be in an ACU directory My ACU program files are where they belong according to the instructions AppleLink provided for installation on a hard disk. Generally it agrees with what you said except that OV20 replaces the one in II.LINK (or whatever that directory name was), and ACU.SYS16 is in the AppleLink root directory in place of the dummy program that used to be there. >its not that hard. And it DIDN'T WORK! Try again.. >So, you download the new version on a NEW disk. [re. AppleLink upgrade] So I did. >Say yes when it asks you to get the password stuff from the old disk, >and then you can login with the new software. It never got that far. Didn't you read my description?
joseph@elbereth.rutgers.edu (Seymour Joseph) (10/25/88)
You are right, it is all pretty badly written and the support is worse. I also downloaded that interim version from ALink PE. It was touted as being the final release software and it obviously wasn't The final release software keeps stuff in subdirectories. To get ACU to run on an older copy of Alink: The first thing ACU looks for is the AL04 file. It looks for it in the folder called II.FOLDER. Use copy II plus to put a copy of it there if you don't have the version with all the AL... files already there. Then it looks for its own files. The instructions on AppleLinke tell you to make a specific folder name and this folder HAS TO BE IN THE ROOT! If it is, ACU can find it. When I double click the SYS16 icon, ACU launches, loads the AL04 file, seaches the drives, finds the ACU files in the root of my disk and then completes loading. I cannot get to ACU from the offline menu of AppleLink. I have to launch it seperately. AppleLinke BETA TESTERS! Did you ever get the complete final package you were promised or are you still waiting? Final packages are being sent to users group members who sent in postcards and to people who filled out a request form at AppleFest, Have they forgotten us?!?! If you haven't received yours, please call customer service, or write and let them know. Seymour
msp@psuhcx.psu.edu (Mark S. Pfaff) (11/01/88)
In article <Oct.24.17.23.01.1988.21984@elbereth.rutgers.edu> joseph@elbereth.rutgers.edu (Seymour Joseph) writes: >You are right, it is all pretty badly written and the support is >worse. pretty typical of applelink as i knew it. >I also downloaded that interim version from ALink PE. It was touted >as being the final release software and it obviously wasn't The >final release software keeps stuff in subdirectories. also quite typical. i remember lots of "real soon now" and crap like that when referring to additions and revisions and such. >AppleLinke BETA TESTERS! Did you ever get the complete final package >you were promised or are you still waiting? Final packages are being >sent to users group members who sent in postcards and to people who >filled out a request form at AppleFest, Have they forgotten us?!?! >If you haven't received yours, please call customer service, or write >and let them know. heh heh heh, well, i sure haven't gotten MY final package. -EVEN THOUGH they sent me that letter dated june 1 and postmarked june 3 saying how wonderful a person i was for being a beta tester and all that and how they wanted to send me all this free garbage and stuff. -EVEN THOUGH when i booted up my old disk just to see what would happen and it ACCEPTED ME and took all my new billing info! -EVEN THOUGH they later sent me a checkfree form to fill out which i mailed back and haven't heard anything about! -EVEN THOUGH my account was canceled on may 31, 1988! hmmmm.... and i still haven't received the applelink tshirt that i won back in may or april or sometime. have any of you received your applelink tshirts, applelink coffee mugs, applelink pencils, applelink condoms...? well, you all may have heard my name bandied about the link by such people as roberta sarfati, gary gilmore, rose salerno, liz waters, julie owens, larry nathanson, sandra brockmann, and others. any of them can tell you my story. the movie rights are currently being negotiated between me and nbc (geraldo rivera wants to get just the facts, ma'am). mark "only in america" pfaff (known on alink as mark pfaff) -- 260 Homan Avenue, State College, PA 16801-6332. (814) 238-3249. MSP@PSUECL