delton@pro-carolina.cts.COM (Don Elton) (09/22/88)
For Immediate Release:
Talk is Cheap version 3.00 Updated
Carolina System Software
3207 Berkelely Forest Drive
Columbia, SC 29209-4111
803-776-3936 (300-2400 baud, login: register)
Talk is Cheap (TIC) version 3.00 is ready for release. New features for this
update are as follows:
o Many many bug fixes, mostly minor, a few rare major bugs are fixed.
o Speed enhancements in many parts of the program.
o Support for BASIC firmware protocol compatible printer interfaces
where previously only Pascal firmware protocol compatible printers
would work with TIC.
o Support for using a super serial card in slot 3.
o Support for the DataLink 2400 modem added.
o Rewritten documentation to cover new features and include more
exmamples of script files.
o Runs under and includes ProDOS 8 version 1.7 and BASIC.SYSTEM 1.2
o Adds the 4modem (Xmodem 4K) file transfer protocol
o Improved interrupt handling for faster data throughput and less
interference from Apple //c clock devices.
o Improved terminal emulation definition files for about a dozen
terminal emulations.
o Added command to allow you to re-initialize the console driver
in case line noise messes things up.
o Manual settings (configuration defaults) are now optionally made
permanent via the saving of a configuration file.
o The autosave buffer now defaults to APPEND mode
o The recording buffer now defaults to MANUAL control
o X-on/X-off flow control is now supported during text and AppleWorks
file uploads.
o Block numbers are displayed in addition to byte counts during
protocol uploads and downloads.
o The user can now tell TIC how fast his machine runs (relative to
standard) so TIC can keep accurate timing regardless of the use
of speed-up cards or chips. Timing accuracy for PAUSE, TIMER,
protocol transfers, and elsewhere is much better.
o Handling of the IIgs communications buffers is much improved
internally.
o Users get the option, when they quit the program, of having the
serial port disabled or left online.
o Squeeze, Unsqueeze, and BLU utilities are included on the disk
as well as part of the ECP8 operating system shell.
o Scripts now support 4 user defined, and 7 pre-defined string variables
that can be used anywhere in a TIC Script file. These variables can
define either commands or operands or both at the same time.
o The predefined script variables are:
$prefix The current ProDOS prefix
$root The root directory for TIC
$date The current date from your clock
$time The current time from your clock
$version The current version of TIC being run
$emulation The name of the terminal being emulated
$file The name of the script file being executed
o Scripts can read line input from the keyboard or serial port into
variables using the new GETLINE command.
o Scripts can assign constants or other variables or concatenation of
variables and constants into other variables using the ASSIGN
statement.
o Scripts can test for substring matches using constants or variables
for the target and or the larger string
o Scripts can test and branch based on equality, non-equality, and
substring matches using variables and/or constants for either or
both arguments.
o Scripts can test and branch based on empty variables or strings.
o Scripts can be self-modifying as they execute by assigning commands to
variables which then expand to become new commands.
o Scripts can build pathnames using the pre-defined variables to set
the appropriate directory part of the full pathname.
o Scripts can use the GOTOXY and WINDOW statements to set up fancy
menus and other screens and can then test and branch based on
user replies to on-screen enquiries by the script file.
o Scripts can turn off and turn on the display of incoming data so
a script can log on a user without letting him/her see the session
in progress. This also allows you to write a user friendly
"front-end" script that handles all interaction with the host in the
background while the user only interacts with the script on-screen.
Incoming data still goes to the recording buffer and/or to disk
or printer if desired.
o Scripts can create, open, read, write to, append to, and close up to
two text files simultanously in a line oriented fashion. This allows
one script to be used to create another script. Variables can be
used for filenames and data read from a file can be examined and
tested inside variables. This is enough power to write a simple
BBS of sorts where the TIC script could read a password from a user
and actually check for a match in a password file created by the
sysop, or another TIC script for that matter. Text files can be
uploaded that contain imbedded commands for TIC since TIC could read
a line from a file, assign it to a variable and then execute the
variable as the next statement.
o Scripts can chain to other scripts with variables remaining intact
so a script could assign a label name to a variable, and then
chain to a script that did a GOTO $1 where the $1 would expand to
be the name of the label to jump to in the chained-to script.
o Scripts can update a log file when you log on and log off of services
so you get a disk based permanent record of your use of various
services. i.e.:
opena 0 "$roottic.log"
writefile 0 "$date $time TIC booted^M"
close 0
The above script segment would write: 16 Sep 88 11:40 TIC booted
to the /a/tic/tic.log file if you launched TIC from /a/tic/.
o The default for Binary II extraction can now be chaned from a
script file.
o All orders now shipped with paper (printed) documentation instead
of text file format.
Versions of TIC previous to 3.00 were distributed and sold as shareware
while this, and future versions, will be sold as a commercial product that
cannot legally be 'shared' or uploaded to BBS's etc.
People who paid the shareware registration fee for TIC versions prior to 3.00
will continue to be supported as before. They will be able to purchase
updates to the 3.00 release for the usual $5 before November 1, 1988 and $10
after November 1, 1988.. Shareware registrations will continue to be accepted
at the usual $30 rate until November 1, 1988 when the price will increase to
$40.
In versions prior to 3.00, the documentation was provided in disk based format
and was available in paper (written) format for an additional $10.
Henceforth, the documentation will only be supplied in the written paper
format and the package price will go up from $30 to $40 accordingly.
Because shareware versions of TIC have been on the market so long, I am sure
that there will be those who will continue to register the shareware version
beyond the 30 day grace period. In these cases, I will, at my option, return
the check, or contact the buyer to inform them of the pricing change and offer
to return their check if they so desire.
In summary:
Before November 1, 1988: TIC Version 3.00 $30
Update to 3.00 $ 5
After October 31, 1988: TIC Version 3.00 $40
Update to 3.00 $10
Carolina System Software
3207 Berkeley Forest Drive
Columbia, SC 29209-4111
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Pro-Carolina: 803-776-3936 (300-2400 baud, login as 'register')
US Mail: 3207 Berkeley Forest Drive, Columbia, SC 29209-4111