★ APPLICATIONS ★ COMMUNICATION/TELEMATIQUE ★ CP/M READ AND REPLY|Amstrad Computer User) ★ |
| CP/M Read and Reply | Applications Communication/telematique |
A SPOT OF LIGHT READING Struan Bartlett investigates a little off-line reading. This is the season to be jolly, tra-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-lah. It's no good. Try as I might, I can't escape from the festive spirit and write a suitably non-festive introduction. You see, I'm sitting here writing in late December so all I can think of is mince pies (Mmm!), coloured lights (Ahh!), and watching Raiders of the Lost Ark for the eighth time (Errr!) Oh well, back to the future. In January's issue I mentioned the benefits of using an offline mail reader - basically to save money, but also to allow you to read and answer more messages more thoroughly. I also mentioned in January's issue,THAT there are several 'brands' of offline mail reader (this name can encompass both the program you run on your CPC, and the one that runs on the Bulletin Board), each with its own file formats. Since the January issue, Paul Martin's CRR (CP/M Read and Reply) has been updated, and is currently (at the time of writing), at version 1.40 - it now supports both XRS-Door type mail packets (also called QMX, RAX, RAQMX, RQSeX), and QWK type mail packets. This is a definite plus since it makes it much more likely that a Bulletin Board near you will be compatible with it. So, I dug out a copy of CRR to find out just how well it works... It's really not that difficult to use. Here I'll describe XRS-Door, but using QWK is much the same. The first thing to do is to log on to a Bulletin Board that supports XRS-Door. You then find and select the option on the board that loads up the mail reader -so far so good. If it is your first time using XRS-Door then you may have to make some initial configurations as to how you like your mail - for example, what packing program to use, and what upload / download protocol to use as default - you could choose PKZIP or PKARC for the packers, and the usual choice of file transfer protocols. I chose to use the PKZIP compacter, and to use Zmodem for file transfer. You also have to choose what message areas you want to read. This can seem a little daunting, but you only have to do it once. Figure 1 >> You then tell the mail reader to download your mail, and away it goes. It compresses the messages it's going to send, using the packer, (and my 'sample' mail packet was nearly a third of the size of the uncompressed mail), and then downloads them to you. Having done that you log off. Still there? Okay. Now if you weren't using ZMP or another CP/M comms package, you'll need to find that dusty disk in your collection and load it up first in order to use CRR. From here it's quite a simple matter to uncompress the mail packet (using UNZIP or UNARC) on to your CRR disk, making sure that you've got a CP/M Ascii text editor (like VDE or ZDE) and an archiver (ARK or ARC) on it too. After a teency weency bit of installation you can get down to the nitty gritty of reading your mail. If you select say 1V1', you might see a message on screen like figure 2. If you were now to select 'R' from the menu (to reply to it), your choice of text editor is loaded up with it as a starting point, (so you can easily quote from it) and you can compose your reply in the harmony of your own home (assuming that your home is a large bundle more harmonious than MY home!). Once you've read and replied to all your mail you select the pack option. Your chosen archiver then wraps all your replies up in a neat little compressed bundle all ready to plonk back on to the Bulletin Board's metaphorical doormat. From here it's a very simple matter to upload your reply packet the next time you're on the Bulletin Board. << Figure 2 All in all, CRR is a cracker of a program: it works very well, it's quite fast and does an all round good job of offline message reading. The only thing that CRR (or possibly more precisely XRS-Door) does not appear to be able to do, that, to me, is particularly useful, is the ability to download messages addressed to just myself and to 'All' - in this way you can cut down on the amount of mail you download, while still being able to answer your own mail and fair maidens' cries for help (though more often than not the fair maidens have hairy chests and beards to boot!). Note that CRR is shareware and NOT public domain, so the author requests you to register it for £15 if you use it after one month. Where can you get hold of a copy of CRR I hear you ask? Well many BBSs that I've logged on to have one version or an other but if you want the most up to date copy, your best bet seems to be Aspects BBS (it seems to be Paul Martin's most frequented local BBS). I think I'm finally having to realise that my delusion about the whole universe existing inside a computer isn't true after all, and not everybody can send messages through the email networks. To this end I am going to supply you with a backwards and archaic thing called an 'Address'; so send all your questions, answers, views, comments and complaints to: Comms, c/o Amstrad Computer User, Sunnyside Cottage, Carluddon, St. Austell, Cornwall, PL26 8TY. Alternatively, if you're already up and running comm-wise then you can send your mail to me (Struan Bartlett) through the Comms UK, Comms, BBS News, Amstrad, or CP/M echo areas as appropriate. Ciao for now. Struan Bartlett, ACU
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