
                                                        1. February 1996

                        -=# Terminate FAQ v2.3 #=-

Q : What is a FAQ ?
A : Well, this is a FAQ. FAQ is short for Frequently Asked Question.
    This is a list of frequently asked questions about Terminate and
    TerMail, in order to answer a lot of questions within one single
    document. Therefore a 'newbie' can easily learn a lot within a short
    period of time.

Q : I have a modem that Terminate doesn't seem to support, can I use
    Terminate ?
A : Of course you can use Terminate, but when Terminate was released
    your modem hadn't been released yet. You will have to use the Generic
    modem setting. Normally the default settings should work just fine.
    If you still can't get it to work, you will have to come up with your own
    init-string. Ask for it in a modem echo, there are a lot of people
    who can help you there. And remember it doesn't really matter which
    program you are using, the settings will be the same with every
    program. If you find good settings, Netmail them to Bo Bendtsen, so
    he can put them in the next version. This way we all help to make
    Terminate even better.

Q : Terminate seems to think I have a 19k2, 38k4 or even a 57k6 modem.
    Unfortunately, this isn't the case, how do I convince Terminate?
A : This is because of people mixing up two things all the time : DCE
    and DTE. DCE stands for Data Communication Equipment (a modem). DTE
    means Data Terminal Equipment (a computer). Two modems talk to each
    other at DCE-speed, and a modem and a computer talk to each other at
    DTE-speed. The DCE-speed is what you paid for and is most likely
    14k4 or 28k8. You may know that your modem is able to compress the
    data up to four times. That's why your computer has to deliver the
    data at a speed of 4 * 14400 = 57600 (If you have a 14k4 modem). The
    following picture perhaps shows it more clearly :

    **********                                               **********
    *Computer*   DTE-              DCE-               DTE-   *Computer*
    *   A    *   Rate   ***A***    Rate     ***B***   Rate   *   B    *
    *        *~~~~~~~~~~*Modem*~~~~~~~~~~~~~*Modem*~~~~~~~~~~*        *
    **********  38400   ******* 14k4 | 28k8 *******  57600   **********

    Computer A is connected to a 14k4 modem. Computer B is connected to a
    28k8 modem. Because maximum compression will almost never be
    reached, (your modem will hardly ever compress anything because most
    of what you will transfer will already be compressed with ZIP, ARJ,
    RAR, PAK, ARC etc etc.) and some serial ports will not fully
    function at the speed of 57k6 you need to set your DTE-rate to 38k4
    (ALT-P, Baud). And now the actual answer to the question ;-). You
    have to setup your modem to report the actual DCE-rate to Terminate
    when connected. With most modems this can be done with ATW2. See
    your modem manual for more on this.

Q : Terminate doesn't seem to detect the status of my carrier very well.
    What's wrong ?
A : You have to make sure your modem is set to AT&C1&D2. You can save
    the settings with AT&W. See your modem manual for more on this.

Q : AVATAR/ANSI doesn't seem to work within Terminate, all the screens I
    receive from a BBS are unreadable, or my modem locks up, what should
    I do ?
A : This is probably the most frequently asked question, this is
    actually the reason I started with this FAQ-thing :-) Most of the
    time the problem can be solved by disabling Xon-Xoff software flow
    control. You can do this from the Options menu (ALT-O),
    Communications Setup, and then choose your modem. Make sure you turn
    of Software flow control (Xon/Xoff) in your modem's settings as
    well. You also have to turn ON Hardware flowcontrol CTS/RTS. If it
    still doesn't work setup Terminate to use only ANSI for this
    particular BBS. In that case make sure the BBS only sends you
    ANSI-screens.

Q : What is a point ?
A : A point is a person (above all :-) ) who has got some experience
    with FIDO-net and now wants to spend less money on his hobby. He got
    some software (like Terminate & TerMail) and arranged with a sysop
    (node) to become his 'boss'. The point can now login very fast on
    the BBS and get his mail. This is done completely automatically, and
    thus very fast, and thus very cheap. All his mail is already packed
    saving even more money. You don't have to be a whizzkid to become a
    point, but a little experience using computers and FIDO-net will
    prove to be helpful. Look out for TERPOINT.ZIP for more info about
    points.
    [ This file really needs to get updated, if anybody feels up to it. If
    you are a beginning point this might be something for you! ]

Q : What kind of animals are those `freqs'?
A : Freq comes from File-REQuest. Freq'ing is a way of downloading files
    with a mailer program (like the point-system from Terminate).
    It allows you to download files without logging-on to the BBS. It's a
    fast, and therefore cheap, way of downloading files. It has some
    restrictions though. First off all you have to know the filename of
    the file you want. Wildcards are allowed though so you can use them.
    That's especially handy for the file-extension since some systems
    use ZIP, some use ARJ etc. If you know that, you have to make
    sure the system allows you to freq from it. Some systems allow just
    anybody to freq, others don't allow freqs from it at all. Others
    allow freqs only between certain hours, or only to 'listed nodes'.
    It's a sysop thing.

Q : So how do I freq with Terminate ?
A : You will have to freq with Terminate using the point-system (ALT-F7
    remember). You have two options from there. One, press the 'R'-key.
    Or two press 'A'. You will have to read the manual for more on this.
    Just press F1 and read it.

Q : Can I also freq using TerMail ?
A : No, you can't actually freq using TerMail. You _can_ however, create
    the file the point-system needs to perform a freq at all. When you
    read a message and you see a filename you would like to have just
    press 'F'. But be careful, it is being freqqed from the system the
    writer wrote his message. This system maybe doesn't have the file
    you want. Make sure the writer stated he has the file on that
    particular system. And remember you will have to make the actual
    call using Terminate's point-system.

Q : How about file attaching?
A : When you want to send a file to someone you can attach it to a
    message. You can do this with TerMail. Press 'E' to send a netmail
    message. Fill out the name and FIDO-address of the person you want
    to send the file to. Press F10 to select the file you want
    to send. Then you can write your message as you always do. If you
    want to be sure the file gets to the person, you have to crash the
    file to his system (or his boss's if he's a point). Some systems in
    FIDO don't like transporting files for someone else because it will
    cost them too much.

Q : I download the nodelist every week but it is so big (3Mb), isn't
    there any other way?
A : You can't do anything about it's size. But you don't have to
    download the entire nodelist every week. There are weekly
    'diff'-files. With those files and the help of Terminates own
    nodelist-updater you can automatically update your nodelist. The
    diff-files you need to download are -much- smaller than the complete
    nodelist. Try with your boss to arrange that you receive those
    diff-files automatically, since you can't miss one. If you are not
    planning on making long-distance calls, having only a regional
    nodelist will do. Ask your boss for more about this.

Q : I've setup a point-number in Terminate, but when I use the
    point-system to call my boss I sometimes get disconnected because of
    a missing password?
A : This only happens when you are NOT using the call-boss function. In
    this case Terminate doesn't send the password. To tell Terminate the
    password you are using for this system you have to edit the
    PASSWORD.TXT. There you can fill in the password for that system.

Q : I love Terminate but I'm also addicted to BlueWave, do you know of
    any medicine?
A : When you are a point in FIDO-net (or similar nets) you receive your
    mail in a different packet format than when you use the BlueWave
    maildoor. To convert the FIDO-style packets to BlueWave-style
    packets you'll need a program called OMX. You could find it on
    several BBS's just look for OMX100.* (DOS-version) or OMX100-2.*
    (OS/2-version). There are also a few scripts released that make it
    even easier to use BlueWave with Terminate/TerMail. See if you can
    find them on your local regsite.
    Don't delete TerMail from you HD, just continue to play with it
    until you feel you got the hang of it. I'm sure that in the long run
    you _will_ like TerMail better than BlueWave :-)

Q : What about Terminate in Windows 3.1x?
A : While it's a DOS program and therefore works best under DOS, you can
    use it under MS-Windows 3.1x. Testing has shown that it works well
    for most of us under Windows for Workgroups v3.11. There is no difference
    between Windows 3.10 and Windows 3.11 on the comm's part. Windows for
    Workgroups v3.11 however is much better suited for communications.
    But both Windows have a little problem with comm ports. See the
    WINDOWS.DOC in the TERMINAT\WINDOWS\ directory for more info.
    Maybe in the future there will be a Windows (95) version. (Hopefully
    :-) )

Q : What about Terminate in Windows95?
A : Because MS claims Win95 is 100% compatible with DOS, Terminate should
    work just fine under Win95. And in fact it does, but some people get
    CRC-errors while downloading. There are several ways of fixing this.

    But first you have to make sure Win95 is causing the problem. If you
    have the same problem when running Win95 in plain DOS (exit to dos)
    then Win95 isn't at fault but Terminate itself or your modem.

    If you find that Win95 is causing the problems you could try the
    following. This solluction is recommended by MS.

    -=< Resource Kit >=-

    Errors occur during MS-DOS-based applications communications
    sessions, especially file transfers.

    Increase the COMxBuffer setting in [386Enh] section of SYSTEM.INI.
    The default value is 128 bytes.

    -=< Resource Kit >=-

    So if your modem is on Com2 you might want to add/change
    Com2Buffer=256 or higher. (512 works for me ;-) )

    If this doesn't work you could use a FOSSIL driver. WinFossil, for
    example is fully 32-bit fossil driver that works very well with
    Terminate. You can always freq the latest version at: 1:343/9. (Freq
    WNFOSSIL.ZIP)

    If this doesn't work, you could tell Win95 it should keep it's hand
    off the COM-port.
    You can do this by disabling the com-port in
    Win95. (Terminate then controls the comport directly...)
    Right-Click on My Computer,
    Select Properties,
    Click the Device Manager tab,
    Find and select the com-port your modem is connected to,
    Click properties,
    from Device usage unmark Original Configuration (Current).
    If this worked well, there should be a red cross through your
    com-port in the devices list.
    The disadvantage of the last option, is that you then cannot use
    Windows based comm's programs.
    Like I said before, maybe in the future there will be a Windows(95)
    version.

Q : What about Terminate in OS/2 ?
A : It can be done of course but sometimes you'll need special comm's
    drivers. The best you can use are the SIO-drivers made by Ray Gwinn
    (SIO153.*)
    Same as with Windows, maybe in the future there will be an OS/2
    version.

Q : Known bugs and limitations ?
A : Every big program suffers from bugs. That's nothing to be ashamed
    of, but it's handy if you know them and thus can avoid them. It
    isn't appropriate to sum up the bugs in this FAQ, but Dave Wapstra
    is keeping a list of all the bugs discovered yet. He posts regularly
    in the International Terminate echo so if you stick around you will
    see "The List" come by sooner or later.
    One bug I need to mention because it's so obvious; the famous
    ever-changing-terminal bug. Every time you logon to a BBS the
    Terminal emulation changes, so most of the time you only receive
    garbage. There is a fix for it, download T-FIX-3.ZIP from your local
    regsite and it will be solved. It also fixes the problem of
    Terminate locking up right after you've started it.

Q : What is TmNice ?
A : One of TerMail's most annoying features/bugs (it isn't really a bug
    just something that could be handled much better :-) ) is that TerMail
    doesn't format the replies too well. TmNice reformats the lines
    nicely, it also adds tagline and signatures. You should be able to
    get the latest version v3.0 at all the regsites (TMNICE30.ZIP).
    Joop Blokker, the author is allways happy to help you. So if you
    have problems send him a netmail at 2:282/610.2.

Q : What's the difference between TagLines, Tearlines, and Origins ?
A : Every message MUST contain an origin line, this line will look
    something like " * Origin : Lots of text (2:285/750.24)." A FidoNet
    Origin line must be no longer than 79 char's, including the space in
    col 1 and the ) following the FidoNet address.  The only mandatory
    elements are the beginning and ending, as in: _*_Origin:_ (Zone
    addr) Where '_' are required spaces, and Zone addr is the
    Zn:Net/Node address as listed in the FidoNet Nodelist, and must be
    enclosed in (). Everything between these two elements is optional.
    Tearlines are created by most programs (like TerMail) to make some
    sort of advertisement for themselves. These lines always start with
    "---". Most of the time one can not change them.

    And then taglines. Taglines (or cookies) are little funny one-line
    texts. They start with "..." or ".!.". They have no special meaning,
    they are only put there to amuse you. Most/some moderators don't
    like the use of taglines since they have no special purpose but will
    cause an increase in the phone bill of a LOT of people, so be
    careful with them. TerMail only creates an origin and a tearline for
    you. If you want taglines, you will have to find an external program
    to do it for you. There are a lot of these programs.

Q : What editors can I use ?
A : In order to write/reply to messages using TerMail you need a text
    editor. Any program that can edit ASCII-files will do. Some of the
    most popular are (in _alphabetical_ order): Aurora v2.1a, Boxer
    v7.0a, EDIT.COM (this comes with MS-DOS or Windows95), EZquote v4.0
    and Qedit 4.0 (or TSE/jr, which is the same) If you find another,
    and it works for you: keep it! it really doesn't matter which you
    use. (The versions number I mention are what I -think- are the
    latest.)

Q : What's the point of the bookmark in TerMail?
A : It's just like the normal marker, the difference is that you can place
    only one bookmark in an area. You do this with <TAB>. To quickly
    find the bookmark press <SHIFT-TAB>. TerMail also places bookmarks
    automagically at the point where you stopped reading the area. Only
    if you didn't place a bookmark yourself in that area of course.

Q : Whenever I start TerMail, the message areas: "Messages written by you"
    and "Messages you want to keep" always show NO messages in this area,
    but if I go into one of these areas and then exit, the MSGS and NEW
    columns are then updated correctly. Is this a bug?
A : No, it's a real feature ;-) By default, those areas have the NOSCAN
    flag set in the TM.BBS file. That means that they are not scanned when
    TerMail starts up and thus appear to have no messages in them (just
    showing a "-").
    If you want to check how many messages you have, either go into the
    area or do an ALT-S. If you always want them scanned, then remove
    the NOSCAN flag from the TM.BBS. (It's after the 80th column so you
    might need to scroll a bit.)

Q : Every time I startup TerMail or Terminate it compiles the nodelist,
    even if nothing has changed. How do I stop that happening?
A : You will have to double, no triple check you setup the paths and
    filenames right in either TM.CFG or in Terminate itself.
    Use wildcards for the extension. The DIFF-files you receive have to
    `land' in your inbound (IN\) directory to ensure automagic
    processing.

Q : Where can I find Terminate on the InterNet ?
A : There are several locations from where you can get all kinds of
    Terminate related stuff. Try the following places :
    http://www.gpl.net/terminate/
    ftp://ftp.gpl.net/pub/terminate

Q : What is uuENcoding ?
A : uuENcoding is a way of transforming binary files (like programs or
    compiled and ZIP-ed scripts) to 'text' files. You can't make any
    sense from those text files, but you can now transport them via
    FIDO-net. You can uuENcode a file using T-CODE.EXE. It's in the
    TERMAIL\ directory. But be careful, you should really ask the
    moderators for permission before you post anything uuENcoded.

Q : What is uuDEcoding ?
A : If you understood the above you might have wondered how you can
    get the original binary file back. Well, you guessed it, that's
    where uuDEcoding comes in handy. You can do this too with
    T-CODE.EXE, or from within TerMail, just press 'H' to decode it.

Q : What is the latest version of Terminate ?
A : The latest is v3.00. You should be able to get it pretty easily. As
    soon as a new version comes out, you will read about it in here. If
    you think you found a newer version, but you haven't read it in this
    echo, than the version you found is NOT the real thing.
    Some people wonder what happened to the v1.52 beta-project. Well
    v3.00 is what came out of the project, v1.52 was just a working
    title.

Q : What does the *at or *bt after some peoples tearline mean?
A : Only very special people have them. These heros have survived the
    beta-test phase (*bt) and some even the alfa-test phase (*at). You
    should always be very polite and helpful to these people. Remember
    they have suffered for you, to bring a completely bugfree product.
    (Well, at least they tried ;-) )

Q : What is the story about these false versions ?
A : A person that used to be a dealer of Terminate was thrown out and
    because of that, he decided to invent a story about having bought
    the copyright and trademark. He hired some young Russian
    programmers to make false freeware versions only to annoy me (Bo
    Bendtsen), Fidonet and all the other users of the real Terminate.
    The (known) current false versions in circulation are: 1.56 / 2.04
    It is also sometimes referred to as project CAIN, or Terminator 2.
    If you find one of these false version, please kindly ask the sysop
    to remove them, since he is carrying illegal software.

    [Personal note: Every now and then a person asks in this area
    something about these false versions. Would you please NOT respond
    to those messages unless it's via NetMail. I -know- that the
    moderators of this area explain the situation to this person. If
    only the moderators reply to these messages, we won't waste our
    precious bandwidth with these off-topic messages. Thank you.]

Q : When is the next version coming out?
A : "When it's developed, tested and ready..." OK, it's stupid, but
    that's all Bo is willing to share with us.
    You can however estimate the release date for yourself by looking at
    the tearlines from the beta/alfatesters, these tearlines will show
    the test fase (alfa, beta, or gamma) and the version of that
    testversion. If there have been a few gamma version it should take
    much more time.

Q : I've seen that Terminate has scripts, but what are scripts ?
A : With scripts you can fully automate certain operations like
    collecting your mail from a QWK-door, or delivering your files for
    door-games. You can write these script yourself; it's like a
    programming language, but then simpler. Look at the demo's included
    with the package and look at the scripts posted every now and then
    in the TERMINAT-area's. Just play with them and maybe you can try to
    write your own script. It's really quite simple, once you get the
    hang of it. And as you know; if you have ANY question about PRS just
    ask in a Terminate-echo. There is bound to be someone who can give
    you the answer.

Q : Is this whole FAQ-thing official ?
A : No, it's not. I tried to be as honest as possible, but don't blame
    me for anything. I don't have stocks for any of the programs I
    mentioned, I just know they are being used so I told you about it.
    Nobody asked me to start with it, it just seemed like a good idea at
    the time :-).  Do whatever you want with this information.

Q : I have comments on this FAQ, what do I do ?
A : If you have any comments on content, answers, spelling, grammar, just
    anything at all, please let me know. I've put this FAQ together in
    order to help you out, if you have anything to add/change/correct
    let me know and I will put it in the next version so we can help
    other new users. Ain't that nice :-)
    Here is my address: Dennis Janssen @ 2:285/750.24

Thanks to everybody who helped me making this FAQ. Without your help it
wouldn't be what it is today ;-) Thanks.

