The following is a list of DOs and DON'Ts that I've compiled, based on the 
more common author mistakes I've seen in my years as a shareware distributor. 
While some of these items might be specific to my own Author-Direct 
Distribution Service, or specific to the ASP, the majority of them will apply 
to virtually any distribution service or system. Please do yourself a favor 
and abide by them -- otherwise you are just asking for a lower level of 
distribution, or a delayed processing time for your products....

DO - spend the time to *properly* create a valid VENDINFO.DIZ file for your 
     product. I can't stress this enough! We have a fairly automated 
     processing system (as do most other distributors), and the key to 
     making it work is the ability to access the information we need in an 
     automated manner. If you've spent weeks, months, and even years 
     perfecting your product, please spend an extra couple of *HOURS* 
     working on a VENDINFO.DIZ file -- don't just blast through the 
     process, leaving blank or inadequately filled fields. (and remember -- 
     once you've created your first VENDINFO.DIZ file, any subsequent ones 
     needed for updates and additional products will only take a few 
     minutes to create!) Please see the file VENDINFO.TIP for more info
     regarding VENDINFO errors.

DON'T - enter your WWW http address in places that ask for an Internet ID. 
        In 99.9% of all cases, this information is needed as an email 
        contact, not as a place to go web surfing.

DON'T - try to use a generic filename when asked for a BBS filename. Each 
        release of a product in the BBS world (as well as most other 
        electronic distribution systems -- CompuServe is the *only* 
        exception that I can think of) requires a unique filename. Including 
        the version number as a part of your filename insures that each 
        release filename is unique, and is considered the industry standard 
        method of dealing with that requirement.

DON'T - try to use your BBS filename (which includes version number) when 
        asked for a 'generic' or 'CompuServe' filename. The generic filename 
        must NOT contain any version-specific information, as it will be 
        used for all current and subsequent releases of the product. This is 
        especially important when you are creating your VENDINFO.DIZ file -- 
        DON'T use your BBS filename when asked for the CompuServe parts!

DO - if you are using the WISE Installation Utility, be *sure* to use the 
     PKZip- Compatible option when creating your self-installing archive 
     file! If you don't, many file processors (including mine) will reject 
     your file because they can't extract the imbedded program files for 
     virus testing. Unfortunately, the Wise folks don't make this option 
     very well known, so you may have to hunt for it in the configuration. 
     (Please note that the Wise EXE file *still* must be packaged inside a 
     standard ZIP archive file for electronic distribution)

DO - test your floppy disks for readability before mailing them! I receive 
     a *LOT* of disks which are bad, and I can't copy the files from them 
     in order to process them. This only delays things, and causes 
     frustration for both the author and the distributor.

DO - if you are including a VENDINFO.DOZ file with your submission (i.e. 
     for the ASP CD-ROM), be sure to rename it to <filename>.DOZ to match 
     your ZIP filename (NOTE that we're talking about DOZ files, not DIZ 
     files). Since the DOZ file is sent separately along *with* your ZIP 
     file, it needs to be renamed -- otherwise it would simply overwrite 
     someone else's file of the same name if copied into a general 
     processing directory. Similarly, if it isn't renamed to match your ZIP
     file, there's no way to associate it to your ZIP file when it is 
     copied into a general processing directory.

DO - similar to the above, rename any other 'submission' form files (i.e. 
     the ESC CD-ROM submission form) in the same manner described above.

DON'T - if your WWW http address contains non-alpha/numeric characters (such 
        as the ~ tilde character), please don't include it in your 
        FILE_ID.DIZ file! (or in any other 'product description' text, for 
        that matter). Many file processing utilities (including mine) will 
        reject your submission because it sees those characters as 'illegal' 
        for use in FILE_ID.DIZ files. I've also seen them cause problems in 
        online descriptions on some electronic online systems as well.

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