
  PickUp 1.1 
  User guide,
  Installation guide,
  License...
  ...and all this kind of rubbish.

  -------------------------------------------
  All you wanted to know about PickUp 1.1 and
   you never dared to ask, in one text file.
  -------------------------------------------

  Who is the responsible of all this?
  -----------------------------------

  My name's Fabio, I don't sleep quite well at night,
  so instead of sleeping I program till I fall asleep.
  I'm 25, Italian, but living in Helsinki, Finland. Isn't
  life strange at times?

  What is it?
  -----------

  PickUp is a small utility done in Visual Basic that
  lets you pick up the phone using the headset of your
  voice modem. Well, not only that: you can dial from it,
  you have the chance to have a small address book to
  dial from, you can see who's calling (if you have
  caller id both on your line and phone), and you can
  have people sending you numbers and small messages via
  their keypad (...if they have a tone dial keypad, that is).

  Why is it?
  ----------

  I needed for myself a small program that would let me
  simply pick up the phone using the headset that came
  with my voice modem, but I didn't want to keep a terminal
  open to issue the command. Searched around the net and found
  huge programs that did it... but I didn't want something
  big. So the first version of PickUp came to light: two
  buttons on a dialog: <pickup> and <hangup>.
  
  Then I discovered that I may have wanted to actually <dial>
  a number to have a phone call started from my modem using
  my headset. There, another couple of buttons to dial out a
  number. But I haven't got a good memory for numbers, so I
  added a list numbers, a kind of phone book, if you like to
  call it so.

  Processing the data that came in from the port I found out
  that I could do something neat: detect DTMF tones from the
  other end of the rope. So I started detecting them, and a
  bit more.

  Well, was I happy with all this? Nope, not really. My phone
  has caller id detection, and I pay 9 finnish markka per month
  to have it...why waste it like this? So the caller id detection
  and logging came to life.

  I'm still not happy with my software, but I think is now ready to
  meet the Net, and being used by people like me that prefer
  small programs that do few things...even if the happen to
  underperform at times.

  Will it grow?
  -------------

  As a matter of fact I'm already working on the next release,
  just adding a bit more functionality to the caller id thingy.
  So that you can say: don't bother ringing if this person calls,
  or answer automatically if this person call, or play this wave
  file instead of ringing if this other guy is calling.

  I think I will never make of it an answering machine, even if
  I could (..it's easier than you think!), just because I want
  it to be a kind of complex "PickUp", but nothing more.

  As soon as I'm happy with this product I'll start working on
  an answering machine software.

  Do I accept requests?
  ---------------------

  Yep, of course I do! You can e-mail me and tell me
  what you would like to see this PickUp software doing,
  but remember: everything must me related to the fact
  that this software is made to pickup calls, not to answer
  them!

  Do I accept bug spottings and fixes requests?
  ---------------------------------------------

  I tested the program as much as I could, but bugs
  are always around the corner, aren't them? Expecially
  if you think that different telcoms and modems come up
  with different problems. So: let the bug reports come in!
  E-mail me and ask for fixes, I'll do my best to keep up
  with them.

  What do I need to run this software?
  ------------------------------------

  You need: a modem that has a headset, a phone line,
  friends that you may want to call or that may wish to
  call you, caller id enabled on you line, a caller id
  detection capable modem and at least a 800x600 video
  mode and the Visual Basic runtime dlls. If you have
  less than that..well, give it a try and see if it goes boom!

  Known problems
  --------------

  If you don't have a modem it doesn't work properly. Well,
  not at all actually. Detection of DTFM tones is done only
  for incoming calls (...tough to explain why, but it should
  be fixed in the next release).

  Installation
  ------------

  Copy pickup.exe in a directory where you want to run it
  from, run it. It will also create a file that contains
  phonebook entries in the same directory.
 
  Some kind of instructions
  -------------------------

	To answer the phone:

		1 - Press the big button labelled <Answer>

	To dial a number:

		1 - Use the number buttons or simply
  		    type it in the number box, or better
		    select an entry from you phone book.

		2 - Press the huge button saying <Call>

		If you make mistakes in typing the number
		then just press <Clear> to clean all the fields.

		Tip: You can just double click on an entry
		     in the phone book to call that number.

	To hang up:

		1 - Guess...

	To enter a name in the phone book:

		1 - Type the number in the number box, being
		    the number box the one just under <clear>,
		    or punch it in with the dial buttons if you
		    can't find the number box

		2 - Type a name in the name box, begin the name
		    box the one under the number box

		3 - Press <Save> to save the entry in your
		    phone book

	To remove entries from the phone book:

		1 - Select the entries you want to remove

		2 - Press <Delete>

	To receive numbers from the other end:

		1 - Have the other person punch in the
		    number, it will appear in the box
		    for received data

		2 - Have him press "*" or you press
		    <copy> and the number will be copied
		    in the number box

		Note: PickUp entered now the "alpha" mode, as
 		in: until the other end doesn't press again
		"*" or you uncheck the box <alpha>, the incoming
		tones will be interpreted as letters. The letters
		are in the same order as in the mobile phones
		and you switch to the next letter in the button
		pressing it again, to set this letter and go to
		the next letter press "0", if you press "#" you
		insert a space. When you switch back to the
		numeric mode (other end presses "*"), the string
		is pasted in the name box. While in the numeric
		mode press (...actually the other end presses)
		"#" to save number and name in your phone book.
		This may seem complicated, in fact it is, so
		you can avoid using it; I use it and, being a
		geek and having geek friends, find it even
		practical

	Other stuff:

		If you select an entry in the inbound calls
		list the entry is copied in the number box,
		so that you can call...neat, ain't it?


  License: Junkware
  -----------------

  This software is distributed under the "Junkware" license:
  no money is required to use the software, no kind of other
  payment is indeed required,

		BUT

  if the user finds the program useful he may find nice to
  send a token of appreciation to the programmer, that can
  be reached at the following addresses:

	e-Mail: fabio@4u.net
	
	Postal:	Fabio Torchetti
		Helsinginkatu 16 C 72
		00500 Helsinki
		Finland

  For more details about what you can send to the author and
  more stuff about the "Junkware" license see the file in this
  distribution named: "junkware.txt"

  Disclaimer
  ----------

  There is no kind of support for this program, it is what it
  is and I assume no responsability for it and the damages it
  may cause to your healt, your mental status and your family
  relationships.

  At the best of my knowledge this program is not harmful, but
  if it ends up burning your modem, calling your boss and telling
  him you hate him, sing naked in your living room, ordering a
  large pizza from Pizza Cut, taking control of your TV set,
  winning you playing poker...well...chucks!


  Some kind of support
  --------------------

  After the things in the disclaimer I may be supportive
  after all, you can contact me and report bugs, features
  you would like to see in this program, or flame me for
  something: I can take it, and I'll do my best to answer
  your e-mails.

  A smile,
  Fabio

