EzPacket is written for use with a Poor Man's Packet (PMP) modem. The original PMP software was written by Andrew C. Payne. I used that code as a model for this program. More than 95% of EzPacket has been written from scratch. Only a few small pieces of code remain nearly the same as Mr. Payne's code. Those pieces perform the low-level bit I/O and they will be replaced in the next version. Two things I intend to implement soon are interrupt driven I/O (so the keyboard is even more responsive) and unattended KA-NODE emulation. At the same time, I will remove the separate SSIDs for multiple sessions and make EzPacket handle multiple sessions with one SSID as commercial TNCs do. I hope to have this all done by early fall of 1992. In the mean time, I will try to get this version onto some of the larger HAM BBS services (dial-up) and let it migrate from there. It will also be on a the PRECISION BBS at (708) 391-8773. The file will be named EZPKT_??.ZIP where ?? is the version number (i.e. 16). (Note: I may decide to charge a small amount for the future versions that contain NODE functions - or I may not.) New versions of EzPacket will be placed on the PRECISION BBS as they become available. The next one will probably not be available until sometime after Labor Day. (Work and school are keeping me busy enough!) I've tried to make this new program more friendly than PMP.EXE and give it a lot of new features. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to write to me at my address in the latest Callbook. (As of 6/3/92, my address is 236 W. Norman Lane, Wheeling, IL 60090.) I can also be reached via messages to the above BBS's sysop. (I prefer not to receive phone calls since there are a lot more of you than there are of me. Thanks.) Getting started with EzPacket is very simple. The first time it is run, it creates a configuration file (EZPACKET.CFG) that defaults nearly everything, assuming that it is to work with a PMP modem using LPT1. When the configuration file is created, it automatically places you in the configuration screen so that you can enter your call sign. DON'T FORGET TO DO THIS. Everything else should work as-is. If you wish to customize the configuration, it is done on-line and most of the screens are pretty self-explanatory. Also, as with PMP.EXE, ALT-H from the main screen will give help on keys and running EzPacket with /? will give command-line options. A detailed 20+ page user's manual is also available from me for only $5.00 (to cover laser-printing and postage costs). Also, you may be wondering what the included EZPACKET.ICO file is for. If you are a Microsoft Windows user, this is an icon you can configure Windows to use for EzPacket. Please note, however, that EzPacket does NOT run correctly in a 386-enhanced mode window. It must be run as a foreground task, full-screen, to allow it to do critical I/O timings. I hope you enjoy the program and find it usefull. Frank Domina (N9MXI) **************************************************************************** HISTORY: Version 1.5 has a minor bug that has been fixed in version 1.6. The bug was that the configured TX_PORT, TX_BIT, RX_PORT and RX_BIT were not being used. Some older debugging code that had them hard-coded to the defaults was accidentally left in. This caused a problem when trying to use a serial port to communicate with a Baycom modem. Sorry 'bout that.