PCElm 3.1 - Readme File

Thanks for trying out PCElm! The following page will give you some
information on what PCElm is all about and what it can do.


    This package contains the following files:

    Name            Description
    ----------------------------------------------------------------
    !README         What you are reading now
    ALIAS           Example alias file
    MAILCAP         An example mailcap file for MIME
    DEMOMMDF        An example mailbox file with MIME-mails (MMDF format)
    DEMO            An example mailbox file with MIME-mails (non MMDF format)
    MARVIN   SIG    Example signature file
    PCELM    RC     Example PCElm configuration file
    PCELM    DEU    PCElm message file, german language (Deutsch)
    PCELM    ENG    PCElm message file, english language
    PCELM    ESP    PCElm message file, spanish language (Espanol)
    PCELM    NED    PCElm message file, dutch language (Nederlands)
    PCELM    MAN    PCElm installation and user manual
    PCELM    EXE    PCElm executable
    SHOWPART BAT    A batch file to display multipart MIME mails

Please read section 2 of the manual before installing PCElm. There is
no automatic install script for PCElm; changing the configuration file
pcelm.rc and adding an environment variable has to be done by hand. I regret
this oldfashioned approach, but I have yet to find a way to automate
the installation preocess and still have a working mail installation :-(

Release notes and a small overview of changes and additions to PCElm in
this release appear at the end of this document.


 About PCElm and where and how to get it

    PCElm is a mail user agent (UA) with a user interface closely
    modeled after the USENET ELM. To avoid confusion, we would like to
    mention that PCElm and USENET ELM are *not* related.

    PCElm is intended to be used as a drop-in replacement for BM when
    using the KA9Q NOS package or as a replacement for mail.exe when
    using UUPC. It can also be used for other mailsystems, as all relevant
    things for compatibility with MTA's (Message Transfer Agents) are
    configurable.

    Hilights:
    PCElm has a nice user interface, with easy to learn and easy to use
    commands. UN*X users will already be familiar with the more important
    commands. It can be made to work with just about every mail system
    there is for PC's, as PCElm makes no assumptions at all about the
    underlying network software. Finally, PCElm is multilingual; you can
    make all messages appear in your favorite language. Message files
    for English, German, Spanish and Dutch currently exist.

    PCElm in hamradio mode creates text- and workfiles directly usable
    by NET or NOS for distribution with SMTP. In UUCP mode, PCElm
    execs a uucp mailer (usually rmail.exe) to feed mail to your
    uucp program. Since there are many uucp programs for PCs out there,
    it is up to you to find the right way to exec the mailer (See the
    discussion on the uucpcall parameter below). As our knowledge
    of UUPC, WAFFLE etc. is limited, we can't help much there.

    PCElm is Copyright (C) 1988,89,90,91,92,93 by Wolfgang Siebeck and
    Martin Freiss.

    The executable pcelm.exe may be freely copied and distributed, provided
    that all files in this package are distributed with it and provided that
    the copyright notices are retained. No money may be charged for copying
    PCElm. A license is given to use PCElm for an unlimited time in
    non-commercial environments.

    No warranty, expressed or implied, is given that PCElm does what you
    think it does. The usual disclaimers apply: It works for us.

    Should you want or need support in setting up PCElm beyond the scope
    of this manual, want us to include special features in PCElm, want
    to include PCElm with your product or otherwise use PCElm in a
    commercial environment (i.e. make money out of people using PCElm),
    contact us.

    If you need support from us, we would request that you register PCElm
    with us for a fee of 10$ (US) or the equivalent amount in your favorite
    currency (20 DM or 8 british pounds at current rates). No checks or MO's
    please; exchange fees for foreign currency checks are more than 10$
    over here. Cash in an airmail letter is preferred, though Wolfgang Siebeck
    can also process credit card orders (VISA). If you need more than
    one license, we offer bulk licenses at substantial discounts - contact
    us for details.

    A (rather nice) printed manual is available from Wolfgang Siebeck to
    registered users for an additional fee of $7. Note that this manual
    is for version 3.01 of PCElm, not for the current version (3.1). There
    was not much interest in the printed manual (only one person wanted it),
    so we won't offer a printed manual for future versions unless there
    is overwhelming demand.

    Registered users will get advance notice of bug fixes and new releases
    if we know their email address. We do supply bug fixes to registered
    users a _lot_ faster.

    If you don't need support, we wouldn't complain about a donation
    either :-)

    If you would like the source code (C, with Turbo C 2.0((C) Borland) or
    later versions, Borland C++ recommended), the fee is 50$.
      The rationale behind this is that support costs us both time and money
    (as you might know, Germany has about the highest postal and telephone
    charges in the world).


    We can be reached at

    Wolfgang Siebeck        -or-    Martin Freiss
    Postfach 1526                   Muehlenfloessstr. 60
    D-52016 Aachen                  D-33175 Bad Lippspringe
    Germany                         Germany

    Email:
    siebeck@infoac.rmi.de           marvin@infoac.rmi.de

    Email is preferred.

    Bug reports are welcome if they are complete, i.e. please specify
    all configuration parameters, your hardware, version of NOS or uucp
    software, and send an excerpt of the mailbox you are having trouble
    with if necessary. We can't fix bugs we can't reproduce.
    Suggestions for enhancements to PCElm are of course also welcome.


Notes on release 3.1 and changes vs. release 3.01:

- The spanish and dutch message files are only about 97% translated, i.e.
  the new messages in release 3.1 will appear in English even if you have
  configured a different language. This is because for some reason or other
  I have lost mail contact with the original translators. Will be fixed in
  the next release.

Changes with regard to release 3.01:

- Alias handling works much better now.
- The space between hostname and username in the UUCP From line confused
  some sendmails. Fixed.
- Using root directory as home directory should now work.
- Reading mailbox at program startup is faster now.
- Explicit prompt for Carbon Copies
- Now works with really long headerlines too :-)
- better MMDF support
- Lots more things to configure, including among others
  - optional headerlines (X-Organization:, etc.)
  - delete unread mails
  - drop directly into full screen editor
  - use external pager
  - define your own quote character(s) for replying to mails
  - define your own escape character for line editor
  - helplevel
- (very) rudimentary MIME support
- many other small bugs fixed & functions added

