FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NEW FORUM SOFTWARE ------------------------------------------------------- These are some of the most common questions members may have about the new forum software that's being released. For more details on any of these answers, please GO HELPFORUM or GO FEEDBACK. WHAT WILL LOOK DIFFERENT IN THE LIBRARIES? File names can now have eight characters before the extension (ie; .EXE) instead of six, and you'll see the name of the file contributor when you view a file's description instead of just the contributor's User ID number. If you use a terminal emulation program on CompuServe (one that doesn't use the windowed interface with the service), Browse, Directory, and List displays will all be one line longer than they were before. In addition, a new command, Inventory, has been added to get one-line descriptions of the files in a library in terminal emulation. WHAT'S THIS PERSON'S NAME IN THE FILE DESCRIPTIONS? File descriptions always give the User ID number of the member who uploaded ( contributed) the file. Now, beside the User ID number, the file description will also display the name the uploader has in the forum. (Note: This is the name the member has in that forum, not necessarily the name on the account.) WHY DON'T I SEE THE CONTRIBUTOR NAMES IN A FILE DESCRIPTION? If you're using a CIM (the CompuServe Information Manager) or CSNavigator on CompuServe, you won't see contributor names in descriptions until the next versions of the programs are available. Keep an eye on What's New and the CIM support forums for news about the new versions of software. You'll automatically be able to use longer file names in all your programs except CSNavigator for Windows. HOW CAN I GET A ONE-LINE-PER-FILE LIST OF THE CONTENTS OF A LIBRARY? The new INVentory command in terminal emulation will give you a quick list of files. You can use the INV command like the other existing commands to search for certain files ("INV *.TXT" to look for all files that end in .TXT), list all files in a library ("INV"), or to list all the files in multiple libraries ("INV LIB:1-4" or "INV LIB:ALL"). WHAT DOES b, K, and M STAND FOR IN THESE FILE DESCRIPTIONS? The directory, list, and browse commands all abbreviate the file size. "B" stands for bytes, "K" for kilobytes, and "M" for megabytes. WHEN DO I HAVE TO PAY POSTAGE FOR MAIL FROM FORUMS? Mail sent from forums will arrive free of postage charges except if: * The mail was composed in a free forum or * The mail is a forum message that expired (scrolled) from a forum after more than seven days and was copied to your mailbox. Scrolled messages are old messages that are deleted from a forum to make room for new messages. Some forums will automatically send you a copy of a scrolled message if it was addressed to you and you did not read it. If that message was waiting in the forum for seven days or less, it will arrive without postage, but if the message was over seven days old, your copy of the message will arrive postage due. Don't forget that you can always delete a scrolled message without reading it to avoid postage charges. WHY DO I NEED TO TYPE "AGREE" WHEN I UPLOAD A FILE? CompuServe will now display more complete information about distribution of copyrighted material. When you upload a file, you'll need to type the word "agree" to confirm that you do have permission to upload the file that you're contributing to the forum. MY AUTOMATED PROGRAM CAN'T UPLOAD A FILE! WHAT'S WRONG? The current versions of programs (like TapCIS, AutoSig, or OzCIS) that automate CompuServe use will not be able to script uploading files because of the new "agree" prompt. In order to upload files, you'll need to upgrade to new versions. Contact the program authors to get more information about which versions you'll need and how to upgrade to them. WHAT DO I NEED TO UPGRADE? If you use a terminal emulation program like ProComm, MicroPhone, or SmartCom, you do not need to upgrade anything to use these new features. If you use the CompuServe Information Manager, you will be able to use longer filenames immediately. If you use CSNavigator, you will be able to search for and download longer filenames, but won't be able to upload files with 8.3 names or see contributor names. The next versions of these programs will support these features. Keep an eye on the What's New announcements or go to the CIM Support Forums for more information on when these new versions will be available. copyright CompuServe Incorporated, March, 1995.
Amiga7878