Index
Index - The Signature Program - 30 Day Evaluation Copy

Introduction

Typical Uses

Installation

Creating a Signature Image Bitmap

Adding a Signature

Verifying a Signature

The Manual Verification Option

Changing Your User Password

Working With Electronic Mail

   Microsoft Mail

   Lotus Notes

   Lotus cc:Mail

Common Problems and Their Solutions

_________________________________________

LAN Administrator's Notes

The Importance of the System Password

Changing the System Password

Does Changing the System Password Invalidate Old Signatures?

Can I Setup Future System Password Changes In Advance?

Installation Without the User Being Present

How Often Should I Change the System Password?

LAN vs WAN

Signature Program Versions

_________________________________________

How to Purchase

Order Form

Signature Program Feedback

Limits of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty

Obtaining Support

About Shareware

Ombudsman Statement - Association of Shareware Professionals

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Introduction to SignSet
Introduction to the Signature Program

Welcome to the Signature program, or SIGN for short.  SIGN is one of those little utilities that you will quickly take for granted, but never want to be without.  SIGN gives you the ability to add a personal approval signature to any document created by another Windows program.  The signature looks just like your own hand-written signature, but has a big added advantage.  Your signatures can be validated by other people who receive the document electronically, to make sure that it was really you that initially signed the document.  Better still, it is almost impossible for anyone else to create a signature copying yours if the installation instructions have been followed.

This is the Shareware/30 day evaluation copy of the Signature Program.  It is a 16 bit Windows application which will run under Windows 3.1, Windows For Workgroups 3.1, Windows NT, and Windows 95.  The full version of the Signature Program is distributed with both 16 bit and 32 bit versions.  The 32 bit version is optimized for the advanced features of Windows NT and Windows 95, but works identically to the 16 bit version and is completely file-compatible.

Because this copy is distributed as Shareware, you are free to give unaltered copies to your friends and co-workers, as long as you do not charge for them.  Each user (or LAN workgroup) is expected to purchase a copy if the program is used for more than 30 days.  Reminder notices will appear automatically if you use the program for more than 30 days.

More information on Shareware

Purchasing Information


Typical Uses for the Signature Program

The Signature program is intended for use within organizations that use Electronic Mail (E Mail) to transfer documents between people and departments.  You can use the Signature program to sign electronic documents anywhere were you would use a written signature on its printed document.  Here are a few examples:

1.	Approving expense reports created in a spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel.  Your subordinate sends you the completed spreadsheet via electronic mail (E Mail.)  You look it over, add your signature, and send it on to accounting.  Accounting verifies that it really was you that signed the document, and approves payment.  If your accounting department can do a direct deposit to your subordinates account - Congratulations!  Welcome to the paper-less office.  If you still rely on printed copies for records, the signature image will be visible when the signed document is printed.

2.	Approving requisitions for materials created with a word processing template for Microsoft Word.  Your workers send you the requisition, you approve it, and pass it on to purchasing.  The purchasing department verifies your signature, and orders the material, all without printing a page.  Purchasing can save the requisition on their hard disk, including the approval signature data and verify at some future date who approved the material, and on what date.  However, someone gaining access to the stored file cannot reuse your signature.

3.	Adding multiple signatures electronically for all of the people involved in approving a new price, a major project, or the latest plans. You want all of the right people to see and approve the document, but you cant afford the delays of mailing the printed original to everyone in sequence.  Get around the problem by using E Mail to quickly shuttle the document between people, and the Signature program for creating all of the approval signatures.  SIGN works fine on laptops, so you can approve and forward documents while you travel.

4.	Adding your signature to any document for printing.  This has nothing to do with security, but is simply a great way to dress up a document with an image of your signature.  Your digitized signature will print along with the text of the document, making the printed output look sharp.  You can add the signature to the document while you are traveling, and then E mail it to your secretary for printing and mailing.

Although it is possible to use the signature program in electronic correspondence between two separate companies, this is not the intent of the program.  The Signature program is intended primarily for processing of internal documents where approval signatures are required.


Installation
Installation - Quick Summary

1.	You will need to have both the user and the LAN System Administrator present to complete the standard installation for a networked system.

2.	Place the Signature program diskette in the A: drive of your computer.

3.	Start the SIGNSET.EXE program on the diskette running from within Windows.

4.	Select the Begin Installation button.

5.	Verify that the directory names are correct, and the select the Start Installation button.  SIGNSET will copy all of the appropriate files to your destination directory.

6.	Enter the user and system passwords when the password window appears.  The System Administrator will know the system password (just enter system without the quotation marks if you are testing the program, or using it alone.)  Also enter the name of the person using this PC.

7.	SIGNSET will start the Windows Paint program running for you to create your own signature image file.  Draw your signature in black and white, and save the file using the default file name of SIGNATUR.BMP.  The bitmap image can be of any size, but should have the width to height ratio of 8 to 3.  You can also use a scanned image of your signature (see the next topic.)

8.	You can now exit the SIGNSET program.  The Signature program is fully installed.

9.	Test your installation by using the Insert Object menu item from another Windows program such as Word or Windows Write.  Select the Sign Document object.  You should see the signature program appear.  Your own signature image will be embedded in the document if you enter your own user password correctly.


Creating a Signature Image Bitmap

Creating a signature bitmap using Paint is difficult.  Handwriting does not translate well to mouse movements, so you may want to try another method for creating the SIGNATUR.BMP file that holds your signature.  If you are lucky enough to have a digital pen for an input device, you can just write your name using the pens capture software, and save the file as SIGNATUR.BMP in the SIGN directory.  Most of us do not have digital pens, so some sort of image capture is required.

You can use a scanner, or video capture device to create a bitmap of your own written signature.  If you take this approach (or use a digital pen) be sure to crop the image down to a size that has a width to height ratio of 8 to 3.  For example, the default size of the SIGNATUR.BMP file is 160 by 60 pixels.  If you create a bitmap with dimensions that are not 8 to 3, your bitmap will be stretched to fit the 8 by 3 size, distorting the image.  All colors are converted to black and white when the signature is displayed, so it is best to start with a black and white image.

If you do not have a scanner, but are using FAX software, consider sending a FAX of your own signature to yourself.  That way the signature will show up as bitmap image on the screen, ready to be captured.  If you have screen capture software, such as HyJaak or PaintShop, you can capture the SIGNATUR.BMP image right off of the screen.  Otherwise, you can take advantage of  a little-known keyboard trick to capture the entire screen, and then edit the portion you will be using with Windows Paint.

1.	This technique works best if the portion of the FAX or other bitmap containing your signature image is near the upper-left corner of the screen.  The signature should be black against a white background.

2.	To capture the whole screen, press the <Print Screen> key on your keyboard.  This copies the entire screen into the Windows clipboard as a bitmap.

3.	Start the Windows Paint program running, and use the Edit/Paste menu item to paste the clipboard into Paints work area.  Now you have the entire screen image in the Paint edit area.

4.	You only want the portion of the image containing your signature, so use Paints cutting tool (top-right tool on the left side that looks like scissors) to select just the portion of the image containing your signature.

5.	Use the Paint Edit/Cut command to cut out just the signature image.  Now only your signature is in the Windows Clipboard, not the whole screen.

6.	Open the SIGNATUR.BMP file in the SIGN directory from within Paint.  This gives you a bitmap with the correct dimensions to work with.

7.	Erase any image in the SIGNATUR.BMP file, so that you have a completely white edit area.

8.	Use Paints Edit/Paste command to copy the signature you cut out into SIGNATUR.BMP.

9.	Save the file as SIGNATUR.BMP, overwriting the old image.  The file contains the image of your signature, ready for the Signature program to use when creating signature objects.

This sounds like a lot of work, but it only takes a few minutes.  Your reward is a perfect image of your signature, and one that will be used every time you create a Signature object.


Adding a Signature to a Document

The Signature program (SIGN.EXE) cannot be run by itself.  To activate the program, you insert a Signature Object into the body of the document your are working on.  For example, you may have a Word document or Excel spreadsheet that needs a signature.  The signature object is created from within Word or Excel by selecting the Insert Object menu item.  Word and Excel have the Insert Object menu item under the Insert top menu heading, while other applications have it under the Edit menu heading.

Inserting a Signature object automatically activates the SIGN program.  You are prompted for your own private password, and asked to specify how many days the signature should remain valid.  The default validity period is 30 days.

Once you have entered your password and the number of valid days, you are finished creating the signature object.  You can leave the SIGN program by either selecting the Done menu item, or by selecting the second button.   After exiting the SIGN program, you are left with an embedded image of your signature in the document.


Verifying a Signature

The embedded signature object looks just like a bitmap image, but is actually more sophisticated.  If you (or anyone else receiving the document) double clicks the signature with the mouse, the SIGN program is again activated.  If the signature object is valid, SIGN just displays the image of the signature and the name of the person who created the signature.  However, if there is something wrong with the signature, such as it having been moved to another document or having passed the expiration date, the SIGN program will display the word INVALID in big red letters.  The signature image embedded in the document will also be replaced by the word INVALID.  If you then save the document, the word INVALID will permanently replace the signature image.

Regardless of whether the signature is valid or not, you can obtain additional information about the signature object by selecting the Verify menu item on the SIGN programs menu.  There is also a button with a check mark on it that does the same thing as the Verify menu item.  Selecting either of these results in a small window popping up.  The window displays the name of the person who created the object, the date of creating, and the expiration date of the signature.


The Manual Verification Option

Signature objects are intended to be used only once.  Every time you need one, you create a new one from scratch using the Edit/Insert Object menu item.  During signature creation, you have two choices as to how to identify the document containing the signature.  For most applications, such as Word or Excel, you will want to use the applications window caption (the topmost portion of the application window) to automatically identify the document.  For example, in the previous example the document window was captioned Write  DOC_NAME.WRI.  The Signature Program reads this information directly from the document that you are signing.

When you are using the automatic verification option to identify the document, the signature will only be valid as long as the document name remains unchanged.  Be sure that you have saved your document with its final name before adding your signature.  The automatic option also assumes that everyone reading the document is using the same application program.  If you are sending files to someone using different software, you will want to use manual verification, as their software will probably show a different window caption from your application.

As an example of a situation requiring manual verification, imagine that you are creating a signed document in Microsoft Word, and then send it to someone using WordPerfect.  When the document is displayed by WordPerfect the caption bar will be different even though it is the same file being displayed.  You must use manual verification for these situations.  There are also a few applications that can display the document with more than one window caption.  Lotus Notes is a good example, and is covered in more detail later in this manual chapter.

There is only one difference between using automatic and manual verification.  During creation of a new signature object, you will be presented with a window to enter your user password.  To use the manual verification feature in the Signature Program, select the second check box, which is labeled Enter your own description to identify the signatures document..  You will also need to type in a phrase identifying the document.  For example, you might type in Write document containing XXX info.  You do not need to enter the date in your identification phrase, as the Signature Program records the date of creation automatically.

Once created, you can verify a signature object by double-clicking the signature with the mouse.  When you select the Verify menu item,  the Signature Program will display a slightly different verification window.  If the description text does not match the document now holding the signature, just click the check box labeled Check this box to invalidate the signature object.  Once checked, the signature image will be changed to the word INVALID in both the Signature Program window and in the host document.  Save the host document, and the INVALID signature will be permanently written into the document file.  One a signature is invalidated, there is no way to switch it back to being valid.


Changing Your User Password

You can change your own user password at any time by running the SIGNSET program.  SIGNSET is automatically copied to your destination directory during installation, and the SIGNSET icon is placed in the Windows Program Manager group named Main.  Start SIGNSET running, and select the button labeled Change Passwords.  A small dialog box will appear, giving you two choices.  You can select either to change your own user password, or (if you are the System Administrator) to change the system password.

If you select the Change User Password option, another dialog box will.   As a security measure, you must enter your old password correctly before changing the user password.  This stops someone else from changing your user password.  It also means that if you forget your old password you will not be able to create a new one without reinstalling the Signature program from scratch.

You can change the user password as often as you like, and without the assistance of the LAN administrator.  However, changing the system password requires the LAN administrators help.  DO NOT attempt to change the system password yourself.  Having the wrong system password will invalidate every signature that you create when anyone else receives the signature.


Working With E Mail

Although you can transfer a signed document file to another person by handing them a floppy disk containing the file, it is more efficient to send them the file electronically.  There are two ways to do this:

1.	You can use the Windows File Manager to copy the signed document file onto your LAN servers hard disk.  Other people can then access the file and verify the signature data.

2.	You can send the signed document to other people using your electronic mail (E Mail) system.

How well your E Mail system functions as a medium for transferring signed documents depends on how well the system supports OLE (Object Linking and Embedding.) The big three E Mail systems differ in their support of OLE:

Microsoft Mail - Complete support of OLE, ideal for the Signature Program.

Lotus Notes - Complete support of OLE, ideal for the Signature Program.

Lotus cc:Mail - Limited support for OLE with the version 2.1 release.  However, you can use cc:Mail to transfer signed documents created with other applications.


Microsoft Mail

You can use the Edit/Insert Object menu item within MS Mail to insert a signature object directly into a message.  The signature object will be transmitted to all of the people on the distribution lists.  Other people can add their own signatures, and forward the message on.  You can also embed signed documents, such as spreadsheets or Word documents, by using the Attach command within Mail.  Signature data within those documents is preserved as the message is sent and forwarded.

The only trick in using MS Mail is to avoid the Reply and Reply All command when transmitting messages containing embedded data.  MS Mail strips out embedded objects when a reply is sent.  The mail system does this to reduce the amount of duplicate data transmitted.  Embedded spreadsheets, plots, signature objects, and all other types of non-text data are removed from the message before it is used as a reply.  Forwarding the message, rather than replying, preserves the embedded data.

Signing of an E Mail message directly is not that common.  In most cases you will signing a spreadsheet or template created from within Excel, Word, or another similar application to hold the expense report, purchase order, or some other form.  These signed documents can also be transmitted via Microsoft Mail, without disrupting the signature data they contain.

The signed document is attached to a mail message by selecting the Attach button  in Microsoft Mail.  The attached document shows up as an icon in the mail message, with the file name shown under the icon.  You can also add documents to a mail message by using the mouse pointer to drag the documents file name from the Windows File Manager, dropping the file on top of the mail message.  The result is identical - you see the document as an icon in the message area.


Lotus Notes

Notes is not really an E Mail system, but is better described as a textual database.  You can use the Edit/Insert Object menu item within Notes to embed a signature object into any text field in a Notes database.  You can recognize text fields by their distinctive corner brackets [image].   The signature object can be verified later by simply double-clicking the signature image.  This procedure is identical to the earlier discussion of embedding a signature object into a document file, such as a Write document.  However, Notes makes it easy for other LAN users to find and access your documents, due to the excellent searching and viewing features built into Notes.

Lotus Notes is extremely flexible, and allows many different views of the same data.  This means that the windows displaying the signed document may have different names depending on the view or form in use.  You will want to use the manual verification when creating a signature object for Lotus Notes.  See the discussion in the previous section for the differences between manual and automatic verification of signed documents.


Lotus cc:Mail

As of January 1995, cc:Mail is distributed as the version 2.1 release, which has very limited support for OLE.  You will not find an Edit/Insert Object command on the cc:Mail menu.  This is surprising, considering the excellent OLE support built into the Lotus Notes product. However, you can use cc:Mail to transmit signed documents created with other applications that support OLE, such as Excel and Microsoft Word.  You will need to use the manual verification option if you are using cc:Mail, as cc:Mail renames attached documents when they are displayed.

The signed document file can be added to the message using the Attach/File menu item.  The documents icon appears in the upper-right corner of the cc:Mail message window.  The attached file will be transmitted when the message is sent and forwarded to other people.  cc:Mail strips out all attached files if you chose the Reply command, so be sure to use Send and Forward rather than Reply to transmit files.  (You can reconfigure cc:Mail to not strip out attached documents when sending a reply.)

When the message arrives, the recipients can look at the attached document by selecting the icon on the right side of the cc:Mail window, and then selecting the Message/Run Item menu item.  (Do not use the Message/View Item menu item with signed documents, unless you go through the arduous process of teaching cc:Mail how to view the document type.  This complex process is explained in the cc:Mail users manual.)  cc:Mail will start the host application (Windows Write in the example) and display the transmitted document.


Common Problems and Their Solutions

1.	I have the Signature program installed, but signatures that I know are valid show up as Invalid when I double click the signature image.

Most likely, this means that the system password on your machine was entered incorrectly.  Have the System Administrator run the SIGNSET program, to change the system password.

If the signature object is older than the last change to the system password, you may have the correct current system password, but be lacking an older one.  Have the System Administrator enter the previous one or more system passwords and their respective dates, and try again.

It is possible that the date/time clock on your PC is not set properly.  Use the Windows Control Panel application to check and/or change the date as appropriate.  Most network operating systems allow automatic resetting of the client computers system clock on log-on to the network, so this problem can be systematically avoided by your system administrator.

Double-check that the signature you are accessing truly is valid by sending the document to someone else who has the signature program installed, and let them try it.  Perhaps your system is fine, and the problem lies with the signature itself.

2.	Instead of my own signature image, I get a bitmap containing the word Signature.  How do I get my own signature to appear?

The SIGN program reads the file SIGNATUR.BMP to get the image of your signature.  You can edit this file with the Windows Paint program to create your own custom signature image.  If SIGNATUR.BMP looks OK, but you still see the default signature image, you have either moved the SIGN.EXE program, or your SIGN.INI file (created during installation) was damaged.

During installation, the SIGNSET program places the SIGNATUR.BMP file into the same directory with SIGN.EXE.  If you have moved SIGN.EXE, the program will not be able to find SIGNATUR.BMP, and will use the default signature image.  If you have moved the SIGN.EXE file, you will need to either reinstall SIGN.EXE, or (if you are an experienced computer user), edit the SIGN.INI file to change the directory names to match the location you chose for SIGN.EXE.

3.	I want to send a document containing my signature to someone outside of our work group who does not have the SIGN program installed.  What will happen?

People who do not have the Signature program installed can still receive documents containing signature objects without problem.  You signature image will appear as usual, but the user will have no way of validating that the signature is authentic.  If a user without the Signature program double clicks a signature object, Windows will simply display a message that no application exists to handle that type of data object.

4.	I want to send a document containing my signature to someone who is using another type of PC, such as an Apple Macintosh.  Can they validate the signature?

No.  The signature will appear in image form, but they will not be able to validate its authenticity.  This is because the Signature program only runs under Windows and Windows NT.

5.	I forgot my user password.  Is there any way to recover it?

No.  Just install the SIGN program again using SIGNSET.  During installation, SIGNSET will recognize that there is an existing installation, and prompt the System Administrator if the old system passwords should be retained or replaced.  Normally, you will want to enter in only the latest system password.

6.	Our LAN administrator quit, and no one seems to know the system password.  How do we install new users?

Follow the procedure for establishing a new system password.  The new system password will then be effective for everyone, including the new users.

7.	Can the installation be done remotely, over the LAN?

You can copy all of the files from the LAN server to the users machine remotely.  However, entering the user and system passwords must be done from the users machine.  SIGNSET hides the user and system passwords on the users machine, so you must be running SIGNSET from the users machine for this to work.

8.	How can I remove the Signature program from a computer?

The SIGNSET program has an Un-Installation menu command, which will remove the Signature program from the users machine, including removal of all password data, the SIGN.INI file, and so on.  Un-Installation is best done using a copy of SIGNSET.EXE run from a floppy disk or another sub-directory.  This avoids the problem of SIGNSET.EXE not being able to delete itself (no Windows program can do this.)  Either use the copy of SIGNSET.EXE on your original Signature program disk, or copy SIGNSET.EXE from your \SIGN directory to a formatted floppy disk, and then run SIGNSET.EXE from the floppy.  Select the Utility\Un-Install menu item, and follow the directions. SIGNSET will completely remove the Signature program from your hard disk.

9.	A signature object was replaced by the line <<OLE Object: Sign Document>>.  What happened to the original signature?

This occurs when you attempt to forward or reply to a message containing a signature object.  The mail system removes embedded data, including signatures, after the first transmission.  To get around this problem, save the signature object within a host document, such as a Word or Excel file, and attach the file to a mail document.  See the section of this manual entitled Working With E Mail  for more details.


LAN Administrator's Notes

The success and security of the Signature program depends on the LAN administrator following a few simple guidelines to maintain the integrity of the system password.  This portion of the users guide explains how the system password is maintained and updated throughout the work group using the Signature program.


The Importance of the System Password

One of the keys to making the Signature program work is that every user must have the same system password installed on their machine.  Furthermore, it is important for security that none of the users know the system password.  It therefore falls on you, the System Administrator, to install each copy of the Signature program with the correct system password, and to maintain the secrecy of the system password.


Changing the System Password

The Signature program allows the System Administrator to change the system password at any time.  Because every user on the system must have the same system password, changing the system password requires that every computer on the system be individually updated.  That sounds like a lot of work, but fortunately the Signature program allows you to change passwords in advance, to make it easier to keep every system configured correctly.

When you enter a system password using the SIGNSET program, you are also asked to enter the effective date for the signature. If you update the system password several times, you will end up with a series of system passwords and effective dates.  Table 1 shows a hypothetical example.  The Signature program will remember up to 50 date/password combinations on every users system, so the list can be quite long.

From Table 1, you can see that the SIGN program was initially set up with a system password of First*Password*Used effective on 1/1/93.  This system password was changed on 3/1/93 to Second*Password*Used, and so on up to the present.  The current system password was established on 6/1/94, and applies to any document created on or after that day.

Effective Date	System Password

6/1/94	The*Current*System*Password

4/2/94	Fourth*Password*Used

5/1/93	Third*Password*Used

3/1/93	Second*Password*Used

1/1/93	First*Password*Used

Table 1 - A Typical List of System Passwords


Does Changing the System Password Invalidate Old Signatures?

Lets say that several users have put signatures into documents in the last week, but that today is the day that you plan to change the system password.  Are all of the old signature objects invalidated?

The answer is NO.  The Signature program keeps track of the effective date for each system password.  When a signature object is opened for verification, SIGN compares the date of creation to the effective date for each of the system passwords previously entered.  Using the list in Table 1 (previous topic) as an example, a signature created on 5/1/94 would be compared to the system password established on 4/2/94, as that was the valid system password at the time of creation.  However, a signature created on 7/2/94 would use the most recent system password which was installed on 6/1/94.


What About New Users?

Imagine that someone new enters your work group, and needs the Signature program installed for the first time on his or her machine.  If you have recently changed system passwords, you may need to enter not only the most recent system password, but also the last one as well.  After all, this user may receive documents created prior to the last change.  The Signature program could not validate those old signatures unless both the current and previous system passwords were available.

One of the nice things about the SIGNSET program is that it allows you to input as many date/system password pairs as you like.  You can enter the whole list by repeatedly changing the system password using SIGNSET, but being careful to enter the correct effective date for each one.  Generally, you will need to enter a maximum of just two system passwords, assuming that you are not changing the system password more often than once a month.


Can I Setup Future System Password Changes In Advance?

Absolutely.  For example, lets say it is the first of May, and you want to change the system password.  However, not everyone is in the office on any one day due to vacation and travel, so you cant do every machine on a single day.  The trick is to set a new system password effective on a day in the future, such as the first of June.  That way you have a month to get to everyones machine.  Each time you enter the same system password and effective date.  When June first rolls around, each instance of the SIGN program starts using the new system password.

This is the approach you will need to take if you are administrating a Wide Area Network (WAN).  The System Administrators agree in advance what the effective date of the next system password will be.  Each administrator then takes care of all of the local machines at their own site, entering the same system password and (future) effective date.  When that date is passed, all of the machines on the WAN remain in sync.

You might think of carrying this idea to its natural conclusion, and pre-programming 10 or 20 system passwords right from the start.  However, this is a waste of time, as anyone who has gained access to a single system password is just as able to gain access to a list of twenty.  Just enter one at a time.


Installation Without the User Being Present

LAN administrators get called on to do all sorts of tasks for their users.  You may be asked to install a copy of the Signature program on a users machine while the user is out of the office.  Although we recommend that you do all of the installations with the user and LAN administrator both present, you may find that this is not always practical.  The SIGNSET program provides an alternative setup technique that allows the administrator to do all of the installation except for setting the users personal password.

During installation, a dialog box appears to allow entry of both the system and user passwords. Towards the bottom of the dialog box that there is a check box titled Click this box to defer setting the user password until later.  If you select this box, the SIGNSET program will proceed without your needing to enter the user password.  Internally, SIGNSET sets the users password to the word password and then continues through the rest of the installation process.

Later, when the user first attempts to create a Signature object within another document, the Signature program will detect the default password and will prompt the user to run SIGNSET to enter a user password.  The user cannot create Signature objects before setting a user password.

Deferred entry of the user password has one other complication.  As the user is not present during installation, the user is not able to create a personal signature bitmap using the Windows Paint program.  The user can do this later, by editing the SIGNATUR.BMP file in the SIGN directory.  However, it is probably best if the LAN administrator takes care of this chore for the user by capturing a bitmap image of the users signature, and inserting this image into the SIGN directory, replacing the SIGNATUR.BMP file.  By doing this extra step, the user will be able to start using the Signature program after only the minor inconvenience of entering a user password.


How Often Should I Change the System Password?

This is up to you, but a good rule is once a year, or more frequently if you have reason to believe security has been lost.  Remember that the Signature program is not a high security device, but simply an authentication program.  If you have a major security issue, you will need to use data encryption (coding) along with the Signature program, and your energies are best put into making the encryption scheme solid.

You will need to keep a log of the past system passwords and their effective dates.  For obvious reasons, this list must be kept secret  Dont forget to put the log in a sealed envelope, and lock it away when not in use!


LAN vs WAN

The Shareware version of the Signature program is fully functional for Local Area Network (LAN) installations.  Theoretically, the Shareware version can be used in Wide Area Networks (WANs).  However, administration of a WAN is more complex, because all users of the Signature program must have the same system password across the entire WAN.  This requires that each of the LAN administrators at each remote location coordinate the changes to the system passwords.  Although this is possible, it requires careful coordination between locations, and is prone to error.

If you want to extend use of the Signature program to a Wide Area Network, we suggest that you purchase a multi-user license of the Professional version of the Signature program.  The Professional version allows system passwords to be updated by simply sending a specialized electronic mail message to every user across the WAN.  See the next section for more details.


Professional Version of the Signature Program
Signature Program Versions

You are working with the Shareware/30 day evaluation copy of the Signature Program.  You will need to purchase the Professional version of the program if you intend to continue using the software for more than 30 days.  There are a few differences between the evaluation copy and the Professional Version:

1.	The Professional version comes with both 16 bit (Windows 3.1) and 32 bit (Windows 95, Windows NT) versions on disk.  Although the 16 bit version will run on all platforms, the 32 bit version takes advantage of the advanced memory protection features of Windows 95 and Windows NT.  Both versions are file-compatible, and function identically.

2.	The Professional version is available as both a single copy, or via a multi-user license.  The latter covers a 10 user installation, and reduces the cost per user down to $10.  The multi-user license is cost-effective if you have three or more users at a single site.

3.	The multi-user version allows the system password to be updated by sending a single E Mail message to all users of the Signature program.  Broadcasting the system password changes makes life much simpler for the LAN administrators  This is ideal for large installations, and WAN applications, which may have users in many locations around the world.

Using the E Mail system password technique requires that the users of the Signature program also be users of some form of electronic mail that supports attached documents. All of the common forms of E Mail, such as Microsoft Mail and Lotus cc:Mail, support attached documents.

Jump to Ordering Information.

Jump to Order Form.

For more information, send inquires to:

Regnoc Software

PO Box 1253

San Ramon, CA, 94583

United States of America

Voice: 510-806-0713,  FAX: 510-806-0790

Or use our CompuServe E Mail address of 73220,324

Or Internet at:  73220,324@compuserve.com


Registering your copy of the Signature Program
Ordering your copy of the Signature Program

There are three ways to order your copy of the Signature program.

1) You can print out the order form and mail it along with a check or money order to the address on the form.

Jump To The Order Form

2) You can register on CompuServe.  Just type GO SWREG from within CompuServe, and the menus will guide you through the simple registration.  The Signature Program is product number 4936.  You will be directly billed as part of your CompuServe charges.  CompuServe will handle single purchases, but not 10 user licenses.

3) You can register via the Public (software) Library.  PsL allows you to place orders using credit cards.  The Signature Program is PsL product number 11933.  PsL will process both single purchases ($40) and 10 user licenses ($100.)

Credit Card Orders Only

You can order with MC, Visa, Amex, or Discover from Public (software) Library by calling 800-2424-PsL or 713-524-6394 or by FAX to 713-524-6398 or by CompuServe Email to 71355,470.  You can also mail credit card orders to PsL at P.O.Box 35705, Houston, TX 77235-5705.

The Above Numbers Are For ORDERS ONLY

Any questions about the status of the shipment of the order, refunds, registration options, product details, technical support, volume discounts, dealer pricing, site licenses, etc., must be directed to Regnoc Software at P.O. Box 1253, San Ramon, CA, 94583.  To insure that you get the latest version, PsL will notify Regnoc Software the same day as your order, and we will ship the product directly to you.

If you do not plan to continue using the Signature program, just run the SIGNSET.EXE program and select the Utility/Un-Install menu option to remove it from your machine.  This will remove all of the files and initialization data used by the Signature program from your machine.  You will still see signature objects as images in documents containing signature data, but you will not be able to verify the signatures authenticity.


Registration Form
Order Form - The Signature Program

Your Name:	______________________________________________

Company:	______________________________________________

Street:	______________________________________________

Suite/Apartment Number: 	____________________________________

City:	____________________________	State: _________

Postal Code:	____________________________

Country:	____________________________

Professional Version - Single User - Both 16 bit and 32 bit versions included on disk.  Includes disk and illustrated manual.

   Signature Program Copies requested: 	____

   Multiply copies* $40/copy   =	$ ___________

Professional Version - 10 user license. Both 16 bit and 32 bit versions included on disk. Includes automated system password updating via Electronic Mail.  Also includes illustrated Users Guide and System Administrators manual.

   Signature Program - Professional Version Copies Requested:

   (Includes disks, manuals, no additional registration fee per user.) 	 ____

  Multiply copies * $100 =	$ ___________

Total Order:	$ ___________

Include a check or money order made out for the total amount to: Regnoc Software

Send the order form and check to:

Regnoc Software

Signature Program Orders

P.O. Box 1253

San Ramon, CA, 94583

United States of America

Voice: 510-806-0713, FAX: 510-806-0790


Signature Program Feedback

We would appreciate your input on this software to help us continue

to improve it.

What version of the Signature Program are you using:

Version Number ______  [ ] Shareware   [ ] Professional Version

(Use the Help/About menu item in SignSet to find the version no.)

Where did you get your copy:

[ ] Friend

[ ] Regnoc Software

[ ] Online Service (please name: _______________________ )

[ ] Catalog Service (please name: _______________________ )

[ ] Other ___________________________________________

 What operating system are you using:

 [ ] Windows 3.1 or earlier

 [ ] Windows for Workgroups

 [ ] Windows 95

 [ ] Windows NT

 [ ] Other: ______________________________

What do you like about the Signature Program:

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

What would you do to improve it?

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

How do you rate the Signature Program on a scale of 1-10 for

its total quality and value?

_____ (1 = terrible, 10 = excellent)

Thank you!


Limits of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty

The Signature program is an authentication program, not a security or encryption program.  See the discussion under the heading How Secure is the Signed Document? for detail as to the limitations of the Signature program, and suggestions for additional security measures when warranted.

The author and distributor of this software make no warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, with regard to these programs or documentation.  The author and distributor shall not be liable in any event for incidental or consequential damages in connection with, or arising out of, the furnishing, performance, or use of these programs.


Obtaining Support

Most people end up asking us questions that are in the users guide and on-line help file, so you may want to take another look before going to the trouble of making a formal request.

If you cannot find the answers to your questions on the Signature program in this document, you can contact Regnoc Software.  There are several ways to do this.  The fastest way is via electronic mail.  Regnoc Software is available on CompuServe at the following address:

Regnoc Software on CompuServe: 73220, 324

If you are an Internet user:

Regnoc Software on Internet: 73220,324@compuserve.com

If you do not know how to use CompuServe or Internet, you can call or FAX Regnoc Software and request support.  Be sure to have the following information:

Your full name: ___________________________________

Your full telephone number: ______________________________

Your FAX number (if any): _______________________________

Your company name (if any): _______________________________

Your mailing address: _______________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

The version on Windows you are running: ____

The version of the Signature Program: ____

The version and name of the Application that you are embedding signature objects into: ______________________________  version ______ .

The specific conditions under which the problem occurs: ____________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

The description of the problem itself: ___________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

You can write to Regnoc Software, summarizing the same information listed above.

Regnoc Software

Signature Program Support

P.O. Box 1253

San Ramon, CA, 94583

United States of America

Voice: 510-806-0713, FAX: 510-806-0790


About Shareware

This copy of the Signature Program is distributed as Shareware.  Many people are not familiar with the Shareware concept, so here is a brief description.

DEFINITION OF SHAREWARE

Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it.  If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to register.  Individual programs differ on details -- some request registration while others require it, some specify a maximum trial period.  With registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue using the software to an updated program with printed manual.

Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software, and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as stated below.  Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable quality.  (In both cases, there are good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of distribution.  The author specifically grants the right to copy and distribute the software, either to all and sundry or to a specific group.  For example, some authors require written permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their Shareware.

Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software.  You should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's commercial or Shareware.  The Shareware system makes fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy.  And because the overhead is low, prices are low also.  Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it.

DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT

Users of Signature Program must accept this disclaimer of warranty: "Signature Program is supplied as is.  The author disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose.  The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential, which may result from the use of Signature Program."

Signature Program is a "shareware program" and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation.  Feel free to share it with your friends, but please do not give it away altered or as part of another system.  The essence of "user-supported" software is to provide personal computer users with quality software without high prices, and yet to provide incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products.  If you find this program useful and find that you are using Signature Program and continue to use Signature Program after a reasonable trial period, you must make a registration payment of $40.00 to Regnoc Software.  The $40.00 registration fee will license one copy for use on any one computer at any one time.  You must treat this software just like a book.  An example is that this software may be used by any number of people and may be freely moved from one computer location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it being used at one location while it's being used at another.  Just as a book cannot be read by two different persons at the same time.

Commercial users of Signature Program must register and pay for their copies of Signature Program within 30 days of first use or their license is withdrawn.  Site-License arrangements may be made by contacting Regnoc Software.  Anyone distributing Signature Program for any kind of remuneration must first contact Regnoc Software at the address below for authorization.  This authorization will be automatically granted to distributors recognized by the (ASP) as adhering to its guidelines for shareware distributors, and such distributors may begin offering Signature Program immediately (However Regnoc Software must still be advised so that the distributor can be kept up-to-date with the latest version of Signature Program.).

You are encouraged to pass a copy of Signature Program along to your friends for evaluation.  Please encourage them to register their copy if they find that they can use it.

Regnoc Software

PO Box 1253

San Ramon, CA, 94583

United States of America

Voice/FAX: 510-806-0713

Or use our CompuServe E Mail address of 73220,324


Ombudsman Statement - Association of Shareware Professionals

This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware

Professionals (ASP).  ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle

works for you.  If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem

with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to

help.  The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an

ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products.

Please write to the:

ASP Ombudsman

545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI

49442-9427 USA

FAX 616-788-2765

or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe

Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.

(End of the Help Document)