Introduction to WinBiff
Biff4Win:
Email-Checks made easy!

Introduction to Biff4Win

Biff4Win (Biff fo(u)r Windows) is a helpful little program, that allows you to check your UNIX-host for new Email.

Biff4Win greatest advantage over the email program you normally use to detect and read email is its size. Biff4Win consumes less than 30 kB of your precious main memory, whereas most of the "full fledged" email programms consume far more than 500 kB. Another advantage of Biff4Win is, that it is free and that you even can get its source-code (which is not free) if you like.

Biff4Win informs you of the state of your Mailbox by displaying different icons:

  	This icon is to inform you, that Biff4Win hasn't yet successfully connected to your host. This may be due to incomplete configuration in the Set Host Parameters dialog or simply because Biff4Win still needs some time to resolve the entered host-address.

 	This icon informs you, that Biff4Win has successfully connected to your host, but no new email has arrived for you yet.

This icon is to inform you, that there is at least one email for you at your host. The exact number of emails available is given under the icon. You can use the Set Email Reaction dialog to configure Biff4Win to immediately start your email-program if new email is detected, or you may ask Biff4Win just to beep, if new email is detected.

Installing Biff4Win

Just copy Biff4Win.exe and Biff4Win.hlp into the same directory. Then make Biff4Win an icon in the program manager or use the filemanager to start Biff4Win for the first time. Biff4Win then needs to be configured for the communication for the communication with your UNIX email host.

Please see the information about the Set Host Parameters dialog and the Set Email Reaction dialog for further help on how to configure Biff4Win.

Using Biff4Win routinely

We tested Biff4Win thoroughly and found out that, depending on the TCP/IP-stack installed on your computer, Biff4Win might detect errors during transmissions. For example, if you are using the PC-NFS TCP/IP-stack, Biff4Win  -  like any other programm that uses the Windows sockets  -  will not be able to open a socket, if the BORLAND C-Compiler (3.1) or the MS Visual C Linker (V. 1.5) are running.

The corresponding error-messages by Biff4Win might be annoying, because you might already know about these problems.

To keep Biff4Win "quiet", specify the command-line parameter "-nowarnings" at startup, and Biff4Win will stop complaining about network problems and try over again.

On the other hand, Biff4Win might not be able to connect to your POP3-server and you don't know why. In order to give you help to solve possible problems, Biff4Win understands the command-line parameter  "-debug". If you use the "-debug" switch, Biff4Win opens a text-window and gives you detailed information of what it is currently doing.

Disclaimer:

Biff4Win is free, so you may use it and copy it for your friends. But remember:

THIS PROGRAM IS PROVIDED ON "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED.

IN NO EVENT AND UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL THE AUTHOR OF THIS PROGRAM, BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION DAMAGES FOR

LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION AND THE LIKE ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR THE INABILITY TO USE THIS PRODUCT.


Getting the source-code
Biff4Win:

Email-Checks made easy!

Getting the Biff4Win Source-Code

If you like, you can get the full source-code of Biff4Win. Win Biff is written completely in C and the source-code comprises everything you need to compile Biff4Win either with Microsoft Visual C++ 1.5 or with Borland-C++ 3.1. The source code - to my mind - gives quite a good example of how to use the Windows Sockets API and how to write clients and servers for any kind of network communication programms.

Although the feature of the included networking-code to be the server-part of a socket-connection is not used by Biff4Win, it comes with the source-code, so that you can write e.g. a ftp-daemon, a sendmail daemon etc. - the only limit is your imagination.

If you have email, make 20 DM or 15 US$ "payable" to me. After having received the payment, I'll send the source-code to you via email (one archive file of 50kb).

If you don't have email, that means that I'll have to copy the Biff4Win source-code on a diskette and mail it to you, you'll have to send me 30 DM or 25 US$.

I'm currently living in Germany, so if you are a european citizen, the easiest way to pay for Biff4Win, is to send me a euro-check. If your are from other places in the world, you could transfer the money to my bank account in Germany or directly send me the amount in notes if you have trust in the postal services.

If you don't see a chance to transfer the money, but you necessarily need the source-code, send me an email and we'll find a way, e.g. in the form of a packet of diskettes, that you could send me.

Please send any orders, requests or questions and comments via email to:

rossmann@pobox.com

or write me a letter:

Jürgen Roßmann

Kranenbusch 19

44395 Dortmund

Germany


The Set Host Parameters Dialog
Biff4Win:
Email-Checks made easy!

The "Set Host Parameters" Dialog

The Set Host Parameters Dialog allows you to enter the parameters that Biff4Wins needs to know to contact your host. As shon in the figure below, Biff4Win needs to know the name of the host, where your email is sent, your username at this host, and - if your account is secured by a password - your current password.

In order to find out about the state of your mailbox, Biff4Win makes use of the POP3-protocol. The default port specified for the POP3 service is port 109(dec.). In case Biff4Win should not be able to contact your server at this port, you could also try to establish a connection via port 110, which is also common for POP3.

Please click into the dialog below to get detailed information.


Interval between two checks for email
Enter here how many minutes Biff4Win should wait between two email-checks.


Save password for the next sessions
If you check this box, your password will be saved between the sessions. The password will be written to BIFF4WIN.INI in an encoded form.


Enter your password
Enter the password corresponding to the host- and username here.


Enter your username at the UNIX-server
Enter here your login name for the host which holds your email-mailbox.


POP3-service port of  the Unix-server
Enter the port number here, on which your UNIX-server responds to POP3 requests. Most UNIX-servers provide a POP3-service at port 109 or 110 (dec.).


Enter Internet-Address
Enter here the Internet-address of the UNIX-server which holds your mailbox. You may enter either directly the IP-address (like e.g. "129.217.200.1") or the symbolical name of your host like e.g. "damon.irf.uni-dortmund.de".


The Set Reaction On Email Dialog
Biff4Win:
Email-Checks made easy!

The "Set Reaction on New Email" Dialog

The Set Reaction on new Email Dialog allows you to specify, how you want Biff4Win to react on new Email. You can either ask Biff4Win to just issue a beep, if new email has received, or you can specify a program that Biff4Win will start whenever new email has arrived. In case that your email programm is already running when Biff4Win detects new email, Biff4Win activates this programm and moves its window to the top.

Please klick on the dialog elements to get further information.


Checkbutton Stay Ontop

If  you check this button, the Biff4Win-Icon will stay on top of all other windows in order to remind you, that there is new email.


Email Program to start

Enter the name of your email program here. Use the Browse-button to get the File-Open-Dialog to assist you.


Start an Email Program on new Email

Check this button if you want Biff4Win to start your email program as soon as new mail arrives.


Just Beep on new Email

Check this button if you just want Biff4Win to beep as soon as new mail arrives. Also see the stay-on-top checkbox below, which allows Biff4Win to stay on top of all windows to remind you of the new email.


The Post-Office-Protocol V. 3

POP3 stands for Post-Office-Protocol V.3 and is described in the Internet "Request for Comments" No. 1725.