BackMail II ***************************** BackMail II will be released in April-May 1990. Here are the new features of BackMail-II. 1. SCRIPTS BackMail-II reads communications scripts. We call the script language "BSL". It is a very compact, very terse, communications language. It is designed with fast, unobtrusive, background operation in mind. Scripts enable Backmail to: - dial through data switches, PADs and services like PC- pursuit that require log on, id and route addressing. Access to dial through PAD's will give BackMailers tremendous savings on long distance traffic. - Do complex Initialization of High Speed modems for selected destinations. (E.g. set MNP levels etc) - log on and into information services and E-mail nodes that support a BackMail server. Scripts files are ASCII text files kept in the backmail directory. From within BackMail they are defined under "Change Setup" very much like prefixes, except instead of giving a arbitrary label you enter a list of up to 8 script names. These names appear in the phone directory window just like prefixes. Thus a user might have scripts for 'DATAPAC', 'TYMNET', 'UUCP', 'USR-HST' ... &c. and declare some users "LONG DATAPAC","LOCAL UUCP" an so on. The Script language includes a command to save all script transactions in a "SCRIPT.LOG" file, to help in the debugging of complex scripts. BackMail-II will come with plenty of sample scripts and a BSL manual. The script.log file is placed in the user's "transfer" directory. 2. POLLING Now in addition to declaring some destinations as e.g. "High Priority' one can, from the Phone Directory Menu, mark declarations to be "polled". A polled destination is called at least once every hour, even if you have no mail addressed to it, to collect mail pending from that destination. This is one more step towards complete voice compatibility. Using polling the user can set his availability and answer Mode such that BackMail will never answer the phone with carrier, and yet regularly receive mail from all the polled destinations. It will be particularly useful as BackMail servers on mainframe based E-mail networks like UUCP proliferate. 3. OUTCALL ONLY (SECURE CALLS) Marking a destination as OUTCALL is the reverse of the current feature "Do not accept return mail". When a destination is marked as an OUTCALL BackMail will only deliver mail to it when BackMail has called that destination, not when that destination (or a BackMail that has that destination's phone number) calls. OUTCALL is intended to satisfy users who wanted more security for their BackMail traffic. 4. CHECK FOR SUSPENDED DESTINATION ON REPLY In version 2, BackMail will warn you when you reply to a suspended destination, and offer the option of unsuspending. 5. TIME ZONE ADJUSTMENT With version 2, Backmails automatically compare local times and adjust for time zone diferences in availability times. 6. AVAILABILITY LOCK There are certain circumstances in which you may want your BackMail *not* to adjust a availability to the users declared settings (e.g. if you wish to poll a long distance number once a day after midnight). In BackMail-II an individual destination's availability can be "locked" at the phone directory window. 7. CALL NOW Now hitting "N" at the main menu sends the first available message immediately, overiding BackMail's normal approx 3 minute cycle. (Note: Call Now does not overide availability or priority.) 8. GROUPS The user can define 6 group names and assign any subset of his destination directory to a group. Group names appear at the top of the destination window below "All local" and "All internal phone numbers" 9. NEW UTILITIES SEND.COM is a utility that allows you to post files by backmail from the dos prompt or from a batch file. Files can be adressed by number or handle. Thus: SEND -c:\backmail -Hjoe -Fd:\123\myfile.wks will post "myfile.wks" to "joe" without having to access the main menu. If your editor supports macros this utility allows you to substitute your editor for the BackMail message editor. CONVERT.COM alows you to convert your BackMail-I phone directories to version II format saving the trouble of having to re-enter the numbers. PMERGE.EXE allows you to merge 'foreign' phone directories with yours. 10. CC. LISTS BackMail now appends a CC list to all messages which are adressed to more that one destination. CC lists can be supressed from the phone address list. 11. DISPLAY STATUS Now displays information about the status of polled destinations as well as errors in reading scripts or logging scripts or script language errors. 12. AUTODIALER The voice autodialer will now read phone numbers from the screen of the user's foreground application. 13. BMCONFIG A new BMCONFIG will make installation much easier and will includes predefined settings for non-standard modems. 14. WELCOME FILE The user can designate a file (it must reside in the BackMail directory) which will be sent to any "unknown caller". I.e. any caller who is not already in the user's phone directory. The name of the file is entered under the change setup menu. 15. ALPHABETICAL LOOK UP Now in the phone directory or destination list, the user can search through handles by hitting the first letter of the user's name or handle. 16. VARIABLE NUMBER FORMAT BackMail-II supports non-North American phone number formats (e.g. 1-5 digit area codes, 6 digit numbers...etc). 17. SIZE? With all this BackMail-II takes *less* RAM that BackMail-I. (At this point about 33k) PRICING, UPGRADES AND CRIPPLEWARE ***************************************************** BackMail-II will cost $50. Upgrades (though not manuals) will be free to users who have registered BackMail-I prior to BackMail-II's release. BackMail-II is a kind of "crippleware". The way it works is that some program functions (send file, forward and reply) are locked out until the user actually registers. The functions are automatically unlocked by a call to the registration machine once the users payment has cleared. There is no whining message. A user can elect to Register by hitting 'G' at the main menu when it appears (it isn't always there). Some people will not like this. But we think it is reasonable. The complaints against standard crippleware/test drive programs do not apply here since the program is fully function and unlocking the relevant functions is very easy thanks to our Teleware system. The new system also makes it possible for users to pay by check or purchase site licenses. Note that there are lots of BackMail-I's out there and users who want to avoid registration can continue to (indeed are encouraged to!) use them.