DOWNLOADING PROGRAMS AND TEXT FILES


Many of us periodically check into the Freenet, Internet, and
local bulletin boards (BBS). Often we see things which we would
like to keep for use and reference. They are divided into two
major classifications: program files and text files. Each type
is downloaded differently.

Downloading programs:

Only general directions can be given for downloading programs
because the specifics depend entirely on the particular BBS
where they are found AND the communications program you are
using. The procedure is to set the BBS to download and then set
your com program to accept it.

As an example, consider the procedure used when downloading a
program from the Richmond BRE (Blue Ridge Express) BBS. Before
beginning, you must have set your personal preferences on BRE
to use a protocol (Xmodem, Ymodem, etc) which is compatible
with one of the choices in your com program.

First, go to the FILES sub-board from the main menu. The FILES
menu gives you an opportunity to search for a particular
program if you don't know its name. When you have the name of
the program, select D for download.

BRE will then ask you for the program name which must be
entered exactly. You are told the size of the program and the
approximate time it will take to download it. BRE is then ready
to send it.

The next step is to tell your com program to get the program
from BRE. There are as many ways to do this as there are
varieties of com programs.  You will have to check your com
program manual or help file to get specific instructions. In
any case, however, you must specify the same protocol you have
told BRE to use.

You may send the new program to a floppy disk (slowest), hard
disk, or "RAM-disk" (fastest). (If you need instructions for
preparing a RAM-disk, see your DOS manual.)

When the downloading is complete, BRE will let you know and ask
what you want to do next. Once you leave BRE, you can run the
program just like any other on your machine.


Downloading ("printing") text files:

Text files can be email, newsgroup messages, bulletins--in
fact, anything in text form as contrasted with programs. Of
course, these files can be captured by pressing the "Print
Screen" key as often as necessary to get all of them. This,
however, is the worst and slowest way to get the file.

A textile can be sent to your printer but this is a slow
process because the printer is the slowest part of your system.
It is much better to send the file to a subdirectory on your
hard disk, for example, to a subdirectory you have named TEMP
(for temporary) or anything that appeals to you. The best
place, however, is to send the file to a "RAM-disk" as it will
take the least amount of time. Once a text file has been
"printed" to disk, you can load it into your word processing
program and read or edit or print it (on paper) at your
leisure--even turn around and send it to someone else by email
if you wish.

BRE, Freenet, Internet, and others normally have a special key
to press to get the file (usually "p"). If you make no advance
preparations, that file will go to the printer and you will
just have to wait until all of it has printed out. It is far
better to make those preparations.


The simplest GRIVA utilities disk set. (There are other such
programs available.) It must be used BEFORE you call the net or
BBS.

The command (from the DOS prompt) is REDIRECT /lpt1 d:fn, where
lpt1 is your normal printer port, d is the drive (a:, c:\temp,
d:, etc), and fn is the filename under which you want it saved.
As an example, REDIRECT /lpt1 d:today will send the file to
drive d: and it will be saved under the name today.

The redirect program is like a detour on a road. Everything
sent to the printer is "redirected" from the printer to the
destination you specified.  Until REDIRECT is unloaded
(REDIRECT /u) it remains in effect, sending all printing to the
other destination.

You can "print" dozens of files to your destination because the
redirect program inserts a page-break after each file it sends
to your destination and simply adds on the next one. Thus, when
you later load the destination file into your word processor,
each original text file will be separated by a hard-page-break
making it easy to read or print out those you wish.

When you check out of the net or BBS, don't forget to unload
REDIRECT (as above) or everything you try to print will
continue to be sent to that same file instead of the printer.

Incidentally, you can download programs while REDIRECT is
loaded. This is possible because REDIRECT affects only those
things sent to the printer. Downloaded programs are not sent to
the printer and, thus, go directly to the disk file you specify.

There is another possible method of capturing text files. Some
com programs will allow you to make a log of whatever appears
on the screen; i.e., of your interaction with the net/BBS. The
log is sent to a file designated by you and can be loaded into
your word processor for manipulation.

Using the log function, if available to you, will work but it
is not a very "neat" method of capturing a files. Regardless of
how careful you are to turn the log function on and off, you
will get a lot of extra junk you don't want in the file and
you'll just have to do that much more editing. The redirection
system is much better.


Conclusion

With a bit of practice, you will gain facility in the
downloading of programs and text files. This will give you a
great source of shareware programs for genealogy--complete
genealogy programs and all kinds of utilities.

Once you do get the hang of using REDIRECT, you may wish to
write a simple "bat file" to first load REDIRECT and then run
your com program. It will also unload REDIRECT automatically
when you exit the com program in the normal manner. A bat file
would look like this (assumes sub-directories util and comit
are in the path):

        echo off
        redirect /lpt1 d:today
        comit
        redirect /u
        cd\