Winarch
Winarch is a program that provides access to the Archie service. Archie is a service
that has been designed to help locate files on the Internet.
A program such as Ftpw can be used to down load any files found with
this application.
Setting up Winarch
To use Winarch you will need to know the address of an Archie server. This address
needs to be appended to the command line of the Winarch program item.
In Program Manager, highlight the Winarch icon and select Properties from the File menu.
Append the following parameter to the command line:
-archie=<archie server>:<port>
By default, Archie uses port 191.
For example: c:/trumpet/winapps/winarch.exe -archie=archie.mcgill.ca:191
Using Winarch
To use Winarch, just enter the name of a file you’re trying to locate in the
Target field, and select Search.You can also search for text strings.
If you want to restrict your search to a certain domain on the Internet, use the
Suffix field.
For example, if you’re only interested in Australian sites, enter: au
Ftpw
This is a simple FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program that can be used to down load
files from an FTP server.
Often used with a search program such as Winarch.
Using Ftpw
When Ftpw is loaded, you will be prompted for the name of an FTP server. Enter a
server's name or IP address and press <enter>. After a few seconds you
should be connected to the server.
Most servers will prompt you for a username and password before letting you do anything
interesting. If you haven’t been given a username, you should login in anonymously.
To log in anonymously, enter anonymous at the username prompt. An acceptable password
will be generated automatically by Ftpw.
Once logged in you can use dir to list the directory contents of the remote host, and
cd <dir> to move between directories on that host. To move around your
own machine and determine where files will be transferred from and to, use ldir
and lcd <dir>.
To download a file, first enter either bin or asc, depending on whether you’re downloading
a binary (zip, exe, etc..) or ASCII (text) file. Then type get <filename>
to retrieve the file.
Enter quit to close the connection.
If you're having trouble closing the Ftpw window, press <Esc> to close the session.
Once the program is inactive you will be able to close it normally.
FTP commands
Enter help for a list of commands. Please check the Help file for their descriptions.
Winchat
Winchat is a very simple chat program. It allows you to talk to another user on the
Internet who is also using Winchat.
To initiate a connection with another Winchat user, select Connect from the menu and enter
their machine’s IP address in the Host field.
Admittedly, this could be a problem for a lot of dial-up users since most Internet Service
Providers allocate IP addresses dynamically. That is, they assign a different IP
address each time you log in. This won’t be a problem if one of the users has a
fixed IP address.
View
This is a very simple text viewer that is capable of displaying very large text files
(If you’re thinking that there’s no way that a text viewer could have anything to
do with the Winsock... you’re entirely correct, it doesn’t really).
It doesn’t have an Open function within the program, so to open a file with it you will
have to use the command line or the Run command. The simplest way to do this is
to highlight the file to wish to view in the File Manager, then select Run from
the File menu and enter view before the file name: view <filename>
For example: view bigfile.txt
If you get an error message saying that File Manager cannot find the specified file, it is
probably because view.exe couldn’t be found. In that case, you will need to move
view.exe into a directory that is listed in the path command of your autoexec.bat
file (If you do this, don’t forget to update the command line of the View program
item in File Manager) or you can enter the full path:
c:/trumpet/winapps/view bigfile.txt
WinIRC
WinIRC is an easy to use IRC program. If you want to meet people on the Internet and
have a chat, then you will find IRC to be the ideal environment.
Features
WinIRC has the following features:
- Windows for accessing multiple channels at once.
- Full command compatibility with all servers.
- Optional continuous display of current channel users.
What is IRC?
IRC (short for Internet Relay Chat) is a global network that is like a phone party
line. Anybody on the Internet can hook into it from anywhere in the world as long
as they know the address of an IRC server.
Using IRC is like going to an international convention centre where you may meet and
talk to any number of other Internet users. To use IRC, it is important to grasp
the concept of channels.
If using IRC is like being in a convention centre, then joining a channel is like going
into a meeting room. Sometimes you will be the only person in a channel, waiting
for someone else to arrive. Sometimes you will be talking to just one other person.
If you join a populated channel, it is likely that there will be many conversations
going on at once.
Sometimes the name of a channel will relate to what the people inside it are talking about,
but not always. Channels also have topics, that may provide a more current
description of what people in the channel are talking about.
Using WinIRC
This section provides a general introduction to IRC and outlines the basics of using
WinIRC. If you’re using IRC for the first time, then you should work through each
step in turn.
Setting up WinIRC
Before you can use WinIRC, you will need to know the name (or IP address) of an IRC server.
- Open WinIRC by double-clicking on its icon, and select Setup from the File menu to
open the Setup dialog. The first time you run WinIRC, this dialog will appear automatically.
- Enter the address of an IRC Server in the Host field.
The Host and Port determine the IRC server you will be connected to.
Unless you have been instructed otherwise, leave the Port set to 6667.
- Enter your User name, Email address, and Nick name.
Although you need to enter a username, it’s not really used for anything. Set it
to either your dial-up user name or the first part of your email address. Your
nickname is what other IRC users will refer to you as, so it is worthy of some
thought. It should be a unique name that identifies you, and must be 9 or less
characters long. We will deal with what happens if your nickname is being used by
someone else later.
- Select OK to continue.
- WinIRC will then automatically connect to your server and display the server’s
welcome message in the Main window. Depending on how busy the server is, this may
take some time. You may need to use the scroll bar on the side of the window to
move to the bottom.
- If your nickname is currently in use by someone else, you will probably be asked
to change it. You can change it temporarily by typing the following server command
at the bottom of the window: /nick <#new nickname> To change it
permanently, you will need to edit the Setup dialog.
Joining a channel
To get a listing of the current channels, either select List from the menu, or type: /list
This will open a new window that lists the current channels. Note that channel names
always begin with a "#" symbol. After each channel name is the number
of users currently in the channel and the channel’s topic.
Only the channels with more users than the number specified in the List threshold
setting of the Setup dialog will be listed. For example, if you only want to know
about channels with 5 or more users, then set the List threshold to 5.
Next you will probably want to join a group. Either select Join from the menu bar and
enter a channel name, or type: /join <#channel>. Alternatively, you
can join a channel by double-clicking on its name in the Listing window.
Whenever you type in a channel name, remember to start its name with a "#"
symbol. For example, to join the channel #trumpet, enter: /join <#channel>
A new screen will appear with the channel's name and topic in the title bar. On the
right hand side of the screen is a list of the people currently in the channel.
If the channel didn't previously exist, you will have just created the channel. In
this case only your nickname will be listed in the right hand column.
Talking to everyone in a channel
If you've joined a populated channel, your screen is probably starting to fill with
messages from people in the channel.
Notice that each line in the main part of the screen is preceded by the nickname of
whoever typed it.
To have your say, type something in the strip that runs across the bottom of the screen
and press <#channel>.
Any line you type that doesn’t start with the "/" symbol will be displayed on
the screens of all the other users of that channel. Lines starting with a "/"
are treated as server commands.
Talking to one person
Occasionally you will prefer to have a private conversation with just one other person.
You can do this by opening a query session.
You can open a query session to a single person either by selecting Query from the menu
and entering their nickname, or by entering: /query <nickname> <text>
Alternatively, you can double-click on their nick-name in the channel list. This will
open a new screen in which everything you type will be seen by only that person.
If you want to send just one line to another user, but you don’t want to open a query
session, use: /msg <nickname> <text>
Moving between screens
Before long your screen will be full of screens. In addition to a screen for each
channel you have joined you'll also have the main window as well any list windows
to contend with. Some care will need to be taken otherwise you’ll get totally lost.
You can resize the screens using the normal Windows methods. Don’t forget that you can
minimise screens that you’re not currently interested in, and use the options under
the Window menu to help arrange the screens.
To move between screens you can use any of the following methods:
- Click on a screen to bring it to the foreground.
- Select the screen’s title from the Window menu.
- Use Ctrl+Tab to cycle through the Windows.
Leaving a channel
Whether you’ve got bored of a channel that you’re on, or you’ve decided that it’s time
to go back to the real world, eventually you’ll need to say goodbye to your new
friends and leave a channel.
The easiest way to leave a channel is by closing that channel’s window. Don’t forget
to say goodbye first!
Menu Commands
Most of the menu commands automate server commands. Only the exceptions are listed here.
File/Setup
The settings in the screen relate to the IRC server and your identity on it.
Trmptel