





                 Ŀ
                                                   
                   News Carrier Standard Edition   
                              ver 2.02             
                                                   
                         Brought to you by:        
                        TRACKS From The Past       
                         TracWare Division         
                                                   
                         Copyright (C) 1997        
                        All Rights  Reserved       
                                                   
                 




                     ͻ
                      LIMITATIONS AND WARRANTY 
                     ͼ


        News Carrier Standard Edition is published as Shareware and
comes with a 30-day usage license.  The program is fully functional
and not limited or crippled in any way.  If you wish to continue using
the program beyond the 30-day, you are legally required to REGISTER
this program with the author and are on your honor to do so.

        Neither TRACKS From The Past nor the TracWare Division make
warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, including without
limitation, any warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a
particular purpose.

        Neither TRACKS From The Past nor the TracWare Division shall
be liable for any damages, whether direct, indirect, special or
consequential arising from a failure of this program to operate in the
manner desired by the user.  Neither TRACKS From The Past nor the
TracWare Division shall be liable for any damage to data or property
which may be caused directly or indirectly by use of this program.

        IN NO EVENT WILL TRACKS FROM THE PAST OR THE TRACWARE DIVISION
BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS, SAVINGS, OR
OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OR
INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY.

                               (PAGE 1)
                  ͻ
                         Table of Contents       
                  ͼ

     Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  1
     Limitations and Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  1
     Read1st File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2
     Welcome  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
     Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
     Registration Benefits  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
     System Requirements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
     Technical Support  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
     Main Menu  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7
     Add/Edit Menu  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7
        Add Record  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  8
        Insert Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  8
        Edit Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  8
        Delete Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  8
     Billing Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  9
        Bill Monthly  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  9
        Weekly Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  9
        Enter Payments  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  9
        News Paper Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  9
     Print Reports Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
        List Addresses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
        Collection List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
        Record ID# List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
        Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
     View/Docs/Help Menu  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
        Copyright Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
        Registration Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
        View Records  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
        Collection List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
        Outstanding Collections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
        History File  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
        Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
        Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
     Program Files List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
     Hints And Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
     Revison History  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

                  ͻ
                        TRACKS From The Past     
                              TracWare           
                   News Carrier Standard Edition 
                            Version 2.02         
                  ͼ

News Carrier Standard Edition 2.02 is provided as shareware.  Under the
shareware concept, you can try a program before you buy it.  If you
find that NCSE (News Carrier Standard Edition) is suitable for your
needs and make use of this program beyond the 30-day trial period, you

                               (PAGE 2)


are expected to register the program by submitting the registration
form along with the $25 registration fee.

You may distribute this software to others in its original form.  You
may neither charge for the distribution of this software to others,
nor may you alter the software or this documentation.

Registered users of any version of NCSE will receive any revisions and/or
bug fixes FREE, with the option to purchase future upgrades (New
Versions) at half of the normal registration price.

A Registration Form may be completed and printed from within NCSE.

Please mention the version of NCSE in any correspondence.
                     (This is NCSE Version 2.02)

You may also send questions, comments, or recommendations:

                             VIA E-MAIL:

                 Internet Address:  tracks@prodigy.net

                           VIA Voice Mail:

                 TRACKS From The Past: (205)-237-6074


                      INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS:
          (make a BACKUP copy of NCSE before anything else)

If you received your copy of NCSE on a Floppy Disk and wish to install
it on a hard drive then the following directory should be made under
the root directory of your hard dive.
        NCSE (holds the files for NCSE)
                Copy the files from the floppy disk to this directory

        Un archive the file you copied to NCSE if in ZIP format.

Type CARRIER from the NCSE Directory on your hard drive and the program
will begin.  If you so desire you may create a PIF file to run NCSE
under Win 3.xx or Win95.

Your registration fee entitles you to use this software on a single
computer. You are not obtaining title to the software or any copyright
rights.  You may not rent, lease, sub license, convey, modify,
translate, disassemble, decompile, or convert to another programming
language, the software for any purpose.  Only the UNREGISTERED VERSION
may be distributed to others in its original format.

**********************************************************************
TRACWARE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES RELATING TO THIS SOFTWARE, WHETHER
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED

                               (PAGE 3)

WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE,
AND ALL SUCH WARRANTIES ARE SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED.  NEITHER
TRACWARE, NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION,
PRODUCTION, OR DELIVERY OF THIS SOFTWARE SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY
INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE
OF OR INABILITY TO USE SUCH SUCH SOFTWARE EVEN IF TRACWARE HAS BEEN
ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR CLAIMS.  IN NO EVENT
SHALL TRACWARE'S LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID
FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THE SOFTWARE, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF CLAIM.
THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE BEARS ALL RISKS AS TO THE QUALITY AND
PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE.

     This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the state of
Alabama and shall inure to the benefit of TRACWARE and any successors,
administrators, heirs, and assigns.  Any action or proceeding brought
by either party against the other arising out of or related to this
agreement shall be brought only in a STATE or FEDERAL COURT of
competent jurisdiction located in Calhoun County, Alabama.  The
parties hereby consent to in persona jurisdiction of said courts.
**********************************************************************

             ͻ
              WELCOME To News Carrier Standard Edition 
             ͼ

        This program was designed to help keep track of and organize
your News Paper Delivery Route by providing specific records
management tools to increase your efficiency and, hopefully, profits
received from your route.

        The program will allow you to create, manage, print, and view
customer records and associated reports.  Keep track of your annual
Net Profits.  Provide Billing, Payment, and Credit History by
customer.

        News Carrier Standard Edition was written upon request from my
local News Carrier.  She had tried various carrier programs, database
and spreadsheet programs but found them either to time consuming,
complicated or inadequate for the management of her routes.  With this
in mind, News Carrier Standard Edition was written to be Fast and
Easy to use, yet flexible and provide the necessary records needed to
efficiently manage a News Paper Route.  Therefore; you will find News
Carrier Standard Edition is easy to navigate, easy to enter and
retrieve data, and uses MINIMAL memory and disk space on your
computer. Designed to run in the DOS environment, News Carrier
Standard Edition CAN be used under and accessed by Win 3.xx and Win95
environments by creating a PIF File under Win 3.xx or by Automatic
Generation of a PIF file by Win95.  TracWare and TRACKS From The Past
hopes that you find this program to be beneficial to your management
needs.  


                               (PAGE 4)

                        ͻ
                         Configuration File 
                        ͼ

        When you first Invoke News Carrier Standard Edition, you will
be taken to the Welcome Screen.  The program will ask you for some of
the more repetitive information concerning your route.  You will enter
one of three flags concerning how you bill your customer accounts.
        1) Weekly
        2) Monthly
        3) Pays At Office

        Next you will enter information concerning the rates to bill
your customers:
        1) Daily Only (Mon - Sat)
        2) Sunday Only
        3) Weekend Only (Sat&Sun)
        4) Full Week

        Next you will be asked to enter area specific information:
        1) City
        2) State (2 Letter abbreviation)
        3) Zip Code (either 5 number or 9 number Zip may be entered)

        You need to enter this information only once, and when
completed News Carrier Standard Edition will then open at the Main
Menu Screen.

{Hints}
   Have a customer that only takes the paper one or two days?  If you
don't use all of the RATE schedules above then simply use one of them
for the special rate.

   Have more than one route?  Make a separate directory for each route
and use a copy of News Carrier Standard Edition in each of the
directories.  It is faster than one large list and if you let one of
the routes go then you can just delete the records for that route and
the sub-directory saving you hours of editing one large list.

   Deliver more than one City?  Set up as above if the amount of
customers is large or else use the Edit Records to change the
necessary City and Zip Codes.

                      ͻ
                       Registration Benefits 
                      ͼ

        As indicated earlier, News Carrier Standard Edition, is FULLY
Functional, not crippled, and will not self-destruct after a given
length of time.  So why Register?  Apart from the following, you are
helping to support the Shareware concept -- a distribution system that
brings you quality software at realistic prices.

        1) Insures the creation of inexpensive, try before you buy,
        alternatives to Commercial Software.

                               (PAGE 5)
        2) Insures the improvement of News Carrier Standard Edition.

        3) Lifetime user license for News Carrier Standard Edition Ver
        2.xx

        4) FREE updates to News Carrier Standard Edition Ver 2.xx

        5) 50% discount on NEW Versions of News Carrier Standard
        Edition.

        6) Technical Support via phone and/or E-Mail.

        7) You already have the Reference Manual - Just print and
        place in the folder of your choice.  Updated Manuals will be
        forwarded to you with any updates.

                       ͻ
                        System Requirements 
                       ͼ

        News Carrier Standard Edition ver 2.02 will operate on most
IBM-Compatible computer systems that have DOS v3.xx or greater, a hard
disk drive or floppy drive(s), and a Color monitor.  The recommended
minimums are 512K of RAM and 1MEG of available disk space, though it
will operate in much less.

        News carrier Standard Edition ver 2.02 may be run under Win
3.xx or Win95 with the generation of a PIF file.

                  ͻ
                   Technical Support Information 
                  ͼ

        Technical Support for News Carrier Standard Edition is
available for Evaluation Users for a period of 30-days via E-Mail
or US Postal Service only.  Registered users have unlimited Technical
Support via E-Mail, Voice-Mail or through the US Postal Service.  Most
of the frequently asked questions are answered in this manual;
however, do not hesitate to request technical assistance if you run
into a problem.

        The preferred method of communication is by E-Mail as it is
Fast and inexpensive to use.  E-Mail and Voice-Mail will generally be
answered within 24 hours after receipt.  Listed below are the
addresses and phone numbers for Technical Support.

E-Mail Address. . . . . tracks@prodigy.net

Voice-Mail. . . . . . . (205)-237-6074

US Postal Address . . . TRACKS From The Past
                        ATTN: TracWare
                        5006 Borders Drive
                        Anniston, AL 36206-1864

                               (PAGE 6)
        All users of News Carrier Standard Edition are urged to report
any bugs in the program, to submit their suggestions for added
features, or recommendations for improvements to News Carrier Standard
Edition.  Your participation will help make News Carrier Standard
Edition the program you need and want it to be.  Have a need or an
idea for a specialized program?  Send it in and let us see what we can
do for you.

                            ͻ
                             Main Menu 
                            ͼ

Add/Edit     Billing     Print Reports     View/Docs/Help     Quit

                  Shown above is the Main Menu Bar.

        1) By selecting "A" you will be taken to the Add/Edit Sub Menu
where you will Add NEW customer records, Insert a NEW customer record,
or Edit an existing customer record.  This should be your FIRST stop
and you MUST have at least one customer listed before you can utilize
the remaining functions of News Carrier Standard Edition.

        2) By selecting "B" you will be taken to the Billing Sub Menu
where you will be able to Bill all of your customer accounts, whether
they are to be billed Weekly, Monthly, or Pay At The Office
(Subscribers).   This is where you will enter the Payments you receive
from your customers or issue a credit to a customer.

        3) By selecting "P" you will be taken to the Print Records Sub
Menu where you can print a Customer List, Collection List, or a Record
Identification List.

        4) By selecting "V" you will be taken to the View/Docs/Help
Sub menu where you will be able to View the Copyright notice on News
Carrier Standard Edition, View Registration information and PRINT a
Registration Form for News Carrier Standard Edition, View your current
Outstanding Balance to be Collected, and View the History file that is
automatically maintained by the program and, if you want, generate a
file that you name that contains history information between any two
dates that you specify.  View this document, Customer Records, or
record notes.

        5) By selecting "Q" you will QUIT News Carrier Standard
Edition.

ͻ
                           ADD/EDIT MENU                           
 (A)dd Record   (I)nsert Record   (E)dit Record   (D)elete Record  
 (P)rint Menu   (B)illing Menu    (M)ain Menu         (Q)uit       
ͼ

                   Shown above is the ADD/EDIT MENU

        1) By selecting "A" you will be asked to provide information

                               (PAGE 7)
concerning the record you wish to add.
           Answer Y for yes or N for no to create the record
           Enter the Billing Type
           Enter the Rate Type
           Enter Stop Delivery Date if needed
           Enter Resume Deliver Date if needed
           Enter Name
           Enter Street Address(es)
           Enter Old Balance
           Enter Billing amount if needed
           Enter Amount paid if applicable
           Enter Note to record if needed (i.e. delivery instructions)
           Answer Y for yes to save or N no to not save the record

        2) By selecting "I" you will be able to insert a record at
the location of your choice.  You MUST KNOW the record number that
this record will be added AFTER.  It is recommended that BEFORE using
this feature you go to the PRINT REPORTS menu and print the report
(R)ecord ID#.  Once you know the record number to insert the record
after you will be asked to input the same information as for adding a
record.

        3) By selecting "E" you will be able to edit the record of
your choice.  It is recommended that BEFORE using this feature you go
to the PRINT REPORTS menu and print the report (R)ecord ID#.  Enter
the record number you wish to edit.  The program will present the
ADDRESS of the record you wish to edit.  Answer either Y or N to
continue. You will be able to change the following fields in the
record:
           The Billing TYPE
           The Billing RATE
           The Customers NAME
           The Address(es)
           The CITY
           The STATE
           The ZIP CODE
           The STOP Date
           The RESUME Date
           The NOTE
(NOTE) Should you answer "N" to the question "Is this information
correct  Y/N " then the OLDROUTE.DAT file will be renamed to
ROUTE.DAT.  This insures your most recently saved changes are
preserved.  The OLDROUTE.DAT file will be created on the next add,
edit, insert, or delete selection.

        4) By selecting "D" you will be able to delete a record of
your choice.  It is recommended that BEFORE using this feature you go
to the PRINT REPORTS menu and print the report (R)ecord ID#.  Enter
the record number you want to delete, answer Y to delete or N to not
delete the record.

        5) By selecting "P" you are taken to the Print Reports Menu.

        6) By selecting "B" you are taken to the Billing Menu.

                               (PAGE 8)
        7) By selecting "M" you are taken to the Main Menu.

        8) By selecting "Q" you quit the program.

ͻ
                            BILLING MENU                              
 (B)ill Monthly   (W)eekly Bill   (E)nter Payment   (N)ews Paper Bill 
   (A)dd Menu     (P)rint Menu      (M)ain Menu          (Q)uit       
ͼ

                   Shown above is the Billing Menu

        1) By selecting "B" ALL Monthly and Pays At Office accounts
are billed according to the type and rate that you set in the
configuration file.  The file NETYD.DAT (Net profits Year to Date) is
updated to reflect the amount that is Paid At The Office.

(Example the rate is $10.00 all "P" type accounts, they are billed
$10.00 and paid as $10.00 leaving a balance due of $0.00.  If you had
five customers that are "P" type accounts, then $50.00 would be added
to the NETYD.DAT file.  When you receive your paper bill BE SURE to
check that your were billed for the subscription accounts.  If not you
will have to adjust for the difference when you go to enter your NEWS
PAPER BILL. (Contact the author of this program if you have a question
on this area as it vaires according to publishers.)

        2) By selecting "W" ALL Weekly accounts are billed according
to the rate that you set in the configuration file.

        3) By selecting "E" then you will be able to enter the
payments you received from your customers for "W" and "M" type
accounts.  DO NOT enter payments for "P" type accounts as this is
taken care of during the "B"ill Monthly accounts routine.  If you need
to CREDIT an account then enter a NEGATIVE number as the amount paid.
(EXAMPLE you need to apply a credit of $3.00 to an account -- you
would enter -3 for the amount of payment received).  The NETYD.DAT
file is automatically updated to reflect the amount of payment or
credit.

        4) By selecting "N" you will be able to enter the amount of
your News Paper Bill.  The NETYD.DAT file is updated accordingly.

        5) By selecting "P" you are taken to the Print Reports Menu.

        6) By selecting "A" you are taken to the Add/Edit Menu.

        7) By selecting "M" you are taken to the Main Menu.

        8) By selecting "Q" you quit the program.




                               (PAGE 9)



ͻ
                         PRINT REPORTS MENU                        
 (L)ist Addresses   (C)ollection List   (R)ecord ID#   (N)otes     
 (A)dd Menu         (B)illing Menu       (M)ain Menu   (Q)uit      
ͼ

                Shown above is the Print Reports Menu

        1) By selecting "L" you are able to Print out a complete list
of Customer addresses including and Record Notes.

        2) By selecting "C" you are able to Print out a complete
collection list for your route.

        3) By selecting "R" you are able to print a complete list of
all records by Record # with street address.  You should print this
list once you have added all your records and keep it for reference to
use should you need to EDIT, INSERT, or DELETE a record from your
database.  Always print a new list when you INSERT or DELETE a record
as the record numbers WILL change.

        4) By selecting "N" All Stop, Resume and Record Notes are
           printed by record number.

        5) By selecting "A" you are taken to the Add/Edit Menu.

        6) By selecting "B" you are taken to the Billing Menu.

        7) By selecting "M" you are taken to the Main Menu.

        8) By selecting "Q" you quit the program.

 ͻ
  (R)egistration        VIEW/DOCS/HELP MENU            (A)bout NCSE  
  (V)iew Records   (C)ollection List  (O)utstanding     (H)istory    
   (D)ocs/Help         (N)otes         (M)ain Menu        (Q)uit     
 ͼ

                Shown above is the View/Docs/Help Menu

        1) By selecting "R" you can view Registration Information,
Complete and print the Registration Form.

        2) By selecting "A" you will view the Copyright information on
News Carrier Standard Edition.

        3) By selecting "V" you will be able to view ALL Customer
           records.

        4) By selecting "C" you will be able to view the Collection
           List.

                               (PAGE 10)

        5) By selecting "O" you can view your total outstanding
balance to be collected.

        6) By selecting "H" you can view the HISTORY.DAT file or
choose portions to save to a file of your choice. It is Recommended
that you save portions of this document on a monthly basis as the
HISTORY.DAT file is a log of all the transaction you preform while
using the program.

        7) By selecting "D" you will view this document or any portion
of the document, and have the option to print all or part of this
documentation.

        8) By selecting "N" you can view the records with Stop and
Resume Delivery notes, or view records with record notes.

        9) By selecting "M" you are taken to the Main Menu.

       10) By selecting "Q" you quit the program.

                        ͻ
                         Program Files List 
                        ͼ

        The News Carrier Standard Edition package contains the
following files:

        1) CARRIER.EXE > The main executable file for News Carrier
                         Standard Edition.

        2) NCSE.EXE    > The Documentation and Help executable file
                         for News Carrier Standard Edition.  Can be
                         Run either as stand-alone or through the
                         Main program listed above.

        3) NCSE.TXT    > The Documentation and Help File in generic
                         ASCII text format, viewable by any word
                         processor.

        4) READ1ST.EXE > Basic installation procedures and important
                         information you should know about this
                         program.  Accessible as stand-alone.

        5) READ1ST.TXT   Basic installation procedures and important
                         information you should know about this
                         program in generic ASCII text format,
                         viewable by any word processor.

        6) FILE_ID.DIZ > Description of the program for use with BBS
                         Programs.


                              (PAGE 11)

        The following files are generated by News Carrier Standard
Edition once the program is installed and started by you:

        1) CONFIG.DAT  > Created the fist time you run News Carrier
                         Standard Edition and contains Data that
                         remains constant.  Data is used by the
                         program for necessary computations of
                         records.

        2) ROUTE.DAT   > Created when you enter your first customer
                         information.  It is updated every time a file
                         is added, edited, inserted, deleted, billed,
                         payment received, or credit issued.

        3) OLDROUTE.DAT >A backup of the Route.Dat file listed above
                         and created or updated when changes in the
                         Route.Dat file is changed.

        4) NETYD.DAT   > Created and updated when Billing, Payment,
                         Credit, News Paper Bill is entered or when
                         Adding, Editing or Inserting a record.

        5) NETYD.BAK   > Created or updated when a change in the
                         NETYD.DAT file occurs

        6) HISTORY.DAT > Created and updated upon selection of
                         different menu options.  Complete activity
                         history concerning your route.


                          ͻ
                           Hints and Tips 
                          ͼ

        The following hints and tips are offered for your
consideration.  They can save you many hours of additional work and
heartaches.

        1) BACKUP IMPORTANT FILES!!!  Save yourself the pain and agony
of a system crash.  SAVE your program files to a FLOPPY Disk or tape
drive.  Get in the habit of backing up the Files Generated by News
Carrier Standard Edition on a regular basis (after each session is
RECOMMENDED).  A simple power fluctuation can corrupt open files and
make them useless and you generally wont know when it may happen.
With backups you can copy the files to your hard drive and start your
session over having lost only the information you entered during the
session.  No backups and you may have to start from scratch depending
on the file you lost. It only takes a moment to backup your files but
how long did it take to enter your customer list?  BE SAFE NOT SORRY.
BACKUP!!!!!

        2) If you have more than one route, make directories for each
and install a copy of News Carrier Standard Edition in each.  You will
find it easier and faster to maintain the routes separately than in
one large data base.
                              (PAGE 12)

        3) Deliver to more than one city? See 2) above.

        4) Running Windows 3.xx or Win95?  Make a PIF File for Win3.xx
           or a Short Cut for Win95 to run NCSE in the Windows
           Environment.

                      ͻ
                       NCSE Revision History 
                      ͼ

              Revisions of News Carrier Standard Edition

05 Aug 1997     General Release of Version 2.0

                        NCSE ver 2.01 history

06 Aug 1997     Added Records View, Notes View, and Collection List
                View to View Menu.

06 Aug 1997     Added Notes Print option to Print Menu.

06 Aug 1997     Added Stop, Resume, and Record notes to List Addresses
                Print routine.

07 Aug 1997     Bug fixed when going from View Menu to Add Records.

07 Aug 1997     Bug fixed when user created a file from the
                HISTORY.DAT file and entered invalid Begining and/or
                Ending dates.

                        NCSE ver 2.02 history

30 Oct 1997     Added WeekEnd option for those carriers that deliver
                Saturday & Sunday only Customers.


                              (PAGE 13) 
