
   TITLE:          DosLynx v0.26 Beta Release Information


		   DOSLYNX V0.26 BETA RELEASE INFORMATION

Contents:

   * Introduction
   * System Requirements
   * Obtaining DosLynx
   * Supplied Files
   * Installing DosLynx
   * Configuring DosLynx
   * Command Line Options
   * Using DosLynx
   * Special Notes on Usage
   * New DosLynx Features
   * Removed DosLynx Features
   * Distributing DosLynx
   * Credits

Introduction

   This is a beta release of DosLynx for DOS compatible computers written
   by Garrett Arch Blythe for The University of Kansas. Wayne S. Buttles
   made some modifications to it in 1996. The present maintainer of DosLynx
   is Fred C. Macall.

   DosLynx is a hypertext browser with World Wide Web capabilities.

   This file provides information about installing, configuring, and using
   DosLynx v0.26b.

   DosLynx is copyrighted by the University of Kansas and is free for
   instructional and research educational use. Non-educational use will be
   licensed at a later date.

   DosLynx v0.26b is available in EXEcutable form.


System Requirements

   One of DosLynx's goals is to provide support for as many DOS users as
   possible. We have scaled DosLynx towards this end.

   The known system requirements are:

   CPU
	  8086/8088 compatible.
   Memory
	  512 kilobytes free or more recommended.
   Hard Drive
	  Required. 2 megabytes free or more recommended.
   Monitor
	  Monochrome, Black and White, and Color supported.
   Graphics capability
	  Optional.
   Mouse
	  Optional.
   Network
	  None, or Class 1 (Ethernet) Packet Driver connected to a TCP/IP
	  network. You may, of course, emulate a Class 1 Packet Driver if
	  you have the required software for your particular system (i.e.
	  PPP, ODI, SLIP, etc).

   DosLynx is known not to work on the following systems:

   DOS
	  Versions below 3.0 will not work properly.


Obtaining DosLynx

   DosLynx v0.26b is available via the World Wide Web at

   http://members.nccw.net/fmacall/dlx26bin.zip

   DosLynx will be updated periodically as new changes are made to the
   application.


Supplied Files

   DosLynx version 0.26 beta has the following files shipped with it. If
   you do not have all of the files listed below we suggest obtaining a
   complete release from the Internet address listed above.

   BETAHYPE.TXT
	  An early note (pre)announcing a DosLynx beta, from
	  Garrett Arch Blythe.
   DEHEAD.EXE
	  A simple utility program for making headerless copies of local
	  files written by the DosLynx File|Open URL... (with its Download
	  button), File|Save Source, and Navigate|Download Selection menu
	  entries.
   DLXVIEW.BAT
	  A sample Batch File "wrapper" for a graphics viewer.
   DOSLYNX.BA_
	  A sample Batch File "wrapper" for DosLynx.
   DOSLYNX.CFG
	  A sample DosLynx v0.2xb configuration file.
   DOSLYNX.EXE
	  The DosLynx v0.26b executable.
   ERROR.HTM
	  The default DosLynx HTML error page.
   HISTORY.TXT
	  A report on the major changes made to bring DosLynx from
	  version 0.25b to version 0.26b.
   HOTLIST.HTM
	  The default DosLynx HTML Hotlist.
   INFO.HTM
	  The DosLynx v0.26b Quick Start Home Page.
   KEYS.TXT
	  A table of Shortcut Keys for the DosLynx menus.
   NEWSURLS.HTM
	  A description of the News URLs accepted by DosLynx since
	  version 0.22 beta.
   README.HTM
	  The HTML equivalent of this file.
   README.TXT
	  The text equivalent of this file.


Installing DosLynx

   This section assumes that you have not already installed DosLynx
   version 0.26 beta on your hard drive. If you already have, you may skip
   this section.

   Obtain a copy of DosLynx and place it in an appropriately named
   directory on your hard drive.

   C:\DOSINET>PKUNZIP DLX26BIN.ZIP
   from your DOS prompt in the directory in which you placed it.

   The supplied files should be written into the directory. You may now
   remove the DLX26BIN.ZIP file from the directory if you wish by entering
   the command
   C:\DOSINET>DEL DLX26BIN.ZIP

   DEHEAD requires no particular installation attention. However, if you
   choose not to include your DosLynx directory in your PATH environment,
   you may want to copy DEHEAD.EXE to a directory that is listed in your
   PATH. So you'll have it handy at all times.


Configuring DosLynx

   If you want to use DosLynx for surfing the Web, you'll need an Ethernet
   Card and Packet Driver software for it. Or, a dial-up modem and Ethernet
   Packet Driver emulating PPP software for it. If these things are new to
   you, consult tvdog's classic papers at the oldskool Web site. Most of
   tvdog's papers are actually provided by the oldskool ftp site. Beginning
   with version 0.25 beta, all of the problems the DosLynx ftp client
   previously experienced in accessing that site have been resolved. As
   long as the mss=1500 specification given in DOSLYNX.CFG is not changed.

   Fred's DOS Hardware How To expands on tvdog's discussion of the problem
   of finding a modern PC dial-up modem compatible with DOS software. And,
   Fred's DOS Internet Software How To provides links to two popular
   Ethernet Packet Driver emulating PPP software packages. Fred also has
   tips and links for PC dial-up modem and serial port configuration and
   checking.

   Once you have decided on your communications arrangement and determined
   the needed TCP/IP parameter(s), edit the DosLynx configuration file,
   named DOSLYNX.CFG, with any text editor. Go through each keyword and
   provide the appropriate value. Ample configuration instructions are
   included in the sample configuration file supplied. Once finished, save
   the modifed file as ASCII text. If you wish to save your Hotlist which
   was used in an old version of DosLynx, simply change the hotlist=
   keyword in the configuration file to point to your old Hotlist file.

   If you expect to be receiving at least an occasional graphic file,
   you'll want to tailor DLXVIEW.BAT to your situation. DosLynx will call
   it whenever you receive or reference a .BMP, .GIF, .JPG, .PCX, or .TIF
   file, with the full name of that file. You specify the name of your
   graphics viewer and any additional parameters it needs in DLXVIEW.BAT.

   If you have an 8088 based PC with a Hercules monochrome graphics
   adaptor, you may have to dig deep to find a viewer that can display
   .JPGs. Two that work fairly well (though, slowly on older machines) are
   DMGIF v1.2 and 2SHOW v2.04. These are both shareware viewers.

   If you have a '286 based, '386 based, or more recent PC and/or a CGA,
   EGA, VGA, or more recent video adaptor, you'll find progressively more
   viewers to try out. One that works well for limited machines with at
   least a CGA adaptor is LXPIC v7.3. LXPIC is a freeware viewer. The
   sample DLXVIEW.BAT file provided invokes LXPIC on a machine with an SVGA
   card. Once you have your DLXVIEW.BAT working well, you'll probably want
   to put a copy of it in a directory listed in your PATH environment
   variable.


Command Line Options

   DosLynx has the following command line switches and options. Most of the
   command line options override an equivalent configuration file option
   named, in each case, below. All command line options are case
   insensitive except for URLs.

   /B
	  This switch will hide the clock, socket activity, free temporary
	  disk space, and free heap memory space numbers and the messages
	  window for the duration of the current DosLynx session. This
	  option was added to provide a way to keep the screen uncluttered
	  for blind users, as those changing numbers and messages cause
	  some problems with screen readers. Other users may appreciate the
	  uncluttered screen, too.

   /P
	  This is the most important command line option. If you will be
	  executing DosLynx from a directory other than the one you
	  installed DosLynx in, you must use the /P option. /P specifies
	  the directory in which DosLynx will find its configuration file
	  DOSLYNX.CFG and the errorhtml file ERROR.HTM. If you installed
	  DosLynx in the directory C:\DLX, then you should use the /P
	  option as follows:

   C:\DOSINET>doslynx /PC:\DLX

	  To avoid having to retype the /P option every time you use
	  DosLynx, create a DOS batch file specifying the /P option and
	  place the batch file in a directory specified in your DOS PATH
	  environment variable. The supplied DOSLYNX.BA_ file provides an
	  example of this technique. You may: COPY it into a directory on
	  your PATH. RENAME it DOSLYNX.BAT. And, edit it for your
	  situation.

   /T
	  This option specifies the temporary directory where DosLynx will
	  create its temporary files, overriding the tempdir= configuration
	  file option. Note that this path should end with a back slash. If
	  you wanted to use the directory C:\TEMP as the place to store
	  temporary files, then you would use /T in the following manner:

   C:\DOSINET>doslynx /TC:\TEMP\

   /V
	  This option tells DosLynx what text mode to begin in, overriding
	  the textmode= configuration file option. /VLOW tells DosLynx to
	  use the 25 row text mode. /VHIGH tells DosLynx to attempt to use
	  the 43 or 50 row text modes available to EGA and VGA compatible
	  video adapters.

   /H
	  This option tells DosLynx if it should load the home page you
	  specified in the configuration file. It overrides the loadhome=
	  configuration file option. /HON tells DosLynx to load the home
	  page on startup. /HOFF tells DosLynx to not load the home page on
	  startup. /HOFF is forced if you also specify a URL on the command
	  line.

   /L
	  This option tells DosLynx how many loaded documents to keep in
	  memory before it starts releasing the oldest unviewed file. This
	  overrides the loaded= configuration file option. If you wanted
	  DosLynx to keep the last 5 ready in memory, then you would use
	  the /L option in the follwing way:

   C:\DOSINET>doslynx /L5

   /N
	  This option tells DosLynx if it should attempt network access. It
	  overrides the networked= configuration file option. To turn off
	  network access, use /NNO. To allow network access, use /NYES.
	  When viewing local files "offline" without a network connection
	  established, specify /NNO to forestall most networking error
	  messages and timeout delays.

   URL
	  This command line option is actually any URL that you would like
	  DosLynx to load from the command line. It can be any valid URL or
	  it can be a DOS path to a file. Once a path or URL is specified
	  on the command line, your home page will not be loaded unless you
	  specify its path or URL, too. To have DosLynx load this document
	  on startup, execute one of the following commands from the
	  directory in which you installed DosLynx:

   C:\DOSINET>doslynx readme.htm

   C:\DOSINET>doslynx file:///readme.htm


Using DosLynx

   DosLynx is a straightforward menu driven application.

   A user has several ways to activate the DosLynx menu; pressing F10,
   pressing ALT plus one of the highlighted menu letters, and by a single
   left button mouse click.

   Following are a listing of all menu items and their functionality. Menu
   titles and the appropriate menu choice are presented side by side with
   the '|' character as a separator.

   File|Open URL...
	  Allows you to directly enter a URL. Once you've entered it,
	  "press" the Open or Download button. (These buttons were
	  introduced in DosLynx version 0.25 beta. Completing your entry
	  with the Enter key is equivalent to pressing the Open button
	  since it is the default button for this dialog. The Open button
	  replaces the OK button previously provided.) DosLynx will attempt
	  to load the specified URL.

	  If the Open button or equivalent was used and the specified
	  document is presentable (such as an HTML or text file), the
	  resulting view will be displayed in a new window. If the
	  specified document is un-presentable (such as an .EXE file) or an
	  image (such as a .BMP, .GIF, .JPG, .PCX, or .TIF file), DosLynx
	  will prompt you for a local file name in which to save it. After
	  an image has been saved, DosLynx will swap most of itself out of
	  memory and invoke DLXVIEW to display it. After viewing, use the
	  means provided by your viewer to exit from its display and return
	  to DosLynx.

	  If the Download button was used, DosLynx will attempt to fetch
	  the specified document or file and un-conditionally prompt you
	  for a local file name in which to save it. This operation adds a
	  prefix to the local file copy made and is equivalent to the
	  operation provided by the File|Save Source and
	  Navigate|Download Selection menu entries described below. As
	  described in the paragraph above, un-presentable files get saved
	  in transparent local file copies when the Open button is used.
	  So, the Download button's main purpose is to avoid the refetch
	  that otherwise would be needed to obtain a local file copy of a
	  presentable document.

   File|Open Local...
	  Allows you to select a local file from an available DOS path.
	  DosLynx will convert the file name into a URL and attempt to load
	  the file. The specified file will be displayed in a new window or
	  displayed by DLXVIEW as described above for the File|Open URL...
	  menu entry's Open button.

   File|Close
	  When this menu item is selected, DosLynx will close the currently
	  active window so that it is no longer viewable on your display.
	  (The messages window remains viewable after being closed,
	  however.) This command duplicates the Window|Close command.
	  Closing a window designates the memory allocated to it a
	  candidate for reuse. The Esc key provides a shortcut for closing
	  the messages window.

   File|Save Rendering...
	  When selected, DosLynx will prompt you for a local file name in
	  which to save the document in the currently active window as
	  ASCII text, exactly as seen on your display. This menu entry may
	  be used for saving documents containing MIME or UU encoded data.
	  However, it isn't likely to be useful for saving documents
	  containing yEncoded data.

   File|Print Rendering...
	  When selected, DosLynx will prompt you for a DOS device to which
	  to print the rendering. The appropriate DOS device to enter is
	  the one to which your line printer is connected, such as LPT1.

   File|Save Source
	  DosLynx will attempt to re-fetch the document on display in the
	  currently active window and prompt you for a local file name in
	  which to save it. The local file copy will be prefixed with a
	  <BASE HREF=" . . . "> HTML tag indicating where it came from.
	  This enables all of the document's links to be reproduced, in
	  full, when the local file copy of the document is displayed
	  later. If the document is re-fetched via http:, the http server
	  provided "headers" sent ahead of the document will also be placed
	  in the local file copy, to further document the file's remaining
	  contents. The document, itself, starts following the local file's
	  first blank line. An exception is made for the news:? URL. If
	  that is the source of the document on display, nothing is added
	  to the beginning of the local file copy made.

	  This menu entry may be used for saving documents containing
	  binary, MIME, UU, or yEncoded data in a transparent fashion. If a
	  "clean" copy of any document (other than your news:? document,
	  which is clean by definition) copied via this menu entry is
	  desired, the local file copy written by DosLynx may be recopied
	  with the DEHEAD utility now provided. It will copy everything in
	  a file after its first blank line.

   File|Dos Shell
	  DosLynx swaps most of itself out of memory unless shoswap=NO is
	  specified in your DOSLYNX.CFG file. DosLynx then spawns your
	  command interpreter so that you may take action, from a DOS
	  prompt inside of DosLynx, while it is still running. Most DOS
	  commands and programs will be accessible from this prompt.
	  However, you must refrain from loading a TSR or using the Packet
	  Driver. (Though, you may be able to use another Packet Driver
	  instance if you have already installed a Packet Mux..) If DosLynx
	  is configured to use EMS for overlays, you must also avoid
	  disrupting its EMS setup. After selecting this item, you should
	  always EXIT the command interpreter, to return to DosLynx, after
	  you are finished. (If shoswap=NO is specified in your DOSLYNX.CFG
	  file, a lack of sufficient free memory may prevent you from
	  successfully running the command(s) you issue, or even prevent
	  DosLynx from successfully spawning your command interpreter.)

	  Beginning with version 0.24 beta, DosLynx itself, may be safely
	  invoked from a DOS prompt inside of an already running instance
	  of DosLynx. In this case, DosLynx won't remove any DosLynx
	  temporary file(s) it finds at the beginning of its run. And, it
	  will issue a reminder message to this effect. This usage may be
	  of some value for performing local operations which might be
	  prevented by a lack of memory in the original DosLynx instance.
	  However, you won't have any access to the Packet Driver without a
	  Packet Mux. arrangement, as explained above. In the absence of a
	  good reason for starting another instance of DosLynx, it will
	  always be better to return to your original DosLynx session by
	  EXIT(ing) the command interpreter.

   File|Exit
	  This is the intended way for you to end your DosLynx session.

   Navigate|Find...
	  Allows you to enter a Search String that DosLynx will find in
	  your currently active window. Beginning with DosLynx
	  version 0.24 beta, this dialog provides both a "Loose Find" and
	  an "Exact Find" button, for initiating a search that uses either
	  case-insensitive or exact matching.

   Navigate|Find Again
	  DosLynx will search for the next occurrence of the last
	  Search String entered to the find command. The search will
	  continue using loose or exact matching, as specified when the
	  last Search String was entered.

   Navigate|Next Anchor
	  This will move an internal anchor cursor to the next selectable
	  anchor or Form control or object in the active window. If the
	  anchor is a reference or link, containing a destination URL, or a
	  Form control or object, it will be highlighted. The highlight
	  will go out if you move to an anchor that is only a name or
	  label. The Tab key, the J key, and the 2 keys all provide
	  shortcuts for this menu function.

   Navigate|Previous Anchor
	  This will move an internal anchor cursor to the previous
	  selectable anchor or Form control or object in the active window.
	  If the anchor is a reference or link, containing a destination
	  URL, or a Form control or object, it will be highlighted. The
	  highlight will go out if you move to an anchor that is only a
	  name or label. The Shifted Tab key, the K key, and the 8 keys all
	  provide shortcuts for this menu function.

   Navigate|Reload Current
	  This entry is provided for refreshing the present view. It is
	  used to bypass the cache's operation when the present view is
	  found to be defective or stale and needs to be reloaded.
	  Beginning with DosLynx version 0.26b, caching improvements have
	  closed loopholes that allowed anchor following to provide a
	  refresh in some cases. At the same time, this command's previous
	  deficiencies have been resolved. If the displayed document is
	  from a local file beginning with a <BASE HREF= . . . > HTML tag,
	  an attempt will be made to load the document from its original
	  source. The resulting view replaces the present view in the cache
	  and in the currently active window.

   Navigate|Download Selection
	  This is like File|Save Source except that the document to be
	  saved in a local file is named by the destination URL of the
	  currently selected anchor or Form submit button control, and a
	  refetch may be avoided. This menu entry is recommended for saving
	  documents, such as news: documents containing yEncoded data,
	  known in advance to require transparent handling that they won't
	  get by default. For URLs other than news:?, the local file copy
	  that DosLynx writes is prefixed with a header that ends with a
	  blank line. This is explained in more detail, for the
	  File|Save Source menu entry, above.

	  This menu entry need not be used to obtain a clean local copy of
	  a file, such as an .EXE, that isn't presentable. Simply
	  activating the currently selected anchor will accomplish that.
	  However, if a clean copy of any document (other than news:?,
	  which won't need DEHEADing) already copied via this menu entry is
	  desired, the local file copy written by DosLynx may be recopied
	  with the DEHEAD utility now provided. It will copy everything in
	  a file after its first blank line.

   Navigate|Activate Anchor
	  This menu entry acts on the currently selected anchor or Form
	  control or object in one of several ways. The Enter key, the L
	  key, and the 6 keys all provide shortcuts for this menu
	  function.

	  For anchors, causes DosLynx to attempt loading the
	  anchor-specified destination URL. URL loading is performed as
	  described above for the File|Open URL... menu entry's Open
	  button. Except that when the specified document is presentable,
	  its presentation replaces the present view in the currently
	  active window. Any Form content or data that has been entered
	  into the replaced view gets lost at this point.

	  For Form password and text line input objects, invokes a line
	  input/editing dialog. This line input/editing dialog will be
	  provided with a submit button when the containing Form lacks a
	  submit button control. For Form select input objects, invokes a
	  list box input selection dialog. For Form checkbox and radio
	  button objects, causes DosLynx to toggle the object's state, if
	  possible. (Radio buttons only respond when they're in the
	  unpushed or unset state. When a radio button does respond to
	  activation, it replaces the already pushed button, in the same
	  group, that then gets popped back out.) For Form submit and reset
	  button controls, the labeled action gets performed. That is, the
	  Form's content or data gets submitted or reset.

	  Form content or data submission is like URL loading inasmuch as a
	  document is expected in response. However, it differs with
	  respect to where the response document is presented and what
	  happens to any Form content or data that has been entered into
	  the current document. The document obtained in response to Form
	  content or data submission is loaded exactly as described above
	  for the File|Open URL... menu entry's Open button. That is, when
	  this document is presentable, it is presented in a new window.
	  This allows the Form content or data that has been entered into
	  the submitted document to be preserved in what becomes the
	  previously active window.

   Navigate|Prior Document
	  This will cause DosLynx to attempt to return to the last visited
	  presentable URL, if any, in the currently active window. The H
	  key and the 4 keys all provide shortcuts for this menu function.

   Navigate|Search Index...
	  Some loaded documents are searchable indexes. To cause DosLynx to
	  search the index of the currently active window, select this
	  command. This command will not be active if the window contains
	  no searchable index.

   Navigate|Show Destination URL
	  This selection reports the destination URL specified by the
	  currently selected anchor. For Form submit button controls, it
	  reports up to 816 octets of a URL equivalent composed of the
	  Form's present data content appended to the <FORM tag's
	  ACTION= . . . URL. This is the URL that would be transmitted if
	  the submit button was now activated. A screen print of this
	  report may be used to make a record of Form content or data being
	  submitted. The same kind of report is also provided for Form
	  password and text line input objects that provide a line
	  input/editing dialog that contains a submit button.

   Options|Toggle Low/High Text Mode
	  Allows you to switch back and forth between the default 25 line
	  text mode and the 43 or 50 line text mode of EGA or VGA video
	  adapters.

   Options|Send Mail
	  Presents a dialog window for composing and sending a short e-mail
	  note. Presently, this dialog provides for only a single To:
	  addressee or recipient and no Cc: addressee or recipient.

   Window|Messages
	  This will cause the window containing all of the DosLynx messages
	  to become the currently active window.

   Window|Clone Window
	  Use this if you wish to create a duplicate of the currently
	  active window and all of its views. The new window is expected to
	  be the same in every respect except for window number and size.
	  Any entered Form content or data present in the currently active
	  window's present view will be maintained and should be faithfully
	  copied into the new window's present view.

   Window|Zoom In/Out
	  Use this command to switch a window to its maximum possible size.
	  Or, to return it to its previous size before Zoom.

   Window|Resize
	  This command provides for adjusting the currently active window's
	  size.

   Window|Next
	  This command gives another window, from the list of open windows,
	  a turn at being the currently active window.

   Window|Cascade
	  Use this command to organize all open windows in a cascading
	  arrangement on your display.

   Window|Tile
	  Use this command to organize all open windows in a tiled
	  arrangement on your display.

   Window|Close
	  This command duplicates the File|Close command. It closes the
	  currently active window, making the memory allocated to that
	  window a candidate for reuse. Once closed, windows other than the
	  messages window become un-viewable. The Esc key provides a
	  shortcut for closing the messages window.

   Hotlist|View...
	  This command causes DosLynx to load the configuration file
	  specified Hotlist file for easy access to anchors which you
	  specify.

   Hotlist|Add Current To Hotlist
	  This command will add the URL of the currently active window to
	  your Hotlist file and then prompt you for a name or title by
	  which to remember the URL. After you've entered that name or
	  title, the Hotlist file will be updated and then displayed in a
	  new window.

   Hotlist|Add Link To Hotlist
	  This command will add the destination URL specified by the
	  currently selected anchor to your Hotlist file. This provides a
	  way to make a long term copy of content or data that has been
	  entered into a Form being submitted. After you've completed the
	  name or title dialog for the new entry, the Hotlist file will be
	  updated and then displayed in a new window. (You'll need to edit
	  your Hotlist file with another program to remove any of its
	  entries.)

   Hotlist|Home Page
	  Use this command to open a new window with the configuration file
	  specified home page loaded within.

   Help|About DosLynx
	  Provides DosLynx version and authors information.

   Help|Mail Developer
	  Use this command to send a suggestion or bug report to the
	  developer of DosLynx, if you are connected to a network.


   DosLynx also has many other ways of obtaining user input.

   Most available hotkey or shortcut key equivalents are listed beside the
   menu choices in the DosLynx menus.

   In addition to the listed keys, you can use Tab and Shifted Tab, the
   UNIX vi keys (hjkl), your numeric keypad with Num Lock ON, or the top
   row numeric 2, 4, 6, and 8 keys for anchor navigation. Even though you
   have Num Lock ON, you interpret the numeric keypad keys in terms of the
   arrows they also carry. This differs from the version 0.7a release of
   DosLynx that allowed the user to use the Lynx arrow keys for anchor
   navigation. That is no longer supported. The off-keypad arrow keys are
   now reserved for scrolling, only.

   The numeric keypad's End, Page Down, Home, and Page Up keys (with Num
   Lock ON), the top row numeric 1, 3, 7, and 9 keys, the off-keypad Page
   Down, Page Up, and arrow keys, and the space bar all allow you to look
   through a document that is longer than your display. The off-keypad Page
   Down, Page Up, End, Home, and arrow keys provide for scrolling within
   Form select input control dialogs. Esc allows you to close the messages
   window and cancel other dialog windows. It isn't accepted in the
   document presentation window(s), however. Enter pushes the default
   button in all dialog windows. Finally, Alt-n, where n is an open window
   number digit, from the keyboard's top row, quickly makes window n the
   currently active window, if it has already been opened.

   If you use a mouse with DosLynx, you can select an anchor by using a
   single left button click, and activate an anchor by using a double left
   button click. A special case arises when attempting to select an inline
   image which also is has a destination; see the Special Notes section.

   Items contained in the status bar (the bottom line of your screen while
   running DosLynx) are selectable by the mouse only but correlate directly
   with items in the Navigate menu. In addition, the right mouse button is
   the same as issuing the Window|Clone Window command.


Special Notes on Usage

   As of the DosLynx v0.22b release, only the following URL types are
   supported:

	file
	ftp
	http
	mailto
	news


   When attempting to select an inline image with a mouse, you may not get
   what you expect. Some inline images also have destinations, in which
   case you will be taken to that destination. Use the keyboard to
   specifically select an inline image which also has a destination.

   For best DosLynx performance, specify the temporary file directory in
   your configuration file or on the command line to be a directory on a
   RAMDRIVE. But, only consider this if you have at least two MB of EMS or
   XMS memory available. If you have only a relatively small quantity of
   EMS or XMS memory available, remember that DosLynx v0.26b can make good
   use of up to about 290 KB (18 EMS pages) of this memory, for holding its
   overlays, without a RAMDRIVE. Specify the ems= and/or xms= configuration
   options to enable this usage. Also, if you have EMS or XMS memory
   available, DosLynx will be able to use over 500 KB more of that, without
   a RAMDRIVE, when it swaps itself out of standard memory for running
   DLXVIEW or DOS commands. DosLynx is able to run successfully, though
   somewhat slowly, without any EMS or XMS memory available. See your DOS
   documentation for setting up a RAMDRIVE specific to your system.

   DosLynx is a multiple document interface (MDI) application. This may
   confuse new users that are used to other World Wide Web clients. As a
   rule of thumb, when you open any presentable URL or document through
   DosLynx's File|Open URL... (using its Open button) or File|Open Local...
   menu items or equivalent hotkeys, or by Form submission, then it will be
   presented in a new window. The first nine windows are numbered in their
   upper right corners. You can switch among these windows by pressing the
   ALT key and the window number simultaneously. Additional windows can be
   reached via the Window|Next menu entry or its F6 key shortcut.

   Each open window usually represents at least one open file. If you open
   more windows than you have FILES specified in your CONFIG.SYS file, then
   DosLynx will shut down. If you have at least FILES=20 specified,
   however, this probably won't be a problem. Because you'll tend to run
   out of memory at about the same time as you hit the open FILES limit.
   So, make sure you have at least FILES=20 specified in your CONFIG.SYS
   file. There may be little to be gained from specifying more than
   FILES=20, without taking additional measures.

   When DosLynx has used most of your computer's memory, attempting to use
   the File|Dos Shell command will not work if DOSLYNX.CFG contains
   shoswap=NO. Your computer simply does not have enough memory to execute
   your command interpretor. By default, shoswap=YES, enabling DosLynx to
   swap most of itself out of memory to avoid this problem.

   When you ftp a file or activate an anchor that DosLynx cannot display as
   text, you are asked to give a file name to save the information in; a
   filename is now suggested by DosLynx. These files are not removed by
   DosLynx when you exit the application. This allows you as the user to do
   what you will with such files after exiting DosLynx. However, presently,
   DosLynx does not consider existing files in making its suggestion. If
   you are prompted to save a file that is already on your hard drive (such
   as a local image), consider using another name before letting the file
   you already have be over-written.

   When DosLynx terminates unexpectedly, the temporary files it has opened
   may remain in the temporary file directory you specified in the
   configuration file or on the command line. The temporary file names
   follow the pattern of DLX*.$$$. You no longer have to remove these files
   yourself unless you are very low on disk space, however. Beginning with
   version 0.20 beta, DosLynx removes any of these files it finds, at the
   beginning of each run, to keep them from accumulating.

   Beginning with version 0.24 beta, there is an exception to the preceding
   rule. DosLynx now checks to see if another instance of DosLynx is
   already running. (That will be the case if you run DosLynx while shelled
   out of DosLynx to a DOS command prompt.) If so, it refrains from
   removing any temporary file. That restraint is necessary to keep from
   destroying the already running instance of DosLynx! DosLynx issues a
   reminder message when it decides not to remove any temporary file.

   If you are wondering, the menu bar contains the current time in the
   upper right hand corner. In the status bar are three numbers in the
   lower right corner. These numbers are, from left to right, the current
   network activity in bytes, the free space in bytes on the temporary
   drive you specified, and the amount of available heap memory in bytes.
   These were originally run-time debugging tools for the developer of
   DosLynx. They were left in as they are now harmless and give the user
   useful information on what is happening when DosLynx is at work. They
   can be turned off with the /B command line option, if desired.

   To force DosLynx into a supported black and white video mode, type
   C:\DOSINET>mode BW80
   at your DOS prompt. Consider doing this if you monitor is black and
   white but DosLynx considers it a color monitor (monochrome EGA
   monitors).

   If you have an older (read: slower) PC, you'll probably wish for better
   performance from DosLynx from time-to-time. Here are a few more things
   you can do to speed it up:

   Forgo a Home File
	  Use loadhome=OFF in DOSLYNX.CFG, /HOFF on the command line, or
	  give the home= configuration option the name of a short or empty
	  file. This will save the time needed to display INFO.HTM each
	  time you start DosLynx.

   Remove All the Comments From DOSLYNX.CFG
	  Once you are satisfied with your configuration and are sure that
	  you have backup copies of it, go through DOSLYNX.CFG and remove
	  all of the comment lines. Again, this will save time each time
	  you start DosLynx.

   Keep the Directories You Use Frequently Short
	  DosLynx can take a few seconds to develop the local file dialog
	  box on a PC-XT when the present DOS directory contains hundreds
	  of entries. If you can keep the directories you use the most
	  relatively short, you'll save time each time you invoke a local
	  file dialog.

   Don't Configure debugen=ON
	  If DosLynx is slow in shutting-down, make sure you don't have
	  debugen=ON specified in DOSLYNX.CFG.


New DosLynx Features

   The following new features have been added in DosLynx releases beginning
   with DosLynx version 0.20 beta:

   <BASE HREF= . . . > tags
	  DosLynx now honors these tags when they appear in HTML. They are
	  also provided to local files written by the File|Open URL...
	  (with its Download button), File|Save Source, and
	  Navigate|Download Selection menu entries. These provisions enable
	  relative URLs to be properly reproduced when the local files are
	  later viewed.

   <META . . . > tags
	  DosLynx is now also displaying many of these tags when they
	  appear in HTML. <META HTTP-EQUIV=REFRESH CONTENT= . . . > tags
	  specifying URLs are now treated like anchors, too. Beginning with
	  DosLynx v0.26b, a showmetas= configuration option controls the
	  display of most <META . . . > tags, along with two other forms of
	  meta content. These things are described in some detail by
	  comments in the provided sample DOSLYNX.CFG file.

   Temporary Files
	  At startup, DosLynx will now remove any of its own temporary
	  files that it finds abandoned in the configured temporary
	  directory. Beginning with DosLynx v0.24b, this action will be
	  withheld when DosLynx detects another instance of itself already
	  running. In that case, a reminder message will be issued.

   Unexpected Shut Downs
	  DosLynx will now pause to give its user 15 seconds to read its
	  final messages before exiting.

   Swap Out for Graphics Viewing and Escape to DOS Shell
	  DosLynx will now swap most of itself out of main memory, to XMS
	  or EMS memory or a temporary file, before invoking DLXVIEW to
	  display a graphic file. If shoswap=NO is not configured, DosLynx
	  will also swap most of itself out of main memory, to XMS or EMS
	  memory or a temporary file, before shelling-out to DOS. The
	  shoswap=NO configuration option is mainly a debug tool.

   Intra-Session History Added
	  The present view's current top line and currently selected anchor
	  will be noted when an anchor is activated. i.e.: When a link is
	  followed. Upon return, or a linked-from view's reinstatement, the
	  noted top line position and anchor selection will be restored to
	  the reinstated view.

   debugen= Configuration Option Added
	  The debugen= configuration option enables heapcheck(ing) while
	  DosLynx shuts down. heapcheck( ) discovers heap corruption
	  resulting from certain kinds of software errors. Configuring
	  debugen=ON may help to avoid crashing during shut-down. However,
	  it is a luxury that probably isn't affordable on slower PCs.
	  (Shut-down can take as long as 45 minutes on a PC-XT with
	  debugen=ON!) Beginning with DosLynx v0.24b, the debugen=
	  configuration option also enables a detailed trace of the
	  DosLynx/server dialog that occurs during a DosLynx ftp access.
	  This may help you discover what is going wrong if and when an ftp
	  access fails repeatedly. The default value for debugen= is OFF.
	  Possible values are OFF and ON.

   Messages Window Now Pops Up Over ERROR.HTM
	  Beginning with DosLynx v0.22b, the messages window will pop up
	  over ERROR.HTM whenever it is presented as the result of a
	  problem. This saves you from having to fumble around to see your
	  messages after a problem has been encountered. The Esc key now
	  provides a one key way to dismiss the messages window.

   DEHEAD Utility Now Provided with DosLynx
	  Beginning with DosLynx v0.22b, the DosLynx release package
	  includes the DEHEAD utility program. It provides for removing the
	  headers that DosLynx adds to the local copies of files written
	  via the File|Open URL... (with its Download button),
	  File|Save Source, and Navigate|Download Selection menu entries.
	  It will copy everything in a file after its first blank line.

   NEWSURLS.HTM Now Provided with DosLynx
	  Beginning with DosLynx v0.22b, the DosLynx release package
	  includes a description of the news URLs that DosLynx accepts, in
	  NEWSURLS.HTM.

   Forms Support Added to DosLynx
	  DosLynx v0.24b brought an initial installment of Forms support.
	  Implemented, here, are the HTML <FORM METHOD=get . . . and
	  <INPUT . . . tags -- for input TYPEs checkbox, hidden, password,
	  radio, reset, submit, and text.

	  DosLynx v0.25b brought two more Form input controls. These
	  support the HTML <SELECT . . . and <INPUT TYPE=image . . . tags.
	  (The former supports neither MULTIPLE nor SIZE= attributes. The
	  latter is implemented as a combination of an HTML <IMG . . . tag
	  and an <INPUT TYPE=submit . . . tag. It doesn't provide any
	  cursor coordinate data.) These still won't be enough to use a Web
	  Mail service. But, they should provide you with everything you'll
	  need for most search type dialogs. Further Forms support
	  enhancements are planned.

   News Client Support for yEncoded Data
	  Beginning with DosLynx v0.24b, the File|Save Source and
	  Navigate|Download Selection menu entries will provide transparent
	  handling for news: documents containing yEncoded data. The
	  File|Open URL... menu entry's Download button, added in
	  DosLynx v0.25b, will provide this transparent handling, as well.

   Loose Find Added to DosLynx
	  Beginning with DosLynx v0.24b, the Navigate|Find... dialog will
	  provide two push buttons for starting a search. An "Exact Find"
	  button will provide a search using exact matching. This is the
	  only mode previously offered. In addition, a "Loose Find" button
	  will now provide a search using case insensitive (loose)
	  matching.

   swapmem= Configuration Option Added
	  Beginning with DosLynx v0.24b, the swapmem= configuration option
	  will determine whether or not any access is made to EMS and/or
	  XMS memory for swapping DosLynx out of standard DOS memory. This
	  option is intended to provide a bypass for problem(s) encountered
	  with the EMS and/or XMS services in some installations. swapmem=
	  need not be configured unless one suspects they are having
	  trouble in this area. (The symptoms of such a problem may be that
	  DosLynx mis-behaves when resumed after a swap out.) swapmem= is
	  specified in terms of the memory services that SWAP is allowed to
	  access. Possible values are Both (same as default, starting with
	  DosLynx v0.22b -- SWAP accesses XMS memory, and then EMS memory
	  if necessary), EMS (SWAP accesses EMS, but not XMS, memory), XMS
	  (same as provided in DosLynx v0.20b -- SWAP accesses XMS, but not
	  EMS, memory), and Neither (SWAP only accesses the disk).

   HTML <IMAGE . . . tags
	  Beginning with DosLynx v0.24b, <IMAGE will be recognized in HTML
	  as a synonym for the <IMG tag. This is necessary to support
	  apparently non-standard HTML that is recognized by Internet
	  Explorer and used at http://www.microsoft.com . For an example of
	  this, see:
	  http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/downloads/contents/wurecommend
	  ed/s_wufeatured/win98se/

   DHCP Client Support Added
	  Beginning with DosLynx v0.25b, my_ip=DHCP will be recognized in
	  DOSLYNX.CFG for obtaining TCP/IP configuration information from a
	  DHCP server. This has been implemented so as to avoid any change
	  in the operation of the existing my_ip=BOOTP support, when that
	  is configured. When my_ip=DHCP is configured, mss= must specify
	  576 or more or be allowed to default (to 1400). Comments in
	  DOSLYNX.CFG provide more on these things.

   File|Open URL... Download Button Added
	  Beginning with DosLynx v0.25b, the File|Open URL... dialog will
	  contain a Download button, in addition to Open (formerly OK) and
	  Cancel buttons. The new Download button provides for
	  File|Save Source or Navigate|Download Selection type handling for
	  directly entered URLs. The Open button remains the
	  File|Open URL... dialog's default and operates just as the former
	  OK button did.


Removed DosLynx Features

   The following features were removed from DosLynx, starting at
   versions 0.20b, 0.22b, and 0.26b:

   Gopher Support
	  Yep, sorry. It's been taken out.

   Built-in .GIF Viewer
	  This has been replaced with the swap out and call to DLXVIEW
	  described in several places in this document. (Use
	  Navigate|Find... and specify DLXVIEW to find those places.)

   Bugs, Crashes, Hangs, and Loops
	  Most of these have been taken out, too. You may still see some
	  breakout( ) calls. But, each time you do, you'll be able to be
	  thankful for not having to reboot DOS and redial your ISP!

   wais Support
	  Yep, sorry. This one's gone, too.

   Local Graphics File Copying
	  Beginning with version 0.26b, DosLynx no longer finds it
	  necessary to copy local graphics files for the purpose of
	  submitting them to DLXVIEW for viewing. This provides a noticable
	  performance improvement on older (read: slower) PCs. We trust
	  this copying "feature" won't be much missed.


Distributing DosLynx

   You may distribute DosLynx version 0.26 beta at your convenience so long
   that you distribute the orignal .ZIP file obtained by the means listed
   in the Obtaining DosLynx section of this document.


Credits

   The University of Kansas would like to thank the following organizations
   and people for their aid in the creation of DosLynx.

	Generous financial assistance given by O'Reilly and Associates
		and Intel Corporation.
	World Wide Web Source Library by CERN
	Waterloo TCP by Erick Engelke
	FTP code from James W. Matthews, Dartmouth Software Development
	Borland C/C++ and Turbo Vision by Borland International

   Further, The University by Kansas recognizes the following:
   Borland C/C++ and Turbo Vision
	  Trademarks of and Copyright by Borland International.
   World Wide Web Source Library
	  Copyright by CERN, Geneva, Switzeralnd.
   Waterloo TCP Library
	  Copyright by Erick Engelke.
   FTP code
	  Portions Copyright 1994 Trustees by Dartmouth College.

   Fred C. Macall, presently maintaining DosLynx, gratefully acknowledges
   the contributions of its original author, Garrett Arch Blythe. I am also
   grateful to Wayne S. Buttles who worked on DosLynx in 1996 and passed
   the baton in SRC_16A.ZIP. DosLynx now incorporates SWAP.ASM, which
   you'll see performs admirably. It contains the following notice:
   Copyright (C) 1990 by Marty Del Vecchio

   Last Modified: by Fred C. Macall
   21 April 2004.

   Report errors to the following address:
   mailto:fmacall@nccw.net


