FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NEW FORUM SOFTWARE
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These are some of the most common questions members may have about the new
forum software that's being released. For more details on any of these
answers, please GO HELPFORUM or GO FEEDBACK.


WHAT WILL LOOK DIFFERENT IN THE LIBRARIES?
     File names can now have eight characters before the extension (ie;
     .EXE) instead of six, and you'll see the name of the file contributor
     when you view a file's description instead of just the contributor's
     User ID number.
     
     If you use a terminal emulation program on CompuServe (one that
     doesn't use the windowed interface with the service), Browse, Directory,
     and List displays will all be one line longer than they were before. In
     addition, a new command, Inventory, has been added to get one-line
     descriptions of the files in a library in terminal emulation.

WHAT'S THIS PERSON'S NAME IN THE FILE DESCRIPTIONS?
     File descriptions always give the User ID number of the member who
     uploaded ( contributed) the file. Now, beside the User ID number, the
     file description will also display the name the uploader has in the
     forum. (Note: This is the name the member has in that forum, not
     necessarily the name on the account.)

WHY DON'T I SEE THE CONTRIBUTOR NAMES IN A FILE DESCRIPTION?
     If you're using a CIM (the CompuServe Information Manager) or
     CSNavigator on CompuServe, you won't see contributor names in
     descriptions until the next versions of the programs are available.
     Keep an eye on What's New and the CIM support forums for news about
     the new versions of software. You'll automatically be able to use
     longer file names in all your programs except CSNavigator for
     Windows.

HOW CAN I GET A ONE-LINE-PER-FILE LIST OF THE CONTENTS OF A LIBRARY?
     The new INVentory command in terminal emulation will give you a
     quick list of files. You can use the INV command like the other
     existing commands to search for certain files ("INV *.TXT" to
     look for all files that end in .TXT), list all files in a
     library ("INV"), or to list all the files in multiple libraries
     ("INV LIB:1-4" or "INV LIB:ALL").

WHAT DOES b, K, and M STAND FOR IN THESE FILE DESCRIPTIONS?
     The directory, list, and browse commands all abbreviate the file size.
     "B" stands for bytes, "K" for kilobytes, and "M" for megabytes.

WHEN DO I HAVE TO PAY POSTAGE FOR MAIL FROM FORUMS?
     Mail sent from forums will arrive free of postage charges except if:
     
       * The mail was composed in a free forum

       or

       * The mail is a forum message that expired (scrolled) from
         a forum after more than seven days and was copied to your
         mailbox.
     
     Scrolled messages are old messages that are deleted from a forum to
     make room for new messages. Some forums will automatically send you a
     copy of a scrolled message if it was addressed to you and you did not
     read it. If that message was waiting in the forum for seven days or
     less, it will arrive without postage, but if the message was over
     seven days old, your copy of the message will arrive postage due.
     Don't forget that you can always delete a scrolled message without
     reading it to avoid postage charges.

WHY DO I NEED TO TYPE "AGREE" WHEN I UPLOAD A FILE?
     CompuServe will now display more complete information about
     distribution of copyrighted material. When you upload a file, you'll
     need to type the word "agree" to confirm that you do have permission
     to upload the file that you're contributing to the forum.

MY AUTOMATED PROGRAM CAN'T UPLOAD A FILE! WHAT'S WRONG?
     The current versions of programs (like TapCIS, AutoSig, or OzCIS) that
     automate CompuServe use will not be able to script uploading files
     because of the new "agree" prompt. In order to upload files, you'll
     need to upgrade to new versions. Contact the program authors to get
     more information about which versions you'll need and how to upgrade
     to them.

WHAT DO I NEED TO UPGRADE?
     If you use a terminal emulation program like ProComm, MicroPhone, or
     SmartCom, you do not need to upgrade anything to use these new
     features.
     
     If you use the CompuServe Information Manager, you will be able to use
     longer filenames immediately. If you use CSNavigator, you will be
     able to search for and download longer filenames, but won't be able
     to upload files with 8.3 names or see contributor names. The next
     versions of these programs will support these features. Keep an eye
     on the What's New announcements or go to the CIM Support Forums for
     more information on when these new versions will be available.

copyright CompuServe Incorporated, March, 1995.

