FirstClass Client 5.506 for Windows
FirstClass® Client 5.506 for Windows® is copyright © 1998 SoftArc Inc.
You are free to download and distribute these files providing they are distributed in their entirety and no modifications are made. All other rights are reserved by SoftArc Inc.
The FirstClass® Client installer will automatically install the appropriate FirstClass® Client for either 16-bit or 32-bit Windows operating systems.
When redistributing this file, please describe it as:
FirstClass® Client 5.506 is the graphical front-end Windows software required to connect via network or modem to FirstClass® Intranet Servers. The FirstClass® Client installer will automatically install the appropriate FirstClass® Client for Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups, Windows 95/98 or Windows NT.
Description
FirstClass® Client 5.5x for Windows is a major update client release which is designed for use with the FirstClass® Intranet Server.
The FirstClass® Client has all of the conferencing, file transfer, and e-mail functions of previous FirstClass products plus:
- multiple character-set support
- improved address book
- context sensitive, customizable toolbar
- customizable status bar
- improved GIF and JPEG viewers
- support for Tooltips
- SDI support
- browser-like front end interface
- dynamic forms updating
Requirements
This FirstClass® Client for Windows requires:
- 80386 DX processor (or better)
- Windows 3.1 or better, Windows for Workgroups, Windows NT® Workstation, Windows NT Server, or Windows 95/98
- 4 MB RAM above minimum operating systems requirements
- Minimum Disk space requirements
- FirstClass® Client 3.3 MB (16-bit) 2.8 MB (32-bit)
- FirstClass® Notify 65 kB
- FirstClass® Personal 650 kB (only available in 32-bit)
- Online Help 114 kB
- Personal Post Office 35 kb minimum (only available in 32-bit)
Installation
1) Download the attached FC5506US.EXE file into a temporary folder.
2) Run the downloaded file and follow the onscreen instructions for additional details on how to complete the installation.
New features/enhancements in this release since 5.1
Multiple Character Set Support
The client text editor will now store the text in its native character set. When rendering the text the editor will select a font that matches this stored character set.
New Look Context Sensitive Toolbars
The client now displays context sensitive toolbars in the frame of the object it is working on e.g. new message, sent message, file list, etc. These toolbars can be customized.
Windows Client now uses SDI Mode
The Windows client now uses the SDI mode for displaying all windows. This means that there is no longer a background (MDI) frame in which all other open windows are constrained and allows all windows to float, be minimised onto the Windows 95/98 and NT task bar, etc.
Improved Login Mechanism
The login mechanism for creating and using settings files and sites has been improved. For novice users they initially see a simpler login window in which they just type in the domain name of the site they wish to connect to. Settings files are then created automatically for them. The client now retains a pop-up list of the last sites visited for easy selection and re-use.
New Menu Layout
There has been a significant amount of work in re-designing the menu layout to make it more intuitive and to group logical items together in a more consistent manner.
Support For Forms and Resources On the Fly
The client is now able to download and use forms and resources "on the fly" from an appropriately configured 5.5 FirstClass Intranet Server.
Improved Right Mouse Menus
When using the right mouse button on the Windows client, a more intelligent set of selections are provided for use with the object selected.
Improved Find Form and New Find and Replace Functionality
The standard Find form has been improved with additional search criteria. Find and replace functionality has been added.
New Home Server Concept
You can now set a home server in your user preferences. This server will then always be listed first in the login form site pop-up to allow easy connection to your most commonly used server.
Spelling Check Enhancements
The spelling checker has been improved. It can now be configured to ignore quoted text and URLs. It also has improvements for use with non-English languages such as checking of contracted (useful with French) and compound (useful for German) words. Spelling Check statistics are now shown on the status bar, and the completion dialog has been removed.
User Interface Improvements
A number of common tasks have been streamlined to improve the client user interface.
These include:
- no warnings when closing an unsent message or closing the last open window
- when the last open window is closed you get no logoff form
Major fixes in FirstClass® Client 5.506 release
- When not connected to any server, chosing Preferences from the system tray and clicking the Default button no longer causes an illegal operation error.
- On the Advanced TCPIPWAN.FCP setup switching from Auto to 8 (/1024) now works correctly.
- If you have an 800x600 desktop on your PC and from within the client select to open more than 15-20 items (e.g. to do a Get Info on them), the windows will no longer open progressively downwards on the screen such that some of them will effectively go off the bottom of the screen and you cannot reach them.
- Shift dragging an object now attempts to create an alias as it should.
- Hovering over buttons now always shows the description text in the Status Bar or in the Description field of the Customize Toolbar form, when description text exists.
- Fixed an assertion failure when setting either one of the following view properties: Group items on Type (Win & Mac), and Sort on Type on the Groups folder.
- Summarizing large documents/messages no longer crashes the client.
- The client can now print everything after a pagebreak inserted into a message/document.
- If you move a collapsed thread, all messages in the thread will now be moved not just the visible message.
- With message groups collapsed, setting "Group items on None" will no longer hide the messages that were invisible by group collapse until the Mailbox/conference is reopened.
- With "Match whole words only" enabled, the Replace command no longer fails to replace a string that appears at the end of document, and is not followed by a carriage return without the need to press replace again.
- Long subject names no longer become corrupted when created with a 5.5 client on a 5.1x Server.
- Smart Zoom no longer fails when you perform a Message->Show Internet Header.
- Smart Zoom on List Connections window now sizes the window correctly.
- While working offline, following an FC URL to another server will no longer attempt to log into FC Personal, rather than the correct, other server.
- Can now view the picture in a résumé more than once.
- Fixed issue where if a user started to connect via a modem and cancelled, by choosing cancel from the login form, the modem would incorrectly continue to dial and get connected (even if the user quit the client).
- Modified logoff warning dialog handling to hopefully prevent case where a user would believe that the client was not responding correctly when it had logged off because of inactivity, but the inactivity/logoff dialogs were hidden.
- When in a document the colour picker now properly reflects the text colour.
- Client no longer crashes if the next unread button is clicked on a message toolbar and the window is closed before the new one appears.
- The client will no longer crash when a message is opened via next in thread and you try and drag text from the body outside of the window.
- The client now correctly displays the file size for large attachments in list views.
- Can now search on from names or to/cc names on their own as the only search criteria.
- The client now closes the editor properly (which does a flush write) when the window is removed by any means other than a manual closing.
- If you move an object from where the source is in list view to where the destination is in iconic view, the newly placed item now shows up where you drop it.
- After entering a name with international characters in a To: field and then tabbing out of the field, when the directory window is opened, the "Pattern" field now shows the correct characters in the name.
Other changes in this release over previous 5.5 version
- Under the Connection menu there are two new items: Connect To Home Location and Make Window My Home Location. The Home Tab of Preferences has a new section Called Default Location. The purpose of these features is to implement a home location that the client will automatically connect to when it is launched by a fresh install off the web (when available).
- File transfer windows are now minimizable. The title of the window reflects the name of the attachments and the percentage transferred. A time remaining period field has also been added.
- If you try to run more than one instance of the Windows client it will connect you up to the already running version rather than trying to start a second copy. You can by-pass this by holding down the ctrl key when launching a second copy.
- The list of settings file popup on the login form is now clearable without deleting the .fcd file. On the Mac, tab to this field and choose Edit->Clear from the menubar (NOTE - this is currently not working). On Windows, tab to this field and right-click on the popup control and select clear.
- Items in hit lists now know about their REAL parents and the paths to them. If you open an item from a hit list or add an item to your bookmarks it will have the correct path back to your Desktop.
- New icons on the right side of the summary bar now let you know what permissions you have on some objects.
- Layout data is no longer stored locally. The "use layout from server" checkbox on the permissions form is now assumed to be always on. On a related topic pressing the default button on a change view properties form would place a 10 for the font size in the layout. This should be 9 on the mac. This has been changed to zero which means 10 on Windows and 9 on the Mac in the low level GUI.
Known Problems
- No major known problems.
____________________________________________________________
SoftArc
100 Allstate Parkway, Markham, Ontario, CANADA, L3R 6H3
Tel: 905-415-7000, Fax: 905-415-7151, FirstClass: 905-415-7070, Sales: 1-800-SOFTARC
Internet: info@softarc.com, http://www.softarc.com
SoftArc International Ltd.
SoftArc House, Shannon Business Park, Co. Clare, Ireland
Tel: +353-61-472-877
Fax: +353-61-472-388
FirstClass is a registered trademark of SoftArc Inc. All other trade names referenced are the service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
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