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From: ts@uwasa.fi (Timo Salmi)
Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
Subject: Re: v08i108: checktd, check time and date (part 01/01)
Keywords: shareware
Message-ID: <1990Oct5.103423.8051@uwasa.fi>
Date: 5 Oct 90 10:34:23 GMT
References: <2022@sixhub.UUCP>
Organization: University of Vaasa
Lines: 57

In article <2022@sixhub.UUCP> ibmbin-request@crdgw1.crd.ge.com writes:
>Posting-number: Volume 08, Issue 108
>Submitted-by: rxcob@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au
>Archive-name: checktd/part01
>
>As nearly as I can tell, this is intended to be used in a batch file.
>There is no documentation. It is called with a date and time, and
>returns ERRLEVEL set to values for before, at, or after the time given
>on the command line. Shareware $20.

I have taken a slightly closer look at some of the wares distributed
in the binaries, admittedly partly because I have written and
distributed a similar programs myself in a couple of instances. 
Here are some of my observations on four programs all by the same
author.  Perhaps I'm too harsh, but in my opinion (with one
exception) they fail to reach a fair quality limit for
comp.binaries.ibm.pc. 

ALARM 
 A simple, but useful TSR alarm to remind the user at times
prerecorded in a text file.  Slightly inaccurate, because wakes up
only once in a minute.  When I set two alarms go off at minute
intervals, I only got one, but might have made a mistake in my
experiment.  One of the nice features is that alarm can remove
itself from the memory.  I would rate this definitely useful. 

CHECKTD 
 Is one of many potential a batch enhancer commands.  It returns an
errorlevel to make a comparison whether we are at, before, or past
a given date/time.  This is potentially useful as a part of a batch
package.  But distributed as a standalone program I fail to see any
merit in it. 

CURSOR
 Can be used to change the cursor size and location, or hide the
cursor temporarily (that is it is not a TSR).  I've written the same
utility to work with the additional TSR and size-selection options
myself.  It is in my /pc/ts/tsutld18.arc package that was recently
distributed in the binaries and is also available from
chyde.uwasa.fi. 

ENCRYPT
 Here is yet another program with a great number of precedents
including mine in /pc/ts/tsfcom23.arc.  I can't find anything novel
in this new addition to the bunch. 

It is always nice to have new programs available, but I would
definitely have tied these utilities together in a single package. 
With the positive the exception of ALARM the utilities are either
far too trivial or too common to warrant a separate distribution. 
These programs are simply not yet up to what shareware is about. 
But this is just my opinion. 

...................................................................
Prof. Timo Salmi        (Moderating at anon. ftp site 128.214.12.3)
School of Business Studies, University of Vaasa, SF-65101, Finland
Internet: ts@chyde.uwasa.fi Funet: gado::salmi Bitnet: salmi@finfun