10 DEC 97 ========================== Release Notes MacSPIRS 2.41 ========================== You can use MacSPIRS 2.41 to search all SilverPlatter databases, including those containing full-text records. These release notes describe the new features and known bugs which may occur when using SilverPlatter's MacSPIRS 2.41. NOTE: While MacSPIRS 2.41 runs under both Macintosh System 7.x and Mac OS 8, it performs optimally under System 7.x. The next version of MacSPIRS (currently in development) will take full advantage of Mac OS 8 functionality. BEFORE INSTALLING MacSPIRS 2.41 we recommend that you: * Delete the preference files for any previous MacSPIRS installations. * Shut down any other applications you may have running. The MacSPIRS Installer automatically restarts your Macintosh after installation is complete. =-=-=-=-= Contents =-=-=-=-= The following information is available in this file: 1. New Features/Changes * Memory Requirements * Installation and Configuration Options * ISO Latin 1 Font Support * ERL Client Features * Interface Preferences * Lateral Searching * Record Sorting * Navigation Options * Search Histories 2. Known Bugs * Search Histories * Two Help Menus Under Mac OS 8 3. Contacting SilverPlatter * Technical Support =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 1. New Features/Changes =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The following features are new in MacSPIRS 2.41. For more detailed information about these features, see the "Differences from MacSPIRS 2.3 to MacSPIRS 2.4" document available from SilverPlatter's FTP site. * Memory Requirements: -------------------- MacSPIRS 2.41 requires of minimum of 4MB of RAM to run. 8MB or more is recommended. * Installation and Configuration Options: --------------------------------------- > You can now install MacSPIRS as a platform-specific application, allowing it run more efficiently on a 68K or PowerPC machine. If you are installing or modifying a MacSPIRS ERL client, you can specify the servers you want to access and preconfigure usernames and passwords for automatic server login. > By default, the Minimum and Preferred Memory Requirements for MacSPIRS are 2MB and 4MB, respectively. These memory settings are listed in the MacSPIRS 2.41 Info dialog box. You can increase the amount of Preferred memory to as much as 12MB or reduce it to as little as 2.5MB. NOTE: Reducing the amount of Preferred memory is recommended if you are running MacSPIRS on a machine with 4 MB RAM and experience system crashes when selecting databases. > You can configure MacSPIRS to replace partially-typed search terms with words from the Index. > By default, MacSPIRS searches the ERL server(s) during each login or system restart and displays any Message of the Day (MOTD) posted by the ERL administrator. To turn off the MOTD feature, go to the [MAC] section in the MacSPIRS.INI file (located in the MacSPIRS Overrides folder within the System folder) and change the NoMOTD setting from 0 (default) to 1 as shown below: [MAC] NoMOTD=1 > Because some MacSPIRS features are not yet available for full text, MacSPIRS displays a warning message each time it encounters a full text database. To turn off this warning message, go to the [MAC] section in the MacSPIRS.INI file and change the NoFTWarning setting from 0 (default) to 1 as shown below: [MAC] NoFTWarning=1 * ISO Latin 1 Font Support: ------------------------- MacSPIRS 2.41 includes the ISO Latin font needed to display ISO Latin 1 databases correctly. You must install this font manually after the MacSPIRS installation is complete. To install the ISO Latin 1 font: 1. Open the following MacSPIRS folders: MacSPIRS 2.41 Installer : Extras : ProFont Distribution 2.0 : ProFontISOLatin1 2.0 F 2. Drag the ProFontISOLatin1 font suitcase from the ProFontISOLatin1 2.0 F folder to the Fonts folder within your Macintosh's System folder. 3. Restart MacSPIRS to recognize the new font. * ERL Client Features: -------------------- MacSPIRS 2.41 now supports DES encrypted passwords and Message of the Day. * Interface Preferences: ---------------------- MacSPIRS 2.41 allows you to set certain interface preferences, including the color of various display elements, font and font size, and window positions. * Lateral Searching: ------------------ A new Lateral Search menu item and Search button make it easier to search from retrieved records. * Record Sorting: --------------- MacSPIRS 2.41 lets you sort up to 1,000 retrieved records in ascending or descending order. * Navigation Options: ------------------- New menu items make it easier to scroll through retrieved records. * Search Histories: ----------------- In addition to saving and running search histories, you can edit any search history file, including its description, startup database(s), or the search requests themselves. =-=-=-=-=-=-= 2. Known Bugs =-=-=-=-=-=-= * Search Histories: ----------------- > Editing the description of a saved search history (through the Saved Search History dialog box) may prevent the search history from running successfully on certain platforms. > Adding implicit referback statements (e.g., "and search_term") to a search history through the Edit Searches dialog box may prevent the search history from running successfully. * Two Help Menus Under Mac OS 8: ------------------------------ When running under Mac OS 8, MacSPIRS 2.41 displays two Help menus in its menu bar. The first Help menu provides MacSPIRS help; the second provides help on the Mac OS 8 operating system. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 3. Contacting SilverPlatter =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= If you need further assistance please contact SilverPlatter's Technical Support Department. SilverPlatter Information, Inc. SilverPlatter Information, Ltd. 100 River Ridge Drive 10 Barley Mow Passage Norwood, MA 02062 Chiswick, London W4 4PH Phone: 800-343-0064 (US/Canada) Phone: 0800-262-096 (UK) 617-769-2599 +44-181-995-8242 Fax: 617-769-8763 Fax: +44-181-995-5159 Internet: info@silverplatter.com support@silverplatter.com Web site: http://www.silverplatter.com 10 DEC 97