BeAIM Beta 1
(release version .010)

READ ME:  This is an beta release, not a finished version. Again, although it appears to be polished, it's not finished. Don't expect it to work all that well. 

If you choose to test it, you take all responsibility for anything bad that might happen on yourself. It might crash your system. It might format your hard drive. It might eat your files. It might buy the Statue of Liberty and bill your credit card. It might puncture your tires. If any of that or anything else bad happens to you, I'm sorry, but it's not my fault! You have been warned.

Of course, if it actually does any of that stuff, there are probably major problems...  :-)


Stuff you really need to know before using this thing:

1.  If you have a big old buddy list from Alpha 5.x, you will need to convert it before it will work with Beta 1. This is not hard to do: instructions are in the file named "Installation... Readme!"

2.  If you want to use sounds, you will have to move them to the appropriate folder... instructions for this are also in the installation readme.

3.  Currently, (beta 1), BeAIM might still be a bit unstable! I have spent some serious time whumping away on the stability issues, and it's much improved... but there are still some improvements I can make.

To do this, I need your help: if BeAIM crashes on you, send me a stack crawl! This is actually pretty easy... I have included information on how to do it in the file named "In case of crashes..." Also, please send me bug reports when anything weird happens. Chances are I know about it, but the more info I can get the easier it is to fix.

4.  For those of you who have gotten tired of me saying that ICQ is coming "eventually:" yes, it is coming! A friend of mine and I have been working on a whole new framework, code-named Gimmick... and it will truly be revolutionary and important. OK, maybe not... but it'll be cool. More info as Gimmick progresses.

5.  I just realized that I didn't get around to implementing some of the features I promised. Sorry about this; I guess I just had to get the thing out the door. I do listen to your comments, and if I say I will try to get something put in, I generally mean it. So keep sending me ideas, and I will do my best to get everything done as soon as I can.

Stuff that works:
Notification of when buddies come on and offline, IM'ing buddies on your buddy list, and receiving IM's, searching for users by their email address, and gathering info on people.

Stuff that does NOT work:
Warning people, and most everything else... including all of the new AIM 2.0 features. Hopefully I will get these implemented, but don't hold your breath for a bit. There's plenty to keep me busy.

Don't get me wrong... much of this will work in the (not too distant) future, it just doesn't now. But if you wanted something that would allow you to use AIM on BeOS, now you have it!

Be happy. It will get better.

What to do if BeAIM crashes:
<This data has been moved to the file named "In case of crashes...">

Bug Reports!
Since you are testing beta, probably buggy software, it would bring me endless joy if you would submit bug reports when you find a problem. Include common sense stuff like,

1. What were you doing when the problem occurred?
2. Can you reproduce the problem reliably (a biggy!!!)
3. Basic system information.

Please don't send me information about things that don't work yet; believe me, I know more about that than you do! But if you find something you think is a bug, by all means, submit it! Send all that to nicholsg@central.edu.

Contact Info
The BeAIM page is currently up at:
http://www.legions.com/beos/aim/
...or...
http://home.beoscentral.com/beaim

This might change, but even if it does, I will keep a copy there for a while. If you can't find the page for whatever reason, feel free to email me at nicholsg@central.edu. If you can, please include the word BeAIM in the subject line - for filtering purposes, for me. I get way too much mail.  :-)

Also, don't hesitate to send in suggestions, ideas... anything you think will be helpful. No, really! I love getting email from users... it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. And often I miss the most obvious ideas, so I need your input!
