Becky! Internet Mail Help File




BACKGROUND/OVERVIEW:
This is a joint effort between Tomohiro (Becky!'s author) and me for the popular Becky! Internet Mail client.. I revised, restructured and updated the help file documentation, including addition of many new links, index entries and a new structure. This effort began in summer, 2010.

This help file is approximately 105% bigger than the original help file, with over 33,000 words. However, to keep the Japanese and English versions consistent, a decision was made to retain the existing structure and topic names, but to use some new content and links in future Becky! releases. The current release of Becky! e-mail client includes parts of this file.

This is a big improvement, but several features could not be implemented with this strategy. Tomohiro and I agreed that many of you may prefer the complete help file, as that includes all enhancements and the new structure. This allows you to either use the Becky! help file as it comes with Becky! or to use the complete revised version by installing it yourself. This complete version (called "david's Becky! Help") has two minor (?) shortcomings: pressing the F1 key will not invoke it and the FAQ link on the help menu is ignored. Click Help>Help Topics from toolbar to invoke. Features that are in this version and not in the help file distributed with Becky! are documented in the download zip file.

The examples on the right demonstrate the basic look of the current help file and the new david's Becky! Help. Some of this you will see in future Becky! releases. The new structure must be experienced to fully appreciate it.

The search example demonstrates that there are generally more topics for a search word with the new version and also that the results are easier to read. The index is also extensively expanded.

Will this Help File be Updated? That is my intent, to routinely update it and to keep Tomohiro aware of updates. Watch here for future updates.

THREE FORMATS:

There are three formats: the help file (CHM), a report file (PDF) and a web site (HTML). The CHM file is preferred as it includes an extensive index and fast search facility. The PDF format is provided primarily as a supplement, intended for those who might want to read the help contents for review and instruction. The web site is complete and for those who prefer not to download files.