COPYRIGHT©2001-2003 NATHAN LAMONT & BIGGER PLANET
COPYRIGHT©2001-2003 NATHAN LAMONT & BIGGER PLANET
PPP Genie is a handy utility for Mac OS X for opening, closing, and monitoring your PPP connection. In the menu bar or in a small “titanium” window, PPP Genie lets you monitor your throughput and the time and money you are spending online.
This is a legal agreement between the Developer (Nathan Lamont) and the User covering your use of the Software (PPP Genie). By using the Software, you are agreeing to be bound by the terms of this agreement.
The Developer grants you a non-exclusive right to use the Software at no charge for 40 sessions (the duration of forty PPP connections). If after 40 sessions you wish to keep the software, you must register according to the attached registration instructions. You may not use the software for more than 40 session without registering.
You may use the Software on any single computer. You may copy the Software for your individual use provided the copy includes all of the Software's accompanying files. You may transmit the Software electronically, provided you include all of the Software's accompanying files.
You may not permit other individuals to use the Software except under the terms specified in this Agreement. You may not transfer your rights to the Software. You may not modify, reverse engineer, decompile, or create derivative works based on the Software.
Title, ownership rights, trademarks, and intellectual property rights in the Software remain with the Developer.
Warranty
The Software is provided "AS IS," without any warranties or representations express or implied. In no event shall the Developer be liable to the User for lost profits, or special or consequential damage, even if the Developer has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
Your license will terminate automatically if you violate any of the terms described in this Agreement. On termination, you must destroy all copies of the Software.
Distribution
PPP Genie is not in the public domain. It may be copied and distributed electronically (over the internet, bulletin board systems, or commercial on-line services) by any individual or organization, so long as it and its support files are not modified. It may be copied and distributed physically without consent (on a disk or CD ROM), but only by individuals, by non-profit organizations, or in conjunction with magazines and books.
Otherwise, Commercial Distribution is permitted, but explicit consent from the Developer is required. Contact Nathan Lamont at nathan@biggerplanet.com for more information.
PPP Genie is shareware. That means you can try it for free. If, after 40 connections, you decide to keep PPP Genie, you are required to register it. You can purchase a license code (also called a registration code, or key) which when entered into PPP Genie will prevent the registration reminders from appearing.
The fastest way to purchase PPP Genie is online; select “Register PPP Genie...” from the File menu in PPP Genie, then click the “Buy PPP Genie Now” button, or go to http://www.biggerplanet.com/pppgenie/register.html. You will get your code immediately after you finalize your purchase.
If you prefer, you can call toll free 1-877-353-7297 in the USA, or 427-392-2294 internationally. Purchasing is processed by RegNow. PPP Genie’s product I.D. is 6020-1.
Once you have received your license code, enter it into PPP Genie. From the File menu in PPP Genie, select “Register PPP Genie...” Enter your name, email address, and license code, then click the “Enter Registration Code” button.
If your code is not accepted, make sure you are entering the same email address you used to register -- your code is unique to that email address.
Make sure you’re not entering any errant characters. It can be easy to confuse a “T” for a “7” for example. The easiest method is to copy and paste the relevant text from the email you received titled “Your PPP Genie Receipt.”
You can run PPP Genie in the menu bar, or in a window - or neither. PPP Genie has functionality which you may find useful even if you don’t want to time or monitor your connections.
When you first run PPP Genie, you’ll be presented with a welcome screen describing PPP Genie’s basic functionality. After you click “Try It,” you’ll be given the option of running PPP Genie in a window or in the menu bar.
PPP Genie in its window
PPP Genie in the menu bar
In the PPP Genie window, the phone button on the left toggles the state of the connection. You can use it like an on/off switch for PPP.
the PPP Genie connect/disconnect button
The global PPP Genie menu has an icon like the button in the PPP Genie window. Use the menu to connect and disconnect. Users of Mac OS X 10.1 and above may prefer to use Apple’s built-in PPP menu.
In either the window or the menu bar display, PPP Genie will by default show the length of the current connection and the throughput - how much data is being sent to and from your computer.
The very small plug icon on the left of the display will flash while the connection is opening or closing. When your connection is open, the plug will remain visible. Your connection speed will be briefly displayed.
the throughput indicator (2x actual size)
Small bars appear to the right of the plug when there is network activity. The top bars represent uploading (data being sent from your computer), and the bottom bars represent downloading (data being sent to your computer). Three bars represent maximum throughput.
PPP Genie can launch applications when your PPP connection opens, and quit them when your connection closes. For details, see the Behavior tab of the Preferences window.
PPP Genie can impose time limits on internet usage. You can limit usage by the session, day, week, or month in the Timers tab of the Preferences window.
If you pay for your internet usage by the minute, you can use PPP Genie to estimate your costs by configuring rates in the Rates tab of the Preferences window, and specifying their schedule in the Schedule tab.
To specify your preferences in PPP Genie, select Preferences... from the File menu in PPP Genie.
In the Appearance tab, you can specify if and how PPP Genie will manifest itself visually. From the popup menu select Window View, Menu Bar View,
the Views popup menu in the Appearance tab
The Window item in the views popup menu lets you set preferences for PPP Genie’s small window.
When checked, PPP Genie will display its window.
When checked, PPP Genie will only show its window when the PPP connection is open.
Normally PPP Genie counts up. When this option is checked, if PPP Genie is displaying a cost or time that has a limit associated with it, it will display how much money or time remains in that limit.
Specify PPP Genie’s default display here. Select either time or cost from the radio buttons, and select one of the timers from the popup menu.
The PPP Genie window has an alternate display that is triggered when you click on it. Select the alternate display here.
When checked, PPP Genie will show the seconds of the timer it is displaying.
Click the Choose... button to show the Font Panel and select a new font for the PPP Genie window. The default font is 11 point Helvetica Bold Oblique.
Choose one of the three radio buttons to specify how you want the PPP Genie window to “float” -- whether or not you want other windows and objects to obscure it.
PPP Genie can be made to float above everything -- even the dock and menu bar -- by selecting “Float above everything.”
To only have it float above other normal windows only, select “Float above applications.”
To have the PPP Genie behave like a normal window, and allow other windows to obscure it, select “Don’t float at all.”
Use can use the transparency slider to make the PPP Genie window slightly transparent, so you can see through it. Sliding the control all the way to the right makes the PPP Genie window completely opaque, like a normal window, so that you can’t see through it at all.
The Window item in the views popup menu lets you set preferences for PPP Genie’s display in the menu bar.
When checked, PPP Genie will put a globally accessible menu in the menu bar, with the icon of a phone. The menu allows you to easily connect and disconnect.
PPP Genie’s global menu is intended for users of Mac OS X 10.0.4 -- Mac OS X 10.1 introduced a built-in PPP menu. PPP Genie’s menu doesn’t look quite right in Mac OS X 10.1.
Select this to have PPP Genie show its global menu only when PPP is open.
PPP Genie can put the same information from its window into the menu bar -- so you can see your connection speed, throughput, and time or cost of your connection right along side the menu bar’s clock.
Selecting this makes PPP Genie show the menu bar status only when PPP is open.
When this option is checked, PPP Genie uses the same custom graphic display in the menu bar that it uses in its window.
the PPP Genie Display in the menu bar
Uncheck the “Use PPP Genie Display” check box to make PPP Genie display only the textual information in the same format as the menu bar clock.
status as text in the menu bar
You can’t see the throughput when the status is displayed textually.
When the “Use PPP Genie Display” option is checked, you can change the font the display uses. Press the Choose... button to open the Font Panel.
When the “Use PPP Genie Display” option is checked, you have the option not to display the time and cost text.
the PPP Genie Display with Show time/cost unchecked
Only the throughput indicator is shown.
Check to show the seconds of any time shown in the menu bar.
Check this option to have times and costs in the menu bar count down from any limits imposed.
Choose either to show the time, cost, or quantity of data associated with the timer selected in the popup menu.
PPP Genie's icon in the Dock can show you whether or not you are connected, or it can be hidden altogether.
When checked, PPP Genie's icon will be visible in the dock, like any other application's. This is the default and recommended behavior.
If you change this setting, you will need to quit PPP Genie and launch it again for it to take effect.
When PPP Genie's icon is hidden in the dock, it will have no menu bar -- this is normal and a limitation of Mac OS X. The only way to access PPP Genie's functions when the icon is hidden in the dock is via its universal PPP menu. When the dock icon is hidden, PPP Genie's PPP menu will be turned on automatically.
When checked, the dock icon will "glow" green to indicate that you are connected.
The Behavior tab allows you to configure launching and quitting behavior for PPP Genie. You can open and close the connection when PPP Genie launches and quits, and specify applications to be automatically launched and quit with the connection opens and closes. Obviously, PPP Genie must be running for it to launch and quit the applications.
Check this option to have the PPP connection opened automatically every time PPP Genie is launched.
Check this option to have the PPP connection closed automatically whenever you quit PPP Genie. Check “Confirm first” to show a dialog when quitting to confirm that the PPP connection should be closed.
Check this option to have PPP Genie automatically monitor the first active PPP connection, regardless of what you have selected under the Configuration menu. Check “Except PPPoE connections” to prevent the automatic selection of PPPoE connections. With this option checked, you can still monitor a PPPoE connection by selecting it under the Configuration menu.
If you want to monitor a PPPoE connection, you should enter the speeds you expect to get in the Down and Up fields. PPP Genie can't get these speeds automatically, so enter the values your ISP advertises in kbps (thousands of bits per second).
If this option is checked, when you make a new connection, your copy of PPP Genie will check its version against the latest version on the Bigger Planet website. If there's a new version available, PPP Genie will alert you. It will never check more than once a day.
You can also check for new versions manually by selecting "Check for New Version..." under the PPP Genie menu.
Drag items from the finder onto the “Applications and Files” list, or click the “Add Additional Items...” button. Select items in the list to specify how PPP Genie should treat them.
Check this option to have an application or file automatically opened whenever the PPP connection opens and PPP Genie is running.
Check this option to have an application quit whenever the PPP connection closes and PPP Genie is running.
This option will have PPP Genie open the selected application or file whenever the PPP connection opens, and quit it whenever the PPP connection closes.
Click these buttons to remove the selected item from the list.
Click to add an item through the standard file selection interface.
Use the options under the notification tab to configure PPP Genie sounds and alerts.
You can choose to have a sound play when the PPP connection opens, when the PPP connection closes, when you’ve reached a warning for a time/cost/data limit, or when a time/cost limit is exceeded.
Check the “Play sound” option to have a sound play whenever the PPP connection opens.
Click the “Choose” button to select a sound. Sounds must be in AIFF format (their filenames must end with .aif or .aiff).
The selected sound’s file path appears in the adjacent text field. Sounds in the PPP Genie sounds folder (located in the same folder as the PPP Genie application) appear with in path “sounds/”.
Displays an alert that floats above other windows when a limit or warning is reached.
Timers track time and cost within given periods: sessions (single PPP connections from start to finish), days, weeks, and months. When a timer’s period is up, it resets its accumulated time and cost values.
Each timer can optionally have a time limit, a cost limit and/or a data transfer limit imposed on it.
Select a timer from the popup menu in the Timers tab to configure its options.
The session timer automatically resets every time you start a new PPP connection.
You can choose what hour of the day the daily timer should reset. By default the daily timer resets at 12:00 midnight.
You can choose which day of the week the weekly timer should reset. The weekly timer resets at 12:00 midnight on the day of the week you select. By default the weekly timer resets on Sunday.
You can choose which day of the month the monthly timer should reset. The monthly timer will reset at 12:00 midnight on the day of the month you select. The maximum day you can enter is 28, the number of days in a non-leap year February
You can turn on a time limit, a cost limit, or a data limit on the selected timer by checking the limit option under the appropriate tab. Each type of limit has its own options under its own tab.
Each type of limit has this option. Check this box next to the appropriate limit to have PPP Genie automatically disconnect you when your limit has expired.
Each type of limit has this option. Check this box and enter a value to have PPP Genie warn you by playing a sound or displaying an alert if your usage approaches the limit. For this option to have an effect, at least one of the options in the “When warning” box under the Notification must be selected.
Only the cost limit has this option. You can automatically apply a flat fee every time the associated timer resets by entering a flat fee value. For example, to track a monthly fee of $10.00, select the Monthly timer from the pop-up menu, click the Cost Limit tab, and enter $10.00 in the Flat fee field.
Per-session flat fees need to be associated with a particular rate, since they may vary depending on the time of day for some users. To set up a rate and a per-session flat fee, see the Rates Tab.
Rates only need to be configured if you pay for your PPP connection by the minute, or by the quantity of data transmitted, and would like to estimate the cost of your usage.
Under the Rates tab, you can specify any number of rates. You also need to configure the rate schedule under the Schedule tab.
To create a new rate, click “Create a New Rate” button.
Enter a name for the selected rates. Each rate title must be unique from the others.
You can keep a rate from being applied by turning off this option.
Enter the primary rate here, in dollars (or your local currency) per minute or per KB (kilobyte, thousands of bytes).
From this pop-up menu, choose the unit by which you are charged; that is, if you are charged by the minute, select Minute, or if you are charged by the amount of data you receive, select KB Downloaded.
Check this option if there is an alternate rate applied for some period. For example, if you get the first twenty minutes for free each session, or the first fifty megabytes transferred each month costs less, enter the alternate rate in the text field.
Enter the number of units (minutes, or kilobytes, depending on how you are charged) for which the alternate rate applies. From the pop-up menu, choose how often (daily, weekly, etc.) to start applying the alternate rate again. For example, if you get the first twenty minutes free each session, enter $0.0 in the alternate rate field, enter 20 in the "Apply alternate rate for the first" text field, and choose Session from the pop-up menu.
If you pay a flat fee each session in place of, or in addition to, a per-minute rate, enter the fee here. The flat fee will only apply when the selected rate applies. If you have multiple rates, make sure you enter the flat fee for each rate.
If you pay a flat fee each day, week, or month, see the Cost Limit tab under the Timers tab.
Click to remove the selected rate. If the rate has been used under the Schedule tab, it will be removed from the schedule.
Click to create a new rate.
If you have specified any rates you would like to use, you need to schedule them under the Schedule tab. Even if you have only specified a single rate, you still need to schedule it.
To schedule a rate, you select it from the Select rate popup menu, then click and drag in the schedule.
selecting a rate from the Select rate popup menu
Choose a rate to schedule from the Select rate popup menu. To “erase” a rate from the schedule, choose “No Rate.”
Drag a in the schedule to fill it with the selected rate. For example, to schedule a rate to apply from Monday through Friday, 7AM to 5PM, you could drag from Monday 7AM to Friday 5PM.
dragging from Monday 7AM to Friday 5PM
A yellow box will appear indicating the time you have selected. Note that although we say the rate applies from 7AM to 5PM, on the schedule it only fills up the row labeled 4PM. This is because each row specifies a full hour, so the 4PM row actually indicates 4:00PM - 4:59PM.
If you need to specify a rate schedule in smaller increments, hold down the command key. You will be able to specify rates in 15-minute increments.
In the PPP Genie Windows menu, you can select to see the Totals window. This will show a summary of all timers, and is updated in real time.
You can choose to hide and show columns from the "Show/Hide Columns" pop-up menu.
If your PPP connection is not open, you can edit the current timer values, if you like. Check the "Edit current values" option, and double click the value you'd like to edit. Only the Current times, costs, MB downloaded and MB uploaded can be edited.
the PPP Genie Totals window