Welcome

Gox Box is an easy-to-use instant LAN messaging program.  It does the same job as WinPopup, only with a different approach.  We have done our best to follow Albert Einstein's advice: "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no more."  Because of its ease of use, Gox Box is a good way to communicate over your local area network.

Gox Box is freeware for home users and schools.  Businesses and other organizations can use Gox Box Business Edition Shareware for 30 days before purchasing a site license.  You can purchase a site license online, or you can order by phone by calling the Registration Network at (800) 999-2734 and requesting Gox Box (#6994).

You are welcome to redistribute Gox Box if the files are not modified.  However, please check our web site to make sure you have the latest version.


Installation

To install Gox Box, we recommend that you copy "goxbox.exe" to each user's StartUp folder.

If you want to, you can also copy "goxbox.exe" to a shared network server and create a shortcut to Gox Box in each user's StartUp folder.  You will need a reliable network server to do this, since Gox Box will need to be restarted every time the server restarts.

When you install an upgrade, you will need to close Gox Box on each computer before updating "goxbox.exe".  Be sure to update all copies of Gox Box.

You will not need to copy this Read Me.  Once Gox Box is installed, you can open it by pressing F1 in Gox Box and choosing View Read Me.


Sending and Receiving Messages

Here's how to send a message in Gox Box:

  • Click on the coffee cup icon on your system tray,
  • Select the recipient from the To: list,
  • Type your message in the Go Gox: text box, and
  • Press ENTER or click Send!

Gox Box will let you know when you receive a new message.


Customizing Gox Box

Gox Box has three tabs in Options: General, Format, and QuickKeys.

General.  This tab displays settings concerning the sending and receiving of messages.

  • Your Name.  This is the name Gox Box uses when you send a message  You can use your real name or an alias for fun.

  • When a New Message Arrives

    • Flash Taskbar.  Gox Box flashes the Gox Box item on the taskbar when a new message arrives.  (This is the default option.)
    • Pop Up Dialog.  Gox Box pops up when a new message arrives.
    • Do Nothing.  Gox Box does not notify you of new messages.

  • Also play a sound when a new message arrives.  Check this box if you wish to also hear a sound when a new message arrives. You can specify the sound by opening the Control Panel, choosing Sounds, and selecting a file for Default Sound.

  • Always select the computer from which the last message was received.  Often, you will want to send a reply to the person who last sent you a message.  If this is not usually the case for you, uncheck this box.

  • Prompt before sending to all users.  If this box is checked, Gox Box will prompt you before sending a message to all users.

  • Log (save) all messages.  Check this box to have Gox Box automatically save your chat text to file for future reference.  If you want to view your log file or empty it, click on the View button.

Format.  This tab displays settings concerning the format of messages.

Example message:

Jeff Caldwell 9:42> Thanks. Hey, also check out www.CornerstoneNetwork.com/CyberCafe.
  • Prefix.  Choose the format you want for the name and time before each message.  If you are an advanced user and want to learn how to create a custom prefix, visit www.CornerstoneNetwork.com/CyberCafe/prefix.htm

  • Background.  Choose the background color for the chat text.  In the example above, the background is light yellow.

  • Prefix Font.  Customize the font for prefixes (Jeff Caldwell 9:42>).  If the font name is not specified for Prefix Font, Gox Box will use the Message Font name, if available.  The same is true for font size.

  • Message Font.  Customize the font for messages (Thanks. Hey, also check out www.CornerstoneNetwork.com/CyberCafe.).  If the font name is not specified for Message Font, Gox Box will use the Prefix Font name, if it is available.  The same is true for font size.

QuickKeys.  You can assign text to function keys F2 through F12.  To do so, select the name of the function key and type in a word or phrase. Later when you are composing a message, you can press a function key one time to type the QuickKey text, or you can press the function key twice to type the text and send it.


Tips and Tricks

  • You can resize Gox Box by dragging the "gripper bar" located in the lower-right corner of the window.

  • Press ESCAPE to hide Gox Box.

  • If someone sends you a file name, you can open the file by selecting the file name, doing a right-click, and choosing Open.

  • To clear the chat text, right-click on it and choose Clear All.


Using Hyperlinks in Gox Box

Gox Box can display web sites and network paths as hyperlinks if you have Rich Edit 2.0 (riched20.dll) installed. This means that when you receive a web address, you will be able to click on it and open it in your default browser.

You can find out whether you have this functionality by opening the options dialog and choosing the "Format" tab. In the example box, you should see the address of our home page. If the text is blue and underlined, you should be able to click on it to view our site.

Unfortunately, we are cannot legally distribute it with Gox Box. Microsoft, though, sends it with the following products: Windows 98/2000, Office 97, and Internet Explorer 4.0.

If you have none of these programs installed, you can safely copy the file (riched20.dll) from your friend's computer. You can alternatively download it from the Internet (at your own risk) by searching for "riched20.dll" in a search engine.


Contact Information

If you have any questions or ideas, please e-mail us at CyberCafe@CornerstoneNetwork.com or visit us on the Internet at www.CornerstoneNetwork.com/CyberCafe/.

You can also contact us by postal mail at the following address:

Matthias Miller
Cornerstone Cyber Café
4014 S. Herren Rd.
Hutchinson, KS 67501-8845