Quick-and-dirty Guide to Hotline
Updated on : 08-04-1998
Go to : Hotline's Download Page . Proceed to download "Hotline Client" Once you've downloaded it, launch the application.
Click-open "Options" and go to "General" .
Type in your name (it can be your nickname or whatever). For "Tracker", type in "tracked.dyn.ml.org". If this"tracked.dyn.ml.org"doesn't seem to be working, try typing in any of the following: Checkmark "Queue File Transfers" and "Show Join/Leave in Chat".
Go to the "Icon" page and choose an icon that you like. Note that this becomes your graphic identity .

Now you are all set. But, hey, hold your horses ; don't click on "Connect" yet. Instead you click on the "Tracker" . Weird, huh ?

You wait a little while, and a window that says "Tracked Servers" will pop open. Represented here are the servers that are available at the moment. To access any of the servers that you want to browse, double-click on it. You cannot, however, access the servers which are described as "Private". They are members-only and are not open to the public.
There are three buttons that you see at the upper-left corner on the "Tracked Servers" window. The left blue one works the same as "Connect" button on the Menu. The middle red button book-marks your favorite server. And the right button with green double-arrows will update the list of Tracked Servers that are currently available. Suppose you double-clicked on a server that calls itself "The Cafe Society", then this is what the connecting process would look like provided you have the "Tasks" window open . Once your connection to a server is established, read the "Agreement" and OK it (if you are presented with one), then click on the "Files" button on the menu bar. From then on, you are on your own. The screen-shots below should be self-explanatory. You can figure them out for yourself. Keep experimenting and have fun . By the way, the downward arrow stands for "download" and the upward arrow stands for, right, you guessed it, "upload".
Basics, Tips & Troubleshooting
(1) Understand that there are two different kinds of servers involved here, that is, "Trackers" and "Servers".
(2) Trackers : Trackers "track" servers for you. They present you with the list of "Tracked Servers". They are like bulletin boards where lots of servers announce their presence.
(3) You visit each individual "server" to chat, read news, and of course download/upload files.
(4) You click on "Tracker" and nothing happens . Well, then the tracker that you designated in the "Options" page is down. Type in the name of some other tracker.Try typing in any of the following:
  • hotline.tracker.group.org
  • canada.hltracker.com
  • ppc5200.group.org
  • tracker-tracker.com
  • erik.hltracker.com
  • mathre.com
  • nobanners.ml.org
  • hotline.mathre.com
  • pconly.ml.org
  • tracked.mainecyber.com
  • osaka.hltracker.com
  • uk.hltracker.com
  • public.hltracker.com
  • pc.hltracker.com
  • netherlands.hltracker.com
  • italy.hltracker.com
  • hltracker.com
  • finland.hltracker.com

(5) You get cut off after 15 minutes : Remember that you downloaded the "Time Limited Demo" version ? I won't blame you if you wish to have this annoying feature removed somehow. Rumor has it that there's what's called "HL Client 1.2.1 PPC [k]" or something that does just that. It's supposed to be rather readily available throughout the Hotline servers. Go hunt for it . You can do that in 15 minutes, no sweat. Or of course you could always purchase the fully-functional commercial product from Hotline, too.
(6)If your MacOS is Japanese-capable , apply "FontPatchin'" to "Hotline Client".
(1) You can also directly access any server with a static IP address that you have bookmarked without having to go through a tracker. To do that, you click on "Connect" on the menu. Note that a server that comes on-line on a dial-up basis has a different IP address each time and bookmarking it today does not guarantee a connection tomorrow. You have to then go through the list of tracked servers. At least that's how I understand it. I may be utterly wrong, in which case somebody please enlighten me.
(2) While you are in the "Tracked Servers" List, holding down the option key + double-clicking on the server name will open the "Connect" window, where you can type in your Login name and the Password.
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