📄 Portals 98 Second Edition — Patch Notes ▬ □ ✕
Portals 98 Second Edition (v4.10.4471)
Released: March 14, 1999 • Build #4471 • Compiled: 2:47 AM
  • ADDED SoulScript v1.0 — Built-in programming language for soulware development. Line-based execution, 80×25 screen buffer, expression parser, PEEK/POKE for live soul memory access, SCAN/HEXDUMP soul extensions. Type RUN HELLO.SS to get started. Type MAN SOULSCRIPT for the quick reference. Dev Sharma wrote it at 2:47 AM and it works. Do not ask him to explain the expression parser.
  • ADDED MAN command — In-terminal manual pages for SoulScript, terminal operation, soul management, floppy handling, and memory architecture. Each page contains information that is technically accurate and occasionally alarming.
  • FIXED Soul Navigator no longer crashes when encountering NetSeance protocol pages. (NetSeance pages no longer exist, so this fix is technically untestable.)
  • ADDED Improved soul defragmentation utility. Helena said to ship it, so here it is. The algorithm is based on Dr. Null's paper "Optimal Entropy Redistribution in Fragmented Soul Clusters." Nobody read the paper. The defrag works. Probably.
  • FIXED Green Screen of Decay now displays correct error code instead of "SOMETHING BAD." Error messages are now descriptive, specific, and only marginally more helpful.
  • ADDED Soul Navigator 4.01 with improved Active Hex support and faster page rendering for soul registries.
  • ADDED USB soul device support (preliminary). Most USB soul devices are now detected by Plug and Pray. "Most" means approximately 60%.
  • FIXED SoulPack compression no longer occasionally outputs souls with one fewer dimension than they started with. (Note: this fix was attempted six times. The seventh attempt appears stable. The souls don't seem to mind either way.)
  • FIXED Expel no longer imports Soul Tally 1-2-3 .st3 files with inverted entropy values. (This fix is largely academic, as Soul Tally 1-2-3 is no longer available for purchase.)
  • KNOWN Crypty sometimes appears in the system tray without being launched. This is not a bug. Crypty does what Crypty wants. Do not file tickets about this. The tickets are automatically closed by Crypty.
  • KNOWN Some users report hearing faint whispers from the soul resonance subsystem during idle periods. This is normal soul background noise and does not indicate a haunting.
💡 Upgrade note: Portals 98 Second Edition is a free upgrade for all registered Portals 98 users. See Download for installation instructions.
📄 Portals 98 — Original Release Notes ▬ □ ✕
Portals 98 (v4.10.1998)
Released: June 25, 1998 • Build #1998
  • ADDED True 32-bit soul processing architecture — process up to 4 souls simultaneously
  • ADDED Integrated Soul Navigator 4.0 — browse the soul network from your desktop
  • ADDED Plug and Pray™ automatic soul device detection
  • ADDED Complete Soulware Suite pre-installed: Hex Editor, Expel, Whisper, Dead Paint, Ourlook, SoulAmp
  • ADDED Crypty system tray companion (non-removable)
  • ADDED Green Screen of Decay diagnostic system
  • ADDED Soul defragmentation utility (basic)
  • ADDED SoulPack compression (integrated, based on advanced compression research)
  • ADDED Multi-monitor entropy display support
  • REMOVED NetSeance protocol support (deprecated in favor of Soul Navigator)
  • REMOVED Third-party soul browser shell integration (no longer necessary)
  • REMOVED FreeSoul OS dual-boot option (was never intentionally supported)
📄 Previous Version: Portals 95 ▬ □ ✕
Portals 95 (v4.00.950)
Released: August 24, 1995

Portals 95 was MicroSoul Corp's first 32-bit soul management operating system, introducing the graphical soul desktop and Start menu paradigm that would define soul computing for a generation.

Key features introduced in Portals 95:

  • Graphical soul desktop with Start menu
  • Pre-emptive multitasking (2 souls maximum)
  • Long soul file name support (up to 255 characters)
  • Plug and Pray v1.0 (beta)
  • Soul Dial-Up Networking
💡 Upgrade recommended: Portals 95 is no longer supported. Users should upgrade to Portals 98 Second Edition for continued soul management updates and security patches. Download Portals 98 »
Portals 3.11 for Soul Groups
Released: November 1993

The predecessor to Portals 95. A 16-bit graphical soul shell running on top of MicroSoul DOS. Supported networked soul file sharing through Soul Groups.

Portals 3.11 is no longer supported. MicroSoul Corp does not recommend running Portals 3.11 on modern terminals. If you are still running Portals 3.11, please contact MicroSoul Corp support for upgrade assistance. Or don't. We're not sure anyone is listening on that line anymore.

📝 Engineering Notes ▬ □ ✕

The following notes were included in the Portals 98 Second Edition release documentation by Dev Sharma, Senior Soul Engineer. They were not intended for publication.


To whoever reads this: The soul defrag algorithm works. I don't know WHY it works — Dr. Null's paper is 47 pages and I understood about 12 of them — but it works. I tested it on 200 souls and only 3 came back slightly different. "Slightly different" is within acceptable parameters. Helena signed off on it. The SoulPack fix (attempt #7) is stable. I am not touching it again. If someone breaks it, that's on them. The intern has been told not to touch the compression module. In writing. Twice. The Crypty system tray thing — I genuinely don't know why Crypty launches itself. It's not in the startup registry. It's not in the scheduled tasks. Dr. Null says it's "emergent behavior." Marcus says it's "a liability." I say it's 2:47 AM and I'm going home. — Dev Sharma Senior Soul Engineer, MicroSoul Corp Build #4471

CLASSIFIED
CONFIDENTIAL — MICROSOUL CORP INTERNAL
Date: October 14, 1997 • From: Helena Ash
Subject: Soul Market Consolidation

Phase 1: ABSORB

Identify market leaders. Initiate "strategic partnerships."

Phase 2: ADAPT

Develop internal alternatives. Bundle with Portals at zero cost.

Phase 3: ARCHIVE

Discontinue partnerships. Prepare memorial pages.


"We don't need to be better. We need to be included."

SCC-2000-4471, Exhibit A. Created 2:47 AM.