Power Utilities/Power Utilities.iso/utility/pro192/dazzle.doc

Text File | 1992-10-15 | 18.6 KB | 350 lines

DAZZLE :             Documentation for Revision 4.0b
                             12 October 1990


       A randomized color pattern generator for MsDOS/PCDOS computers
with EGA or VGA compatible color displays and adapters.  Performance art
for the eyes!

       A source of beauty, sometimes subtle, sometimes vibrant, always
changing.  The image engine has over 30 primary drawing algorithms, most
of which have at least two styles of presentation, many of which have
multiple internal drawing variations.  There is also an assortment of
"fades", including split screens and pans, used by the imaging system
for greater diversity of presentation.  The entire color range of the
detected video system is utilized for maximum variety and visual
stimulation.  The primary algorithms are mixed randomly on the screen.
Typically from 3 to 8 are overlaid at a time, producing a very large
assortment of possible displays.  Each display remains for a while to be
appreciated, then the screen is cleared via one of the fade algorithms,
and another set of patterns is presented.  Mathematically speaking, an
exact pattern match might not occur for many days of continuous
operation.  Of course, human perception is far less exacting and will
discern repetition well ahead of these extremes, but the general effect
is still impressive.  Note that the starting patterns of the program
will be different each time it is executed. If it seems predictable,
then exit it and start it over again.

       The July 1990 issue of "PsL News" (713-524-6394) described this
program as:
               ...the best kaleidoscope program we've seen yet.
               The beautiful use of colors, enhanced even
               further by the use of fading in and out, is, for
               want of a better word, awesome.

       Dazzle can be used in a variety of ways.  At the office it keeps
the screen from being burned by constant display of an unchanging
prompt.  Simply activate the program when leaving your desk or answering
the phone or otherwise diverted.  One option is to activate Dazzle from
a keyboard-locking program so that unauthorized access is prevented on
your un-attended computer until you return.  In reception areas, at
trade shows, and other events where the desire is to attract attention,
use one of the faster cycling modes of Dazzle to peak curiosity and draw
visitors to your area.  DAZZLE can be invoked from within your own
presentation software for an extra touch of pizzazz.

       Dazzle can be used to aid relaxation.  In its slower cycling VGA
modes it is often soothing and helps one to shift conscious attention
from the cares of the day.  When overwhelmed with problems or pressures,
it is often true that shifting one's focus from an immediate concern
provides the objectivity needed to enhance decision making and settle
the nerves.  Used in conjunction with your favorite music, Dazzle can be
highly entertaining and regenerating.


DAZZLE Revision 4.0b                           page 1 of 7
Program, source, and all related documentation Copyright MicroTronics

       DAZZLE is a performing art tool for the eyes.  The MIDI control
and full manual image control options have not yet been implemented
(these will be offered to Registered Users only), but even in its
current random play mode it is great 'living' mobile art.  Capture
stills, record it on your VCR, use the images as backgrounds for your
slide presentations, or play it live with your band.  Applications are
boundless.


Usage: DAZZLE [- options] [/ options]
       -c = COMPATIBLE mode, use BIOS for better portability.
       -2 = 2 part palette update to fix flickering screens (slower).
       -n = NO retract of hard disk heads.
       -x = XT compatible mode, inferior but works.
       -h = Hide the EGA boarder.
       -s = SHOW mode, quick single image.
       -e = EGA operation mode forced.
       -v = VGA operation mode forced.
       -t = TALL video aspect ratio mode.
       -f = FIXED colors instead of randomized.
       -a = ALTERNATE (faster) color cycling speed.
       -m = MAD (fastest) color cycling speed.
       -b = Bashful, no closing credits.
 During the display the '+' and '-' keys can be used to control color
cycling speed!  The TAB key will FREEZE the display till the next key!


       The DAZZLE program accepts any combination of options on the
initial command line that affect its mode of operation.  The options can
be preceded with either the "/" character or the "-" character. At least
one space must exist between the DAZZLE command and the first option.
For example: "DAZZLE -FN" instructs DAZZLE to execute with Fixed colors
and No retract of the hard disk drive heads.  The options are not case
sensitive (upper and lower case letters are treated identically). The
options can be concatenated into a single string (like: -FN), or can be
entered separately (like: -F -N), the effect is the same.  To get a list
of legal options use either the "-?" option (DAZZLE -?) or the question
mark alone (DAZZLE ?).  The effects of each option are detailed below.

       Six of the options for DAZZLE are specifically related to
increasing portability of the program to various computers and displays.
The "c", "2", "n", "x", "e", and "v" options default to the most
desirable modes, but can be controlled by the user.  VGA users should
also refer to the "t" option for details.

/C = COMPATIBLE mode, use BIOS for better portability.
       Normally DAZZLE bypasses the video adapters BIOS code for maximum
speed in color palette cycling.  However, some adapters can have
problems with this mode of operation.  To cause DAZZLE to use the
provided BIOS the "C" option can be used.  If your display flickers or
distorts, or the color fails to cycle smoothly during the display, then
try this option to determine if it corrects the problem.  As of Rev.
3.9g this option also impacts the EGA operational mode. This was needed

DAZZLE Revision 4.0b                           page 2 of 7
Program, source, and all related documentation Copyright MicroTronics

by some VGA adapters when DAZZLE was operated in the forced EGA mode.
This option reduces program performance speed and should not be used if
not needed.

/2 = 2 part palette update to fix flickering screens (slower).
       Normally the entire color palette is updated at one time for each
tick of the color cycling clock.  If the CPU clock speed or the VGA
palette register update rate is too slow, the upper part, or perhaps all
of the display, will flicker badly during the display.  To determine if
this is due to palette updates, press and hold the "-" key during the
running display until it beeps (this is the slowest cycling clock rate).
If the display flickers only when the color changes, then palette update
speed is a problem.  Using the "2" option splits the VGA palette update
request into two almost equal groups that are handled sequentially. This
should remove, or at least significantly reduce, cycling induced
flicker.  This option should not be used if not needed, as it slows the
entire display generation process.  This option affects operation with
VGA adapters only, since they allow longer 256 color palettes.  Short 16
color palettes for EGA's are never divided into two separate updates.

/N = NO retract of hard disk heads.
       Since the DAZZLE display is often allowed to run for hours, the
hard disk heads are normally parked into a safe power-down position as a
precaution in case electrical power is lost, or the computer powered
down while DAZZLE is active.  This process has no effect on the image
generation performance of DAZZLE, but if your drive controller is highly
nonstandard it might cause DAZZLE to fail to start.  The user can issue
this option to prevent any attempt to park the hard disk heads.

/X = XT compatible mode, inferior but works.
       This option should allow DAZZLE to execute on 8088 or 8086 based
XT type computers with EGA or VGA adaptors.  This option will be
automatically initiated if the 808x style CPU is detected at program
startup, but specifying the command line option avoids the warning
message.  The EGA performance on XT computers seems acceptable, but the
VGA mode may be noticeably inferior to the performance of an 80x86 based
computer.  The faster the CPU clock the better the overall performance
and fluidity of DAZZLE.

/H = Hide the EGA boarder.
       Some folks find the colored boarder on the EGA display
distracting, and some displays do not perform retrace masking properly.
This option will cause the boarder color in EGA modes to be forced to
black at all times.


       The remainder of the DAZZLE options adjust the image generating
algorithms used by the program.  They are largely artistic in nature but
allow customizing the presentation to various environments and
requirements.


DAZZLE Revision 4.0b                           page 3 of 7
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/S = SHOW mode, quick single image.
       This option gives a quick single panel of images and then
terminates automatically.  This is most useful when DAZZLE is to be
executed from other programs or batch files.  As of rev 4.0 the image
displayed is NOT the same one each time. This now allows normal
randomization of the program.

/E = EGA operation mode forced.
       Normally DAZZLE will automatically detect the video adapter
hardware attached and adjust itself to utilize the maximum resources
available.  If a VGA style adapter is detected, then the display uses
all 256 color palette registers for a far more subtle and interesting
series of displays.  This /E option allows VGA users to select and view
the EGA mode of operation.  NOTE: If VGA users wish to use an 'image
capture' type of program to extract the display into a file, you must
use either the /E option or the /T option, since these modes use
standard BIOS supported video modes.  The default VGA mode of DAZZLE
uses a specially enhanced 320x400x256 mode that has yet to be
successfully captured by any commercial product.  As of rev 4.0 this
option, like the new /V option, will prevent DAZZLE from aborting if it
thinks that it has detected an unacceptable video controller/monitor
combination, though it will still give its usual error messages during
startup.

/V = VGA operation mode forced.
       Normally DAZZLE will automatically detect the video adapter
hardware attached and adjust itself to utilize the maximum resources
available.  This option generally SHOULD NOT BE NECESSARY, OR USED.  It
should be unable to cause any damage, but is intended for rare
compatibility conflicts where the startup code in DAZZLE falsely rejects
the video controller/monitor combination as unacceptable.  This option,
like the /E option, will allow the error messages to be reported (so
that you can write us of the problem), but will prevent the program from
aborting itself.  If the controller/monitor is really VGA compatible, or
really EGA compatible if using the /E option, then normal image
generation should be observed.  Unlike the /E option, this option has no
"artistic" usage or impact.

/T = TALL video aspect ratio mode.
       Normally the EGA mode of DAZZLE uses a 16 color 640x350
resolution display with a modified aspect ratio (screen is mapped as if
it had 640x700 resolution).   The default VGA mode uses 256 color
320x400 resolution.  The /T option causes the program to use the
standard BIOS supported screen resolution and aspect ratio in generating
all images.  The effect is slightly faster image generation, but with a
noticeably tall aspect ratio.  As of rev 4.0 this option is functional
with the VGA display mode.  This allows VGA images to be captured, or
converted to NTSC television video images for recording on video tape.
Note that due to VGA hardware limitations, using this option will
prevent the display of "dual page" effects (where a screen composed of a
different image than the one being displayed is 'panned' or 'scrolled'
onto the visible display area).


DAZZLE Revision 4.0b                           page 4 of 7
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/F = FIXED colors instead of randomized.
       Normally DAZZLE will randomize the color palette registers
between each screen erase before starting the next image generation.
This allows all the possible colors (up to a quarter million on VGA) to
be used by the program.  This option forces the palette to an identical
state at all times.

 /A = ALTERNATE (faster) color cycling speed.
       The default color cycling mode is the slowest, with the most
subtle shadings and transitions.  This option increases the cycling rate
used in shaping the palette contents.  This effect is distinct from, but
can complement, the "+" and "-" keys that can be used while the program
is active.

/M = MAD (fastest) color cycling speed.
       This option not only greatly accelerates the color palette
contents rotation, but it also increases the number of image primitives
that can be displayed at one time before the screen is erased.  The
effect is a far busier screen, a more intense visual experience.  This
is particularly suited to attention-getting in showrooms and other
public displays, whereas the default mode is more practical for personal
meditation and relaxation.

/B = Bashful, no closing credits.
       DAZZLE will identify itself, including its revision level, when
the program is first initiated.  In most display modes this opening
identification will remain on the screen with a "Press any key" prompt
until the user makes some key entry (or about 30 seconds pass).  The
BASHFUL option will allow DAZZLE to start after only a 2 second delay,
without requiring an extra keystroke .  This mode will also prevent
closing credits when the program terminates (similar to the SHOW
option), and additionally prevents DAZZLE from clearing the type-ahead
keyboard buffer when it exits.  This allows usage of DAZZLE in a more
classical 'Screen Saver' mode, since whatever key is pressed to exit is
not lost.  This mode disables ALL key interpretation of DAZZLE. Even the
"+" and the "-" keys will cause DAZZLE to terminate.  DAZZLE does not
(yet) initiate itself in a 'Screen Saver' fashion, but by using this
option it can be called from such a utility.


       While DAZZLE is actively displaying its images the "+" and "-"
keys can (if not in BASHFUL mode) be used to adjust the color palette
cycling clock.  The console will 'beep' when either the maximum or the
minimum extreme is reached.  The TAB key can be used to FREEZE any
display pending another key press.  This is helpful for those who wish
to capture, photograph, or ponder the current image.  Note that the TAB
key has two possible effects.  When TAB is first pressed, all screen
activity is frozen, including color cycling.  At this point, if any key
other than another TAB is pressed, then DAZZLE beeps and resumes fully
normal activity.  If however, a second TAB is pressed, then color
cycling is resumed, but the image generation engine is still frozen.  In
this condition any keypress, even another TAB, will simply beep and
resume fully normal activity.

DAZZLE Revision 4.0b                           page 5 of 7
Program, source, and all related documentation Copyright MicroTronics


       Almost any other keypress during the display will terminate the
program.  There are some keys that have some harmless undocumented
effects on the display for various development testing (for example:
pressing the "H" key will HOLD the current display from fading until the
"N" key is pressed to start the NEXT display).  The use of either the
"Enter" or the "Escape" key will guarantee normal program termination.

       All reasonable effort has been made to assure that the use of
this program on any compatible computer system can have no detrimental
side effects.  In addition to extensive Quality Assurance testing, the
program contains an internal integrity check.  If some ill-willed person
attempts to attach any virus or other code modifications to this
program, it probably will be detected, and the program will refuse to
execute.  Any such persons will be aggressively pursued and prosecuted.
Anyone who receives this program and is unable to execute it should
contact us directly and provide information about where the defective
copy was acquired.  As of rev 4.0 the antiviral system uses CRC checking
instead of the previous checksum algorithm.


       Programmers comments: DAZZLE is written mostly in Turbo C 2.0
(copyright Borland).  Recent attempts to use Turbo C++ 1.0 have seemed
successful, but quality assurance testing will not be quickly completed
due to the variations that need to be confirmed.  Assembler code was
used mostly due to two characteristics of DAZZLE: all image generation
is done a single pixel at a time, thus video write mode 2 was needed for
EGA speed; secondly, the VGA mode uses the not-so-standard but highly
portable 320x400 mode instead of the normal BIOS supported 320x200 mode.
DAZZLE contains a few added tricks as well that reside both in C and
assembler.

       If you are a C programmer with interest in DAZZLE, then please
write to us.  Not only is it possible to purchase source code, but we
are currently offering financial incentives for contributing authors.
We will be glad to provide full details if you send a self-addressed
stamped envelope, or note your interest when you pay your registration
fee.


DAZZLE Revision 4.0b                           page 6 of 7
Program, source, and all related documentation Copyright MicroTronics

This program may be distributed AT NO CHARGE (excluding reasonable
distribution cost) as is.  All commercial rights retained by the author.
This program is released in executable form to the Public Domain.  This
program must not be altered in any way, and is offered without warranty,
as is. The only assurance to the user is that all reasonable effort has
been made to confirm that this program as released will produce no
undesirable or damaging effects on the executing computer.

Comments and inquires about updates, other versions, and other products
are welcome. Source can be purchased for some products. $10.00
registration payable to MicroTronics earns a free update and puts you on
our mailing list (be sure to mention the revision level of the copy of
DAZZLE that you have currently!).

Mailing address (1990) :
J.R.Shiflett's Midnight Visions Workshop
c/o MicroTronics
503 Shenandoah Drive
Spring, Tx USA 77381

DAZZLE Revision 4.0b                           page 7 of 7
Program, source, and all related documentation Copyright MicroTronics