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TO PREVIOUS AND NEW USERS OF TIMESET, THIS IS TIMESET, VERSION 3.2 Timeset, a program that dials the U.S. Naval Observatory to get exact time and date to set your computer's DOS clock and calendar, has undergone a rapid evolution since I first uploaded it on Compuserve in early August 1987. I never imagined when I first wrote this program that there would be so much interest in it. The program has spread rapidly to bulletin boards all over the country, and I am certain that not all of them have the latest version. My advice to any sysop who has a version of TimeSet earlier than this one (3.2) is: get rid of it immediately and replace it with this one. The earlier versions all had some shortcomings or outright fatal defects (with some systems). Version 3.2 no doubt has its glitches, too, but it incorporates so much user feedback from all the previous versions that it can't help but be vastly better than earlier versions. I repeat: you should get rid of any version of TimeSet earlier than 3.2. Impetus for this program's evolution came from two sources: from users and from me. Users who have communicated with me have been of two kinds: (1) those who were pleased with the program from the start and only had suggestions for enhancements in future versions; and (2) those who had problems making the program work properly on their system. With each new version, I have attempted to accommodate both kinds of users, so the program has gotten better and better. There is also good news for users of Leading Edge and certain other brands of internal modems who have not been able to get TimeSet to work with their modems: It can be done. The documentation accompanying TimeSet explains how one Leading Edge owner did it. It has to do with switches on your modem board. There is also a warning for users of internal modems: don't take it for granted that your modem hung up on command from TimeSet until you have tested the program enough times to know that it does hang up your modem. As you are well aware, you have no lights to tell you what is happening with an internal modem. With TimeSet you will not have a clue that hanging up did not occur unless you are using an external modem with indicator lights. So, if you have an internal modem, call the Naval Observatory with TimeSet, get the time and date, and let the program run through to the end. Then pick up a telephone that's attached to the same line as your modem and listen for a carrier. If you do hear one, your modem did not hang up. If all you hear is a dial tone when you pick up the phone, then your modem did hang up, but do it a few times to make sure it always happens. Since the Naval Observatory now limits calls to their digital time service to 60 seconds, failure to hang up your modem should be no disaster, because the Naval Observatory will soon cut off the connection anyway. However, their call timer has been known to fail (or perhaps somebody forgot to turn it on after the system was serviced). Since you are paying for the call, take nothing for granted about the time limiter at the Naval Observatory: make sure your modem is off-line after using TimeSet. P.S. The Naval Observatory has no connection with TimeSet and does not distribute it or answer questions about it. I am the author of the program. The phone number in the program and the documentation is mine, not the Naval Observatory's. And I am not connected with the Naval Observatory. Pete Petrakis 76555,1175 █ █ █▀▀ █▀▀█ █▀▀ █ █▀█ █▀█ ▀▀█ ▀▀█ █ █ █▀ █▀█▀ ▀▀█ █ █ █ █ █ ▀█ █▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀ ▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀ ▀ ▀ ▀▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀ TIMESET-III VERSION 3.2 of TIMESET.EXE A program that sets your computer to Naval Observatory Time October 11, 1987 by Peter L. Petrakis, Ph.D., M.P.H. Life Sciences Editorial Service Annapolis, Maryland 21401 Providing Scientific and Technical Editorial Services to Government and the Private Sector Since 1975 Introduction TIMESET-III is the nearly perfected version of TimeSet.Exe, a program that dials the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., computes the local time and date from universal time information supplied by their computer, and automatically sets your computer to the correct time and date for your area -- to the second. I say "nearly perfected" because I am acutely aware that no program is ever truly perfected (especially the ones I write). Sooner or later a new problem crops up for somebody, or I get an idea on how to improve a program, and there I am working through the night again. Nevertheless, TIMESET-III is much better than its predecessors because it benefits from the feedback I've gotten from users of the earlier versions. If you are interested in this kind of program and have an earlier version of TimeSet, it will be worthwhile for you to replace your earlier version with TIMESET-III. The program feels the same and outwardly it acts the same. But there have been three major improvements: much more accurate time setting through simplified code, greatly improved error checking of the incoming data strings from the Naval Observatory, and improved configuration of the program to increase the chances of your being able to adapt it to you own system. With earlier versions of this program I used to qualify the phrase, "to the second." I would say, "Well, almost to the second." With TIMESET-III I have dropped the qualifiers. This version sets your computer extremely close to the second, so close that an audiovisual test against ticks from WWV reveals no difference between the two clocks. There surely must be some small difference between the computer's clock and the super clocks of the Naval Observatory and the National Bureau of Standards, but it would take some fancy instruments to measure it. It is still important to keep in mind, however, that long distance calls can introduce a lag, especially if they involve satellite relays (the communications satellites are about 25,000 miles out, and it takes radio waves about a quarter-second to make the round-trip). But if Washington is not a distant call for you, TIMESET-III should give your computer's clock all the accuracy you could hope for. There is also some good news to report that greatly increases the utility of a program like TIMESET. The Naval Observatory has recently put a limit on the duration of calls. You can now be on line with them for a maximum of one minute. On the 60th tick of their clock you are cut off. That's long enough for TIMESET to do its job; for most computers the program can do the job in about two seconds. This change eliminates hour after hour of busy signals caused either by some caller's modem failing to hang up on command or by some mischievous souls who might have been deliberately tying up the line by calling the Naval Observatory with an ordinary communications program and then going away for the weekend. The change means that users of TIMESET should now be able to connect very easily. WARNING: SINCE YOU CAN'T SEE WHAT IS COMING OVER THE LINE WITH TIMESET AFTER THE TIME HAS BEEN SET, YOU CAN'T SEE WHETHER THE DATA HAVE STOPPED COMING. IN OTHER WORDS, YOU COULD STILL BE ON LINE IF, FOR SOME REASON, YOUR MODEM DID NOT OBEY THE COMMAND TO HANG UP. DO NOT DEPEND ON THE NAVAL OBSERVATORY'S CALL TIMER TO HANG UP ON YOU AND RESCUE YOU FROM BIG PHONE BILLS IF YOUR MODEM FAILS TO HANG UP AFTER USING TIMESET. THEIR LIMITER HAS BEEN KNOWN TO FAIL OR NOT BE PUT BACK INTO OPERATION AFTER THEY HAVE SERVICED THEIR SYSTEM FOR SOME REASON. YOU CAN SEE WHETHER YOUR MODEM HUNG UP IF IT'S EXTERNAL--JUST CHECK THE OH AND CD LIGHTS, BUT IF YOU HAVE AN INTERNAL MODEM YOU CAN'T SEE A THING--AND YOU COULD BE ON LINE TO THEM ALL NIGHT, OR ALL WEEKEND, IF THEIR CALL TIMER IS NOT FUNCTIONING (AND YOU LEAVE YOUR COMPUTER ON). TIMESET APPARENTLY HAS NEVER FAILED TO HANG UP A HAYES SMARTMODEM, BUT THERE SEEM TO BE SOME MODEM BRANDS OUT THERE THAT HAVE MORE EXACTING HANG UP REQUIREMENTS. I HAVE MODIFIED THE HANGUP ROUTINE IN VERSION 3.2 TO TRY TO AVOID THIS PROBLEM WITH THOSE NON-HAYES BRANDS, AND TESTING WITH VARIOUS MODEMS INDICATES THAT IT WORKS. NEVERTHELESS, PLEASE TAKE STEPS TO SATISFY YOURSELF THAT THE HANG UP COMMAND IN TIMESET WORKS FOR YOUR SYSTEM. BE ESPECIALLY WARY IF YOU HAVE AN INTERNAL MODEM. PICK UP A TELEPHONE ON THE SAME LINE AS YOUR MODEM AND LISTEN. IF YOU HEAR A CARRIER, YOU ARE STILL ON LINE. IF YOU THEN UNPLUG THE PHONE LINE TO YOUR MODEM, YOU WILL FORCE IT TO REGISTER LOSS OF CARRIER AND HANG ITSELF UP. Configuration The configuration procedure (and the program's code for dialing) have been changed to correct deficiencies in earlier versions. Much more data can now be sent to the modem than before, and it is sent in up to three separate strings, compared to only one before. This allows more efficient operation and greater latitude in adapting the program to complex office telephone switching systems. The strings sent to the modem can contain a total of 120 characters, compared to only 40 in previous versions. A configuration routine (selected by you or invoked automatically if the configuration data file NAVOBSY.DAT is missing) prompts you for the following information: 1. "Is Washington, D.C. a long-distance call (y/n)?" If Washington, DC is a long distance call for you, type the letter Y, upper or lower case, and press return. If you reply yes to this question the next questions will be those under 2.a, below. If you answer no, the next questions will be those under 2.b. 2.a Long-Distance Dialing 2.a.1 "Do you need a long-distance carrier access number (y/n)?" If you answer no to this question, your next prompt will be No. 2.a.4, below. If you answer yes to this question, you will get the following prompt for the phone number of your alternative long-distance system: 2.a.2 "Please enter the carrier's phone number:" After you enter the carrier's phone number and press return, you will be prompted for the access code that the carrier has assigned to you: 2.a.3 "Please enter your access code:" Type the access code assigned to you by your long-distance carrier and press return. 2.a.4 "Do you need a number before a long-distance area code (y/n)?" If you normally need to put a 1 (or some other number) just ahead of the area code for a long distance call, enter Y (upper or lower case). A yes answer brings the following prompt: 2.a.5 "Please enter the number:" Type the number that normally goes before the area code and press return. Long-distance questions are completed at this point. The next question will be about tone dialing vs. pulse dialing (see 3 below). 2.b. Dialing from the Washington, D.C. Area 2.b.1 "Do you need a number prefix when calling D.C. from the metro area (y/n)?" If you answer no to this question, your next prompt will be No. 3, below. If you answer yes to this question, you will see the following prompt: 2.b.2 "Please enter the number: Here you would enter some number (typically a 1) that might be needed to call Washington, D.C. from some areas of Maryland or northern Virginia. Local calling questions are completed at this point. (Note: See Appendix A for samples of how various options for long distance or local dialing are displayed on your screen during configuration.) 3. "Do you want (T)one or (P)ulse dialing (t/p)?" Enter T or P to match the kind of dialing you need. 4. Time Zones Six time zones on the North American continent are listed, as well as the Greenwich, England time zone (0 degrees longitude) for people in aviation and others who need their computers set to universal time. Also, beginning with Ver. 3.2, TimeSet now allows setting the computer to any time zone in the world, including unusual time zones like the one in Bombay, which is 5.5 hours ahead of Greenwich standard time. Select the zone you want by entering its first letter as displayed on the menu. If you want a time zone other than those listed for North America, select (W)orld on the time zone menu. This brings a prompt for information on how many time zones away from the time zone at the zero meridian (Greenwich, England) the desired time zone is, that is, the number of hours difference between the time at Greenwich and and the time in the selected time zone (under standard time). You will probably need to consult a world atlas containing a time zone map to determine this. There is a convention you must follow here. If the desired time zone is west of Greenwich but east of the International Date Line, enter the number preceded by a minus sign (e.g., -11). If it's east of Greenwich but west of the International Date Line, enter the number preceded by a plus sign (e.g., +9). (There is one exception to this convention, but the program takes care of it: if you happen to enter -12, it will go into the configuration file as +12. That's because 12 time zones east of Greenwich is the same as 12 time zones west of Greenwich. Both numbers refer to the time zone on the opposite side of the world from Greenwich, as you can see by consulting a map, or a globe with a time dial on top.) It's important, when you enter these time zone differences, to assume that Greenwich and your desired time zone are both on standard time. You want the absolute difference in time zones, so don't worry about daylight time at this point. The next prompt will take care of the required adjustment if the desired zone is currently on daylight time. (Note: See Appendix B. for some representative time differences for world cities, relative to Greenwich.) 5. "(S)tandard or (D)aylight Saving Time:" Enter S or D. (This prompt will be skipped if you selected Universal time at the time zone prompt, above. Universal time is standard time at Greenwich; the program recognizes this, so it does not need this prompt if you selected Universal Time.) 6. "Which serial port are you using?" Four ports, COM1: to COM4:, are listed. Enter the number of the port your modem is attached to. Be very careful to enter the correct number, because the program will get hung up if you enter the wrong one, and you'll have to reboot. [Note: Several people who use Leading Edge internal modems have reported that TimeSet does not "see" their modem. One user has told me, however, that he got his Leading Edge internal to work with TimeSet by flipping a switch on the board to make communication port 1 the default port instead of port 2. He says Leading Edge boards come set to communications port 2 as the default. His impression is that the QuickBasic communications module (GWCOM.OBJ), which TimeSet uses, expects to find a logical device on communication port 1, or it doesn't know what to do. As a result of making this change, he was able to make his Leading Edge modem work with other communications programs besides TimeSet that it wouldn't work with before.] 7. "Do you want (I)mmediate timesetting or (C)ountdown (I/C)?" This determines how TIMESET will set the time on your computer when it gets data from the Naval Observatory. If your computer is NOT an AT&T 6300 or Olivetti you can select either method. Immediate timesetting takes only one string of data from the Naval Observatory and is finished in a second or two. Countdown requires waiting until the value of seconds from the Naval Observatory is zero. If you have an AT&T or Olivetti, the countdown method is the only method you can use, and it will be selected for you even if you ask for immediate timesetting. This is discussed further later on in this manual. 8. "Enter any additional codes for the modem" The final prompt lets you enter additional Hayes codes to be sent to the modem just before the telephone number. Beginning with Version 3.0, it is necessary for you to add an Xn code at this prompt to enable your modem's extended result code set. Some modems allow only X1. If you have that kind of modem, you must put in X1 at this prompt. The only codes that X1 supplies that are relevant to TimeSet are "NO CARRIER" and "CONNECT 1200." The "BUSY" code is not generated with X1, so you will never see it with TimeSet if you have that setting. Instead you will see NO CARRIER if you have dialed and gotten a busy signal (after a period of waiting determined by the value of the S7 register). If your modem accepts the X4 result code set, that is the one you should use. It will display BUSY, CONNECT, and NO CARRIER, all of which are used by TimeSet. Other settings can be added at this prompt, and they can be anything that works. I use L2 here to cut the volume on my Hayes 2400 Smartmodem. You can shut the modem speaker off with M0. You can also change the values in the S registers using the Sn= command. For example, I set S6=2 to make my modem wait 2 seconds for a dial tone. And you can add additional dialing number strings here if you are calling over a complex office switching network. In fact, you could answer no to questions 1 and 2 and put all the special dialing codes in here (provided they did not exceed 40 characters). If you need a carriage return after any codes (normally you don't), use the asterisk (*); the program will translate it to ASCII character 13. I'm afraid I can't be very explicit on how you can use the additional codes. It's up to you, and it's presumed that you know how to use the Hayes codes to accomplish your ends or are willing to learn how. The absolute minimum you must put in here, however, is an appropriate X value--preferably X4 if your modem can accept it. [Technical Note: The point of much of this is to determine what the program should send to the modem when you give the command to dial the Naval Observatory. Three strings are sent to the modem, as follows: String 1: "AT S0=0 E0 Q0 V1 S7=20" + MODEM$ String 2: "ATDT" + CARRIER$ String 3: "ATDT" + CODE$ + OUTSIDE$ Beginning with Version 2.40, each of these strings can be up to 40 characters long (with Hayes modems, anyway) for a total of 120 characters. This should provide greater flexibility in adapting the program to PBX systems. String 1 initializes the modem with the default settings S0=0, S7=20, E0, Q0, and V1. MODEM$ will contain any additional modem codes that you put in at question 7 in the configuration session. The codes you enter can either supersede the default values or augment them, depending on your particular needs (please consult your modem manual, not me). Except for the use of S7 as mentioned above, I can't think of any reason why you would need to change the default values, but one never knows. The one default value you should never change, however, is V1, which instructs the modem to send words as result codes. Since the program is designed to look for those "verbose" result codes ("BUSY,"NO CARRIER," "OK," etc.), changing V1 to V0 will make the program inoperative. String 2 contains the phone number of your alternative long-distance phone company, if you are using one. "ATDT" is built into the program; you should not enter it during configuration. (If you are not using an alternative carrier, string 2 will not be sent to the modem because it would only contain "ATDT" or "ATDP.") String 3 contains the access code (if any) for your alternative long-distance carrier and/or the number prefix you need to dial Washington, D.C. (in CODE$) plus the Naval Observatory's phone number (in OUTSIDE$), preceded by the area code if you are calling long distance. Again, "ATDT" or "ATDP" is supplied by the program and should not be entered during configuration. Notice that you do not have to enter the actual phone number of the Naval Observatory; that number, including the area code if you answered yes to question 1, is built into the program and is automatically included in OUTSIDE$.] The final question asks whether everything you have entered is OK. If you answer no, the whole configuration exercise starts over again. If you answer yes, the program jumps to the opening menu. A table on the right side of the screen will summarize the settings you just made, and will always be there whenever you run TIMESET. Toggling Between Standard and Daylight Time In response to an excellent suggestion from a user, TIMESET, beginning with Version 2.0, has been changed to allow toggling between Daylight Saving Time and Standard Time at the opening menu. A message informs you that you can do this by using Ctrl-T. If the program is set for Daylight Time and you press Ctrl-T, it will be reset for Standard Time. If the program is set for Standard Time and you press Ctrl-T, it will be reset for Daylight Time. This eliminates the need to go through the entire configuration procedure in the fall and spring, when it's time to reset the clocks. Just press Ctrl-T to make the change. (Unlike Version 2.0, which changed only the program's configuration file for daylight/standard time, Version 3.2 also resets the DOS clock to daylight or standard time.) Immediate Timesetting versus Countdown to Zero Whether you get your wish on question 7 depends on what kind of computer you have. If you have an AT&T 6300 or an Olivetti, you are stuck with the countdown method. That's because these computers cannot set time to the second, unless it happens to be zero. No matter how you try to do it, any seconds you try to plug into those computers end up as zero seconds. Although these computers will not accept seconds, for some strange reason they purport to tell you the time to the nearest 1/100 second (displaying two decimal places after seconds when you use the TIME command in DOS). Apparently it has not occurred to the people at AT&T that it's inconsistent for a computer's clock to be able to display time with that kind of precision when it only lets you set hours and minutes. The only way I have found to circumvent this problem with AT&Ts and Olivettis is to have TIMESET stay on line to the Naval Observatory until the minute changes, that is, until seconds actually do become equal to zero, then set the computer's clock at that instant. This can mean having to wait as long as a minute before timesetting can occur (although there is a 50 percent chance that it will occur within 30 seconds and a 25 percent chance that it will occur within 15 seconds, assuming your calls are randomly timed). Other MS-DOS computers can be set to any second, so timesetting can occur after only one string of data has been supplied by the Observatory. Of course, if you actually prefer the countdown that is required for AT&T and Olivetti computers, you can get it just by telling the program you want it. You can go either way with these other brands. With AT&T or Olivetti, however, it can only be one way: countdown. In fact, if you have an AT&T or Olivetti and ask for immediate timesetting, the configuration routine will ignore your request, set the program for the count- down method instead, and tell you so. That's because it checks to see what kind of computer you have before accepting the request for immediate timesetting. This is a new feature that was not in the original version of TIMESET. I've also tried to make the countdown process as interesting as possible, and it may be that you'll prefer it even if your computer can accept timesetting to any second. If you have selected the countdown method, it will also be used when you toggle between daylight and standard time (see preceding section). (If you know a way to plug seconds directly into the memory of AT&T 6300s and Olivettis, I'd like to hear from you. I have tried everything I can think of to set the seconds on my AT&T computer, including calls to assembly language modules using Interrupt 21H with service 2DH and Interrupt 16H with service 01. Nothing I've tried works; the seconds always come back 00 when the very next line in my test program is PRINT TIME$.) Operation Unless you choose otherwise (see next paragraph), TIMESET.EXE and NAVOBSY.DAT must both be on the same directory, and you must run the program from that directory. If NAVOBSY.DAT is missing from the directory, you will be in configuration mode shortly after the program is loaded, so the file can be created. You should also have a 1200-baud Hayes-compatible modem (or a 2400-baud Hayes compatible that can automatically step down to 1200 baud). You can run TimeSet from any directory you happen to be on if you do two things: (1) put TimeSet.Exe or its directory in the DOS path (using the PATH command in DOS) and (2) use the SET command in DOS to put the location of the NAVOBSY.DAT file into environment (i.e., type SET NAVOB=drive:\directory at the DOS prompt). Beginning with Version 3.1, the program looks in the DOS environment for the location of the configuration file. Using the SET command as described tells the program where the file is located. The Standard Method If you simply type Timeset at the DOS prompt, the program will start with a display of the logo, which clears automatically after 5 seconds. You can hurry this up by pressing any key. When the screen clears, a menu appears offering these choices: (D)ial the Naval Observatory (C)onfigure the program (S)hell to DOS (Q)uit The meaning of these choices should be obvious, but perhaps some explanation of C and S is needed. Pressing C lets you reconfigure the NAVOBSY.DAT file if, for example, you move to another time zone or another calling zone. Pressing S lets you exit to DOS, leaving the program in memory. (I added the shell feature just in case somebody needs it; it's not essential for the program itself.) Incidentally, the message "Is your modem on?" to the right of the screen on versions prior to 3.1 is not a report on the status of your modem, it is simply a reminder to turn on your modem if you have not already done so (assuming you have an external modem with a switch). The current time will be displayed in big letters at the upper left of the menu screen, changing each second accompanied by a tick. Below it, the current date will be displayed. Beginning with Version 3.1, there is an additional command, ALT-C, that you can use you want to see a conventional clock display with a "sweep" second hand. This command works at this menu and at any subsequent screen that allows input from the keyboard, provided your system can display high-resolution graphics (screen 2). If you press the Back Space key you will return from this clock to the opening menu. If you have a monochrome display adaptor the conventional clock cannot be displayed. Version 3.2 also allows you to change the system clock manually at the opening menu, using keys in the top and bottom rows of the keyboard number pad. Tapping a key in the top row advances the hour, minute, or second by 1, depending on which key was pressed. Tapping a key in the bottom row reduces the hour, minute, or second by 1, depending on the key. The HOME and END keys set the hour, the UP-Arrow and DOWN-Arrow keys set the minute, and the PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN keys set the second. These changes are made in the DOS clock immediately and are also immediately reflected in the time display. These manual settings serve a number of purposes: 1. In an office with several computers that need to be synchronized, only one needs to call the Naval Observatory. The rest can be set to the calling computer's time using this manual method (if they all have a copy of TimeSet and the "master" computer is displaying the opening menu--the time display should be visible across a room). 2. Sometimes the Naval Observatory doesn't answer its phone. If you have a shortwave receiver you can get a fairly accurate setting with the manual keys by tuning into to WWV or CHU, listening to the signals, and advancing hours, minutes, and seconds manually. 3. You can also use the manual adjustment method when calling the Naval Observatory's number for voice time signals. The number is 900-410-TIME ($0.50 for the first minute.) Or you can use time signals from your local phone company, if you trust your local phone company. Having once set your computer by phoning the Naval Observatory, you are in a position to see how reliable your local phone company is. Call them, listen to their time announcements while watching the time display on the opening menu. If the phone company's time is accurate enough for your purposes, you can avoid some long-distance calls to the Naval Observatory. 4. The change between standard and daylight time can be handled very easily by using the HOME or END key. (However, this method will not change your configuration file; that still has to be done with Ctrl-T.) 5. You can use the manual method to reset your computer to another time zone anywhere in the world without having to call the Naval Observatory again. This could be useful for someone in Pasadena who has to run an automatic upload/download when it's, say, Monday, 9:00 am standard time in Tokyo (Sunday, 4 pm PST in Pasadena), or someone whose business requires him to know, at a glance and without doing calculations, what time it is in Saudi Arabia. Similarly, you can change the month, day, and year manually by holding the shift key down and pressing the appropriate top- and bottom-row keys of the number keypad. There is one limitation on using the manual setting keys, however, and again it involves the old bugaboo of AT&T 6300 and Olivetti computers-- inability to set any second besides zero. If you press any of the manual timesetting keys with one of these computers, the DOS seconds will immediately jump to zero. For this reason, I don't recommend using the manual keys with these computers unless sThis means that even with the manual method, you have to wait until the seconds actually ARE zero before advancing or retarding the time if you have an AT&T 6300 or Olivetti. Everything proceeds automatically when you press D to dial the Observatory. Result codes from the modem (CONNECT, BUSY, NO CARRIER, etc.) are displayed in BIG letters, with exploding windows and beeps (no missing the results of your efforts here!). As soon as clean data are obtained from the Naval Observatory, the program converts the data to local time and date, plugs it into your computer, and hangs up. You should get in the habit of inspecting the information sent by the Naval Observatory to make sure it wasn't garbled by a noisy connection. The information will be displayed at the top of the final screen and should look like this: 47014 219 224449 UTC that is, a group of 5 numbers, a space, a group of 3 numbers, a space, a group of 6 numbers, a space, and finally, UTC. If you see any other pattern or any other characters besides these numbers, grouped exactly this way and terminated by the letters "UTC," press Return to call again. You didn't get a correct reading. I personally have never seen this happen. The program is designed to stay on line until a clean data string is obtained. The error checking is probably not flawless, however, so you should always inspect the top line of the final screen to be sure it fits the pattern shown above. Below the top line you will see an interpretation of the data received, followed by a box containing a summary of what just happened, i.e., what your computer's time was and what it is now, what your computer's date was and what it is now. Near the bottom of the final screen you will see a continuous display of the current time, based on the Naval Observatory setting that was just made. The time is displayed to the 10th of a second on my computer, but I have noticed that seconds are not divided into 10 parts on some other brands. I think it has to do with the inherent speed of the computer (mine is 8 MHz). You have three options when the final screen is displayed. You can press ESC to quit the program, Return to dial again, or BackSpace to go back to the opening menu (for example, to change the configuration or shell to DOS, leaving the program in memory). The Automatic Method TIMESET also has an automatic mode that lets you skip the prompting (and miss my beautiful logo) and go directly to dialing and processing of data from the Observatory. The only thing that will be displayed on your screen is information to the effect that the Observatory is now being dialed (as if you couldn't tell by listening to the modem) and modem messages. The correct date and time will be plugged into your computer's memory, but you will see no table at the end summarizing what the settings were and what they are now. Instead you will be back in DOS as soon as the settings are made in your computer. To run the program in automatic mode, enter TIMESET AUTO after the DOS prompt. This command can also be included in an Autoexec.Bat file so timesetting occurs automatically when you boot your system. Your Autoexec file should also have a SET NAVOB=drive:\directory line if you want TimeSet to run from any directory. Just be sure the modem is turned on beforehand if you use the AUTO mode. As of Version 3.1, if you are in automatic mode and get a busy signal, the program will redial until a connection is made (redialing on a busy signal is not automatic in anything but AUTO mode). Of course, a busy signal will delay the completion of your system boot-up, unless you hit Ctrl-Break. (There is no automatic redialing when the Naval Observatory does not answer at all, which occasionally happens, perhaps because its equipment is being serviced. When this occurs, the NO CARRIER message is displayed briefly, and the program exits to DOS to continue the booting process without a time set.) Compatibility with the WordPerfect Shell If you don't have the WordPerfect Shell program, you can skip this section. TIMESET is now designed for full compatibility with WordPerfect Corporation's Shell program. That is, you can switch from TIMESET to another program on the Shell menu just by holding down the ALT and SHIFT keys and pressing a keyboard character that corresponds to the desired program's letter on the Shell menu. This takes you directly to the program without going through the Shell menu. ALT-SHIFT-key functions operate at the two points of the TIMESET program where you are presented with options for keyboard input--at the opening menu and at the completion of the call to the Naval Observatory. (Obviously it can't work if you are operating TIMESET in automatic mode, because there is no prompting for input in that mode.) When you switch to another program in this manner, TIMESET is left resident in memory (in expanded memory if you have it on your system). The program also accepts the CTRL-F1 command, which produces the familiar WordPerfect-style line, "1 Go to the Shell" at the bottom of the screen. You can press the "1" key at this point, followed quickly by the menu letter of the program you want next, although this is not as simple as pressing ALT-SHIFT and a key. You can cancel the CTRL-F1 command and erase the bottom line by pressing F1, the cancel key in WordPerfect programs. The CTRL-F1 command is not very practical at this point, I feel, since there is a simpler way to move to another program (the ALT-SHIFT method). I only included it because most WordPerfect Corporation programs have it, for some reason. I suspect they have it because future versions of the WordPerfect Shell program are going to have additional options that you can enter at this point--perhaps letting you press function keys that cause wonderful new things to happen. Why else would WordPerfect Corp include this (currently) clumsy bottom-line menu when it already provides the ALT-SHIFT functions -- a much simpler, more direct, and faster way to switch programs? The program is able to detect when the WordPerfect Shell is present. Thus if you run it under the Shell, an additional prompt will be seen on the first menu indicating that you can enter ALT-SHIFT commands to call other programs and functions under the Shell. If you run it as an ordinary DOS program in the absence of the Shell, this prompt will not appear on your screen and the ALT-SHIFT commands will not work. If you have set up the Shell program to load TIMESET as a memory-resident program when you first load the Shell itself, TIMESET will load invisibly. That is, you won't see any sign of it on your screen, though it's there, memory-resident and ready to run whenever you press the right keys according to the Shell's own rules. Similarly, when you decide to quit the Shell, TIMESET will simply be unloaded from memory without any sign of it on your screen and without the need for any further action on your part. These features are identical to those in the WordPerfect Corporation's own programs (WordPerfect word processor, Calculator, Program Editor, Macro Editor, Calendar, etc.), all of which are designed to work under the WordPerfect Shell. Conclusion This program is simple and fun to use, and comes to you free from Life Sciences Editorial Service of Annapolis, Maryland (i.e., from Pete Petrakis, who had a lot of fun writing it). It's intended to let the computing world know there is an experienced freelance professional scientific and technical writer/editor here in Annapolis who is also familiar with computers. In short, it's a gimmick that gives you, free of charge, something of value (I hope) while telling you that Life Sciences Editorial Service is available (for money, naturally). Pete Petrakis, Life Sciences Editorial Service, Annapolis, Maryland (301) 261-1370 DISCLAIMER It is important for you to realize that in using TIMESET you assume the risk of using it. I do not promise that it will work on your system or that it will do all the things you might hope or wish it would do. Nor can I guarantee that will not harm your computer or your data files in some way or cause something else adverse to happen. I have labored diligently to prevent any such problems with this program, but it is vain and dumb to assert that any product is totally risk free. It works on my computer and on a lot of other people's computers, but I must disclaim any responsibility for any direct or consequential damages from your use of this program including (but not limited to) (1) physical damage or impaired operation of your computer or its accessories; (2) loss of data; (3) loss of your life or limb; (4) dissolution of your marriage; (5) nervous breakdown; (6) eviction from your home; (7) loss of your job; (8) being devoured by a school of starving piranhas; (9) being attacked by a rabid pack of slavering pit bull terriers; (10) anything else negative and conceivable or inconceivable that I might have overlooked. Pete Petrakis P.S. Neither I nor this program have any connection with the U.S. Naval observatory. I am a self-employed technical writer/editor, and my firm is called Life Sciences Editorial Service. It is an independent business located in Annapolis, Maryland, and it, too, has absolutely no connection with the Naval Observatory. I wrote TimeSet and put it into the public domain to make the public aware of my existence and availability as a technical and scientific writer/editor who also has some knowledge of computers. My fundamental aim was to advertise a service called Life Sciences Editorial Service. I included my phone number in the program and in this documentation so people could call me to discuss (1) possible editorial work assignments or (2) problems or questions concerning TimeSet. Therefore, please do not dial 301-261-1370 (my phone number) expecting to get the Naval Observatory. If you need to talk to someone at the Naval Observatory, a good place to start is with their public information office. However, it's futile and inappropriate to ask the Naval Observatory technical questions about Timeset, because they don't know anything about it. They are aware of the program's existence by now, but they didn't write it, and they do not distribute it. I wrote it, and I put it into the public domain. It's my program, not theirs. To sum it up: Life Sciences Editorial Service and the U.S. Naval Observatory are different, totally separate entities. Therefore, if you have questions about TimeSet (or want to talk business with me about editorial work), call Life Sciences Editorial Service (i.e, me). If you have questions about the Naval Observatory, please call the Naval Observatory. APPENDIX A Screen Displays: Configuring for Long Distance or Local Dialing Example: Long-distance call, using alternate phone service with access code. Number 1 is required before area code: Is Washington, D.C. a long-distance call (y/n)? y Do you need a long-distance carrier access number (y/n)? y Please enter the carrier's phone number: 111-1111 Please enter your access code: 00000 Do you need a number before a long-distance area code (y/n)? y Please enter the number: 1 Example: Long-distance call, not using alternate phone service. Number 1 is required before area code: Is Washington, D.C. a long-distance call (y/n)? y Do you need a long-distance carrier access number (y/n)? n Do you need a number before a long-distance area code (y/n)? y Please enter the number: 1 Example: Long-distance call, not using alternate phone service. No number required ahead of the area code: Is Washington, D.C. a long-distance call (y/n)? y Do you need a long-distance carrier access number (y/n)? n Do you need a number before a long-distance area code (y/n)? n Example: Local call. Number needed ahead of local phone number: Is Washington, D.C. a long-distance call (y/n)? n Do you need a number prefix when calling D.C. from the metro area (y/n)? y Please enter the number: 1 Example: Local call. No number needed before local phone number: Is Washington, D.C. a long-distance call (y/n)? n Do you need a number prefix when calling D.C. from the metro area (y/n)? n APPENDIX B Standard Time Differences for Various World Cities Relative to Greenwich, England Note: These differences are based on standard time for all cities listed. Tokyo +9 hours Hong Kong +8 hours Beijing +8 hours Jakarta +8 hours Bombay +5.5 hours Karachi +5 hours Moscow +3 hours Nairobi +3 hours Riyadh +3 hours Cairo +2 hours Johannesburg +2 hours Rome +1 hours Paris +1 hours > GREENWICH 0 hours < (0° Longitude) Dakar 0 hours Reykjavic 0 hours Caracas -4 hours New York -5 hours Chicago -6 hours Mexico City -6 hours Denver -7 hours San Francisco -8 hours Anchorage -9 hours Honolulu -10 hours APPENDIX C Summary of Changes in TIMESET Since Version 1.0 Version 3.2 October 6, 1987 Version 3.2 of Timeset incorporates the following changes: 1. The accuracy of timesetting has been greatly increased by substantial refinement and tightening of the program's code. Error checking has also been greatly improved through a four-step checking process, including a protocol for bypassing capture of the first Naval Observatory data string if it is not in proper register (i.e., when the string's first character is not what it is supposed to be). Users of earlier versions who have external modems will notice from the RD light that one or more strings now come over the line before anything is registered on their screens. This is the result of the improved error checking and the new synchronization process. The program is waiting to get a clean data string before proceeding. 2. The configuration routine now asks whether you want an immediate setting of the time from the Naval Observatory or a setting of the time when the minutes advance by 1, that is, when seconds become equal to zero (the countdown method). If you choose immediate timesetting you'll be on line for no more than a second or two, just long enough to get a clean data string from the Observatory. In contrast, the countdown method can keep you on line up to one minute while waiting for Naval Observatory seconds to become zero. If your computer is not an AT&T 6300 or an Olivetti (see next paragraph) you can select either method. 3. The configuration routine no longer asks if you are using an AT&T 6300 or Olivetti computer. Instead, it finds that out by itself if you ask for immediate setting of the time (see above). The program now checks your computer's ROM to see what kind of computer it is. If it's an AT&T 6300 or Olivetti, you are informed that you can't have immediate time setting, and the countdown method of timesetting is selected for you despite your wish. In other words, you have no choice with these computers; you must use the countdown-to-zero-seconds method with the AT&T 6300 and Olivetti to get an accurate setting of seconds. The reason is that there appears to be no way to set the clocks of these computers to the second, unless the second happens to be zero. (There may be other computer brands with this problem, but since I don't know what they are I could only fix the program to detect AT&Ts and Olivettis. However, you can tell if your computer has this problem by configuring for instant timesetting, then comparing the seconds received from the Naval Observatory with the seconds that were actually plugged into your computer. These time values are tabulated on the final screen. If your computer's clock always ends up being set to zero seconds even when the Naval Observatory has sent some other count for seconds, the diagnosis is clear: your computer has the AT&T-Olivetti Syndrome, a nonfatal congenital disease of unknown etiology (but probably due to thoughtless design). In that case you have to go back to configuration mode and select the countdown method. Don't despair, though. I've made some changes that make the countdown a little less boring (see the next paragraph.) 4. The display of successive full data strings from the Naval Observatory during countdown still occurs but there is also a display of the seconds remaining before timesetting will occur (e.g., -30, -29, -28, etc.), in great big numbers -- with clicks. These counts are derived from the Naval Observatory data strings coming in over the line. It's more fun this way, I think. If you have to wait for a countdown you might as well make it a bit dramatic. You can pretend you're at Cape Canaveral. 5. The configuration routine now lets you choose between tone or pulse dialing and lets you add much more dialing information as well as additional Hayes Smartmodem codes. These will go into the dialing string just before the Naval Observatory phone number, which is the last item in the dialing string. You can, for example, silence your modem speaker by entering M0 after this prompt, cut its volume by using the Lx command, or change the values of the S registers. This new feature also might help people who have had trouble dialing the Observatory through company switching systems to figure out a way to do it (I really don't know, because I'm not at all familiar with such systems). Unless you understand these codes and their uses, or are prepared to study your modem manual to learn about them, I suggest that you enter nothing and just press Return after this prompt. 6. In response to requests from people in commercial aviation, the program now can be configured so the computer is set to universal time (standard time at Greenwich, England) instead of local time. Version 3.2 also allows conversion of the Naval Observatory time signal to set a computer's clock to any time zone in the world. (Version 3.1 purported to have the world time zone feature, but alas, the setting was erroneous.) 7. The program now checks the DOS environment to see where the configuration file NAVOBSY.DAT is located, allowing you to run TimeSet from any directory as long as the program is in the DOS PATH. The location of NAVOBSY.DAT is put into the DOS environment with the SET command in DOS (i.e., SET NAVOB= drive:\directory). If you have not used the SET command to create this information, the program will check the current drive and directory for the file, and if it is not present it will ask you to create a new NAVOBSY.DAT file. The file will then be written on the current drive/directory. 8. The program has been made fully compatible with the WordPerfect Shell, allowing direct switching to another program on the Shell menu by pressing an appropriate ALT-SHIFT-key combination, invisible memory-resident loading under the Shell, and invisible unloading from memory when the Shell is terminated. 9. The program now displays a conventional "round-face" clock if ALT-C is pressed at any prompt. Thereafter, pressing Back Space returns you to the opening menu. 10. The program now allows you to toggle between Daylight and Standard time by pressing Ctrl-T at the opening menu. This eliminates the need to go through the entire configuration procedure when it's time to reset the clock in the spring and fall. 11. A flaw that caused incorrect setting of Standard Time in the earliest versions has been corrected. 12. Some systems had a "crashing" problem with the earliest versions of TimeSet. The system would crash and/or the modem would fail to hang up when the Backspace key was pressed to return to the opening menu after the Observatory had been dialed. This problem was fixed in Version 2.10 and later versions. 13. As of Version 3.2, if a busy signal is encountered when running the program in AUTO mode, redialing will occur automatically until a connection is made. 14. Provision is now made for manual adjustment of hours, minutes, and seconds by pressing specific keys on the numeric keypad at the opening menu. 15. The hanging up procedure (i.e., for putting the modem "on hook" after a call is completed) has been modified as of Version 3.2 to minimize the chances of a failure to hang up. However, since you have no way of knowing whether it did hang up your modem if the modem is internal, check your line by listening on your telephone for a carrier, until you are confident that TimeSet hangs up your modem every time. To be absolutely sure, unplug the phone line from the back of your computer when you are through using TimeSet, if you are using an internal modem. This will force the modem to hang up if hasn't already done so (because it will detect a loss of carrier if one was present, and this forces the modem to go on hook). Pete Petrakis Annapolis, Maryland 76555-1175