Computerworld 1996 March

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DAMSEL SOFTWARE GROUP's SHAREWARE BITMAP COLLECTION, VOL.I Compatible with Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups 3.11, and Windows95. Greetings from all of us here at Damsel Software Group. To read this file easily, click on your "expand window size" symbol. Thanks! This file contains information on the following subjects: 1. Product Registration 2. The Association of Shareware Professionals 3. Copyright Information 4. Minimum System Requirements 5. Setting Up Your Screen Saver and Bitmaps 6. Screen Saver Function and Features 7. Image Compression 8. Monitor Display 9. Uninstalling Your Screen Saver 10. Warranty Information 11. Registration Form In order to assist the reader, the older Windows 3.x instructions have been left intact. Windows95 instructions, where different, are either given their own sentences or are indicated by the use of parentheses. This is the only time this README.TXT file will appear automatically. In the future you can read the file by coming back to your Windows 3.x Notepad, located under Accessories in your Program Manager menu, and opening the README.TXT file found in the BCV1SS directory, or by two clicks on the filename directly from within File Manager. In Windows95 the Notepad is reached from the Start button followed by Programs\Accessories\Notepad. You may also read the file from your C:\> DOS prompt by typing TYPE C:\BCV1SS\README.TXT | MORE. You may exit this file at any time by clicking on the minus sign of Windows 3.x's Notepad window at the upper left-hand corner, or by clicking on the "X" Close button in Windows95's Notepad upper right-hand corner. This README.TXT file can be printed in a variety of ways. In MS-DOS you can print it at any time from your C:\BCV1SS> prompt by typing COPY README.TXT PRN and pressing Enter. Within Windows it can be printed from the Notepad or from any other word processing program that can open a .TXT file. In Windows' Notepad you should set File\Page Setup\Left Margin to as low a value as possible before printing to insure that each line will print in its entirety. This text file will not appear during the actual running of the screen saver. 1. PRODUCT REGISTRATION If you find you are enjoying Damsel's Bitmap Collection, Vol.I, as a screen saver, wallpaper, or both, and you intend to continue its use, you should register this program within 30 days by sending a check for $15.00 in U.S. currency drawn on a U.S. bank to: Damsel Software Group P.O. Box 713 Concord, NH 03302-0713 Call our phone/fax at 603 485-2677 if you desire verification. You may print out and use the registration form found at the end of this README file to insure we receive your mailing address. $15.00 entitles you to a registered copy of Damsel's Bitmap Collection, Volume I, complete with User's Guide, lifetime tech support, and a free catalog of Damsel products with future updates for a year. The User's Guide will be of great value as it includes a name-to-image matching list for ease in tile and screen selection. Without the User's Guide (not available in this Shareware version) the only other method of identifi- cation would have been to title each image directly on the Screen Saver/ Previewer, an unappealing prospect from an artistic point of view in most cases. As an added inducement you will also receive a second screen saver generated from the 48 tiles and awe-inspiring full-screen images of Damsel's Bitmap Collection, Volume II. Send US$15.00 and get it all, .. PLUS free shipping and handling on this, your first order (3 1/2" virus-free diskettes only). FLASH !!! Here's part of what you will find in the catalog! If you like this screen saver you can order more great screen savers immediately by sending check or money order in U.S. currency drawn on a U.S. bank along with your order to Damsel at the address shown above. Add $4.00 shipping in the U.S. $6.00 Canada/Mexico All screen savers require 386 machines $8.00 South America minimum with a 256-color VGA display. $12.00 All other foreign Screen Savers / Wallpaper Price ($US) ------------------------- ----------- New Hampsire Wilderness, Vol.1 $10.00 24 full-screen scanned photos of mountains, waterfalls, forests and lakes in BMP format shipped on five 3 1/2" diskettes only, with a User's Guide containing full documentation on features and functions, including a short description of each of the 24 scenes. New England Wildflowers, Vol.1 $10.00 24 full-screen scanned photos of New England's wildflowers from early summer to late fall in an assortment of colors and shapes, shipped in a similar package as the NH Wilderness collection in BMP format. Eastern Skies (Big Sky, Vol.1) $10.00 24 full-screen scanned photos of sunrises, sunsets, clouds, storms and other meterological formations, shipped in a similar package as the NH Wilderness collection in BMP format. Damsel Surreal Art Collection, Vol.1 $10.00 27 full-screen scans of the surreal work of artist David Martsolf. Most are images of the entire work. Some are detail closeups of portions of complex canvases. The artist has been recognized in national juried competitions. Five 3 1/2" diskettes are shipped in BMP format with a User's Guide. Damsel Bitmap Collection, Vol.2 $15.00 A collection of full-screen and tiled images of original artwork and scanned photos representative (though not repeating) of the other Damsel collections shown above. Shipped in same format as above screensavers. Damsel Screen Saver Sampler $10.00 A collection of full-screen images of scanned photos representative (though not repeating) of four of the other Damsel collections shown above. Shipped in same format as above screensavers, though no images can be used as wallpaper. Note that this collection is available as a Shareware product. 2. THE ASSOCIATION OF SHAREWARE PROFESSIONALS Damsel Software Group is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI USA 49442-9427, Fax 616-788-2765, or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. THE SHAREWARE CONCEPT Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to register. Individual programs differ on details -- some request registration while others require it, some specify a maximum trial period. With registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue using the software to an updated program with printed material. Shareware differs from public domain software in that there is the under- standing of payment IF the user continues to actively employ the software. Shareware is also copyrighted where public domain software is not. Copy- right restrictions vary from author to author. Damsel's Bitmap Collection is copyrighted. The details of this copyright follow below. Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it. 3. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Once registered, the images contained in Damsel products may be used as wallpaper or as baseline images for further private or commercial process- ing. Your only restriction as a registered purchaser, owner, or user, is that Damsel products or their individual images not be resold or distributed in their original unmodified form. Images may be used unmodified in commercial publications where they form an integral part of a larger work to be sold or marketed as such. The images cannot be resold as stand-alone graphics without the expressed written consent of Damsel Software Group. The screen saving functions cannot be redistributed except in Shareware versions with their original associated Damsel images. 4. MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS A good portion of the images contained in this Damsel product are built on a 256-color palette. A video display board with a minimum of 512K RAM and 256-color capability for display on a VGA or SVGA monitor is essential for optimal viewing of these images. Screens and tiles in 16-color format will look fine with a standard VGA driver. You will need an IBM PC-compatible with a 386 or higher-type micro- processor, 4MB RAM, and a hard disk with 5MB free disk space. Damsel products run with MS-DOS 3.1 or higher using Windows 3.1 or higher. Damsel products are fully compatible with Windows95. 5. SETTING UP YOUR SCREEN SAVER AND BITMAPS First, the Screen Saver / Previewer: Exit this README file by clicking on the minus sign or the Close ("X") button of the Notepad window. Then, turn off any other screen savers you may be using unless they are the ones linked directly to your Desktop (Display) Accessories module, following the manufacturer's instructions. *** ACCESS IN WINDOWS 3.X *** To access your Damsel Bitmap Collection, Vol.I Screen Saver/Previewer from Windows' Program Manager, 1. Double click on your Main icon. 2. Double click on the Control Panel icon. 3. Double click on the Desktop icon. 4. Once you are in the Desktop dialog box open the list in the Screen Saver area by clicking the button at the right of the box titled "Name:" (or by pressing TAB several times to go to the box, followed by ALT+DOWN ARROW). 5. Scroll on the slide bar until you find the screen saver titled BCV1SS. Click once on the title to select it. You may also select the "Delay" time (of inactivity) in minutes which will precede the initiation of any screen saver selected. Password protection is also available and is described in the next section. 6. After selecting the BCV1SS screen saver choose OK in the upper right- hand corner of the dialog box and exit back to the opening screen. The BCV1SS Screen Saver will now appear after the initial chosen period of inactivity passes. *** ACCESS IN WINDOWS95 *** 1. Press or click your mouse on the Task Bar's Start button. 2. Highlight or click on Settings, from the first menu. 3. Click on Control Panel, from the second menu. 4. When the Control Panel window opens, double click on the Display icon. 5. Click on the tab titled Screen Saver. 6. Scroll down the list of screen savers and click on the name BCV1SS. At this point you can also set the screen saver's "Wait" time or enter a password. Password details are available in the next section. Next, setting up your wallpaper: To use Damsel's bitmap images as wallpaper for Windows the picture files must be located in the WINDOWS directory. They must be "COPY"ed to the WINDOWS directory in order that the original screen saver previewer will still function. The screen saver has been programmed to look for the files in the BCV1SS directory. If you "MOVE" the image files to the WINDOWS directory in order to save disk space, the program will no longer be able to find them in their new home. After watching the screen saver for a time, you may find favorites that you may wish to copy one at a time, rather than duplicating all files in the BCV1SS directory. You can use the COPY function of Windows' File Manager to accomplish this operation. In Windows95 you can use My Computer or Explorer to do a COPY/PASTE operation. Your alternative is to uninstall and reinstall this program, choosing the WINDOWS directory as your choice when prompted by the program. Before choosing this route, please check your current WINDOWS directory for any resident readme.txt files as the installation will overwrite any earlier versions of readme.txt. To access your new wallpaper choices return to your Program Manager\Control Panel\Desktop dialog box. The Wallpaper scroll box is located directly beneath the Screen Saver box. Choosing wallpaper is exactly like choosing your screen saver except that the options are different. When selecting any of the images from the wallpaper list you should also click on the Center option located directly under the Wallpaper scroll box. In Windows95 the sequence is Start\Settings\Control Panel\Display\Background. The Wallpaper scroll box is at the lower right of the dialog box. Now, setting up your tiles: The tiles are located on Disk#2 (package 2 of 2) of the Bitmap Collection, Vol.I. They must be copied into your Windows directory. To do so place Disk# 2 in your A:\ drive and change your prompt location to A:\>. Or, if downloading from a CD-ROM or BBS service, go to wherever the 2nd of the two packages is located. From A:\> or whatever location use the DOS COPY command to copy the tiles into your Windows directory. These tiles are all uncompressed .BMP files, so a typical COPY command would read, A:\>COPY *.BMP C:\WINDOWS. The MS-DOS prompt is accessible in Windows95 and is still the easiest method to accomplish the above tasks. If you have now loaded the tiles, they will also appear in the list of choices for Windows wallpaper. The list below will tell you which of your new images are tiles and which are full-screen graphics. When selecting a tile remember to set the Tile choice found directly under the Wallpaper scroll box in the Desktop (Win95's Display\Background) dialog box. Please note that all of these images are unique to Damsel's Bitmap Collection, Vol.I, and will not reappear in any other collection you purchase. BITMAP DESCRIPTIONS: DAMSEL BITMAP COLLECTION, VOLUME I 1. Abstrac1.bmp Tile 4726 bytes 16-color 2. Aridmap2.bmp Tile 6838 bytes 16-color 3. Birthdy1.bmp Tile 950 bytes 16-color 4. Bluehole.bmp Tile 12,918 bytes 16-color 5. Bluepuff.bmp Tile 4150 bytes 256-color 6. Cactus1.bmp Tile 4726 bytes 16-color 7. Cactus2.bmp Tile 4726 bytes 16-color 8. Cathdral.bmp Center 308,278 bytes 256-color 9. Crawfd16.bmp Center 153,718 bytes 16-color 10. Deep2.bmp Tile 4726 bytes 16-color 11. Deepblu1.bmp Tile 15,478 bytes 16-color 12. Deepred1.bmp Tile 7798 bytes 16-color 13. Demain1.bmp Tile 8758 bytes 16-color 14. Dune02.bmp Tile 7478 bytes 256-color 15. Emblem1.bmp Tile 2166 bytes 16-color 16. Fantasy1.bmp Tile 10,678 bytes 256-color 17. Ferrist.bmp Center 308,278 bytes 256-color 18. Girder1.bmp Tile 886 bytes 16-color 19. Gridhol1.bmp Tile 4726 bytes 16-color 20. Hoblbsht.bmp Center 308,278 bytes 256-color 21. Hotball1.bmp Tile 9718 bytes 256-color 22. Mesa1.bmp Center 153,718 bytes 16-color 23. Minigeo1.bmp Tile 614 bytes 16-color 24. Miniorb1.bmp Tile 198 bytes 16-color 25. Miniorb2.bmp Tile 198 bytes 16-color 26. Miniorb3.bmp Tile 198 bytes 16-color 27. Mondrn01.bmp Tile 4342 bytes 16-color 28. Mondrn03.bmp Tile 10,358 bytes 16-color 29. Mondrn54.bmp Center 153,718 bytes 16-color 30. Mondrn60.bmp Center 153,718 bytes 16-color 31. Mtmonroe.bmp Center 308,278 bytes 256-color 32. Nova1.bmp Tile 9910 bytes 256-color 33. Octopus1.bmp Tile 10,678 bytes 256-color 34. Orb1.bmp Tile 1574 bytes 16-color 35. Parthnon.bmp Tile 5174 bytes 16-color 36. Sandban1.bmp Tile 7478 bytes 256-color 37. Snowpine.bmp Tile 5238 bytes 16-color 38. Stars01.bmp Tile 9910 bytes 256-color 39. Steelbk1.bmp Tile 16,438 bytes 256-color 40. Treenit1.bmp Tile 4150 bytes 256-color 41. Treenit2.bmp Tile 4150 bytes 256-color 42. Triliumt.bmp Center 308,278 bytes 256-color 43. Vermiln1.bmp Tile 7798 bytes 16-color 44. Vermiln2.bmp Tile 7798 bytes 16-color 45. Vine1.bmp Tile 6838 bytes 16-color 46. Warp8.bmp Center 153,718 bytes 16-color 47. Washtn1t.bmp Center 308,278 bytes 256-color 48. Wave01.bmp Tile 7478 bytes 256-color Cathdral.bmp and Ferrist.bmp 256-color bitmaps come from the Damsel Surreal Art Collection, a collection of original oil painting scans from the work of surreal artist David Martsolf. Mtmonroe.bmp and Washtn1t.bmp 256-color bitmaps are examples from the New Hampshire Wilderness Collection, a series of scanned images by NH photographers. Triliumt.bmp and Hoblbsht.bmp 256-color bitmaps are entries from the New England Wildflower Collection. All Mondrn*.bmp 16-color bitmaps are from the Neoplastic Designs Collection, a series of interpretive artworks based on the style of the famous Dutch abstract painter Piet Mondrian of the 1930's. 6. SCREEN SAVER FUNCTION AND FEATURES Damsel's Bitmap Collection, Vol.I is a collection of 57 tiles and full- screen graphics designed for use as Windows wallpaper selections to be chosen from your Desktop dialog box. The Previewer displays all 11 full- screen images of the Bitmap Collection unaltered. The 37 tiles of the collection have been grouped together in 9 composite full-screen displays combined with interesting backdrops to produce a total of 20 screens in this screen saver. All of Damsel's screen savers have preset display times and transition effects (the methods used to transition between one image and the next). Once loaded, the BCV1 image files are stored in uncompressed format. The length of time required to load each image and perform transition effects will depend directly on the size and speed of your microprocessor (386, 486, or Pentium) and the power of your video graphics card. Some of the transi- tion times have been extended deliberately as they are interesting to watch in and of themselves. Damsel has set the post-transition display times to be approximately 30 seconds for each image using a 486-type machine running at 33 Megahertz. Faster 486 and Pentium machines will exhibit slightly shorter display times. Users with 386-type machines will notice an initial blank screen lasting several seconds as the microprocessor loads the first image. Some blank screen time may also appear between certain transition effects on slower machines. Your screen saver has been installed in the "Mouse Aware" mode, meaning that any movement of the mouse will disengage the screen saver. Disengagement may take several seconds if the program is interrupted during one of the image transitions. The screen saver may be put into a "Mouse Ignore" mode where only a depressed key on the keyboard will deactivate the screen saver. The program will recommence using the next image in its sequence when the selected delay time reactivates the screen saver. To access the Mouse Aware \ Mouse Ignore setup choices click on the Setup button of the Screen Saver section of the Desktop (Win95's Display) dialog box (accessed by the Program Manager\Main\Control Panel\Desktop command sequence in Windows 3.x, or by Windows95's Start\Settings\Control Panel\ Display\Screen Saver command sequence). Once there, the choices are found in the upper right-hand box of the Setup (Win95's Settings) dialog box. Click on the down arrow at the right-hand end of the box, then click on your choice. Then, click on the OK button of the box, followed by a click on the OK button of the Desktop (Display) dialog box. Damsel screen savers have incorporated the same Password protection scheme offered by the original Windows screen savers. This feature is also found in the Setup (Settings) dialog box of the Screen Saver section of the Desktop (Display) dialog box. A click on the Password button brings up a screen with the "Enter New Password" entry line. As you type in your selected password, asterisks will appear for each letter. Clicking on the OK button will bring up a confirmation screen where you will be asked to reenter the same pass- word. Clicking the OK button here will return you to the original Setup (Settings) screen. Clicking the OK button here, followed by a click on the Desktop (Display) dialog box OK button will activate your password protection. With the screen saver activated, any motion of the mouse in the Mouse Aware mode or keyboard entry in the Mouse Ignore mode will bring up an Enter Password dialog box. The password must be correctly entered in order to gain access back to the active Windows environment. If you forget your password your best option is to copy PGX.INI from your original Disk #1 directly to your WINDOWS directory and then enter a new password, if desired. If you wish to change or remove the password you must return to the Setup (Settings) screen of the Screen Saver section of the Desktop (Display) dialog box. To enter a new password follow the same procedure as described above. To remove the password simply click on the OK button of both the Enter New Password input screen and the Reenter New Password screen without filling in the input line. 7. IMAGE COMPRESSION The images from the Bitmap Collection, Vol.I, are loaded into their respect- ive directories uncompressed in the BMP graphics format. While this uses up more hard disk space than a format such as JPEG, it does guarantee that each image will retain perfect fidelity to the original Damsel design. 8. MONITOR DISPLAY The program configures the image display to your screen by first reading your on-line graphics display format. If your monitor is not configured for 256 colors, the program will display 256-color images by constructing a 16-color standard VGA dithered image from the colors available in this format. Usually, the result of this mathematical process is visually grainy looking much like a needlepoint design for the images in this screen saver which are meant to use 256 colors. If you find the images barely recognizable and you have a minimum of 512K RAM on your video display board, there is probably a driver you can load which will support 256-color display. Consult your machine and Windows documentation for more information regarding your specific situation. 9. UNINSTALLING YOUR SCREEN SAVER Your screen saver has been loaded to a directory named BCV1SS unless you chose otherwise during the installation procedure. In order to enable you to access the screen saver Damsel has loaded two additional files into your WINDOWS directory, BCV11723.INI and BCV11723.SCR. If you have chosen a password, the program has also copied PGX.INI to the WINDOWS directory. To remove the screen saver from your hard disk simply delete all files in the BCV1SS directory (or your own directory name chosen during installation) and the BCV11723.INI and BCV11723.SCR files located in your WINDOWS directory. This can be done quickly from your Windows 3.x File Manager, found in your Program Manager's Main menu, or from your Windows95 My Computer or Explorer. Also, remove PGX.INI if present. If PGX.INI contains an active password and you do not remove the file, the next time you load any Damsel screen saver you will find that the old password has immediately been attached to it. If you have forgotten that old password, you will have to manually copy the new PGX.INI file into your WINDOWS directory in order to overwrite the old pass- word. You can find this screen saver PGX.INI file either in the BCV1SS directory or on your original installation Disk #1. 10. WARRANTY INFORMATION Damsel Software Group specifically disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose or application. In no event shall Damsel Software Group, its owner or employees be liable for any loss of profit, loss of savings, commercial damage, or other incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use any Volume or Sampler of Damsel Screen Savers or Bitmaps, even if Damsel Software Group has been advised of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim by any other party. Windows and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp. 11. REGISTRATION FORM - - Cut - - here - - for - - registration - - form - - - - - - - - - - - - DAMSEL SOFTWARE GROUP REGISTRATION FORM P.O. Box 713 Concord, NH 03302-0713 DAMSEL BITMAP COLLECTION, VOL.I SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER Yes, I want to receive a registered version of Damsel's Bitmap Collection, Vol.I, and take advantage of lifetime technical support, a free catalog with updates, an additional screen saver based on Damsel's Bitmap Collection, Vol.II, and free shipping, all for only $15.00 in U.S. currency from a U.S. bank. I understand the collection will be shipped only on 3 1/2" diskettes. I have enclosed $ _________________ in U.S. funds. Please ship my 3 1/2" diskettes and other documentation to: Name ___________________________________________________________ Address ________________________________________________________ City, State, ZIP _______________________________________________ DAMSEL SOFTWARE GROUP ... hopes you enjoy DAMSEL'S BITMAP COLLECTION, VOLUME I ... and looks forward to supplying you with the best in screen savers, wallpaper, and future animated screen savers. ... AND REMEMBER, your thoughts and suggestions are always welcome. !!! HAPPY VIEWING !!!