PC World Komputer 1996 December

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NeoShow/NeoShow Pro - Version 2.6 (C)1993-96 NeoSoft Corp. * IMPORTANT INFORMATION * -------- CONTENTS -------- * About NeoShow * New Features in Version 2.6 * Features Added After the Manual went to Press * System Requirements * Supported Video Cards * Starting NeoShow * Optimizing NeoShow * Mouse Driver Mysteries * Customer Services & Technical Support * Registering NeoShow * Distributing Your Presentations * Other Products from NeoSoft -------------- ABOUT NEOSHOW -------------- Computer paint programs, such as NeoPaint from NeoSoft Corp., are capable of producing eye-catching art, text and take offs from scanned pictures. While your work here may be printed or imported into desktop publishing programs for output, you could also be taking advantage of your computer as a platform for presenting your work. NeoShow is a simple, yet powerful means of creating attractive, on screen presentations. NeoShow allows you to arrange computer images files into a logical sequence, much like a slide show. The slide production may be set up to run automatically, or await prompts from a presenter. You may determine how long each image is displayed, add sound clips, and apply different special effects to make professional looking transitions and wipes between images in your production. Your existing monitor is an effective tool for displaying your work to individuals or small groups. For presentations to larger groups, big screen monitors and displays which attach to an overhead projector are readily available. Several video cards are also sold which allow you to capture standard VGA displays onto video tape using a standard VCR. Aside from its obvious applications in business and group settings, NeoShow may also be used in the home to organize your artwork, produce story boards for videos or school plays, present pre-scanned family photos, etc. NeoShow Pro contains the same great features as NeoShow, but adds a compiler to allow sound files, image files and transitional effects to be combined into a stand alone executable EXE program. Purchasers of NeoShow Pro also receive a runtime license which allows them to distribute the presentation programs which they create. ------------ NEW FEATURES ------------ The following features are new to version 2.6: o Support for additional video cards and chipsets (see System Requirements below for details) o 15 and 16-Bit Hi-Color and 24-Bit True Color (display 32K, 64K and 16 million color images on supported video cards) o Support for BMP image files (Windows and OS/2 formats) o Optional image Compression and Optimization for compiled slide shows PRO VERSION ONLY o File Delete option added to allow images and sound files to be erased by selecting them from NeoShow's storyboard. This feature makes NeoShow useable as a simple cataloging and file management utility. o Support for external sound and image files in compiled slide shows (great for CD-ROM slide shows) PRO VERSION ONLY o Removed support for GIF image files o We've also added a few of other small enhancements not listed here... --------------------------------------------- FEATURES ADDED AFTER THE MANUAL WENT TO PRESS --------------------------------------------- COMPILE ------- The compiler dialog box (NEOSHOW PRO ONLY) now contains three new options. [ ] Make image files external When this option is checked, you will have to include the image (PCX/BMP) files separately, along with the compiled EXE file, when making copies of the presentation. This option is useful in situations where you want your viewers to have access to the images from other programs. External image and sound files must be placed in the same directory as the EXE when running the compiled presentation or an error will occur. [ ] Optimize images by converting them to match your slide show's default video mode. This option converts your slide show's images to match the number of colors in the destination video mode selected in the Show/Options menu. Depending on what type of images your presentation contains, this option can greatly improve the speed at which your presentation loads and Displays images. On the other hand, in some situations, it may greatly impact the size of your compiled EXE file. When reducing the number of colors in an image the EXE may become smaller. When increasing colors the EXE may become larger. [ ] Compress images to reduce size of compiled EXE files. This option converts images into a compressed format before placing them into the compiled presentation. This option greatly reduces the size of the compiled EXE with only a minor speed reduction when uncompressing and displaying the images. DELETE FILE ----------- The File menu now contains a File Delete option to erase files from your storyborad and hard disk. To erase files, simply highlight the slides in your storyboard that contain the files you wish to remove and choose Delete File from the File Menu. A dialog box will appear allowing you to confirm your selections. NOTE: THIS OPTION PERMANENTLY REMOVES IMAGES FROM YOUR DISK! If you merely want to remove a slide then you should choose Remove Slide from the Edit menu instead. ------------------- SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ------------------- To use NeoShow you will need the following: o IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2 or 100% compatible computer. A 286 or better CPU is recommended. o EGA, VGA, Super VGA, Hercules monochrome or compatible graphics card and monitor. See Supported Video Cards below for information on compatible Super VGA cards. o 640K minimum RAM. o A hard disk. o MS-DOS, PC-DOS 3.1 (or higher) or DR-DOS. o Microsoft, Logitech or compatible pointing device. --------------------- SUPPORTED VIDEO CARDS --------------------- NeoShow will run on any computer system equipped with a 100% compatible EGA, VGA, Super VGA or Hercules graphics card. To operate NeoShow in 256 (except 320x200), 32K, 64K or 16 Million color video modes, you must have a Super VGA video card equipped with one of the following chipsets (or a close compatible): Advance Logic Ahead Systems ATI Cirrus Logic Compaq QVision NCR Oak Paradise/Western Digital S3* Trident Tseng ET3000 Tseng ET4000 Video Seven Weitek XGA or any VESA compatible chipset. * Some S3 video cards require special command line options in order to work properly with NeoShow. If you have an S3 chipset and you experience problems, contact NeoSoft Technical support (541) 389-5489. NOTE: There may exist either now or in the future, video cards based on revisions of the above chipsets which may not be recognized by this version of NeoShow. If you experience problems related to your video card, please contact NeoSoft Technical support (541) 389-5489. CGA USERS: Due to severe limitations inherent in their design, CGA video cards are not supported. This includes many Tandy 1000 systems which are essentially CGA. ----------------- STARTING NEOSHOW ----------------- For the steps below, we assume that you have installed NeoShow in the directory C:\NEOSHOW. If you installed NeoShow in a different DOS subdirectory, then substitute that name for C:\NEOSHOW below. o Your mouse driver (usually MOUSE.COM) must be loaded before running NeoShow. Please refer to your mouse's user manual for more information. o To change to the NeoShow directory, at the DOS prompt (C:\), type CD\NEOSHOW and press Enter. This places you in the NeoShow subdirectory. o Once you have switched to the proper directory, NeoShow can be started from the DOS command line by typing NEOSHOW followed by the Enter key. ------------------- OPTIMIZING NEOSHOW ------------------- NeoShow has been designed to run acceptably on a wide range of DOS based systems and will automatically try and take optimal advantage of all supported hardware resources available to it. Some machines have processing speed, disk space, and memory limitations which will affect how NeoShow can perform. Graphics programs by their nature are demanding of system resources. Some images, particularly 256, 32K, 64K and 16 million color pictures in larger sizes, can easily use more than 1 megabyte of memory and storage space. If you have a system with speed and memory limitations, one or more of the following suggestions may offer relief: o If you have a choice between configuring your system's memory as either EMS (expanded memory) and XMS (extended memory) on your system, use EMS for NeoShow. Using EMS memory can dramatically speed up many NeoShow functions like image loading and special effects. o If you're using a memory manager (such as QEMM, 386Max or EMM386) that draws EMS and XMS from the same pool, turn EMS on and XMS off in NeoShow. Select Setup/Preferences from the main menu to modify NeoShow's memory management. This will free up some valuable conventional memory and speed up many of NeoShow's functions. o Do not run NeoShow as a DOS application under Windows. Windows will slow NeoShow's execution, as Windows will still be using up your system's resources while NeoShow is running. If you do need to run NeoShow from Windows, use the included NEOSHOW.PIF file located in your NeoShow directory. We also recommend that you run NeoShow's interface in 640x480x16 mode if plan on switching back and forth between NeoShow and Windows. Otherwise Windows may distort NeoShow's display and ultimately crash Windows. Refer to your Microsoft Windows documentation for more information about PIF files. o Try using the 640x480 VGA resolution in 16 colors as your default. Some video cards use a TSR program to display VESA compatible higher resolutions. Using a TSR program is a much slower method of interacting with your hardware. If none of the above seem to help, you may wish to consider upgrading your system's hardware. Four hardware options are listed below, in ascending order of cost: o Add 2 or more megabytes of (RAM) memory to your system. NeoShow supports both the XMS and EMS specifications. o Add a larger, faster hard drive. o Upgrade your CPU. ---------------------- MOUSE DRIVER MYSTERIES ---------------------- If your mouse behaves strangely when using NeoShow, you may need to update your mouse driver software. Problems such as an invisible cursor or a pointer that leaves a trail of pigment on the screen are typical of certain older mouse drivers. Contact the computer store where you purchased your mouse or the manufacturer for information about updating your mouse driver. ------------------------------------- CUSTOMER SERVICES & TECHNICAL SUPPORT ------------------------------------- NeoSoft provides its registered software customers with free technical support. We also provide limited technical support to persons evaluating our products during the 30 day evaluation period. We do, however, strongly encourage people to register. Software development and support is very expensive and we need your help if we are to continue to provide quality programs at affordable prices. If you haven't already, please take a few moments to register. This will assure you of eligibility for technical support, product update notification, special discounts, announcements, etc. If you should encounter a technical problem or question not covered in the manual, you may use one of the following avenues to obtain technical assistance: MAIL POSTAL CORRESPONDENCE TO: ------------------------------ NeoSoft Corp. Customer Support 354 NE Greenwood Avenue, Suite 108 Bend, OR 97701-4631 U.S.A. TELEPHONE SUPPORT: ------------------ Technical support and product update information are available between the hours of 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM (Pacific Standard Time), Monday through Friday. Please have the following information available for the support staff when you call: o Brand name and model of your computer system, mouse, video adapter and monitor. o Operating system (DOS) version number. o A listing of the contents of your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files. o A description of the problem, how it occurred, and how to reproduce it. Telephone support may be obtained by calling (541) 389-5489. You may also FAX your questions to (541) 388-8221. ELECTRONIC BULLETIN BOARD SERVICE: ---------------------------------- Up to date product information, evaluation programs and supplements may be obtained via modem from our BBS. The telephone number is (541) 383-7195. The bulletin board operates using N/8/1/300-14.4 Baud. COMPUSERVE SERVICE: ------------------- You may also receive technical support, updates information and evaluation copies of all our products from our forum on CompuServe. Simply type GO NEOSOFT at any ! prompt. ------------------- REGISTERING NEOSHOW ------------------- If you purchased NeoShow in a shrink wrapped package with a NeoSoft logo on the back, a registration card was included in the package. Please take a moment to fill out the lower portion of the card and mail it to: NeoSoft Corp. Customer Registration 354 NE Greenwood Ave. Suite 108 Bend, Oregon 97701-4631. This will enter you as a registered user in our records and insure that you receive technical support, upgrade notices and information about future products. If you received NeoShow from a friend, BBS, catalog or anywhere other than from NeoSoft or an authorized commercial software dealer or distributor, you may try the program for a trial period of up to 30 days before registering. Registered users will receive the latest version of NeoShow on diskette, a professional typeset manual, registration card, technical support, notices of future versions and with the professional version a runtime license to distribute your compiled slide shows royalty free. To obtain a complete commercial package including registration number and typeset manual call NeoSoft at (541) 389-5489. We can process your order with VISA, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover over the phone. The purchase price of NeoShow is $35 for the standard version or $89.95 for the professional version with EXE compiler + $5 ($10 outside United States) shipping and handling. If you prefer, FAX your order to us at (541) 388-8221. If you would like to mail a check or money order, make sure it's drawn against a U.S. bank in U.S. funds. Our address is: NeoSoft Corp. 354 NE Greenwood Ave. Suite 108 Bend, Oregon 97701-4631. You may also purchase NeoShow from any one of our many dealers world wide. For a list of dealers see the DEALER.DOC file accompanying this program. If you would like to give a copy of this program to a friend or associate please do so, but you may NOT give anyone your registration/serial number. We hope you enjoy the program and share it with your friends. ------------------------------- DISTRIBUTING YOUR PRESENTATIONS ------------------------------- Users who have registered NeoShow Pro, may use it to produce and distribute compiled stand alone executable (EXE) versions of their slide show presentations. You may distribute these stand alone executable (EXE) programs royalty free, provided you place the following notice on each physical disk or in a portion of the slide show or its accompanying documentation visible to the end user: NeoShow Pro (TM) Runtime (C) NeoSoft Corp. 1993,1996 In addition, your agreement with anyone who will use the stand alone executable programs which you distribute must acknowledge the following items: 1. NeoShow Pro is owned by NeoSoft Corp.; 2. NeoSoft Corp. will not be held responsible for damages caused by the disks and programs that you create and distribute; and 3. NeoSoft Corp. is under no obligation to provide product or technical support to users of the products which you create using NeoShow Pro. You may only distribute the stand alone executable programs produced by NeoShow Pro. You may not distribute with your stand alone executable programs any portion of NeoShow's documentation, labels, packaging, serial numbers, Product Registration Card, or other related materials and printed information included with NeoShow Pro. UNREGISTERED versions of NeoShow Pro may not be used to distribute compiled presentations except for purposes of evaluating the product prior to registration (within the 30 day trial period). Under no circumstances may you sell, rent or charge a fee for compiled presentations created with UNREGISTERED versions of NeoShow Pro. --------------------------------- OTHER GREAT PRODUCTS FROM NEOSOFT --------------------------------- For information on the many exciting products available from NeoSoft please refer to the CATALOG.TXT file in your NeoShow directory. Evaluation copies of most NeoSoft products be obtained from better shareware disk vendors or downloaded from most major on-line services such as CompuServe (GO NEOSOFT) or from the NeoSoft BBS service at (541) 383-7195. For additional information, pricing or dealer information contact the NeoSoft Sales Department at (541) 389-5489. ---------------------------- Thank you for trying NeoShow