                           Kaleidoscope Version 1.00

                               by Armin D. Sykes

                         Copyright 1992 Armin D. Sykes.
                              All Rights Reserved.


          ==============================
          INTRODUCTION
          ==============================

          Please read the README file for important registration 
          information.

          Kaleidoscope runs from a menuing interface, with pull down 
          menus for the options available, and to control which menu 
          of drawing objects you will select from.  Each of these 
          items is explained below.


          ==============================
          THE MENU SCREEN
          ==============================

          The Kaleidoscope menu screen consists of four basic areas, 
          the title bar, the menu bar, the objects menu, and the help 
          bar.  

          The Title Bar
          -------------
     
               The Title bar is displayed across the top row of your 
               screen, and contains the name and version number of the 
               program.

          The Menu bar
          ------------

               The menu bar is displayed across the second row of your 
               screen, and contains the names of each pull down menu 
               that is available within the program.

               Pressing the ALT key will activate the menu bar.  When 
               you press the ALT key, the first pull down menu title 
               will be highlighted.  You can then use the arrow keys 
               to move the highlight to the pull down menu of your 
               choice.  When the pull down menu you want is 
               highlighted, press the ENTER key, or the DOWN arrow 
               key, and that pull down menu will be activated.  You 
               can also activate the pull down menu of your choice by 
               holding down the ALT key and pressing the highlighted 
               letter in the name of the pull down menu of your 
               choice.

               When you have activated the pull down menu that you 
               want, you may move between the choices available by 
               using the arrow keys.  The arrow keys will also allow 
               you to change between which pull down menu is active.

               The different menus, and the choices available to each,
               are explained below.

          The Objects Menu
          ----------------

               The objects menu is the menu displayed in the center of 
               your screen.  This menu contains the types of objects 
               that will be used to draw the kaleidoscopic images on 
               your screen.  There are several different object menus, 
               depending on the choice made from the Menu pull down 
               menu.

               You may move the highlight among the different objects 
               available on each menu.  When you have highlighted the 
               object, or set of objects, that you want Kaleidoscope 
               to draw with, press the ENTER key to change to graphics 
               mode and begin drawing.

          The Help Bar
          ------------

               The help bar is displayed on the bottom line of your 
               screen, and displays help for the different options 
               available from the pull down menus when they are 
               active.  The help bar normally displays the copyright 
               notice when the pull down menus are not active.


          ==============================
          PULL DOWN MENUS
          ==============================

          There are three pull down menus available, the Options menu, 
          the Menu menu, and the Help menu.

          The Options Menu
          ----------------

               Each choice on the Options menu will be explained below.

               "Fresh Start Rate      "

                    This menu choice allows you to change how often 
                    Kaleidoscope will clear the screen and start 
                    drawing over again.  When you choose this option, 
                    a sub-menu is called up which contains a list of 
                    numbers.  The smaller the number that you choose, 
                    the more often Kaleidoscope will clear the screen 
                    and start over.

               "New Segments Rate     "
      
                    This menu choice allows you to change how often 
                    Kaleidoscope will begin drawing with a new set of 
                    objects.  This setting does not affect when 
                    Kaleidoscope will clear the screen.  When you 
                    choose this option, a sub-menu is called up which
                    contains a list of numbers.  The smaller the 
                    number that you choose, the more often Kaleido-
                    scope will start drawing with new objects.

               "  Changing Background"

                    This menu choice allows you to decide if you want 
                    to have a randomly colored background to draw on, 
                    or if the background should always be black.  If 
                    this menu choice is preceded by a check mark, 
                    "û Changing Background", then the background will 
                    be a randomly chosen color.  If there is no check 
                    mark, then the background color will be black.
          
                    Choosing this option will toggle the choice, so if 
                    it was checked, it becomes unchecked, and vice 
                    versa.

               "  Password..."

                    This menu choice allows you to set a password.  
                    Setting a password means that you can't exit from 
                    the drawing mode without entering the correct 
                    password first.  This choice may be checked, which 
                    means that a password is being used, or unchecked, 
                    which means that there is no password.

                    Choosing this option will call up a dialog box 
                    where you should enter the password that you want 
                    to use.  After you type in the password, press the 
                    ENTER key to save it.  If you want to exit the 
                    dialog box without changing the password, press 
                    the ESCape key.  To clear the current password, 
                    either change it to all spaces, or hold down the
                    CTRL key and press C, and then press the ENTER key.

                    A password that is empty means that no password is 
                    being used, so the check mark will not appear, and 
                    a person will not be asked for the password to 
                    exit the drawing mode.

               "Quit Kaleidoscope    ^Q"

                    This option will exit from Kaleidoscope and return 
                    you to DOS.  The ^Q means that you can exit from 
                    Kaleidoscope at any point in the program by holding 
                    down the CTRL key and pressing the Q key.  If you 
                    press ^Q while in drawing mode and a password is 
                    active, you will be asked for a the correct 
                    password before you can exit.

               "  256 Color Mode"
     
                    This option will only appear if you have a VGA 
                    graphics card installed.  This option allows you 
                    to draw in the VGA 256 color mode.  This option 
                    will be checked, "û 256 Color Mode", if the 256 
                    color mode has been selected, or unchecked if 
                    drawing in 16 color mode.
     
                    Choosing this option will toggle the choice, so if 
                    it was checked, it becomes unchecked, and vice 
                    versa.

               "  Second Palette"

                    This option will only appear if you have a CGA 
                    graphics card installed.  This option allows you 
                    to use the second palette of colors that are 
                    available.  This option will be checked, 
                    "û Second Palette", if the second palette has been 
                    selected, or unchecked if not.
     
                    Choosing this option will toggle the choice, so if 
                    it was checked, it becomes unchecked, and vice 
                    versa.

          The Menu Menu
          -------------

               These choices will be explained as a group.
     
               "  Boxes"
               "  Circles"
               "  Lines"
               "  Triangles"
               "  Mixed"
     
                    Only one of these options may be selected at any 
                    one time, because the option selected will 
                    determine which object menu will be displayed.  
                    The currently selected option will be checked.

                    Choosing an option will select that option and 
                    deselect the previously selected option.
     
          The Help Menu
          -------------

               "Help                 F1"

                    This option calls up the Kaleidoscope help file 
                    and file reader, which you are respectively 
                    reading and using now.

               "Read the README file   "

                    This option calls up the Kaleidoscope README file 
                    and file reader, which contains important 
                    registration information, as well as any other 
                    important information not included in this help 
                    file.

               "About Kaleidoscope...  "

                    This option calls up the About Kaleidoscope dialog 
                    box, which provides a little information about 
                    Kaleidoscope.


          ==============================
          COMMAND LINE OPTIONS
          ==============================

          To automatically load up a particular objects menu when you 
          run Kaleidoscope, use a command line option of /LMx, where x 
          is the object menu, as a number, that you want to load.  The 
          number should be equal to the object menu's position on the 
          Menu pull down menu.  For example, to load the Lines menu 
          you would use a command line option of /LM3, which means 
          that you would start Kaleidoscope by typing SCOPE /LM3 and 
          pressing the ENTER key at the DOS prompt.

          To automatically run a particular choice from the currently 
          loaded menu, use a command line option of /RCx, where x is 
          the number of the option that you want, counting down the 
          menu.  For example, to run the Lines Inside Boxes option 
          from the Lines menu, you would use a command line option of 
          /RC6.  To be sure that the Lines menu was selected, you 
          might prefer a startup command of SCOPE /LM3 /RC6 at the 
          DOS prompt.

          You may automatically run the current choice from the 
          current menu by using a command line option of /RC0 or /RC.


          ==============================
          DRAWING MODE
          ==============================

          Kaleidoscope enters the drawing mode when it changes to the 
          available graphics mode and starts drawing kaleidoscopic 
          images on the screen.

          You may exit the drawing mode at any time and return to the 
          menu screen by pressing the ESCape key.  If a password is 
          active, you will be required to enter the correct password 
          before you can return to the menu screen.

          You may exit the drawing mode at any time and return to DOS 
          by holding down the CTRL key and pressing the Q key.  If a 
          password is active, you will be required to enter the 
          correct password before you can exit to DOS.

          If you see an image that you like, you may freeze it on 
          screen by pressing the SPACE bar.  You may un-freeze the 
          drawing again at any time by pressing a key.

          You can force Kaleidoscope to start drawing with a new set 
          of objects by pressing the ENTER key, or to clear the screen 
          and start over by holding down the CTRL key and pressing the 
          ENTER key.


          ==============================
          THE CONFIGURATION FILE
          ==============================

          Kaleidoscope maintains configuration information in a file 
          called SCOPE.CFG, which is located in the same directory as 
          the SCOPE.EXE program.  This file contains all of the 
          information needed by Kaleidoscope to maintain the options 
          and preferences that you have set.  For this reason, the 
          configuration information is saved to the file every time 
          that you make a change.

          If for some reason you need to return Kaleidoscope to all of 
          its default settings, you may safely delete this file.  
          Kaleidoscope will create a new configuration file if it 
          can't find one.

                        
          ==============================
          THANKS
          ==============================

          I do my best to insure that everything is as complete and
          accurate as possible, but I'm only human.  (Please be sure 
          to read the README file.)  

          I would appreciate any comments or suggestions that you 
          may have.


          Armin D. Sykes, Owner
          Miser Software
          9725 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale HWY
          Suite 300
          Beaverton, OR 97005

               GEnie:  ARMIN.SYKES  
          CompuServe:  72700,1724
