README CONTENTS PLANETWATCH 2.0 SHAREWARE May 25,1994 What is PlanetWatch? System Requirements Registration Changes since version 1.0 PlanetWatch Package Contents Installation In case of problems Known bugs Legal Mumbo Jumbo (Must read!) ============================================================================ WHAT IS PLANETWATCH? PlanetWatch is a reference program that combines animated maps, color photographs, and planetary information into an easy to use desktop atlas/ simulation of our Solar System. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: PlanetWatch 2.0 shareware requires an IBM compatible 286 or better, running Windows 3.1, and at least an vga display. (A 386-33 and a svga display are recommended.) To install and run properly, a minimum of 2mb of ram and 1.5 mb of hard disk space is also required. (note: PlanetWatch 2.0 will run in Windows 3.0 but Help and Atlas sections are unavailable) REGISTRATION: PlanetWatch 2.0 shareware has not been limited in any manner, there are no time limitations or nasty "begware" requests. All I ask is if you like it, consider ordering the enhanced "Pro" version. PlanetWatch 2.0 Pro has a larger 256 color set of photo images, an enhanced atlas, and you also will receive a "mini-manual". Cost is $20 U.S. (includes shipping). Online registration will also be available via CompuServe. GO SWREG and and select id# 2693. CHANGES SINCE VERSION 1.0x: Several major additions and changes have been made since version 1.0: A new "toolbar" user interface has been added, plotting of the Moon and phases, an option which remembers your window size/position preferences, international date formats are now supported, a new "status-bar" help feature and more! All of this and memory usage has also been trimmed and PlanetWatch now requires much less disk space! The installer has also been dropped from the shareware distribution to make PlanetWatch smaller and cheaper to download from CompuServe or other bbs. PLANETWATCH 2.0 (SHAREWARE) PACKAGE CONTENTS: In the zipped distribution you should find the following files... earth.bmp jupiter.bmp mars.bmp mercury.bmp moon.bmp neptune.bmp plnwch.exe plnwch.hlp pluto.bmp readme.txt saturn.bmp sun.bmp threed.vbx uranus.bmp vbrun200.dll venus.bmp Note: vbrun200.dll may not appear in all distributions of the PlanetWatch shareware. Some bbs's will assume you have vbrun200.dll and remove it to make the distribution smaller. PlanetWatch will not run without vbrun200.dll installed. You should be able to find it from wherever you downloaded this distribution, ask your sysop if you cannot locate it. INSTALLATION: 1) Unzip the PlanetWatch files to a directory called "PLNWCH" on your hard drive. 2) If it you don't already have it, copy the file VBRUN200.DLL to your \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory (if you are on a network you may not have a SYSTEM directory in which case you put it in your \WINDOWS directory). 3) If you don't already have it, copy the file THREED.VBX to your \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory (if you are on a network you may not have a SYSTEM directory in which case you put it in your \WINDOWS directory). 4) Install the PlanetWatch icon with the Windows Program Manager. To do this, click on the group box you want to put PlanetWatch in. Next select "File" from the Windows Program Manager menu, then select "New...". Click the button labeled "Program Item" then click the "OK" button. A new dialog box will open, click the "browse" button, use the file dialog to find PlanetWatch (if you copied it to your c: drive and used the PLNWCH directory I suggested above then your path should be "c:\plnwch\plnwch.exe"). When you've located the file "plnwch.exe" highlight it and click "OK". The PlanetWatch icon should now be installed in the group box. 5) Double-click the PlanetWatch icon to start PlanetWatch. IN CASE OF PROBLEMS: If you experience system lockups or other problems when attempting to run PlanetWatch, check the following: * Is your cpu a 286 or better? * Are you using a VGA (or VGA compatible) graphics card? * Are you using Microsoft Windows 3.1 or better? The program itself will run under Windows 3.0 but the Help and Atlas will not display. Behavior under Chicago(Win 4.0), Windows NT or OS2/Windows is unknown at this time. * Are you using MSDOS 3.X or later? (DRDOS behavior unknown at this time) * Do you have at least 2mb of RAM memory installed? 4mb or more is better. * Is Windows running in either STANDARD or ENHANCED mode? - check the Program Manager About box (within the Program Manager Help menu) - it will say what mode is being used (PlanetWatch will not run properly in Windows 3.0 REAL mode). * Are all PlanetWatch files in the appropriate directories? Although every effort has been made to eliminate program bugs, there is always something I may have overlooked. I would appreciate your help in making PlanetWatch better by reporting any problems you encounter. Please contact me either via email or direct mail if you experience problems with PLANETWATCH... Internet: galenr@hpgrla.gr.hp.com Compuserve: 73717,510 Galen Raben Raben Software & Graphics P.O. Box 3317 Greeley, CO. 80633 USA KNOWN BUGS No known catastrophic bugs - depending on your configuration you could see one of the following "odd behaviors"... :-( * With some 16-color display drivers, the PlanetWatch "diagnostic" help function may report "0 colors". Although this report is incorrect, it does not affect normal operation of PlanetWatch in any way. * It might be possible PlanetWatch could have problems discerning a custom international date format. In this case it will default to "year month day" format. At this time . - and / are not displayed in the date, this was intentional - perhaps next release? * threed.vbx - there are several versions of this vbx out there, some of which may cause ODD 3-d shading effects within PlanetWatch dialogs and windows. I'm looking at several fixes for this (and maybe eliminate using this vbx). * During Beta testing, PlanetWatch showed some intermittant "forgetfullness" in the saved window sizes/positions with some fast 486's. I've reworked the code to try to fix this but it was terribly rare to begin with. If you see this, try setting the window size and location and see if it occurs again. NOW FOR THE (ACK! GAG!) LEGAL MUMBO JUMBO: SOFTWARE LICENSE - Please read before using PlanetWatch! You may use and distribute the shareware version of PlanetWatch as long as you observe the following conditions... PlanetWatch shareware must be distributed with all files complete, intact, and unaltered (see the README.TXT file for a listing of files). You may not distribute any part of the files and materials received in the Pro version of PlanetWatch without the express written permission of the author (Galen Raben). No fee, charge, or other compensation may be requested or accepted beyond reasonable cost for duplication without express written permission of the author. No one may modify, or patch the PlanetWatch files in any way, including but not limited to decompiling, disassembling, or otherwise reverse engineering the program. No version of PlanetWatch may be distributed in conjunction with any other product without a specific license to do so from the author. PlanetWatch copyright (c) 1993,1994 by Galen Raben/Raben Software & Graphics VBRUN200.DLL copyright (c) 1987-1992 Microsoft Corporation, Windows 3.0 and Windows 3.1 are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. A limited license is granted to distribute the shareware version of PlanetWatch for trial use by others, subject to the above limitations. LIMITED WARRANTY In a nutshell you use this program at your own risk. No warranty for PlanetWatch 2.0 Shareware is given or implied. Galen Raben (the author and his company) assumes no responsibility for any damage, loss of data, or loss of income (including without limitation damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information and the like) arising from the use or inability to use this product even if the author has been advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event will the author be liable for any amount exceeding the fee paid directly to the author for this program, if any. Use of this product for any period of time constitutes your acceptance of this agreement and subjects you to its contents.