MDesk for OS/2, release 1.1

                       Copyright (C) John McCalla, 1995
                             All Rights Reserved.


                                 README FILE

THIS PROGRAM(S) IS SHAREWARE.  YOU ARE GRANTED A 45 DAY TRIAL PERIOD AFTER
WHICH YOU MUST REGISTER IT.  SEE THE ON-LINE USER'S GUIDE UNDER "What is
Shareware?" FOR MORE INFORMATION.

                ->  PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHAREWARE CONCEPT !  <-


INTRODUCTION

MDesk is an add-on or shell replacement for the WPS.  The
product offers excellent program launching facilities, as well as numerous
utilities which will increase your productivity with OS/2.

When used as a shell replacement, you save about 2-3 MB of RAM as compared
to the typical memory use of the WPS.

For more information, browse through the "Overview" sections the on-line
user's guide (MDGuide.INF).

Upgraders may want to browse through the "Release History" section of the
on-line user's guide to get a listing of improvements, changes, and new 
features.


INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

NOTE: You will need about 900KB of hard disk space to be able to install
      MDesk.  If you are upgrading, you'll need about 400KB free.

1. Unzip this archive (MDESK1??.ZIP) to a temporary directory.

If you are upgrading, please refer to that section in the user's manual
before proceding.  In particular, _don't_ continue if MDesk 1.00 is 
currently you're shell.

2. Type MDSETUP _from_ that temporary directory.

The Setup Utility will handle all the installation for you.
In particular:

    1. Copy the files to their new home directory (which you may choose).
    2. Create WPS objects for the programs.
    3. Add the new home directory to the PATH, LIBPATH, and BOOOKSHELF.
    4. Save some settings in OS2.INI.
    5. Create the standard MDesk Folders and Program Objects.
    6. Install the MDesk device driver.

Steps 3,4,5 are taken only when this is a first time installation.

After MDesk Setup is done, exit it and do the following:

3. Delete all files left in the temporary directory.
4. Shutdown, and reboot your system.


IMPROTANT NOTES:

    1. UnInstall does not remove MDesk's entries in PATH, LIBPATH, and
       BOOKSHELF directives of the Config.sys file, neither does it take out
       the DEVICE= statement for the MDesk device driver.

    2. The visual appearance of MDesk is greatly improved on systems where
       the frame colour is set to light grey.

    3. (OS/2 2.1 ONLY) Because almost nobody is still using this, support 
       is being dropped.  MDesk will still run, but some of the features 
       may not function as expected.  In particular:

         (a) Float Infobar is broken.
         (b) MDesk Shutdown doesn't work properly if any other applications are
             open at the time you issue the shutdown command.  It works fine if
             other open applications are closed first.  NOTE: This seems to be 
             caused by a bug in OS/2 2.1, and it may have been fixed by a service
             pack (which I don't have for testing).

NOTE: If you find anything you think is bug, and it is not listed in the 
      "Known Problems" section of the user's guide please report it.  
      See MDGuide under "Obtaining Support" for addresses.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

This package was primarily designed by me, John McCalla, which of is also the
origin of the program's name (M for McCalla).  An incredible amount of work
was spent developing this project.  So please, if you want to honour this
work, and insure the software continues to evolve, register !!


NOTE TO INTERNET USERS

A World Wide Web (WWW) site has been setup to help support MDesk.  You will
find late breaking information, an on-line suggestion box, a bug reporting
facility, and a product registration form.

You can access the MDesk Support Center with the URL:

  http://www.ee.mcgill.ca/~jmccalla/mdesk.cgi

Although I prefer getting feedback through this site, for those who don't
have access to the WWW I can be e-mailed at johnm@cs.mcgill.ca.  See the MDGuide
book for more information.


ENJOY !

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