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Text File | 1994-02-01 | 21KB | 471 lines

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╗ │ ║ │ PEGASUS SOFTWARE'S * QWKTALK (TM) * ROBOTIC MAIL READER 1.1ß ║ │ ║ │ Copyright (c) 1993,94 Chris Michaels ║ │ ║ │ Another Fine Program From: ║ │ ║ │ The PEGASUS PROJECT...the Next Generation (813) 481-5575 ║ │ ║ └════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ | Indicates New Additions to Docs since last update ┌────────────────┤SPECIAL NOTE ON BETA TESTING!!├───────────────────┐ │ │ │ QWKTALK is currently in WIDE AREA BETA TEST. This means the │ │ program is being circulated for evaluation *AND* to see what, │ │ if any, bugs will creep up, so that they may be eliminate in the │ │ final release. To do this effectively, it is necessary to include │ │ in the code certain DEBUGGING routines that will enable me to │ │ identify problems that *MAY* show up. NOW TO THE POINT... I have │ │ received a few calls from users saying "Could you make QWKTALK │ │ run any faster"...the answer is "OF COURSE!". Once all of the │ │ debugging code has been removed, the program will operate │ │ considerably faster. I AM GRADUALLY REMOVING THE DEBUGGING CODES │ │ AS THE BETA CYCLE PROGRESSES. EACH RELEASE WILL HAVE LESS OF THE │ │ DEBUGGING CODE, SO EACH RELEASE WILL SHOW IMPROVED PERFORMANCE. │ │ Please *PLEASE* understand this when you evaluate this program. │ │ QWKTALK, in its final release, WILL perform at acceptable │ │ speeds. │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO EVALUATE THIS INNOVATIVE PROGRAM! OVERVIEW ════════ WOW! You Have Never Seen Anything Like this!!!!! PEGASUS SOFTWARE'S * QWKTALK (TM) * is a QWK Mail reader with a little twist....IT TALKS!!!! That's right, QWKTALK will open your mail packet, sort it, and READ THE MAIL TO YOU!!!!!!! Now you don't have to be chained to your CPU while reading mail, you can be up and about, and still HEAR your mail. FEATURES ════════ Here is a short list of just SOME of the FANTASTIC FEATURES OF PEGASUS SOFTWARE'S QWKTALK (TM) - Automatic Creation of Configuration File with default settings for QWK path, Auto Cycle, and Headers Toggle - Cursor Arrow driven file list, which enables you to choose the QWK packet you want to read - Sorting by any field you wish....You can: Sort by TO Name Sort by FROM Name Sort by Conference Number OR ANY COMBINATION OF THE ABOVE!!! Sort by TO Name and From Name Sort by TO Name and Conference Number Sort by FROM Name and Conference Number Sort by TO Name, FROM Name & Conference Number - Message Indexing with cursor key driven highlight bar which enables you to choose any individual message from any conference within the QWK packet - Pleasant Sounding Tone when Packet Users Name Encountered - Automatic Message Cycle When Enabled, will Automatically Cycle To Next Message after 5 seconds - Silent Or Spoken Headers Allows you to Choose if you wish to HEAR the Message Number, Date, etc. Headers are ALWAYS displayed. - Full Screen Message Display - Continuous Count of Messages Read - Full Reply Capabilities <AVAILABLE ONLY IN REGISTERED VERSION> - Neat...Cleans up after itself leaving no temp files behind - Complete Control Panel Menu on Each Message Screen, allowing you to Skip Messages, or Choose New Names or Conferences - On the fly voice control of Pitch, Volume, Tone and Speed | - Message Capture to an ASCII text file | - Messages Read Indicator - AND BEST OF ALL ... IT TALKS!!!!!!!!! FILE LIST ═════════ The archive you received should contain the following files: QWKTALK.EXE <=== The Main Executable Program ┌───────────> SETUPQT.EXE <=== The SetUp Program ┌───────┴─────────┐ PEGATALK.EXE <=== Pegasus Software's Voice Engine │THESE ARE THE │ <Called by QWKTALK> │ONLY TWO FILES │ PEGAREAD.EXE <=== Pegasus Software's Reader │YOU EXECUTE │ <Called by QWKTALK> │DIRECTLY...ALL │ TALK.DRV <=== The Speech Driver │OTHERS ARE CALLED│ <Called by PEGATALK.EXE> │FROM WITHIN THE │ CTTS.DRV <=== Creative Lab's Reader Driver │PROGRAM, BUT ALL │ <Called by PEGAREAD.EXE> │MUST BE PRESENT!!│ QUECLEAN.EXE <=== A TSR Remover └──────┬──────────┘ <Called By ALL Above EXEs> └────────────> TALK.COM <=== The Start-Up file for running QWKTALK QWKTALK.DOC <=== This File PEGAVOCU.EXE <=== Pegasus Software's Voice Utilities <Called By QWKTALK> ALL of these files *MUST* be present for QWKTALK to work. If you are missing *ANY* of the above files, call The PEGASUS PROJECT BBS at (813) 481-5575 and download the latest version of QWKTALK. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RUN QWKTALK IF ANY OF THE ABOVE FILES ARE MISSING!!! SETUP ═════ *** QWKTALK REQUIRES 500K OF CONVENTIONAL MEMORY TO RUN PROPERLY *** NOTE>>> PEGASUS SOFTWARE'S QWKTALK has been designed to run on any SoundBlaster Compatible Sound Card. Testing has been done on various cards. The following examples of environment settings are for the Sound Blaster PRO card. Check your sound card's manual for the correct settings for your card. Before you begin your setup, you must make sure your environment is correctly set for your sound card. You should have a line *SIMILAR* to this in your AUTOEXEC.BAT: SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4 <=== Sets the Sound Card ENVIRONMENT You should also use whatever utilities you have to set the volume on you card to MAX. <Such as SBP-SET.EXE for SoundBlaster PRO>. Doing this will allow you to control the volume of the QWKTALK's voice with your speaker volume control, and the voice utilities built into QWKTALK. Check your sound card manual for more information on the ENVIRONMENT setting, and how to set the volume to MAX. Now On To The Setup: 1. Create a directory Called QWKTALK <MD \QWKTALK> 2. Unzip the *ENTIRE* contents of the archive into the QWKTALK directory 3. Type <SETUPQT> at the prompt and answer the questions Telling QWKTALK your QWK file Path, and your choices for default settings. You will be prompted for the <T>one, <V>olume, <P>itch and <S>peed of the voice. These features allow you to adjust and adapt QWKTALK's voice to suit your taste. Here is a good starting point: TONE: 1 VOLUME: 3 PITCH: 2 SPEED: 5 QWKTALK's voice will speak to you at this point, giving you a sample of the settings, and instructions on how to change them if they are not what you want. Remember: you can adjust them on the fly at any time from within QWKTALK by entering a <V> at the menu line. NOTE>»»»» You never have to run the SETUPQT program again, unless you need to change the QWK file Path, or you wish to change the Default choices. THAT'S IT!!!! YOU ARE NOW READY TO RUN PEGASUS SOFTWARE'S QWKTALK! IMPORTANT!!!!!!! IMPORTANT!!!!!!! QWKTALK IS CURRENTLY DESIGNED TO HANDLE QWK PACKETS IMPORTANT!!!!!!! MADE WITH PKZIP.EXE ONLY. FUTURE RELEASES *MAY* SUPPORT OTHER IMPORTANT!!!!!!! COMPRESSION TYPES BUT WITH THIS BETA RELEASE MAKE SURE YOUR IMPORTANT!!!!!!! QWK PACKET IS ZIPPED. IMPORTANT!!!!!!! PKUNZIP AND PKZIP *MUST* BE IN YOUR DOS PATH OR IN IMPORTANT!!!!!!! THE DIRECTORY WHERE * QWKTALK * IS RUNNING OR IT WILL IMPORTANT!!!!!!! NOT OPERATE!!!!!!! IMPORTANT!!!!!!! RUNNING QWKTALK ═══════════════ You are now ready to run PEGASUS SOFTWARE'S QWKTALK (TM). At the Main Prompt, type <TALK>. QWKTALK will now go though a series of automated events, including checking your setup file for default values, finding the directory where your files are, and setting up it's work space and temporary directory. In SECONDS, you will see a list of QWK files in front of you, the first one will be highlighted in light blue. Using the arrow keys <on un-enhanced keyboards, make sure your number lock is OFF>, you can move the selection bar over the file QWK you wish to hear/read. Once you have done this, press enter. QWKTALK will then UNPACK the selected file, analyze it, count the number of messages, view the message base itself, <to see if there are any juicy messages IT may want to read <g>>, and sort the packet. To keep you amused during this task, QWKTALK will display the HEADER information at a startling speed. This display is here only to keep your interest and serves no other purpose whatsoever! Soon you will see the following appear on the screen: Search (T)o or (F)rom Field or View (I)ndex of Message in Selected Conference Here you can choose (T) or (F) to determine which field you want to search by. If you intend to search all messages in any or all conferences <not recommended see note below>, just choose (T) here. About the (I)ndex feature.... One of the most remarkable things about QWKTALK is it's ability to narrow down the mail to just the messages you wish to read. The powerful (I)ndex feature gives you the opportunity to select INDIVIDUAL messages from any conference and just read/listen to that particular message. Pressing (I) at this prompt will immediately take you the the conference selection menu. Here you can choose the conference from which you will pick the individual message you want to read. Then QWKTALK will display a list of Message Number, To, From, and Subject for all of the messages in the selected conference. | An "*" in the Index listing indicates that you have already read | this message. By using the cursor keys, you can move the highlight bar to the message you wish to read, then press enter and QWKTALK will display and read you that message. You will then be returned to the main menu for you next choice. The (T)o, (F)rom, (I)ndex selection prompt can be reached by typing (N)ame or (N)ew Index at any Menu. The next screen will give you a chance to enter the TO NAME, FROM NAME, and CONFERENCE NUMBER of your choice, to help narrow down the mail to just what you want to hear/read. The Menu is Color- coordinated to the status box below, to make it easy to see what field you are work on, and what the previous choices have been. Any time you wish to RETAIN the choice in the Status Box, simply enter <=> EQUALS for that choice and the current selection will be retained. Pressing <ENTER> alone will default to ALL. <See Note Below> Once you have selected all three fields, QWKTALK will begin to retrieve those messages and translate them for screen display and for speech synthesization. NOTE>»»» PREPARATION OF MESSAGES FOR SPEECH SYNTHESIZATION IS NOT A SIMPLE PROCESS. THE FASTEST WAY TO ACHIEVE THIS IS TO USE THE SORT FEATURES TO MINIMIZE THE NUMBER OF MESSAGES FOR EACH SEARCH. AT ANY TIME YOU CAN RETURN TO THE CHOICE MENU <USING THE <N>ame, <N>ew Index or <C>onference COMMAND AND SELECT DIFFERENT PARAMETERS FOR YOUR SEARCH. A SELECTION OF <TO> ALL ; <FROM> ALL; <CONFERENCES> ALL; WILL TAKE A LITTLE WHILE, SO TRY TO BE A BIT SPECIFIC IN YOUR CHOICES, <TO> ALL; <FROM> ALL; <CONFERENCE> 0; IS A MUCH BETTER CHOICE AND WILL TAKE A LOT LESS TIME! YOU CAN THEN DO THE SAME FOR CONFERENCE 1, 2 ETC. AND QWKTALK WILL BE MUCH HAPPIER. During the Message Retrieval/Translation process, QWKTALK will display the Status Box, the Name of the Current Directory it is searching, and the number of messages it finds that meet your sort parameters. It will also, at this time, display a fancy little animated star pattern to keep you amused during this procedure. Once completed, QWKTALK will display a screen with the Stats on the Packet it is currently working on. You will see this screen only once, just before the first message you have chosen to hear/read. The information includes, the BBS name, Packet Name, Door ID, Time and Date of the Packet, User Name etc. ****************** NOW THE MAGIC BEGINS ************************ With the information displayed on the screen, QWKTALK will begin to TALK. It will READ YOU every word on the screen, in a PLEASANT, robotic voice. In the upper right hand corner of the screen, you will see the word <SPOKEN> or <SILENT>, reminding you of the current Header Setting you have chosen. Also, if you have CHOSEN AUTOMATIC CYCLING, you will see the word <AUTO> in the corner. Once QWKTALK has READ the entire screen to you, you will be given a prompt. You can either <ENTER> to go to the Next Message, or change <C>onferences, <N>ames, <N>ew Index etc. Change the Toggle for <A>uto cycling, enter the (V)oice Utilities sub program or <Q>uit. If you are currently in the AUTO mode, five seconds after the message is read, QWKTALK will move on to the next message and read it. This will continue until all of the selected messages have been read, at which time you will have the option of choosing a new name, conference etc. If you wish to interrupt QWKTALK while it is speaking, press any key and QWKTALK will finish the phrase in its que, then return you to the menu prompt. | As will remember each message you read and put an "*" before | it in the Index listing. In the UNREGISTERED VERSION, you will be allowed to hear/read 7 messages, then an annoying reminder to register will be read to you. You will also be UNABLE to REPLY in the Unregistered Version. VOICE UTILITIES ══════════════ Typing (V) a the menu line will bring you to the voice utility menu. From here you can adjust the Tone, Volume, Pitch and Speed of QWKTALK's voice. <Sorry gender is not available in this Beta release>. Simply respond to each question with the appropriate number. The following is a good starting point, however you may choose any settings you wish: TONE: 1 VOLUME: 3 PITCH: 2 SPEED: 5 QWKTALK will automatically update your configuration file to the new settings each time you enter the voice utility menu. PARTING NOTES ═════════════ QWKTALK represents HUNDREDS of HOURS of work, and although it is annoying to have restrictions built into a program, it is far more annoying to see you work being used and not paid for. Support the Shareware Concept and REGISTER QWKTALK (tm). The technology behind QWKTALK is new, and this is a BETA release, that is why we are offering REGISTRATION at a modest $35.00 fee during the BETA Period. Once completed, it will cost over $50.00 to Register...but as a bonus to everyone who registers during the BETA Period, you will be upgrade to the complete version at NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE! So register now and save $$$$. DEDICATION ══════════ This program is dedicated to MIRIAM CADY, who said, "WHAT IF", and whose countless hours of testing helped me find and eliminate the many bugs that creep up when developing a new idea. Oh, and she picked out the menu colors too. Thanks Miriam! REGISTRATION ════════════ PEGASUS * QWKTALK (tm) * IS NOT FREE IT IS SHAREWARE. If you use the program, you MUST register it. Registration will eliminate the 7 message limit, and enable REPLIES. ALSO IF YOU REGISTER NOW, DURING THE BETA PERIOD, YOU WILL BE ENTITLED TO THE FINAL VERSION UPON COMPLETION AT NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE! REGISTRATION DURING THE BETA PERIOD IS ONLY $35.00 - FINAL RELEASE REGISTRATION WILL EXCEED $50.00! FAILURE TO REGISTER IS A VIOLATION OF THE COPYRIGHT LAWS! To register complete the form below, and mail it, along with a Check/Money Order for $35.00 to: CHRIS MICHAELS 6237 PRESIDENTIAL COURT #125 FORT MYERS, FL 33919 You will receive a registered copy of PEGASUS * QWKTALK (tm) * on 5 1/2 or 3 1/2 disk, or you can choose to download your registered copy from The PEGASUS PROJECT. UPDATES, DURING THE BETA PERIOD, WILL BE DISTRIBUTED BY WAY OF THE PEGASUS PROJECT BBS, WHERE REGISTERED USERS CAN DOWNLOAD A REGISTERED UPDATED COPY OF THE CODE. If you have any comments, suggestions, beta reports, wish list etc. you can contact me at THE PEGASUS PROJECT...the Next GeneratioN (813) 481-5575 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Enclosed is my Check/Money Order for $35.00 as registration fee for PEGASUS * QWKTALK (tm) * 1.0ß I would like: [ ] to download it from The PEGASUS PROJECT [ ] 5 1/2 DD or [ ] 3 1/2 DD disk mailed to me NAME_________________________________________________________ * BBS NAME ____________________________________________________ ADDRESS_______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ CITY___________________________ST____________ZIP_______________ VOICE PHONE [_______] ___________________ DATA PHONE [_______] ____________________ * Version of PCBOARD you are currently running ________ * if applicable ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER ══════════ PEGASUS * QWKTALK * has been tested thoroughly, however, as with all shareware, we cannot be held responsible for any damage or loss resulting from this program, and will not be liable for anything. The program is offered as is, and the user accepts all responsibility. Plain and simple, we are not responsible for anything, however, if you have a problem, we will do our best to help you solve it.