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- - Mouse Boot IV Demo -
- (C)1992 - Scott R. Lemmon
-
- This is a Demo version of the new Mouse Boot IV - Mouse Boot has
- come a long way since version 3d (the original large-scale Share-Ware
- release). Mouse Boot IV is available only to those who register a
- Share-Ware version of Mouse Boot (3d.x). Version IV offers many new
- features including enhanced graphics available to TT 030, graphic board
- and Falcon owners).
-
- Why not release it Share-Ware like the earlier versions? Although
- every new version of Mouse Boot has been down-loaded many times, I have
- received VERY few share-ware responses. Perhaps this is my fault for not
- disabling the program (as the DEMO is); however, since many people seem to
- like the program, rather than abandon it, I will try experimentally
- releasing version IV in demo form. If this goes well I will continue
- development on this and other programs for the ATARI line of computers
- (including perhaps software for the new Falcon computer). Otherwise, as
- much as I hate them, I may have to buy one of those wretched IBM electric
- abacuses (it's a real pity PC's were never 68000 based as, having seen
- assembly code for the Intel chip, the Intel 486 is just a 8 bit chip with
- delusions of grandure).
-
- For the few who did respond to my Share-Ware request, you can receive
- the new version by sending me a disk, mailer and return postage or $5.00
- - whichever is easier.
-
- My address is...
-
- SRL systems
- c\o Scott R. Lemmon
- 2121 Gillis St.
- Palatka Fl, 32177
- USA
-
- Because this is a demo only, the file renaming process (started by
- clicking on CHANGE or a preset button) has been restricted - it will only
- work 70% of the time. This limitation should still allow you to test the
- new program; and, of course,will be removed from the actual product (which
- is still under 20k of code). Also, several related programs which are part
- of the main release are left out of the Demo - this includes the Batch File
- Processor and the Assign.sys File Linker (none of which are essential to
- use Mouse Boot, but they do enhance it).
-
- - Using the Demo -
-
- If you already use the Share-Ware version of Mouse Boot you can try
- this demo of version IV by just copying MBDEMO.PRG to your boot drive and
- running it from the desktop. It will load and use the preset file created
- by the Share-Ware program. Some of the new features require you to save
- the preset file to take effect (they will be in effect the next time the
- program is run). Because of this, the demo will let you save the
- PRESET.DAT file, but before you do BE SURE to make a backup copy of the old
- PRESET.DAT file used by your Share-Ware version of Mouse Boot.
-
- You can place the demo version of Mouse Boot IV and the new
- WELCOME.PRG in the AUTO folder if you wish, but you should first remove or
- rename the Share-Ware programs to prevent conflict (an easy way to do this
- is to rename them to something like MOUSEBT.OFF and WELCOME.OFF while you
- test the demo).
-
- If you are new to Mouse Boot, you should first make a folder named
- MOUSEBT inside the AUTO folder of your boot drive. This folder is used by
- Mouse Boot to hold files like desktop.inf and assign.sys files. Also
- Mouse Boot saves its preset data file here. To use the welcome screen,
- first make a folder named WELCOME inside the MOUSEBT folder and then copy
- any degas PI1, PC1, PI3, or PC3 pictures to this folder. The WELCOME.PRG
- should be placed just before MBDEMO.PRG in your AUTO folder.
-
- A more complete description can be found in the MOUSEBT.DOC file.
-
- Since Mouse Boot uses a new method to bypass itself (one that
- can survive a cold boot) - be sure to use the new WELCOME.PRG that comes
- with the demo in your AUTO folder in place of the old one (the old one will
- not bypass the new Mouse Boot).
-
- Here is a list of the new features offered by Mouse Boot IV...
-
- 1. If you have the newdesk TOS or NeoDesk, there is a new very easy way
- to add DESKTOP/NEWDESK.INF, ASSIGN.SYS, Mouse Boot batch file, and GEM
- autorun programs to the list Mouse Boot uses. Instead of copying these
- files to the MOUSEBT folder and renaming them by hand, simply install
- Mouse Boot as an icon on the desktop - use install application to set
- Mouse Boot to use full paths and the program's directory (clever ATARI
- set the new desktop to default to the more useless options). Next just
- drag any desktop\newdesk.inf, assign.sys, batch file, or program to
- the icon - Mouse Boot will take care of the rest. After confirming
- that you want to add the file, Mouse Boot will let you use the file
- selector to enter a new name for the file and will copy it to the
- MOUSEBT folder giving it its correct extender in the process. If a
- program file is passed to Mouse Boot, it will automatically generate
- the GEMrun file needed to autostart it.
-
- Files can also be added from within Mouse Boot if you ran it from GEM,
- just click on the Mouse Boot title bar and then click on the "add to
- MOUSEBT folder" option. Then use the item selector to pick a program,
- desktop, assign.sys, or batch file - another file selector will appear
- allowing you to choose the name of the file to save into the MOUSEBT
- folder.
-
- 2. The GEMrun Method of autorunning programs can now be used regardless
- of which version of TOS you have. If you are running with TOS 1.0 or
- 1.2 simply place MSESTART.PRG (Mouse Start) as the last program in the
- AUTO folder. Mouse start is a rewrite I did of the old program
- STARTGEM; however, instead of looking for a STARTGEM.INF file it looks
- for the program to autostart in the DESKTOP.INF file. This makes it
- compatible with the way TOS 1.4 and higher autostart programs. If it
- is run on a system where it is not needed, it will display a message
- and bypass allowing TOS to do the autostart (unlike STARTGEM which
- will bomb) - if this happens, no code will be left resident. Even
- with TOS 1.0 or 1.2 Mouse Start leaves only about half as much code
- resident as STARTGEM (which left all of itself resident). Read the
- Mouse Start doc file for more details.
-
- 3. When offered to reboot the computer, you can now choose between a Warm
- or Cold boot - Mouse Boot is now able to bypass itself in either case.
-
- 4. You can now have up to 60 files in each type instead of 18 - this
- means 60 desktops, 60 GEMrun programs, 60 Assign.sys files, etc. This
- is most likely more than anyone will ever use, but it does allow each
- of the 60 presets to have it's own individual file. The main reason
- for the original limit of 18 was that I only had enough room on the
- screen for 18!.
-
- Now you can scroll the type column up or down by holding down the left
- mouse button off to the right of the column and moving the mouse up or
- down - if there are more than 18 files they will scroll as you move
- the mouse. Release the button when it's where you want - this method
- seems to work quite well allowing you to get anywhere on the list very
- fast. When you switch between different types or select SHOW from the
- PRESET dialogue, the position of the list will be adjusted to show the
- file that is currently turned on (if there is one turned on). Because
- of this, even a large list of files is very easy to handle.
-
- 5. There is now a program named ASLINK (Assign.Sys file linker) included
- as part of the Mouse Boot package. This program is designed for
- applications like Timeworks Publisher II which require more than just
- an assign.sys file to change fonts. Aslink will allow you to "link"
- files to the assign.sys file so that when you pick an assign.sys file
- from Mouse Boot, the correct matching files will also be copied to
- their selected directories. This is not part of the demo.
-
- 6. For alert type dialogue boxes (like the Reboot or Save\Reload
- dialogues) you can now select an option by pressing the function keys.
- F1 activates the left-most button, F2 the next button and so on.
-
- 7. Clicking on the Mouse Boot title bar now reveals a new configuration
- dialogue which allows you faster access to the different configuration
- options (just click on it to see what I mean).
-
- 8. For all those speed demons out there, you can now set Mouse Boot to
- skip drawing the selector screen and just draw the preset screen when
- first run - this saves some time and allows you to make a selection
- faster (unless you are using a TT or a screen accelerator in which
- case it's very fast anyway). To activate this, just click on the Mouse
- Boot title bar and select the fast draw option - then save the
- PRESET.DAT file.
-
- 9. The Multidesk Mode feature has been changed - the new method uses the
- batch file processor to copy the MLT files. To use it, copy the
- M_*.BAT files included to the MOUSEBT directory and make sure you have
- BATCH.PRG there too. Also, run Mouse Boot and check to make sure that
- the path of the second custom file type reads 'MLT'.
-
- Now, when you select a Multidesk file with Mouse Boot, also select the
- batch file for the resolution you will be using - or select M_AUTO
- which will use the current screen resolution.
-
- This allows you to use one MLT file with separate resolutions - say,
- for example, you boot in TT Medium but have selected a desktop that is
- in ST High - before you would of had to name the MLT file *2.MLT which
- would lock you into using it only with ST High - now you could also
- use that same file for another resolution.
-
- Because the copying is done with batch files, it can be modified as
- you see fit (or even used for some other purpose entirely).
-
- 10. The ARUN.PRG has been improved, since STARTGEM.INF files are no longer
- needed to auto run GEM programs, this option has been replaced with
- options that help you add DESKTOP/NEWDESK.INF and ASSIGN.SYS files to
- the MOUSEBT folder - this is mainly for people without the newdesk TOS
- or NeoDesk. This, also, is not part of demo.
-
- 11. When in the Mass merge\extract dialogue, right clicking on a preset
- will quickly display the files it contains (useful to see what effect
- the merge will have). As before, left click on a button to toggle the
- selected file in the preset - you can then right click on it again if
- you want to see the resulting merge/extract. Also, you can now switch
- preset pages inside of mass, but be careful - if you switch back to a
- page you already modified, none of the buttons will remain pressed; it
- will be as if you exited and then re-entered the Mass routine. This is
- originally why you could not switch pages in Mass; but since you can
- now look at the presets, it is not nearly as confusing as it would
- otherwise be.
-
- 12. This is a new feature totally unique to Mouse Boot - You can now set
- up a folder to hold all inactive accessories (those named .ACX).
- This folder can be anywhere on your boot drive - Mouse Boot will
- automatically move any accessories you select to the root directory
- and any accessories you de-select back to the folder (since they are
- on the same drive, this is nearly as fast as just renaming them and
- works far better than I first thought it would). Since only active
- accessories will be in the root directory any one time, it will be far
- less cluttered.
-
- To do this follow these steps...
-
- 1. make a folder on your boot drive and move all .ACX files into it
- - check to insure that it contains only .ACX files and only .ACC
- files remain in the root directory. If any of the accessories
- have .RSC files or other extra files leave the extra files in the
- root directory and move only the accessory itself.
-
- 2. Open a window and run Mouse Boot as you would any GEM program,
- once loaded click on the Mouse Boot title bar at the top center
- of the screen. Choose the ".ACX folder" option then select "Yes"
- to the prompt - this sets Mouse Boot to handle accessories this
- special way.
-
- 3. Now click on done to return to the selector screen, then click on
- the ACC's bar (or right click on the AUTO's bar if no ACC's bar
- is present). Now use the file selector to pick the folder where
- all the .ACX files have been moved.
-
- 4. Click on FILE then SAVE to save your work - that's it. The next
- time you run Mouse Boot it will move the accessories and maintain
- a clutter-free root directory.
-
- If you run into any problems (like not all of the accessories are
- being shown or they are not being renamed correctly) check to insure
- that no .ACX files are left in the root directory and no .ACC files
- are in the new folder - although it will do no harm, it will confuse
- Mouse Boot when it is using this mode. Simply rename or move any
- out-of-place files, and all should be fine.
-
- 13. The order of the "type" files has been changed to give easier access
- to the more commonly used ones, here is the new order...
-
- 1. Desktops
- 2. GEMrun
- 3. GDOS
- 4. Batch
- 5. Custom #1
- 6. Custom #2
-
- Also, you can now cycle through the different types by clicking on the
- title bar (just as in the older versions of Mouse Boot) or use the
- type menu by holding the button down and releasing it over your choice
- (as in version 3d.5). This allows you to easily cycle through the
- list; or switch to any type you want - allowing the best of both
- worlds.
-
- 14. Mouse Boot is now set to take advantage of screens that have more than
- four colors (like TT Medium). If you're one of the few out there with
- a TT or high color graphic card, Mouse Boot will really show it off.
- If you don't have one of these things, you can still get a small taste
- of what Mouse Boot would look like by running it in low rez - you will
- get a dialogue box saying Mouse Boot needs at least 640 by 200 to
- work, but the dialogue will use the extra colors. Additionally, you
- can pass a desktop or assign.sys file to Mouse Boot in low rez - Mouse
- boot will allow you to do this since the full screen is not needed and
- you will be able to see a little more of the new 16 color display.
-
- Also, if you run Mouse Boot on a screen with extra colors, an
- additional option will become available in the configuration dialogue
- - when you select "Fast Draw Start Screen" a second dialogue box will
- pop-up after the first one, asking you if you want plain dialogues.
- This will allow you to use regular dialogue boxes instead of the
- texture filled ones. Mouse Boot will still use the extra colors, but
- the dialogues will just be plain gray. Screen draws are faster this
- way - if less interesting; any changes you make here won't go into
- effect until Mouse Boot is run again.
-
- 15. Mouse Boot finally has a built-in mouse accelerator, I tried to put
- this feature in the last version, but had to take it out at the last
- minute because it would cause a TT to crash when run from the AUTO
- folder - I finally got it to work. It is a non-resident accelerator
- that's only active when Mouse Boot is run - if run from the AUTO
- folder it starts off as being active, while run from GEM it starts off
- as being inactive. This is because Mouse Boot usually runs before any
- mouse accelerator program you normally use so you wouldn't have an
- accelerator inside the AUTO folder, while from GEM the accelerator you
- normally use will be active and you wouldn't need the built-in one.
- In either case, pressing the UNDO key inside of Mouse Boot will toggle
- the acceleration on and off.
-
- 16. After you STORE a preset you will be returned to the main selector
- screen so you can either change it for the next preset to STORE or
- SAVE the changes. This saves a step, as you no longer need to first
- STORE the preset then click on EXIT to get back to the selector
- screen.
-
- 17. The default Color\Mono presets now work with TT resolutions so if you
- switch between a color multisync monitor and a large screen monitor
- (for TT High) you can still have default presets.
-
- 18. The welcome screen will now work in TT Medium; it will display Degas
- PC1 or PI1 pictures. As it does when run from ST Medium, it will first
- switch to ST Low, show the picture, then switch back to TT Medium -
- this allows you to use the same picture files for any color
- resolution.
-
- Also, in TT high, degas .PI3 or .PC3 pictures will be used - they will
- be centered and framed on the screen creating a nice effect.
-
- 19. If you sometimes select your presets by using "hot keys" instead of
- the mouse, you can now make a choice even before Mouse Boot runs -
- just press the key twice (this helps insure against mistakes). When
- Mouse Boot loads it will check the keyboard buffer for keystrokes.
- This is particularly useful if you use the welcome screen since it
- allows you to select a preset while the welcome screen is being shown
- just by pressing the preset's hot key twice.
-
- 20. a MOVE command has been added to the Batch File Processor - this uses
- Rename to very quickly move any files matching the wildcards from one
- place on a drive to another - this only works if the source and
- destination are the SAME drive (to move to a different drive just use
- COPY then DELETE).
-
- 21. Mouse Boot IV also comes with an auto install program which will
- automatically do everything nessessary to install Mouse Boot on your
- boot drive (including reordering the AUTO folder). Sorry, but this
- also is not part of the demo.
-
- BUG FIXES: Some small bugs have also been fixed here is a list.
-
- 1. A bug which would prevent accessories from being turned on and off if
- you selected CHANGE after first saving a PRESET.DAT file has been
- fixed. This was the source of the "Drive X:" errors on a TT. On an
- ST no error would be reported by GEM but the accessories would remain
- unchanged until you ran Mouse Boot again. If you reloaded the
- PRESET.DAT file after saving or did not save anything during that
- session the bug would not occur.
-
- 2. A bug that would cause Mouse Boot to crash if it timed-out from the
- AUTO folder and no PRESET.DAT file yet existed has been fixed. Few
- people noticed this one (including me), since after you saved the
- PRESET.DAT file for the first time the problem would never arise.
-
- These bugs have also been fixed in Share-Ware version 3d.5b (not
- 3d.5E). All who register their Share-Ware copy will get the fixed version.
-
-
-