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1994-07-18
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V I X E N
----------------------
information management
----------------------
Copyright (c) 1992, Mike Connealy
VIXEN Information Management has been designed to support the
documentation needs of human services professionals such as
social workers, psychologists, case managers, health care
workers and clinicians. The program allows the user to
maintain databases of client profiles, progress notes and
resource information, and to produce a variety of reports from
the data.
INSTALLING THE PROGRAM FROM THE .ZIP FILES
------------------------------------------
All three .zip files should first be unzipped into a separate
subdirectory from which the program will be run. Then, make
that the active directory, type INSTALL, and press Enter; this
will assemble the executable program file, VIXEN.EXE. The .zip
file archives may now be removed from the hard disk along with
the files VIXEN.1, VIXEN.2 and VIXEN.3.
RUNNING THE PROGRAM
-------------------
In order for the program to run you will need to check your
computer's CONFIG.SYS file to make sure it contains the
following statements:
FILES=40
BUFFERS=20
If you need to add these statements to the CONFIG.SYS file, use
your MS-DOS Edit command, or use any other text editor which
produces ASCII text.
Once you have added the necessary statements to your CONFIG.SYS
file and installed the program on your hard drive, go to the
directory containing the program, type VIXEN and press Enter to
run the program.
The program's opening screen offers the option to "View Program
Information"; choosing this displays the full documentation for
VIXEN. Pressing Ctrl-P while viewing the documentation will
send the user manual to your printer. Throughout the program,
pressing F1 will pop open a window containing extensive,
context-sensitive help.
PROGRAM FEATURES
----------------
* VIXEN allows the user to easily maintain an instantly
accessible computer profile on each client.
* The user enters many important data items just once;
the computer re-uses the items as often as necessary,
eliminating duplicate data entry and automatically tracking
many details such as long-distance calls and mileage.
* Progress notes are produced in a consistent format with no
limitation on narrative length. Statistical information is
seamlessly integrated with the narrative and instantly
retrievable for review or reports generation.
* Weekly and monthly reporting requirements which may have
consumed hours in the past are met with the press of a key.
Reports are legible, and discrepancies between case notes, time
sheets and bills are eliminated because all the data is
generated from the same source. Your auditors will love you.
* A machine-searchable resource database is accessible from
any point in the program in the form of a pop-up window.
* Any word processor or text editor can be called directly from
the program's Main Menu, avoiding time losses to loading and
unloading of large programs and permitting the user to work in
a familiar word processing environment.
* A simple but powerful menu system eliminates fumbling with
the computer and makes the program available in an interactive
fashion throughout the workday, even in very high pressure
environments. Vital facts can be summoned up in the midst of a
phone call or conversation. Notes can be recorded immediately,
resulting in greatly increased retention of significant
details.
* A context-sensitive help system -- callable with a single
keystroke -- is always available to assist with program
operation. The user need only press the F1 key to pop up a
window containing detailed information about the current
program function.
* With VIXEN managing case information, the need to consult
cumbersome paper files is reduced to a bare minimum. Economies
can also be expected in regard to clerical support and office
management. A single 3.5 inch back-up disk will contain a full
year's work and fit in your shirt pocket.
* VIXEN is written in the FoxPro2 database language which
provides near-mainframe speed and capacities on a
microcomputer, as well as compatibility with the prevalent
dBASE standard and with many other data base, spreadsheet and
word processing formats.
COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE INFORMATION
---------------------------------
The VIXEN Information Management Program and all accompanying
documentation are copyright (c)1992 Mike Connealy, all rights
reserved. Program files or documentation may not be
distributed in partial form. No part of the program or
documentation may be sold for profit without permission of the
author.
VIXEN is distributed under the "shareware" concept.
Individuals may use the program without charge for a 30-day
evaluation period. Program registration and payment of a $45
single-user fee plus $5 for shipping & handling is required
for use beyond the evaluation period. The program is normally
distributed on 3.5" high density disks. Please indicate in
your registration order if you need the program on other media.
Any institution, agency or business must purchase a site
license prior to putting VIXEN into operational use. Payment
of the site license fee of $300 entitles the license holder to
install the program on an unlimited number of computers at a
single location.
Additional benefits to registered individual users and site
licensees are as follows:
* The satisfaction of concretely supporting the development of
practical applications in human services computerization.
* A copy of the latest version of VIXEN in the user's choice of
disk formats.
* Additional documentation.
* An ad hoc report generator supporting user-designed report
formats and Boolean/dBASE-style queries, as well as queries
using FoxPro's powerful SQL SELECT command.
* Program support directly from the VIXEN author. Registered
users are invited to call the author week days between 8:00
A.M. and 5:00 P.M., New Mexico Time. The author will also
respond to queries about the program through Compuserve,
Internet, FidoNet and Prodigy.
* Access to low-cost program modifications and enhancements.
The author will be happy to work with users to adapt VIXEN to
particular tasks and environments. Possibilities include pop-
up reminder screens for report and recertification due-dates,
running totals for time management, additional data categories
and customized report formats for time sheets, billing and
statistical analysis. Educators might also consider use of the
program as a vehicle for instructional simulations, field-
placement information management and computer literacy
training.
Address all correspondence to:
Mike Connealy
2209 Skyway Drive
Las Cruces, New Mexico 88001
*********************************************************
Electronic Mail messages may be addressed as follows:
CompuServe: 70214,3033
FidoNet: Mike Connealy 1:305/104
Prodigy: XCJX79A
Internet: 70214.3033@compuserve.com
or
Mike.Connealy@f104.n305.z1.fidonet.org
*********************************************************
On-line support for VIXEN software is avaiable from
---------------------------------------------
T H E E C L E C T I C C O M P A N Y BBS
---------------------------------------------
at
(505) 523-2954
[ set your communications program to 8,N,1 ]
***********************************************************
HARDWARE & SOFTWARE
-------------------
The minimum platform for running VIXEN effectively is an AT-
type 80286 personal computer with a hard disk. The computer
should be equipped with the MS-DOS operating system, preferably
version 5.0 running with 640K or more of RAM. The CONFIG.SYS
file which the computer needs for configuring memory on booting
should include the following statements:
FILES=40
BUFFERS=20 .
Advanced CPU chips, more megabytes of memory and bigger hard
disks will enhance the performance of the program, but it
really works fine on my old '286 with a mono monitor. As of
this writing, such computers can be had for well under $1000.
Factor in the 5-year life cycle of the machine with the average
salary of a case manager and you come up with an expenditure of
only 1 or 2 per cent of the total personnel budget of the
typical human services agency to put a computer on every
worker's desk.
If VIXEN misbehaves with improper displays or keyboard response
the most likely cause is a conflict with memory-resident
programs such as Sidekick or Cardfile. The easiest way to
analyze such problems is to remove all such programs from the
autoexec.bat file and to then restore them one at a time until
the identity of the offending program is confirmed.
VIXEN is designed to be run on a personal computer and to
function as a personal information manager or contact manager
for individual human services professionals. The program will
not run on a multi-user network in which files are
simultaneously accessed by multiple users.