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PC-AREACODE
User's Manual
Version 2.0
Left Coast Software
P.O. Box 160601
Cupertino, CA 95016-0601
(408) 996-3130
September 2, 1989
Copyright 1988, 1989 Left Coast Software.
All rights reserved.
DISCLAIMER
Bell Communications Research establishes areacodes for the United
States. Left Coast Software is not affiliated in any way with Bell
Communications Research, AT&T or any other telephone company.
SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT
PC-Areacode is distributed as a shareware program. It is NOT a
public domain program! However, we encourage you to copy the program
for trial purposes. The program, the documentation, and all of the
data files can be freely copied and shared to allow others to try
PC-Areacode. You may upload this program and all associated files to
any bulletin board system (BBS) or on-line computer service. You may
not charge more than $10 to distribute PC-Areacode in any form.
If you decide to use PC-Areacode, you must register your copy. If
you do not register your copy, you are not authorized to use the
program beyond an initial evaluation period of thirty (30) days.
By registering, Left Coast Software grants you a license to use the
copyrighted computer program PC-Areacode on a single computer,
subject to the terms and conditions of this license. You agree not
to (a) modify, disassemble, or decompile the program or (b) use this
program on more than one terminal of a network, on a multi-user
computer, on a time-sharing system, on a service bureau, or on any
other system on which the program could be used (other than for trial
purposes) by more than one person at a time.
The registration fee for PC-Areacode is $15. When you register, you
receive the most recent version of the program and the data files and
will be placed on our mailing list to receive upgrade information.
To register, send your checks to:
LEFT COAST SOFTWARE
P.O. BOX 160601
CUPERTINO, CA 95016-0601
(408) 996-3130
Users located outside the U.S. please send international money orders
denominated in U.S. dollars. You may also register or order by
phone. We accept VISA and MasterCard. A registration/order form is
included at the end of this manual.
THE PROGRAM ON THIS DISKETTE IS PROVIDED "AS IS". LEFT COAST
SOFTWARE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO
THE PROGRAM OR ITS PERFORMANCE OR QUALITY, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED
TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT WILL LEFT COAST SOFTWARE BE LIABLE FOR ANY
DAMAGES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL,
SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, LOST PROFITS OR LOST DATA,
RESULTING FROM THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM.
PC-AREACODE USER'S MANUAL
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION.............................................. 1
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS.................................... 1
DATA FILES............................................. 1
GETTING STARTED............................................ 2
FILES ON THE DISTRIBUTION DISKETTE..................... 2
RUNNING PC-AREACODE AS A MEMORY RESIDENT PROGRAM........... 3
REMOVING PC-AREACODE FROM MEMORY....................... 3
COMPATIBILITY.......................................... 3
CUSTOMIZING PC-AREACODE.................................... 5
CHANGING THE HOT KEY................................... 5
USING PC-AREACODE.......................................... 6
BROWSE MODE............................................ 6
DIRECT ENTRY MODE...................................... 7
INSERTING AREACODES INTO OTHER PROGRAMS................ 8
ODDS & ENDS................................................ 9
DATA FILE UPGRADES..................................... 9
DUPLICATE CITY NAMES................................... 9
ABBREVIATIONS.......................................... 9
CANADIAN CITY NAMES....................................11
CUSTOMER SERVICE...........................................12
OTHER LEFT COAST PROGRAMS..................................13
EXCHEQUER..............................................13
MANDELBROT MAGIC.......................................14
ORDER/REGISTRATION FORM....................................15
INTRODUCTION
PC-Areacode is an easy-to-use but extremely useful program which can
find the areacode for virtually any city or town in the U.S. or
Canada. In addition, it can find the areacode or international
calling code for many countries. Once you find an areacode, you can
insert that information into another application, such as a database
program just by pressing a key. With PC-Areacode, you can stop
thumbing through telephone books or calling directory assistance just
to find out an areacode.
PC-Areacode's database contains more than 18,500 listings for cities
and towns in the U.S. and Canada. This database also contains the
areacodes for many colleges and universities.
PC-Areacode can find any code in its database in less than two
seconds when running on a 4.77 Mhz PC with a single floppy disk. If
you have a hard disk, PC-Areacode finds the areacode almost
instantaneously. The program runs on any IBM PC-compatible computer
running DOS Version 2.0 or higher and can be used on systems with
either a hard disk or a single floppy disk. It can be used either as
a standalone program or as a memory-resident utility.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
PC-Areacode will run on any IBM PC, XT, AT or PS/2 compatible
computer running MS-DOS or PC-DOS Version 2.0 or higher. It works
with any video adapter. PC-Areacode requires approximately 43 K of
RAM. PC-Areacode can be operated on a system with just one
floppy-disk drive.
DATA FILES
There are two complete sets of data files for PC-Areacode. The
"small" data files contain 63 listings for all states with more than
one areacode or approximately 2,000 listings total. The small files
all have the extension *.DAT on the distribution diskette.
The "large" data files provide an extremely comprehensive database of
areacode information and contain over 18,500 listings. The large
data files have been compressed into a single file BIGFILES.ARC on
the distribution diskette. Before using the large data files, you
must uncompress them using PKWARE's data compression programs
(UNARC.EXE, PKUNPAK.EXE, etc). The large data files all have the
extension *.BIG.
1
GETTING STARTED
PC-Areacode comes ready to run on a single floppy disk. We strongly
encourage you to make backup copies of PC-Areacode before you first
use the program to guard against accidental erasure of the program.
To install the program, simply copy all of the program and data files
to the disk or directory you will be using for the program.
To run PC-Areacode, move to the drive and directory containing the
file AC.EXE and type "AC", then press <Return>. To run PC-Areacode
as a memory resident program, type "AC M" and press <Return>.
If you want to be able to start PC-Areacode from any directory, you
must modify the PATH statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to include
the directory containing PC-Areacode (See your DOS manual). YOU MUST
ALSO RUN THE SETUP PROGRAM (ACSETUP.EXE) TO TELL PC-AREACODE WHERE
TO FIND ITS DATA FILES.
FILES ON THE DISTRIBUTION DISKETTES
The distribution diskettes contain the following files:
AC.DOC User's Manual
AC.EXE PC-Areacode program
ACSETUP.EXE Setup program for PC-Areacode
GO.BAT Batch file to start
PRINTDOC.BAT Batch file to print the documentation
AC.CFG Configuration file for PC-Areacode
*.DAT Small data files (33)
IL_708.DAT Updated small data file for Illinois
BIGFILES.ARC Compressed large data files
You do not need to copy all of the data files to the working
disk/directory if you need to conserve disk space. If PC-Areacode
cannot find a data file, it will simply display an error message.
However, PC-Areacode must be able to find the files SCODES.DAT and
AC.CFG. If it cannot find these files, the program will terminate
and (if running as a memory resident program) return you to your
current program.
If you want to use the large data files, simply rename the *.BIG
files as *.DAT and copy them to your working directory. Be sure to
make backup copies of the original *.DAT files first!
2
RUNNING PC-AREACODE AS A MEMORY RESIDENT PROGRAM
PC-Areacode can be run as either a memory-resident program (TSR) or
as a standalone. When run as a TSR, PC-Areacode is always available
to you and can be activated just by pressing Ctrl-Alt-A.
Furthermore, you can easily insert an areacode into another
application by pressing Alt-Insert. (These key combinations can be
changed using the Setup Program). When running in memory-resident
mode, PC-Areacode uses just over 43 K of RAM.
To load PC-Areacode into memory, type "AC M" at the DOS prompt and
press <Return>. There must be a space between "AC" and "M" but it
does not matter if you use upper or lowercase letters.
Once loaded, PC-Areacode is available for use at virtually any time.
Pressing Ctrl-Alt-A will "pop up" PC-Areacode from within any program
you are currently using. However, it will not pop up if your
computer is in graphics mode. When you are done with PC-Areacode,
press ESC to return to your program.
If you want to have PC-Areacode available to you whenever you use
your computer, add the lines:
CD \AREACODE (or the name of the directory AC.EXE is in)
AC M
to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. See your DOS manual for more information.
REMOVING PC-AREACODE FROM MEMORY
If you want to remove PC-Areacode from memory, press Ctrl-Alt-A to
activate the program, then press Alt-U twice in succession. If you
have not loaded any other TSRs after PC-Areacode, it will stop itself
and free the memory it uses for other purposes. If it is unable to
free the memory, you will hear a beep when you press Alt-U twice and
PC-Areacode will remain active.
COMPATIBILITY
PC-Areacode is compatible with virtually all other memory resident
programs. However, complete compatibility with all applications and
TSRs cannot be guaranteed by any TSR. We currently know of two
conflicts with others TSRs.
First, PC-Areacode (like many programs) cannot be loaded safely after
Borland's Sidekick because of the way Sidekick works. If you want
to use both Sidekick and PC-Areacode, load PC-Areacode FIRST. If
PC-Areacode is loaded first, both PC-Areacode and Sidekick will
operate properly.
Second, PC-Areacode conflicts slightly with Lotus' Metro and
Polytron's Deskplus packages. PC-Areacode can be loaded either
before or after these programs. If you load PC-Areacode after one of
3
these programs, however, you will be prompted to press <Return> twice
while PC-Areacode is loading.
If you experience conflicts between PC-Areacode and any TSR, do two
things. First, try loading PC-Areacode before the other program (or
vice versa). Second, write us a letter or call our customer service
number to tell us about the problem.
4
CUSTOMIZING PC-AREACODE
PC-Areacode comes with a Setup Program (ACSETUP.EXE) which can modify
the program's configuration file (AC.CFG). To run this program, type
"ACSETUP" and press <Return>. ACSETUP allows you to do two things:
1. Tell PC-Areacode where to find its data files. This is
especially important if you are running PC-Areacode as a TSR.
2. Change the program's "hot keys", i.e. the combination of keys
which will "pop up" PC-Areacode within any of your other
programs and insert an areacode into another application.
The Setup program is fairly simple to use. You can move between the
three data entry fields by pressing <Return>. When you are satisfied
with your inputs, FIRST MOVE TO THE TOP DATA FIELD, then press F10 to
save this information to the configuration file "AC.CFG". This file
must be located in the same directory as AC.EXE. If AC.CFG is
accidentally destroyed, a new version with the default values will be
created the next time you run PC-Areacode.
CHANGING THE HOT KEY
The default "hot key" for activating PC-Areacode is Ctrl-Alt-A.
Pressing these three keys in combination will "pop up" PC-Areacode
within your program for instant use. You can change the specific
combination of keys used to invoke PC-Areacode with the Setup
program. The most common reason to change the hot key is because it
conflicts with some other memory resident program's hot key. When
this happens, you may not be able to use either program unless you
change the hot key.
You can also change the "hot key" which is used to insert an areacode
into another program. The default hot key for insertion is Alt-Ins.
To change either hot key, move to the appropriate field and simply
press the key combination you want to use. The combination will be
displayed so you can verify its accuracy.
The new hot key combination which you choose must include at least
one of the following four keys: CTRL, ALT, Left Shift or Right Shift.
It can include any number of these four keys but it must include at
least one. It must also include at least one other key which can be
a letter, a number, one of the ten (or 12) function keys, Home, End,
PgUp, PgDn, an arrow key, etc.
A few specific key combinations are not acceptable. If you enter one
of these, you will not see any change in the key combination.
SINCE PC-AREACODE ALLOWS YOU TO USE "F10 AND "ESC" TO ACTIVATE THE
PROGRAM, YOU CANNOT SAVE YOUR CHANGES TO AC.CFG NOR EXIT FROM THE
SETUP PROGRAM WHILE YOU ARE ON A HOT KEY DATA ENTRY FIELD. YOU MUST
FIRST MOVE TO THE TOP DATA FIELD BY PRESSING <RETURN>, THEN PRESS F10
TO SAVE THE CHANGES.
5
USING PC-AREACODE
Let's take a quick guided tour of PC-Areacode. To run PC-Areacode as
a standalone program, move to the disk and directory containing the
program and data files, type "AC" and press <Return>. To run
PC-Areacode as a memory resident program, type "AC M" and press
<Return>. Pressing Ctrl-Alt-A will then "pop up" PC-Areacode.
The main display screen lists the 63 states, provinces and
territories of the U.S. and Canada (as well as the District of
Columbia). If a state has just one areacode, this code is displayed
just to the right of the state's name. If an asterisk appears here,
it means that there are multiple areacodes for this state. It also
means that there is a separate data file containing the areacodes for
virtually every city in that state. More on that later.
BROWSE MODE
Let's first explore the Browse mode of PC-Areacode. One of the
states is always highlighted by a cursor bar; this is the selected
state. You can move the cursor bar around the screen by using the
four arrow keys as well as the Home and End keys. Pressing the Home
key will move you to the upper left corner of the screen while the
End key will move you to the lower right corner.
Move the cursor bar until "South Dakota" (or any other state with a
single code) is highlighted, then press <Return>. PC-Areacode
displays the areacode for South Dakota in large block letters in the
middle of the screen. Press ESC to remove this display.
Now move the cursor bar until "California" (or any other state with
an asterisk) is highlighted, then press <Return>. The listing the
states and provinces is replaced with a list of cities in California
and their areacodes. If you press <Return>, the areacode for the
highlighted city will be shown in large block letters. You can move
around the screen by pressing the following keys:
Up Arrow Moves the cursor bar one item in the direction of
Down Arrow the arrow. When the cursor bar reaches the edge,
Left Arrow it will "wrap around" to the other edge.
Right Arrow
Home Moves the cursor bar to the upper left corner.
End Moves the cursor bar to the lower right entry.
Ctrl-Left Moves the cursor bar to the far left or far right
Ctrl-Right column, respectively.
Ctrl-PgUp Moves the cursor bar to the top or bottom of the
Ctrl-PgDn current column, respectively.
6
Not all of the cities for a state can be shown on one display. To see
other cities within this state, press the following keys:
PgDn Displays following page of information.
PgUp Displays preceding page of information.
Ctrl-Home Displays first page of information in that state.
Ctrl-End Displays last page of information in that state.
Press ESC to return to the main list of states and provinces. Now
press PgDn to display a list of the areacodes for 63 of the largest
cities in the U.S. and Canada.
Press PgDn again to see a list of the international calling codes for
many foreign countries. See your telephone book for general
instructions on how to use these codes in your area.
If you press PgDn a third time, you will see the areacodes for many
Caribbean countries. These countries can be called directly, just as
you would call any state in the U.S. You can move around any of
these screens using the arrow keys, Home and End. If you press
<Return>, the areacode or international calling code for the
highlighted city or country will be displayed in large letters.
Return to the main screen by pressing PgDn again. You can browse
through these four main screens by using the PgUp and PgDn keys.
DIRECT ENTRY MODE
At the bottom of the screen is a box where you can enter the name of
a city and state, the name of just a state, or an areacode by simply
typing it on the keyboard. PC-Areacode is fairly smart; you can
enter either two letter state codes (e.g. "CA") or complete state
names (e.g. "California"). Also, PC-Areacode is case insensitive
(e.g. you can enter "CALIFORNIA","california","CAlifORnia", etc.).
HOWEVER, YOU MUST ENTER A COMMA BETWEEN A CITY NAME AND THE STATE
NAME.
If you can't remember the two letter state code, you can look on
PC-Areacode's main screen. In every state or province name, two (and
only two) letters are capitalized. On color monitors, these letters
are yellow. These two letters are the code for that state.
Let's explore Direct Entry Mode by typing "Cupertino, CA" and
pressing <Return>. When you press <Return>, three things happen.
First, PC-Areacode calls up the database for California. Next, it
moves to the page containing "Cupertino" and highlights that entry.
Finally, it displays the areacode for "Cupertino" in large block
numerals. If you press ESC, this large-scale display is removed and
you can move around the list of California cities.
7
Now type in "Phoenix, Arizona" and press <Return>. Since all points
in Arizona are served by just one areacode, PC-Areacode will move to
the main screen, highlight that state, and show you the state's code.
Now let's assume that you make a typing error or enter the name of a
city that is not contained in PC-Areacode's database. Type "Bost,
MA" and press <Return>. PC-Areacode will move to the Massachusetts
database but it will not show the areacode for a city. Instead, it
moves to the city which most closely matches the name you entered.
Chances are that this will be the city you actually want.
(Note: PC-Areacode tries to match the name you entered from left to
right. Thus, if you were searching for "Boston, MA", it would come
close if you typed "Bosto, MA" but not if you typed "Voston, MA".)
Type in "Denver, CO" and hit <Return> to move to the Colorado
database. If you now want to find the code for Aspen, you can type
"Aspen" without a state name and press <Return>.
We're almost done now. While the Colorado listing is still visible,
type in "CA" (or any other state name or code) and press <Return>.
If that state has just one areacode, PC-Areacode will show the main
screen, highlight that state, and show its code. If the state uses
multiple areacodes, PC-Areacode will show you the first city in that
state's database.
We're on the homestretch now! First, type "408" and press <Return>.
If you enter a valid areacode, PC-Areacode will find the state which
uses that areacode, move to the main display (if not already there),
and place the cursor bar on that state. You can then press <Return>
to display the code or browse through that state. If you enter a
number which is not a valid areacode, PC-Areacode will display the
error message "STATE NOT FOUND. Press any key to continue."
Note: Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia both use 902. If you enter
902, PC-Areacode will display Nova Scotia.
INSERTING AREACODES INTO OTHER PROGRAMS
One of the primary uses of PC-Areacode is to fill in missing data in
other database applications. If you are running PC-Areacode as a TSR,
you can pop it up over any other application by pressing Ctrl-Alt-A.
When you find the missing areacode, return to your application by
pressing ESC. If you then press Alt-Insert, PC-Areacode will insert
the last areacode it found at the current location of the cursor.
(You can change this key combination with ACSETUP).
That's it! You now know virtually everything there is to know about
running PC-Areacode. You can exit the program by pressing ESC until
you see the prompt "Exit PC-Areacode and return to DOS? [N]". If you
want to quit, press "y" or "Y". Press any other key if you do not
want to quit. If you are running PC-Areacode as a memory-resident
program, pressing ESC will return you to your current program.
8
ODDS & ENDS
DATA FILE UPGRADES
The telephone companies occasionally add areacodes to handle growth
in a particular region. In 1988, Florida, Massachusetts and Colorado
all add new areacodes. On November 11, 1989, Illinois will add a new
areacode for the Chicago area while Texas will add another code in
1990. California will get a new areacode in 1991.
Left Coast Software publishes updated data files at a nominal cost
shortly after the code boundaries are finalized. All registered
users are notified when these files are available. Updated versions
of the small data files can be obtained with the most recent version
of the shareware package.
On November 11, 1989, Illinois will add the areacode 708 for suburbs
in the Chicago area. This version of the program includes an updated
small data file for Illinois called IL_708.DAT. You should rename
this file IL.DAT and replace the existing IL.DAT file at the
appropriate time.
DUPLICATE CITY NAMES
There are numerous instances of duplicate city names within a single
state. Pennsylvania is particularly notorious for this with as many
as eight cities (!!!) with the same name.
When the duplicate cities do not share the same areacode, they each
are listed separately with the name of the county in which they are
located in parentheses. Unfortunately PC-Areacode can't tell you
which city you are trying to find, but at least you will know that
there are several choices. When one of the duplicate cities is much
larger than the other(s), only the largest city is listed to avoid
confusion.
ABBREVIATIONS
PC-Areacode recognizes the following abbreviations in city names when
they appear as the first word in the city name (all of these are
case insensitive):
FOR: YOU CAN ENTER:
---------------------------------
North North
No.
N.
No
N
9
FOR: YOU CAN ENTER:
---------------------------------
South South
So.
So
S.
S
East East
E
E.
West West
W.
W
Fort Fort
Ft.
Ft
Mount Mount
Mt.
Mnt.
Mt
Point Point
Pt.
Pt
St. Saint
St.
St
(PC-Areacode actually uses the abbreviation "St." in all of
its listings).
PC-Areacode tries to pack as much information on each screen as it
can. As a result, some city names are simply too long to fit (e.g.
Washington Court House, Ohio) especially if they are followed by a
county name. In these cases, the city or county names are
abbreviated. Some of the abbreviations can only be described as
creative! We apologize if we offend anyone's sensibilities. There
are only a couple dozen such cities in the entire database. No very
large cities are abbreviated.
PC-Areacode also uses the following abbreviations in some of its
listings. It does not recognize any substitutes for these words,
however. Thus, you can find the areacode for Rocky Mountain National
Park in Colorado by entering "Rocky Mountain NP, CO". Entering
"Rocky Mountain National Park, CO" would not find an exact match.
10
THIS ABBREVIATION MEANS:
----------------------------------------
USAF a U.S. Air Force installation
USN a U.S. Navy installation
USA a U.S. Army installation
NM National Monument
NP National Park
U University
Coll College
The names of colleges and universities in the database tend to be
heavily abbreviated because of their length. Most of these
abbreviations are fairly intuitive and you should be able to find
them by browsing through the state files if the program doesn't find
an exact match.
CANADIAN CITY NAMES
The names of many Canadian cities are French in origin and some of
these are hyphenated. Unfortunately, these names often appear in the
U.S. unhyphenated-hyphenated. We have chosen not to hyphenate these
names, not from ignorance or disrespect, but because it is easier and
faster to type a space than a hyphen. Likewise, all accents over
letters (e.g. ',`, and ^) which should be included, are omitted
because of the difficulties of entering these characters properly on
the PC.
11
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Left Coast provides free technical support for PC-Areacode. If you
require technical support, please call us at (408) 996-3130 between
9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. Pacific time (12:00 Noon to 8:00 P.M. Eastern
time). You may also write us at:
Left Coast Software
P.O. Box 160601
Cupertino, CA 95016-0601
You may also send us a message on CompuServe (71160,756). It may
take us a several days to respond to CompuServe messages.
You may obtain the most recent version of the program from
CompuServe or GEnie. New versions are uploaded to these services
almost immediately after their release.
We thank you for supporting PC-Areacode. If you have suggestions for
how to improve the program, please write us. We love hearing from
our customers.
12
OTHER LEFT COAST PROGRAMS
Left Coast Software also sells two other shareware programs for the
PC -- Exchequer and Mandelbrot Magic. To order any Left Coast
product, call (408) 996-3130 or use the order form on the next page.
We accept VISA and MasterCard.
EXCHEQUER (Version 2.1)
Exchequer is an easy-to-use check writing and checkbook management
program for IBM PC-compatible computers. It is designed primarily
for home users and small businesses wishing to automate and simplify
the process of paying their bills. In addition, it provides a number
of reporting options. For example, it allows the user to sort and
print checkbook data by category or by payee.
Exchequer provides the following features and functions:
* Exchequer pays your monthly bills with just two keystrokes!
* Exchequer's check register looks just like a regular checkbook.
* Exchequer makes balancing your checkbook easy by automatically
finding all uncleared checks and deposits.
* Exchequer works with virtually all types of continuous-feed
checks. The user has complete control over the check layout.
* Exchequer supports an unlimited number of accounts.
* Exchequer's check register can store over 4000 transactions. An
archiving function saves the oldest transactions to a separate
file (e.g. at year's end), thus making room for more transactions.
* Exchequer can memorize all up to 255 predefined transactions
(checks, withdrawals, deposits, service charges, etc.) These
transactions can be easily recalled and used when paying bills.
* Exchequer can assign a transaction to 255 user-defined categories.
Reporting functions allow the user to sort the check register by
category, making tax preparation a breeze!
* Exchequer can split any transaction amount up to 10 ways and
assign it to separate categories.
* Exchequer offers a wide variety of reports which can be sent to
the printer, the screen or to a file.
Exchequer runs on any IBM PC, XT, AT or PS/2 compatible computer
running MS-DOS or PC-DOS Version 2.0 or higher. It works with any
graphics adapter. Exchequer requires approximately 200 K of free
memory. Exchequer can be operated quite easily with just one
floppy-disk drive. The program will work with any printer which
handles continuous-feed checks.
13
The registration fee for Exchequer Version 2.1 is just $15.00.
MANDELBROT MAGIC (Version 3.1)
Fractal geometry has been used in the past to create images and
models of many differing subjects. From three-dimensional pictures
of landscapes in movies to an accurate cross section of the heart,
fractals are at the leading edge of research in many fields.
Mandelbrot Magic generates stunning color displays ("slides") of the
Mandelbrot Set and Julia Sets, a famous group of fractals. The
Mandelbrot Set has been called "the most complicated object in
mathematics." Fractal geometry is a complicated mathematical field,
but Mandelbrot Magic is easy to use and will create spectacular
slides with a few simple inputs.
With Mandelbrot Magic, you can create a new slide or load and view an
existing slide from disk. The program runs on virtually any color
graphics adapter and supports four different color modes from CGA
(320 x 200 x 4 colors) to VGA (640 x 480 x 16 colors), depending on
which adapter you use. Although the program offers three automatic
coloring algorithms, the user has complete control over the color of
any pixel as well as the color palette. Several different pre-
programmed palettes are also provided. The program also features
different "animation" techniques which make the slide features move.
One of the unique things about fractals is that they reveal more and
more detail the closer you get and the small-scale details are
similar to the large-scale details. With Mandelbrot Magic, you can
graphically select any part of the slide to magnify. You can "zoom"
in on various features of the fractal and reveal more detail. You
can also create slideshows of up to 20 existing slides.
Generating a slide is an intensive computational task and can take
from three to sixteen hours. However, the program supports the use
of an 8087 math coprocessor which will cut generation times by a
factor of 3 to 5. You can also stop work on a slide then resume
generation at a later time. In addition, you will receive a copy of
BackMAGIC, a memory resident program that can generate slides in the
background while you run other programs!
The documentation includes a list of suggested parameters for
interesting slides and a list of suggested readings for those who
want to explore the theoretical foundations of fractals in detail.
Mandelbrot Magic runs on any IBM PC, XT, AT or PS/2 compatible
computer running DOS 2.0 or higher. It requires a CGA, MCGA, EGA or
VGA video adapter (EGA or VGA recommended). Mandelbrot Magic
requires at least 200 K, 350 K and 430 K of free memory for a CGA,
EGA and VGA equipped system, respectively. An 8087, 80287 or 80387
math coprocessor is recommended but not required.
The registration fee for Mandelbrot Magic Version 3.1 is just $15.00.
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ORDER/REGISTRATION FORM
If you want to register for PC-Areacode, simply order the appropriate
number of copies of the program. You may also order/register by phone
by calling (408) 996-3130.
Ship to: Bill to (if different):
_________________________ ___________________________
_________________________ ___________________________
_________________________ ___________________________
_________________________ ___________________________
Payment Method (please circle one): VISA MC Check COD
Credit Card Number:_________________ Expiration Date: _______
Name on card (if different): ____________________________________
Signature (if using credit card): _______________________________
PLEASE SHIP ME THE FOLLOWING:
_____ copies of PC-Areacode at $15.00 = ____________________
_____ copies of Exchequer at $15.00 = ____________________
_____ copies of Mandelbrot Magic at $15.00 = ____________________
(includes BackMAGIC)
California Residents Add Sales Tax = ____________________________
Shipping/Handling (per order) 3.00
Add $11.00 for Federal Express ____________________________
TOTAL: ____________________________
Where did you obtain your copy of PC-Areacode (e.g. PC-SIG, a user
group, a friend)? ________________________________________________
Send form to:
Left Coast Software
P.O. Box 160601
Cupertino, CA 95016-0601
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