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┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Designations claimed as trademark appear in initial capitals or all capitals │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ (c) Copyright 1988-1991 by FM de Monasterio All rights reserved ------------------- BLANKs version 3.31 ------------------- BLANKs is an IBM PC-DOS/MS-DOS based, resident program which blanks the screen after a preselected interval in the absence of a keypress. This interval can be selected from 1 to 60 minutes. A selection higher than 60 minutes is set to 60. Selecting 0 minutes disables screen blanking; blanking can be enabled by re-invoking with an interval of 1 to 60 min. The program also offers the option of parking hard-disk(s) heads at the time of blanking, of blanking the screen at the press of a (selectable) hot-key combination, and the use of a password to unblank the (manually blanked) screen. See BLANKS.NEW for a description of what is new in the current version. BLANKs is a terminate-and-stay resident program, and it can be executed repeatedly to change its parameters without yielding multiple copies to memory. It consists of a resident component, wich contains the code for blanking/unblanking the screen and parking the disk, and which occupies less than 1 kb of memory, and a non-resident component, which loads the resident component, communicates with the installed resident on further executions of the program, and provides other ancillary functions. BLANKs requires DOS version 2.00 or higher. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. GENERAL INFORMATION The video blanking is obtained by direct commands to the hardware (video controller) to turn off/on the video signal. This is a fast method that operates successfully in the IBM PC/XT, PC/AT and in some IBM compatible computers installed with MDA, CGA, EGA, VGA, and HERCULES video adapters or with IBM-compatible adapters from other manufacturers. NOTICE - The program may not work in some nonIBM microcomputers and it should not be used with other video adapter types unless they are compatible with the IBM adapter at the register level (as it is possible that some of these adapters might be damaged). Blanking occurs as a result of keyboard and BIOS video inactivity within a selectable time interval (of between 1 and 60 minutes), or by pressing a selectable hotkey (<Ctrl-B> in the distributed version). Once blanking has occurred, press any key to unblank the screen; a <Shift> keypress is especially useful for this purpose. BLANKs can be executed repeatedly to modify resident parameters, without resulting in multiple copies to memory. The resident part uses about 800 bytes of memory. BLANKs parameters can be specified from the DOS prompt or via the environment string 'BLANKS='(see below). A 32-bit CRC calculation is performed each time BLANKs is executed; if it fails, BLANKs will abort operation. CRC failures indicate a modification of the code, and the program should *not* be used for your own protection (e.g. error in copying or downloading, malicious alteration of the code). The noncritical messages, i.e. successful or uneventful operation, can be redirected to the NUL: device (bit bucket) by the DOS redirection command "> NUL." Critical messages such as operation failures, however, cannot be redirected by DOS commands, and are always displayed (unless the "StdErr" handle processing of the console output has been modified). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. USAGE From the DOS command line or from a batch file, BLANKs is installed (or, when already installed, modified) by the command: BLANKs [T] [/switches] [;comments] Where: A. [T] Timed blanking interval in minutes. These are the minutes that the program waits before blanking the screen in the absence of keyboard and (BIOS-mediated) video activity. Valid selections are 0 or a number in the range of 1 to 60. The selection of a 0-minute interval disables timed blanking; the selection of an interval larger than 60 defaults to 60 minutes or to the value (in the valid range) of the first 2 digits in inputs with more than 2 digits. Typing 'T' rather than the digit(s) yields a 5-second interval for test purposes (see below <F2> key in Syntax/Help panel). Null interval defaults to 3 minutes; this default value can be changed via an environment string variable (see below). ---------------- B. The switches can be entered from: (1) The DOS prompt line or a batch file (2) An environment variable with the format BLANKS=/SWITCH1.../SWITCHn, Switches can be given in any order and any character between space (ASCII 32) and slash (ASCII 47) can be used as a switch delimiter. The switches are not case sensitive. An invalid switch specification aborts execution of the program. Starting with version 3.17, switch /C (for cloning) is no longer recognized. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Asterisks (*) mark items available only in registered program copies ------------------------------------------------------------------------- /Ax - Force configuration to a specified video adapter. This switch bypasses the automatic configuration of BLANKs for the adapter detected at the time of each execution. Valid specifications: /Am MDA configuration (IBM Monochrome Display Adapter and the Hercules cards HGA, HGA plus, InColor). Uses and restores bit 3 of video port 3B8h. /Ac CGA configuration (IBM Color Graphics Adapter, MultiColor Graphics Array [MCGA], and compatible adapters). Uses and restores bits 0-3 of port 3D9h and bit 3 of port 3D8h. /Ae EGA configuration (IBM Enhanced Graphics Adapter and com- patible adapters). Resets video ports 3BAh and 3DAh, and uses and restores bit 5 of port 3C0h. /Av VGA configuration (IBM Video Graphics Array and compatible adapters). Uses video port 3C4h, and uses and restores bit 5 of port 3C5h. Switch /Ax is useful if the video adapter type is not identified properly. Read the above notice on video adapter compatibility. Starting with version 3.15, BLANKs assumes that a CGA whose ROM BIOS contains the letters 'COMPAQ' is a monochrome COMPAQ card; if you wish to override the assumption, switch /AC forces a CGA color configuration. -------- /Dn - Adjust brightness of VGA display. The brightness change step is specified by the sign and value of number <n> ranging from -63 to +63. /D-n (for 0 < n < 64) Decrease the brightness of the screen, reducing the contrast of the display. /D+n (for 0 < n < 64) Increase the brightness of the screen, reducing the saturation of the display. /D0 Restore screen to its original brightness as dictated by the settings of the monitor. Clears the screen. Defaults: If <n> is not specified, the default step is 2; if neither number nor sign is specified, the step is -2. Brightness changes are additive. Repeated use of this switch or the use of large numbers shall produce unreadable screens. Switch /D is a sticky parameter: Brightness changes remain in effect even if BLANKs is made quiescent or uninstalled. -------- * /E - Creates the DOS environment string BLANKS=/SWITCH1.../SWITCHn, where SWITCH1...SWITCHn are the switches specified when BLANKs is executed from the DOS command line. When the string BLANKS= already exists, switch /E updates the contents of this string. Although the switch itself is incorporated into the string, it is ignored when BLANKs uses the string as input. Switch /E uses the undocumented DOS function 52h that does not work in some buggy DOS 4.00 versions but works in 2.10 through 3.31, and 4.01. See section 3 for more details. No defaults. -------- /H - Hotkey switch. In addition to timed screen blanking, BLANKs allows for manual blanking of the video by pressing a hotkey combination. The combination is <Ctrl-B> in the distributed version of the program, but it can be changed in the case of key assignment conflicts. Once the screen has been manually blanked, only keyboard activity can unblank it. BLANKs removes the hotkey from the keyboard buffer. However, utilities loaded after BLANKs might save such an input; this is what occurs, for example, with some word processors where the hotkey needs to be erased from the text. /H+ Enable hotkey operation; this is the default condition if an switch argument is not specified (/H = /H+). /H- Disable hotkey operation. Can be reenabled with /H+. * /H? Permits selection of a new hotkey combination including an alphanumeric key, and one or more of the shift keys: <Ctrl>, <Alt>, <lt-Shift>, and <rt-Shift>. * /Hxn Use <xn> as the hotkey combination, where <x> is a pure alphanumeric character (0-9 or A-Z), and <n> is a digit between 4 and 15 only. The latter digit corresponds to one of the following 'shift' keys or their sum: 1 = right shift ************************ 2 = left shift Values higher than 15 or 4 = Ctrl lower than 4 are invalid 8 = Alt ************************ For obvious reasons, <Ctrl> or <Alt>, or both, must be part of any new hotkey combination either in switch /H? or /Hxn. If a hotkey other than the default one is needed routinely, be sure to store in the DOS environment (via the SET command) a string named "BLANKS=" containing the specification for switch /Hxn. -------- * /Ln - Load the resident in high memory between 640 and 1024 kb, i.e. below the 1 Mb boundary of conventional RAM (but above the RAM area normally controlled by DOS). The switch requires that an XMS manager (XMM) complying with the specifications of XMS 2.0 for upper memory block (UMB) functions 10h and 11h is present, and that a free UMB of less than 1 kb is available. | Optionally, a lower high-memory bound can be specified via <n>, | a hexadecimal number between A000 (640 kb) and FFFF (1,024 kb), | so as to avoid specific areas of high memory with a slow access | time. Memory access times are provided by some memory managers | (such as Qualitas' 386MAX and Quarterdeck's QEMM386) but not by | others (such as Microsoft's HIMEM.SYS). To examine access times | in more detail, use the program TIMEM.EXE, which is enclosed in | this software release of BLANKs (see also TIMEM.DOC). Unlike the high-memory loading provided by 386 memory managers, the required size of the free UMB is that of the resident code, and not that of the entire program. (A few additional bytes are used by XMS for the UMB allocation. See section on High Memory Installation.) Defaults: Low-memory installation if any error is found during | the UMB loading. High-memory installation below lower bound if | no UMB is available above this limit. -------- * /M - Force monitoring of video activity mediated by mouse calls to interrupt 33h. If enabled, switch /M avoids timed blanking of the screen when mouse activity is detected. Note that switch /M does not unblank the screen after its manual blanking with the hotkey combination. /M+ Enable mouse monitoring; can be disabled with /M[-]. /M- Disable mouse monitoring; this is the default condition if an argument is not specified at the time of resident installation. Defaults: /M = /M- NOTE: The mouse activity of some programs is not mediated via interrupt 33h, but by direct commands; hence, BLANKs will not detect mouse activity and the screen will be blanked. NOTE: There are mouse drivers that can freeze the computer if interrupt 33h is found to be in use at the time of the driver installation; if you have such a driver, and would rather not install it before BLANKs, then you must specify switch /M- at the time of installing BLANKs. -------- * /P - Park hard-disk head(s) during manual or timed blanking of the screen. Moves the disk head to the highest disk cylinder for each physical disk, attached to the disk controller, that can be accessed via the BIOS; parking is inhibited when BIOS disk or diskette activity is in progress at the time of blanking. /P+ Enable hard disk parking; this is the default condition if an argument is not specified at the time of resident installation. /P- Disable disk parking. (Can be reenabled with /P[+].) Defaults: /P = /P+ When used in a machine lacking a hard disk, parking should be disabled at the time of installation, as parking attempts may freeze the machine. NOTE: Parking is not available in a special version of BLANKs for laptop and diskless machines to avoid potential conflicts were disk parking requested. -------- /Q - Disable timed blanking. Has the same effect as selecting an interval of 0 minute for the [T] option; it does not affect manual blanking via the hotkey combination. No defaults. -------- /U - Uninstall. (Use only when BLANKs was the last resident to be installed as otherwise this creates a 'hole' in memory.) No defaults. The request is not honored when any of the interrupt vectors that have been intercepted has been changed since BLANKs was installed. This may be caused by installing other residents after BLANKs (or by a prior resident that modifies interrupt vectors set by residents loaded after it). NOTE: Prior to uninstalling a resident, it is safe to check memory status with one of the several memory mapping utilities that are available. BLANKs (versions 2.20+) can be identified by name in low-memory usage maps. Although BLANKs removes its own copy of the environment at loading time (to minimize the resident size), the string "BLANKs n.nn" will appear in the command line listings of the map, irrespective of the actual content of the DOS command line at the time of installation. For example, MAPMEM.COM (TurboPower Software) should display the following identification for a normal, lower-memory load of the 386+ release of BLANKs: PSP blks bytes owner command line hooked vectors ----- ---- ----- ------- ------------------ -------------- hhhh 1 752 N/A BLANKs 3.31 08 09 10 13 33 | | With residents loaded in high memory via switch /L, however, | some memory mapping utilities fail to list the allocated UMB | or lump it with other allocated blocks. If the XMS services | are implemented by a 286/386 memory manager, use the mapping | service of the manager to examine high memory. For example, | switch /M of 386MAX (Qualitas), version 4.09, should display | the following listing for an upper-memory loading of the 386 | release of BLANKs: | | High DOS Memory | ------------------------------------------------------------ | Hex Hex Hex Decimal | Name Start End Owner Length Interrupt Numbers | ------------------------------------------------------------ | hex# hex# -UMB- 48 | hex# hex# -UMB- 752 08 09 10 13 33 | ------------------------------------------------------------ | | Alternatively, MANIFEST (Quaterdeck), version 1.00, provides | the following listing for the same high-memory loading: | | hex# - hex# 0.1K (yyyy) | hex# - hex# 0.8K (zzzz) | | where name 'zzzz' is also listed as owning the interrupts: | | hex#: (zzzz) 08 09 10 13 33 | -------- * /W - Password unblanking: A selected sequence of 1 to 15 nonshifted alphanumeric characters, followed by a <right-Shift> keypress, must be typed to unblank the video after MANUAL blanking. The rebooting with <Ctrl-Alt-Del> is suppressed. Notice that pass- word unblanking is not needed upon timed screen blanking; once enabled, password unblaking can be disabled with switch "/W-". * /Wx Specify from the command line a password, in which x is a string of 1 to 15 nonshifted, pure alphanumeric (0-9 a-z) characters. * /W? Request to specify a new password of up to 15 nonshifted, pure alphanumeric characters. After these characters have been typed, press <ENTER> to make this password resident; press <Esc> to avoid changing the password or press <Ctrl Break> to quit to DOS. The typed characters can be erased with the <Backspace> key. NOTE: If <Enter> is pressed before any valid character is typed, the unblanking of the manual blanking of the video will occur only after pressing the <Right-Shift> key. * /W- Disable password unblanking. * /W+ Re-enable use of the resident password (if a password had not been loaded, the video will unblank only when <Right- Shift> is pressed). This is the default condition when an argument is not specified for this switch (/W = /W+). -------- /? - Invokes a brief syntax and status display that identifies the type of adapter detected and the program settings. Once here, pressing <F1> or <H> shows a more detailed description on the program usage (except in a special release of BLANKs for disk less/laptop machines, which is some 8,000 bytes smaller). When BLANKs has not been installed, pressing <F2> or <M> shows the default parameters. When it is installed, pressing <F2> or <M> yields a 1-sec interval for testing purposes; the original interval is restored after any keypress to unblank the screen. When switch ? is requested and a EGA or VGA adapter is present the program tries to read and save the contents of the palette registers prior to asserting its own attribute palette for the display. For the EGA, the program uses a 'Parameter Save Area' that the EGA BIOS can use to store the contents of the palette and the border (overscan) register, so that these contents can be restored upon exiting the panel. If the EGA fails to store the data, the default DOS palette is loaded. Press <Esc> to go back to the prior screen at any time. Press <F7> or <X> to return to the DOS prompt. Mouse support is also provided for point-and-click key selections. During display of the Help/Syntax/Status panels, the BLANKs resident ignores any activity via interrupt 33h. ---------------- C. Comments may be added in the command line after the desired switches after being preceded by a semicolon. Such comments, which may be useful in clarifying batch files, are ignored by BLANKs. Do not use the redirection (<>) and pipe (|) characters in the comments, as DOS will attempt to implement the implied redirection or pipe request in an unpredictable manner. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.0 THE ENVIRONMENT VARIABLE 'BLANKS' Starting with version 3.14, when BLANKs is executed without any arguments from either the DOS command line or a batch file, the program switches can be specified via a DOS environment variable 'BLANKS' having the format: BLANKS=/SWITCH1/SWITCH2..../SWITCHn Up to 128 characters are allowed after the equal sign. This string can be placed in the DOS environment block via the SET command or via switch /E. While the SET command modifies the default environment block, whether it is the global or a local one, switch /E always modifies the global environment block (even when BLANKs is executed via a secondary copy of COMMAND.COM, as in the case of shelling to DOS from inside an application). Note that local environment blocks (i.e. a secondary COMMAND) are only a copy of the master global block and lack sufficient room to increase the length of a variable; hence, when the default block is a local one, switch /E does not modify it. In contrast, when reading the environment variable, the program always uses the default environment block. NOTE: See the file DOS_ENV.TXT, distributed in this release, for a more detailed description of the DOS environment block. This variable can be used to specify a BLANKs default configuration (e.g., /H+/P-/W-/HB8), which can be restored just by executing BLANKs without any arguments after a temporary change of parameters. An especially important use of the 'BLANKS=' variable, particularly since the removal of switch /C in version 3.17, is to change the hotkey combination when the default keys conflict with those of a foreground application. -------- 3.1 HIGH-MEMORY RESIDENT INSTALLATION DIRECT UMB LOADING Starting with version 3.20, BLANKs can install itself directly into high conventionl memory (RAM addresses between 640 kb and 1,024 kb) via switch /L. Such a loading is mediated by an XMS manager (XMM) version 2.0, that must be installed prior to the loading, of the type HIMEM.SYS (Microsoft) Some 386-memory managers (386^MAX version 4.09 and QEMM version 5.11, for example) provide XMS support as well. All XMMs require a DOS version 3.0 or later. For the loading to be successful, an upper memory block (UMB) of the size of the BLANKs resident, plus an additional 48-byte block used by the XMM, must be available. | Switch /Ln, where A000 ≤ n ≤ FFFF (hexadecimal), allows the specification | of a lower high-memory bound for the UMB, to avoid high-memory areas with | a very slow access time. | Hence, compared to the high-memory installation provided by some (but not | all) memory managers, direct UMB loading has two major advantages: (1) it | does not need an initial free block of high memory the size of the entire | program, as opposed to the resident size, to be available, and (2) allows | some user control on the selection of the high-memory block. LOADING VIA 386-MEMORY MANAGERS BLANKs can be installed in high memory via a 386-specific memory manager also, provided that there is enough high memory for the *actual* size of the program, plus any additional memory required by the loading utility. BLANKs is a compressed file that expands upon execution. The difference between the loaded and directory sizes may produce conflicts with high- memory loading programs that fail to measure the actual size of the file being loaded. When there is not enough high memory to permit expansion, but there is enough memory for the nominal directory size, such programs will load the compressed utility and its subsequent expansion will over- write adjacent memory and crash the computer. Note that when switch /?, /H?, or /W? has been selected, 4,302 bytes of additional RAM are needed. 3.1.1 HIGH-MEMORY UPDATING Starting with version 3.00, BLANKs does not require a high-memory loading utility to update its own resident component, and all updates can be made via normal DOS-command line or batch-file calls. This obviates one of the major restrictions in using high-memory UMB installation, namely the need to maintain a pool of free high-memory to load the entire program just to update a small resident component. 3.1.2 HIGH-MEMORY DEALLOCATION Notice that when switch /U is requested from the normal DOS command line (as opposed to via a high-memory utility), the resident shall be removed from memory even if it was installed in the high-memory UMB region. (The confirmation request of versions 3.00 to 3.16 is no longer required.) When the resident is removed via a high-memory utility, notice that some of these utilities warn that a "resident installation has failed." Such warnings are harmless and may be ignored. -------- 3.2 INTERCEPTED INTERRUPTS BLANKs intercepts interrupts 8h (system timer), 9h (keyboard), 10h (BIOS video), 13h (BIOS disk), and 33h (mouse driver [Microsoft/Logitech Mouse format]). A brief description of these interrupts is given below: - Interrupt 8h is issued 18.2 times every second to update the time-of-the- day counter in the BIOS data area. Since a timer interrupt can thus only operate within a period of about 55 ms or less, including the overhead of DOS and other utilities hooking the timer, BLANKs uses direct commands to the video hardware (written in assembly language), which are issued after the original timer interrupt is served. - Interrupt 9h is issued when a key on the keyboard is pressed or released. If the hotkey service is enabled (see switch /H+), the screen is blanked when the hotkey combination is pressed. The hotkey code is removed from the keyboard buffer. A keypress unblanking the timed or manually blanked screen is also removed from this buffer (version 3.12+); any other keys, however, are passed along for keyboard processing. - Interrupt 10h mediates BIOS video services. Screen blanking is suppressed during video activity, but this activity does not unblank the screen once blanking has occurred. Due to the monitoring, video speed is decreased by a small percentage. - Interrupt 13h is used to mediate a variety of BIOS disk services. If hard disk parking is enabled (see switch /P below), parking on screen blanking is inhibited during BIOS disk(ette) activity. NOTE: Interrupt 13h is not intercepted in a special version of BLANKs for computers that lack a hard disk; the version is smaller than the standard 086 or 286 versions by ca. 100 bytes in the resident (and several kbytes in the nonresident) part. - Interrupt 33h (which is not used by DOS or the BIOS) is used in Microsoft and Logitech implementations of calls to the Mouse driver. This interrupt is claimed by the driver during its initialization and it is used by some mouse-based programs. 3.2.1 BYPASSING INTERRUPTS BLANKs bypasses interrupt 8 when a blanking interval of 0 minute has been selected (see below). Interrupt 9 is bypassed only when an interval of 0 minute and switch /H- (see above) have been selected. When switch /H- has been selected along with a nonzero time interval, only the hotkey service of interrupt 9 is bypassed. Hence, the two interrupt activities of BLANKs are bypassed by the "0 /H-" selection; this may be of use in case of testing potential conflicts with other resident programs. Interrupts 10h (BIOS video) and 13h (BIOS disk) cannot be bypassed by any of the switches, while interrupt 33h can be bypassed by switch /M-. -------- 3.3 OPERATION REQUIREMENTS & CONFLICTS BLANKs will fail to operate properly when access to interrupts 8 and 9 is denied by another program or resident loaded after BLANKs. This can occur with ill-behaved utilities that take over the interrupts and fail to pass the information to those other utilities tapping the same interrupts. In particular, if access to interrupt-9 data is denied, keyboard activity shall fail to unblank the screen once it is blanked. When testing for in- compatibilities with a given program, be sure that any program that fails to allow for manual blanking when <Ctrl-B> is pressed, will permit screen unblanking after a timed blanking. Programs that fail to pass information from interrupts 8 *and* 9 are less of a problem in the sense that neither manual nor timed blanking are likely to be allowed. To monitor interrupt 33h, BLANKs must be installed after the mouse device driver, as otherwise this driver will not allow access to this interrupt. Note also that the driver for a well known mouse can freeze the system if interrupt 33h is in use at the time of installing the driver; the problem does not seem to occur with other drivers (e.g., Logitech's MOUSE.COM). Since the BIOS video services are comparatively slow, many programs write directly to video memory instead of using the BIOS services. Because such video writes are not detected by BLANKs, screen blanking may occur during during the video activity of the programs. Similarly, any mouse activity implemented by commands that bypass interrupt 33h will not avoid blanking of the screen (as in the case of some desktop publishing programs). -------- 3.4 ERRORLEVELS Starting with version 2.40, BLANKs passes to DOS errorlevels values that can be used to test the outcome of BLANKs commands via a batch file. The following errorlevels apply for version 3.21 and higher: Value Nature of Error ----- ------------------------------------ 255 Cyclical redundancy check failure 255 CPU type cannot execute 286+ version 128 XMM not installed or XMS error in UMB load 64 Error in update of environment variable 32 Invalid password format 16 Invalid hotkey combination 8 Unknown video adapter 4 Unable to uninstall resident 2 Invalid switch request 1 User <CTRL-BREAK> keypress 0 Successful execution Some conditions generating errorlevels 128 through 1 may be additive and the resulting errorlevel may represent the sum of their values. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SINGLE USER (BBS-DISTRIBUTED) LICENSE AGREEMENT REGISTRATION These programs and the documentations (the "software") are the copyrighted property of FM de Monasterio (the "author"), who provides the software and licenses its use. Neither the title to nor ownership of this software are transferred to you by such a license, and both are retained by the author. All rights are reserved. The software is user-supported; the enclosed release, although lacking the options marked by asterisks, is a fully usable program. You may test this release for (in)compatibilities with your system, but after the testing is completed you are requested to order a registered release of this software from the address below. Alternatively, to continue use of this unregistered copy, send to the same address a US$5.00 check marked "For Deposit Only," and payable to "PATIENT CARE FUND, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL" of Washington, DC. Unregistered users who donate to this fund may legally keep such a copy under the injunctions and limitations described below. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- * BLANKS.REG contains a form needed to register or upgrade this software * -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Refer all inquiries about the software to: FM de Monasterio P.O. Box 219 Cabin John, MD 20818-0219 LICENSE Upon registration you receive a non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the software. Two types of license are available: Single User License: Upon registration/upgrade you are granted a nontransferable license to use the software in a single computer at a time. You may transfer the software physically to another computer provided that the software is then not used on more than one computer at any time. Site/10-Computer License: Upon registration/upgrade you are granted a nontransferable license to use the software in a single site or a set of sites provided that the software is not used in more than ten computers at any time and that such computers are located exclusively within the registered site(s). UPGRADES Within the same major version: Registered software users can upgrade free of charge within the same major version (e.g., 2.00 through 2.99). Outside the same major version: Registered users can upgrade for half the the license fee for a different version of the software. To upgrade send a self-addressed stamped diskette mailer with the original 360 kb diskette to the address above, along with the upgrade form. SUPPORT Limited technical support is provided to registered users. If you discover a problem, please try to replicate it under the same conditions and, then, in the absence of other resident programs. (Changes in the order residents are installed sometimes solve conflicts.) If the problem can be replicated please write at the address above providing: - Your name and address. - Program version number (see the Syntax/Help panel). - Computer model and configuration, and hardware used. - A sufficiently detailed description of the problem. - A list of resident and nonresident programs in use, and their sequence of loading into memory. Messages may be left C/O Sysop at: The DC Information Exchange BBS ~~~~~~~~~ 202-433-6639, Sysop: Bill Walsh (2400+ baud). INJUNCTIONS You may distribute this software via magnetic and/or electronic means, but you are specifically prohibited from: - Charging fees or asking donations in exchange of or payment for copies of the software. - Distributing this software with commercial products without the written permission from the author. - Distributing this software via a for-profit organization or group, either alone or with other software. The unauthorized copying, decompiling or disassembling of this software is prohibited; any other use of this software is prohibited without a written permission in advance from the author. LIMITED WARRANTY The author-copyright owner warrants for a period of thirty (30) days from the date of delivery that, under normal use and without any modification, the programs substantially conform to the accompanying specifications and that the documentation is substantially complete and contains information the author deems necessary to use the programs. If, during the thirty-day period, a demonstrable defect in the programs, magnetic medium upon which they are distributed, or documentation should appear, you may return this software for repair or replacement, at the author's option. If the defect cannot be repaired, or the software replaced with functionally equivalent software, within sixty (60) days of the author's receipt of the defective software, then you shall be entitled to a full refund of the license fee, but not of the mailing/handling costs described in the registration form. All other warranties of any kind, either express or implied,including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for for as a particular purpose, are expressly excluded. The author cannot and does not warrant that any function contained in the programs will meet your requirements, or that the operation will be error free. The entire risk as to the software performance or quality, or both, is solely with the user, and not with the author. LIMITATION OF REMEDIES You assume responsibility for the selection of the program to achieve your intended results, and for the installation, use, and results obtained from the software. The author makes no warranty, either implied or expressed, including with- out limitation any warranty with respect to this software documented here, its quality, performance, or fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall the author be liable to you for damages, whether direct or indirect, incidental, special, or consequential arising out the use of or any defect in the software, even if the author has been advised of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim by any other party. The author's entire liability, and your exclusive remedy shall be: (1) the replacement of an original software diskette not meeting the above Limited Warranty and which is returned to the author along with proof of purchase, or (2), if the author is unable to deliver a replacement diskette which is free of defects, you may terminate the License Agreement by returning this software and the corresponding license fee will be returned. GENERAL By using the software, you acknowledge (1) to have read and understood all parts of this document and (2) to have agreed with and accepted all of its provisions without any reservation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [END]