Current Shareware 1994 January/SHAR194.ISO/modem/fterm113.zip/FTERM113.EXE/FRACTERM.DOC

Text File | 1992-09-23 | 19KB | 464 lines

                              FracTerm
                 Real-time Graphics Terminal Software
                          Copyright (c) 1992
                             Fracterm Inc.

                           What is FracTerm?

   FracTerm is a communcations program, with a twist.  Like many other
communications programs, FracTerm uses ANSI terminal emulation, allows
file transfers using the Zmodem protocol, has a dialing directory,
settings menu, and several other features.

   What sets FracTerm apart from the rest, however, is its ability to
view fractally compressed images.  So what's the big deal about fractally
compressed images?  Well, consider being able to send a clear, full-color
image over a communications line in as little as 6 seconds.

   Sounds impossible, or at least unlikely?  Well, until recently, it was.
Now, thanks to a method known as fractal transform technology, it is not
just possible, it is here.

   Now that we have the technology, what can be done with it?  Well, the
commercial applications are virtually unlimited.  A simple example would
be in the real estate field.  A potential customer could call in, from
his or her own living room, and see actual photographs of the houses
available, without ever having a saleperson involved.

   However, this, in itself, is a limited approach - little more than
looking at pictures.  We've taken the idea one step further.  To continue
the real estate example, wouldn't it be nice if the user could select the
type of house they were looking for, and the price range, and then only
see the pictures that related to their needs?

   Our FracTerm program offers this capability and more.  Using a simple
three level structure, the user can easily track down exactly what they
want, and only receive the images that apply to them.

   However, that is not the end of FracTerm's talents.  Along with each
image can be a text file, which will be sent along with the image, and
which the user can view while viewing the image.


                        How does FracTerm work?

   Well, there are two modes of operation for FracTerm.  The default
mode, the mode FracTerm starts up in, is called terminal mode.  From
here, you can change your configuration, call a remote system, or exit
FracTerm.

   The other mode is the online store, or catalogue mode.  In this mode
you can take advantage of the fractal images, graphical interface, and
the other special features.

      Commands available in terminal mode

   From the terminal mode screen, you can access the following functions.

      Dialing Directory

         Under this menu, you can add, delete, insert, or sort the names
         and numbers of remote systems, or you can call a remote system.
         This menu is available by pressing ALT+D.  Note that if you
         are already connected to a remote system, this menu
         will not appear.

      Settings Menu

         Under this menu, you can change your communications port,
         modem baud rate, initialization, dialling and hangup strings,
         and one or two other minor options.  This menu is available
         by pressing ALT+S

      Exit FracTerm

         You can exit FracTerm from the terminal screen by pressing
         ALT+X.  If you are still connected to a remote system,
         a message window will pop up asking you if you really want
         to exit.

      Hangup Modem

         You can hangup the modem from the terminal window by pressing
         ALT+H.  Note that if you are still connected to a remote system,
         a message area will pop up asking you if you really want to
         disconnect.

      Miscellaneous Functions

         Currently there is only one other useful function available
         from terminal mode.  If you press CTRL+F1, the screen will
         clear, and a message saying "Coreleft: xxxxx" will appear.

         If you plan to use the FracTerm online store mode, you should
         try this and note the numeric value returned.  If the value
         is less than about 300,000 you will likely not be able to
         view any images, as the decompression routines require a
         lot of free memory.



                  A closer examination of terminal mode menus

                              Dialing menu

   The dialing menu allows you to manipulate a small phone book, with
names and phone numbers.  You can add, delete, edit, or sort the entries
in the phone book.

   If you look at the bottom of the screen, you will see a number of
highlighted options.  In order to access the function you want, simply
press the highlighted key.  For example, to sort the dialing directory,
press S.  Not all of the options are currently functional.  The ones that
are will be discussed here.

   Edit

      This allows you to edit an entry.  A window will pop up on the
      screen, with a highlight bar to show you which field is currently
      being edited.  You can move around the entries using the cursor
      keys.

      Once you have finished editing an entry, you must decide whether
      to accept or discard the changes.  To save them, press F10.  To
      throw them away, press the ESC key.

   Sort

      Using this option, you can sort the entries in the phone book.  In
      order to use this, there must be at least three entries with data in
      them.  Currently, the sort is automatic, sorting on the name field.

   Insert

      This allows you to insert a blank entry just ahead of the currently
      hilighted entry.  It presumes that there is still at least one free
      slot available in the directory, which is currently set to a
      maximum of 45 entries.

   Delete

      This allows you to delete an entry from the dialing directory.  If
      the entry actually contains data, a message window will pop up
      asking if you really want to delete the entry.

   Dial

      This is the final supported function.  To dial the currently hilighted
      entry, simply press RETURN or ENTER.  Near the bottom of the screen,
      a message saying "Dialing xxx-xxx" will become visible.  This message
      will remain visible until one of three things happens - you press
      a key, the attempt to connect fails, or the attempt to connect
      succeeds.

      If the dial succeeds, and you actually connect to a remote system,
      the entire dialing directory is removed from the screen, and you are
      placed back in terminal mode, where you can interact with the remote
      system.

      If the dial fails, or if you press a key, the "Dialing xxx-xxxx"
      message disappears, but you remain in the dialing directory,
      where you can either dial again, or select a different entry
      to call, or you can exit.


                              Settings Menu

   The settings menu allows you to configure FracTerm for your system,
selecting such things as the port your modem is connected to, the
baud rate at which your modem communicates, and the commands necessary
to dial, initialize, or hang up your modem.

   Init String

      This is the string needed to initialize your modem.  This depends
      on the make and model of your modem.  A typical example might be:

         AT E0 X3 &C1 M1 L3

   Dial String

      This is the string needed to dial your modem.  Generally, this will
      be either ATDT (for touch-tone dialing) or ATDP (for pulse dialing).

      However, you may have a PBX system that requires a 9 followed by
      a pause, or some similar setup, and this is where you set the
      options necessary for your system.  Note that any special requirements
      will depend upon your make and model of modem.

   Hangup String

      This is the string needed to hang up your modem.  Generally, the
      string

         ~~~+++ATH0

      will do the job, but your particular modem may differ.  For those of
      you whose modems need to have DTR lowered to hang up, this is done
      automatically.

   Com Port

      This is the port through which your modem communicates.  The valid
      range is 1 to 4.

   Baud Rate

      This is the speed at which your modem communicates.  For example,
      if you have a 1200 baud modem, set this value to 1200.  For those
      of you with the newer high-speed modems, you can set the baud
      rate to 38400 and it will remain locked at that rate.




                          The online catalogue


   For commercial purposes, this is the most important mode.  As an end
user, you cannot directly access this mode.  It is started automatically
by the remote system, assuming it is configured for use by our FracBBS
software package.

   This mode is entirely graphical, with simple, easy to navigate menus
and controls.  When it first starts, you will see a graphical menu, with
a blue box in the top left, displaying the remote system's name and
licensing information.

   At the top right of the screen, you will see a number of button
controls, and near the bottom, you will see a list of categories ("areas")
to choose from.

   A real estate system may have a list of areas similar to the following:

      Townhouses
      Duplexes
      Condominiums
      Single-level houses
      Multi-level houses
      Commercial properties

   You can move the hilight bar with the cursor keys, selecting one of the
categories by pressing ENTER.  If you look at the middle right of the screen,
you will see a message saying "Requesting file" followed by "Initializing",
then a list of percentage values up to 100%.  If everything works according
to plan, this should finish with a message saying "Transfer complete".

   Once the requested information is available for use, the sub-categories
("dirs") are displayed, and you can then select from them.  In our example,
if you had chosen "Townhouses" as an area, the dir list might be something
like:

      Under $50,000
      $50,000 - $100,000
      $100,000 - $250,000
      $250,000 - $500,000
      Over $500,000

   Now, you can select the appropriate subcategory, or dir, to examine, and
press ENTER.  The information for that dir is requested, and will then be
displayed.  Had you picked the "$100,000 - $250,000" dir, you might see
a list as follows:

      Four rooms, two baths, fireplace, jacuzzi
      Three rooms, near school, needs repairs
      Brand new five rooms, near downtown

   Finally, you can select the appropriate item and press ENTER.  A last
file request, and in a very few seconds, your image will be displayed, as
well as any text that comes along with it.

   With the image and text on the screen, you can use the cursor keys to
move around the text display, or you can use the button commands to either
navigate the dir and area tree, zoom the image, or exit to terminal mode.

   Two of the buttons, Previous and Next, work in the current dir.  If
you are viewing, say, the third image in the current dir, pressing previous
will display the second image, requesting it from the remote system if
needed.  Similarly, the Next button would advance you to the fourth, then
the fifth, image in the current dir.

   The Dir button allows you to "back up" one level, so that you can change
   your dir selection - from "$100,000 - $250,000" to "over $500,000", say.

   The Area button allows you to jump back to the first menu, so that you
   could change from "Townhouses" to "Commercial properties".

   The Zoom button allows you to expand the image to full-screen, where it
   will remain until you press a key.

   Lastly, the Exit button will shut down the catalogue, returning you to
   text mode and normal remote interaction.

   So how do you use the buttons?  Simple.  One letter on each button is
highlited, by a captial letter and an underline.  To activate the associated
function, simply press the highlighted letter.  So, to zoom the image,
you would just press 'Z'.


                          Auto-View Mode

   FracTerm also supports an interactive image viewing mode which does
not require that the remote system has a complete online catalogue set
up.

   Let's say all you wanted to do is view the images in a given area.
All you would have to do is tell the remote system to send '*.FIF',
or perhaps 'NAME*.FIF', and it will send all the appropriate images.

   As soon as FracTerm sees the '.FIF' extension on a filename, it
puts the name in a queue, and pops up the interface.

   From within the interface, in this mode, the Area and Dir buttons
have no effect.  Exit, Zoom, Previous and Next are operational, and
work just as they do in the online catalogue.

   There is also an added feature in this mode that is not available in
catalogue mode.  The image names are stored in a queue, so that you can
move forwards and backwards through the images.  But, you may well have
a dozen or more images, and you may wish to quickly move to the last (or
the first) image, without viewing all the intermediate images.

   No problem.  To jump to the first image in the list, press CTRL-P.
To jump to the last image, press CTRL-N.

   One thing to note here.  The queue is maintained during multiple
downloads, and even during multiple calls.  So, if you have downloaded
one set of images, then exit the interface and start to download another,
don't be surprised if the first image displayed is not the one you
expected.  It will be the last one you viewed, not the first of the
new batch.

   One last note about this mode.  There is currently no method to pop
up the interface in this mode once you have exited it.  This means that
you cannot, for example, download 200 images, view 10, exit to terminal
mode, disconnect the modem, then return to your viewing.  We do hope
to add this in the near future, but its not there yet.


                        Installing FracTerm

   Installing FracTerm is a simple process.  First, copy all the files
into an empty directory on your hard disk.  We'll use C:\FRACTERM as an
example.

   There is a small utility, called "WHICHVGA.COM", that comes with FracTerm.
It is used to determine what video adapter you have, so that we can make
the most of your video support.  Simply run WHICHVGA, and it will tell you
what VGA adapter you have.  The currently supported cards are:

         ATI VGA Wonder series                  (ISIATI88.SYS)
         Tseng 3000 (eg Orchid Prodesigner)     (ISITSNG3.SYS)
         Tseng 4000 (eg Pixel Turbo)            (ISITSNG4.SYS)
         Paradise                               (ISIPRDS.SYS)
         Trident 8900                           (ISITRI89.SYS)

   If you have a supported video card, note the filename in parentheses
beside your card.  This file is a device driver, which we need to support
extended graphics capabilities on your system.

   Using a text editor, edit the file C:\CONFIG.SYS.  At some point in
the file, add a new line to it, reading:

      DEVICE=C:\FRACTERM\ISIATI88.SYS

   Remember to change "C:\FRACTERM\" to the directory where you are installing
fracterm, and to change "ISIATI88.SYS" to the appropriate filename for your
video card.  For example, if you installed FracTerm into E:\TEMP, and you
have a Paradise video card, your new line in C:\CONFIG.SYS would read:

      DEVICE=E:\TEMP\ISIPRDS.SYS

   Save the changes to the file, exit your text editor, and reboot your
system.  You should see the device driver install, and away you go.  You
can now run FracTerm in high-resolution, 256 color mode.

   If you don't have a supported video card, or cannot get the device driver
to install, no fear.  FracTerm will still work for you.  The only difference
is that unless zoomed, the images will only be displayed in 11 colours,
instead of 251.



                           WARNINGS

   FracTerm requires a minimum of an 80286-based system with a VGA video
card.  Any attempt to run it on an 80186 or 8086/8088 system, or a system
eqipped with an MDA, Hercules, CGA or EGA video card will lead to
unpredictable results - it may work in terminal mode, it will NOT work
properly in catalogue mode.

   FracTerm uses its own internal multitasking.  This makes it almost
impossible to run under another multitasking environment such as Microsoft
Windows.

   FracTerm also does not like most disk-caching software.  Specifically,
do not try to run FracTerm with a write-back or staged-write disk cache.
Remove the disk cache first, or, if you forget, exit FracTerm and then
remove or disable the cache.  Do not try to disable the cache from
within FracTerm.

   Lastly,  we have no idea how FracTerm may react to a number of other
possible hardware or software combinations.  It has been found to work,
albeit unreliably, when run under Lantastic network software.  It may
or may not work on a PS/2, or in systems with more than one video card,
or with certain TSR programs.

   If you find a situation in which FracTerm simply will not run, please
jot down your system configuration, with the contents of your CONFIG.SYS
and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, plus any other information you may feel is relevant,
and we'll see what we can do.


                     A few notes to keep in mind

   One glitch that has been reported but currently is unfixed (our devlopers
haven't been able to duplicate the glitch) is that FracTerm will sometimes
not work the first time you run it.  It will either drop you to DOS, or
will display an error message ("Abnormal program termination - CTask
uninstalled") and then drop you to DOS.  In these cases, simply re-running
FracTerm generally seems to solve the problem.

   When in catalogue mode, it is possible that a file may not be received
correctly, in which case, you should see a message in the blue status bar
saying "Transfer failed".  Rather than trying to use a corrupt file, FracTerm
deletes the file.  Simply selecting the same file again should make it work.

   If you have a fairly slow system, and a high-speed modem, you may get
more errors than you might otherwise expect.  This could be because of the
overhead in the multitasker.  There is a fix for this: you need to get
a special chip, called a "16550 UART", for your serial port.  Any
computer store should be able to get this for you and install it for you.




                       Quick Key Summary

   Terminal mode:

      ALT-C     Clear Screen
      ALT-D     Dialing directory
      ALT-H     Hangup modem
      ALT-S     Settings menu
      ALT-X     Exit FracTerm
      CTRL-F1   Find free memory (should be at least 300,000)

      Note: ANSI cursor keys and function keys are supported in
            terminal mode.

   Catalogue mode:

      A         Go to main area listing
      D         Go to dir listing for current area
      E         Exit calatlogue mode
      N         Select next image in current dir
      P         Select previous image in current dir
      Z         Zoom

      Note: pressing ESC will "back up" one level - from images to the
            dir list, and from the dir list to the area list.