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1995-02-06
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LegRoom (tm) Version 3.0
(C) Copyright 1992-95 Phil Grenetz
Marketed by Ivden Technologies, Inc.
Churchville, PA
_______
____|__ | (R)
--| | |------------------- Thanks,
| ____|__ | Association of
| | |_| Shareware Phil Grenetz
|__| o | Professionals Ivden Technologies, Inc.
-----| | |---------------------
|___|___| MEMBER
==============================================================================
TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------
1. INTRODUCTION TO LEGROOM
2. SHAREWARE CONCEPT
3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
4. PACKING LIST
5. INSTALLATION
6. HOW TO USE LEGROOM
7. USAGE NOTES
8. DISCLAIMER
9. DISTRIBUTION POLICY AND LICENSE
10. WHY AND HOW TO BECOME A REGISTERED USER
11. CLOSING WORD
1. INTRODUCTION TO LEGROOM
-----------------------
LegRoom Ver. 3.0 is a TSR maker and task swapper for DOS-based
personal computers.
LegRoom is published by Ivden Technologies, Inc. as part of its
line of memory resident utilities. LegRoom was designed to solve
two problems:
a) shelling to DOS from programs that don't have a DOS shell
function
b) shelling from programs whose shell function gives too little
memory at the DOS prompt to do any useful work.
LegRoom allows you to Shell to DOS from any text and most
graphic applications. It loads as a TSR (Terminate and Stay
Resident) program and is triggered when you press a hot key.
LegRoom also lets you make any program (even a DOS batch file) pop
up as a TSR when you press the hot keys.
In addition, starting with Version 3.0, LegRoom allows you to create
a menu which will pop up and present you with up to 9 program commands
(and the DOS prompt) to select from when triggered by pressing the hot
keys.
LegRoom will run under DOS 2.0 and up.
2. SHAREWARE CONCEPT
-----------------
"Shareware" is a term used to describe a system for distribution of
software. Under the shareware concept, software may be freely
copied and passed along to others, or distributed through bulletin
board systems, shareware distribution companies, etc.
As a recipient of a shareware program, you may use the software for
a short trial period to determine if it meets your needs. If it
does, you pay the registration fee. By paying the fee, you are
granted the right to retain the software for your use. If the
software is not suitable, then you may discard it.
The shareware system provides substantial benefits to the computing
community (of which YOU are a member):
a) You get to try out the software BEFORE you buy it so you know
exactly what you're buying.
b) Shareware is substantially less expensive than most commercial
programs. You don't pay for costly marketing programs and
fancy packaging.
c) You get access to a MUCH broader base of available programs.
Thousands of excellent programs have been written by expert
programmers who would never consider marketing commercially.
Through the concept of shareware, these people make their
programs available to the community. Usually, all they ask in
return is a small fee to reward them for the time and effort
they've put into the program.
The system is based entirely on the honor system, and generally
works quite well. (Most people are honest and wouldn't violate the
trust placed in them by the author of the software.)
Shareware is NOT free software - the author counts on your
integrity. See Why and How to Become a Registered User.
You are encouraged to copy this software and pass it along to
others who may be interested in using it.
3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
---------------
LegRoom(tm) was developed by Phil Grenetz and is published by
Ivden Technologies, Inc. as part of a line of memory resident
utilities.
(c) Copyright 1992-95 Phil Grenetz
4. PACKING LIST
------------
LEGROOM.EXE Executable File
SAMPLE.MNU Sample Menu File you can Edit and Use
REGISTER.FRM Registration Form
README.1ST Conventional Documentation File
UPDATE.DOC Release History (changes since initial version)
VENDOR.DOC Shareware Vendor Distribution Policy Statement
BBS.DOC Bulletin Board Distribution Policy Statement
SUPPORT.DOC Tech Support Policy
OMBUDSMN.DOC ASP Ombudsman Statement
FEEDBACK.DOC Sample Comments from Users of LegRoom
FILE_ID.DIZ Old Standard Product Description File
VENDINFO.DIZ New Standard Product Description File
5. INSTALLATION
------------
Install the program by following these steps:
a) Copy the file LGROOM30.ZIP to the directory of your choice
b) Extract the compressed contents by using the shareware
decompression program PKUNZIP. If you don't have a copy,
you can probably get one where you obtained LegRoom. You can
download it from most BBSs and info services, e.g., CompuServe.
6. HOW TO USE LEGROOM
------------------
LegRoom runs on any IBM compatible computer running MS-DOS,
Version 2.0 and up, or 100% compatible operating system.
The most powerful way to use LegRoom is to create a menu which will
pop up when you press the hot keys. See the file sample.mnu included
with the package as an example. Edit it with any editor that can read
and write ASCII text files. You may include up to nine (9) commands,
including executable programs or batch files, in the following format:
Command Name = drive:\path\progname.[exe|com|bat] parameters
Command Name is the text displayed in the menu presented when you
press the hot keys. The actual command specification to the right of
the equal sign ('=') is executed if the cooresponding menu option is
selected. It is not displayed as part of the menu.
In addition to the commands you include in the menu file, LegRoom
automatically adds "Shell to DOS" as an option above the others.
In order for LegRoom to present the command menu when you press the hot
keys, it must know what the menu file is named and where to find it.
When LegRoom is triggered, it looks for a menu file identified by the
LR_DATA environment variable. It is recommended that you set this
variable in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file so that it is set automatically
whenever you boot your computer. Otherwise, the menu will not appear.
Load LegRoom by entering the command LEGROOM from the directory
where you installed it. You can also add that command to your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file to load LEGROOM whenever you boot your computer.
That way, it will stay in memory for use whenever you need it.
When you press the hot keys, the current application is suspended.
It is moved to a holding area in extended memory, expanded memory,
or your hard disk, depending on which is available.
The program, its data, video memory, mouse and floating point
coprocessor state, and your current drive and directory are saved.
If you shell to DOS, type EXIT when you are finished running other
programs. You will be returned to the suspended application. If,
instead, you launched another application from LegRoom, you will, on
termination, be automatically returned to the suspended application.
Its state is restored to that saved prior to pressing the hot keys.
LegRoom auto-detects the presence of extended and expanded
memory and takes advantage of them. If available, it loads itself
into expanded memory, taking up less than 2 KB of conventional memory.
You needn't have an expanded memory board to have expanded memory.
Memory managers such as EMM386, QEMM386, 386MAX, and Memory Commander
emulate expanded memory for applications which call for it.
There are nine (9) command line parameters you can use to control the
behavior of LegRoom. These parameters are described below:
LEGROOM [/D | /N] [/H] [/P] [/M] [/R=p] [/B=p] [/U] [/?],
where:
/D creates a temporary disk file for holding the current
application, instead of using extended or expanded memory
/N uses extended memory, if available, for holding the
current application, but DOES NOT use expanded memory
(this makes it run compatibly with QEMM in 'stealth' mode
and the NetWare driver EMSNET)
/H prompts you for hot keys other than the default,
Ctrl-Shift-0, to press when you want to trigger LegRoom
/P suppress replacement of DOS prompt when shelling,
for users of DOS shell replacements (e.g., 4DOS) with
special prompt features
/M disable protection against swapping out TSRs loaded after
LegRoom (for special situations -- see discussion below)
/R=p causes any program or DOS batch file to be run when the
hot keys are pressed (p is the complete path and file
specification, including .exe, .com, or .bat extension,
and optional command line) -- control returns to the
suspended application automatically
/B=p works just like /R=p except that it's only for batch files
and it does not automatically return to the suspended
application
/U unloads LegRoom from memory (you cannot unload it when
you have shelled to DOS using it)
/? displays help information without loading LegRoom.
To trigger LegRoom, press the default hot keys or the hot keys
you pressed when prompted if you used the /H parameter as described
above. If you took the default hot keys, use the '0' on the row of
standard number keys on your keyboard, NOT THE NUMERIC KEYPAD.
7. USAGE NOTES
-----------
You can load LegRoom into upper memory with the "load high"
facilities of a memory manager. This saves a small amount of
conventional memory. The amount of the savings is greater when using
the /N or /D switch. These switches prevent a 386 based memory
manager from loading most of LegRoom into expanded memory.
Ctrl-Break is disabled at the new DOS prompt after triggering
LegRoom. Use Ctrl-C instead of Ctrl-Break to break out of a
process launched from the new DOS prompt.
DON'T SHELL FROM A SHELL! If you loaded LegRoom without the /R=
switch, you cannot trigger LegRoom when at the DOS prompt. This
would be a waste of memory or disk space. However, LegRoom does
not detect the presence of a DOS prompt created by using a program's
built-in shell feature. Use one or the other, but not both.
You can use LegRoom from multitasking environments such as
DesqView and Microsoft Windows. The advantages of LegRoom are
greatest in a single tasking DOS environment. If you decide to use
LegRoom in a multitasking environment, be sure to load it from within
a DOS 'box' or DOS 'window', NOT before entering the environment!
Do not use LegRoom to shell from a communication program while
transferring data. Shelling with LegRoom suspends the current
application. It does NOT keep running in the background. Data will
be lost if you use LegRoom to shell to DOS while performing a
file transfer.
You should, in general, not load a TSR into memory when you have
shelled to DOS from an application. When you exit the application,
your conventional memory pool has a 'hole' where the application was.
This is called fragmentation. It reduces the largest block of memory
available to programs.
LegRoom creates a small DOS batch file when you use LegRoom to shell
to DOS. If it is necessary for LegRoom to create this batch file or
a swap file, it is created in the directory identified by the LR_TEMP
environment variable. It is recommended that you set this variable in
your AUTOEXEC.BAT file so that it is set automatically whenever you
boot your computer. Otherwise, these temporary files are stored in a
subdirectory named 'TEMP' under the directory where you installed
LegRoom.
LegRoom supports any number of concurrent users on a network.
Each user should be assigned a unique directory in his/her LR_TEMP
environment variable to avoid 'collisions'. Similarly, if you use
LegRoom in multiple DOS sessions in DesqView or Microsoft Windows, and
expect it to use disk space for swapping or to shell to DOS, set
LR_TEMP to a different directory in each session before loading
LegRoom.
The swap file, named lr.swp, is created with System and Read-Only
attributes to reduce the risk of deletion or renaming while LegRoom is
loaded.
Each time LegRoom is loaded, the old swap file (if any) is replaced by
a new one. The attributes of the old swap file are returned to normal
on unloading LegRoom. That way, if you have used LegRoom with several
different temporary file directories, you can find the swap files and
delete them. Rebooting or turning off the computer without first
unloading LegRoom defeats this feature, resulting in the current swap
file remaining invisible with the System and Read-Only attributes.
The /M switch is for use only in case of a program which installs
interrupt handlers. LegRoom, by default, will avoid swapping it out
because it looks like a TSR.
A TSR whose interrupt handlers may be called needs to be kept in
memory. However, a non-resident application which installs
interrupt handlers, such as a laboratory data analysis program, may
be safe to swap out of memory. If not swapped, it may consume 100's
of KB of conventional RAM, limiting the effectiveness of LegRoom in
this situation. When used with an application of this type and no
other TSRs are loaded after LegRoom, it is safe to use /M.
In short, EXERCISE CAUTION IN USING THE /M SWITCH.
A conflict has been reported with the Identity Mouse Driver by
Technology Corp. If you use this mouse driver and experience problems
with LegRoom, try loading LegRoom in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file before you
load the mouse driver.
Always load LegRoom after the smartdrv hard disk cache utility.
Otherwise, it is possible that pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del when shelled
to DOS via LegRoom will cause a reboot before the write cache is
flushed to the disk. Losing recent writes can be harmful, especially
if you use a disk compression utility. This may be a good practice
in general, even if you use another disk cache utility.
Always, load LegRoom after a keyboard enhancer (e.g., keyfake).
Otherwise, it is possible that characters passed to the keyboard
buffer by the enhancer will appear when you return to the previous
application.
LegRoom's conventional memory "footprint" is quite small, only 1328
bytes if expanded memory is available, However, if memory swapping
is being used rather than disk swapping, anywhere from 500-900K of
expanded or extended memory will be allocated for LegRoom's use to
hold the foreground application, video memory, other physical state
information. If other applications need that memory, use the /D
command line switch to request disk swapping. There will be a
perceptible delay when you press the hot keys, but you will have full
access to your memory.
LegRoom supports all standard graphic adapters and modes as well
as Super VGA modes up to a maximum video memory requirement of 256 KB.
8. DISCLAIMER
----------
IVDEN TECHNOLOGIES, INC. (IVDEN) HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES
RELATING TO THIS SOFTWARE, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING
WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IVDEN WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY
SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT OR SIMILAR DAMAGES DUE
TO LOSS OF DATA OR ANY OTHER REASON, EVEN IF IVDEN OR AN AGENT OF
IVDEN HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN NO
EVENT SHALL IVDEN'S LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER EXCEED THE PRICE
PAID FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THE SOFTWARE, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF
THE CLAIM. THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE
QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE.
9. DISTRIBUTION POLICY AND LICENSE
-------------------------------
Distribution Policy
-------------------
ANY ORGANIZATION DISTRIBUTING LEGROOM FOR ANY KIND OF REMUNERATION
IS AUTHORIZED TO DO SO IF IT ADHERES TO THE GUIDELINES OF THE
ASSOCIATION OF SHAREWARE PROFESSIONALS (ASP) FOR SHAREWARE
DISTRIBUTORS.
Permission to distribute the LegRoom package is not transferable,
assignable, saleable, or franchisable. Each vendor wishing to
distribute the package must independently satisfy the terms of
this limited distribution license.
U.S. Government Information: Use, duplication, or disclosure by the
U.S. Government of the computer software and documentation in this
package shall be subject to the restricted rights applicable to
commercial computer software as set forth in subdivision (b)(3)(ii) of
the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at
252.227-7013 (DFARS 52.227-7013). The Contractor/manufacturer is
Ivden Technologies, Inc., 87 Arbor Road, Churchville, PA 18966-1007.
Ivden Technologies, Inc. may revoke any permissions granted here, by
notifying you in writing. All rights not expressly granted here are
reserved to Ivden Technologies, Inc.
License to Use LegRoom(tm)
----------------------
LegRoom is a copyrighted software package. It is being
distributed as user supported shareware. By using or distributing
this package, you agree to the following:
You are granted a limited license to try this program, LegRoom,
for 30 days. If you find this software useful and wish to continue
using it after the 30 day evaluation period, you must pay the
registration fee. Registration for use on a single personal computer
is $35.00 + Shipping & Handling. You may, instead, register for
installation on a local area network (LAN) server. The LAN
registration fee of $99 permits an unlimited number of concurrent
users on theregistered server.
Register for each personal computer and each LAN server on which
LegRoom is installed. See Why and How to Become a Registered User.
No other license or rights are granted by implication or otherwise.
After evaluating LegRoom, if you continue to use it, you MUST
register.
NOTE TO DEVELOPERS:
If you would like to seamlessly integrate the LegRoom technology
into programs you distribute for profit, Ivden Technologies, Inc.
maintains an interrupt-triggered version. The developer version of
LegRoom loads in advance of your program and resides in memory
as an interrupt service routine dedicated to your program(s). You
just call a specified interrupt and the DOS shell is triggered.
No saving / restoring your screen. No worrying about how little
memory will available for your 'child' program or at the DOS prompt.
LegRoom takes care of everything. No link libraries to bother
with. No memory models or compatibility issues to hassle with.
Any language which has an interrupt call function is supported.
Contact Ivden Technologies, Inc. for our very reasonable runtime
license fee.
10. WHY AND HOW TO BECOME A REGISTERED USER
---------------------------------------
In exchange for registering your copy of LegRoom, you will
receive:
- a printed manual
- the current version without the registration reminder
- the next version of LegRoom when it is available.
In addition, you will receive a listing of other Ivden products.
To register, do one of the following:
- fill out the registration form (see REGISTER.FRM) and send it
or a note with the applicable registration fee to:
Ivden Technologies, Inc.
87 Arbor Road
Churchville, PA 18966-1007
- register via the CompuServe Information Service:
GO SWREG and select Register Shareware
(LegRoom is Product Number 2833)
- order by credit card from Public (software) Library
PsL accepts MasterCard, Visa, Amex, and Discover Cards
(800) 2424-PsL or (713) 524-6394 (Voice)
(713) 524-6398 (FAX)
CompuServe e-mail at 71355,470.
7:00 am to 7:00 pm CST Monday-Friday
7:00 am to 4:00 pm on weekends
(LegRoom is Product Number 11409)
PsL also takes orders at P.O.Box 35705, Houston, TX 77235-5705.
Use a credit card or a check or money order in U.S. dollars
drawn on a U.S. bank.
THE ABOVE PHONE NUMBERS ARE FOR ORDERS ONLY.
Any questions about the status of an order, refunds, registration
options, volume discounts, site licenses, dealer pricing, product
details, technical support, etc, must be directed to:
Ivden Technologies, Inc.
87 Arbor Road
Churchville, PA 18966-1007
(610) 328-1145 (Voice or FAX)
CompuServe ID: 71221,3602
Support BBS: (215) 322-5114
Please read the files SUPPORT.DOC and OMBUDSMN.DOC. They define
the support you can expect from Ivden Technologies, Inc. and the ASP
when you become a registered user of LegRoom.
11. CLOSING WORD
------------
We hope you find that LegRoom makes your DOS environment more
productive. If you like the product, please register it. If you
have comments -- positive or negative -- please share them with us.