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Coeli (TM)
Electric Planisphere
Planispheres are simple but wondrous, and come in small and
large sizes. If you are unacquainted, the device is no more
than two concentric discs, the lower printed with a star map
centred on the local zenith, the upper - the dial - with a
substantial segment cut away. This permits partial visibility
of the former and can be rotated according to time and season
to reveal the sky's present or coming aspect.
Coeli will perform this function and more. It is Coeli's
starting point.
COELI is Latin for 'the sky', as I expect you knew. To be more
pedantic, it literally means 'the heavens', plural. If you
were to describe Coeli as no more than a visual front end for
the Yale Catalogue, you would be doing Coeli an injustice.
Coeli is a planisphere. And there is nothing more useful than
a planisphere if you are intent on learning the sky.
Think of it as your indoor observing tool - the 'dry run'.
Coeli is a simulation of the stars in their courses as seen
from Earth, and has the capacity to transform you into an
expert on the skies.
Installing and running Coeli
Let's get the technical requirements out of the way as quickly
as possible.
Coeli's primary requirement is an IBM-compatible PC. It is
virtually guaranteed to run on anything better than, or
equivalent to, a 486 DX2 with SVGA and 1 Mb of video RAM.
Ideally, you should be running MS Dos 6.0 or later. Of course,
it'll probably work on SVGA 386s with Dos 5.0, and it
certainly flies along on 586s running Windows 95, once the
program Properties have been correctly set. A P133 with
Diamond Stealth 2 Mb (TRIO S3 chipset), for example, runs
Coeli with no problems under Microsoft's newest operating
system when Scitech Display Doctor is also installed (see
footnote for details).
Because we have used the VESA standard, a further hardware
requirement is a VESA-compatible Super VGA. Coeli offers
various video modes, so if the preset mode (800x600x256)
doesn't set, please change to another (see below). Coeli's
video modes are as follows:
0) 320x200 (VGA) with 256 colours ( Not recommended - last
resort only!)
1) 640x400 (SVGA) with 256 colours ( Excellent if the others
cause eyestrain )
2) 640x480 (SVGA) with 256 colours ( The SVGA common
denominator )
3) 800x600 (SVGA) with 256 colours ( Unsurpassed. What Coeli 3
was designed for. )
4) 1024 by 768 pixels (SVGA) with 256 colours ( ditto)
5) 1280 by 1024 pixels (SVGA) with 256 colours ( ditto)
640 k of base RAM will be needed. Since Coeli's shareware
version loads all stars into conventional memory, please
ensure you free as much as possible, just as you might for
games. SmartDrive does not have to go, in fact Coeli will load
its stars and world map quicker with SmartDrive enabled. Try
to load as many operating system files as will fit into upper
memory. See your Dos manual or a decent Dos handbook for how
to do this if you are unsure.
Coeli's registered version uses extended memory (up to 64 Mb)
and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's database of
more than 250,000 stars is already in preparation for it, so
register now for more news!
Coeli takes advantage of an 80x87 maths co-processor if
available, and performance is considerably degraded if one is
not present. All DX PCs possess an 80x87, as do Pentiums.
After extraction, Coeli's essential files comprise the
following:
COELI.EXE ( Coeli's program file: this is what you run )
COELICAT.001 ( Coeli's current star database - editable )
COELIKEY ( Coeli's key-guide - will be useful to print)
WORLD.ASC ( World map data in ASCII format )
COELICOL.MAP ( Coeli's colour palette data )
GREEKLET.FNT ( Font data for Coeli's Greek alphabet )
COELI.TXT ( You're reading it. Other WP formats included )
KEYGUIDE.TXT ( Coeli's comprehensive online guide. Printable )
( Please consult PACKING.LST for the complete list of files )
Installation
Coeli cannot be run straight from HD floppy or CD ROM.
To instal Coeli, just follow these simple steps:
1) first create a new directory on your hard drive from Dos or
Windows. We suggest you call the directory COELI-3, but of
course anything will suffice. To accomplish this from the Dos
command line you would type the following:
MD COELI-3
In Windows, you would double-click the File Manager icon and
then select Create Directory from the File menu.
2) Copy all the files from your distribution media into the
new directory.
3) Switch to the new directory and unpack the main archive
according to your supplier's instructions (it will probably
have a .ZIP or .LZH extension).
From the Dos prompt, you might proceed as follows (assuming
your distribution medium is a floppy disk currently in drive
A, the supplier's archive is called COELI.ZIP, and your hard
disk is labelled drive C):
COPY A:\*.* C:\COELI-3 ( copy from floppy )
CD C:\COELI-3 ( switch to new dir)
PKUNZIP COELI.ZIP ( unpack archive )
4) Your Coeli package is contained in a self-extracting file
called COELI379.EXE. Simply run this like a normal program.
All the Coeli files will be reconstituted, and you will then
be able to delete COELI379.EXE from your hard disk, as it will
have served its purpose.
NOTE: none of the foregoing steps will be necessary if you
received your package on a diskette with COELI379.EXE in the
root directory unarchived. If such is the case, you will
probably have received a program called INSTALL.BAT which,
when run, will automate the installation described here.
5) If you have not already done so, install your VESA driver
by typing its name. If it loads without error, you'll be home
and dry and all you will need to do is start COELI at the Dos
prompt or from inside your favourite shell, either as part of
a batch file or by itself. Coeli should run under Windows 3.1
too, but more slowly.
Please note that you should always install a VESA driver prior
to using Coeli. A universal VESA driver may have been provided
on the same disk volume on which you acquired Coeli. Otherwise
please see the end of this manual for suggestions on how to
obtain one. Coeli 3 will not function without a VESA driver!
If your system is not equipped with a real time clock (but
what PC isn't nowadays?), you should set the correct time via
Dos or Windows before starting Coeli. Coeli assumes the system
time to be your local time, and computes Greenwich and
Sidereal in relation to it. It is thus rather important to get
it right. That also goes for the date. There are facilities
for entering zone correction via the command line and within
Coeli itself, of which more later.
Command Line Options
Because Coeli will be used on different computers in widely
differing time zones, it will need to be set up optimally for
your specific circumstances. Rather than use configuration
files, Coeli 3 accepts options typed on the command line. You
can enter them at the Dos prompt, but setting them permanently
within a batch file is the most convenient method. (again, if
you are not sure, consult a good Dos guide on how to
accomplish this). Essentially, to run Coeli, you just type its
name at the prompt, thus:
C:> COELI
Press [enter] and Coeli now runs, or tries to, with all its
preset internal values. Unless you have a dedicated copy, the
default values will be as follows:
Video mode: 800x600 256 colours ( Coeli's mode 3 )
Stars Loaded: All stars ( declination 180 degrees from
North/South )
Extra star-names: No. ( put a Y on the command line if you
would like these loaded)
Location: Greenwich (London)
Zone-correction: Zero (daylight-saving is presumed
applicable at appropriate dates)
The example location we shall now set up will be Lahti,
Finland, lying at 60 degrees 58 minutes north latitude, 25
degrees 40 minutes east longitude, and with a time zone
correction of 2 hours (ahead of Greenwich, but Coeli will work
this out for itself).
Since we discovered our machine was not capable of displaying
800x600 resolution, we will enter one we know it can handle:
640x400 ( Coeli mode 1 ), and we want only the stars we can be
sure of seeing from Lahti, so we will instruct Coeli not to
load stars with a declination below about 120 degrees zenith
angle ( we will thus be sure of getting every Yale star our
sky area contains).
In addition, we would like Coeli's 150-odd extra star-names to
be loaded.
To accomplish the above, we would type the following:
C:> COELI 1 Y 120 Lahti Finland 60 58 N 25 40 E 2
The parameters are each separated by a single space, and the
order in which you type them is vital. This is the order:
[Video] [Star names (Y/N)] [Zenith angle] [Locale] [Country]
[Lat - deg] [Lat - min] [N or S] [Long - deg] [Long - min] [E
or W] [Zone]
NOTE: if you have registered Coeli, you will have a dedicated
copy. Your home circumstances will have been internally
pre-programmed and therefore you won't have to bother about
the command line unless you specifically wish to change
something.
If you need to modify isolated parameters, then use the 'dummy
character' [*] ( asterisk ) for values you do not wish
altered. If the parameter to be changed is the first (video
mode), you need only enter this; if the second, only the first
and second; if the third, only the first, second, and third
etc.
If you wanted to set the video mode to 1 and nothing else, you
would merely type
coeli 1
But if you needed to alter the longitude and nothing else, you
would have to type something like:
coeli * * * * * * 23 21 W
One more example:
C:> COELI 2 N 180 Buenos_Aires Argentina 34 36 S 58 27 W 4
The feature to note is the use of the underscore for spaces
within place names.
Using a batch file, you type exactly the same as at the Dos
prompt, but you only need do it once initially. Afterwards,
typing the name of the batch file at the prompt will load and
run Coeli for you with the correct parameters. But you have
probably got the idea by now, so let's proceed to the program
proper.
'Full of Stars...'
Once Coeli has faded out its titles, what first appear are, or
ought to be, stars. They are processed by Coeli as they are
loaded in from file, taking a maximum of 20 seconds on a 486
DX2 and less than 6 on a Pentium. During this period you also
get a chance to check your location settings and to watch your
memory ( the bottom figure) diminish as the stars (upper
figure) increase. For the capacity to load the entire
first-level database of over 9000 stars, please take a few
moments to register by pressing [r].
Press the [SPACE] bar during the loading process if you think
you have sufficient stars for your purposes. This is sometimes
useful, saving time if you merely want to check the sky's
general aspect or test your knowledge of the brighter stars
and constellations. Planetary animations will also proceed
faster the fewer stars you have loaded.
Finally, what you see before you is the entire celestial
sphere for the preset location ( Greenwich, if you acquired
Coeli from a library; your very own home if it is a personal
copy), with South at the bottom of your screen, East at the
left. Capella will be the initial focus for northern observers
and Canopus for the southern hemisphere. Stars plotted in dark
green lie below your horizon: they have set, not yet risen, or
may never rise at your position.
Click on one using the <right> mouse button to find out.
Display the time by pressing [t] ( repeatedly to cycle through
Local/Greenwich/Sidereal/none.)
Coeli requires no elaborate instructions, which is why we're
keeping this all rather discursive. It's best to plunge in and
try things out. Just press the [h] key for a quick list of
Coeli's functions, or avail yourself of our comprehensive
key-sensitive help system.
A prominent feature of Coeli is its online Guide. All you need
do is start Coeli as already described. When the stars finish
loading, or at any point subsequently, simply press the [CTRL]
key whenever you require information on the function of a
particular key or key-combination. Either wait for the prompt
(about 2 seconds) or immediately press the key(s) whose
operation puzzles you. If you're unsure even of that, press
[a] to access the top of the text and then page down through
Coeli's comprehensive Key Guide. You'll discover over 6000
words of help and tips on Coeli's inner workings.
The Guide, called KEYGUIDE.TXT, can also be read externally
and/or printed out.
Coeli's virtual Earth revolves in real time, and the apparent
motion of the stars is from left to right when facing south.
The optimal star population for Coeli's shareware edition at
present is between 3 & 6 thousand from Yale's total of 9000
odd, and this number results in an update roughly every 2
minutes.
Coeli's default celestial projection is an azimuthal
equidistant one, centred on your zenith. It is the type of
display used by planispheres the world over, so it is in good
company. Three additional azimuthal projections are now
available - just press [F2], [F3], or [F4] to see what's on
offer, or read the relevant entry in the Online Guide.
When you gain a little more experience using Coeli, you'll
want to begin experimenting with contrasting viewpoints.
Start by pressing [H] for a horizon view of the southern sky.
To traverse through the 360 degrees of the compass, use the
[left/right] arrow keys, pressing [ENTER] to redraw the stars
to the new viewpoint. [Z] will return you to a zenith view,
but at the new line of sight you traversed with the arrow
keys.
By default, [a]uto-resolution of stars is switched on. What
this means is that you only begin to see the dimmer stars as
you increase your resolving power (change to binoculars /
telescope), in imitation of reality. Coeli's initial
magnification is negative in order to encompass the entire
sky. Zoom to zero magnification to receive an impression of
the sky as seen on a clear night by the naked eye.
For Coeli's representation of the sky, realism has been the
watchword, and we think the ideal has been at least partially
achieved. Colour is the key. Why do the developers of most of
the PC's astronomy Applications persist in the belief that
stars are white against the backcloth of space, or assume that
we don't particularly care whether they are or not? - Do they
imagine a star's essence can be ignored? Because the essence,
the 'key' to a star is its colour, linked intimately to its
spectral class.
Astronomers have given all the brighter stars a colour index,
and Coeli's palette is based on it. So, if you see a deep
crimson in Coeli, you can be almost certain that it is an M,
or a piercing white an A, or an orange like Arcturus or
Aldebaran a K. Not that this may matter to you, but it will to
many. Observe the true heavens on a crystal night - each star
has its tint, each planet its hue, albeit cast over with
tropospheric blue.
Coeli itself provides these keys for tampering with colours:
[B] , [D] , and [R]. [B] brightens (lightens) the palette
uniformly, giving a washed-out effect, and finally washes
colour out completely. [D] achieves exactly the opposite,
darkening - and thereby deepening - all the colours.
Unrealistic, as if seen through sunglasses, but you may find
it a change. It at least reveals a star's underlying
'character', subleties that the brightness may have hidden.
Inveterate stargazers and stellar observers will recognise
that Coeli is meant to be viewed to full effect under subdued
lighting conditions. It is preparatory, if you like, to the
'real thing', and the human eye takes at least ten minutes to
become fully dark-adapted. Coeli is not going to make the
situation trickier than it already is!
The command line gave you one way - the most precise - of
setting your geographical position. The Location Browser
(world map) is another. Perhaps you would like to see the
heavens as Amundsen may have seen them after finding Scott's
camp? Press [l] to accomplish this feat. Just use the mouse to
move the monocle about the continents and oceans and click the
<left> button when you find your desired spot. You will be
instantly returned to the skies and the constellations'
altered prospect will greet you. Note: if you were centred on
a northern star, and you then choose the southern hemisphere,
or vice versa, chances are you will be on the 'edge' in a
'never rises' region. Just zoom out and re-centre.
[z] does what it says: zooms you in (or narrows the field of
view, like a pair of binoculars or a telescope), displaying
the magnification factor as you go. Try this on Albireo, Izar,
Castor, Mizar and many others. They will eventually resolve as
true doubles, imitating reality! [x] widens the field, and
zooms you out.
Coeli automatically resolves stars for you in proportion to
the magnification, like real binoculars: the bigger the
objective glass, the more stars you will see and the brighter
the more brilliant ones will appear. Conversely, the more
extremely your field narrows, the fewer stars will be seen,
because Coeli's database is restricted, unlike the sky's.
By the way, at zoom factors beyond about 16x, be wary of
artifacts - strange results of the computer's internal
representation of numbers. These will eventually appear, since
we have not limited the magnification in Coeli. Just don't
overdo it!
Perhaps the [a]uto resolution feature merits a bit more
elaboration. Firstly, if you disable it, you will have to add
and brighten stars manually via the keys listed on Coeli's
[h]elp screen. This is long winded, but the best way to
achieve the most impressively realistic starfields for the
given magnification, and to derive the most personal
satisfaction. We all see the sky in a slightly different way
and are affected by different facets of it. But for quicker
and yet still fairly realistic resolution, the preset values
are quite good. Keep it automatic until you come across a
field which you truly deem worth perfecting.
Use [F] to find a specific constellation. The group of stars
will be spotlighted for you. Clicking on 'Constellation - not
designated' will always return you to a normal display.
[f] will bring you facilities for finding individual stars,
either by Bayer, Flamsteed, variable star, or common name
reference. In general here, the <left> button sets the
constellation and the <right> button designates the star. Both
buttons must be pressed in turn to initiate the search.
Flamsteed and variable-star designation may necessitate more
than one press of the <right> button prior to setting the
constellation with the <left>.
Stars may also be searched for by common name: Coeli has
almost 200 of these recorded, and you may add more if you've
the inclination. There is also a file of extra names whose
inclusion you may specify on the command line, bringing
Coeli's potential total to more than 300, but please bear in
mind that adding more names will further restrict the RAM
available for the stars themselves.
To search for a star by its common name, first highlight and
then click the entry 'Common names...' displayed at the end of
the constellation-list. Input the initial letter - as you are
prompted to do - and a list of stars with that initial will
appear. Narrow the search by adding letters until a unique
name is highlighted ( 3 or 4 letters is generally enough).
[backspace] will delete characters already entered. If you've
an urge to flood the screen with names, then simply backspace
until there are no more letters on the line. Press [enter] to
confirm your choice, [esc] to abort the operation.
Above all, Coeli is a point-and-click introduction to the
skies, and the mouse-monocle its most useful instrument. Use
the monocle to encircle a star, then click the <left> button
for a short display of the star's name and designation as
follows:
The Greek letter plus I.A.U. abbreviation (Bayer nomenclature)
or, failing this, the Flamsteed number plus I.A.U.
abbreviation. Finally, for dimmer stars, a Yale Catalogue
number will be given. If the star has a common name this will
be displayed underneath.
You should assume the last star clicked on to be the focus of
most operations you perform subsequently. If you clicked on,
say, Betelgeuse half an hour ago, went outside for a quiet
smoke, any later zooms and unzooms will centre Betelgeuse in
your display. Using the [c]entre key on a series of stars is
another way of 'walking' across the heavens: the
stepping-stone method. Incidentally, clicking on 'empty' space
will clear all text displays and banish the monocle,
effectively providing you with a rather wonderful screen saver.
The Celestial Sphere modeled by Coeli revolves in real time,
updating itself without your intervention, miracle of
miracles! Ever yearned to see a heliacal rising of Sirius on
an unexpectedly clear southeastern horizon when all the zenith
is thunderous overcast? Coeli plots the moment of its rising,
so effectively you're permitted to observe it twice - first on
Coeli's virtual heavens as seen from beyond our atmosphere,
and then outside in the strangely silent dawn cold where
Sirius twinkled ominously red for a fleeting instant in the
atmospheric turbulence of sea-level.
Incidentally, if the relative positions of some stars begin to
appear a little scrambled (as they may do during frequent
search, rotate, or zoom operations), simply press [space] for
a full recalculation of all altitudes and azimuths. The [n],
[s], [e] and [w] keys will achieve similar results, while
simultaneously orientating you to one of the principal compass
points. In any event, Coeli's continual internal calculations
will eventually get around to returning every star to its
correct position.
The <right> mouse button will get you what the left button
gets plus a more comprehensive information readout as follows:
A full expansion of the rather cryptic Bayer nomenclature. Eg.
Omicron Ursae Majoris for 'o UMA'. A great help if you are new
to astronomical conventions.
The full Latin name for the constellation, followed, if
applicable, by the English translation. Bare catalogue
numbers, although they may lie slap in the centre of, say,
Orion, will have no constellation associated with them. This
will be cosmetically remedied in a future release.
The brightness (apparent magnitude) and luminosity (absolute
magnitude), based on the Yale Catalogue parallax value. If the
star is among the 100 brightest, this will also be indicated.
The star's approximate distance in light years (LY), again
computed from the parallax values in the Yale Catalogue. You
may assume the lower numbers are about as accurate as we can
get, but please take anything over about 150 LY with a pinch
of salt - they may be reliable. Extreme uncertainty will
always be signalled. More than 1000 LY for Polaris means just
that: more than 1000 (could be 2000, 3000 or anything beyond).
You will occasionally notice huge discrepancies ( take Deneb
for instance). And you can of course edit any low parallax
values to yield more acceptable results. Don't say we didn't
warn you! There doubtless exist more accurate figures, but
Coeli 3 hasn't access to them. All values are computed from
Yale Catalogue data.
At the bottom-left, you will see the terrestrial readout, the
most important parts of which will be the rising, setting, and
transit times for the currently focussed star, its altitude,
azimuth, right ascension, and declination. The local (L),
Greenwich (G), or local sidereal time (S) will appear below if
you have switched on the display. If a star is being tracked,
a 'T' indicator will flash here too.
Useful extensions to the information displays now include
sunrise/sunset, dawn/dusk/hours of darkness, solar and lunar
apparent and equatorial coordinates, as well as the phase of
the moon. Switch this solar info on or off with [S].
Setting the [i] key will cause all chosen readouts to be shown
continuously, until you cancel them with [i] again. In other
words, your display of stellar data will not thenceforth be
banished by screen-updates. Recommended for use in conjunction
with the rise/set/transit alarms.
The Trouble with Coeli...
Coeli has been thoroughly tested and found to work faultlessly
on the following PC systems:
Compaq LTE Elite 4/40C 486 notebook with 4 Mb RAM, Paradise
SVGA with 512 k video RAM.
Olivetti PCS 44/C 486 with 8 Mb RAM, Cirrus Logic CL GD5428
SVGA with 1 Mb video RAM.
Meisaku Pentium 133 with 16 Mb RAM, TRIO S3 (Diamond Stealth)
with 2 Mb video RAM.
(European configured systems)
Micron Pentium 90 with 32 Mb RAM, Diamond Speedstar 64
graphics card with 2 Mb video RAM.
(U.S. configured system)
We hope Coeli started and ran for you first time without any
problems.
If not, you have our sympathy and deep understanding. Don't
worry. Coeli may have treated you to a system-reset the first
time, but this will have been due merely to the vagaries of
'standards', or lack thereof, in the big bad world of the PC.
Did you load the VESA driver? ( UniVBE is an excellent one,
available through the sources listed in the footnote.)
Right. You did load the VESA driver before attempting to run
Coeli. Perhaps your PC's video/graphics board is not VESA
compatible? Check with your PC manuals if you still have them.
Coeli likes most to run on a 486 DX or higher, with SVGA
graphics (preferably 800x600 resolution) and positively needs
256 colours. Maybe it's time to upgrade?
Perhaps your system hasn't enough video RAM for the mode
selected. Change to a lower mode with [*] ( see Command Line
above), or upgrade your video memory to 1 Mb or more.
' Coeli works, but the display flickers when performing
zoom/centre/unzoom operations.' This indicates that the
current mode is supported by your driver, but does not offer
paging or, if it does, is applying the wrong VESA 'standard'.
If the flicker annoys you, change to another mode, acquire a
different VESA driver (ie. SDD53.ZIP), or upgrade your video
RAM.
' Coeli's display appears fractured, with the left-hand part
on the right, and vice-versa, but otherwise functions okay.'
A quirk of your particular VESA driver. Try another of Coeli's
video modes (640x480 is usually a safe bet), or better still,
change your VESA driver. (UniVBE is an excellent universal
VESA driver and, if not on the disk volume on which you
acquired Coeli, will be available from most libraries,
bulletin boards, and the Internet. It's shareware, so don't
forget to register once you have obtained your copy.)
' Coeli basically functions ok, but the display 'jumps' during
map updates and text sometimes overwrites itself...' This
paging or bank switching glitch is connected with your
underlying graphics hardware. Your video card's own BIOS may
be slightly non-standard and/or bugged. The simplest solution
is
a) always to use the UniVBE VESA driver which lets you
b) bypass your PC's VESA BIOS with the -i switch.
( see UniVBE's own documentation or type UniVBE -? at the Dos
prompt for more information.)
' The screen display was totally scrambled, chaotic, and/or
the monitor uttered strange whistling sounds.' We're not
joking: switch off immediately and don't try that mode again
with the same video configuration.
' Everything was fine for a while, but then the PC locked up
quite unexpectedly, and I had to reboot. ' Oh dear. Sounds
like a peripheral or TSR conflict, quite common with all the
various software drivers the PC traditionally has to put up
with. Your VESA driver is itself a TSR ( a program which stays
resident in memory while others are running ), as are Dos
utilities such as MSCDEX, SmartDrive, Himem.sys, EMM386 etc
etc. The only advice we can offer is to try different
configurations in your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS, or else
boot relatively clean ( see a good Dos guidebook or guru on
how to do this!).
Shareware: definitions
Uniquely, shareware distribution allows you the chance to try
software before buying it. If you try a shareware program and
continue using it, you are expected to register. Individual
packages differ on details - some request registration while
most require it, at the same time specifying a maximum trial
period. With registration, you might get anything from the
simple right to continue using the software to an updated
program shrink-wrapped and boxed with glossy manuals. Price,
as always, generally determines the final packaging.
Copyright laws apply to both shareware and commercial
software, and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a
few specific exceptions. Shareware authors are accomplished
programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs
are of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are good
programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method
of distribution. The shareware author specifically grants the
right to copy and distribute the software, either to all and
sundry or to a specific group. Some authors require written
permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their
shareware.
In the early to mid '80s when shareware was in its youth and
adolescence, the precise concepts had yet to be formulated and
authors tended neither to demand payment nor invoke the law.
It was then as now a system based on honour, but back then it
was far more an offshoot of programming enthusiasm and a
desire to share. By the nineties we'd had Thatcherism and
terms like 'professional', 'enterprise' and 'capital' were at
a premium. That outlook has, for better or worse, now filtered
through to shareware programmers, who were once mere
enthusiasts, but who are now fully fledged professionals with
their own umbrella organisations such as the ASP.
Today, with the rise of the Internet, even corporate
multinationals have seen the benefits of shareware
distribution, the only differences being that they call their
packages 'trialware' or 'evaluation software' rather than good
old honest 'shareware', and a high proportion of 'shareware'
authors have jumped on the same bandwagon. Distinctions are
becoming blurred, but please do not make the mistake of
equating shareware with the commercial demo: there is a world
of difference. True shareware is, or should be, fully - and
continuously - functional. Above all, remember that the term
shareware defines a distribution method rather than the nature
of the software itself.
You should find an application suited to your needs and
pocketbook, whether it be shelfware or shareware. The
shareware system simply makes fitting your needs easier,
because you can try before you buy. And because shareware
overheads are negligible prices are often low, or at least
lower than the equivalent shelfware products. Shareware offers
the ultimate money-back guarantee: if you don't use the
program, you don't pay for it. If you do use it, however, you
are expected to bring out your wallet in just the same way as
you would for a more conventionally marketed product, whatever
its type.
( Please see the file SHR_WARE.DOC for a fuller treatment of
the shareware concept and marketing system. It also contains
suggestions for further reading. )
Share without Wear
Using Coeli beyond the decent (30 day) period allowable for
evaluation is a clear infringement of several U.S. and
international laws, but let's not delude ourselves that the
vast majority won't be doing just that.
On the other hand, if you've every intention of registering
you can be content and confident in the knowledge that you
will gain and the majority will lose. The others, ultimately,
get only the 'nag screens'.
Registration brings many benefits, not the least of which will
be a sensation of warm altruism accompanied by a clear
conscience.
Some of the features setting Coeli's registered version apart
from your shareware copy are:
The Sky Quiz(TM), total personalization, complete absence of
reminder screens, and the capacity to load the entire
first-level database of over 9000 stars without memory
problems, and the complete Messier Catalog in ImageIcons.
Coeli is not finished: what program ever is? So if you get in
touch, doing the decent thing and registering, Swimming Elk
Software will keep in touch with you, informing you of the
latest additions as they see the light of day. And Coeli is
still in a phase of rapid development.
Bug-reports and suggestions for improvement will not go
unheeded. Your feedback will never be more valuable than right
now.
In return for your registration and any suggestions or
criticisms you might have, Swimming Elk Software will send you
a personal (dedicated) copy of the latest version of Coeli
with the initial observer slot pre-programmed with your name,
home location and startup preferences. It will arrive complete
with the integral Sky Quiz(TM). Thenceforth, you will be
advised of major Coeli updates and be uniquely eligible for
our exclusive offers. You may also contact us by post or
E-mail at any time after registration with problems and
queries concerning the inner workings of Coeli.
Swimming Elk Software welcomes any pre-registration enquiries
you might have, even if their sole motive is to confirm to
yourself that we actually exist. A simple postcard or e-mail
with your name and address will suffice to get you a
reassuring reply, along with details of some exciting new
incentives. We undertake to answer ALL Coeli-related
correspondence, whether it concerns registration or not.
Payment Alternatives
----------------------
* Registering Coeli costs 20 pounds sterling ($34 U.S.)
Payment might be in the form of a sterling cheque drawn on a
UK bank (made out to R.Hughes), any major credit card,
International Postal Money Order, IRCs, or even the equivalent
at present rates in your own hard currency.
Regrettably, we must charge a handling fee if payment is in
non-sterling currency or IMO, bringing the total to $36 U.S.
at the current exchange rate in whatever other tender you
decide to send.
If paying by PERSONAL CHECK, as opposed to banker's check,
in non-sterling currency, please add another $3, bringing the
total to $39 U.S. It costs us more in bank charges to handle
these items.
This surcharge also applies to orders by CREDIT CARD (see
below for details)
A final alternative is 140 Finnish marks, to which handling
need not be added if payment is in cash or any cheque drawn is
on a Finnish bank.
If you wish to make an electronic transfer of funds (hard
currency), please take note of the following account details:
1) National Westminster Bank
PO Box 2403
8-11 Pavilion Buildings
Brighton BN1 1DP
United Kingdom
Sorting code 60-30-09
Account no. 00435465
Account holder R.W.J.Hughes
2) Merita Pankki OY
1519 Lahti-Aleksi 5
Lahti
Finland
Account no. 151950-15736
Account holder Roger Hughes
If you decide to wire funds to our Finnish bank or order by
credit card online, you may E-mail your completed registration
form to Swimming Elk's Internet address (as a MIME attachment,
for example). This is by far the fastest method of receiving
your registered copy of Coeli, since we have online banking
and are always informed immediately a credit card payment is
cleared. We will of course check for the arrival of funds the
moment we receive your e-mailed form.
Order by CREDIT CARD via PsL
----------------------------
CREDIT CARD ORDERS ONLY -
You can order with MC, Visa, Amex, or Discover from Public
(software) Library by calling
800-2424-PsL (free inside the U.S.)
713-524-6394
or by FAX to 713-524-6398
or by CIS Email to 71355,470
or by Internet Email to 71355.470@compuserve.com
or online from Coeli's own Web site (see below)
If calling from outside the U.S. don't forget to prefix the
correct international code to the telephone numbers!
You can also mail credit card orders to PsL at P.O.Box 35705,
Houston, TX 77235-5705, U.S.A.
THE ABOVE NUMBERS ARE FOR CREDIT CARD ORDERS ONLY. THE AUTHOR
OF THIS PROGRAM CANNOT BE REACHED AT THESE NUMBERS.
When ordering, please quote item/product ID
14900 ( Coeli - Electric Planisphere )
Order by CREDIT CARD via ShareIt
--------------------------------
This solution is tailor-made for our European customers.
ShareIt! takes worldwide orders online by Visa, MasterCard,
EuroCard, American Express, or Diners Club. Just navigate to
one of the following using your Web browser:
http://www.shareit.com/programs/100041.htm
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/coeli/onlreg.htm
and follow the signposts, or telephone
+49-221-2407278
or fax
+49-221-2407279.
THE AUTHOR OF COELI CANNOT BE REACHED AT THESE NUMBERS - THEY
ARE FOR ORDERS ONLY!
ShareIt! also takes credit card orders by post at:
Reimold & Schumann Internet Services GbR
Jahnstrasse 24
50676 Koeln
Germany
When ordering from ShareIt! please quote program/product ID
100041 - Coeli Electric Planisphere
Any questions about the status of the shipment of the order,
refunds, registration options, product details, technical
support, volume discounts, dealer pricing, site licenses,
non-credit card orders, etc, must be directed to
Swimming Elk Software
Manskiventie 1031
16790 Manskivi
Finland
or via the Internet to
Swimming.Elk@sci.fi
or through CIS at
106217,2576
To ensure you get the latest version of Coeli fast, PsL and
ShareIt! will notify us the day of your order and we will ship
the product directly to you (an e-mail MIME attachment is an
option). So please send your registration/customization form
to us here at Swimming Elk Software either electronically,
online, or through the post.
To sum up, the following payment methods are accepted:
Non-sterling equivalents are given in U.S. dollars.
METHOD TOTAL COST
1A) Sterling currency (cash) 20 pounds UK
1B) Sterling cheque (personal or banker's) 20 pounds UK
1C) Sterling electronic transfer (to UK bank) 20 pounds UK
2A) Non-sterling currency (cash) $36 U.S.
2B) Non-sterling banker's check/draft $36 U.S.
2C) Non-sterling personal/business check $39 U.S.
2D) Non-sterling electronic transfer $36 U.S.
3A) International Money Order $36 U.S.
3B) International Reply Coupons $36 U.S.
4A) 140 Suomen markkaa 140 Fmk
5A) Credit card order via PsL $39 U.S.
5B) Credit card order via ShareIt! $39 U.S.
Aside from the possible handling fee all else (postage, media
etc) is included.
You have only to press the [r] key, and a registration
facility is available from within Coeli itself. Here, you may
set out your preferences for a personalized copy, enter
comments and criticisms, and prepare/print out a registration
form. We could also come round to your door and collect it,
but that might be taking service a bit too far... ;-)
*************************************************
Maybe you'd like to register online right now?
*************************************************
- Just point your Web browser at:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/coeli/homepage.htm
and follow the link to the special secure order forms of PsL
and ShareIt.
Alternatively, you could simply print and then fill out
REGISTER.FRM, which should be amongst the files you received
with Coeli. If you cannot find this, a simple letter along
with your registration will suffice. ( Don't forget to include
any preferences you may have for personalization! Only the
most unreasonable requests are refused...)
We recognise that in these times many cannot afford even
shareware prices, particularly students, state pensioners, the
unemployed, and denizens of what we quaintly refer to as the
Third World (including former Soviet and Eastern Block
countries). If your circumstances happen to fall into any of
these areas, simply include a signed declaration to the effect
and enclose just HALF THE REGISTRATION FEE*. We will consider
it encouragement, pure and simple, and be honoured to serve
you.
Thank you.
Coeli 3.7 - Current 'Features'
or
Coming Clean
After extreme zooms (20x or more), you may occasionally notice
whimsicalities in subsequent centring/unzooming operations.
The easiest way out of this is pressing [HOME] to return all
magnification (and other) settings to their initial state.
Remember, we warned you not to overdo zooms, preferring to
leave you the freedom to resolve close binary stars at the
limit.
Registration reminders ('nag screens') and their associated
delays will of course no longer be present in your own
dedicated copy of Coeli once you register.
If you feel we've omitted anything indispensible to you
personally, or to your habitual observing circumstances,
please don't be too shy to let us know.
A final note on 'getting in touch'. You will find our various
addresses displayed quite legibly here, on Coeli's loading
screen, and whenever you press the [h] key for help. So why
not exercise your fingers, the postman, and your undeniably
fertile mind by writing us a LETTER...
Or if you're lucky enough to possess a modem and an Internet
account, why not send us some E-mail? We're always pleased to
hear from anyone who has tried or is using Coeli.
I assure you once again of my sincerest intent to respond, and
continue to respond, to all Coeli-related correspondence.
Roger Hughes
Swimming Elk Software
Manskiventie 1031
16790 Manskivi
Finland
E-mail to: Swimming.Elk@sci.fi
_______
____|__ | (R)
--| | |-------------------
| ____|__ | Association of
| | |_| Shareware
|__| o | Professionals
-----| | |---------------------
|___|___| MEMBER
Ombudsman Statement
This program is produced by a member of ASP. ASP wants to make
sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are
unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP
member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to
help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or
problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical
support for members' products. Please write to the ASP
Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a
CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman
70007,3536.
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY
THIS SOFTWARE AND MANUALS ARE SOLD "AS IS" AND WITHOUT
WARRANTIES AS TO PERFORMANCE OF MERCHANTABILITY OR ANY OTHER
WARRANTIES WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. BECAUSE OF THE
VARIOUS HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE ENVIRONMENTS INTO WHICH THIS
PROGRAM MAY BE PUT, NO WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE IS OFFERED. THE USER MUST ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK OF
USING THE PROGRAM. ANY LIABILITY OF THE SELLER WILL BE LIMITED
EXCLUSIVELY TO PRODUCT REPLACEMENT OR REFUND OF PURCHASE
PRICE.
(For the full disclaimer, we would direct you to the file
WARRANTY.DOC included with the Coeli software package.)
* The best universal VESA driver is undoubtedly UniVBE from
SciTech Software.
If you don't already have a copy of UniVBE, it can be obtained
easily from the following sources:
The Public Domain and Shareware Library (PDSL)
Winscombe House
Beacon Road
Crowborough
East Sussex
TN6 1UL
United Kingdom
Just ask for disk number 003813, where it will be found among
several other graphics utilities. PDSL's catalogue describes
it as the Universal VESA VBE v.4.3, 'a small TSR providing the
latest VESA BIOS extensions for most SVGA cards on the market'
Here are some numbers for PDSL:
Tel. 01892 663298
Fax. 01892 667473
BBS (8,N,1) 01892 661149 / 667090 / 667091
Or, if you have a modem, try one of these:
World Wide Web : http://www.scitechsoft.com
Internet/FTP : ftp.scitechsoft.com
Compuserve : GO VESA (file library 12)
America Online : Keyword VESA
Finally, SciTech Software's own direct mailing address is:
SciTech Software
5 Governors Lane,
Suite D
Chico, CA 95926
USA
Tel. (orders only) : 800-4UNIVBE
: 800-486-4823
Main & Technical Support: 916-894-8400
Fax 510-208-8026
ooOOoo
THE PROGRAM COELI (TM) AND ITS DOCUMENTATION COPYRIGHT (C)
Roger Hughes, Swimming Elk Software, 1995, 1996, 1997. ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED.
UniVBE is Copyright (C) 1993-1997 SciTech Software.
All other registered trademarks and trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.
* Surcharges apply
ooOOoo
