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OS/2 Help File
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1995-11-27
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21KB
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348 lines
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. What is the Practice Viewer Upgrade? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Practice Viewer Upgrade is an upgrade to OS/2 Multimedia that makes the
Multimedia Viewer provided with the Warp Bonus Pack faster and more useful.
Three components are included in version 1.1.0:
The Lightning Browser
JPEG Support
Light Table .JPG Patch
The JPEG support that comes with the Practice Viewer Upgrade is a new version
of JPEGPROC, previously available separately from Practice Corporation.
Future versions of JPEGPROC will be bundled with the Practice Viewer Upgrade.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.1. The Lightning Browser ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Lightning Browser is a much-improved image browser that can replace the one
that comes with the Multimedia Viewer (IB.EXE). The Lightning Browser:
Loads images twice as fast as IB.
Is multithreaded (won't freeze the system while loading images!)
Moves or resizes images virtually instantaneously.
Lets you grab the image anywhere for easier moving around the screen.
Can preserve the original aspect ratio.
Doesn't waste space in the image window.
Supports long file names.
Supports drag and drop.
Only files with valid multimedia image content are openable and
drop-enabled.
Doesn't unnecessarily dither 24-bit images (they appear as they do in Web
Explorer, not IB).
Uses palette manager on 256-color systems.
The Lightning Browser is designed to let you handle pictures on the
screen the way you would handle real-world snapshots. It is not an image
editing application.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.2. JPEG Support ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The JPEG support component of the Practice Viewer Upgrade enables OS/2
Multimedia applications to read and write JPEG compressed image files.
Specifically, it:
Enables Light Tables to display thumbnail images of JPEG files.
Enables the Lightning Browser (LB.EXE) and the standard image browser
(IB.EXE) to display JPEG files.
Enables the multimedia data converter (FFC.EXE) to convert other
supported formats to and from JPEG.
Enables any multimedia application written for OS/2 to read and write
JPEG files.
The JPEG support contained in this upgrade works with progressive JPEG files,
which are becoming popular on the World Wide Web.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.3. Light Table .JPG Patch ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Although Light Tables, like any other multimedia application, are perfectly
capable of creating thumbnail images for JPEG files once the JPEG support in
this upgrade is installed, they have a hard-coded limitation based on the file
extension. That is, although they will recognize JPEG files per se (OS/2
Multimedia uses the file content to identify the format) they won't recognize
files with an extension of .JPG!
Fortunately, an additional component of this upgrade, "Light Table .JPG Patch",
fixes this problem by patching the Light Table code. If you do not install the
patch, Light Tables will not thumbnail JPEG files unless you rename them with a
supported extension.
Note: The Light Table .JPG Patch sacrifices support for .PYG files.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Quick Installation Guide ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section explains how to install the Practice Viewer Upgrade.
System Requirements
Installation
Suggestions
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.1. System Requirements ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Practice Viewer Upgrade requires:
OS/2 Warp, or a later version of OS/2.
OS/2 Multimedia software support. Use selective install to install this
support before installing the Practice Viewer Upgrade.
The Lightning Browser requires:
DIVE-capable video hardware, because it uses the advanced DIVE video
functions.
The Multimedia Viewer is actually not required, and can be installed after the
Practice Viewer Upgrade, if desired. If the Multimedia Viewer is not
installed, you will not have Light Tables and your multimedia subsystem will
support fewer image formats, but you can use The Lightning Browser to view
images in supported formats (such as JPEG, if you install it).
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.2. Installation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Whether you are upgrading a previously-installed version of JPEGPROC or the
Practice Viewer Upgrade or installing for the first time, do the following:
1. Unzip the files so that they reside together in a single directory.
2. Double-click on the INSTALL.EXE icon. Or, go to a command line, change
to the directory containing the Practice Viewer Upgrade package, and type
"INSTALL". This will do some preliminary processing (messages that
appear at this point are not important) before launching the multimedia
installer.
3. In the multimedia installer, you should see the three features of the
upgrade outlined above: "Lightning Browser", "JPEG Support" and "Light
Table .JPG Patch". Deselect any components you do not wish to install.
Install the Light Table .JPG Patch only if you have previously installed
the Multimedia Viewer from the Warp Bonus Pack. The target drive should
default to where you previously installed the base multimedia support,
and should not be changed.
4. Click "Install" to install the selected components.
A dialog box may appear indicating that your CONFIG.SYS must be changed, and
asking whether you want the installation program to change it for you. The
only change that may be made is to cause locked multimedia files to be updated
during the next reboot. This change reverses itself after reboot, so it has
no long-term effect. The installation program will also update MMPMMMIO.INI.
Any component can be reinstalled if necessary. After installation, you no
longer need the files in the directory you installed from.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.3. Suggestions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
If the Lightning Browser is installed, a program icon for it will be placed in
your multimedia folder. This program icon will have associations set up for
image file formats commonly supported by OS/2 Multimedia. This will cause the
Lightning Browser to appear in the Open menu of any files with these names or
types.
However, workplace shell associations work on a first-come, first-served basis.
If you want the Lightning Browser to appear first in the Open menu of these
files and be executed on a double-click, you need to temporarily disassociate
your other applications from these files.
For instance, if you have previously associated an IB.EXE icon with *.GIF
files, and you wish the Lightning Browser to be the default choice for these
files, remove the *.GIF association from IB.EXE, then immediately add it back.
IB.EXE should now be at the bottom of the list of programs in the Open menu for
*.GIF files. By moving other programs to the bottom, you can move Lightning
Browser to the top.
Images stored in Light Tables also have another entry, "Media Browser", in
their open menus. This entry will always execute IB.EXE. If you want it to
execute the Lightning Browser instead, rename IB.EXE (it is usually located in
the VIEWER\BIN directory) to something else. Then rename LB.EXE (the Lightning
Browser, located in your base multimedia directory MMOS2) to IB.EXE.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. License ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Practice Viewer Upgrade is Copyright (C) 1995, Practice Corporation. All
rights reserved, unless otherwise set forth below.
The unregistered version of the Practice Viewer Upgrade accompanied by this
license may display a registration notice before showing complete images. This
version may be copied, so long as it is copied in its entirety, including this
license and all other documentation. It may be used. No fee, charge or other
compensation for the use or distribution of this software may be accepted or
requested by any licensee. The Practice Viewer Upgrade may not be distributed
in conjunction with any other product. The Practice Viewer Upgrade may not be
modified.
The registered version of the Practice Viewer Upgrade may be used on a single
computer; an owner of the registered version may use the program on a different
computer, but may not use the program on more than one computer at the same
time.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. How to Register ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The registered version of the Practice Viewer Upgrade, which does not display a
registration notice and which includes free updates, is $15 (US dollars). If
you want it sent by ground mail, add $2.50 to cover shipping and handling. The
registered version can be ordered by any of the following methods:
Compuserve
GO SWREG
The Practice Viewer Upgrade's registration ID is 8325.
By mail
Send name, email address, ground mail address and check or money order to:
Practice Corporation
1030 E. El Camino Real #513
Sunnyvale, CA 94087
Please indicate whether you would like your registered version
emailed to you using UUENCODE (recommended), or mailed on 3.5" floppy.
From BMT Micro
Voice Orders: 8:00am - 7:00pm EST (-5 GMT)
(800) 414-4268 (Orders only)
(910) 791-7052 (Orders / Order Inquires)
Fax Orders (see order form):
(910) 350-2937 24 hours, 7 days a week
Online Orders via BBS:
(910) 350-8061 10 lines, all 14.4K
(910) 799-0923 28.8k v.FC
via Internet:
orders@bmt.wilmington.net
BMT Micro accepts Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, Diner's Club,
money order, cashiers checks, and personal checks. They also accept
DM and British currency via registered mail.
Personal checks are subject to clearance.
They accept purchase orders from educational institutions, governmental
agencies and other verifiable businesses. Terms are "Due Upon
Receipt" with a $250 minimum.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.1. BMT Micro Order Form ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Name: ____________________________________________________________
Company: ____________________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
City: _______________________ State/Province: __________________
Country: ____________________________ Postal Code: __________________
Phone: ____________________________________________________________
Fax: ____________________________________________________________
Email: ____________________________________________________________
Product Price Quantity Total
--------------------------------------------------------------------
________________________________ $________ x ________ = $____.___
________________________________ $________ x ________ = $____.___
________________________________ $________ x ________ = $____.___
________________________________ $________ x ________ = $____.___
________________________________ $________ x ________ = $____.___
Subtotal: $____.___
North Carolina residents, please add 6% sales tax: +$____.___
Shipping (check one):
___ Email (subject to credit card verification Free
___ 1st Class ................................. +$___2.50_
___ Airborne (Next day most places, USA Only).. +$___7.00_
___ Federal Express (USA Only)................. +$__13.00_
___ Federal Express (Canada/Mexico)............ +$__25.00_
___ Federal Express (Europe/Japan)............. +$__30.00_
___ Express (Outside USA) ..................... +$__20.00_
Total: $____.___
For credit card payment only:
Circle one: VISA / Master / Discover / AMEX / Diner's Club
Credit card number: _____________________________________________
Expiration date: ___/___
Authorization signature: _____________________________________________
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Support ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
We welcome your suggestions for improvements to this product, and encourage you
to report any problems to the author, Tom Harding, at:
72673.3305@compuserve.com.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Acknowledgements ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Practice Viewer Upgrade is based in part on the work of the
Independent JPEG Group, version 6.
OS/2 is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Multimedia Viewer that comes with the Warp Bonus Pack is not a viewer
application in the traditional sense of the term. Rather, it is a set of tools
that integrate multimedia browsing capabilities directly into the workplace
shell. It does this with Light Table objects.
Light Table objects are very useful for organizing still image files, because
they let you see what's behind cryptic file names by displaying a miniature
version of the image, called a "thumbnail". In all other respects, they are
standard OS/2 folders. They can hold any kind of object, including video and
sound. Unlike other image viewer applications which introduce their own
internal thumbnailing schemes, Light Tables simply add this ability to the
standard folders you would be storing your files in anyway.
When you install the Multimedia Viewer from the Warp Bonus Pack, a sample Light
Table is created, which you can copy as many times as you like. If you choose,
you can use Light Tables to hold references to image files, instead of the
images themselves; you still get the thumbnail images. See the Multimedia
Viewer documentation for more information.