GHOST 2.5
                        (requires Windows 3.1)

                            by Brian Myers
                           of Access Softek

                     copyright 1992 by Brian Myers


CHANGES FROM 2.0A
-----------------
The program is now partially configurable.  By choosing the new
"Options" command from the system menu you can set the number of
ghosts, the number of clouds, the horizontal and vertical speeds of
the ghosts, and the horizontal speed of the clouds.  The settings
are kept in a new GHOST.INI file in your Windows directory.

Configuring sprite speed and quantity should let the program look
better on machines that run at different speeds.

This version of Ghost no longer runs on Windows 3.0.  It requires 3.1.
I assume 3.1 is common now; if people complain I can probably add code
to make the new program work with both versions again.

DESCRIPTION
-----------
Ghost is a simple animation program; it doesn't do anything more than
move images across its client area.  Some people may possibly recall
the first version of the program, written for Windows 2.0; I know
copies of it went far afield.

For statistics fans, the previous release--2.0A--was downloaded from
Compuserve over 1250 times.

PURPOSE
-------
Ghost is simply for amusement, but the About box does advertise my
Windows programming book:

    Programmer's Introduction to Windows 3.1
    by Brian Myers & Chris Doner
    Sybex, August 1992
    ISBN: 0-7821-1034-7

The book does not contain the code for Ghost, but it does include a
chapter on animation techniques, including code for smooth motion over
a background.

The book also covers DIBs, palettes, multimedia, memory management,
drag-and-drop interface, reading and writing bitmap files, TrueType
fonts, printing, the clipboard, allocating arrays dynamically, Win32
compatibility, child windows, transparent bitmaps, metafiles, the
basics of OLE, and loads of other stuff.

HOW TO FIND ME
--------------
Should you want to send me comments, ideas, or observations, you can
reach me by the following means (in order of preference):

    Compuserve:  leave a message with "Brian" in the subject line
                 on the WINAPA forum, section 2 (Access Softek)

    INTERNET:    bmyers@garnet.berkeley.edu

    phone:       leave a message for Brian at (510) 848-0606
                 (Access Softek)

HISTORY
-------
Version 2.5 added the Options dialog box.  The ghosts now do an about
face when they change directions.  Some other modifications were also
necessary to add special ghosts.  The program now requires 3.1.  There
are a few more ghost and cloud patterns and the error checking continues
to improve.

Version 2.0a fixed a small bug that made the About box stick to
the cursor whenever the box was dragged.

Version 2.0 was upgraded from version 1, which I wrote in 1988 for
Windows 2.0.  Most of the changes are internal; the program uses
memory better; its bitmap resources are now stored as DIBs; and the
code uses STRICT types and message crackers.

The moving icon on the About box developed a clipping problem under
3.0; that's been fixed.  The colors are now all shades of gray,
the tombstones look more 3-dimensional, the moon should appear round
on any display, and the ghosts now react to the witch cursor.

DISTRIBUTION
------------
The program is copyrighted but free.  Pass it on.