@Database AmigaStart.doc @Node main "AmigaStart documentation" ********************* * AmigaStart 95.8 * 1995 Ian J. Einman ********************* This program gives your computer a startup screen containing system information and a logo, sort of like many workstations. I spent a little time drawing some artwork, and I hope you like this one better than similar programs. It is more customizable and has been fine-tuned by the suggestions and contributions of many other people. Contents ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- @{" Features " link Fea } 1001 excellent features (base two). @{" Installation " link Ins } Fill your hard drive with more junk. @{" Options " link Opt } Master the magic, learn the spells. @{" History " link Hist} How has it evolved, from ape to man? @{" Artwork " link Art } Who made the artwork, and can I draw? @{" Author " link Auth} Who hath wrought this... Evil upon us? @endnode @node Fea "Features" AmigaStart Features ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Displays Processor & Math coprocessor; Free Fast & Chip Memory; Kickstart & Workbench version; Graphics chips Fades in and out, smooth fade with AGA Blanks mouse pointer; Forces other screens to open behind it Included Rainbow Logo modeled after Commodore WB 2.1/3.0 logos; Easily customizable logos, use included logo as template Use any number of colors, any fonts and font sizes Use any monitor or display mode Built-in support for PAL, NTSC, DBLPAL, DBLNTSC, and VGA monitors Customizable text strings, decimals, separators; AmigaStart can use whatever language or customs you want it to Quits with CTRL-C, CTRL-E, or a keypress Small, efficient, and highly customizable @endnode @node Ins "Installation" How to Install AmigaStart ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Makedir S:Plus 2. Copy s/plus/AmigaStart s/plus/#?.as TO S:Plus 3. Add the following line to your startup-sequence: Run >NIL: S:Plus/AmigaStart It is best to put it after IPrefs is running, so the screen does not move when your overscan preferences are loaded. 4. You should have Times/18 and Times/24 in your fonts directory. These are system standard fonts, so if they are not included with this archive, you may copy them from your Workbench disks. You may choose other fonts, but if they are not specified and available, AmigaStart will look for Times, and then will fail if Times cannot be found. 5. Install the systemplus.library if it is newer than the one you already have. Check this by typing "version systemplus.library". The version included here is 95.5. 6. Now you need to set it up so it will go away once Workbench is loaded. There are several ways to do this. If you have AutoStart ( 1995 Ian J. Einman), add the following as a DOS command: "S:Plus/AmigaStart CLOSE". Put it at the bottom, if you wish, so it makes the screen disappear after everything is loaded. You may add the command S:Plus/AmigaStart CLOSE after the LoadWB command in your startup-sequence. You may wish to put a Wait command before it to make it disappear at the right time. @endnode @node Opt "Options" Command Line Options ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- LOGO: You may use one of the included logos, or make your own. The default logo is "Default_16.as", which is loaded if no other name is specified. Logos are searched for in the S:Plus directory with a file extension of ".as". Example: AmigaStart BlueMarble_16.as If you don't like my artwork (it only took a half hour, I won't cry if you think it sucks) you may replace it. Load it into a paint program. Be careful to use a similar palette. If you don't, things will look strange. It isn't necessary to get the size or colors the same, feel free to experiment. Maximum logo size: 330 x 390 Resolution: 640 x 400 or greater Maximum info size: 290 x 390 Max Colors: 16 ECS/256 AGA (no HAM or EHB) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- SWAP/S: By default the logo is on the left side, and the information is on the right side. You may swap the two, if you prefer. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- PAL/S,NTSC/S,DBLPAL/S,DBLNTSC/S,VGA/S: AmigaStart may use any of the following monitors: PAL, NTSC, DBLPAL, DBLNTSC, and VGA. Simply add the monitor name after the command. Example: S:Plus/AmigaStart DBLPAL You cannot use monitors that have not been added to the system. AmigaStart can only open screens in the default mode of your system unless the monitor drivers have been loaded. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODE/K: You may specify any monitor display ID in hexadecimal. This may be used with other monitors that are included with the OS, such as Euro36, 72, and Super72, or a third party monitor, like those supplied with graphics board emulations. Example: AmigaStart MODE=$19004 The screen would open in "NTSC:Hi-Res/Interlaced". Be careful with this option, the monitor must support a 640*400 resolution or greater, and support the number of colors in the image file you are loading. You must specify the display mode as well. The built-in monitors select the proper mode for you, but you may override it with this option. The Mode ID must be in hexadecimal, and may be prefaced with a "$" or "0x". Consult your graphics board documentation for the monitor mode ID specification, or open ScreenMode Preferences and record the information from there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TITLEFONT/K,TITLESIZE/K/N,TEXTFONT/K,TEXTSIZE/K/N: By default, the title font is Times 18, and the text font is Times 24. You may change this if you like. Example: AmigaStart TITLEFONT=ShannonBook.font TEXTFONT=Helvetica.font It is recommended you use the same size of font, but it the font you wish to use is a slightly different size, you may also change the size. Example: AmigaStart TEXTFONT=Platinum.font TEXTSIZE=23 It is useless to specify the font size if you do not specify the name. If you want to use Times 16, you must do the following: Example: AmigaStart TITLEFONT=Times.font TITLESIZE=16 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- TEXT_SYSTEM/K,TEXT_KICKSTART/K,TEXT_WORKBENCH/K,TEXT_GRAPHICS/K, TEXT_PROCESSOR/K,TEXT_CPU/K,TEXT_FPU/K, TEXT_MEMORY/K,TEXT_CHIP/K,TEXT_FAST/K: These options allow to replace the built-in text strings with their own strings (in their own language, presumably). You may also just want to name something differently than I did, or use lowercase, or whatever. Example: AmigaStart TEXT_SYSTEM="LA SISTEMA" TEXT_MEMORY="LA MEMORIA LIBRE" This is a crude form of language support, but since there are only a few strings it works fine, and some of the strings you probably won't translate anyway (like Kickstart and Workbench). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- SEPARATOR/K,DECIMAL/K: These options allow you to use the characters you customarily use in your country for decimals (version numbers) and thousand place separators. I realize that the United States is basically backwards from most countries on earth, and so now I have made it possible for you to overlook the nationality of the author. Example: AmigaStart SEPARATOR="." ---> Chip RAM: 1.564 K Fast RAM: 2.895 K Example: AmigaStart DECIMAL="," ---> Kickstart: 39,46 Workbench: 40,38 Warning: if SEPARATOR does not seem to work, check your spelling. It is one of the most commonnly mispelled words in the English language. Two A's, and one E! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- CLOSE/S: This switch is NOT needed to close the screen; if the screen is already open, and you type AmigaStart again, the screen will close. However, if the screen did not open (due to error, or if it wasn't loaded due to multiple startups), typing AmigaStart would make it open! So if you use "AmigaStart CLOSE" it will close if it is open, and do nothing if the screen is not open. If you click in the middle of one of the windows and hit a key, the screen will go away. This is useful if your system goes astray. If a window opens on the AmigaStart screen, that is all right, the screen will close when all the windows are off of it. @endnode @node Art "Copyrights" Copyrights, Artwork & Distribution ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- AmigaStart 1995 Ian J. Einman Helvetica.font 1990 Commodore-Amiga Times.font 1990 Commodore-Amiga systemplus.library 1994-95 Ian J. Einman Rainbow Logo 1992 Commodore-Amiga Default_#?.as by Ian J. Einman BlueMarble_16.as by Ian J. Einman Future_64.as by Ian J. Einman CreativeMinds_#?.as by Ron Glidden The AmigaStart program/package is freeware. Distribute it as much as you like, but please keep it all together. >>You may do what you want with this; use it, include it with your >>archive, upload it seperately, laugh and then delete it, whatever.. >>I just wanted to share it with you. >>Thanks for sharing your work with us! >>Ron Glidden >>GEnie: R.GLIDDEN >>r.glidden@genie.geis.com @endnode @node Hist "History" AmigaStart History ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 95.8 Added MODE for support of graphics cards and other monitors. Increased vertical display height to 390, to accomodate Future_64.as. 95.6 Added ability to customize fonts, text, and comma/decimal characters. AGA support, and new patterns for windows. Logo/info may be traded. Mouse blanking. 95.5a Added 68060 support (well, if they set the bit I think they are going to). It should work with the CyberStorm 060, but I would appreciate it if you would give me one to test it with. Fixed a problem with some accelerator boards setting AFB_FPU40 when AFB_68040 is clear. This is sort of a dorky thing to do anyway, how could I have known this would happen. I guess it was before the 68040 was supported. 95.5 First version (whee.) Thanks to: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Richard Thoreson, for letting me develop it on his 1200 Ron Glidden, for contributing art and putting the doc into guide format Trevor Dayley (tldaley@world.net), for Australian distribution Siewert Westerneng (swestern@dds.nl), for European distribution Gandalf @ Blackbox, for his comments and begging for 256 color support Other people, who reported small insects in the program @endnode @node Auth "Author" Author Information ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ian J. Einman i.einman@genie.geis.com P.O. Box 5711 74271.2766@compuserve.com Bellingham, WA 98227 Tell me if you like the program. I'd appreciate your comments. Don't send money, if you are rich, register one of my other programs, like AddPower or AutoStart. Report any and all bugs. This is an order. I have found that some accelerator boards set bits differently than I would expect. If you have a 68020 and my program says you have a 68060, it is a bug in my logic. This program can not actually give you a better processor, or a better spouse, or a better job. Also, if you draw a logo for it you just think is wonderful, and would like to see it included in the archive, send it to me. I will laugh at it, and make fun of you. I may also include it in the archive, so others may do the same. P.S. - If you have a few beers, my logo looks rad. Please try this before you delete it. @endnode