Frostbyte's 1980s DOS Shareware Collection

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Frostbyte's 1980s DOS Shareware Collection / floppyshareware.zip / floppyshareware / APOG / CSHW851B.ZIP / README.DOC < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1990-01-17 | 23.0 KB | 615 lines

Last Minute Changes, Notes, Current Video and Printer Drivers, Frequently Asked Questions ================================== Summary of Changes in CompuShow Version 7.00: ============================================ - Hardware-specific graphics drivers provide support for "Super-VGA" and other extended graphics modes. - Panning in all modes, including PCjr/Tandy and hardware-specific modes. Panning "jumps" with Home/End, Ctrl-Lft/Ctrl-Rgt, and Ctrl-Home/Ctrl-End. - Adjust brightness and color of MCGA, VGA, and "Super-VGA" images. Save and reload adjusted palette. - MCGA/VGA/Super-VGA gray scale display. - Added support for MCGA 640x480x2 color mode. - Dual monitor operation. - New command-line switch allows you to reserve memory for a large file directory. - Added functions to COPY, REName, and DELete files. - Optional "full directory" mode displays hidden files, disk volume label, and sub-directories. - "Point and shoot" change to a different sub-directory. - First-letter directory search now spans multiple screens. - GIF errors are described in "plain english" messages. Summary of Changes in CompuShow Version 7.20: ============================================ - The GIF error trap has been re-worked, to prevent the incorrect reporting of "Bad Block ID [00]" errors. With appologies to all the good GIFs (eg. Z0TITL.GIF) that CompuShow reported as having this error. - Some fairly significant "tweaking" of the color mapping routine improves display of multi-image GIFs. - CompuShow (the display program) now automatically displays a GIF using the saved EGA or VGA color palette (as before, [F9] returns to the original GIF colors). The slide show no longer uses the saved palette when displaying in dithered EGA (mode Z). - Program changes now provide support for the IBM 8514/A adapter through the VIDEOI4 and VIDEOI5 drivers. - New video drivers for Plantronics, "Generic EGA", and the ATI Graphics Solution. Summary of Changes in CompuShow Version 8.51: ============================================ - The GIF error trap has been re-worked, to prevent the incorrect reporting of "Bad Block ID [00]" errors. With appologies to all the good GIFs (eg. Z0TITL.GIF) that CompuShow reported as having this error. - CompuShow (the display program) now automatically displays a GIF using the saved EGA or VGA color palette (as before, [F9] returns to the original GIF colors). The slide show no longer uses the saved palette when displaying in dithered EGA (mode Z). - Some fairly significant "tweaking" of the color mapping routine improves display of multi-image GIFs. - New video drivers for Plantronics, "Generic EGA", and the ATI Graphics Solution. - Yet another MacPaint format is supported (now 5). - The #Q (quiet) parameter may be set in the System Configuration Program. VIDEO DRIVERS: ============= This is a current listing of the video drivers included with CompuShow, and the adapters and modes that they support. Note that modes marked with an "M" require adapters with full memory installed (eg. 512k VGA, 8514 with the memory expansion kit.) Also, modes marked with an "S" are simulated displays, accomplished by writing pixels (or rows of pixels) more than once, or by skipping pixels (or rows of pixels), to simulate a graphics screen larger or smaller than it actually is. Driver Graphics Mode Notes ===================================================================== A1=ATI VGA Wonder | 800x600x16 | | 1024x768x16 M | | 320x400x256 S | | 640x400x256 | | 640x480x256 M | | 800x600x256 M | -------------------------+-----------------+------------------------- A2=ATI Graphics Solution | 320x200x16 | | 640x200x16 | -------------------------+-----------------+------------------------- E1=Everex | 640x480x16 | | 800x600x16 | | 320x350x256 S | | 320x400x256 S | | 640x350x256 | | 640x400x256 | | 512x480x256 | -------------------------+-----------------+------------------------- I1=Generic CGA | 160x100x16 | (any CGA) | 320x200x16 S | -------------------------+-----------------+------------------------- I2=Generic VGA | 320x400x256 | (any VGA, eg. PS/2) | 640x400x256 S | | 640x480x256 S | | 360x480x256 | | 720x480x256 S | -------------------------+-----------------+------------------------- I3=IBM PGC | 320x240x256 S | IBM Professional | 320x480x256 S | Graphics Controller | 640x480x256 | -------------------------+-----------------+------------------------- MS ^^ || |+--Simulated mode full Memory required--+ (continued...) Driver Graphics Mode Notes -------------------------+-----------------+------------------------- I4=IBM 8514/A | 640x480x16 | Single monitor | 1024x768x16 | | 640x480x256 M | | 1024x768x256 M | -------------------------+-----------------+------------------------- I5=IBM 8514/A | 640x480x16 | 8514+VGA monitor | 1024x768x16 | | 640x480x256 M | | 1024x768x256 M | -------------------------+-----------------+------------------------- I6=Generic EGA | 320x350x16 S | -------------------------+-----------------+------------------------- P1=Paradise | 800x600x16 | AST, Compaq, Dell | 320x400x256 S | | 640x400x256 | | 640x480x256 M | | 640x480x256 S | -------------------------+-----------------+------------------------- P2=Plantronics | 320x200x16 | -------------------------+-----------------+------------------------- T1=Tseng | 800x600x16 | Genoa, STB, Orchid | 1024x768x16 M | | 320x350x256 S | | 320x480x256 MS | | 640x350x256 | | 640x480x256 M | | 800x600x256 M | -------------------------+-----------------+------------------------- T2=Tandy 1000SL/TL | 640x200x16 | "ETGA" | 320x200x16 S | -------------------------+-----------------+------------------------- T3=Trident | 800x600x16 | Logix, ZyMOS | 1024x768x16 M | | 320x400x256 S | | 640x400x256 | | 640x480x256 M | | 640x480x256 S | -------------------------+-----------------+------------------------- V1=Video 7 | 800x600x16 | | 1024x768x16 M | | 320x400x256 S | | 640x400x256 | | 640x480x256 M | | 640x480x256 S | | 800x600x256 M | -------------------------+-----------------+------------------------- MS ^^ || |+--Simulated mode full Memory required--+ Printer Drivers: ---------------- The following printer drivers are included with the enhanced program: ============================================================================= IBMGRAPH.DRV This is "vanilla", the closest thing to an actual Graphics Printer "standard". It will work with most IBM/Epson compatible printers. Initialization: esc,'U',1 Turns uni-directional print on. Line End: cr,esc,'J',24 Carriage return, line feed 24/216" Page End: ff,esc,'U',0 Form-feed, uni-directional off. Single Density: esc,'K',n1,n2 Prints at 60 dots/inch. Double Density: esc,'L',n1,n2 Prints at 120 dots/inch. ============================================================================= GENERIC.DRV An IBM Graphics Printer Driver plus Quad-Density. Quad Density: esc,'Z',n1,n2 Prints at 240 dots/inch. ============================================================================= GENERIC2.DRV Identical to the Generic driver, except that it does a 1/9" line feed with "esc,'J',20", for printers (such as the Panasonic KX-P1124) which express line feeds in 1/180" increments. Line End: cr,esc,'J',20 Carriage return, line feed 20/180" ============================================================================= CITIZEN.DRV A driver for Citizen MSP-10,15,20,25 printers. Initialization: esc,'@',esc,'U',1 Reset, uni-directional print on. Line End: cr,esc,'J',24 Carriage return, line feed 24/216" Page End: ff,esc,'@' Form-feed, reset. Single Density: esc,'*',0,n1,n2 Prints at 60 dots/inch. Double Density: esc,'*',1,n1,n2 Prints at 120 dots/inch. One-to-one esc,'*',5,n1,n2 Prints at 72 dots/inch. Two-to-one esc,'*',7,n1,n2 Prints at 144 dots/inch. Hi-Res CRT esc,'*',6,n1,n2 Prints at 90 dots/inch. ============================================================================= HPLASER.DRV Hewlett Packard Laser printers. Graphics are printed one row at a time, rather than eight rows at a time. Initialization: esc,'*t75R',esc,'*r0A' Sets 75 dpi and left margin. Line End: (none) Page End: esc,'*rB',ff End graphics, form-feed. Part1: esc,'*b' Part 1 of two-part command Part2: 'W' Part 2 ============================================================================= HPTHINK.DRV The Hewlett Packard ThinkJet. Initialization: esc,'A',8 Sets line feed to 8 dots Line End: cr,lf Simple carriage-return/line-feed Page End: ff,esc,'@' Form-feed, software reset Single Density: esc,'K',n1,n2 Prints at 96 dots/inch. Double Density: esc,'L',n1,n2 Prints at 192 dots/inch. ============================================================================= ============================================================================= IBMCOLOR.DRV The IBM Color Printer. Initialization: esc,'U',1 Turns uni-directional print on. Line End: cr,esc,'J',14 Carriage return, line feed 14/144" Page End: ff,esc,'U',0 Form-feed, uni-directional off. Single Density: esc,'K',n1,n2 Prints at 84 dots/inch. Double Density: esc,'L',n1,n2 Prints at 168 dots/inch. ============================================================================= IBMCOMPC.DRV The IBM CompactPrinter. At single-density (70 dpi), MacPaint must be truncated at 560 dots (8" wide). Initialization: esc,'0' Set 1/9" line-spacing. Line End: cr,lf Carriage return, line feed. Page End: ff,esc,'2' Form-feed, set 1/6" line spacing. Single Density: esc,'<',esc,'L',n1,n2 Home the head, prints at 70 dots/inch. ============================================================================= NEC8023.DRV May also work with the C.Itoh Prowriter. Fast and dark print modes provide a choice of print sizes, with no difference in "darkness". Initialization: esc,']',esc,'T17',cr Set L/S, 17/144" line spacing. Line End: cr,lf Carriage return, line feed. Page End: ff,esc,'T24' Form-feed, set 1/6" line spacing. Bit-Image: esc,'S',a1,a2,a3,a4 Prints at 80 dots/inch. ============================================================================= ROLAND.DRV The Roland 1012 is identical to the Generic driver, with the addition of a one-to-one (72 dpi) mode for fast print of MacPaint's. One-To-One: esc,'*',5,n1,n2 Prints at 72 dots/inch. ============================================================================= TSHBP321.DRV A very complicated driver for the Toshiba P321 24 pin printer. In order to correctly size the graphics print, five rows of eight pixels are printed as four rows of 24 pins. Initialization: esc,'>',esc,'L07 Uni-Directional, set 7/18" line spacing Line End: cr,lf Carriage return, Line feed Page End: ff,esc,26,'I' Form-feed, reset Single Density: esc,';',a1,a2,a3,a4 Prints at 180 dots/inch Double Density: esc,29,a1,a2,a3,a4 Prints at 360 dots/inch ============================================================================= TSHBP351.DRV Toshiba P351, set for Qume emulation. Identical to IBMGRAPH, except that it turns Qume emulation off in Initialization, and on at Page End. Initialization: esc,'_1',esc,'U1' Turn Qume off, Uni-Directional on Page End: ff,esc,'U0',esc,'_0' Form-feed, Uni-Dir off, Qume on ============================================================================= Frequently Asked Questions: ========================== Hercules In Color: ----------------- MY MONOCHROME GRAPHICS ADAPTER IS IDENTIFIED AS A "HERCULES IN COLOR" CARD, WHICH ISN'T SUPPORTED. WHAT DO I DO NOW? CompuShow has no trouble identifying standard graphics adapters including true Hercules(tm) adapters. However, some monochrome graphics boards which support Hercules graphics modes respond as though they were a Hercules "In Color" board. Force Hercules mode with the "+H" command line switch (or use CSHOWI to configure the enhanced program.) Super-EGA: --------- I'VE GOT A 480-LINE EGA, BUT DON'T KNOW HOW TO TELL THE PROGRAM TO SELECT 480 LINE MODE. Check the owner's manual. If the manufacturer doesn't include this information in the manual, there's usually a Tech Support phone number (frequently an 800 number) that you can call. As an alternative (WHICH MAY PROVE QUICKER than trying to dig it out of the owner's manual or Tech Support), let me pass on a "trial-and-error" technique developed by a CompuShow user: Just TRY ONE NUMBER AFTER ANOTHER, until you find the correct mode. Here's a suggested technique: - Make a "temporary" sub-directory, and copy the program and one GIF file into it (or make a similar floppy, if you don't have a hard disk.) With only two files in the directory, the program start-up will be quick. - Start the program as "CSHOW /20" and try displaying the GIF in 480 line mode. - If you see a 480 line display, you've found the right mode number. - Most of the time, the mode number will be wrong, and the screen will probably SCRAMBLE, although it may just STAY IN TEXT MODE. - Press ESCape once to interrupt the GIF. - Press ESCape a second time to return to the information box. - Continue pressing ESCape until you exit the program and return to DOS. - Back at your DOS prompt, press [F3]. The previous command "CSHOW /20" will be "re-typed" for you. Backspace and make it "CSHOW /21" and press carriage return to try mode 21. - Repeat the process (for numbers from 20 to 255) until you find the right number. (If you notify us of the make/model and mode number, we'll be happy to add it to future versions of the program.) "Scrambled" EGA/GIF Display: --------------------------- SOME (OR ALL) GIFs, WHEN DISPLAYED ON MY EGA ARE "SCRAMBLED" OR "STREAKED" WITH BLACK LINES. A few (actually VERY FEW) EGA boards have problems with horizontal panning. If your EGA has this problem, use the #E command line switch (or use CShowI to set the "Bypass EGA horizontal pan" option to "Y"). The HP Laser Printer: -------------------- THE PRINTER LIGHTS BLINK FOR A FEW SECONDS (INDICATING THAT IT'S RECEIVING THE GRAPHICS DATA) AND IT THEN EJECTS A BLANK (OR PARTIALLY PRINTED) PAGE. Note that if you have loaded "soft fonts", the printer may "reject" the graphics data, since it doesn't have enough internal memory to store BOTH the soft fonts and the graphics data. You need to remove the soft fonts from the printer's memory to be able to print graphics. NOTE: HP DeskJet Plus --------------------- A registered user has confirmed that the HPLASER.DRV works correctly with the HP DeskJet Plus. NOTE: Panasonic KX-P1124 ------------------------ It has been reported (07/24/1989) that the KX-P1124 only works properly with the GENERIC driver, in IBM ProPrinter mode, with AGM off. PCjr/Tandy Modes: ---------------- THE PCJR/TANDY 1000 MODES DON'T APPEAR AS DISPLAY OPTIONS ON THE GIF INFORMATION BOX. The #J command line toggle is used to enable these video modes. Starting with version 6, these were made "optional" modes, since they require the program to "reserve" 32k of memory. When #J is not used, the program can use this 32k for other purposes. CompuShow Configuration and Drivers: ----------------------------------- CSHOW IS IN A SUB-DIRECTORY POINTED TO BY THE DOS "PATH" COMMAND. I'VE USED CSHOWI TO INSTALL SCREEN COLORS, ETC. WHY DO I GET THE ORIGINAL COLORS AND OPTIONS WHEN I START THE PROGRAM IN A DIFFERENT SUB-DIRECTORY? CShow and CShowS look for the configuration file, the printer and video drivers on the same disk and sub-directory as the program. Actually, each program depends on DOS (version 3 or above) to tell it where the EXE was found. If you're using a version of DOS below 3, add the following line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file (assuming CSHOW.EXE is in C:\PROGS): SET CASSS=C:\PROGS When the program discovers that it's running under DOS version 2, it will look in C:\PROGS for the configuration file and drivers. Graphics File Conversion: ------------------------ WILL COMPUSHOW CONVERT GIF IMAGES FOR USE IN MY PAINT OR DESKTOP PUBLISHING PROGRAM? A number of users have asked about converting images from one graphics format to another. CompuShow is a GRAPHICS DISPLAY AND PRINT program, and we have plans to add file conversion capabilities at some time in the future. There are a number of conversion programs available. CompuServe's Graphics Support Forum (GO PICS) is generally the best place to start to look for one. Other Hardware-Specific Modes: ----------------------------- MY VIDEO ADAPTER HAS AN EXTENDED GRAPHICS MODE THAT I'D LIKE TO USE, BUT THERE'S NO GRAPHICS DRIVER FOR IT. The external video drivers used by CompuShow make it easy to add support for additional graphics hardware. If you're an assembly language (MASM/TASM) programmer, and would like to try to develop a driver yourself, I can send you a "Video Driver Developer's Disk", which will let you add support for your video hardware. If you're not an assembler programmer, but have the programming specs, contact me, and we'll see if we can develop a driver together. Building a Graphics Library: --------------------------- We've had a number of requests for "disks full of GIFs" or other graphics files. While CompuShow has been included on ShareWare disks with GIFs of various descriptions, these disks did not come from Canyon State Systems. We don't sell or distribute GIFs or other graphics files, with the exception of a few that are included on the enhanced program disk. The best place to look for GIF images is definitely CompuServe, in the Art Gallery Forum (GO GALLERY), and the Quick Picture Forum (GO QPICS). There are well over 6000 graphics, most of them GIFs. Since CompuServe developed the GIF graphics format, it tends to be "home" for GIF images, although they are beginning to appear in significant numbers on other commercial services and a number of BBS's. +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | The following registered users of CompuShow operate bulletin boards. | | Other registered users who would like to be added to this list, please | | contact me. | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ The New Dimensions BBS (408-274-5550) in Campbell, CA has a good size (and growing) GIF library. One of the largest GIF libraries is Event Horizons (503-777-1578). Note that there's a charge for accessing their BBS. They operate a (high quality!) scanning service and have a mail order catalog available: Event Horizons 5800 S.E. 88th Ave., Suite 30 Portland, OR 97266 (Voice) 503-777-3595 Information about the GIF file format: ------------------------------------- A number of registered users have asked about specifications describing the GIF file format. GIF was created by CompuServe, and the Graphics Support forum (PICS) is the place to find complete, accurate, and up-to-date information about GIF. If you're not a CompuServe subscriber, but are seriously interested in trying graphics programming, I do recommend subscribing. In addition to information about GIF and other graphics formats, there's a very active and well-informed group of software developers who can be a great help. If you still prefer not to subscribe to CompuServe, contact me.