This program is freeware! It may be copied and distributed freely, provided all the original, unaltered files are enclosed! You may change the program to suit your own needs. If it's a bug fix, or if you think it's an improvement, then please send the changes to us.
How to use this little piece of software:
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This program is intended as a replacement for the !Boot-File which is automatically created by the task manager when you choose the option "save boot file".
If you are satisfied with having one permanent, static bootfile, you won't need this utility! :(
But if you would like to have a more intelligent, more flexible way of booting your computer, without fiddeling around too much and without suffering from a severe nervous breakdown - then read on. This could be the solution you've always been looking for! :)
By the way: If you want to get an impression *very quickly* of what this program can offer to you, then double-click on its icon right now! Don't be afraid - nothing "dangerous" will happen!
This program provides two ways of booting. The first one is the simplest you can image: Just switch on your (Acorn:) computer and let it start up as usual. So far there is no difference to a normal !Boot file as it was mentioned above.
But if you decided to press SPACE right afer switching on (or hard reset), you would have got a nice menu (instead of the RISC OS welcome screen) letting you choose between several booting options you can configure to suit your special needs! You could, for example, choose something like "DTP session", lay back and watch your favourite DTP application, printer driver etc. being loaded automatically. In fact you can do anything which is possible by calling script files (boot files, obey files, basic progs...)
If you want to install this program (yes, do it!!), I would suggest to proceed as follows:
1. Open the Bootfiles-directory, which is to be found inside the application.
This directory contains all boot-files you will be able to choose among.
2. Move your own !Boot-File (usually it's in the root directory) into the
bootfiles-folder. Rename it as "Standard" then! That's VERY IMPORTANT,
because this file will be executed if you boot as usual, i.e. without
pressing SPACE during the startup-procedure.
3. Move the whole !Boot-Application into the root directory of your hard disc,
exactly where you took your original boot-file from.
4. Try a CTRL-Break Reset NOW! If everything went right, your system should
boot as it did normally. :)
You tried it? Everything OK? Good.
Now, the next step...
5. Open the Bootfiles directory again (by double-clicking on its icon, hihi).
You will find a file called "MenuDef", which contains all user configurable
menu entries. There are two lines for each entry. But this should be
self-explanatory: there must be a CLI command in the second line, which
will be executed if the corresponding menu item is chosen. Usually this
is just something like RUN <path>.filename
6. Now decide which options you want to have in your menu, modify the MenuDef
file accordingly, and don't forget to create the corresponding boot-files
for each selection!
There is an example provided: Calling the "Reset"-file causes another reset of your machine. Oh, you already guessed that? Really? :) However this doesn't
make much sense in my humble opinion. It's just an example...
Let's assume for the following you've started up with the SPACE key pressed :By moving the mouse, then pressing its left key (Select), you can choose the script file setting up your personal configuration.
The "philosophy" about selecting menu items implemented here is quite obvious: the distance of mouse movements was made as short as possible. Try it out and you'll see what this means. :)
If you want to go through the boot menu whenever you switch on your computer,
just look inside the !Run-File and set the variable Menu$Opt to "on". (Default is "off"!) Then you will get the menu as default, provided that the space bar was NOT pressed down directly after resetting. So this is just the other way round!
In the !Run-File there's also an option to suppress the flood filling which is usually applied to the menu segments when the mouse pointer is over them.
Kaiserslautern, 22.5.95
Guido Steiner
At last - the authors' addresses:
Theo Gottwald
Wolfartsweiererstr.1
76131 Karlruhe
Tel.& Fax 0721-696306
Guido Steiner
Casimirring 38
67663 Kaiserslautern
Email: steiner@physik.uni-kl.de
P.S. Thanks to Ian Palmer for BLIB II. What about releasing BLIB III ? :)
