Info-Mac 4/Info_Mac IV CD-ROM (Pacific HiTech Inc.)(August 1994).iso/Newton/Utilities/SleepAid-12 Folder/ReadMe.dos

Text File | 1994-05-30 | 9KB | 181 lines

SleepAid 1.2
(C)1994 Innovative Computer Solutions, All Rights Reserved
Written by Dan Rowley, Documentation/Icons by Tom Collins

< Overview >
    SleepAid covers all aspects of power management on your Newton
(Classic, MP100, MP110 or German MP).  It replaces the default "Sleep"
preferences allowing you to set two sleep times - one for battery and one
for AC.  It lets you reboot or sleep your Newton even if some errant
application wants it to stay awake.  And finally, it adds a SleepAidNow
corner for one tap sleep and a HeapStatus corner for an instant reading of
free heap space.  SleepAid is not a radical change from the existing
interface.  It adds functionality without complexity and implements sleep
the way it should have been in the first place.  :-)

< Installation Notes >
    If you are upgrading from SleepAid 0.9b, please launch the old
SleepAid and tap on "Kill Prefs" before removing the package.  Users of
later versions of SleepAid do not need to remove their prefs before
upgrading to SleepAid 1.2.

    Use the "memory" preferences panel or some other package removal
utility to remove the old version.  Once the old version of SleepAid has
been removed, you can install SleepAid 1.2.

    Install SleepAid as you would any other package (with the
Connection Kit or some other utility).  SleepAid will work if installed on
a PCMCIA card, but we do not recommend it.  If you remove the card
SleepAid is installed on, it will not exhibit the Grip 'O Death (provided
it is not open), but it WILL deactivate itself.  So, even though SleepAid
works fine from a card, it is not active (because it is not present) if
you remove the card it's on.  SleepAid picks up where it left off (i.e.;
it remembers its settings) when you reinsert the card.

    It's a good idea to go into the SleepAid prefs right after
installing it, because you may not like the defaults.  Until you set the
prefs, SleepAid will maintain your existing sleep time for both AC and
battery power.

< SleepAid Preferences >
    When SleepAid starts up, it replaces the Newton's default Sleep
preferences.  You access the new preferences the same way you accessed the
old preferences - they appear in the same location on the preferences
roll.  The new preferences use sliders instead of a popup menu for setting
a sleep time for battery power and AC power ("plugged in").  Once
installed, SleepAid monitors battery status and updates the sleep time
accordingly.

    On the Classic MP, SleepAid will think that you are plugged in if
you have fresh batteries (the only way to detect an AC connection on a
Classic MP is to check for a 100% battery level).  On the MP100 and MP110
you can use the new calibrate feature to enable true AC sensing.

    Tap the "Calibrate" button to set the low/high power threshold to
the current battery level.  On the MP100 and MP110, this level will appear
as "AC sense" if you calibrate when your AC adapter is plugged in.

    To activate or deactivate the "SleepAidNow" (lower-left) or
"HeapStatus" (lower-right) corners, tap the checkboxes by each item.
Changing these setting requires special processing.  If you make a change
to either of these "hot corners", a "Set" button will appear.  You must
tap this button when you are finished, or the "hot corner" changes will
not take effect.

    You can tap the SleepAidNow corner (over the "N" in Names) to
instantly launch SleepAid.  If you hold your tap for more than one second,
the MessagePad will immediately go to sleep.  You can tap the HeapStatus
corner (over the "t"  in Assist) to have a small window with a current
free heap reading.  If you hold your tap for more than one second,
SleepAid will peform a garbage collection, possibly freeing up more heap
space.

< Usage >
    You can launch the SleepAid application from your Extras drawer or
the SleepAidNow corner (see above) to perform additional power management
tasks.

    Tap on "?" to get more info on SleepAid (including registration
information).

    Tap on "Reboot!" to reset your Newton.

    Tap on "Sleep!" to put your Newton to sleep.  If there are any
other applications installed that won't let your Newton sleep, SleepAid
will give you the option to kill their sleep handlers so your Newton can
get some rest.  SleepAid will attempt to find the owner of the
recalcitrant sleep handler but may respond with a cryptic name such as
"petermain" (the name of the Inspector interface).  At this point, your
guess is as good as ours.

    Tap on "Open Prefs" to open the SleepAid preferences.

    Tap on "Kill Prefs" to remove SleepAid's soup entry.  If you don't
plan on using SleepAid again, use the "Kill Prefs" button before you
remove the package from your Newton.

< Technical Information >
    SleepAid makes use of an InstallScript to install the power
monitoring routines.  If you use a utility that disables this function,
SleepAid will not work properly.  If you don't want SleepAid to be active,
simply remove the package.  SleepAid will remember your preferences even
when deinstalled, unless you use the "Kill Prefs" option from the
application before you remove it.

    To conserve battery power, SleepAid only checks the battery status
every 30 seconds.  If you have set an exceptionally short sleep time (like
30 seconds) for battery operation, it's POSSIBLE (but not likely) that
SleepAid may not notice if you plug in the Newt in time to prevent it from
falling asleep.  If this is really a problem, you can tap the screen after
plugging your Newt in to keep it awake "a little longer."  We should note
that we've never actually seen this happen, but it IS theoretically
possible (sort of like cold fusion or a balanced federal budget).

< Release History>
1.2  - 5/30/94 - Added HeapStatus, Calibrate, and enable/disable for
SleepAidNow and HeapStatus.
1.01 - 4/10/94 - Fixed incompatability with some applications using modal
dialogs.
1.0  - 4/03/94 - Fixed to work with MP 110 and German MP.  Added SleepAidNow.
0.9b - 2/20/94 - First public release.  Tested on two MessagePads with OS
v1.11.
0.6b - 2/09/94 - First semi-stable version.  No more Grip O' Death.
0.2b - 1/18/94 - You don't even want to know.

< Shareware Registration Information >
    This application is SHAREWARE.  If you decide to keep it, please
register it by sending $5.00 to Innovative Computer Solutions; ATTN: Tom
Collins; 1075 North Miller Road, #142; Scottsdale, Arizona 85257-4612.
Please include your name, the name of this utility (SleepAid 1.2), type(s)
of MessagePad(s) owned, address (postal) and preferred e-mail address so
we can contact you about updates and our other products.  You can also
register SleepAid on CompuServe for $6.  GO SWREG and register app number
2674.  PLEASE BE HONEST and register this software if you use it - we
can't continue to write cool Newton apps if we don't get any support.

< Bugs, Questions, Comments, Suggestions... >
    Send e-mail to the author, Dan Rowley, at
[e-mail] (Dan's still trying to find a local Internet
provider in Monterey).  You can also reach Tom at [e-mail] or
[e-mail].  We want to develop Newton applications to fit
YOUR needs.  Give us feedback, let us know if we're doing it right.  We're
here for you.

    If you'd like the latest versions of our software, and can't find
them on CompuServe, America Online, comp.binaries.newton, or the Newton
FTP sites, contact us via e-mail and we'll send them to you.

< Our Latest Shareware Newton Application - NewtCase >
    Our previous app, HeapIt, introduced Classic MP users to a new way
to free up some of their heap space.  Now, NewtCase lets any MessagePad
(Classic, MP100, MP110) user archive his/her Newton applications to reduce
heap memory requirements, alleviate conflicts between applications, and
clean up his/her Extras drawer.  Archived (or NewtCased) applications do
not show up in the Extras drawer, but can be reinstalled at any time using
NewtCase.  Deinstall applications without having to remove them from your
MessagePad!  Keep a hundred apps on your 4 meg card without overflowing
your heap space or Extras drawer!

< Legal Mumbo Jumbo >
    You can't sell SleepAid, but you can charge a nominal fee for
connect time or media (not to exceed $5).  Contact the authors if you plan
to include it in some sort of freeware/shareware collection.

    In using this software, you understand and agree that this
software is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind.  The authors do
not make any warranties, either expressed or implied, including but not
limited to implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a
particular purpose, with respect to this software.

    In no event shall the author be liable for any consequential,
incidental, or special damages whatsoever (including without limitation,
damages for loss of critical data, loss of profits, interruption of
business and the like) arising out of the use or inability to use this
software.

    Have a nice day.  ;-)

Innovative Computer Solutions / 1075 N. Miller #142 / Scottsdale, AZ 85257
Dan Rowley / Internet: <currently unavailable> / CompuServe: 73563,2343
Tom Collins / Internet: [e-mail] / CompuServe: 75460,2121