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README.TXT
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1992-01-25
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14KB
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250 lines
IT'S ABOUT TIME! Version 1.03b ("b" for "we BE moved!")
┌─────────────────────────────┐
Copyright 1992 by │ Daylight Software │
│ 3790 El Camino Real, │
│ Suite 2001 │
│ Palo Alto, Calif. 94306 │
│─────────────────────────────│
│ Voice (415) 813-0386 │
│ FAX (415) 813-0FAX │
│ (=813-0329) │
└─────────────────────────────┘
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
It's About Time! works without hassle on any system running MS-DOS 3.3 or newer
on a '286 or newer processor. If you have older hardware or software, you need
to exercise a little care in installing It's About Time!. In the absence of any
other way to permanently save system time, It's About Time! keeps a record of
its own. But if you run It's About Time! more than once at startup (by
installing it in more than one file like AUTOEXEC.BAT), it will change your
system time more than once. Be sure to install it into only one (1) startup
file.
If you have any problem -- or if it runs just fine under MS-DOS 2.1 on your XT
-- drop us a line. We'd like to know, and it might affect future versions.
BASIC INFORMATION
If you're reading this, you've already managed to extract the files from the
DAYLIGHT.EXE archive. This file tells you how everything else works.
IAT.EXE is the main It's About Time program.
INSTALL.BAT is a batch file that automatically installs IAT.
DEMO.BAT is a batch file that demonstrates IAT's ability to
update system time for going on/off daylight savings
time.
IATMENU.BAT is a batch file that lets you launch IAT from any
directory.
IAT.PIF and
IAT386.PIF are provided for Windows users;
IAT386.PIF should be used with 386 Enhanced mode.
IATPROMPT.BAT and
MYPROMPT.BAT are used by the demo.
ILICENSE.COM displays registration costs and information.
WORLDCTY.DB is the database file used by IAT's
Around the World in 24 Hours feature.
TZ-CHECK.COM,
SAVEDATE.COM,
TODAY.TXT and
CURRENT.TZ all keep track of things for IAT.
Don't worry about them.
WHAT'S DIFFERENT IN VERSION 1.03
Several things are different. The "Around the World in 24 Hours" display and
database have been unlocked, so even unregistered users can save changes there.
Overall performance is now significantly better on older and/or slower
machines. On-screen cues have been expanded and reworded to provide more help.
This file has been expanded to cover the new features, and to better describe
existing features, and to deal with a few special cases along the way. Since
bug fixing took longer than we expected, the early-bird registration deadline
has been extended.
INSTALLATION
Once you've extracted the files listed above (and, preferably, read this one),
type "install" to set up It's About Time!. It's About Time! lets you modify
your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, and any others you choose, to run It's About Time! when
they run. Be sure that the line shown in the installation utility does in fact
reflect where It's About Time! is -- making other programs hunt for it in the
wrong directory would be counter-productive.
If you live in Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the half of Indiana that doesn't
fool with its clocks, or any other place that doesn't observe Daylight Savings
Time, you shouldn't install TZ-CHECK.COM anywhere at all. Don't run it on your
own, either. Feel free to run the demo, since it puts everything back when it's
done, but delete the file CURRENT.TZ afterwards and don't plan on using this
part of It's About Time!. If you do install it, your machine will be out of
sync with all the others around it for half the year.
When you're done, type Esc to go to It's About Time!'s main menu.
LAUNCHING IT'S ABOUT TIME!
From DOS, launch It's About Time! by typing "iat" while in the directory IAT is
installed in. The file IATMENU.BAT is modified during installation to point to
It's About Time!'s directory; you can copy it wherever you want and type
"iatmenu" to launch It's About Time! from any directory IATMENU.BAT is in.
THE MAIN MENU
From the main menu, you have eight options. You can choose one by typing a
number (1-7), or pressing the equivalent function key (F1-F7), or by typing the
letter given in boldface. To return to the main menu from any of the options,
type Esc to exit it without saving changes or F7 to exit and save changes. (You
can only save changes in your local Daylight Savings Time rules if you're a
registered user.) Typing Esc while in the main menu exits to DOS, just like
choosing "Exit" does.
HOW TO NAVIGATE IN IT'S ABOUT TIME!
There are multiple fields of data associated with most options. Use the arrow
keys to move between fields, and Page Up and Page Down to change the value of
the current field. In most cases, + and - can be used to change the value, too.
If it's a numerical field, you can type the number you want as long as Num Lock
is on. If there are only two possible states for a field, you can use the space
bar to toggle between them. If the cursor is visible when the active field is
one that you can edit. If the cursor is not visible, the active field only
takes your input to select from among its options. The difference is easier to
see than to explain -- you'll know it when you see it.
The exceptions to the above rules are described on screen, listed here, or
both.
THE OPTIONS
1/F1/I. Install Software. This is the option chosen automatically by
INSTALL.BAT.
2/F2/L. Display License Information. This shows you the same information you'd
seen by running ILICENSE.COM.
3/F3/S. Register Permanent Serial Number. This is the place to put the serial
number you'll get when you pay your registration fee. You must have
something on each of the three lines of the name/address box as well
as a correct serial number to register.
4/F4/C. Calibrate Current System Time. This lets you change the current system
time. It's self-explanatory...but note the change listed on-screen
from the general navigation rules.
It's About Time! and your system time deal in 24-hour time. If you're
unfamiliar with 24-hour time, you can type in PM hours as you normally
would and then type F5; It's About Time! will make the conversion for
you. Each press of F5 changes the hour field value by 12.
5/F5/R. Change Rules. This lets you change the rules It's About Time! uses to
go on and off Daylight Savings Time (which get changed every few
years). The default values reflect North American practice; many
European countries begin DST on the last Sunday of March, instead. Be
sure to check the rules for wherever you are. You can only save
changes here if you're a registered user.
6/F6/W. Around the World in 24 Hours. This lets you see the current time in 21
locations around the world. It's About Time! maintains a database of
250 locations, with the extent to which each location is ahead or
behind of Greenwich Mean Time and what Daylight Savings Time rules it
follows. You can select any location field and scroll through the
database to assign a different location.
The upper-left-hand location is the "anchor point"; the date and time
in all the other locations are calculated by reference to it. You can
change the anchor point's date and time, if you want it to be
something other than your immediate vicinity, or simply type F1 to set
it to current system time.
The number below "GMT" in each location box shows the number of hours
that location differs from GMT. A star next to "GMT" means that
location is currently on Daylight Savings Time. It's About Time! can
show the fraction symbols for one-quarter and one-half hour
differences from GMT. Anything else will be indicated by a diamond
(and, of course, the right time in the time field for that location).
Select Nepal, which is 5 hours and 45 minutes ahead of GMT, for an
example.
There are several exceptions to the usual navigation rules in the
Around the World in 24 Hours screen. Don't be confused by them!
In the hour and minute fields for the anchor point, you can type in
any time you want. If you type in an hour value greater than 12, it
will automatically be converted to 12-hour time (this is an easy way
to convert from military or European time to the usual USA practice);
if you enter an hour value greater than 24 or a minute value greater
than 59, It's About Time! will deal with it. Typing 99 in the minute
field, for example, will add 1 minute and 39 seconds to the anchor
point time. Page Up and Page Down, and + and -, change the hour or
minute value by one. In addition, Control-Page Up and Control-Page
Down change the minute value by 15.
+ and - change the date value by 1. Page Up and Page Down change it
by 7 (one week). Control-Page Up and Control-Page Down change it by
28 (four weeks).
7/F7/E. Edit Cities/Rules Database. This lets you change the database that
Around the World in 24 Hours uses (but only registered users can save
changes). There are 250 entries. Use Page Up and Page Down to scroll
through the list of location names to find you want to edit, or type
any letter to see the next location that begins with that letter. Use
the usual navigation means to choose any of the entries for that
location and edit them. To edit the name of the location, you must
first type Control-E. The field background changes color while you're
editing it; scrolling or going to another field ends that round of
editing, and you must type Control-E again to resuming editing it.
Type F7 to save changes and return to the main menu; type Esc to
return to the main menu without saving changes.
Getting 100% reliable information about DST practices around the world
is difficult at best, and in any event countries change their rules
every so often. The database entries are NOT guaranteed to be
accurate, particularly for places outside North America and Europe.
Note that most locations are actually countries rather than cities.
Most countries occupy just one time zone, so the entry is correct for
the whole country. Representative cities have been given for the
countries that occupy more than one time zone -- the United States of
America, Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Mexico, Mongolia, Russia and
Zaire -- and for some other countries as well.
X/Esc. Exit to DOS. This takes you out of It's About Time! and back into DOS.
REGISTRATION
The file REGISTER.TXT contains all the information you need to register your
copy of It's About Time!. Fill in the blanks with whatever text editor or word
processor you usually use, print out the form and mail it to the address
shown.
Be sure to include the version number -- fees may go up for later versions,
and they may well not be shareware at all. Don't miss out!
THE TOP TEN REASONS TO REGISTER IT'S ABOUT TIME!
10. You will receive your VERY OWN, UNIQUE serial number, and your VERY OWN
(but not unique) manual to go with it.
9. Men named Guido armed with stout sticks will NOT visit you
unexpectedly in the middle of the night.
8. The senior partner of Daylight Software will stop threatening the
junior partner, who persuaded him to cut back on the demo crippling
and who is writing this, with the big pair of pliers. Help!
7. You will contribute to a positive flow of money to the West Coast,
helping to reduce the risk that the Earth will tilt and fall
uncontrollably into the Sun.
6. Men and women will come from afar to bask in your aura of virtue.
5. Daylight Software will be MUCH more interested in answering your
technical support questions.
4. You will earn the right to speak smugly to those who haven't
registered.
3. You will help make it possible for Daylight Software to produce more
cool products -- like the Windows version of It's About Time!, which
will be quite a bit more expensive for new users.
2. You will be part of the #1 software sales phenomenon of the 1990s.
Would you believe #2? How about #3?
And the Number One reason is...
1. You will be eligible to receive version 2.01 when it's ready. (Version
2.00 is the one with the newest bugs as well as the newest features;
2.01 has the bugs removed. If you'd really rather have 2.00, of
course...)
REMINDER It pays to register by April 17, 1992! (We give you a better break
than some large organizations we could mention.) Register now!