RISC User... in a Nutshell/RISC User... in a Nutshell.iso/ReadMe.txt

Text File | 2000-05-04 | 6KB | 127 lines

RISC User in a Nutshell
=======================

Welcome to RISC User in a Nutshell! This CD-ROM is intended for use on
a RISC OS computer, although certain items will be accessible to users
of other systems, and the HTML front-end has been designed to be as
platform-independent as possible. If you are using this CD on a
non-RISC OS system, then start by accessing the index.htm file (at the
root level of the CD) using your favourite frames- and tables-capable
Web browser.

Assuming you are using this CD on a RISC OS computer, you should
double-click on the "!Nutshell" application to begin browsing. This is
very important, as it sets up various components to make all the
special features of the CD work correctly.

Please read this!
-----------------

Note that it may be necessary to install some extra software on your
machine before the CD can be used correctly. The most important item
is CDFix, which is needed by RISC OS 3, and if you do not have this
installed on your system already, a reminder will appear when you try
to run the Nutshell application.

CDFix can be found in the Install directory on this CD, along with a
troubleshooting guide aimed mainly at users of RISC OS 3. There is
further, extensive troubleshooting information in the Help section of
the HTML front-end.

Please be sure to read both the ReadMe file in the Install directory
and the Help page in the HTML front-end before requesting technical
support. This CD has been tested very extensively, but there are
various problems with RISC OS 3 (rather than with this CD) which may
cause minor problems for the unwary. (RISC OS 4 users should not
encounter any problems.)

ImageFS
-------

Users of Alternative Publishing's ImageFS may find that boxes
containing text are displayed in place of images in the HTML front-end.
As a temporary solution, choose the "Quit>Whole filing system" option
from the ImageFS icon bar menu. A full explanation and solution to the
problem is given in the HTML front-end's Help section.

The Nutshell application
------------------------

Have no fear about running the Nutshell application; it won't blow up
your system or upset any configuration settings! In fact, if you just
wish to explore the CD's contents directly, without using the HTML
front-end that has been provided, merely opening the root directory on
the CD will set things up sufficiently to allow you to open the Zip
archives and view Ovation Pro files etc. without having to run the
front-end as such. Owners of early machines or very slow CD drives may
prefer to explore the CD in this way. However, users of faster and
more recent RISC OS machines are recommended to use the front-end, as
it has been organised in as helpful a way as possible, and contains
lots of information that you'll miss if exploring the CD 'by hand'.

For those who are interested, here's a run-down of what the Nutshell
application actually does:

1. It looks for SparkFS. If SparkFS has been seen by your system, your
   copy will be run; otherwise a special limited read-only version
   will be launched from the CD.

   SparkFS is needed to access the archived material on the CD. It is
   the only filing system-based archive utility which can read
   multi-platform Zip files, as used on this CD-ROM.

2. It checks for Ovation Pro. If Ovation Pro is already known to your
   system, then nothing further is done; if not, a demonstration copy
   is booted, and this will be used to view any Ovation Pro files you
   run from the CD.

   Ovation Pro is needed to view many of the magazine files, books and
   manuals on the CD.

3. It checks for Ovation (original version). If it is known to the
   system, no further action is taken; if not, appropriate variables
   are set up so that Ovation files will be handled by Ovation Pro
   (either the full copy or the demo version on the CD; whichever has
   been found in step 2).

4. It checks for an appropriate Web browser. If a suitable one is
   known to your system, it will be loaded; if not, a special local-
   disc browser, WebsterLT, will be run from the CD. In detail, this
   is what happens:

   (a) Nutshell checks to see if Fresco, Oregano, Browse or WebsterXL
   is already running, in that order. If one is, then it will be used
   to view the CD.

   (b) If no browser is running, then Nutshell finds out if the system
   knows where to locate Fresco, Oregano, Browse or WebsterXL, and then
   runs one (in that order of preference).

   (c) If it can't find any of the above browsers, Nutshell will
   launch a special, customised version of WebsterLT which is supplied
   on the CD. This is a local-file browser which will run everything on
   the CD but which will not connect to the Internet.

   The RISC User in a Nutshell CD front-end makes use of special
   protocols, unique to RISC OS, that allow filer windows to be opened
   and programs (in archives, if an archive filing system such as
   SparkFS is loaded) to be run just by clicking links in Web pages.
   Only the above-listed browsers are able to support these special
   protocols, which is why the Nutshell application tries so hard to
   find one of them.

As a final point, the special protocols used on the Nutshell CD (to do
fancy things like running programs and covering your desktop backdrop
with pictures of magazine covers) are made possible through use of a
small program called NutServe. This background utility starts up when
needed and quits again after around five minutes of inactivity. Its
operation is normally invisible to the user, but there may be a short
delay while it starts up when you first click on a special link (or if
you have not clicked on such a link for several minutes and the
program has timed out and quit). A start-up delay should not normally
be detectable on any but the slowest CD-ROM drives.

Richard Hallas
Editor, RISC User volumes 9-11
Compiler, RISC User in a Nutshell