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                            OVERVIEW

Q-Pro brings Monte-Carlo techniques to desktop computing.  It
uses Monte-Carlo methods to derive the probability distribution
of a user defined function which can contain two independent
random variables.  It has a variety of features, including:

     *    Each variable within the user defined functions can be
          attributed one of eight distributions.

     *    User defined functions can contain a variety of
          standard functions, eg., log, sine and hyperbolic
          cosine.

     *    Development of the mean can be plotted during the
          calculation.

     *    No. of Cycles can range from 100 to 1,000

     *    Full screen editing

     *    Comprehensive context sensitive help screens.

     *    Function key driven (F1 - F10)

     *    Results are displayed in both tabular and graphics
          form.

     *    Supports IBM Colour Graphics Adaptor and Hercules
          Graphics Card.  (Graphics are suppressed on machines
          without graphics capability.)

The following parameters of the user defined function are
derived:

     *    Mean

     *    Standard Deviation

     *    2nd Moment about Mean (Variance)

     *    3rd Moment about Mean

     *    4th Moment about Mean

     *    Skewness

     *    Kurtosis

     *    Kappa (Pearson Co-efficient)

     *    No. of Cycles

     *    Cumulative Probability
          (Table and Curve)

     *    Probability
          (Table and Curve)

The input data and the parameters of the derived distribution can
be listed and the probability curves printed on an Epson LX800 or
compatible printer.

                          INSTALLATION

INTRODUCTION

Experienced PC users should have no problems installing Q-PRO.
There is no copy protection or hidden files to deal with.  The
programme senses the hardware configuration and DOS version
number.

OPERATING SYSTEM

The programme is designed for use on IBM PC's and Compatible
running DOS Version 2.0 or higher.

GRAPHICS

When the programme is launched, it detects the graphics
capability of the machine on which it is running.  Graphics will
not be displayed with an MDA.  IBM CGA and Hercules Graphics
cards are supported.  On machines with EGA and VGA cards, an
equivalent mode to CGA is used.

PRINTERS

Printers should be attached to the 1st Parallel interface (LPT1
or PRN).  The tabular results can be printed on a TTY device.
These are printed with the visible part of the ASCII character
set with no special format codes.

The graphics are printed using the bit image commands of an Epson
LX800 printer.  A printer which is not compatible with ESC/P
commands will not be able to print graphics.

SINGLE & DOUBLE DISKETTE DRIVES

Before following the instructions below, the machine should be
running an appropriate version of DOS.

STEP 1

Make a copy of the delivery disk on a formatted working disk, and
then store it away safely.  Put a write-protect tab on the
working disk to prevent accidents and label it clearly.

STEP 2

Ensure that the prompt looks similar to:

          A:> or B:>

Take the working disk and insert it into one of the drives, then
type:

          QPRO <Return>

Then press the ENTER key.  At this point Q-Pro's signature screen
appears and the programme is ready to be used.

It is common practice on machines with two diskette drives to
have the system disk in drive A: and to run applications from the
B: drive.

FIXED DISK

The procedure set out below assumes that the hard disk is
designated C:.  If your machine is not configured this way,
modify the procedure accordingly.

STEP 1

Make a back-up copy of the delivery disk and store it away
safely.  Put a write protect tab on it to prevent accidents and
label it clearly.

STEP 2

It is common practice to install applications programmes in their
own directory.  The process is easier if you execute a PROMPT
command to show you the name of the current directory.

          PROMPT $P$G

Your AUTOEXEC.BAT may execute this or a similar command when you
boot the machine.

The starting point is the root directory, the prompt should be:

          C:\>

Now make a directory with the command

          MD QPRO

Next, get into the new directory by typing:

          CD\QPRO

After this the prompt should like this:

          C:\QPRO>

STEP 4

The final stage is to copy the files on the delivery disk (or a
copy) into the QPRO directory:

          COPY A:*.*

STEP 5

To run the programme type:

          QPRO <Return>

At this point the signature screen will appear and the programme
is ready for use.

LAUNCH & LOAD

An application file can be loaded when the programme is loaded by
adding the filename to the launch line with a space as a
separator eg.

          QPRO [D:]\[Path]\Filename

This is illustrated by the example which loads the file TEST.QPR
from the directory QPR on drive A:.

          QPRO A:\QPR\TEST

Extensions are ignored.

                            TUTORIAL

Driving the Programme

The programme is driven by the PC's function keys.  Most
functions can only be invoked from the input screen.  Any "Help"
windows which are displayed must be cleared with the ESC key
before using a function key.

The "manual" is contained in the "Help" windows, which are
accessed through the function keys.  The ones listed below will
help you get up and running.

     Shift-F1  How to use the programme
           F3  Keyboard Directory
           F4  Function Reference
       Ctr-F8  Exit to DOS

The context sensitive help key F1 displays a window describing
the input required by the cell highlighted by the cell cursor.
There is enough information in the Help Screens to enable you to
use the programme.  However, we suggest that you work through
this tutorial. It will only take a few minutes and may save hours
when you use the programme for your own application.

STARTING THE PROGRAMME

If you are launching the programme from a diskette drive make
sure that the prompt is ready for a command, for example:

          A:\> or   B:\>

If you have installed the programme in its own directory on a
hard disk the prompt should be similar to:

          C:\QPRO>

Then launch the programme with the command:

          QPRO <Enter>

(Note <Enter> means strike the ENTER Key.  Similar notation is
used for other keys in this tutorial.)

At this point Q-Pro displays its signature screen (Yes - The
order in which the logo is printed is different each time you
launch the programme).  When prompted by the text at the bottom
of the screen,  strike return to get into the programme.

A SAMPLE RUN WITH ONE VARIABLE

This is a trivial operation, but it brings out some important
points about how the programme works.  We are going to see what a
single uniformly distributed variable looks like.

STEP 1

Place the cursor on the first line of the FUNCTION cell.  Type:

          X <F5>

The F5 key "Enters" the function.  Once it has been struck, X"
appears in the variable column.  At this point, the TEST and DIST
cells become unlocked allowing you to enter
data.  Ignore the TEST cell until later.

STEP 2

To define the distribution, place the cursor on the DIST cell and
press F1.  This will display a menu window showing the types of
distribution available to you.  Use the Up/Down Arrow keys to
select a Uniform Distribution (this has the mnemonic UFM). When
the menu cursor is on UFM press return. The window will disappear
and two further cells will become unlocked.  Alternatively, you
could have typed "UFM" directly into  the DIST cell.

Enter the following data:

          Min = 10       Max = 20

Use the arrow keys to move between cells.  You can enter the data
either by striking the "Enter" key or moving the cursor.  If you
make a mistake during entry, strike "ESC" and start again.  You
can also use the F2 key to change into Edit Mode.  Shift-F2
displays the "Help" window which describes cell editing.

STEP 3

Specify the number of cycles used in the Monte Carlo process.
Place the cell cursor on the CYCLES Cell and enter 1000.

STEP 4

With Monte Carlo processes it is helpful to know if the mean of
the derived distribution converges.  To see how the mean develops
select the "Graphics" option.  Place the    cursor on the OPTIONS
cell and enter:

          G <Enter>

Alternatively, use the F1 key to display a menu window.

Whilst it is helpful to see the calculation in progress, it does
increase the run time, so if you are confident that your function
will converge and want to save time, ensure than "NONE" is
displayed in the OPTIONS Cell.

STEP 5

Initiate the Monte-Carlo process by striking the F10 key.  The
first thing that happens is that "Q-Pro - Calculation in
Progress" appears on a blank screen.  After a few seconds, this
is replaced by a graph which plots the instantaneous value of the
mean.

When the programme is ready, it will invite you to strike "Enter
to Continue" on the bottom line.  When you do this the parameters
of the derived distribution will appear.  Use the PgDn key to see
the tabular results and graphics.  To get back to the Entry
screen, strike the "Home" key.

Monte Carlo processes are by nature variable in their results.
The programme has been designed to display a wide range of
results. After each run, it selects the optimum way  of
displaying the results.  Occasionally, it will select different
axes for the graphs for the same input data.

STEP 6

The graphics are printed using a screen dump.  When printing the
graphics the bottom line prompts are removed, as soon as the
operation has been completed, they are re-displayed.

To print the results use the F7 key:

     TABLES

     To print the results in tabular form, put the programme into
     entry mode with the input screen showing and check that the
     paper in the printer is in the right position then strike:

               F7

   GRAPHICS

     To print the Cumulative Frequency Distribution use the PgDn
     key to display the graph, then strike:

               Alt-F7

     The time and date are displayed on the results printout to
     assist filing the output.

INTRODUCING A SECOND VARIABLE

The Uniform Distribution can be used to form other distributions
such as the Triangular and Normal Distribution.  One way of
achieving this is to add two uniformly distributed variables.  To
demonstrate this we have to add another variable to the function.

STEP 1

Place the cursor on the Function Cell.  Either edit the contents
or enter a new function so that the cell contains:

          A + X

Enter this with the F5 key.  At this point, the A variable
appears at the top of the    list of variables.  The X variable
and its distribution definition moves down a line.

STEP 2

This is a good time to demonstrate the Function test facilities.
As stated above, the Monte-Carlo process can produce results
which are complex and which cannot be derived analytically.
Prior to initiating a Monte-Carlo process, it is a good idea to
evaluate the function using a single value for each variable, the
result of which can be easily checked.

To do this, enter the following data in the TEST cells for each
variable:

          A         5
          X         2

Use the F9 key and the programme will perform a test calculation,
in this case, the value 7 will be displayed in the message box.

STEP 3

Define the distribution for the variable A, using a Uniform
Distribution with:

          Min = 10  Max = 20

STEP 4

Initiate the Monte-Carlo process by striking F10.  When the
programme has finished calculating, it should have formed a
Triangular Distribution.  The mean will be in the range:

          29.67 - 30.33

The analytical value of the Standard Deviation is 4.08.

SAVING AND RETRIEVING FILES

Path and Filenames follow the usual DOS conventions.  The user
should only specify the path and filename.  Q-Pro adds its own
.QPR extension to each application file.  Any extension included
by the user will be ignored.

The path is defined as the disc identifier and any directory,
this is followed by the primary filename.

If you cannot remember the name of a file that you want, you can
access DOS by striking the F8 key and performing a directory
listing eg:

          DIR A:*.QPR/w

To get back to Q-Pro, type EXIT and strike the return key.

Valid characters in a filename are:

          A-Z 0-9 $ & # @ ! % ( ) - { } _ /

Examples of valid paths and filenames as entered in the "FILE"
cell are:

     EXPRATIO            Refers to the file EXPRATIO.QPR on the
                         default drive and directory.

     A:EXPRATIO          Refers to the file EXPRATIO.QPR in the
                         default directory on the A drive.

     A:\EXPRATIO         Refers to the file EXPRATIO .QPR in the
                         root directory on the A Drive.

     \TEST\EXPRATIO      Refers to the file EXPRATIO.QPR in the
                         directory TEST on the default drive.

     A:\TEST\EXPRATIO    Refers to the file EXPRATIO.QPR in the
                         directory TEST on the A drive.

SAVING FILES

Enter the path and filename in the "FILE", cell then strike:

          F6

RETRIEVING FILES

Enter the path and filename in the "FILE", cell then strike:

          Alt-F6

RESETTING THE PROGRAMME

Reset the programme by typing:

          Alt-F8

This will clear the cells on the entry screen and reset the
results screens ready for a new set of input data.  Make sure
that the previous set of input data is saved if you want to keep
it.

EXIT TO DOS

When you have finished with the programme exit to the operating
system by typing:

          Ctrl-F8

This clears the screen, and resets the path to the default path
which was set at the time the programme was launched.

TUTORIAL FILE

The application file TUTOR.QPR contains the simple application
described above.
                         REGISTRATION

If you have found Q-Pro useful, there are advantages in becoming
a registered user:

     *    Enhanced version with greater power:

                                   Current   Enhanced

               No. of variables       2         8
               No. of cycles       1000      8000

     *    8087 Maths Coprocessor Version (cuts run time)

     *    Printed Manual

     *    News of updates and new products

The registration fee is $50 + $10 for handling and air mail
charge.

An order form is included with this documentation.

                              NOTES

Q-Pro is the intellectual property of Q-Soft (Brighton) Ltd.

This version of Q-Pro is distributed as user supported software
in North America.  You may copy and distribute this disk freely
provided that no fee is charged for such copying and distribution
and that the programmes are in their original unmodified state
with their original names.Registration Form

Use this form to become a registered Q-Pro user.  If you do not
require a Monte-Carlo programme right now, we would be grateful
if you would use it to tell us more about your software
requirements.

          Name: _____________________________________________

          Position: _________________________________________

          Company: __________________________________________

          Site: _____________________________________________

          Street: ___________________________________________

          City: ________________________ Zip Code: __________


I wish to become a registered user of Q-Pro.

          Signature: ________________________________________

The registration fee is $40 + $10 for handling and air mail
charge.  Cheques or money orders accepted.

Indicate the type of disk required:

          O    5.25 inch (360 KB)       O    3.50 inch (720 KB)

                      Please Keep Me Posted

I do not need a Monte-Carlo programme right now, but please keep
me informed about your new products.

          Signature: _______________________________________

            Market Research - Software Requirmements

Q-Soft (Brighton) Ltd. designs and markets specialist technical
and statistical software.  It would help our product planning to
know more about your requirements.  We are particularly
interested in applications which are not well handled on multi
purpose packages such as Spreadsheets, Databases and Graphics.

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

     Q-Soft (Brighton) Ltd - PO Box 251 - Brighton - BN1 5BU
            Tel: [phone]   Fax: [phone]