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M o r n i n g S t a r
DEMO/v0
December 11, 1991
"I am ... the bright Morning Star" (Rev 22:16, NIV)
Introduction
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Morning Star is the second generation version of the
popular DOS screen saver called VGAMoire. Morning Star
includes many large advances in technology. VGAMoire was
limited to drawing a Moire line design on VGA video cards.
Morning Star can draw any of its designs on any video card
it has a video driver for.
NOTE: If you have any difficulties with
Morning Star, please be sure to read the
"Features" section before contacting us.
Morning Star uses "saver modules," which are tiny
programs that draw a design. Morning Star also has a
randomizer which can switch between different modules at
random. It requires EMS memory to operate.
This is the first DEMO version of Morning Star.
Morning Star has been under intensive development for
approximately eight months and has much to boast about. The
demo version is crippled in two minor ways. First, the
randomizer cannot be used. Second, it will not allow a
saver module to run continuously for more than ten minutes.
Nevertheless, the demo version is certainly sufficient for
evaluation or even full-time use. If you try this demo
version out, please send us your comments and suggestions!
The instructions in this file are minimal. Complete
documentation will be included with the production release.
Also included with the production release will be a kit for
writing your own device-independent saver modules (in 80x86
assembly language, preferably with Turbo Assembler), source
code for various sample modules, video drivers for 256 color
and 16 color VGA modes, and roughly twelve finished saver
modules.
Comments, More Information
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
All comments, suggestions, criticisms, etc. are welcome
and requested! To speak your mind or request more
information, write to:
Christopher Antos
2115 Windsor Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48103-5652
U.S.A.
UofM MTS-UB email: Christopher_Antos
internet email: antos@behemoth.engin.umich.edu
In particular, if you have problems or success using
Morning Star with a network, please relate your bad/good
news to me!
When giving bug or success reports, please indicate the
kind of network and what version of the network software you
are using, the version of Morning Star you are using (in
this case DEMO/v0), the options you specified when
installing Morning Star, and, if at all possible, your
AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files. Also helpful are the DOS
version your computer is using.
Installing Morning Star
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
For a list of valid options, type:
MORNSTAR ?
Morning Star will not install itself unless you
specifically tell it to. To install it, use the /I option.
Using the /I option alone will install Morning Star with the
default settings or, if a MORNSTAR.INI configuration file
exists, it will attempt to load custom settings from that
file. To install it type:
MORNSTAR /I
Other options allow you to customize the behavior of Morning
Star. See the "Features" section for more information on
the available features.
Overview
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Morning Star is mouse-aware, telecommunications-aware,
disk-aware, and keyboard-aware. It waits until there has
been no mouse activity, no telecommunications activity, no
disk driver activity, and no keyborad activity for a
specified amount of time, and then it will engage. When
Morning Star engages, it first checks to see if it will be
able to draw a design. If there is not enough free memory,
or the screen is in an unrecognized video mode, or if there
is a carrier signal present on your modem, then Morning Star
will beep and will only blank the screen; it will not draw a
design. When Morning Star blanks the screen, it allows DOS
programs to continue processing in the background. This is
ideal for telecommunications, because your connection is not
broken, and you can prevent screen burn-in even while
transmitting large files.
If Morning Star determines that everything is in order,
then it will load a saver module and run it. The saver
module then draws a design until you move the mouse or press
a key.
Features
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Morning Star has features that no other DOS screen
saver can compete with. We'd like to list just a few of its
many features...
∙ draws many designs!
∙ high quality, very inexpensive! ($15)
∙ pop-up configuration panel!
∙ uses less than 8k of conventional memory!
∙ uses EMS memory for data!
∙ can allow DOS programs to process in the background
when the screen is blanked - ideal for
telecommunications!
∙ optional password protection!
∙ fully restores the previous video mode (no other DOS
screen saver does it as well)!
∙ mouse-aware!
∙ telecommunications-aware!
∙ disk-aware!
∙ flashes the border color when your phone rings (if
you have a modem attached)!
∙ good service!
∙ shareware - try before you buy!
Morning Star has a number of command-line switches you
can use to configure how it operates. If you do not like or
do not understand how to use the DOS command-line, then see
the "Configuration Panel" section, which explains how to use
Morning Star's pop-up Configuration Panel to change its
settings.
The table below lists Morning Star's command-line
switches and their functions. Follow a switch with a minus
sign to turn it off (eg, M- to turn off mouse awareness).
Switch Function
┌───────┬──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│? │ displays a list of valid switches and Morning │
│ │ Star's current settings. │
├───────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│I │ install Morning Star. │
├───────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│U │ uninstall Morning Star. │
├───────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│Wn │ wait for n minutes before engaging. │
├───────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│M │ set mouse awareness. │
├───────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│V │ set video awareness. │
├───────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│B │ only allows screen blanking; no designs may be │
│ │ drawn (also allows DOS programs to continue │
│ │ processing while the screen is blanked). │
├───────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│P │ activates password protection (password can be │
│ │ set using the Configuration Panel (see "Options"│
│ │ heading in the "Configuration Panel" section); │
│ │ the production release will include a utility to│
│ │ allow you to set the password without using the │
│ │ Configuration Panel, for users who do not have │
│ │ EMS memory). │
├───────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│T │ tell current settings. │
├───────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│F │ blanks screen by fading out to black; may draw │
│ │ designs after screen has faded out, depends on │
│ │ other settings and the current video mode. │
├───────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│Zn │ set telecommunication awareness (watches │
│ │ activity on specified COM ports). │
│ │ use Z0 to clear list of COM ports to watch. │
│ │ use Zn (n=1,2,3,4) to add COM port n to list. │
│ │ eg: Z012 watches only COM1 and COM2. │
│ │ eg: Z13 adds COM1 and COM3 to watch list. │
│ │ eg: Z2- removes COM2 from the watch list. │
│ │ eg: Z0 disables telecommunication-awareness.│
│ │ Note: If you have a serial input device (mouse,│
│ │ light pen, touch pad, etc), DO NOT tell Morning │
│ │ Star to watch the COM port which the input │
│ │ device is attached to: the results will be │
│ │ unpredictable. Direct connections to mainframes│
│ │ or networks (line drivers) may confuse Morning │
│ │ Star, although some connections which have been │
│ │ tested work well. │
├───────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│D │ disable Morning Star completely (provides │
│ │ Windows compatibility). │
├───────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│E │ enable Morning Star after disabled with option D.│
├───────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│- │ disable timed screen blanking, still allows │
│ │ blanking by hotkey (can be nested for batch file│
│ │ usage). │
├───────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│+ │ enabled timed screen blanking after disabled │
│ │ with option -. │
├───────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│S │ save current settings (can be nested up to 8 │
│ │ times for batch file usage). │
├───────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│R │ restore saved settings. │
├───────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│R- │ forget all saved settings. │
└───────┴──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Hotkeys
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Key Action
┌──────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┐
│[ctrl]-[alt]-[<] │ Turn Morning Star OFF. │
│ │ Morning Star will beep once │
│ │ to signal that it is off. │
├──────────────────┼───────────────────────────────┤
│[ctrl]-[alt]-[>] │ Turn Morning Star ON. │
│ │ Morning Star will beep twice │
│ │ to signal that it is on. │
├──────────────────┼───────────────────────────────┤
│[ctrl]-[alt]-[/] │ Pop up the Configuration │
│ │ Panel. Will beep to signal │
│ │ that it cannot if the screen │
│ │ is in text mode. │
├──────────────────┼───────────────────────────────┤
│[leftshift]- │ Blank the screen. Depending │
│[rightshift] │ on Morning Star's settings, │
│ │ what the current video mode │
│ │ is, and how much EMS memory │
│ │ is available, Morning Star │
│ │ may or may not draw a design.│
└──────────────────┴───────────────────────────────┘
In the final production release of Morning Star, there
will be a utility which lets you select your own custom
hotkeys for Morning Star.
The Configuration Panel
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
When you press [ctrl]-[alt]-[/] to pop up the
Configuration Panel, Morning Star first checks to make sure
the screen is in text mode. If it is not, or if the screen
is in an unrecognized, nonstandard text mode (as on some
SuperVGA cards), then it will beep and will not pop up the
Configuration Panel.
The Configuration Panel will pop up in the middle of
the screen on top of whatever else you are doing. If you
have a mouse, you will see an arrow-shaped mouse pointer,
with which you can click buttons (move the pointer onto the
button and click the left mouse button). Pressing the right
mouse button records any changes you have made and closes
the Configuration Panel, removing it from the screen.
The "mouse cursor" is an arrow-shaped pointer. The
"flashing cursor" is a short, flashing underline. When you
press a key, it affects the control that the flashing cursor
is on. When you press a mouse button, if affects the
control that the mouse cursor is on.
Controls
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
A control is simply any button, checkbox, listbox,
value box, edit box, etc.
A button looks a little bit like a button, and has
a descriptive (maybe?) word on it. Clicking on a
button activates the button, which may cause an action
to occur (such as popping up a dialog box).
A checkbox is a tiny box which can have a
checkmark in it. If there is a checkmark, then the
checkbox is on. If it is empty, it is off. There is
usually a piece of text next to it, which describes the
function of that particular checkbox.
A value box has an arrow pointing left at its left
end and an arrow pointing right at its right end.
Between them, a value is displayed. Often this will be
numerical, though it may be something else. For
instance, it might read "Big" if there are three sizes,
big, medium, and small. Clicking on the left arrow
decreases the value (eg, "big" to "medium"). Clicking
on the right arrow increases the value (eg, "small" to
"medium").
An edit box holds a string, which can be editted.
Use the keyboard to enter text.
A listbox holds a list of many items. The list
can be scrolled upward or downward by clicking on the
up and down arrows of the scrollbar on the right side
of the listbox. To select an item in the listbox,
simply click on it (or use the up and down arrow keys
to hilight it).
Keys
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Key Action
┌───────────────┬─────────────────────────────────────┐
│[Tab] │ move cursor to next control (button,│
│ │ listbox, checkbox, etc). │
├───────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────┤
│[BkTab] │ move cursor to previous control. │
├───────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────┤
│[Space] │ activate the button or checkbox that│
│ │ the flashing cursor is on. │
├───────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────┤
│right/left │ increase or decrease the value if │
│arrows │ the flashing cursor is on a value │
│ │ box. │
├───────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────┤
│up/down arrows │ move the hilight bar up or down if │
│ │ the flashing cursor is on a │
│ │ listbox. │
├───────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────┤
│[Esc] │ cancel the operation (close a dialog│
│ │ box or the Configuration Panel). │
└───────────────┴─────────────────────────────────────┘
The Layout
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
The box in the upper left-hand corner is the
credits box. If you click here, you will see the
credits display.
The upper right-hand corner has three controls:
the power switch, the "Options" button, and a button
which says "Video". The power switch checkbox can be
used to turn Morning Star off and on. Clicking on the
"Options" button pops up a dialog box which lets you
change certain settings. If you save them, they will
be used as defaults whenever you install Morning Star.
See the "Options" section (below) for more information.
The "Video" button will be discussed shortly.
First, we have to explain about a couple things.
Below the credits box is a listbox which lists the
available modules. A module may display extra controls
(usually used to configure the module's design) in the
box to the right of the module listbox.
The box on the bottom displays credits for the
selected module. If you click here, you will see an
information window for the selected module.
Video Drivers
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Now we'll discuss the "Video" button. If you
click here, the module listbox will change and will
display the available video drivers. The "Video"
button will also change and read "Modules". Simply
hilight the video driver you want to use. Be sure to
select the appropriate video driver for your video
card! We cannot be responsible for any damage which
occurs from using an incorrect video driver! Probably
all that would happen is the display would be haywire
until you turn the machine off and back on, but we
cannot be responsible for any damage which may occur!
When you have selected the video driver you want
to use, click on the "Modules" button to return to the
module list.
Options
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Clicking on the "Options" button presents you with
a dialog box with several configuration settings. In
the lower righthand corner are six buttons (Colors,
Password, Load, Save, Ok, Cancel). The "Colors" button
has not yet been implemented in this demo release.
Clicking on "Password" lets you set or change the
current password. "Load" loads settings from the
settings file. "Save" writes the current settings into
a special file, and whenever you install Morning Star,
these settings are used as defaults (though they may be
overridden with command-line switches. See the table
in the "Features" section). Clicking "Ok" accepts your
changes; clicking "Cancel" rejects your changes (you
can make changes, save them, and then revert to the
prior settings, but the saved settings will not
revert).
In the "General" box, you can select the amount of
time that the computer must be idle before blanking the
screen. When the "Password checking" checkbox is
checked, Morning Star will require the password to be
entered before unblanking the screen.
The "System Activity" box lets you toggle video-
awareness and mouse-awareness on and off.
Telecommunication awareness is controlled by the
"COM Ports" box. You can check the COM ports you want
Morning Star to watch for activity.
"Blanking Options" controls exactly how the screen
is blanked. If "Blanking only" is checked, the screen
will only be blanked and the design will never be drawn
(this allows DOS programs to continue processing while
the screen is blanked--this is ideal for
telecommunications). "Hardware blanking" should be
checked unless you have a true IBM VGA or an ATi VGA
(some other VGAs may work; VGAs based on the Tseng Labs
chipset require "Hardware blanking" to be checked). If
"Fade to black" is checked, Morning Star will blank the
screen by fading it out to black.
Uninstalling Morning Star
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
To uninstall Morning Star, use the command:
MORNSTAR /U
If any programs have been installed on top of Morning Star,
it will complain and ask you if you're sure you want to (it
could cause a system crash).
Not Implemented
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
The Options dialog box has a button labeled "Colors."
Clicking on this button sounds a beep but does nothing else.
Although configurable colors are already implemented, the
dialog box for configuring them has not been coded yet.
Windows 3.0
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Morning Star is not designed to work in conjunction
with Microsoft Windows. You must disable Morning Star
before starting Windows. To do this, use the /D option. An
example of a batch file to use to start Windows:
MSWIN.BAT
@echo off
mornstar /s /d ; save settings, disable
it
cd \win
win ; start Windows
mornstar /r ; restore settings
