home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
OS/2 Shareware BBS: OtherApp
/
OtherApp.zip
/
hl_news.zip
/
temp
/
NVSN.DOC
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1998-07-22
|
13KB
|
329 lines
N i g h t V i s i o n
Version 2.2
Copyright (C) B. Simpson 1996-1998
OS/2 Astronomy Program
Night Vision is a "planetarium" program for OS/2, and will display the
heavens from any location on earth. Viewing options allow the user to
control which sky objects to display, which font to use, and manipulation
of various star parameters. Time may be set to run at multiple speeds,
including backwards. Star charts may be printed.
* * New with version 2.2 * *
-> Mouse zooming
-> Objects may be centered in window with left mouse click
-> Menu options accessible via right mouse click
-> Star names
-> Object find for constellations, stars, deep sky objects,
and solar system objects
-> Altitude range extended to -90 degrees
-> Previous printer printed to is remembered.
Note: Registered users of previous versions are entitled to a free Email
upgrade to the 2.2 registered version. Just Email the author at:
nightvision@bmtmicro.com
--- Visit the Night Vision home page ---------------------------------------
Night Vision has a home page on the Internet at:
http://home.att.net/~bsimpson/nvsn.html
- and -
http://www.bmtmicro.com/catalog/nightv/
--- Shareware and Registered versions --------------------------------------
Night Vision has two versions, the shareware version and the registered
version, which are nearly identical except that the shareware version has
tags indicating that it is unregistered.
The shareware version may be freely copied and distributed provided that the
program in all of its components (program file, help file, database files,
install file, and documentation) are kept together and all remain
unmodified.
You are free to use the shareware version for an evaluation period. Please
do not continue usage without registering as considerable effort has gone
into the making of this program. You may register with:
BMT Micro
PO Box 15016
Wilmington, NC 28408
U.S.A.
(Use the order form supplied in the file ORDER.FRM,
or contact them via the internet at http://www.bmtmicro.com)
or
Brian Simpson
PO Box 773
Niwot, CO 80544
U.S.A.
Registration is $25. Upon registration you will receive the registered
version, which can be Emailed to you at no extra charge. Those who require
a diskette please see the file ORDER.FRM.
The registered version is of course for personal use only and may not be
distributed.
--- Disclaimer -------------------------------------------------------------
Night Vision is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. No warranty
is made, expressed, or implied, that this documentation or accompanying
software is free of error, or is consistent with any particular standard of
performance, quality, or merchantability, or that it will meet your
requirements for any particular application. It should not be relied on for
solving a problem whose incorrect solution could result in injury to a
person or loss of property. If you do use this software in such a manner,
it is at your own risk. The author and distributors disclaim all liability
for direct, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from your use of
this software. Your use of this program constitutes total agreement and
acceptance of this disclaimer.
--- Requirements -----------------------------------------------------------
Night Vision requires OS/2 version 2.1 or later. (Untested on 2.0)
Night Vision should run on any X86 - based processor that runs OS/2.
Because of the computationally intensive nature of this program, a math
coprocessor is strongly recommended. (A math coprocessor is already built
into 486DX, Pentium, and later processors, but is a separate chip on some
other systems.)
--- Installation -----------------------------------------------------------
Since you are reading this documentation, you have likely already unzipped
the .ZIP archive into its component files. Place all files into a directory
on your hard drive and issue the following command from an OS/2 command
prompt in that directory:
INSTALL
A program icon will be installed onto your OS/2 desktop. Just double click
on the icon to start Night Vision. Alternately you can invoke the program
by issuing the following command from the same directory:
NVSN
--- Your first view --------------------------------------------------------
Night Vision opens with a view of the heavens looking straight up from the
user's preferred location. (Or, until a preferred location has been
selected, a default location of Niwot, Colorado, the author's favorite small
town.)
Two scroll bars control the direction of view:
Moving the vertical scroll bar (right side of window) controls the
altitude, or the angle from the horizon to the center of the view
(center of window). With the scroll at the top the view is straight up
(the zenith). Moving the scroll to the middle shows the view along the
horizon, and moving it to the bottom shows the view through the earth
(the nadir). Tinting will indicate where the earth blocks the view.
(This horizon indication can be turned off.)
Moving the horizontal scroll bar (bottom of window) controls the
azimuth, or direction along the horizon. With the scroll in the center,
the view towards the horizon is to the south. Moving the scroll to the
right moves the view to the west, then the north. Moving the scroll to
the left moves the view to the east, then the north. Thus north can be
achieved by moving the scroll either to the far right or the far left.
Altitude and azimuth are indicated in the information window at the top.
Interpret altitude as follows:
Alt View
---------------------------------
0 Along the horizon
90 Straight up (zenith)
-90 Straight down (nadir)
Interpret azimuth as follows:
Az View
---------------------------------
0 and 360 North
90 East
180 South
270 West
Magnification is controlled as follows:
Pressing 'z' will "zoom in" to magnify the view.
Pressing 'Shift-z' will "zoom out" to de-magnify the view. By pressing
'Shift-z' and/or enlarging the window an entire 180° view can be seen.
(I.e. 90° in all directions from center of window.)
'CapsLock' is ignored.
Night Vision is mouse aware. For example, to move an object to the center
of the window, left click on that object. To zoom into an object draw a
rectangle around that object by pressing the left mouse button and then
dragging the mouse. When the button is released the center of the rectangle
is moved to the center of the window at a zoom level based on the area of
the rectangle. Press 'p' to return to the previous view.
The right mouse button invokes a pop-up menu. This is of particular use
during full screen mode when the main menu is not visible.
--- Setup ------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Vision can be set up for any location. Begin by going to the "Set
location" window (via the "Set" pull down menu). Select the city closest
to your location, select/deselect "Daylight savings time", and press "OK
City". Or enter your longitude, latitude, and time zone, select/deselect
"Daylight savings time", and press "OK Coordinates". If your new location
is in a different time zone, then your local time (as displayed in the
information line above the star window) will have changed, and you must
reset the time. To do so, go to the "Set local date/time" window (via the
"Time" pull down menu) and then press "Set to computer date/time". You are
now re-sync'd to your computer time.
Be sure to save this location information if you would like Night Vision to
always start at this position. Go to the "File" pull down menu and select
"Save location".
You may also save your viewing preferences (objects, font, and star
parameters) by selecting "Save preferences" from the "File" pull down menu.
Note: The city database used in the "Set location" window may be edited to
suit the user's preferences. Follow the directions at the top of NVSN.CTY.
--- List of files ----------------------------------------------------------
Night Vision contains the following files:
File Description
-------------------------------------------------------
NVSN.EXE The executable (program file) for
Night Vision
NVSN.HLP The help file
NVSN.DB Sky database
NVSN.CTY City database - May be modified, but
please distribute only the original
NVSN.DOC Documentation - This file
NVSN.INI Initialization file - Created by program
- Should not be distributed with other
files
INSTALL.CMD Installs program object onto desktop
The shareware version adds the following two files:
FILE_ID.DIZ Program description
ORDER.FRM BMT Micro registration form
--- Misc. notes ------------------------------------------------------------
Night Vision is written in C++ and uses the IBM Open Class Library. The
program utilizes two threads of execution. The first manages the user
interface, while the second manages drawing on the main window. A third
thread is introduced for printing.
The star database is derived from the "Yale Catalogue of Bright Stars", a
public domain listing of over 9,000 stars. Their placement is for
Epoch 2000.0 (i.e. the beginning of the year 2000AD). No adjustment for
precession is made, which is the reason for limiting the dates between 1900
and 2099.
--- Bugs -------------------------------------------------------------------
There appears to an OS/2 bug that affects Night Vision after the OS/2
Lockup feature has been invoked. After releasing OS/2 Lockup (i.e. typing
your password), the star window may not be as responsive to dragging the
scroll bar (or using the arrow keys). This problem only affects some systems
and may not affect yours. It appears that thread priorities are changed
after OS/2 Lockup has been invoked. (Other programs have encountered
similar problems.)
Bugs in printer drivers can affect the quality of the star charts produced,
and in turn make Night Vision look buggy. (A printer driver is the software
that OS/2 uses to build an image and send it to a printer). No printing
should occur outside of the square that encloses the chart, and only the
program name, date and time, location, and alt/az information should appear
in the boxes that appear in the four corners of the square. See "Printing
issues" in the online help for further information.
Please report any Night Vision bugs to the PO Box 773 address given above,
or Email the author at: nightvision@bmtmicro.com
Comments and suggestions also welcome.
--- Future updates ---------------------------------------------------------
Night Vision will be updated in the future. Future updates may include:
- Precession
- Greek star designations (alpha, ...)
- Object identification via right mouse click
- User selectable fonts per object
- User modifiable information line
- Constellation boundaries
- Labels for grids
- Milky way
- Comets
- ...
--- History ----------------------------------------------------------------
2.2 - See beginning of this file.
2.1 - Star window continuously updates as scroll bars are dragged by
mouse. Addition of full screen mode, altitude/azimuth grid, and
user selectable colors. Increased number of cities in database,
with maximum allowable set at 10000.
2.0 - Addition of printing, compass directions along horizon, and enhanced
responsiveness of interface. Introduction of shareware and
registered versions.
1.0 - Initial release
----------------------------------------------------------------------------