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CD School House 9.0 - Wayzata Technology (1994).iso
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weth360
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weth360b.___
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WETH360.DOC
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1994-02-13
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- Weather Forecasting and Database -
I created this program out of an interest in Water Resources, Weather,
and general admiration of our Natural Resources. This software is to be
licensed as you will experience it's full potential when you do. The
cost is just $14.95. What's in it for YOU when you register? You'll
receive a more accurate forecast, printing capabilities, and the very
latest version we've created!
- WARRANTY -
Weather Forecaster is distributed without warranty. In no event will Gary
Pagac or Shamrock Software be liable to you for damages, including any
loss of profits, lost savings, or other incidental or consequential
damages arising out of your use of or inability to use the program,
even if Gary Pagac, Shamrock Software or an authorized representative
has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Gary Pagac or
Shamrock Software will not be liable for any such claim by any other
party.
This document will print correctly with form-feeds at the end of each
page if printed via the main Weather Forecaster program.
Once installed, you should have these files:
WEATHER.BAT \ LAYER.TXT \
WETH360.EXE \ LIGHT.TXT \
CONVERT.EXE \ Main executables MORE.TXT \
WETHCONV.OVL / TORNADO.TXT \
GRAPH.OVL / WIND.TXT / More text files
HURICANE.TXT /
WETH.CFG ------> configuration HUMID.TXT /
LOADING.COM FILE_ID.DIZ ----> Description
WETH360.DOC ----> this document WEATHER.DAT ----- Graphing data
REGISTER.FRM ---> register COURE.FON ------- Graph Fonts
WET-1992.JAN ---> sample data COURA.FON ""
TSTORMx.ANS ----> ANSI graphics COURB.FON ""
APPARENT.TXT \ TMSRE.FON ""
BIB.TXT \ HELVA.FON ""
CLIMATE.TXT \ Text files HELVB.FON ""
DROUGHT.TXT / HELVE.FON ""
FORECAST.TXT / TMSRA.FON ""
HILO.TXT / TMSRB.FON ""
The files named TEMP.CHT, and @@@@@@@@.DAT are created by the graphing
section of the program.
To install this program to your hard disk, simply type 'INSTALL' and
it will prompt you as to which drive you want it on.
This program will run on an IBM or close compatible with a minimum of
640k RAM, at least CGA graphics, although EGA is required for the
graphing functions, and 1.2 meg of hard drive space is necessary.
The program is fairly straight forward; just type 'WEATHER' to start.
When in the Database, and you're entering the precipitation, but the
precip was snow, you need to melt the snow first and use that figure.
If you ever happen to see a filename of "NOYEAR.xxx", it means you
entered the database and didn't give it a year.
With version 3.5e, the database saved to filenames in the 'WET 1992.JAN'
format. There was an actual space in the filename. That didn't work
out too well, so now it saves in the 'WET-1992.JAN' format. Starting
with version 3.5f, it has the capability of reading both formats. If you
have any of the previously mentioned data files, tell it you do when it
prompts you to do so. You cannot graph out any of the data files created
by version 3.5e.
Starting with version 3.5f, the educational text files can be edited by
anyone who wants to. It is highly recommended that instructors do not
permit students to edit these files as they can easily enter incorrect
information. These files (all the ones with a .TXT extension) are
saved in the ASCII text format. It is important that if you edit them,
that you save them in the ASCII format. If you do not, the files will
unreadable and unusable.
- Graphing -
You can graph-out all database files created by versions from 3.5f and
newer. The graphing area looks a bit different than the other parts
of the program. It has pull down menus which are mouse aware, or you
can hold down the ALT key and press the first letter of the header you
want to use. So to choose the View header, you would do ALT-V.
The top of the screen looks like:
File View Chart Options
~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~
An explanation of each header is as follows:
File
~~~~
Exit | Exit to main menu; there is no need to save anything
View
~~~~
High-Low | High and Low temperatures
Wet-Dry | Wet bulb and Dry bulb temperatures
Baro | Barometric pressure
Cloud Cover | Cloud Cover percent
Precip | Precipitation
Chart ... F5 | Graph Chart (view it)
Chart
~~~~~
Chart Window | Setup colors for the Chart area
Data Window | Setup colors for the Data area
Font Window | Choose font type/size for graph
(this option changes your graphics
size -- experiment)
Options
~~~~~~~
Color | For a color monitor
Monochrome | For a monochrome monitor
If you were to choose to View the High & Low temperatures, the program
asks you which month you want to see. You either click on a filename
with a mouse then choose the OK selection, or you TAB over to the
filename area, use the up/down arrow keys to highlight the month,
then press ENTER. Press the F5 key and you'll see the graph! Press
any key to exit the graph. Remember, the graphs you'll see are the
ones created by the database of this program. If you haven't already
entered the data, you'll only have the sample data file to graph and
view.
You can print the graph by pressing the PRINT-SCREEN button. Weather
Forecaster will automatically load the DOS utility GRAPHICS.COM if it
is available. If it is not available and you try to print the graph,
nothing but garbage will be sent to the printer.
The graphing part of this program uses all your available conventional
RAM. If you are running many Terminate and Stay Resident (TSR)
programs, you may not have sufficient memory. People with DOS 5, or
better yet, DOS 6.x can load much of those other TSRs into the high
memory (above 640k) and the graphing should not run short of RAM. If
you still do not have sufficient memory, there are several memory
managers on the market that do a better job of freeing up RAM than
older versions of MS-DOS.
What CONVERT.EXE does...
If you graph database files from earlier versions of Weather Forecaster
such as ver 3.5f or 3.5g, you will quickly notice there is no month
or year on that graph. It will still produce a graph just fine, just
no date will be on it. Run CONVERT.EXE and it will prompt you as to
how to fix my oversight. If you convert a file that does not need
converting, or if you convert a file twice, no harm will be done.
Do not modify or delete any files after it is installed. The program
checks itself for certain critical files upon each start-up. If
certain ones are modified or missing, the program will abort. The
only thing to do at that point is to re-install it from your original
source.
I'd like to send much Thanks to Tim Peterson who has helped me quite a
bit with many parts of the programming routines. Much appreciation
goes to Mark Hofmann, James Bond (real name) for some assembly routines,
and Louis Bryant.
I'd also like to thank Robert Frostick for sending me several ideas for
improving the forecasting and database. It's not everyone who sends
seven pages of his students' study courses!
I can be contacted at Spokane Central BBS, 509-489-3473,
or regular mail at:
Shamrock Software
4214 N Napa St.
Spokane, WA 99207
(509) 489-3369 - voice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Revision Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Version 3.0 : Main Features
- Weather Forecasting
- Wind Chill
- Fahrenheit to Celsius
- Celsius to Fahrenheit
Version 3.10, added features:
- Height to the clouds calculation
- 15 percent more weather predicting data
- Dew Point Slope Interpolation
Version 3.20, added features:
- Printing of forecast (registered ver)
- Cleaned up redundant code
- 10 percent more weather predicting data
Version 3.30, added features:
- National Humidity Map.
- National High and Low records, by city.
- Added more color, more eye-appeal.
- Implemented rather extensive error capturing routines.
Version 3.40, added features:
- There's a new Equipment area which displays pictures and text of the
most necessary weather predicting equipment required.
- Weather Facts & Trivia area for your information.
- Gave more printer and input/output error trapping.
Version 3.50, added features:
- Database to add your own local weather statistics. You can also
search the database for previously entered information.
(registered users can print the database)
- Found and squashed a minor bug.
- Gave more reference material to the Various Facts/Trivia area.
- Incorporated a configuration file so you only have to enter
your city's name once.
- Snow elevation calculator.
Version 3.5e modified/added features:
- The database has a new saving format intended for future expansion.
- Added Metric and American standards.
Version 3.5f, added features:
- Added a sub-menu for reference reading material - there's quite a bit.
- Upon quitting Forecaster, you'll see a cute little quote concerning
weather myths, sayings, or fables.
- Changed how the database creates filenames, and this version has the
capability of reading version 3.5e, and the current ver filenames.
Version 3.5g, bug fix:
- Fixed a bug in displaying the database, it would hang up when getting
the averages.
Version 3.60, added features:
- Can graph out all the DataBase entries, EGA and 640k required.
- Reconfigured some of the conversions to allow for future additions.
Future ideas:
- It mostly depends on you, and how you support my efforts.
- Opened for more ideas -- send us some!