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Hope PC Multimedia SuperPack 2
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1994-08-20
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23KB
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603 lines
TINY ELVIS FOR WINDOWS
Freeware Version 1.02 - August 20, 1994
AUTHOR'S MESSAGE TO USERS
-------------------------
To everyone who took the time to download, beg, borrow, or
steal a copy of Tiny Elvis version 1.00 and/or 1.01... my
sincere thanks.
I'm grateful that Tiny Elvis has earned a place on your Windows
desktop, and hope you enjoy the program as much as I did
developing it.
Special thanks to those of you kind enough to contact me via
CompuServe e-mail. I have enjoyed hearing from each of you,
and have welcomed your comments and suggestions. No doubt
many of you are taking some grim satisfaction in the fact that
your fine suggestions have kept my nose to the "Elvis"
grindstone a little longer.
Anyway, here's the result. Enjoy.
As always, you are welcome to contact me via CompuServe
e-mail with any questions or comments about this program.
My CompuServe address is 70661,3235.
VERSION NOTES
-------------
Version 1.02 is an interim release upgrade to the original
Tiny Elvis for Windows program.
All of the functionality of version 1.01 is present in this
update -- PLUS the following changes have been implemented:
1. Tiny E's audio playback routines have been streamlined.
The program now plays its companion .WAV files in the same
manner regardless of whether the host system is equipped with
dedicated audio hardware (i.e., a sound card) or is using a
PC speaker driver. Users are NOT required to add a special
command line switch for enabling specific audio playback modes.
2. Additional "Icon Settings" options have been implemented.
Users can now configure Tiny E's icon to behave like any other
program icon (i.e., stay out of the way), pop to the top of any
other programs when the animation sequence is triggered (and go
back where it belongs afterward), or stay on top at all times.
3. An additional "Play Goodbye on Program Close" option has
been implemented. Plays a designated "goodbye" .WAV file when
the program is closed.
4. Support for additional companion .WAV files has been
implemented. Users are no longer restricted to the nine
default .WAV files that come with the program. Version 1.02
will scan and use up to 40 different .WAV files. Full
documentation is provided with the program.
INTRODUCTION
------------
For good or ill, Tiny Elvis for Windows was inspired by the
character "Tiny Elvis" who has appeared periodically in airings
of NBC's Saturday Night Live.
For those of you unfamiliar with the television incarnation of
Tiny Elvis, he's a miniature Elvis who likes to ride around
town in his car. His chums (cronies? lackeys?) do the driving
while he sits on the dashboard, admiring the passing scenery.
Tiny E kills time by commenting on the objects around him,
invariably describing them as "huge."
The result: Humor!
Now, Tiny Elvis comes to your PC!
This Tiny Elvis will lounge around your Windows desktop as an
iconized application, replete in white jump suit and blue suede
shoes. From time to time, he'll pop to his feet and offer some
running commentary on your "huge" icons, windows, cursors, etc.
He will accompany his comments with broad gestures, followed by
some trademark heavy-hitting, Vegas-style posturing.
Users may adjust the interval between Tiny Elvis' comments in a
dialog box accessed via the system menu. The interval setting
is saved in the TNYELVIS.INI file, which is stored in your
default Windows directory (e.g., C:\WINDOWS).
NOTE: Don't worry, Tiny Elvis doesn't meddle with your WIN.INI
or SYSTEM.INI files, or place any other files in your Windows
directory (or anywhere else, for that matter). The program
might be silly, but it minds its own business.
An extra command ("Make Tiny Elvis Talk Now") in the system
menu allows users to force Tiny Elvis into action instantly,
without waiting for the interval to expire.
Best of all, Tiny Elvis is freeware! It is distributed free of
charge to the public domain. As such, the program is not
intended for sale, resale, purchase, or for-profit distribution
in the shareware or retail marketplace. In other words, you can
give it away, but you shouldn't sell it!
If Tiny Elvis for Windows amuses you, drop me a line on
CompuServe (my address is 70661,3235). If it fails to amuse
you, well hey, at least the price was right...
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
--------------------
Tiny Elvis for Windows requires Microsoft Windows version 3.1
or later.
For best results, run Tiny Elvis on a 386SX-16 or faster PC.
Animation effects will be somewhat smoother when an Windows-
accelerated video card/driver combination is used.
The program's waveform audio features require a Windows
compatible sound card (AdLib, Roland, SoundBlaster, etc.) or
other audio hardware, correctly installed and configured for
use by Windows.
NOTE: The program will work with an installed PC speaker
driver in lieu of dedicated audio hardware. Speaker drivers
for Windows are fairly commonplace, and are available for
download on many information services and BBS systems.
All applicable waveform audio driver sets must be installed and
correctly configured.
You can test your hardware/driver configuration by running the
Windows "Media Player" accessory. If your hardware and device
drivers are correctly installed and configured, you should be
able to load and play the file .WAV file format supported by
this application.
Although Tiny Elvis can be run from a floppy disk, we strongly
recommend its installation to a hard disk. As such, you should
have enough free hard disk space for all of Tiny Elvis'
program and support files.
There are no known minimum memory requirements or video mode
(resolution or color depth) requirements.
PROGRAM FILES
-------------
The Tiny Elvis package is comprised of the following files:
TNYELVIS.EXE
The executable program file
TNYELVIS.HLP
The help system file
TWAV_**.WAV
Nine waveform audio files used for Tiny Elvis' default
spoken comments. These files are divided into two
sets, A and B.
TGOODBYE.WAV
Single waveform audio file used for the program's
"goodbye" feature.
All waveform audio files were recorded as 8-bit, mono, at a
sampling rate of 11.025 kHz, and should play acceptably via any
Windows-compatible audio hardware and/or audio driver sets.
QUICK AND DIRTY SETUP
---------------------
1. Simply create a directory anywhere on an available physical
or logical hard drive on your system (e.g., C:\ELVIS).
2. Copy the Tiny Elvis program files to this directory (or move
the original .ZIP file to this directory and "un-zip"). See the
"Program Files" section above for a full list of the files. If
you are a user of a previous version of Tiny Elvis, you may
safely overwrite all of your older files with the new versions.
3. You may run Tiny Elvis directly from Windows File Manager or
comparable alternative shell by "run"-ning the TNYELVIS.EXE file.
4. Of course, you can also assign one of the many icons in
TNYELVIS.EXE to a Program Manager group and run it from there as
well.
5. Tiny Elvis is pre-set with a default interval of 1 minute.
If you're in a hurry to see him in action, select the system
menu "Make Tiny Elvis Talk Now" command.
6. If you have any questions about program features, please
turn your attention to the Tiny Elvis help file, which is
accessed via the system menu "Help" command.
USING TINY ELVIS
----------------
1. Getting Started
------------------
Strictly speaking, there's very little that goes into "using"
Tiny Elvis. He just lays there at the bottom of your Windows
desktop (yes, you can move him) and watches the world pass by.
The interval between his animation sequences is pre-set to a
default value of 1 minute. You can easily change this value
by opening the Configuration dialog, which is accessed via the
system menu "Configuration..." command. Several interval
settings are available, ranging from 1 to 60 minutes. If the
Configuration dialog is closed via the "OK" pushbutton control,
any