moved from dev to prod
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teradesk/README.TXT
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376
teradesk/README.TXT
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Tera Desktop V1.41 Copyright 1991-1995 W. Klaren.
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V2.1 Copyright 2002 H. Robbers.
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V2.3 to V4.08 Copyright 2003-2017 H. Robbers, Dj. Vukovic
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This is version 4.08 of the Tera Desktop, a replacement for the builtin TOS
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desktop for 16-bit and 32-bit Atari computers. This program is Freeware and
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Open Source. It is published under General Public License (GPL) which means
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that it may be copied and modified freely, providing that the original
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authorships are recognized where appropriate, and that it, or its
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derivatives, may not be sold. See the included COPYING file for the details
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on GPL.
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Please note that the name of this project is 'Tera Desktop' or 'TeraDesk',
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not 'Terra Desktop'.
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Package manifest:
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=================
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Tera Desktop binary distribution currently consists of the following files:
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COPYING (A copy of the GPL license)
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DESKTOP.PRG (All-environments Desktop)
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DESKTOS.PRG (Somewhat smaller Desktop compiled for Single-TOS)
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DESK_CF.PRT (Somewhat larger version compatible with Coldfire)
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DESKTOP.RSC (English resource file)
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DESKTOP.RSD (Resource object names definition file)
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ICONS.RSC (Essential Mono icons)
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CICONS.RSC (Essential Colour icons)
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README.TXT (This file)
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HIST_V34.TXT (Log of changes since Version 3.0)
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TERADESK.HYP (English manual in ST-Guide hypertext)
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TERADESK.REF (Reference file for the hypertext manual)
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TERADESK.INF (Sample configuration file)
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TERADESK.PAL (Sample palette file)
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There also exists a source distribution which contains the complete source
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tree of TeraDesk, to be compiled and linked with Pure-C 1.1 or AHCC. It is
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located at the web homepage of TeraDesk 3 and TeraDesk 4:
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http://solair.eunet.rs/~vdjole/teradesk.htm
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TeraDesk uses the AHCM memory-allocation system developed by H. Robbers.
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Included in the source distribution of TeraDesk is the source of an older
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version of AHCM with functionality sufficient to build TeraDesk. Source of
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AHCM version newer than the one that is used in TeraDesk can be found in the
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distribution of the AHCC compiler developerd by H. Robbers at:
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http://members.ams.chello.nl/h.robbers
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(the newer version of AHCM will produce slightly larger TeraDesk binary).
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A note on the naming of distribution files:
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Binary distributions have names in the form TERAnnnB.ZIP ("B" for "Binary"),
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"nnn" being the version number multipled by 100 (e.g. as "396" for 3.96).
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Source-code distributions have names in the form TERAnnnS.ZIP ("S" for
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"Source").
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Preliminary compilations sent to testers have names in the form TERAnnnP.ZIP
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("P" for "Preliminary"). Contents of TERAnnnP.ZIP may vary.
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It is recommended that translated resource and hypertext manual files are
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distributed in zip archives having names in the form TERAnnnx.ZIP, "x" being
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a character conveniently marking the language of translation.
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Hardware and Operating System Requirements
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==========================================
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Tera Desktop can be used on any Atari ST series computer and their
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offspring, TT, Falcon, Hades, Milan or emulators. Since version 4.04 it
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has been compatible with Coldfire. It uses about 200 - 300 KB of memory,
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depending on the complexity of configuration.
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Although Tera Desktop can be used without the aid of a hard disk, the use
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of one is strongly recommended. Tera Desktop is not well optimized for use
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on machines with only one floppy drive and no hard disk. File copying in
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TeraDesk is done file-by-file which, when copying files from one disk to
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another on a machine with only one drive, will mean a lot of disk swapping.
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Tera Desktop should work with all existing versions of TOS (i.e. starting
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with TOS 1.0) but it is much more useful with TOS versions 1.04 (also known
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as TOS 1.4) and above. However, it may fail on very old versions of Mint or
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Magic (probably older than 1.12 and 3.0 respectively).
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Since Version 2.0 Tera Desktop runs on modern multitasking environments,
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such as: MagiC, TOS with Geneva, TOS with Mint and an AES (N.Aes, XaAES,
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MyAES or Atari AES 4.1) etc. It can run with memory protection.
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Some features of Tera Desktop may be nonfunctional, depending on the
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version of the OS and the AES used.
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Tera Desktop makes several inquires trying to determine TOS- and AES-
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versions and their capabilities and limitations. If some version of TOS or
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AES is not able to answer these queries, Tera Desktop tries to make guesses
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which may not always be correct. It is also possible that incorrect answer
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to a query is supplied by TOS/AES. In such case Tera Desktop may work with
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unnecessary limitations or else try to activate features which may not work.
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New Features in This Version
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============================
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Please, see HIST_V34.TXT for a list of new features and bug fixes since the
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last released version (4.07). Also, read the manual TERADESK.HYP (you will
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need ST-Guide for this) for more detailed information.
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Before installing any new version of TeraDesk, you are advised to load and
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then save each TeraDesk configuration file that you use. This will update
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any older versions of the configuration file(s) to your current version.
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TeraDesk may report errors when reading too old configuration files. It may
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also be a good idea to make a backup of the current configuration files.
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Installation
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============
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1. A folder named e.g. DESKTOP or TERADESK can be created anywhere on your
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floppy or hard disk, or in a RAM disk, to hold Tera Desktop files. It is
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also possible, although a bit untidy, to put Tera Desktop into the root
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directory of a disk volume/partition.
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2. The following files should be copied to the location specified for
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TeraDesk:
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DESKTOP.PRG (if you intend to use multitasking) OR
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DESKTOS.PRG (if you will work in Single-TOS ONLY) OR
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DESK_CF.PRG (if you need a Coldfire-compatible version)
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DESKTOP.RSC
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ICONS.RSC (if you will use monochrome icons) AND/OR
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CICONS.RSC (if your AES can support colour icons)
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Note that DESKTOP.PRG will work in single-TOS as well; DESKTOS.PRG just
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saves a few kilobytes of memory by not containing code which is only
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relevant in multitasking environments, and by having a somewhat limited
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support of the AV-protocol (AV-protocol functions not likely to be used in
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Single-TOS are removed). Beware that the single-TOS version may not properly
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interpret some configuration files created in the multitasking version, e.g.
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if they contain any references to symbolic links or long filenames.
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The Coldfire version should be compatible with 68020 and higher processors
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as well.
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If only DESKTOS.PRG is to be used, it may be renamed to DESKTOP.PRG after
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copying, but this is not required; the program will regiser itself with
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the AES as "DESKTOP" anyway.
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On a Coldfire system, one should use DESK_CF.PRG instead of DESKTOP.PRG.
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Same as with DESKTOS.PRG the file can be renamed to DESKTOP.PRG but this
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is not required.
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One can (but need not) also copy into this folder the files TERADESK.INF
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and TERADESK.PAL from the \EXAMPLES folder. Note, however, that these
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example configuration files are set for one hypothetical configuration, and
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may not be appropriate for your setup (Tera Desktop will attempt to obey
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everything specified in the configuration files, no matter what the actual
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environment is).
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If you start Tera Desktop without TERADESK.INF in its directory, the program
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will complain that it can not find its configuration file. In order to avoid
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this message appearing again, activate "Save settings" in the Options menu.
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Of course, before saving, the configuration can first be adjusted to any
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user's particular environment and taste by defining additional desktop and
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window icons, filetypes, etc.
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3. If you use ST-GUIDE or other compatible hypertext viewer application,
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copy TERADESK.HYP and TERADESK.REF from the \DOC folder to the folder where
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your other .HYP files are. When you first start Tera Desktop, install your
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hypertext viewer (program or accessory) as the application for the *.HYP
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filetype and save the configuration. The hypertext manual for TeraDesk will
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thereafter be available upon [Shift][Help] keypress.
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4. Cooperation of Tera Desktop with some other applications will be
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improved if it is announced that certain protocols can be handled. In order
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to do so, the following environment variables can be defined:
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AVSERVER=DESKTOP
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FONTSELECT=DESKTOP
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These declare TeraDesk as the AV-Server and as the font-selector. In
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Single-TOS configuration these protocols can be used by some accessories
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(such as ST-Guide); in multitasking configurations they can be used by a
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much larger number of concurrently running applications.
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The manner of declaration of environmental variables depends on variants of
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the OS and utilities used.
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5. It is convenient to set TeraDesk to start automatically at system boot.
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If you use (Single) TOS version 1.04 (also known as TOS 1.4) or greater,
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you can set it up by installing it as an application, and then setting its
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boot status to 'Auto' (remember to save this desktop configuration). As from
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now on Tera Desktop will take over all desktop tasks, prior to saving the
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desktop configuration all other applications should be deinstalled, all
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unneeded icons removed from the desktop and all windows closed. This is not
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required but will reduce the size of DESKTOP.INF (or NEWDESK.INF) and will
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also free some memory.
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If you have TOS version 1.0 or 1.02 you must use a program such as STARTGEM
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to run DESKTOP from an AUTO folder.
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If you use Atari AES 4.1, you can put something similar to the following
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directive into your GEM.CNF file:
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shell path\to\TeraDesk\desktop.prg
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Then, the built-in desktop of AES 4.1 will not be loaded at startup and
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TeraDesk will run as the desktop instead.
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If you use Geneva, N.AES, XaAES, or MyAES you should in a similar way
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specify TeraDesk as the shell in the appropriate places in the
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configuration files of these AESes (i.e. in GEM.CNF, N_AES.CNF, XAAES.CNF
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and MYAES.CNF, respectively).
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If you use MagiC, TeraDesk should be specified as a shell via the #_SHL
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directive in MAGX.INF:
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#_SHL path\to\TeraDesk\desktop.prg
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6. All text strings used by Tera Desktop are located in DESKTOP.RSC except
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default filenames and a warning that DESKTOP.RSC can not be found. It is
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possible to completely adapt TeraDesk to other languages by using a
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translated DESKTOP.RSC and, possibly, ICONS.RSC and CICONS.RSC, if someone
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is willing to supply it/them. In the source distribution there exists a file
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named RESOURCE.TXT containing some comments that may be of use to people who
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wish to make such translations.
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7. The icon files supplied contain a basic set of icons only. Users are
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encouraged to create thier own, more extensive icon files; they can add
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icons at will, or use other icon files (e.g. one can rename DESKICON.RSC
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and/or DESKCICN.RSC used by the built-in desktop of TOS 2/3/4 to ICONS.RSC
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and CICONS.RSC respectively, and use them with TeraDesk, but any files used
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should contain some icons which are essential to TeraDesk- see below).
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Tera Desktop, since V2.0, handles icons by name, not by index. Icons with
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the following names (or their translated equivalents) should always be
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present in the icons resource file as defaults:
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FLOPPY, HARD DISC, TRASH, PRINTER, FOLDER, FILE, APP
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If any icon name can not be found in the icons resource file, TeraDesk
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attempts to use one of the default icons, according to item type. If the
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default icon does not exist either, the first icon in the icons resource
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file is used.
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To facilitate adaptation of TeraDesk to other languages, names of the seven
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essential icons are not hard-coded but are read from DESKTOP.RSC. It is
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possible, by editing this file, to change the names by which the icons will
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be searched for in the icon resource file(s).
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8. When used in an environment which is supposed to support colour icons,
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TeraDesk tries to load the colour icon file CICONS.RSC. If this file can
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not be found, TeraDesk falls back to monochrome icons file ICONS.RSC.
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Some versions of AES (e.g. Geneva 4) declare themselves as capable of
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handling colour icons, but that fails to work with TeraDesk. In such cases,
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CICONS.RSC file should be removed, and TeraDesk will fall back to
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monochrome icons. Colour icons file can also be removed in other
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environments if there is a need to preserve as much free memory as possible.
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9. Users are advised to load, check and save any existing Tera Desktop's
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configuration files. As the format of configuration files may change
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slightly with new releases, by this procedure they will be kept up to date
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as much as possible.
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Read the hypertext manual for more information.
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Some Possible (but not peobable anymore) Future Developments
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============================================================
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Here follows a list of ideas that were considered as likely courses of
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further development of TeraDesk. Unfortunately, as time passes and the
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author/maintainer is not getting any younger, it becomes less and less
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likely that they will ever be implemented.
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- Further optimization of code to reduce size and memory use and increase
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speed.
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- Use of advanced features of the AHCM package to further improve handling
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of memory allocation when large blocks are allocated (e.g. when reading
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files or opening flying dialogs).
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- Improvement of the algorithm for file copying when floppies are involved.
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(this has become practically irelevant as floppies have disappeared).
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- Removal of the 2 GB limitation for manageable folder sizes
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- Complete compliance to the AV-protocol and Drag & Drop protocol (some of
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rarely used AV-protocol capabilities are currently unsupported).
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- Better implementation of memory-limit and no-multitask options.
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- Capability to change video mode in AESes earlier than V4.
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- Capability to shutdown Aranym from single-TOS.
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- Capability to show a 'tree view' directory window of all drives or maybe
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to show any directory window with 'tree view'.
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- Integration of a non-modal, windowed, long-names-capable fileselector by
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producing a special directory window with a menu bar. TeraDesk's already-
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existing capabilities for selecting and sorting directory items would be
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used, so a duplication of effort and memory waste that exists when a
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separate file-selector is used would be avoided. File-selector should be
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Selectric compatible. AV-protocol capabilities of TeraDesk may be used
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(or abused) here and a small auxilliary accessory may be needed for
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operation in Single-TOS.
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- Integration of a windowed command-line interpreter that will use the code
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already existing in TeraDesk for most (or all) of its functions.
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- Capability to run TOS programs in a window in single-TOS.
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- Capability to define more than one printer, on different interfaces, or to
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use GDOS/NVDI printing devices.
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Some Very Unlikely To Happen Future Developments
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================================================
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- There are no plans to handle desktop background pictures in TeraDesk. It
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would be a completely nonfunctional feature, which would increase program
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size unacceptably. Besides, it is the opinion of the current maintainer
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that background pictures are in fact distracting to the user and a waste
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of system resources. However, MyAES, XaAES, as well as D.Mequignon's
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utility named PICDESK provide this feature for (almost) any desktop.
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The hypertext manual for TeraDesk explains how TeraDesk should be set
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to use the background picture provided by an AES or other agent.
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Comments and Bug-Reports
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========================
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It will be appreciated, if problems are reported with a complete
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description of the problem and the configuration you are using (machine,
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TOS-version, autoboot programs, accessories etc.). Mention TeraDesk in the
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subject line of your e-mail.
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THE AUTHORS OF TERA DESKTOP CAN NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE for any form of
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damage caused by this program or any of its components; usage of all
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components of TeraDesk is at your own risk. See also the accompanying file
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COPYING for the terms of the General Public License.
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PLEASE read the manual and the development-history file before you use the
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program. You will need ST-Guide (not supplied with Tera Desktop) or another
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.HYP file viewer to read the manual.
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Comments should be sent to: vdjole@EUnet.rs
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If you intend to use TeraDesk, it will be appreciated if you send an e-mail
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to the above address; I may at some time ask a question or two
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about TeraDesk's behaviour.
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Djordje Vukovic
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Beograd; February 19th 2017
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Reference in New Issue
Block a user