Copyright subsists in all versions of Powerbase. We reserve the right to
withdraw support and authorisation to distribute Powerbase.
No warranty, express or implied, is made about the suitability of Powerbase
for any purpose. We can not be held responsible for any loss or damage to
your health, wealth or marriage due to the action or inaction of Powerbase.
Notes
=====
(1) From version 8.00 onwards Powerbase and its associated documents and
example databases are no longer supplied in ArcFS format. We are now using
zip files which are more compact than ArcFS archives and are widely used
for downloadable material on websites. You will not be able to unzip these
files with ArcFS but can do so with SparkPlug, which is provided on the
distribution disc.
(2) Certain combinations of computer, printer and !Printers can produce
random errors when printing hard copy from Powerbase. If you get 'Abort
on data transfer', 'Branch through zero' or other unexplained errors
during printing, load the text file !Powerbase.Resources.Config and
find the line near the end which reads 'Output 1'. Change this to
Output 2 and re-save the file. Powerbase will then print first to a
file then "copy" the file to the printer. The aforementioned errors do
not appear to occur under these circumstances.
(3) A late addition, not in the documentation: Ctrl-W will restore the
keypad and record windows to the state and position they were in when
the database was opened.
Registration
------------
Powerbase is SHAREWARE, not Public Domain software. You are welcome to try
it without charge but, if you find you use it on a regular basis, you should
register with us. The registration fee is £10.00 and should be forwarded to:
Powerbase Support
112, Keighley Road
Colne
Lancashire BB8 0PH
Tel. 01282 866835
email: quercus@ukgateway.net
website: http://www.pendle.ukgateway.net/
* Please make cheques payable to Derek Haslam, NOT to Powerbase Support. *
Unregistered copies display an explanatory start-up banner for about 5
seconds when they are run. The Info box (iconbar menu) also shows them to be
unregistered. When you register with us you will receive a registered copy
which displays your name in the Info box and start-up banner. The time for
which the latter remains on screen can be altered by changing a number in
the Config file inside the !Powerbase.Resources directory. The line begins
with the token BTime and is preceded by an explanatory comment line. Setting
the value to zero suppresses the banner altogether.
The only difference between a registered and an unregistered copy is that
the former has, inside the application directory, a little file called "reg"
in which is encrypted the name of the registered user. Deletion of this file
results in an unregistered copy (see below).
We suggest that you make a copy of your "reg" file somewhere separate from
Powerbase. Should you then obtain a later version from a source other than
us (e.g. from a friend or downloaded from our web-site) you can place the
file in the application directory so that it becomes registered to you.
Distributing copies of Powerbase
--------------------------------
You are allowed to copy and distribute the application freely as long as you
do not do so for any profit, and that it is kept intact and unchanged APART
FROM THE FOLLOWING: please do NOT give away REGISTERED copies. If you are a
registered user and wish to give a copy to a friend, we ask you to
"de-register" the one you are giving away by Shift/double clicking on the
application to open its directory then deleting the file "reg".
Manuals
-------
User documentation for Powerbase is supplied as a set of plain text-files
and Draw files because everybody can read these and print them out if they
wish. The same information can also be had as a Tutorial, a Manual and a
Supplement in Impression Style/Publisher or OvationPro format. These include
an index and table of contents. We will send these files when you register,
but only if you ask for them since an extra disc is necessary. Users wanting these files at any other time are asked to send four 1st class stamps to cover the cost of disc and postage and to specify which format they require.
We appreciate that many users possess neither Impression nor OvationPro but
might still like to have these manuals. We can supply them in printed format
at a cost of £5.00 inclusive. If you only want the Supplement just send four
1st class stamps.
Using the files directly from the archives is NOT recommended and usually
results in mysterious error messages. Proceed as follows:-
(a) Run !SparkFS or one of the other unzipping utilities.
