GEMini Atari/GEMini_Atari_CD-ROM_Walnut_Creek_December_1993.iso/files/acc/utility/multdemo.txt

Text File | 1991-09-20 | 7.7 KB | 189 lines

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MultiDesk Deluxe - The Demo
---------------------------

Program and documentation by Charles F. Johnson
Copyright 1991 CodeHead Software
Released: September 20, 1991


  Welcome to the MultiDesk Deluxe demo!  MultiDesk is the award
winning program that overcomes GEM's limit of six desk accessories.
And now, the new MultiDesk Deluxe even lets you treat ordinary ST
desk accessories as if they were CPX modules for Atari's Extensible
Control Panel ... which means that they load into memory when you
click on them and are wiped out of memory when you close them!
Reviewers the world over have acclaimed MultiDesk as a "MUST HAVE"
utility.

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Files included in this package:

  MULTDEMO.ACC    - The demo version of MultiDesk.

  MULTDEMO.TXT    - You're reading it right now.

  This demo may be freely distributed as long as all of the above
files are included.

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  MultiDesk lets you load and unload any standard Atari ST desk
accessory at ANY time....even while running a program!  MultiDesk
frees you from the six-accessory limit of GEM; it's similar to
products like Suitcase for the Apple Macintosh.  When you run
MultiDesk as a program (by changing its extension to .PRG) you can
run any desk accessory as if IT were a program too, without taking
up any permanent memory.  (Running as a program is disabled in this
demonstration version.)

  Many flexible configuration options let you customize MultiDesk to
your own personal preferences -- and a friendly, intuitive GEM
interface makes MultiDesk simple to operate!

Setting Up the Demo
-------------------

  Simply copy the MULTDEMO.ACC file to the main directory of your
boot disk.  When you reboot your computer, the MultiDesk accessory
will be installed in the usual list of GEM DAs, which is available
under the "Desk" drop-down menu.

The MDX Directory
-----------------

  But wait!  Before rebooting, you'll also want to set up a special
directory for your "nonresident" desk accessories.  In the root
directory of your boot disk, create a folder called MULTDESK.MDX and
copy some desk accessories into it.  (We'll call this directory the
"MDX Directory.")  Any DAs at all will do; MultiDesk Deluxe is
compatible with just about everything.

  The DAs in this directory are not loaded into MultiDesk Deluxe
immediately; instead MultiDesk just reads their names from the
directory and displays them in its scrolling window.  When you click
on a DA's name in the window, it is loaded into memory _right_then_.
When you close it, the memory it used can be reused by another
nonresident DA!

The MDX Buffer
--------------

  MultiDesk Deluxe sets aside a special area of memory (called a
"buffer" in nerdspeak) where all the nonresident DAs load.  This
buffer only needs to be big enough to hold the largest DA you might
load.

  You can adjust the size of this buffer by clicking the button
labeled "Config" on MultiDesk Deluxe's main screen.  This brings you
to the "Configuration Editor" screen.  Toward the middle right of
this box is an adjustable size box labeled "MDX BUFFER"; by clicking
on the up or down arrows, you can adjust this number to your liking.
The size is shown in kilobytes -- so 0001 equals 1024 bytes of
memory.  To enter a number more quickly, click on the number itself;
then you can type in a new value.  Hit Return when you're finished
entering the value.

  To find out how much memory a nonresident DA needs, hold down the
Control key while you click on its name in the MultiDesk window.  If
you try to open a nonresident DA that's too large for the current
MDX buffer, MultiDesk will stop and display an alert box that tells
you how much memory the DA needs.

  It is recommended that you adjust the MDX Buffer only while at the
GEM Desktop, or from within CodeHead's HotWire desktop alternative,
to prevent memory fragmentation.  Once you find the size that
accommodates your largest nonresident DA, you probably won't adjust
it much anyway; so this isn't really a limitation.

The Reserve Size
----------------

  Some desk accessories need to allocate memory when they start up.
Normally, this is no problem -- at bootup time, there's plenty of
free memory for a DA to grab.  But MultiDesk Deluxe changes the
rules, since a nonresident DA can be loaded (started up) at any time
... even while a program is running.  Now, what happens if a
nonresident DA comes along and tries to allocate some memory, but
the running program has already grabbed it all?  An unfortunately
large number of DAs will simply crash when faced with this
situation, usually taking the rest of the system down with them too.

  To head off this potential disaster, MultiDesk Deluxe has a
feature called the "Reserve Size."  This feature fools those
memory-grabbing programs into grabbing a bit less -- you specify how
much less in the "Config" screen.  When "Reserve Size" is set to a
value greater than zero, programs will leave that much memory free
instead of taking it all, allowing nonresident DAs to start up and
allocate their memory properly.

Resident or Nonresident?
------------------------

  Some DAs _must_ be resident in memory to do their jobs.  This
would include things like screen accelerators, mouse accelerators,
ramdisks, print spoolers, or the like.  Since the nonresident DAs
are wiped out of memory when you close them, anything that needs to
stay resident should be loaded with the "Load Acc" button in
MultiDesk Deluxe's main screen.  DAs loaded this way are loaded into
the "Resident Buffer" and remain in memory.  You can tell the
resident and nonresident DAs apart by the little dot (or "bullet")
character that appears before the names of the nonresident ones.

Titles for Nonresident DAs
--------------------------

  The release version of MultiDesk Deluxe also includes a special
program that lets you create titles for your nonresident DAs, so
you're not looking at a list of filenames.  This program is not
included with the demonstration version.

Other Limits in the Demo Version
--------------------------------

  Several features are disabled in the demonstration version,
including the ability to save and load setups (groups of DAs), the
ability to save your configuration, and the ability to run as a
program.  Also, there is a time limit of ten minutes in effect;
after this time expires, you will be unable to open any accessories
in the MultiDesk window.

  Of course, all of the features which are disabled in the demo are
fully operative in the release version of MultiDesk Deluxe.

Ordering Information
--------------------

  To order MultiDesk Deluxe, send a check or money order for $49.95
(plus $3.00 shipping/handling, $4 Canada, $6 Europe) to:

  CodeHead Software
  P.O. Box 74090
  Los Angeles, CA 90004

  Voice: [phone]
    Fax: [phone]

  California residents please add 6.5% sales tax.  We also accept
most major credit cards.

  Existing owners of MultiDesk can upgrade to MultiDesk Deluxe by
sending back your original disk with a check or money order for
$20.00 plus shipping/handling as stated above.  The manual for
MultiDesk Deluxe has been rewritten, expanded, and repackaged in a
3-ring binder format; this new manual is included in the upgrade
price.

  MultiDesk Deluxe is available at any Atari ST dealer that carries
CodeHead products.  If you don't see CodeHead products at your
dealer, ask him/her to carry them!

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  MultiDesk Deluxe is Copyright 1988,89,90,91 Charles F. Johnson &
  CodeHead Software.

  All Rights Reserved.