Comatose is an application which will help you prolong the life of your computer and save on the electricity bill while doing so!! It allows the user to put their computer to sleep rather than shut down the entire system. It works with all Macintoshes Plus and later running system 7 or later and only 125K of memory. Comatose would spin down all hard drives (SCSI buses and IDE) and dim the screen to black. The blacking of the screen allows some monitors to also power down internally, thus adding to the savings in electricity. Your computer will run quieter when comatosed and takes a fraction of time to start up when compared to switching off or shut down. Comatose also has screen saver capability. You can specify how many minutes before the screen is dimmed and how many idle minutes before drives are spun down. Your computer will be able to wake up with an incoming phone call, receive a fax and go back to sleep. Perfect for using that old Mac sitting in the closet as a stand alone fax!
Comatose is an ordinary application working transparently in the background. It is NOT and extension or control panel. It does NOT patch system resources, will NOT modify your system file. It will NOT slow your system down and will NOT cause incompatibility with other extensions and system resources. Additionally, you can set Comatose up to run automatically at start up and you can quit it any time you wish to release memory if you are strapped for memory. You can NOT quit a control panel or an extension! You can only disable such programs and restart your computer to claim the memory and CPU time they use.
Thanks to its built-in recording capability, you can record a sound or music of any length right from your Mac's microphone and have it played back in the background while you work on other projects!!
You can reduce the amount of unnecessary wear and tear on your computer by putting it to sleep. Not only you can put your computer to sleep at a predetermined time, but also can schedule a time for it to wake up automatically!!! Comatose will pay for itself the first month of use!.
Last but not least, you can password protect your computer with Comatose stopping access to your computer when you are not there!
•• Why Should I Use Comatose?
Every mechanical or electrical component has what is called an endurance limit. This is usually described by the manufacturer in terms of MTBF hour. MTBF stands for Mean Time Before Failure in hours. Furthermore, every time you turn your computer on and off you heat up all components and when you turn the computer off they are allowed to cool down to room temperature. This heating and cooling cycle, shortens the expected life of the component. This has to do with the fact that materials used to manufacture the component expand with a raise in temperature and contract when the internal source of heat is removed. Although the expansion and contraction are measured in very small (sub micron) dimensions, they are nevertheless effecting the work life of the parts. Perhaps the most sensitive of all are microchips and the CPU used in the circuit board. The best solution would be to reduce the amount of the aforementioned heating/cooling cycles.
There are also mechanical components in your computer which can also benefit from Focus Comatose! The hard drive in your computer has many surfaces which are in continuous contact with each other. The platters which store your data are spinning at speed of up to 7200 Revolutions Per Minute (RPM), the read/write head is moving on the top and bottom of each platter very close to their surface, and the servo mechanism that positions the heads is also continually moving and positioning the head. All of the corresponding bearings and fittings are used every second the hard drive is working whether or not you are using your computer!!!
•• System Requirements
The comatose application requires a minimum system configuration of:
• Hardware: All Macintosh and Power Macintosh computers.
• System 7 and higher.
• 125 K of free memory.
•• How to use the on-line help module:
The on-line help module consists of two lists. The list on the left, is the topics. User can select a topic by scrolling up or down and click in the desired subject. The text field on the right would display the help text associated list item selected. The help window is a standard window which can be dragged around by click-dragging in the title bar. User can quit the help module by clicking the close (go-away) box on the top left corner.
•• Installing Comatose
Since Comatose is an application it can be placed anywhere on your hard drive. However, for easy access it is suggested to place the application inside the "Apple Menu Items" Folder. That way you can open Comatose from inside any application in addition to the Finder. Comatose also allows you to optionally run it at start up automatically! Please read the section on "General Preferences window".
•• Menus:
The Menus Section has the following parts:
-Apple Menu
-File Menu
-Edit Menu
-Windows Menu
For more details on each of the above see the corresponding help sections.
•• Apple Menu:
• About Comatose:
This menu item displays the information available about the program and the author.
• Help:
Use this menu item to activate the on-line help module. This module has extensive help text describing various features of the Comatose and how to fully utilize them. See the "How to use the On-line help module" section for more details.
•• File Menu:
• Go To Sleep:
User can put the computer to sleep using this menu item. Selecting this menu item is equivalent to pressing the "ZZ" button in the main window.
• Quit:
This menu item quits the Comatose application and releases the memory used for the application back to the system and finder.
•• Edit Menu:
This menu is implemented as standard feature for editing text fields in the preferences windows and the desk accessories use (required for their proper operation).
•• Windows Menu
• Hide/Show Main Window:
If the user wishes to hide the main window temporarily in order to move to another application or view the desktop, selecting this menu item would hide the main window. To show the main window again, simply select this menu item again.
• Iconize:
Selecting this menu item will reduce the main window to a small icon that user can place any where on the desktop for easy access. When the icon window is expanded, the main window would reappear and it is returned to the original state. See the section on Miniature Window for more details.
•• Windows:
This Section has the following parts:
- Main
- General Preferences
- Disk Saver Preferences
- Monitor/Screen Saver Preferences
- Password Preferences
- Schedule
- Miniature
- Help
- Audio
Click on the corresponding item in the help module list for more details.
•• Main Window
This window is the central window of the Comatose program. The following describes various components of this window and their function.
• Password Preferences Button:
You can protect your computer with password when running Comatose. To set the password and what actions require password press this button to activate the "Password Preferences" window.
• General Preferences Button:
User can activate the General Preferences dialog using this button. Through this dialog user can set the actions such as mouse click or movement which will cause the computer to wake up.
• Shrink Button:
This button shrinks the main window allowing the user to save precious desktop space and processor time. For more information, see "Miniature Window".
• Schedule Button:
This button can be used to activate the schedule dialog which allows the user to schedule an automatic sleep or wake time. Additionally, user can set the Comatose to perform the scheduled sleep and wake cycles repeatedly.
• Monitor/Screen Saver Preferences Button:
To access the "Monitor Preferences" window press this button. From that window, you can set your personal preferences for the screen saver features of the Focus Comatose.
• Stop Auto Sleep Button:
If Comatose has played an audio alarm signaling the auto sleep has been initiated and the computer will be going to sleep within 40 seconds, pressing this button will cancel the auto sleep process.
• Disk Saver Preferences Button:
To access the "Drive Preferences" window press this button. From that window, you can set your personal preferences for the disk saver features of the Focus Comatose.
• Go To Sleep Button:
After making any necessary changes to the settings, user can put the computer to sleep using this button.
• Audio Button:
Focus Comatose™ is capable of playing music background while you are working on you computer. This feature combined with its built-in recording capability allows the user to record their favorite music and listen to it in the background. See the description for the Audio Window for more details.
• On-Line Help Button:
Pressing this button will present the user with the on-line help window which contains detailed description of all components, feature and additional information about the product..
• Help:
This segment of the main window displays a brief help text associated with elements in the main window. Simply move the mouse on top of any element to view a brief description for that component of the main window. You can deactivate this portion of the main window by unchecking the box next to the word help.
•• General Preferences Window
This window allow the user to set what type of action and how they prefer to wake up their computer.
The Run Automatically At Startup feature allows you to run Comatose automatically when you start or reset your computer hence operating transparently. When selected, a very small file named "Focus Comatose Startup" is placed in the "Startup Items" folder in your system folder. When this option is deselected, that file is automatically removed and you must start the Comatose manually in order to use the Comatose and benefit from its features.
The Ask Before Quitting feature is provided to prevent the user from accidentally quitting the application. When this option is checked, when the user presses the Command-Q or selects Quit from the File menu, a dialog appears and asks for confirmation before proceeding to quit the application.
The Key Press option will cause the Comatose to wake the computer when any key on the keyboard is pressed. The Button Click and Mouse Movement will cause the computer to wake up with click of the mouse button or when the mouse is moved. Finally, if you have a modem attached to either modem or the printer port of your computer, and would like your computer to wake up with an incoming call, select the Incoming Call check box.
•• Disk Saver Preferences Window
This window allow the user to set the Disk Saver settings of the Comatose.
• Spin Down Disks After XXX Min. Idle:
Through this option you can set your disk drives to automatically spin down after number of idle minutes you specify. This prevents your hard disks to be working when you are not using them.
• Spin Down All Disks Except The Boot Drive:
If you have several disk drives attached to your computer and you wish they will spin down when idle but you are on a network and wish others to access your main hard disk through network, check this box. Otherwise, if Comatose is set to spin drives and you are away from your computer, no one can access your computer unless you are present at your computer.
• Scan For Multiple SCSI Buses:
If you own a Macintosh with dual SCSI buses (i.e.. 8100, 8500, 9500, 840, 840AV, etc.) or own a third party SCSI board and you wish Comatose to spin all devices on all SCSI buses please select this check box.. If the check box is not selected or you own a single bus Mac, Comatose will only spin the drives on the main bus (Bus 0).
• Spin Up/Down Disks When SHIFT and COMMAND Keys are Held Down For Three Seconds:
If you check this box, you can spin up or spin down your drive from inside any application without the need to switch to Comatose main window. After you have selected this option press down and hold the aforementioned two keys for three seconds to signal Comatose to put your computer to sleep.
•• Monitor Preferences Window
This window allow the user to set the Monitor/Screen Saver settings of the Comatose.
• Dim Now:
Using the "Dim Now" corner, you can force the monitor to dim (even before the Idle time setting is reached) by placing your mouse at the designated corner. To select the dim now corner simply select the corner desired and check the "Dim Now" box.
• Never Dim :
Using the "Never Dim" corner, you can force the monitor to stay undimmed (even after the Idle time setting is reached) by placing your mouse at the designated corner. To select the dim now corner simply select the corner desired and check the "Never Dim" box.
• Activate Screen Saver After XXX Min. Idle:
Through this option you can set your monitor to automatically be dimmed after number of idle minutes you specify. This prevents any damage to your computer due to burn in of a static image. To set the desired value, select the check box and enter (in minutes) the length of idle time desired.
• In Screen Saver Show:
Through this option you can set your monitor to display various important time related information on your screen when the screen saver has been activated. Among the options are current date, next scheduled auto system sleep time, and the current date. User can select which ones they wish to be displayed. Any combination of the aforementioned settings can be used.
• Energy Star Mode:
Focus Comatose allows you to take advantage of the Energy Star feature of your monitor in order to add to the savings in electricity. This mode can be activated in two ways single pass (Compatible) or dual pass (Normal). Users can select Normal if they have fully compatible monitor/video card combination available. However this setting may have problems with any Monitor/Video combination which is not fully compatible with the Energy Star. If you experience any problem with the normal mode, please select the Compatible mode. The default value for this setting is Compatible.
• Energy Star Mode After XXX Min. Idle:
Through this option you can set your monitor to automatically be turned off after number of idle minutes you specify. Most monitors (mostly multi Sync.) built since 1993 have a feature called "Energy Star" which allows the monitors to enter a stand by mode and/or shut off after a period of inactivity. These E-Star compliant monitors can save electricity up to 85 percent in the standby mode and 100 percent in the shut off mode. To set the desired value, select the check box and enter (in minutes) the length of idle time desired.
• Do Not Dim If Modem Port In Use:
If when you transfer files you wish to visually monitor the progress, select this check box to prevent screen dimming in such cases. Selecting/deselecting this option will not have any effect on the speed of your transfer since dimming the screen requires no pressing time.
• Do Not Dim If Printing:
If when you are printing documents you wish to visually monitor the progress like how many pages are left to be printed, select this check box to prevent screen dimming in such cases. Selecting/deselecting this option will not have any effect on the speed of your printing since dimming the screen requires no pressing time.
•• Password Preferences Window
This window allow the user to set what type of action would require password protection how they prefer to protect their computer.
• Password:
This portion of the window allows you to enter the password you wish to use for protection purposes.
• Password Required To:
You can select which actions would require a password entry in this portion of the window. The options are activated when you check the corresponding check boxes. Any combination of the four options can be used. The "Activate The Screen" option would require the password to be entered in order to deactivate the screen saver. The "Wake The Computer" option, when selected, will ask for a password if the computer has been put to sleep and an attempt is made to wake the computer. The "Change Password" option when selected will force Comatose to require the user to enter password in order to change the existing password. Finally, the "Change Any Settings" option will prompt the user to enter the password before they are allowed to make any changes to the settings from the "Drive", "Schedule", or "Monitor" preferences windows.
•• Schedule Window
If you wish your computer to go to sleep and wake up at a predetermined times, you can do so from this dialog.
• Sleep At:
Selection of this box will force the computer to sleep at the time specified. This predetermined time feature can be handy for situations where the user is going to be away from the computer when a task is to be performed and computer can be set to go to sleep after the task is completed. User can adjust the sleep time using the controls provided which are discussed in the next section.
• Sleep Time Display:
This portion of the schedule window displays the currently set sleep time and date. The value of this time can be adjusted using the Month, day, year, hour, and the minute buttons provided. User must first adjust this time to the desired value and then select the Automatically Sleep At box to activate the auto-sleep feature.
• Wake Up At:
Selection of this box will force the computer to wake up at the time specified. This predetermined time feature can be handy for situations where the user is going to be away from the computer when a task is to be performed. User can adjust the wake time using the controls provided which are discussed in the next section. Computer will NOT go to sleep automatically if the box is not checked.
• Wake Up Time Display:
This portion of the schedule window displays the currently set wake up time and date. The value of this time can be adjusted using the Month, day, year, hour, and the minute buttons provided. User must first adjust this time to the desired value and then select the Automatically Wake Up At box to activate the auto-wake feature.
• ONCE and EVERY XXX DAY(S):
If you wish the times you set for auto sleep and/or wake to be used only once, click the ONCE radio button. Otherwise, you can specify the frequency at which you wish Comatose to use the dates and times. For example, to put your computer to sleep every day at 12 noon and wake it up at 1 PM, set the time for this day and enter the number "1" in the text edit field and check the EVERY... button. From that point on your sleep and wake times are continually adjusted by comatose until you disable this feature.
•• Miniature Window:
From the main window, user can activate this window which allows the user to save precious desktop space. Furthermore, since other application can be used concurrently with Comatose miniaturizing the main window would give other applications more processing time. User can return to the main window by clicking in the expand button located on the upper right corner of the miniature window. User can drag the miniature window around by click-dragging anywhere in the display area except the expand button.
•• Help Window:
This window contains all the on-line help text available for the application. The window is a standard Macintosh application window with two sections. First section is the topics and the second is the text associated with the topic. User can activate the on-line help module by selecting the "Help" menu item from the Apple menu. See the "How to use the On-line help module" section on more details on the usage of this feature.
•• Audio Window:
The audio preferences can be set through this window. These preferences are what sound to be played and at which time. User can set the sound play back to take place Always and/or only when the screen saver has been activated. User can select the sound they wish Comatose to use for playback from the scrollable list. Focus Comatose is shipped with a default sound. This default sound (Ocean...) is selected by default. User can add additional sound to the playback list in two ways. First, using the built-in record capability of the Comatose user can record their favorite music by using the Mac's microphone. Secondly, user can download a sound file in AIFF format from elsewhere and place it in the Folder "Focus Comatose Files" which Comatose places in the system folder. Currently, Comatose supports its own and AIFF file formats only. To the left of the playback sound list are four buttons which can be used to Play, Stop, Delete, and Record sounds.
•• Warranty/Liability
This software is released on an "AS IS" basis. The author and Focus Softworks provide no warranty of any sort. The user of this software assumes complete responsibility for any direct or indirect damages due to use or misuse of this software. This program including but not limited to the code is copyrighted by Afshin Latifi and Focus Softworks and is NOT public domain (strictly enforced). It may not be disassembled copied or modified or otherwise reduced to human comprehensible form. The Focus Comatose program or any portion of the program may not be distributed or renamed or resold for any purpose and should be considered propriety asset own solely by Afshin Latifi and Focus Softworks.
•• How to order a full version of Comatose
Focus comatose is released as shareware. If you use it after the one week trial period, please register it by mailing or faxing the order form 24 hours a day or call the phone number on the form. Visa and Mastercard are accepted.
To order Comatose, select the print order form option from the introductory screen. For fastest delivery please print clearly and fill all appropriate fields. Registration for the full version entitles the user to free phone support and allows you to run the program with out the introductory screen and shareware plea windows. Additionally , registration would give you access to lifetime free updates and revisions of the application when you download it from any Bulletin Boards, America Online, or the Internet.
•• How to reach the author
Please Email questions, comments, bug reports to:
latifi@focusworks.com
or by US Mail to:
Focus Softworks
P.O.Box 2401
Santa Clara, CA 95055-2401
USA
•• Commercial and Shareware Distribution
This or any of other works of this author and Focus Softworks shall not be distributed for profit without prior written consent of the author (strictly enforced). Requests for commercial distribution can be submitted to the address displayed in the introductory window.
•• Visit Us On The World Wide Web!
To obtain the latest information on Focus Softworks products, please visit our web page at:
http://www.focusworks.com
You will be able to see screen shots and obtain the latest information on new products as well as downloading the latest versions directly from our Internet sites right from your browser!.
•• Other Focus Softworks products
The following are the list of products at the time of release of this version of Focus Comatose™:
• MicroRecorder™-
- Is a sound player which allows background sound playback on any Macintosh with color capability in AIFF format. It features unlimited record and play back time, repeated playback, on-line help, volume adjustment, and audio selection. The audio selection allows the user to play back a portion or the entire sound. This program has three dimensional controls, animation, and digital display featuring playback time, audio selection, volume level.
(20 USD + 5 USD Shipping & Handling)
• MicroRecorder Pro™-
- Based on the popular MicroRecorder, the pro version has the same features with the addition of pitch control, REAL TIME! display of the sound, Stereo capability, and left/right channel control. Furthermore, MicroRecorder Pro supports AIFF, system 7 sound file, and PC/Windows wave format. The support for PC/Windows format allows the user to import their favorite sound from the other platform.
(32 USD + 5 USD Shipping & Handling)
• AudioClock™-
- Is a digital Alarm Clock. It is a Clock for people who appreciate efficiency. It allows the user to enter daily messages by specifying the time, occasion, recording the voice message and save with clicks of mouse all without typing a word!. User can also preview the messages using their mouse.
(25 USD + 5 USD Shipping & Handling)
• VoiceCalendar™-
- Is a digital calendar. First of its kind, it is a calendar for people who hate to type! or people who appreciate efficiency. It allows the user to enter daily messages by specifying the date, time, occasion, recording the voice message and save with clicks of mouse all without typing a word!. User can also view the entire month, select any date and play back any messages using their mouse.
(32 USD + 5 USD Shipping & Handling)
• Focus DictationMachine™-
- is functionally equivalent to a transcribing device. It allows continuous background recording and playback of sound from hard disk. This would allow you to work with other programs while the sound is being recorded or played in the background. Among the key features of the DictationMachine are:
*- Full asynchronous Record and playback of sound.
*- 100 percent user configurable voice activated recording (VOX).
*- Support for 3:1 and 6:1 compression of the recorded sound.
*- Fast forwarding and rewinding of sound being played.
*- Volume adjustment.
*- Pitch adjustment.
*- Threshold adjustment.
*- Delay adjustment.
*- Quick Skip feature allowing to instantly to jump to any section of tape.
*- Insert and remove any portion of tape with a click of mouse.
*- Excellent 3D graphical interface and animation!
*- Full utilization of the notification manager.
*- Real-time sound display for record and playback states!!
(37 USD + 5 USD Shipping & Handling)
• Focus Comatose™-
- Is an application which will help you prolong the life of your computer and save on the electricity bill while doing so!! It allows the user to put their computer to sleep rather than shut down the entire system. Before Comatose this feature was only available to Powerbook users. It works with all Macintoshes Plus and later running system 7 or later and 100K of memory. Comatose would spin down all hard drives (SCSI and IDE) and turn the screen off. If you have an energy star compliant monitor, the blacking of the screen allows the monitor to power down internally, thus adding to the savings in electricity.
(20 USD + 5 USD Shipping & Handling)
• Focus TeleContact™-
- Is the Mercedes of file transfers!! It was created with the following goals in mind:
1) To make sending and receiving files as effortless as a simple telephone call. This task is achieved by automatically configuring and adjusting the parameters transparently such that the user is relieved of the cumbersome task of setting baud rate, bit parity, compression method, auto-answer and maximum transmission, etc.
2) Provide an elegant yet simple and intuitive interface to the file transfer process. As it would be described later in this manual, user can simply drag and drop any file on to the TeleContact and have it send the contents to any location in the world!
3) Combine the functionality of a modem protocol and the ease of use of a fax machine with some added features not offered by either methods of communication. For example, when a document is faxed, a picture of the document is sent to the target location. Should the recipient of the faxed document wish to make changes to the document, The have to retype the text or use some sort of OCR program to extract the text which often leads to loss of formatting. Using TeleContact, the recipient can simply use their word processor or graphics program to edit or print the document at a higher resolution that of the 200 dpi offered by a fax machine.
(42 USD + 5 USD Shipping & Handling)
• Focus ContactManager™-
- Focus ContactManager is a personal information manager (PIM). It allows the user to store information such as name, address, and up to three phone numbers for each contact. Furthermore, any of the phone numbers can be dialed in two ways. Namely, using the internal speaker of the computer or an attached modem. Using the Find and Find Again features user can locate previously recorded contacts instantly.
(32 USD + 5 USD Shipping & Handling)
• Focus EmailTool™-
- Focus EmailTool is an application which allows the user to sign their emails and other documents in the most elegant way possible. The program allows for up to 32,000 digital signatures and an additional 32,000 quotes! It comes with ready built in quotes by famous people as well as capability of adding your own. It features a floating window which stays on top of all windows for easy access.
(15 USD + 5 USD Shipping & Handling)
Look for these and our new products on America Online, your favorite bulletin boards and the Internet.
For latest version information or questions see "How to reach the Author" section.
AudioClock, MicroRecorder, MicroRecorder Pro, VoiceCalendar, TeleContact, Comatose, ContactManager and DictationMachine are trademarks of Focus Softworks.
All other products mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective holders.
•• Troubleshooting
This section contain some common problems encountered by users and possible solutions to fix them.
• Problem: I put my computer to sleep but when I wake it up I get a blank screen or the computer does not wake completely!!
• Cause/Solution 1: You probably have another energy saving program like Energy Saver installed which is interfering with proper operation of the Comatose. Please remove that or any other application from either the Control Panels or Extension folder and restart your computer.
• Cause/Solution 2: You may be attempting to put the computer to sleep in the middle of a task in progress. For example, you are sending a file over your apple network or saving a large graphics file when you activate Comatose. Although Comatose can handle this properly, another extension or system resource make take too much time and cause the Comatose to malfunction. For best results, put your computer to sleep only when it is idle.
• Problem: I put my computer to sleep but Zip or EZ135 would not spin down!
• Cause/Solution 1: Most removable drives are not really hard drives. Their drivers fool the system to believe they are so they can be displayed as drives on your desktop. As a result, commands that Comatose sends to put the "Hard Disk" to sleep are ignored by these drives.
