                 Ŀ
                           The QUANTUM LEAP          
                     Automated Episode Guide v1.0    
                        32 bit OS/2 PM Version       
                 

                      Ŀ
                        What This Program Does  
                      

This is a full-featured OS/2 PM program that makes it easy to view info
on the popular syndicated TV show, Quantum Leap.                  


                     Ŀ
                       How To Run This Program  
                     

There are several ways to run this OS/2 PM A.E.G. (These methods assume 
that you have already unarchived the .ZIP file into a directory somewhere 
on your hard drive):

USING THE PM A.E.G. FROM AN OS/2 COMMAND LINE SESSION:
------------------------------------------------------
Simply, CD to the directory that the OS/2 PM A.E.G. .EXE file resides.
Type the filename of the executable file and the PM program window should
appear on your desktop. See the "How To Use This Program" section for
details on maneuvering around the program.

USING THE PM A.E.G. FROM AN OBJECT ON YOUR DESKTOP:
---------------------------------------------------
Create a permanent directory somewhere on your hard drive for the PM A.E.G.
Move the contents of the .ZIP file into this permanent directory (the .EXE
file & the aeg_inst.cmd are the only "required" files, you can delete the
file_id.diz & readme.txt if you want to. But, please read the shareware
notice in this readme.txt before deleting!).

From an OS/2 command line session (full screen or window) run the REXX
script named aeg_inst.cmd. It will create a desktop object for the PM A.E.G.
After this desktop object is created, you can move it anywhere you want to
(into a folder, onto your LaunchPad, etc.) Double click on the PM A.E.G.
icon to run the program.

                     Ŀ
                       How To Use This Program  
                     

When you first run the A.E.G., a large PM window will appear on your screen.
It will have the title and version of the A.E.G. on the top border and three
menu titles directly underneath.

You choose options from the three menus on the menu bar in order to display
the various information contained in the A.E.G. The four menus are EXIT,
EPISODES and HELP. Each of these will contain at least one option underneath
(but probably more than one). Here's a rundown of each of the three menu
titles and the options that may appear beneath (I have paraphrased some
menu options because they may be different depending on the specific A.E.G.
that you're running):

 ------------------------------------------------------
  Exit              Episodes       Help
 ------------------------------------------------------
 | Exit      F9 |  | Season 1 >|  | Useless Help    F1|
 +--------------+  | Season 2 >|  | About Program   F2|
                   | Season 3 >|  | Shareware       F3|
                   | Season 4 >|  | Disclaimer      F4|
                   | Season 5 >|  | Other SBI Prgs  F6|
                   +-----------+  +-------------------+
                                                         

You will notice a couple of things (that I can't recreate here because this
is a plain ASCII text file). First, each menu option has *ONE* character
UNDERLINED. This is the KEYBOARD SHORTCUT for that given menu option (See
the section that follows about Keyboard Shortcuts). Second, the MENU OPTIONS
on the EPISODES drop down menu have little arrows pointing to the RIGHT of
each option (I used the > character to represent them on the above diagram).
These arrows mean that each option has ANOTHER sub-menu. You can cascade these
sub-menus by highlighting the menu option (it will automatically pop up to
the right of the drop down menu that you are currently using). You can then
move your mouse to the right in order to highlight the various options on that
sub-menu. Be sure to hold down the left mouse button until you are on the
sub-menu option that you want to choose! It takes a bit of dexterity on the
longer sub-menus. If that's too hard, read the section that follows on using
Keyboard Shortcuts.

MENU OPTIONS:
To choose things off any of the three drop down menus, you simply move your
mouse down until the "3D sunken highlight" is over the option that you want.

Here is a list of the "general" options that will appear on most of the
A.E.G. program drop down menus.

----------------
 Exit
----------------
| Exit      F9 | <---   This option quits & exits the A.E.G.
+--------------+        (Note: the F9 function key can be used to exit the
                        program at any time).
-------------
 Episodes
-------------
| Season 1 >|    <---   These menu options will pop up a sub-menu to the
| Season 2 >|    <---   right of each option (notice the little arrow).
| Season 3 >|    <---   On the pop up sub-menu will be a list of the various
| Season 4 >|    <---   episodes of the TV show for that given season.
| Season 5 >|
+-----------+
----------------------
 Help
----------------------
| Useless Help    F1|<-- This will pop up a reminder on how to use the A.E.G.
| About Program   F2|<-- Displays the title, version & programmer of the A.E.G.
| Shareware       F3|<-- A shareware reminder.
| Disclaimer      F4|<-- A disclaimer about the information in the A.E.G.
| Other SBI Prgs  F6|<-- A list of other Snake-Byte programs.
+-------------------+    (Note: the F1 - F6 function keys can used at any
                         time to execute the various menu options).

KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS:
Each option on each menu (and the three menu titles on the menu bar) have
*ONE* character UNDERLINED. This represents the keyboard shortcut for THAT
given menu option. Most people prefer to use their mouse pointer to click
on the option, but these keyboard shortcuts perform the same actions as
the mouse. The way to "activate" the keyboard shortcut is to press the
<ALT> key on your keyboard (it should be a small key on either side of
your <SPACE BAR>). When you press the <ALT> key, you will notice that the
first menu title on the menu bar is highlighted in "3D sunken highlight".
This means that the option that is highlighted is now activated and can
be chosen by pressing your <ENTER> key. For example, if you hit <ALT> and
the EXIT menu title is highlighted on the menu bar, if you were to hit
<ENTER> the menu beneath the EXIT title will drop down. You can use your
cursor arrow keys to move the reversed/highlighted area back and forth on
the menu bar (or up and down within a drop down menu).

To pick the second episode of the first season of a show in an A.E.G., use
these keystrokes (in order & don't hold any key down during the process):

<ALT> E 1 2

ACCELERATOR KEYS:
You will also notice that certain items on some of the menus may have an
"F Key" on the far right of a given menu option (F1 on the Help option or
F9 on the Exit option). These are "accelerator" keys that can be used as
an alternative to the above methods of executing menu options. Note: they
can be used at anytime while the program is running.


           Ŀ
             The Harsh Reality of Trickle Down Economics  
           

This program took a lot of hard work to produce (Several weeks of honing
the OS/2 PM code and a week of entering the data and debugging and proof
reading the output). This all resulted in over 5000 lines of C/C++ code!)

And, unfortunately, nothing in life is free. But this nifty little
program almost is! That's right -- you can clear your conscience and
assure that there'll be future updates to this program (as well as
other neato-frito programs from Snake-Byte Inc.) for the ridiculously
reasonable, almost-FREE sum of $5.00. How can we afford to let this
rare jewel of a program go for the piddly little amount of $5.00?!?!

Because, here at Snake-Byte Inc., we deal in VOLUME! VOLUME!! VOLUME!!!
We'll eat a bug to make a sale! Come on down to our Midnight Madness
sale and...Wait a minute. Wrong sales pitch. Sorry. Anyway, you get the
picture. <Insert normal shareware begging/pleading/demanding here>.

What do you get for your $5.00? That warm-tummy feeling of satisfaction
knowing you did the RIGHT thing. This program is in no way "Crippled". I
detest "CrippleWare" and decided early on that I wouldn't do that kind
of thing. So, there's no "registered version". What you have now is the
fully-functional program. It contains one little shareware notice option
on the Help menu (that you don't even have to look at if you don't want
to) and it shows that "nag" screen ONLY when you exit the program, so
it doesn't inconvenience you before or during the program's execution.
(And if that gets your shorts in a bunch, send me a 3.5 disk plus return
postage and the registration fee and I'll compile you a special version
sans nags!).

Here's where to send the cash/check/money order:

                              Will Morgan
                              2516 Wood St.
                              Texarkana, Tx   75503

      Ŀ
        A Note To Quantum Leap Fans From Europe, Australia or   
        the United Kingdom Who Want To Register The TNG A.E.G.  
      

Because Quantum Leap is popular overseas, a perplexing question came up
recently from a person in the United Kingdom: How do I get the proper
currency to register the TNG A.E.G.? Well, John McCoy came up with a
solution to this problem. His email message follows:

Date: Sat, 10 Feb 1996 21:31:21
Subject: Re: Yeah, I finally did it....
From: "John A. McCoy" <jamccoy@maurabrid.win-uk.net>

All I did was take my VISA card to a Bureau d'Echanges (currency exchange)
and say:

"I would like to buy <amount> US, American Dollars, please." It took a while
for the clerk to follow my intent, but I eventually got <currency amount> in
odd-looking money. I slipped both into an airmail envelope and added stamps,
and an address. Hopefully the correct address.

You don't need a card to buy currency, any Bx will take any currency and sell
you any other, and that day's rate for swapping is marked prominently.

The rate you buy dollars with sterling pounds is LESS than the rate you buy
pounds with dollars. And they charge a commision, but these rules and extras
are also made prominent. Have to be, by law.

John A. McCoy
email: jamccoy@maurabrid.win-uk.net

               Ŀ
                 The History of This OS/2 PM Program  
               

Version 0.999 -  Beta version. Honed the mechanics of the program.

Version 1.0w  -  First release version of this 32 bit OS/2 PM program.


                      Ŀ
                        Known Bugs & Problems  
                      

One minor thing: If you use OS/2 in 640X480 resolution, the newly redesigned 
episode dialogs are just a bit bigger than the screen. I say it's minor 
because all information on the dialog can still be seen, but the "OK" button
is a little below the bottom border of the screen. I've designed that button
to be the "default", ie: the focus is already on the button, so all you have
to do to go on is to hit the <SPACE> bar or <ENTER> (you could even hit the 
button with your mouse pointer because the top portion of it's still visible). 

I think the dramatically redesigned episode dialogs more than make up for
this minor "undocumented feature" (ALRIGHT! BUG! I said it! I'm not proud,
but I take full responsibility for my programming shortcomings! <g>) If you
think otherwise, send me a note in email and I'll consider seeing if I can
cram everything on the dialog a bit tighter so those who are monitor-impaired
can see the whole dialog.


                    Ŀ
                      Swatting Any Pesky Insects  
                    

If you encounter any problems with this program (either bugs in the actual
mechanics of the program, or misspellings and/or incorrect info in the various
episode data fields) please drop me a line at one of e-mail addresses in the
last section of this document. I will try and implement the fix in the next
version of the program that I release.


                     Ŀ
                       Big Plans For The Future  
                     

I will update this program if/when new episdes/seasons are completed. If
the show no longer exists on television, the only updating I can do is to
correct any misspellings and other errata. If you spot something that is
wrong, email me and I'll include the correction in the next version.

I'll probably add some printing routines so you can print out a brief
episode list, eps by season, a particular episode by itself or a full
blown, everthing-included EpGuide.

I want to add some global search routines.

I'd really like to add some multi-media stuff to the program, like
sound clips or maybe some pictures but I'll have to hone my chops as
a programmer, first <G>

A 32 bit OS/2 TEXT version of this program has already been released. If you
use OS/2, look for QLPOS2##.ZIP at finer FTP sites (ftp.cleaf.com
for example).

A 32 bit DOS version of this program has also been released. Look for
QLPDOS##.ZIP at finer FTP sites (ftp.cleaf.com, for example).

A 16 bit Windows version of this program has also been released. Look for
QLPWIN##.ZIP at finer FTP sites (ftp.cleaf.com, for example).

If/when I get a newer version of my compiler that supports Win95, I may
release a Windows 95 version of this program. I have tested both the 32
bit DOS version and this 16 bit Windows version under Windows 95 and they
both work great!

A WinNT version? Not likely, I don't have WinNT on my hard drive and have
no plans to put it there.

A MAC version? Even more doubtful, since I don't own a Mac & don't know
anyone who does.

A Unix version? Doubtful.

An Amiga version? Doubtful. I've had several Amiga users offer to port
the A.E.G.'s over to the Amiga, but since both the OS/2 & DOS versions
are pretty system-specific (read: heavily laced with non-portable non-ANSI
routines), I doubt if they could be ported.

A Pet, Vic20 C64, C128, Timex Sinclair, TI or CoCo version? Jeeeez!
It's the 90s, people!!! Isn't it about time you upgraded your computer?

Other A.E.G.'s? Yes, TV Buffs and Couch Potatoes! I plan on releasing a
series of A.E.G.'s for various TV shows based on this A.E.G. "engine".

Here are the shows that currently have A.E.G.'s available in 32 bit DOS,
32 bit OS/2 Text *AND* PM versions as well as 16 bit Windows versions.
(check at ftp.cleaf.com /pub/mst3k/snake-byte):

TV Show Name      DOS Filename    OS/2 Text      OS/2 PM    Win Filename
========================================================================
Mystery Science   MSTDOS##.ZIP  MSTOS2##.ZIP  MST_PM##.ZIP  MSTWIN##.ZIP
Theater 3000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The X-Files       XFLDOS##.ZIP  XFLOS2##.ZIP  XFL_PM##.ZIP  XFLWIN##.ZIP
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quantum Leap      QLPDOS##.ZIP  QLPOS2##.ZIP  QLP_PM##.ZIP  QLPWIN##.ZIP
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Star Trek:        TNGDOS##.ZIP  TNGOS2##.ZIP  TNG_PM##.ZIP  TNGWIN##.ZIP
Next Generation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Star Trek:        TOSDOS##.ZIP  TOSOS2##.ZIP  TOS_PM##.ZIP  TOSWIN##.ZIP
Original Series
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deep Space 9      DS9DOS##.ZIP  DS9OS2##.ZIP  DS9_PM##.ZIP  DS9WIN##.ZIP
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Simpsons      SMPDOS##.ZIP  SMPOS2##.ZIP  SMP_PM##.ZIP  SMPWIN##.ZIP
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Babylon 5         BA5DOS##.ZIP  BA5OS2##.ZIP  BA5_PM##.ZIP  BA5WIN##.ZIP
========================================================================

*ALL* versions are available on the FTP site at ftp.cleaf.com,
which is where I release all Snake-Byte programs. The path is
            /pub/mst3k/snake-byte              (for the MST3K programs)
            /pub/mst3k/snake-byte/NON-MST3K    (for all others)

You can also point your World Wide Web browser to the following URL:
http://www.cleaf.com/~wmorgan/snake.html

If you're interested in seeing an A.E.G. for your favorite show, contact me
via one of the methods described below. Production of other A.E.G.'s depend
on the availability of information about the show (via Internet) and whether
or not the show's info translates well to a single screen in the A.E.G.


      Ŀ
        Other Programs Available From Snake-Byte Incorporated  
      

32 bit DOS, 32 bit OS/2 text mode, 32 bit OS/2 Presentation Manager &
16 bit Windows/Win95 versions of the DALLAS COWBOY FANATIC's Companion.
They're available from ftp.cleaf.com /pub/mst3k/snake-byte/NON-MST3K/Cowboys 
the filenames CBYDOS##.ZIP (DOS) or CBYOS2##.ZIP (OS/2 text), CBYWIN##.ZIP
(Windows/Win95) or CBY_PM##.ZIP (OS/2 P.M.).


                       Ŀ
                         Gratitude Department  
                       

Extra special thanks to Frank Miller, my C programming guru. If it weren't
for Frank, I probably would've given up on C programming within the first
few days. He has helped me solve many of my seemingly endless beginner's
problems.


               Ŀ
                Contacting the Author of This Program  
               

Want to thank me for such a fantastic program? Bitch me out for wasting
your download time & hard drive space? Suggest future additions to this
program, corrections on the data/info or ideas for future programs?
Lonely and just need a cyber-shoulder to cry on? Well, for all these
reasons except that last one there, you can contact me by one of the
following methods:

    Fidonet Netmail:               1:3819/128.103
    Fidonet Echos I Hang Out On:   MST3K, NFL & OS/2
    Internet email:                wmorgan@clover.cleaf.com
                                   will.morgan@p103.f128.n3819.z1.fidonet.org
    US Snail Mail:                 (See Address in the Shareware Nag)

