5.0369 Pharos -- Windows/TLG PHI (1/147)
Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Tue, 8 Oct 1991 21:03:24 EDT
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 5, No. 0369. Tuesday, 8 Oct 1991.
Date: Sat, 5 Oct 91 08:17:28 -0400
From: rsmith1@cc.swarthmore.edu
Subject: Pharos (PC program for TLG and PHI CD-ROM's)
I would like to announce the availability of a *preliminary* version of
Pharos, a new Microsoft Windows program for searching and browsing Greek
and Latin texts on the TLG and PHI CD-ROM's. Pharos is the successor to
Searcher, from the UCSB Classics Department, and has similar search and
browse capabilities. This is a preliminary version only, which we are
releasing now via FTP in order to allow interested parties to use the
latest CD's from the PHI, which do not work with Searcher. Upgrades
will also be available via FTP as work progresses toward an "official"
release version. I have attached a copy of the letter which is being
sent to current owners of Searcher; it describes Pharos in more detail
and explains how to obtain a copy.
Randall M. Smith
rsmith1@cc.swarthmore.edu
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October 4, 1991
Dear Searcher User:
As you are doubtless aware by now, Searcher 2.x does not work
with the newest CD-ROM's (#5 and #6) from the Packard Humanities
Institute. We have been working on a new program for Microsoft
Windows, called Pharos, which will provide the same functions as
Searcher along with many new features. Although this new
program is not yet ready for an official release, we realize
that many of you need to work with the new CD-ROM's as soon as
possible. Therefore we are making available a "pre-release"
version of Pharos via anonymous FTP. The first version (0.0) is
available now, and subsequent upgrades will be posted as they
are produced. When the "official" release version is ready for
distribution, we will distribute it as Searcher was distributed:
a nominal license fee (in the range of $25-$50) will be charged
which will cover mailing a diskette containing the latest
version of Pharos with a printed copy of the instructions and
inclusion on our mailing list for information on future
upgrades. We are working as quickly as possible to produce the
release version of Pharos, but we hope that in the meantime this
incomplete version will still be useful; we also hope to get
feedback concerning bugs and problems as well as suggestions for
enhancements and new features.
The completed version of Pharos will include the following
enhancements over Searcher 2.x:
Works with CD-ROM's #5 and #6 from the Packard Humanites
Institute.
Smoother user interface which will allow access to more
types of information simulatneously.
Makes use of Windows environment to provide more fonts for
better text display.
Uses Windows clipboard to paste text from CD-ROM's directly
into other applications.
User-configurable driver tables to convert Beta Code to
other formats.
More search options and better batch and global search
capabilities.
Since Pharos is a Windows program it requires a higher level of
hardware than Searcher 2.x. Microsoft Windows version 3.0 must
be installed on your computer system; it is not included with
Pharos and is not available from us. Pharos requires Windows to
be running in the standard or Enhanced 386 mode. Thus it
requires an 80286 or higher processor with 2MB of RAM minimum
(we recommend a 386 system). Pharos will work with any video
display that Windows supports which has a resolution at least as
high as an EGA (640x350); the only major display type this
eliminates is the CGA. This preliminary version requires a
mouse since the keyboard interface is not fully debugged. The
same CD-ROM drives and device drivers used with Searcher 2.x
should work with Pharos, provided that Windows works with them.
(If the File Manager sees your CD-ROM drive it should work with
Pharos.)
The following items are missing from the current pre-release
version of Pharos but will be added as quickly as possible
(Searcher 2.x can still provide some of these services):
TLG index usage.
Offloading of text from the CD-ROM's.
Batch running of searches.
User-configurable Beta Code conversion tables.
PHI CD-ROM #6 - Files on this disc may be searched and
viewed, but passages must be located manually since
the new locator system is still causing us problems.
To obtain a copy of Pharos, use your local FTP program to
contact ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu (128.111.122.50). Log in as
"anonymous" and give your E-mail address as the password. After
you have logged in change to the "classics" directory by typing
"cd /classics". The file will be named PHAROSxx.EXE, where xx
represents the latest version number. The first version will be
PHAROS00.EXE. The version number will be changed any time a new
version is posted, so you can check back at any time to see if a
new version has been posted. You can get a listing of the files
by typing "ls". Since this is a binary file, be sure to set the
transfer type to "binary" before FTP'ing the file to your
location; usually this is done by giving the command "binary",
to which the system responds "Type set to I". Use the command
"get pharosxx.exe" to get a copy of the file, then type "bye" to
logout and break the FTP connection. If you have problems with
FTP, please contact your local FTP expert to get more
information about using FTP on your computer system.
The file thus obtained is a self-extracting archive, so once you
have moved the file to your PC, you need to execute PHAROSxx.EXE
to extract the following files: PHAROS.EXE, GREEK.FON, and
MANUAL.TXT. MANUAL.TXT is a DOS text file which contains
instructions for installing and using Pharos.
We welcome all types of feedback: reports of problems,
suggestions for improvements, etc. Comments should be directed
to:
Randall M. Smith
rsmith1@cc.swarthmore.edu
or:
Dan Thibodeau
Department of Classics
University of California
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
805-893-3556
6500dan@ucsbuxa.bitnet
6500dan@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu
Sincerely,
Randall M. Smith
Dan Thibodeau