旼컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴� � Trademarked names are the property of the respective owners � 읕컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴� BLANKs - Copyright (c) 1988-1991 FM de Monasterio All rights reserved What is new in Version 3.31 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The self-loading into high memory has been improved for a faster processing when dealing with the XMS manager. The user can now request a minimum high- memory bound above which the program should load itself (if an upper-memory block is available above the limit). This helps to avoid high-memory areas that have slow memory access times. (The enclosed ancillary utility TIMEM. EXE can be used to measure access times. You should read TIMEM.DOC first.) What is new in Version 3.30 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Resident code now always include the Mouse monitoring service; despite this change, the size of the resident has been made smaller, and its performance has been improved. The Usage/Status and Help screens have been modified for a less cluttered display, and point-and-click mouse support has been added. What is new in Version 3.22 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Resident was changed to permit use of self-modifying code to increase video performance. Both resident and non-resident routines have also been improved for a faster operation in 086, 286, and 386+ processors. Other minor changes were also introduced. What is new in Version 3.21 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The environment variable 'BLANKS=' can now be directly updated or created in the DOS (master) environment by means of switch /E. Unlike the SET command, which modifies the default environment block (whether it is the global [i.e. that used by the initial copy of COMMAND.COM] or a local one [i.e. that used by a secondary copy]), switch /E always modifies the global DOS environment. This allows to modify the environment variable even when 'shelling out' from any application, in which case the SET command would not be useful to modify the environment block. What is new in Version 3.20 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Direct high-memory loading introduced. Switch /L allows the resident code to be installed directly in UMB memory (i.e., at conventional memory between 640 kb and 1,024 kb [1 Mb]). This avoids not only the initial load sizing of the program by some (386) memory managers, but also the need to have available up to 64 kb of free high memory just to install a resident of 1 kb or less. What is new in Version 3.18 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BLANKs version for 386+ machines is now available. When possible, the 386 code selection was based on performance measured with a software timer. What is new in Version 3.17 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The hotkey combination can now be specified directly from the command line, or via the 'BLANKS=' environment variable, using switch /Hxn. Because of this new capability, and conflicts encountered with some less than compatible machines, the cloning option has been removed. Use and modification of this variable can provide a more flexible way to change program parameters. What is new in Version 3.16 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A cloning problem was encountered with some video systems in versions 3.13-3.15 due to assumption of full BIOS compatibility; version 3.16 solves this problem. Modified cpu differentiation code to include 486-type chips. Implemented a gray scale that increases uniformly with attribute value for CGA/MCGA/VGA monochrome video systems. What is new in Version 3.15 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In versions 3.13 and 3.14, executed in EGA systems, the cursor was not properly hidden during some displays. COMPAQ CGA adapters now yield a 'monochrome, snow- free' configuration. The resident component has been reduced a little by use of self-modifying code. What is new in Version 3.14 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Several ancillary changes were introduced in both resident and nonresident code to speed up program execution, including use of machine opcode instructions in the resident component. When the DOS command line is empty, BLANKs searches the DOS environment for a string named 'BLANKS=' containing configuration switches, which are implemented if BLANKs is executed without arguments. What is new in Version 3.13 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In versions 3.11 and 3.12, switch /D0 left the cursor at the current screen row after resetting the contrast; version 3.13 positions the cursor at the top left of the screen. Minor changes have been introduced in the Help/Syntax display. What is new in Version 3.12 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The resident code dealing with keyboard input has been modified for faster data processing. The keypress unblanking the (timed or manually) blanked screen is now removed from the keyboard buffer. What is new in Version 3.11 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A screen border was generated upon returning from the Help/Syntax panel in some EGAs due to the improper setting of a BIOS register. Version 3.11 corrects this problem. (The link-triggered error was not fully corrected in version 3.10, and was fixed in 3.11.) What is new in Version 3.10 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Version 3.10 corrects a linker-triggered error that affected cloning in some of the 3.00 releases, and an incorrect setting of the password when switch /W? was selected at the time of installation. The nonresident code has been reduced in size. The password can now be specified directly from the command line or from a batch file; its input has been restricted to pure alphanumeric characters. What is new in Version 3.00 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This version incorporates changes in code reorganization to increase code speed for 286/386 machines as measured with a software timer (versions 2.70-2.90), to update the resident code directly when installed in high-DOS memory, and in the various display panels. VGA brightness control is now implemented by switch /D. There are many changes in BLANKS.DOC; please read this file. What is new in Version 2.60 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This version fixes a bug affecting diskette access when some diskette errors to A BIOS call occurred under DOS 3.1x through 3.3x; the resident code uses 800 or 832 bytes, depending on the status of switch M at installation time. 086-BLANKs now avoids severe flickering during the help display. For computers without a hard disk, a BLANKs version that does not park disks is also available; its resident code uses 720 or 752 bytes depending on the status of switch M. BLANKS-.COM is an abbreviated version (special order) that does not park disks and lacks the additional help text displayed by pressing from the Syntax/ Help panel of the standard version, amounting to a saving of some 8,000 bytes. What is new in Version 2.50 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Help and status/usage services have been modified to achieve a faster execution in 286/386 machines. The resident code now uses 784 or 800 bytes, depending on the status of switch M. This version fixes a bug affecting diskette access when a diskette was not inserted and switch P+ was selected in some AT-type machines as well as the diskette bug first noted in version 2.21. The password selection service has been changed to avoid unncessary flicker in (slow) laptop displays. What is new in Version 2.40 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The cloning procedures have been modified to fix a reversal of selection when a full diskette was encountered. The status and help displays have been changed. What is new in Version 2.30 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The nonresident code has been modified to achieve a faster execution. There has been one report of a CRC failure upon cloning in version 2.00 (MS-DOS 4.01, 386 computer); this problem is solved in version 2.30. Also fixed is a problem that could have affected the status of Ctrl-BREAK when aborting the password panel. What is new in Version 2.21 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There have been 2 reports of a bug affecting diskette activity in version 2.20; although such problem has not been found in other machines, the present version attempts to solve this problem by using modified code in dealing with interrupt 13h (BIOS diskette interrupt). The length of the resident remains the same. What is new in Version 2.20 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A switch to control the VGA "brightness" (contrast vs saturation in a push-pull manner) has been added. The operation only takes place at the DOS command line to avoid increasing the resident size from that of version 2.10 -- Keep in mind that the changes are additive, so that repeated use of this switch (or of large values) will yield either a completely dark or a washed-out screen. To restore the screen, type 췇LANKS /V0銘. Look up switch /V in BLANKS.DOC. The password service now accepts up to 15 alphanumeric ASCII characters, except for those generated with the , , and/or shift keys; to check this option, type 췇LANKS /W?銘. BLANKs name and version are now displayed in memory usage listings produced by memory mapping utilities. What is new in Version 2.10 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Switch K, which in older versions excluded video and mouse activity monitoring, is no longer available. BLANKs now routinely monitors the BIOS video activity, which has the same effect as a keypress. To monitor mouse activity mediated by interrupt 33h, you must now select switch /M. Upon *manual* blanking of the video, the switch /W offers the option of using a password of up to 10 decimal digits, followed by , to unblank the screen. The password can be changed (or disabled) without uninstalling BLANKs. This feature was added because of several requests for its use in (open) office environments. BLANKS.DOC now clarifies better the use of switch /W. When resident, BLANKs is now a few bytes larger than in version 2.00; this is due to a safer reorganization of the code. The resident occupies 848 bytes or 880 bytes depending on the status of switch /M. Read BLANKS.DOC if you intend to load the program in high-DOS memory. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [END]