Opening Line: Press Release

[tward@interaccess (Tony Ward)]

[Please note that I am posting this product announcement for Bret Victor. 
Send inquiries/comments/suggestions directly to him at b.victor1@genie.com]

[The demo is available on comp.binaries.apple2 and the ftp sites at 
caltech and grind (cco.caltech.edu and grind.isca.uiowa.edu) and in the 
A2 Library on GEnie.]

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...announcing the hottest IIgs product with a 1995 copyright date!
 

                         -<>-   OPENING LINE   -<>-
 
                  The premier GS/OS splash screen enhancer
 
                               by Bret Victor
 
 
Have you grown tired of turning on your Apple IIgs and seeing nothing but
a bland periwinkle blue screen with a plain window on it?  Are you annoyed
that your computer, after all you have invested in it, still has nothing
more to say to you but "Welcome to the IIgs"?  Do you wish you could impress
your IBM and Mac friends the second you turn on your computer?
 
Sure, you could download simple freeware utilities to change the splash
color or icons, but it's still the same bland screen, day after day...
 
Until now.  Now, you can turn on your computer, and a stunning 256-color
picture of your choice (or design) will fade in from the background color...
And at the top of the screen, your IIgs will present you with a randomly
chosen line of text -- a profound quotation, a cynical witticism, or whatever
you desire.  Finally, you can customize your IIgs to be exciting as soon as
you turn on the power!
 
 
I THOUGHT YOU COULDN'T -DO- THAT!  WHAT IS THIS REVOLUTIONARY PROGRAM?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Opening Line is a combination Init and START.GS.OS patch.  It takes control
even before GS/OS itself has started loading, and does three things:
 
1.  It puts a picture file on the screen.  The picture is fully customizable,
    and can be 640-mode or 320-mode, 16-color or 256-color, with or without
    a thermometer, with or without the "Welcome" window.  The picture file is
    in the standard SHR screen format (type $C1) so no conversion routines are
    necessary -- simply name your picture file "STARTUP.PIC" and drop it in
    the System:System.Setup folder!  It couldn't be easier!
 
2.  It randomly chooses a "tagline" from a file and puts it on the screen.
    Again, it is fully customizable -- the tagline file is simply a standard
    ASCII text file that you can modify or replace as you like.
 
3.  It fades all of this in smoothly from the background color.  Even this is
    customizable -- choose the fade speed that is right for you.
 
Any of the three features can be easily disabled.  For example, if you don't
want a tagline, simply delete or rename the TAGLINES file.  If you don't want a
startup picture, delete or rename the STARTUP.PIC file, and Opening Line will
use the familiar GS/OS splash screen.  No configuration utilities are needed.
 
 
WHAT DO I GET?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The complete Opening Line package contains the following:
 
 - The Opening Line Installer (patches the START.GS.OS file quickly and
   easily)
 
 - The Opening Line Init
 
 - Twelve impressive sample startup pictures, in a variety of graphics modes,
   some with thermometers and some without.  Five of them are original designs
   by Bret Victor (aka SLIXTER), the renowned artist for PowerGS diskazine,
   and new GEnie LiveWire IIgs artist.  Plus, you get a picture file that
   details how to create your own startup pic, including how to control the
   palettes and thermometer.
 
 - A tagline file of over 3,000 lines.  (Imagine starting up your computer
   for eight years and never seeing the same thing twice!)  These lines were
   carefully selected and edited from much larger tagline files, so only
   the quality ones remain.  (They were spell-checked, too!)
 
 - A concise, three-page printed manual.  (So as to not waste your valuable
   time with excess verbosity.)
 
Opening Line also boasts a fast speed of operation, intelligent error checking,
and an innovative custom random number routine to ensure that you get a
different tagline every time you start up GS/OS.  Opening Line is compatible
with Custom.GSOS as well, in case you are strongly attached to your old custom
icons.
 
 
ALL THIS FOR LESS THAN THE COST OF DINNER AND A MOVIE?!?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's right:  Opening Line costs only  --> twelve bucks! <--
 
Opening Line is shipping NOW.  To place your order, send your name, address and a
$12.00 check (payable to Bret Victor) to:
 
       Bret Victor
       19253 Parkview Rd.
       Castro Valley, CA  94546
 
The $12.00 includes all shipping and handling.
 
(Sorry, I can't accept GEnie Gifts of Time -- I'm on the LiveWire staff, and
 my GEnie credit is maxxed out as it is...)
 
If you have any questions about Opening Line, send them to the above address,
or e-mail:
 
GEnie    :  B.VICTOR1
Internet :  b.victor1@genie.com
 
Or fonecall:   (510) 886-1640   (any reasonable hour, PDT)
 
 
OPENING LINE:  It won't make you more productive... and it won't save your
valuable monitor from becoming worthless...   But it WILL impress your friends,
make starting up your computer more exciting...  and turning on your IIgs to
find a giant alligator grinning at you, with a line at the top that says,
"Be alert!  America needs more lerts!" can cheer up any day immensely.
 
 
Be sure to check out the sample Opening Line screen shots!  Coming to a
GEnie library or ftp site near you!