The Baseball Database is Shareware

Version 1.0 December 1994

253-03 West End Drive
Little Neck, NY 11362-1440

718-281-0816

Internet: matinale@pipeline.com
CompuServe: 70314,3154
MCI Mail: kmatinale

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Contents of this file:

I. Hardware Requirements
II. Software Requirements
III. Assumptions and background for Setup
IV. Techie stuff about why Setup is needed
V. Files included and required
VI. What is Shareware?
VII. Running Setup

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I. Hardware Requirements:

four meg RAM or more
mouse or comparable pointing device
386 or better
VGA monitor or better
six meg free on hard drive

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II. Software Requirements:

Microsoft Windows 3.1 or greater
MS-DOS 6.2 or greater

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III. Assumptions and background for Setup:

It is assumed that you received The Baseball Database as a zipped file (basebase.zip) and that you have unzipped (expanded, unpacked) that one file into many files (listed below) in The Baseball Database's own directory. It is recommended that you put The Baseball Database files in a directory named BASEBASE, in part to avoid confusion with other applications which appropriate the word baseball.

The Baseball Database is NOT ready to run. The application files are ready to go, but special support files must be changed from their current state into a state that is usable by The Baseball Database and Windows.

To accomplish this you must run the supplied SETUP.EXE program. It assumes that all files in the zipped file (basebase.zip) are now unzipped and that all of those files are in one directory on your hard drive.

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IV. Techie stuff about why Setup is needed:

IMPORTANT: You must run the supplied SETUP.EXE program to properly uncompress and install the DLL and VBX files.

Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLs) and custom controls (.VBX files) will be installed in your PC's system directory. The SETUP.EXE program will determine what it is. Our examples use c:\windows\system. Files with extentions of .DL_ and .VB_ will be expanded, have the underscore (_) changed to the appropriate value and have their versions checked to ensure that they do not replace newer versions which may already be in your PC's system directory.

These files should always be installed using the provided setup program and never merely expanded and copied to the system directory. That is one reason that they are provided compressed with a file name ending in underscore.

The rest of this setup program will create a group in Program Manager containing two items: The Baseball Database and this Readme.txt. It is strongly recommended that you let this setup program create the group mentioned above. If you do not, you must find the executable file BASEBASE.EXE to start The Baseball Database.

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V. Files included and required:

These six files can be in any directory. It is suggested that you use a directory named basebase (c:\basebase) in part to avoid any confusion with other programs which appropriate the name baseball. They MUST all be in the SAME directory.

BASEBASE.EXE the Windows program that provides access to the database;
needs VBRUN300.DLL just to start
BASEBASE.94 the read-only database
SYSTEM.MDA needed to open the database
READNOW.TXT this file

Two perfunctory files associated with BASEBASE.94 and SYSTEM.MDA. They can be regenerated by running the program:

BASEBASE.LDB
SYSTEM.MDA

The supplied SETUP.EXE program uncompresses and loads the next group of files into the c:\windows\system directory path assuming that "c" is the disk drive letter and that windows is the name of the directory containing your PC's Windows files. Below are the

1. file names after the underscore in the name has been replaced by the appropriate value;
2. file sizes after they have been uncompressed;
3. file creation dates.

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\VBRUN300.DLL 398,416 BYTES 6/7/94

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSABC200.DLL 306,176 BYTES 4/5/94
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSAJT200.DLL 994,496 BYTES 4/5/94
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSAJT112.DLL 17,440 BYTES 3/24/94
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\VBDB300.DLL 95,200 BYTES 3/24/94

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\THREED.VBX 64,432 BYTES 7/17/93

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SSDATA1.VBX 47,792 BYTES 10/7/94
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SSDATA2.VBX 234,464 BYTES 10/7/94
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SSDATA3.VBX 28,256 BYTES 10/7/94

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VI. What is Shareware?

The Baseball Database is Shareware.

Shareware is copyrighted software.

Shareware is a marketing method.

Shareware allows you to try before you "buy".

Shareware is the Honor System.

Shareware requires you to pay for the software if you use it.

The Baseball Database (R) Help About menu provides payment information.

The Baseball Database (R) Help License menu describes your obligations.

Remember, if you provide a copy of The Baseball Database to a friend, that friend is under the same obligation to pay as you, even if you have paid. It's like any commercial software. You do NOT actually buy the software. You pay for a license to use the software on an individual computer. Please respect that legal and ethical point. Both the Windows application and the data in the database are copyrighted and protected.

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VII. Running Setup:

1. Your goal is to run a program called SETUP.EXE. Here's one way: Use the File Manager. Click on the SETUP.EXE file in The Baseball Database's directory (example c:\basebase.

2. The setup program you have just started will groan, click, beep, and whistle, and finally display a box asking you to confirm creation of a group in Program Manager. It is strongly recommended that you let this setup program create the group.

3. Now, unless some errors are detected, the software will return (in a while) and tell you that the installation is complete. At this point, you will see that a group has been added to your desktop Program Manager. This is the The Baseball Database group. Installation is complete.

First Time?

You will find the The Baseball Database icon in the The Baseball Database group, on your Desktop. Double click on the icon to get started.

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