Category : Science and Education
Archive   : ECU15.ZIP
Filename : VENDOR.TXT

Dear ShareWare Vendor/Sysop:

This file contains my distribution policy and information on
the shareware version of "The Earth Centered Universe (TM)",
or ECU (TM), for Windows.

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ECU is protected under international copyright treaties and
I (David Lane) retain all rights to this software.

As a shareware distributor, you have permission to distribute
my shareware in its original electronic form as long as you:

* identify it as shareware (with an appropriate definition)

* leave all intellectual property (copyright) notices in place

* notify me, if you are publishing it in a catalog or CD-ROM

* do not distribute the files "YBSC2.ECU", "SAC2.ECU", "SAO1.ECU",
"SAO2.ECU", "PINDEX.ECU", or "PTERMS.ECU", should they
inadvertantly become part of the shareware package that you have
received

..and as long as I do not request that you stop.

That's it.

You may archive our programs, unarchive them, use your own installation
routines, include them with other programs on the same diskette, and do
essentially anything you want as long as you follow these simple rules.
I want the widest possible distribution, and don't want to stand in
your way so long as you are honest with our mutual customer.

My normal distribution sequence is:

1 New versions are offered to our registered users and are
automatically shipped to new registrants.

2 New versions are posted on CIS in the ASTROFORUM (Lib 7 as
ECUSHA.EXE). Use IBMFF on ID 71601,247. They are also posted
on the Internet by anonymous FTP at "hercules.stmarys.ca" as
"/pub/ecu/ecushare.exe"

3 I send copies of major revisions of ECU to distributors who have
notified me of their interest. If you are a catalog house, send me
a copy of the catalog in which the program appears and I
will send you a copy of any major updates to my software.

If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints, please contact me:

Nova Astronomics
(David J. Lane)
4-26 Randall Avenue
PO Box 31013
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Canada B3K 5T9

Voice: (902) 443-5989 (evenings GMT-4)
CIS: 71601,247
Internet: [email protected]

International: If you are a publisher interested in translating and
supporting ECU in another language, please contact me to discuss an
agreement for your language and country. If you are interested in
providing registration and support services outside of North America,
I am interested in working with you.

Languages: ECU is available in English and French

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Package Name: "The Earth Centered Universe" for Windows V1.5
(commonly abbreviated ECU)

Requirements: MS-Windows 3.x
386SX or higher
EGA or better monitor
(math processor beneficial)

Distributed Name: ECUSHARE.EXE (ECUSHA.EXE on Compuserve)

Major Heading: Sky Visualization Program for Windows

Requirements: MS-Windows 3.x
386SX or higher
700k bytes free RAM from within Windows
1M bytes free RAM recommended
EGA or better monitor
Math co-processor beneficial
Windows-compatible printer supported

First Release: March 1992
This Release: January 1994

Purchase Price: $35.00US basic
$20.00US for additional database of about
250,000 stars
$15.00US for upgrades

Customer Support: free e-mail, telephone, or mail support

Key Words: Astronomy Stars Planets Comets Constellations Planetarium
Sun Moon Galaxies Nebulae Charts Telescope

Short Description:

ECU V1.5 is a shareware Sky Visualization Program for Microsoft
Windows 3.x called "The Earth Centered Universe". It is capable of
simulating many of the features of the Earth's sky. You only need to
enter your geographic location and the time and the local sky is
simulated on the screen in a colourful display. This includes, but
is not limited to the stars, planets, Sun, Moon, comets, asteroids, and
"deep sky" objects. Constellation, Constellation boundary, coordinate
grid, ecliptic, and local horizon lines are also displayed. It prints
high quality star charts to any Windows-compatible printer and also controls
modern computerized telescopes.

ECU is designed as an observing tool for the observing amateur
astronomer, but is equally useful to the "armchair" astronomer or
other interested person interested in the night sky.

Long Description:

ECU V1.5 is a shareware Sky Visualization Program for Microsoft
Windows 3.x called "The Earth Centered Universe". It is capable of
simulating many of the features of the Earth's sky. You only need to
enter your geographic location and the time and the local sky is
simulated on the screen in a colourful display. This includes, but
is not limited to the stars, planets, Sun, Moon, comets, asteroids, and
"deep sky" objects. Constellation, Constellation boundary, coordinate
grid, ecliptic, and local horizon lines are also displayed. It prints
high quality star charts to any Windows-compatible printer and also controls
modern computerized telescopes.

ECU is designed as an observing tool for the observing amateur
astronomer, but is equally useful to the "armchair" astronomer or
other interested person interested in the night sky.

Some of the features of ECU are listed below:

- fast compared to many commercial packages - mostly integer math
so math processor is not needed, but is supported to improve
speed of solar system calculations, etc.
- colourful display - colours of all screen elements controllable
by user with scroll bars
- high quality customizable star charts can be printed on any Windows
compatible printer or plotter
- continuous display of LMT, UTC, latitude and longitude, RA/DEC,
AZ/ALT, field size, and star mag limit
- the display of Siderial and Julian Date are available
- databases: Yale star catalogue to 6.5 magnitude
SAO star catalogue to 9.5 magnitude (optional)
SAC deep sky database (over 10,000 objects)
planets, Sun, Moon, comets, and asteroids
- very easy to use - zoom box, center image, zoom in/out, etc. all
done with the mouse. Scroll bars for RA and DEC or Alt/Az. Hot
keys and buttons for common functions
- click on an object and an information box pops up. All objects
give RA, Dec, azimulh, altitude, rise and set times, and magnitude.
Planets/Sun/Moon give distance (AU or km), angular size (" or '),
and phase (or age). Comets and asteroids give distance to the Sun
and the Earth in AU. Yale stars give Yale number, HD number, SAO
number, Flamsteed/Bayer designation, Spectral type, and proper
motion. SAO stars give SAO number, and spectral type. Deep sky
object provide a varying amount of info but usually provide the
name (an other name), Dreyer description, size, classification, etc.
Their coordinates can be precessed to the current date/time.
- the user can display a GIF/PCX/BMP or TIF image of the object,
if one exists through the use of an external viewer. No images are
provided with ECU.
- measure angular separation on the sky with the mouse. It also
provides the difference in RA and Dec.
- load and save all settings to named configuration files
- load and save comet and asteroid elements to separate ASCII files
- undo last operation
- time set as LMT, UTC, or system clock (daylight savings flag, too.)
- time format as 24 hour or am/pm
- observer's location entered by lat/long or pick list of preprogrammed
cities (add your own, too)
- control the effects of observer's parallax, nutation, precession, light travel
time, aberration, and atmospheric refraction
- show sky as white on black background or black on white background,
or in full colour
- also supported is a "red" mode to save your night vision if used in an
observatory
- set magnitude limits of deep sky and stars (with scroll bars)
- select type of deep sky objects displayed (with check boxes)
- displays horizon line, ecliptic line, ra/dec grid (fine and coarse),
zenith marker, constellation lines, IAU constellation boundary lines,
labels for bright stars, constellations, messiers, coordinate grid, etc.
- Two circles and one rectangle of a programmable angular size
can be draw at the centre of the sky display that are intended
to represent field of view of your main telescope, finder scope,
and camera respectively.
- center on - RA/DEC
- Azim/Alt
- bright stars
- constellations
- messiers
- points on horizon (north, south, etc.)
- solar system objects
- search the database and center on the object found
- animation mode - time increments in steps from 1 minute to four years or a
user selected arbitrary increment
- set direction either forward or reverse
- lock to Sun, Moon, Planet, alt/az or ra/dec
- trails of objects supported
- extensive support is provided for the Meade LX200 (and LXD)
telescope series. This includes a moving cross hair on the
screen, a real-time coordinate readout, and hand controller
support. It also allows the scope to be "slewed" to an selected
object
- extensive support is provided for the JMI SGT-MAX (and others)
digital setting circles. This includes a moving cross hair on the
screen and a real-time coordinate readout. It also aids the user in
finding a selected object
- prints high quality star charts on any Windows-compatible printer
with customized titles, programmable borders, scale factors for
deep sky and stellar symbols, etc.
- A dialog box to display the rise/set times of the sun and moon
on the current day is provided. It also shows the times of civil,
nautical, and astronomical twilight.
- and much, much more!

- system requirements: 386/486 100% PC compatible
386DX recommended
Math co-processor beneficial
MS-Windows 3.x (standard or enhanced mode)
EGA/VGA or better color screen
min 700kbytes free memory (1 meg recommended) from
within MS-Windows
80x87 (or 486DX) recommended but not required
Mouse
Windows compatible printer supported

- Distributed Name: ECUSHARE.EXE (ECUSHA.EXE on Compuserve)
- Shareware fee - $35.00US basic
- $20.00US for additional database of about 250,000 stars
- $15.00US for upgrades
- Customer Support is provided by free e-mail, telephone, or mail support