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            README for SmartPBNViewer Version 1.0
		     15th February 1998           
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SmartPBNViewer - A new .pbn (Portable Bridge Notation) viewer for Win95/3.1.

This document contains only a brief description of the product and its features, along with instructions for its installation. More documentation is included in the archive, and can be read after installation.


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CONTENTS
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INTRODUCTION
INSTALLATION
HARDWARE/SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
SHAREWARE vs. REGISTERED VERSION
LIST OF SMARTBRIDGE NEEDED FILES
WHAT'S NEW
REGISTRATION and PAYMENT TERMS

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INTRODUCTION
============

SmartPBNViewer is a new PBN viewer for Windows95 and Windows 3.1.

PBN stands for "Portable Bridge Notation" (PBN). PBN is based on "Portable Game Notation" (PGN), a standard for the representation of chess games. PBN has been designed with several pretty criteria in mind.  PBN is an open, portable standard. It is publicly available for users and software developers. PBN is not subject to any copyrights. The PBN notation is straightforward and comprehensible. A human is able to read and write the PBN notation easily. 

The PBN standard is based on textual files, instead of binary files. A lot of PBN data, including comment, are text strings. Therefore, low priority is given to minimization of file sizes.
 
SmartPBNViewer is able to read PBN format V0.8 (.pbn files), as described by Tis Veugen (to whom I am grateful for the splendid work done, and from whom I borrowed the above text), in his "Standard Proposal Version".

Contact information: 	
Tis Veugen, Schubertlaan 2, 5583 XW Waalre	
The Netherlands.
Homepage:	http://www.IAEhv.nl/users/veugent
(you can find here also links to .pbn archives)
Email:		veugent@IAEhv.nl
Telephone:	+31.40.2218210

Please encourage his work on the way of giving to bridge players the same tools the chess players have got from years!

With SmartPBNViewer it's possible to observe bridge games, stored in .pbn files, for both the bidding and the playing phases, going ahead step-by-step, or automatically. 

Summary windows are opened to show the auction and the played cards.

Most of the game related info (player names, teams, result, scores etc.) are shown.

Several options are possible.




INSTALLATION
============

The program is packaged as a SMARTPBN.ZIP archive, containing:
- README.TXT (this file)
- FILE_ID.DIZ (short description)
- EXTRACT.EX_ (compressed self-extracting archive)
- SETUP.EXE (setup program)

Run SETUP.EXE. You will be asked to enter a folder to install from (e.g. A:\ if you install from floppy disk, otherwise the folder where you unzipped the downloaded archive), and a folder to install to (default is C:\SMARTPBN).

Please note that:

1. All the needed programs are expanded in the SmartPBNViewer directory, nothing is written outside ! (I don't want to risk crippling other applications)

2. So, you don't need an unistall function: simply delete the directory when tired of the program (sniff !)

3. If you want to save disk space (but is it really so precious ?) you can delete (but first try to rename only!) the Visual Basic files you already have in \Windows\System (PICCLIP.VBX, CMDIALOG.VBX, THREED.VBX, COMMDLG.DLL)

4. You NEED   VBRUN300.DLL.   I don't distribute it. It is normally present in the Windows directory. If not, you can download it from the Web. For instance: <http://www.winsite.com/info/pc/win3/util/vbrun330.zip>
<http://babeard.simplenet.com/vbrun300.zip>



Should the setup program fail (I hope not), you can install manually:

- make a directory (e.g. C:\SMARTPBN)
- copy all the unzipped files in that directory
- rename EXTRACT.EX_ to EXTRACT.EXE
- execute EXTRACT.EXE
- the program EXTRACT.EXE will autoexpand (see below for the list)
- close the DOS application "extract" (when finished !)
- now you can run SmartPBN.EXE and/or read SMART.HLP
- if all is OK, delete EXTRACT.EXE
- if you want, you can create shortcuts etc.

And now, I hope you enjoy the program.


HARDWARE/SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
==============================

The program needs at least a 486/33 MHz processor with 8 MB RAM.

The required disk space is around 2.5 MB.

The program was developed and tested on Windows'95, but should run on Windows 3.1.



SHAREWARE vs. REGISTERED VERSION
================================

If you are using the unregistered version of SmartPBNViewer, I have granted you a limited license to try out the software to determine its appropriateness for your needs. This evaluation (or demo) version includes all features of the program, and is not crippled in any way. The only limit is that the program terminates after a predefined number of commands.

Registered version will differ for the following:
- no more displaying that you are evaluating the software
- registered version shows the registered user name in the opening screen
- no more periodical request for registering, and program never terminates

Once registered, you will receive a personalized code, to be stored in the file code.dat, that will remove the shareware messages and unlock the program.  The code will make all future 1.xx versions fully functional. 

After registration, all you have to do is download the latest version from the Web.

Please note that the above list is the comprehensive set of limitations associated with the shareware version of the product. I have not included bugs or poor performance in the shareware version as an incentive for you to register. I will do my best to improve the
product with further releases that will hopefully overcome malfunctions (if any). 




LIST OF SmartPBNViewer NEEDED FILES
===================================

SmartPBNViewer directory must contain the following 12 files:

README   TXT      15/02/98
SMARTPBN EXE      15/02/98
FILE_ID  DIZ      15/02/98
SMART    HLP      08/02/98
SMART    INI      07/02/98
REGISTER EXE      01/02/98
CODE     DAT      31/01/98
COMMDLG  DLL      15/02/97
REGISTER HLP      16/01/97
THREED   VBX      16/07/93
PICCLIP  VBX      28/04/93
CMDIALOG VBX      28/04/93

+  (4 .pbn files)


WHAT'S NEW
==========

1.0
First released version.

next releases will (hopefully) include:
- better handling of possible input file errors
- annotations (handling of =x= during bid and play)
- irregularities
- commentary
- other Tags

Please note that also SmartBridge (the bridge program from the same author) will in the next releases be updated to be able to write .pbn files.




REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT TERMS
==============================

SmartPBNViewer is not a free program, but rather is distributed as Shareware for purposes of evaluation. This gives you the opportunity to evaluate the program as long as you need; if you like the product, and want to encourage further development, you should register it. 

Registration is $10.

Registration can be done in the following ways:

I accept postal money orders, personal checks, bank checks, cash directly in the mail, for the following currencies and prices: (but such payments are at the sender's risk, I don't guarantee in case of loss):				
                                program	diskettes
ITL,italian lire		20.000  10.000
USD,US dollars			10	5
GBP,british pounds		5	5
FRF,french francs		60	40
DEM,deutch marks		20	10
(prices have been rounded to banknote values; for other currencies please refer to official exchange rates, e.g.: <http://www.trustnet.co.uk/xrates/rates0.html>, and round to the banknote higher value).
Print out the order form, fill it with all the required data, include it with your check or cash wrapped in paper to make it less obvious and send it to me.

If you have no time to go to bank, post office etc., or you don't live in Italy, the best way is to use Kagi Shareware Payment Processing Service.

This service handles the processing of the shareware fee. It accepts many different payment methods such as: US Check, Money Order, Cash (in many different currencies: Australian AUD, Austrian ATS, Belgian BEF, Canadian CAD, Danish DKK, French FRF, German DEM, Greek GRD, HongKong HKD, Irish IEP, Italian ITL, Japanese JPY, Dutch NLG, Norwegian NOK, Singaporean SGD, Spanish ESP, Swedish SEK, Swiss CHF, British GBP and American USD), credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diner's Club, Discover), First Virtual payments, and Invoice. Sensitive information, like credit card numbers, is encoded for better security.  

Please use the REGISTER program packaged with the product, and follow the instructions in register.hlp. REGISTER program can also be run from SmartSBNViewer starting window.  For more information go to <http://www.kagi.com/> on the WEB, or send email to <support@kagi.com>.  

In all the cases, I send the registration code after the transaction has been successfully completed (by e-mail this can require less than 3 days).

If you want floppy disks, I can ship them by mail, with additional 6$ fee for expenses. 

If you have an e-mail address and you provide it with your order, then I will automatically send you notification on the availability of major new releases of the program, as they become available. If it is a version 1.xx upgrade, then your current registration will be accepted by the new software.

In any case, please fill in the following informations:

First name:
Last name:
Street:
Street number:
City:
[State:]
[Postal code:]
Country:
[Phone:]
[Fax:]
[e-mail:]
[x] standard price $10
[ ] additional charge for floppy disks $6

My address:

Francesco Barcio
Viale Abruzzo 154
66013 Chieti (CH)
Italy

My e-mail:

pes136k1@pe.nettuno.it
francesco@kagi.com

Another program from the author:
SmartBridge, a powerful bidding and playing program.

No warranty is offered with the software.

This software and documentation are provided for evaluation only, on an "as is" basis. The author disclaims all warranties relating to this software, whether expressed or implied, including but not limited to any implied warranties of merchantabilitiy or fitness for a particular purpose. The author shall have no liabilty for any indirect, consequential, or incidental damage resulting from the use of the software.

