==================================================================================

  This is a 2002.01.24 version of the file originally bundled with Ronolog 1.20.
  Microsoft continues to change the way in which critical file downloads are
  made available, making changes in this documentation necessary. At the time
  this is being written, the Microsoft files are available at the places shown
  below, but we can make no guarantees about their future availability. As a
  GENERAL rule, it is wise to archive ANY software you download in case it needs
  to be re-installed on your computer some later day and is unavailable from its
  original source!

  Ronolog has not been tested on Windows XP but should run there as well.

  The Ronolog 1.20 download point is:
  http://www.geocities.com/neohephaestus/Ronolog2.zip

==================================================================================

Ronolog "how-to" file, (RONHOWTO.TXT) updated through at least version 1.20
2000.02.29 (nominal)
Distribution point: http://www.geocities.com/neohephaestus/ronolog.html
License: See bottom of this file.

Ronolog is software running under Microsoft Windows 95, 98 and 2000 which opens
up the world of Internet Relay Chat (IRC) to the blind and vision-impaired. Its
use is entirely free to them, subject only to license restrictions. IRC is the
Internet analog of Citizen's-Band (CB) radio. But unlike CB, IRC lets folks all
over the world participate in real-time conversations at any time of day or year
over virtually unlimited channels. Ronolog is a utility which supplements the
IRC client software, mIRC, using Microsoft Agent technology to render the text
streams in mIRC as audible speech. This enables blind users to leverage the
tremendous base of online volunteer help available for mIRC support.

We recommend upgrading from version 1.0 to this version. The new version
is easier to install than the old, and trivial to upgrade toward from 1.0.
It better serves users outside the USA and English-speaking countries. It
bundles in ten Agent characters, each with another voice. It introduces
additional improvements in event notification and user control.

This month, mIRC (version 5.7) finally incorporated native support for Microsoft
Agent. (See HISTORY and FUTURE, below.) This release of Ronolog continues to add
value to mIRC by bundling 10 lightweight Agent characters, offering access to
all 10 Lernout & Hauspie English voices, as well as the scripting which gives the
blind contextual and event information which makes use of mIRC possible for them.

Ronolog may also be used by persons without disabilities who assist the blind and
vision-impaired through one of the modest kindnesses specified by the license.
(The preferred option is teaching one blind person to use Ronolog.) It also may be
used without charge for 30 contiguous days by anyone agreeing to the license terms.

The program, Ronolog.exe, has been run on Microsoft Windows 95(R), 98(R) and 2000(R).
There is no official support. You may send e-mail to the address shown on the
version page of the program file properties, (right-click on the program file
using Windows (file) Explorer and select "properties") but no reply is promised.
Any e-mail becomes the intellectual property of the program author, with unlimited
copyrights worldwide in any medium. We suggest that users help one another through
the UseNet newsgroup, alt.comp.blind-users, or through the #Ronolog and #mIRCHelp
channels on any IRC Network, preferably Undernet.

We apologize for the GeoCities ads on the distribution Web site which make access
harder for the blind. This business model makes it possible for GeoCities to host
the site at no charge to our project. GeoCities is also a nice hosting site because
it is so well known and well-supported. The blind can be spared the ad problem by
downloading the software directly from:
	http://www.geocities.com/neohephaestus/Ronolog.zip

We thank Mr. Dave Csercsics for his helpful amendments to the new Ronolog.ini script.
We hope his experiences as a blind user make use of Ronolog better for all users.

Dr. R. I. Feigenblatt
neohephaestus@geocities.com
The Hephaestus Project
http://www.geocities.com/neohephaestus/

I N S T A L L A T I O N   P R O C E D U R E
===========================================

1. Download and install Microsoft Agent technology components.

   (Microsoft Agent is bundled with Windows 2000 and may already be installed.
   But to enjoy support of ten voices using GoFurr (q.v.) do install the
   Lernout & Hauspie TruVoice Text-To-Speech Engine (cf. below) all the same.
   The "Sam" engine bundled with Windows 2000 yields a single voice using GoFurr.)

   If you successfully installed a previous version of Ronolog, you can almost
   certainly **SKIP THIS STEP** Agent 2.0 is ALREADY installed. Note: Microsoft
   has moved the following items around its Web site in the past, but they try
   to direct you to any new location when they do. Note that installation is
   now easier than with Ronolog version 1.0.

   The license agreement for Microsoft Agent can be found at the following
   Web site at the time this document is written:
	http://msdn.microsoft.com/msagent/eula.asp

   Do the following:
	Download these three files (it will take well under an hour):

	1.1 Download the Microsoft Agent core components (395K)
	    http://activex.microsoft.com/activex/controls/agent2/MSagent.exe

	1.2 Download the Lernout & Hauspie(R) TruVoice Text-To-Speech (US English) engine (1MB)
	    http://activex.microsoft.com/activex/controls/agent2/tv_enua.exe
 
	1.3 Download the Speech Control Panel (935KB)
	    http://agent.microsoft.com/agent2/spchcpl.exe 

	Now, run the three programs which you downloaded.
		spchcpl.exe, tv_enua.exe, MSagent.exe
	They are installation programs and will install files
	in the appropriate places on your hard drive.

2. Download and install mIRC(R) by Mirc Co. Ltd. if you do not already
use it. You can get the latest version from: http://www.mirc.com/
For simplicity, download and use a fresh copy of mIRC version 5.7.
After installation, start up mIRC.

Unzip ronolog.zip into mIRC's main directory, overwriting any files
as needed, and issue this command within mIRC:
	/load -rs ronolog.ini
mIRC will confirm that the "script" file has loaded okay.

If you have installed Ronolog before and have customized the file 
RONOLOG.INI, you may want to save a copy of it for integration into
the new RONOLOG.INI file which will be unzipped and overwrite it.

Non-English-speaking users may want to add the line
	/ronolog cosmo
immediately after the line in RONOLOG.INI that reads:
	  set %soiled 1
This sets cosmopolitan, rather than English criteria for
suppressing ASCII art!

(But do note that Microsoft does not yet distribute a
non-English text-to-speech engine on the cited Web page.)

**** for version 5.7 (and probably 5.6, 5.5, 5,4, 5.31) ****

Select menu:	File/Order...
		ronolog.ini should be at the top of the list
Select menu:	Tools/Remote.../Options/Default
		User Level should be set to: 1

**** for version 4.6, one follows this DIFFERENT style ****

Select menu:    Tools/Remote...
	        then click Events and Listen and set Default level to 1
	        and alter the lines in the text entry area this way

	on 1:text:*:#:/ronolog In $chan $nick says $1- 	   (version 5.7)
	on 1:text:*:#:/ronolog In $chan, $nick, says, $parms (versions 5.31-5.6)
	1:ON TEXT:*:*:/ronolog In $chan, $nick, says, $parms (version 4.6)

	Additional changes are probably required in this old version.

3. When you next start mIRC, Ronolog should start up automatically. (See 4.)
   (Thank you, Chris Holt.)

4. If the program does not operate, your PC might be missing some
Microsoft Visual Basic(R) 5.0 runtime components such as MSVBVM50.DLL.
(You might get an error like:
	"runtime error 429...ActiveX component can't create object")
The following versions of this file are known to work with this program:
(Hmm... file sizes DIFFER!)

	1,347,344 bytes	  07-19-97  4:55p MSVBVM50.DLL
	Product Version = 05.00.4319 (SP2)
	Comments = July 19, 1997

	1,355,776 bytes   05-11-98  8:01p MSVBVM50.DLL
	Product Version = 05.00.4319 (SP2)	
	Comments = July 19, 1997

If your system lacks MSVBVM50.DLL or other related runtime
files, download the following file, unzip it and run the
resultant program to update your system. As always, upgrading
is capable of breaking existing installed applications.

ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/win95/dll/vb500a.zip
(see http://www.simtel.net/simtel.net/win95/dll.html for details.)
A previously documented download source is no longer available.

You can search http://www.download.com/ for alternative download sites.
If you do not have a tool for unzipping files, you can get WinZip(R)
at: http://www.winzip.com/

O P E R A T I O N   P R O C E D U R E
=====================================

1.	Make sure your sound system is working and available:
		speakers plugged in and turned up, no other programs using it, etc.
2.	Start mIRC. Use mIRC in the usual way.
	(If you are new to mIRC, I suggest you hit the ESCAPE key after you join
	a server, to dismiss a list of channels to join. The #mIRCHelp channel
	will be active, and you will also have joined the #Ronolog channel.)
3.	Ronolog has a dialog box that lets one adjust speaking speed,
	as well as flush backlogged activity not yet rendered as speech.
	When the dialog box is in the foreground, the user can employ the
	keyboard alone to operate its two controls. The cursor keys move
	the slider control, which varies how fast speech is issued. By
	hitting TAB then SPACE, the user can mute the program and flush any
	backlogged speech to catch up with the conversation(s) in progress.
	Hitting TAB then SPACE again re-enables the speech, round-robbin-style.
4.	Several optional new commands to assist you can be issued within mIRC.
	(One types these commands on any mIRC input line field.) They are:

		To list a menu of Ronolog help commands, type:			/ronolog

		To list the channels you are in, you can issue:			/whereami 
		To hear the name of the active window (i.e. channel, etc.):	hit the F6 key

		To mute speech output:						/mute
		To unmute speech output:					/unmute
		To adjust the talking speed to N words per minute:		/speed N

		To hear the ten available GoFurr voices in turn, type:		/kennel
		To select GoFurr voice number N, type:				/Gofurr N
		To learn about the original GoFurr's breeder, type		/Gofurr
		To use an agent character file called, say, PEEDY.ACS, type:	/agent PEEDY

		Color ASCII art is mostly filtered out. To read it try:		/strip +burc
		To use English criteria for suppressing ASCII art (default)	/english
		To use cosmopolitan criteria for suppressing ASCII art   	/cosmo

		To speak AND hear *your* remarks, prefix lines with:		/I
		To perform AND hear IRC 'actions', prefix lines with:		/Id

	To modulate how talkative the system is, there are two
	contrary commands one can issue.
		To make the system speak in more detail, issue:			/chatty
		To make the system speak in less detail, issue:			/taciturn

5.	To speak the spelling of a word, one can write out its letters
	separated with punctuation marks. To spell rapidly, use periods or
	dashes. To spell slowly, use commas, colons or semi-colons.
	We thank Leslie Elms for pointing this out!

C U S T O M I Z A T I O N   P R O C E D U R E
=============================================

You can edit RONOLOG.INI (best done within mIRC) to vary functionality.
Depending on which other scripts you run, you may have to edit to
avoid interference between scripts.

You can add a command-line parameter to set the initial speaking speed.
In RONOLOG.INI, alter the line that reads:
	/run ronolog.exe
e.g.	/run ronolog.exe 200    sets the speed to 200 words per minute.
Ronolog can speak at rates between 50 and 250 words per minute. If you
omit this command-line parameter, it will use the speed you set last
time you used it.

A second command-line parameter is no longer used. The soliloquy
included with version 1.0 is omitted and need not be suppressed.

The /ronolog alias-command in RONOLOG.INI is used to elicit speech.
Such speech is partially edited within RONOLOG.EXE to help the engine
work quickly. For example, a sequence of identical alphabetic letters
(case not distinguished) is edited down to a sequence no longer than three.

Text submitted to the /ronolog command which begins with the word "in"
and an immediately subsequent white-space has a special interpretation.
It is assumed that the next white-space-delimited word denotes the
venue (e.g. channel) of the spoken remark.

Text submitted to the /ronolog command which begins with the word -command-
has a special interpretation. This is a command-escape used by various
scripting macros to provide control information to RONOLOG.EXE.

H I S T O R Y   a n d   F U T U R E
===================================

Ronolog was originally written at the start of 1999 by R. I. Feigenblatt to provide
a free text-to-speech client to supplement the IRC client software, mIRC, using
Microsoft Agent technology to render the text streams in mIRC as audible speech.
This enabled blind users to leverage the tremendous base of online volunteer help
available for mIRC support.

The name "Ronolog" may remind some people of the name "Monologue". This was an
older text-to-speech engine some people had for use with mIRC. The advantage of
providing a replacement like Ronolog was that it was free to all qualified users
and conveniently available for download via the Internet. We introduced Ronolog
and the Agent technology on which it depended to mIRC's author, Khaled Mardam-Bey,
in a series of e-mails exchanged in early summer 1999. He opined that:

	"Your ronolog is a great idea... I think you've integrated it as far
	as you can and it's turned out very well... I've been wanting to
	integrate speech with mIRC for a long time, but I really didn't know
	how to do it, there were so many speech utilities out there etc."

We are happy to see that Mr. Mardam-Bey has been motivated by our extensive
remarks to him to integrate Agent support into mIRC itself, as of the 5.7
release in February 2000. He has very extensive support of Agent features, far
beyond the humble needs of a prosthetic for the blind. Congratulations to him
for making this effort! We hope that it should be possible to port any future
versions of Ronolog completely into mIRC scripts. The only drawback is that
mIRC's macro scripting language keeps changing: The mIRC 5.7 upgrade broke the
script used in Ronolog 1.0.

We hope that many programmers will look to this story and be encouraged to use
Mircosoft Agent and the new programming infrastructure Microsoft has defined
for improved accessibility at: http://www.microsoft.com/enable/default-u.htm
to make their creations available to more people.

L I C E N S E   A G R E E M E N T
=================================

Here is a copy of the license terms to which you agree to use Ronolog.
(If there is a variation between the terms written here and those which
the program specifies, the program version is the one which applies.)

               Ronolog LICENSE AGREEMENT

Copyright 1999, 2000 by The Hephaestus Project. All rights 
reserved. Uses Microsoft Agent technology. This software is 
licensed. It may only be used by those who agree to all the 
licensing terms, in jurisdictions where the terms are legal and 
binding.

This program is for use AS IS and WITH ALL FAULTS. The copyright 
holder makes no warranty of fitness for any particular purpose, 
nor any warranty of merchantability, express or implied, and is 
not responsible for any damages, direct or indirect, immediate or 
consequental, that pertain to the use of this software. 

Any blind person, or other person whose impaired vision seriously 
interferes with the ability to read text on a computer screen, 
may use this software for free. (This excludes those with 
eyesight correctable using only lenses.) All his/her domicile 
cohabitants may likewise make free use of this software for the 
duration of cohabitation. All the aforementioned persons are 
termed 'Free Users'. 

Other persons may use this software, subject to these terms: 
('copySIGHT' restriction) 

(1) For each computer on which it is used, any such person must 
instruct one potential 'Free User' in the use of this program to 
the satisfaction of that latter person- for each blind person you 
successfully teach to use Ronolog, you may use it on your own for 
free on another machine.

OR

(2) For each computer on which it is used, any such person must 
donate the hard-currency monetary equivalent of at least U S $10 
to National Federation of the Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, 
Baltimore, Maryland 21230, U S A (http://nfb.org)

OR

(3) Any person may use this software for a single period of 30 
contiguous days, and also whenever in the process of teaching a 
potential 'Free User' as described in case (1). 
