Contents of readme.txt:
Thank you for participating in this project. Beta-testers, please evaluate two tutorials, fill out the associated surveys and send the information back to us. Survey questions and information on where to send the survey responses can be found at the end of each tutorial. We value your input, and look forward to your responses about the TRIANGLE program. We would like to use your suggestions so that we can rewrite parts of the tutorials that are unclear, or to write new tutorials if they are needed. If you would like to assist us in the writing of the tutorials, we would appreciate any additional help.
If you are having any difficulties setting-up or using TRIANGLE, please visit the help pages on TRIANGLE's web site at: http://dots.physics.orst.edu/triangle.html , or contact us via e-mail at: triangle@dots.physics.orst.edu.
Triangle is a fully accessible mathematics scratchpad for the blind. It includes a scientific word processor, an accessible graphing calculator, x-y graph viewer, table viewer, and two kinds of diagram/figure viewers. Detailed information for using TRIANGLE is available from easily accessible HELP screens.
TRIANGLE uses the compact linear GS notation that requires a much larger set of symbols than the usual 95 printable characters. The full power of TRIANGLE, in particular the ability to read, write, and manipulate mathematical and scientific expressions in the TRIANGLE editor, can be realized by blind users only if their screen readers can recognize the full set of GS symbols. Nonetheless, a novice user can explore a great deal of this program immediately, using any screen reader.
Users may notice a few new symbols such as the Bullet (ASCII number 206, a double cross graphic symbol in standard ASCII) that marks selectable menu choices in the TRIANGLE help file. If not using a screen reader with the GS extended character symbols, these symbols will not be spoken correctly. However, one can still use the editor for standard ASCII text as well as the graphing calculator, the plot viewer, the table viewer, or the figure viewer with no screen reader modifications.
Triangle requires DOS 3.1 or higher and at least 512k of available program memory. It will run in a full-screen DOS session under Windows 3.1 or Windows95 provided the DOS screen reader will work there. Triangle does not access memory above the 640k DOS limit.
The extension .EXT is used for standard TRIANGLE files to indicate that the text is EXTended, since it includes characters other than the usual 95 printable ASCII characters used in .TXT files. TRIANGLE uses other extensions for files intended for its various viewers such as: .dat for x-y data files to be viewed in the graph viewer, .GST for tables with GS markup intended for display in the table viewer, and .map for figure files used with the figure viewer.
First it should be noted that there is a help system incorporated within the TRIANGLE program itself. Simply press the F1 key to access the help file and use the up and down arrow keys to select the topic of interest. The ESC key will return you to the editor. More information about TRIANGLE's HELP feature is given in the TUTORIAL.EXT file.
Perhaps the best resource for getting help with TRIANGLE is from its web
site located at:
http://dots.physics.orst.edu/triangle.html
This site contains extensive information about TRIANGLE, as well as the
latest version of the program, and a page on Frequently Asked Questions.
All of the manuals, tutorials, and other documentation on the web site is
in a hyperlinked format.
There are two files in the TRIANGLE directory to help get you started, this README.TXT (this file) and the TUTORIAL.EXT file. Information about set-up, files, and other tutorials for TRIANGLE are also presented in a text format in the MANUALS sub-directory (C:\TRIANGLE\MANUALS). These files are similar to the information contained on the web site, but may not have the latest information.
If you do not find the information that you need on the web site or in the manuals, you may find the TRIANGLE listserv of help. This is a e-mail list where members can post questions and discuss issues relating to the TRIANGLE program. To join the listserv send a request by e-mail to triangle@dots.physics.orst.edu.
Finally, if the above methods do not provide the information you need,
please e-mail us at: triangle@dots.physics.orst.edu or write to:
Triangle Support
Science Access Project
Physics Department
301 Weniger Hall
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331
To start TRIANGLE, change to the directory where the main executable file (TA.EXE) is located. On a typical computer, this will be the triangle directory on the C drive. You can change to this directory by typing the command:
cd c:\triangle
and press the ENTER key. Start TRIANGLE by typing:
TA
at the DOS prompt and press ENTER. You need to know that when TRIANGLE starts, it displays a copyright message on the screen. Most screen readers do not read this information. The message disappears after a few seconds or if you hit any key.
To optimize TRIANGLE for particular screen readers and Braille displays or
voice synthesizers, please refer to the online documentation regarding
proper set-up at:
http://dots.physics.orst.edu/triangle/triangle_setup.html
or read the setup.doc file in the C:\TRIANGLE\MANUALS directory.
Section 5. Opening the TUTORIAL.EXE file in TRIANGLE.
This section describes loading a file into TRIANGLE's default editor. To load in a file that is located in the same directory as TRIANGLE, press the F10 key to activate the Main Menu. The menu will appear in the upper left corner of the screen with the "File" choice highlighted.
Note: Some speech screen readers do not like to read the menu items that are initially displayed and highlighted. You will need to either have your screen reader speak the current line, or you can press the down or up arrows until the desired menu item is spoken. All menus in TRIANGLE cycle through their choices.
Press the Enter key.
The menu choices change and the "New" selection is highlighted (use a read line command if your screen reader does not speak this).
Press the down arrow once so that the "Open" selection is highlighted (spoken).
Press the Enter key.
The focus now changes to the bottom of the screen (line 25), and displays
the text:
Filename: C:\TRIANGLE\*.ext
(use a read line command if your screen reader does not speak this).
Press the Enter key.
Press the down arrow until you see (hear) the file tutorial.ext
Press the Enter key.
The file tutorial.ext is now displayed in TRIANGLE's editor. Please complete this tutorial and fill out the seven survey questions at the end. Other tutorials are located in the C:\TRIANGLE\MANUALS directory. Please choose one other tutorial to complete in addition to the Basic Editor Tutorial. Completed surveys should be sent to: triangle@dots.physics.orst.edu.
Still have questions about TRIANGLE? Send e-mail to: triangle@dots.physics.orst.edu