There are two basic configurations for using Perseus. One is an individual computer with an attached compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM) drive. This configuration is useful when just one person will use Perseus at any time. The second configuration involves the use of a file server on a network, useful if several people require simultaneous access to Perseus or if the cost of additional CD-ROM hardware is greater than the investment in the additional computer to be used as the file server.
An optimal setup is one with a fast computer and a large screen. A color monitor is desirable (see below).
To connect the CD-ROM drive to your computer, you need a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) cable. You may also need an SCSI terminator, if you do not already have a terminated SCSI device attached to your Macintosh. Consult the technical documentation for your CD-ROM drive.
Possible options for the player include: Pioneer 4200, Pioneer 6000A, Pioneer 6010A, Sony LDP 1200, Sony 1500, Sony 2000, and Hitachi 9550. Any standard video or TV monitor will work.
You will need an audiovisual cable to connect the videodisc player to the monitor and a communications cable to connect the player to the Macintosh. The player-to-monitor cable is standard, and the right connectors may be bought at any electronics store. The player-to-Macintosh cable must either be bought with the player or made especially for it. Each player is different, and cables are not interchangeable.
If you have more than one version of HyperCard, it is a good idea to copy your HyperCard 2.0 application into your Perseus folder. HyperCard searches for files in its own folder before looking in other folders on your disk or system. When HyperCard, the Home stack, and any other Perseus stacks are all in the same folder, you can be sure that HyperCard has found your Perseus stacks and that the correct version of HyperCard is running.
SMK GreekKeys is a keyboard program, designed for the Macintosh, that enables you to type accented Greek letter fonts with a standard Macintosh keyboard. Greek letters are paired with keys on the keyboard, and diacritics are created by pressing the Option key in combination with a letter key.
Perseus contains an SMK font so that Greek text can be displayed in HyperCard. Although you can see this font displayed, you must have the SMK GreekKeys font installed in your system to print cards and copy and paste text. You must also have SMK GreekKeys if you wish to type in Greek while using Perseus.
SMK GreekKeys is available from Scholar's Press Software, P.O. Box 15399, Atlanta, GA 30333, (404)636-4757.
SCSI devices must have a terminator at each end of the SCSI chain. The CD-ROM drive documentation should describe proper cabling. In some cases, the terminator must be on the same port as the cable, in others on top or bottom. If you have difficulties, consult your hardware documentation and try altering the configuration.
Your CD-ROM drive documentation should explain how to install this software.
If you are using a video monitor, this equipment is connected through
audiovisual RCA cables. Other cable configurations are required for monitors
without RCA input jacks.
When you put the videodisc into the player, you should see the color test bars
on the monitor screen. If the player has front-panel controls, you should be
able to check the connection by stepping through some images on the
videodisc.
Use the correct cable to connect the communications port of the videodisc
player to the appropriate port on the Macintosh. The appropriate cable is often
provided with the videodisc player; if it is not, consult your local dealer.
Check the baud rate setting on the videodisc player. The correct setting for
computer interface should be specified in your videodisc player documentation.
Be sure to turn on the CD-ROM drive and videodisc player before turning on the
Macintosh.
Click the HyperCard icon while the application is not running and choose Get
Info from the File Menu. The lower right-hand corner of the dialog box contains
a number that reflects the current memory setting. Type "2000" into the box.
An icon called Perseus appears on the right of your screen.after a brief
interval. The red light on the CD-ROM drive will remain lit for a few seconds,
flash at irregular intervals, and finally go out.
Although Perseus can be run directly from the CD-ROM, it is not recommended.
Running Perseus from the CD-ROM is very slow.
During this procedure, you should ensure that there is only one copy of
HyperCard 2.0 on your system. If you wish to preserve older versions of
HyperCard, be sure to place HyperCard 2.0 in the Perseus folder. Having the
correct version of HyperCard and the Home stack in your Perseus folder is
extremely important. If Perseus is the only application that uses HyperCard,
the easiest configuration may be to place HyperCard in your Perseus folder.
Your Perseus folder should now contain the following files:
Notebook
Paths
Perseus Gateway
Perseus Shared
Path Shared
Text Shared
Home (placed in this folder optionally by you)
HyperCard 2.0 (placed in this folder optionally by you)
By renaming these stacks, you can distinguish your Paths and Notebooks from
those of other users. If several people are using Perseus at one time, a stack
being used by more than one person cannot be changed. Being able to change and
annotate the Path and Notebook stacks is very important if you use these
features. Copy and rename these stacks as part of your software installation.
For more about using Paths and Notebooks, read chapter 9, "Utilities."
The cursor changes to a watch as Perseus initializes. Once the cursor becomes
the hand or the arrow, Perseus is ready for use. The Perseus Gateway appears
on your screen with a small floating window (the Navigator). In addition,
several new items appear in the menu bar, including Links and Perseus.
Turn to chapter 2 for an explanation of the basics of Perseus.
The following checks should help if you encounter problems as you set up
Perseus.
If you are using a videodisc player and cannot display images from the
videodisc, check the baud rate setting on your videodisc player (specified in
the player documentation).
If you are not running the correct version of HyperCard (version 2.0 or later),
an error message will indicate that you need another version. Check whether the
hard disk contains other versions of HyperCard, and check that the correct
version is on the hard disk. If necessary, put HyperCard 2.0 into the Perseus
folder.
A related problem may be the existence of multiple copies of the HyperCard Home
stack. The Home stack is very important in using Perseus, because the Home
stack specifies the location of files and instructs HyperCard where on your
hard drive to look for Perseus data. Double-click on the Home icon from the
Macintosh desktop and move forward in this stack (by clicking the forward
arrow) until you see the list of search paths for stacks, applications, and
documents. Check that the search paths are specified correctly in relation to
your software configuration.
If you see the error message "Cannot open MDB Index," check the path names in
the correct version of the HyperCard Home card.
If the color images from the CD-ROM do not appear on the screen, check that
32-Bit QuickDraw is installed in your system folder.
If you are unable to type accented Greek, check that SMK GreekKeys has been
installed in your system. If SMK GreekKeys is installed and you are still
unable to type accented Greek, try installing the Sparta font from the Perseus
Shared stack in your system fonts.
SOFTWARE
Software installation requires copying Perseus files from the CD-ROM to your
hard drive, installing 32-Bit QuickDraw, and checking the memory allotted to
HyperCard.
Turn on all equipment
Install QuickDraw
The 32-Bit QuickDraw system file is part of Apple System Software and is
distributed with all recent systems. If this file is not yet part of your
system, install it by running the System Installer for System 6.0.5 or later.
Select 32-Bit QuickDraw from the Customize options. You can also locate the
32-Bit QuickDraw file on your system disks and drag it into your System folder.
After installing QuickDraw, restart your Macintosh.
Check memory
Perseus needs at least two megabytes of memory to run properly. If you are
running Multifinder, you must set the "application memory size" of HyperCard to
at least 2000. If you have more than two megabytes of RAM on your Macintosh,
Perseus will perform even better if you allot increased memory to HyperCard.
Load Perseus CD-ROM
Copy Perseus files
The Perseus CD-ROM contains a folder with files that must be copied onto your
hard drive after all equipment is connected and turned on. Conveniently enough,
this folder is named Install Me. The folder contains files that should be
placed in a folder called Perseus on your hard drive.
1.3 STARTUP
After setting up the hardware and installing the software, you are ready to
start up Perseus. If you encounter any hardware or software problems, see
Troubleshooting, below.
1.4 TROUBLESHOOTING
HARDWARE
If something is wrong, the CD-ROM drive may just spin, and the little red light
either will stay lit and not flash or will flash constantly at regular
intervals. If this continues for more than two minutes, press the button on the
front of the CD-ROM drive, hold it for a few seconds, and then release. The
disk should eject. Check all connections and software installations. Check SCSI
terminators, and check that you have the correct CD-ROM drivers.
SOFTWARE
If the cables and terminators are properly connected, try turning the Macintosh
and CD-ROM drive off and on again. (Turn the CD-ROM drive on before turning on
the Macintosh.)