
          K R O N I ' S   C O D E P A G E   T R A N S F O R M A T O R

                                   Version 1.2


1. What is it?

This software converts text files from one font encoding to another.
It contains a fast command line interface, a convenient graphical user
interface, and a class which lets you implement similar transformations
in your own software in a simple way.

It is intended both for daily use and as a hint to programmers about
how easily tasks like this can be solved in java with its mighty
class library.

This software is (c) 1997 Wolfgang Kronberg, but I release it as
freeware. This means that you may run the software on as many computers
as you like, and that you may use the source code for your own software
projects. However, you may not deny other people to do the same.


2. Installation

You need a working Java 1.1 installation to run this software. If you
don't already have one, get one from   http://www.javasoft.com/  .

You should have received the following files:

Readme          this file
krtran12.jar    compiled java code
run.*           startup scripts for the command line version
shell.*         startup scripts for the graphical user interface
*.bat           startup scripts for MS Windows
*.cmd           startup scripts for IBM OS/2
*.ksh           startup scripts for Unix
src.zip         source code  (use unzip to decompress)

To install the software, simply copy krtran12.jar and the startup scripts
of your choice into any directory. It is recommended that you make the
environment variable "krtranspath" in the startup scripts point to the
directory in which krtran12.jar resides. If you don't, you must place the
startup scripts into the same directory as krtran12.jar, and you must
also call the software from this directory.

If you are using unix, don't forget to set the appropriate rights.

You might want to add the directory in which the startup scripts reside
to the system search path.

To get some help on how to use the software, execute

   run ?

on Windows or on OS/2 or

   run.ksh ?

on Unix.

If you're using another operating system, you must call the java VM
yourself. You must put krtran12.jar into the classpath and then run the
class "Run" or "Shell".

Depending on your system, the commands "run" and "shell" might already be in
use. In this case, simply rename the startup script.


3. Package organization

If you have a look at the source code, you'll notice 3 packages:

- the default package. It contains the Run and Shell classes for immediate
    startup.

- the NET.ibm.malamut.transformator package. It contains the Transformator
    class, which does the real work. Please note how simple and short this
    class is.

- the NET.ibm.malamut.transformator.ui package. It contains all the
    graphical stuff needed by the Shell class.


4. Version history

Version 1.2 is the first version released to the public. Currently, no
enhancements are being planned.


5. Contacting the author

I'd be glad to hear from you! Tell me whether or not you like the software,
tell me about flaws or bugs. My email address is:

   malamut@ibm.net

I'd also be glad to receive a postcard from your home city; however, I will
most likely move in the near future. Hence, please contact me via email
first.  :)


6. Remarks

It depends on 100% your Java VM, which font encodings the software will
understand. I've tested only the OS/2 VM, which understands all the
interesting stuff (iso-8859-x and Cpxxx). Your VM might not be as good.
In this case, please blame the VM and not me. Unfortunately, there's no
way to get a list of all available encodings (at least I don't know of
such a way). So, you'll have to do some trial and error. I'd be glad to
hear about some results from different VMs.

The list of encodings implemented in the graphical user interface is just
a small example. If you want to use another encoding, feel free to
enhance the list or to insert the encoding manually.

This software was developed using IBM Visual Age for Java. Anyone who
owns it should read the sources by importing them into the IDE. A free
entry version is available on IBM's web server. Though the current
version 1.0 has some serious limitations, the overall concept is great,
and I recommend everybody to have a look at it.


7. Last words

Have fun!


Hamburg, 10.11.1997
