ThumbFactory ReadMe file
ThumbFactory is shareware written by Colin Mummery who can be contacted at
equitysoft@iname.com and whose homepage is
www.kagi.com/equitysoft.
The ThumbFactory product is delivered in a single ZIP file.
The ZIP file name indicates the date that the product version in the file was built in day/month/year order.
The ZIP file contains the following:
- The ThumbFactory program packaged as a single JAR file called "TFactory.jar"
- This readme file
- A changes file
- The license agreement
- A registration program that runs under Windows
Running the software
The product can be run under Windows or Solaris by double clicking (or
clicking) on the file "TFactory.jar". The product requires the Java 2 runtime be installed which is free and can
be downloaded from Sun Microsystems. (Java 2
is also sometimes referred to as Java 1.2 - it's the same thing).
Alternatively the following Java
command can be used to start the program:
java -jar TFactory.jar
At the time of writing Java 2 is not available for the Macintosh. See Apple's
Java page for more details.
Windows specific installation
At this stage the product is not provided in a form that creates the appropriate "start" menu entries and
program icons for Windows. It is best to set aside a folder for the product and put the unzipped files into that
folder. Custom installation is planned for the future.
ThumbFactory directories
When ThumbFactory is run there are two directories that are created in the same directory as the
"TFactory.jar" file. These are:
- "thumbs" - which is the default directory for saving HTML and images
- "props" - this directory contains various system files
Known issues
- Reading multiple animated GIFs can cause ThumbPainter to freeze up
Paying for the software
The evaluation period is the standard 30 days given for most
shareware. After that period payment should be made using the
KAGI shareware payment service. The best way is to run the enclosed
Windows program that generates output that can be e-mailed, faxed
or posted to KAGI. If payment must be made by phone there is a
US$5 surcharge and it can be done by ringing (510) 658-5244 in the US.
Alternatively payment can be made over the internet by going to the
EquitySoft pricing page.
While the software is not registered created images will have an unregistered message placed in the top left corner.
The policy on new revisions of products
Products are regularly updated with new features. My policy is not to charge any fee for new releases which
may only include bug fixes, cosmetic changes and minor functional changes. In general therefore, the original
registration code that you receive on paying the initial license fee should be kept and reused after downloading
a new product version. Do not pay for another license unless you're sure it's absolutely required.
Replacing an old version with a new version
If you want to keep all your existing applet files then replace only the old version of
"TFactory.jar" with the new version. However some session settings will be reset.
Feedback
Any feedback about bugs or feature requests should be sent to the
author, Colin Mummery at EquitySoft@iname.com.
All feedback is most welcome and carefully read.