Click here for install readme for Desktop Theme version.
Click here for install readme for Screen Saver version.
The full program has the same requirements as the screen saver version. Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5 or above is recommended for accessing the help files.
The most likely cause of this problem is that Spirofractal is in the middle of a long series of calculations. Spirofractal tries to divide its work up into short chunks which take a small fraction of a second. However some calculations can be performed much more rapidly than others. Occasionally after a series of calculations that are very easy Spirofractal will start doing something very complicated. When it first switches over Spirofractal may badly over-estimate the amount of work it can do in the allowed amount of time. At these times the program may stop responding for anything up to five or ten seconds. If the program does not respond for longer than this then something may have gone wrong. (This does seem to happen sometimes if the program is left running for many hours.)
Please make sure there is only one file called Spirofractal.dll on your system. This file should be in the "Windows System directory", which is usually c:\windows\system on Windows 95,98,Me and c:\windows\system32 on Windows NT and Windows 2000. If you installed Windows into another directory:e.g. c:\win95 or c:\winnt then Spirofractal.dll should be in the system or system32 subdirectory respectively of that directory.
You may get duplicate copies of Spirofractal.dll, if you extracted the Zip file rather than using a temporary "check out" when you installed. The next release of Spirofractal will include a warning about this.
It may be necesary to disable antivirus protection when rerunning the registration batch file, as it works by modifying the Spirofractal files in the Windows System directory. It is possible that some anti-virus programs stop this from working.
The help file has been tested with Mozilla 1.7, Firefox,Internet Explorer, and Opera 7. If it does not work with your Internet Browser it is because your browser is behaving incorrectly.
You pressed F11 or C to turn menus off. Press F11 again to get them back.
This may happen if you are running on Windows NT 4 and downloaded the program before release 2.4. You need to download the current version for the registration process to work.
| Date | Information |
|---|---|
| Jun 03 2001 | I did not have much time lately for wokring on Spirofractal, and have not yet completely finished the "production" release of Spirofractal 4 (though there is nothing much wrong with the version already available from my web site. I hope now to issue it within the next month. The Pattern Maker will not now require an additional registration, as I have not had time to complete this program entirely to my satisfaction. Instead it will be available on request. The production release of Spirofractal 4 will include true 3D fractals and improved (in quality) 3D images. |
| Mar 14 2001 | Spirofractal 4 is now available! Over 30 new pattern types included. The extra program to create your own pattern types, is not yet quite ready. |
| Sep 20 2000 | I am getting a few reports of problems running the registration batch file I send out when users register. Please contact me in case this happens to you, supplying as much of the following information as possible: version of Windows, Zip utility used, version of Spirofractal downloaded and where from. I will switch over to using a small executable in place of a .BAT file as soon as possible. |
| Aug 31 2000 | Version 3.03. Full download had worrying diagnostic message in uninstall program. Install for desktop theme version was not correct. |
| Aug 30 2000 | Version 3.02. Install program fell over on Windows 2000 if WinZip temporary directory was very long. Sequences of successive close-ups on Set and Basin Boundary Fractals will not be quite so long. |
| Aug 24 2000 | Version 3.0. 3D True color images and a host of special effects added! Screen saver can be configured and you can save files. New Install routines with proper uninstall |
| Jul 01 2000 | Version 2.4.5. The undo facility was not working for some image types, and after a while stopped working altogether anyway. |
| June 8 2000 | Version 2.4.2 I think I've finally tracked down the stopping problem. Version 2.4.1 was worse than earlier version in this area. |
| June 8 2000 |
Version 2.4.1 Fixes some new bugs :
The problem of program sometimes stopping after several hours still remains. (N.B. Zip file replaced 9th June to cure problem with WinZip checkout) |
| June 4 2000 |
Version 2.4 This version adds several new features:
|
| May 18 2000 |
Beta - 2.02 More install problems fixed. Should now install and run on NT4. The help file should work better with old versions of Netscape (but it will only be legible, not look good). The help file works best with IE5. One of the DLLs has been updated to remove any possiblity of interactions with Itim Technology Solutions' DP4 product, and to fix a protection fault. Known problems remaining in 2.02:
|
| May 16 2000 |
Beta - 2.0. Install and registration problems fixed. New pattern types and many
enhancements to Mandelbrot type fractals.
Known problems in 2.0:
|
| Mar 22-29 2000 | Beta shareware release 1.2- There are some problems with Installation and Registration process on Windows NT |
| Jan 05 2000 | Freeware version |
Here are some things that didn't make it into version 3 that will be in future releases. Version 4 now available includes the following:
Spirofractal will include a facility to display patterns based on simple (or not so simple!) mathematical formulas, and iteration rules held in external files. The program will ship with files containing formulas for several well known or interesting patterns. There will be a separate program that will allow mathematically inclined users to create these files for their own patterns. This will require an additional registration payment (you'll also get some more patterns with the registration for this program). I've not finalised how I'll charge for this, or how existing users can upgrade, though I hope to this in a way that does not penalise existing users.I'll be previewing some of the new patterns in the Spirofractal gallery over the next few weeks.
There will also be a new type of built in pattern - plasma clouds - including my own spin on them - symmetric plasma clouds. Plasma clouds tile and are ideal for web page backgrounds. They will also produce hypnotic moving patterns with the new Color Cycling option, that will be available for all pattern types.
Set and Basin Boundary fractals will be enhanced with the facility to use any real or complex number as the power. There'll be several new effects such as using quaternion or hyper complex variations of these pattern types.
You'll be able to create tiled patterns using a "theme and variations" facility which displays a number of small slightly different patterns at the same time, rather than one large pattern.
The Screen Saver configuration options will be more extensive. The screen saver will work with password protection properly on Windows 9x.
Once I release Spirofractal 4, I'll be taking a break for a while as I have a new idea for a different kind of screen saver. This is provisionally entitled "The Monkey Bard", and will be freeware!
Spirofractal version 5, which will start development after that will probably incorporate code to generate music, based on Spirotune. I'll also look into the possiblity of creating a Spirofractal ActiveX control, so you can display fractal animations on web pages without having to create massive GIF files, and of making Spirofractal generate patterns in response to music being played on the computer. However, the latter option is likely not to work on computers below 400MHz P2s, and may need even more power. If I succeed in implementing these facilities you can expect the price of Spirofractal to be raised to £10 or $15.