8888888888 888  .d888
888        888 d88P"
888        888 888
8888888    888 888888
888        888 888
888        888 888
888        888 888
8888888888 888 888

      .d8888b.                    888
     d88P  Y88b                   888
     Y88b.                        888
      "Y888b.   888  888 .d8888b  888888 .d88b.  88888b.d88b.  .d8888b
         "Y88b. 888  888 88K      888   d8P  Y8b 888 "888 "88b 88K
           "888 888  888 "Y8888b. 888   88888888 888  888  888 "Y8888b
     Y88b  d88P Y88b 888      X88 Y88b. Y8b.     888  888  888      X88
      "Y8888P"   "Y88888  88888P'  "Y888 "Y8888  888  888  888  88888P'
                     888
                Y8b d88P
                 "Y88P"

                            proudly presents


                    8888888     888 d8b          888
                      888       888 Y8P          888
                      888       888              888
                      888   .d88888 888  .d88b.  888888
                      888  d88" 888 888 d88""88b 888
                      888  888  888 888 888  888 888
                      888  Y88b 888 888 Y88..88P Y88b
                    8888888 "Y88888 888  "Y88P"   "Y888

       888      d8b          888      888     .d8888b.   .d8888b.
       888      Y8P          888      888    d88P  Y88b d88P  Y88b
       888                   888      888    888    888 Y88b. d88P
       888      888  .d88b.  88888b.  888888 Y88b. d888  "Y88888"
       888      888 d88P"88b 888 "88b 888     "Y888P888 .d8P""Y8b.
       888      888 888  888 888  888 888           888 888    888
       888      888 Y88b 888 888  888 Y88b.  Y88b  d88P Y88b  d88P
       88888888 888  "Y88888 888  888  "Y888  "Y8888P"   "Y8888P"
                         888
                    Y8b d88P
                     "Y88P"

                           Copyright (c) 2000

I.   Introduction

    Thank you for your interest in IdiotLight98. IdiotLight98 is a
    non-monitor based visual e-mail notification system. While that
    might sound complicated, IdiotLight98 serves a simple and
    increasingly important purpose. To blink a light when e-mail
    arrives.

    How many times a day do you check e-mail? If you're like us at
    ElfSystems you're checking every waking moment. The problem is that
    current notification systems rely on displaying an icon on the
    screen. Now what happens if your running a screensaver? Unless your
    screensaver notifies you, you have no idea a little icon on the
    system window has changed. And what if you are trying to conserve
    electricity and you like to turn off your monitor or put it in
    standby mode?

    Well, IdiotLight98 is the answer to all those problems. IdiotLight98
    version 1.3 will blink your choice of keyboard lights when new mail
    arrives. IdiotLight98 will blink the light faster when more mail
    arrives. 

    Now you can safely keep up with e-mail and save electricity and
    monitor wear and tear. Just start IdiotLight98, wait for your
    connection to the internet to be verified and then turn off your
    monitor and go about your daily business. When your selected
    keyboard light begins to blink, you have e-mail waiting!

II.  Technical Details

    ElfSystems IdiotLight98 version 1.3 is a small program (54Kbytes)
    that exists in your Windows98 system tray coupled to a tiny
    (4Kbytes) virtual device driver (VxD). The small program checks your
    e-mail account at the interval you specify and communicates to the
    VxD which handles the blinking.

III. Common Questions

    Q. Will this program work on Windows95?

    A. No it will not. We're sorry but come on, it's already the year
    2000. Your car is probably newer than your OS.

    Q. Will this program work on WindowsNT or Windows2000?

    A. Not it will not. If you would like to mail us a copy of said
    operating system we will be more than happy to develop for it. :)

    Q. Are you planning on writing for any operating system that is not
    from Microsoft?

    A. Possibly. We'd like to. It depends on the response we get from
    this version.

    Q. If I choose to have the CAPS_LOCK light blink will the case of my
    typing change with the blinks?

    A. No. ElfSystems pioneered the use of a special device driver which
    only changes the state of the light, not the state of the key that
    controls the light.

    Q. If I choose to have the CAPS_LOCK light blink and then I press
    CAPS_LOCK, will all my typing be in upper case?

    A. Yes. IdiotLight98 will take over 'ownership' of the light when it
    is started and does not effect the state of the keys usually
    associated with the keyboard lights. To reiterate, even thought the
    light is being controlled by IdiotLight98, the state of the keyboard
    is being controlled, still, by Windows98.

    Q. What is the VENS option and why is it greyed out?

    A. VENS is a hardware device that will plug in to just about any
    port on your computer and be able to blink like the keyboard lights.
    The goal of VENS is to actually have a "Caller Id" for e-mail that
    can exist at quite a distance from your computer displaying the
    message sender, the time the message arrived and the size of the
    message.

    Q. What is in the future for IdiotLight98?

    A. Currently we are working on version 2.0 which includes many new
    and exciting features. For example, being able to monitor up to
    three e-mail accounts at once, sender ignore lists, sender priority
    lists and much more.

IdiotLight98 is a trademark of ElfSystems.

Windows, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT are registered trademarks
of the Microsoft Corporation.

