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Microsoft / fastfngr / README.1ST
@tundra tundra on 24 May 2012 3 KB Initial revision
05-09-95

Thanks for taking the time to try FastFinger.  Please read the installation and
user documentation below.  After you've used this tool for  a few days, please
fill out the questionnaire at the end of this file and  return it to me (email
is fine: tundra@ct.covia.com).  PLEASE: Do not redistribute these files to
other people or onto BBS systems.


WHAT FASTFINGER DOES
====================

FastFinger is a Windows utility which provides a "pop up" command line
interface from which you may launch either Windows or MS-DOS programs.  By
using FastFinger you avoid having to navigate back to the Program Manager
or File Manager windows to launch other programs.


INSTALLATION
============

There are three files in the FastFinger distribution: FASTFNGR.EXE, HOTKEY.DLL,
and VBRUN300.DLL.  Copy all three of these into your WINDOWS directory.

Launch FASTFNGR.EXE as you would any other Windows program.  You may find it
convenient to add it to the RUN= line of the WIN.INI file so that FastFinger is
available each time you start Windows.


USING FASTFINGER
================

When you first start FastFinger, it is running, but invisible.  To make
FastFinger visible, press the Alt, Ctrl, and spacebar keys simultaneously. 
Pressing this key combination again will toggle FastFinger back to its
invisible state.

To start a program, type the program name in the FastFinger command line window
and press the Enter key.  If you want to re-execute a command, use the mouse to
double-click in the command window.  A scrollable list of up to the last 20
commands will be displayed.  Simply double-click on the command you wish to
re-execute.

By default, FastFinger assumes that you entered a program name without an
extension. It searches the directories specified by the PATH environment
variable to see if it can find your program with the .COM, .EXE, .BAT, or .PIF
extensions respectively.

FastFinger automatically launches either Windows or MS-DOS programs.   If you
know your program is an MS-DOS program and want to skip the searching described
above, you can tell FastFinger to just pass the command line as you typed it to
the DOS command interpreter.  This is done by beginning the command line with
an exclamation mark (!).  Even if you do not use this escape mechanism,
FastFinger will automatically insert it if your command contains redirection or
piping characters (<, >, or |).


NOW ITS YOUR TURN ...
=====================

Please take the time to email back the following questionnaire.  Answer each
question with a number from 1 to 5 keyed as follows:

    1) I Disagree Strongly
    2) I Tend To Disagree
    3) I Have No Opinion
    4) I Tend To Agree
    5) I Agree Strongly


___________________________________________________________________________________

                        QUESTIONNAIRE
                        =============

I am an experienced MS-Windows User                 _____

I am unfamiliar with MS-DOS command lines.          _____

FastFinger made Windows use simpler.                _____

Using FastFinger slowed me down.                    _____

FastFinger is something I now use regularly.        _____

FastFinger does nothing I need.                     _____

FastFinger is now part of my default environment.   _____


OTHER COMMENTS:




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