h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

So, is this where I sign up, then?

Sure is. You just have to pass the medical first.

*Turns to the right and coughs*



You might have warmed those hands up first

I'm still a bit sore from football on Tuesday night... should I take a late fitness test first?

Can you still type and use a computer? If so, you're in, matey.

I expect that I'll have something fairly stable and usable in about a month or so. It looks pretty good right now, as it happens:

http://dialspace.dial.pipex.com/town/pipexdsl/o/aozv59/skonkworks/assets/images/gd.GIF

Also, do you have (a) IE6 installed (b) The .NET Framework 1.1 installed or, (c) a fairly quick connection so you can download these?

a) I just looked and yes
b) What's that?
c) I'm on a 56k modem which is pretty good as far as they go, which I know isn't that far.

However if all goes to plan I should also be upgrading from my clapped-out old machine to a brand spanking new laptop in the next couple of weeks.

a) Yes, but I prefer Mozilla or Opera, and generally avoid IE
b) What's that?
c) Cable modem

You have to have IE installed, but you don't have to use it. GD uses a software component from IE to do all its editing.
If you have a cable modem then you should be OK. I've had to write the package in VB.NET, so it needs the .NET Framework 1.1 downloading and installing. You only need to do this once, and updates should be pretty straightforward afterwards.

Tell me it doesn't run on Win98SE

It ought to: it seems to run on everything else. Unfortunately, due to force of circumstance (Visual C++/MFC would have taken far too long to learn and to actually program the beast) I was forced to use .NET. However, it is big (30Mb), which is why I ask if you have a fast connection. Once downloaded, 'though, it's very easy for me to push out updates to the software as installation just requires copying updated files to the program's directory.

Look at http://msdn.microsoft.com/netframework/ for some more information.

I've been to that page and a few others, but can't find a link for downloading it

This one http://msdn.microsoft.com/netframework/downloads/howtoget.aspx says that for general users (which I assume that I'll be) I should go here http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/R1150/v31site/x86/nt4/en/thanksstart.htm and at that page I find this link for Windows 98 http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/downloads/corporate.asp but I can't see a link there for downloading the framework.

Try http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=262D25E3-F589-4842-8157-034D1E7CF3A3&displaylang=en

I'm hoping to get rid of the dependency upon the Framewrok at some future date, when I've mastered C++. That is a while off.

I'll have a look at that one when I get home from work