World Builder Support Page

If your question is not answered by these resources, email dallen@senteinc.com



Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Why don't you support the XYZ (Macintosh, Windows 3.1, OS/2, etc) platform?

    Answer: I'm not planning to release the source code, and I don't have access to a XYZ machine. If somebody with an XYZ wants to volunteer a little time, and has a C compiler, let me know.

  2. Why don't you rewrite it in Java, so you don't have to support each platform?

    Answer: Good idea. That would be a lot of work, though. Maybe someday.

  3. How did you make the spinning globes in the examples?

    Answer: You can't do that within the program yet. See known issue 2. I made them from individual gifs with "giftoppm", "ppmquant" and "whirlgif", but it was labor-intensive. Cool demo, though.



Known issues

  1. Changing the temperature radio buttons in the Climate->Parameters dialog changes the climate, but does not actually change the temperature shown in the View->Details dialog.

  2. When I use File->Export->GIF, and the view is a rendered globe, an error "Too many colors" appears.

  3. The View->Details menu is not accessible while the globe view is up.

    Response: This involves doing a lot of trigonometry to find out which point on the globe corresponds to the cursor x/y position.

  4. (Windows only) The install is complicated. Other installers create the shortcut for you.

    Response: I can't find any free install programs. The majority of commercial programs use InstallShield, which costs about $250. As soon as I get 12 registrations, I'll buy it!

  5. (Windows only) The menu shortcut keys don't work. For example, the "F" in the File menu is underlined, but pressing Alt-F doesn't invoke the menu.

  6. (Windows only) When the program is busy, the cursor does not change, and sometimes I can bring up menus and dialog boxes. The cursor should change to the system "busy" cursor and prevent interaction with the application.

    Workaround: The status line displays "Working..." while the program is busy.

  7. (Windows only) The error and "quick tip" dialog boxes always appear in the upper left hand corner of the screen; they would be more effective in the center of the screen.



World Builder home page Last updated: June 12, 1998 Feedback? email dallen@senteinc.com