
Greetings Fellow Poets, Songwriters, and Crossword Solvers(?)
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  The Rhyme Finder is an effective Shareware program that
attempts to match the sound of words or part-words provided by
the user with words listed in an extensive disc-based word list.

  The program is DOS-based, and does not require the use of
Expanded or Extended Memory. Minimum system requirements are a
100% IBM-compatible PC with 500k of free RAM, and a colour
monitor (CGA, EGA or VGA). The program does not involve the use
of a mouse.

  The following information supplements  'Help' within The Rhyme
Finder. Hopefully, this information is of the kind that need
only be read once, as The Rhyme Finder has been written to be
robust and mostly self-evidently simple to use. Please register,
if you have not already done so. (qv the section on Registration
below).
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CONTENTS.

INSTALLATION.
SEARCHING.
RHYME FINDER KEYSTROKES.
PROGRAM FUNCTIONALITY.
PERFORMANCE.
FEEDBACK.
RHYME FINDER FILES.
REGISTRATION.
SHAREWARE.
DISCLAIMER.
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INSTALLATION.

  Make a new directory on your hard disc for The Rhyme Finder,
and copy all files into that. The following assumes that you have
acquired a copy of the program on floppy disc, as opposed to
downloading it from a Bulletin Board or the Internet. If this is
straightforward for you, skip the section below. Otherwise:

  To make a new directory on your hard disc for The Rhyme Finder,
use the DOS MD (Make Directory) command. For example, to make a
directory on C:> drive called RHYME, log on to the C:> root
drive, (so that the C:> prompt appears), type

MD RHYME

and hit return.

  Then copy all of the files provided on The Rhyme Finder floppy
disc into that new hard disc directory. One way to do this is to
log on to the floppy drive (by typing A: and then RETURN if A: 
is the name of your floppy drive) and then typing

COPY *.* C:\RHYME

(if RHYME is the name of your new directory).
  You may now log on to that directory (by typing CD\RHYME for
example) and you can run The Rhyme Finder by and typing

RHYME

  Alternatively you may wish to create a batch file to run The
Rhyme Finder from your hard disc root directory. To do this you 
will need a text editor (or word processor in 'text mode'), to 
create a file with the lines:

CD\RHYME [if the directory into which you have put the files is
	  called that]
RHYME    [to run the program]
CD\      [to log back onto C:\ drive]

  Save the above file with the name RHYME.BAT (for example) and
you may then run the program by typing RHYME from the C:> prompt.
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SEARCHING.

  A number of different kinds of search can be performed. These
are:

* 'Default Search' where an input of 'bat', for example, will
result in an output word list of all words containing the
consecutive letters b a t in ANY position, such as 'batman',
'fruitbat', 'combatant', etc.

* 'Specific Search' where the question-mark character '?' is used
in input to signify the replacement of a SINGLE LETTER in that
position. If, for example, '?u?t?r' is input, then ONLY valid
six-letter words are found where the u, the t, and the r are
present in those positions, such as 'guitar' and 'butter'. If
completing a crossword in no time at all will win you a trip to
Barbados, then this may be just what you need.

* 'Wildcard Search' where an asterisk character (*) is used with
input (at the BEGINNING or END of words only) to say to the
program 'show me all words beginning with...' or 'show me all
words ending with...' such that input of '*state' will find
'upstate', 'testate' and so on. User input of 'dog*' will find
'dogberry' 'dogstar' 'dogwood' etc.

* 'Sounds-Like Search'. This is very much like the Default
Search, differing only in that it requires that a little more
thought be given to providing the most appropriate input to find
a rhyme. The rule of thumb here is 'get rid of all letters in the
word you want to find a rhyme for UP TO the first letter in the
SYLLABLE for which you need the rhyme'. If, for example, you want
to find all words that rhyme with 'fall', then take the f from
'fall', leaving 'all', and input that. This enables the program
to go through the 'dictionary' on 'first-pass' finding all words
with 'all' in, substituting 'orl' for 'all' on second-pass,
looking then for words with 'orl' in. The program will then go on
to find all 'awl' words AND all 'aul' words. Confusing? No, it's
easy to get the hang of once you have done it once or twice!

  MOST of the syllables held within the program for lookup
purposes begin with a vowel, such as 'ire', 'eer', 'air'.
  Where the program does have 'lookup' entries enabling it to
perform 'sounds-like' searches, it may (sometimes) make up to 8
consecutive passes through the dictionary.
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RHYME FINDER KEYSTROKES.

  Pressing F1 brings up the on-screen Help. There are three Help
Windows, accessed using PgUp and PgDn.

  F3 brings up the Input Dialogue Box. Input your search
'pattern' of characters and press return.

  The program will then rapidly scan through the dictionary,
scrolling matched rhymes on screen until the process is complete
(or 1,999 matches are found). Sit back and let this happen: you
will know when the search process is complete because that is
when the dialogue box stating the number of found matches
appears. (Although pressing any key during a search will
interrupt it). The list of matches can then be reviewed in the
Review Window (press F5 to access this). You may then move around
this first 'untagged' list using the PgDn, PgUp, DnArrow and
UpArrow keys.

  Words may be 'tagged' in the Review Window (using the 't' or
'T' keys) in an attempt to mirror the way in which many poets
work: that is, words which are 'likely candidates' for the work
in hand, (be it a song, or a poem, or whatever) can be pulled out
of the initial list to create a second, more useful list. Just
place the cursor under the word you want to tag and press 't' (or
'T'). Words may also be untagged using the 'u' or 'U' keys.
Having tagged all of the words that you want, then exit the
Review Window using the ESC key and press F7 to bring up the
Review Tags Window.

  Having pressed F7, only words which have been tagged will be
displayed in this new window, and this new list may also be
traversed using the PgDn, PgUp, DnArrow and UpArrow keys. (If you
want to add or remove words from the 'tag list', however, it is
necessary to go back to the Review Window and tag or untag words
again).

  F9 brings up a dialogue box prompting you for the name of the
file to which you want to write your list of tagged words. The
program will only accept a filename without a 'path' (eg
MARYLIST.TXT not C:\DOCS\MARYLIST.TXT) and it will therefore only
write such files to the program directory.

  Word lists are cleared from computer memory when F3 is pressed
to bring up the Input Dialogue Box for a new search.

  Remember to exit any windows or dialogue boxes with ESC before
doing anything else.
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PROGRAM FUNCTIONALITY.

  I do hope that you find the program as useful and simple to use
as I have done. Some limitations to the way the program works are
listed below, however, in the hope that this information is a
help to you in getting the most from it.
  The program may not run properly if too many memory-grabbing
utilities are automatically installed when you switch on your
computer, especially if one or more of these programs have not
been placed in 'high' memory. This problem should be solved in
future releases. (Running the MSDOS MemMaker utility may solve
this problem for you, whilst also optimising your computer's
general memory usage).

  Input for searches is error-checked in a number of ways.
Allowable characters are in the range 'a..z', 'A..Z', with '?'
and '*' also valid. Input that contains more than one '*' (as in
*tai*ment, for example) is rejected as invalid.

  Currently if more than 1,999 matches are found for a particular
input word or part-word, the program will not continue searching.
It is assumed that you would not wish to scour through a list of
rhymes longer than this.
   
  The program works in a somewhat different way than the computer
programs used to compile 'hard-copy' rhyming dictionaries, and
for that reason it may profitably used in conjunction with such a
book, if you really wish to push word searches to the limit.
Otherwise I think you will find that this program is very
effective on it's own; it will find rhyme matches that will often
not be found in 'rhyming dictionaries'. The program is
particularly good at finding 'internal rhymes' not found in the
books, (rhymes at the start or middle of words) and, if you share
the author's preferences, then you will find a list of such
internal rhymes to be very useful indeed.

  A consequence of the way that the program works is that SOME of
the matched words pulled out of the disc-based dictionary by the
program may well NOT be appropriate, but on the other hand the
method of finding matches may also bring out serendipitously
useful surprises which ARE useful, so there are gains and losses
in the method.

  An input of 'orch', while finding 'torch' and 'orchard', will
not find 'debauch'- this is because there are so few such rhymes
that the 'lookup' entry for 'auch' against 'orch', and other
similar syllables, have been omitted from the program in the
interests of speed. This is one example where the complementary
use of a rhyming dictionary could be useful. That is, firstly use
the program to find all matches for 'orch', and then, having used
the book to find that 'auch' words will rhyme, use the program
again with an input of 'auch'. (And if it's immediately obvious
to you that 'orch' words rhyme with 'auch' words, then of course
you will not need the book).

  Similarly, an input of 'deed' will not find (the verb, to)
'lead' as a match. This is so that again, all of the many 'ead'
words that rhyme with 'eed' (as opposed to rhyming with 'ed') can
be ommitted from the program code in order to speed up the
program. (Since in order to implement the finding of such rhymes
ALL 'ead' words that rhyme with 'eed', such as 'bead' 'read' etc
would need to be listed inside the program separate from all of
the 'ead' words that rhyme with 'ed', such as 'head', 'dead',
etc).

  The program also does not attempt to solve problems arising
from words spelt the same with different meanings, such as 'lead'
(used to control a dog) and 'lead' (the element).

  Pronunciation may also be an issue in that some people would
rhyme 'glass' with 'farce', rather than 'mass'! -Having been in a
Glasgow pub when the author was struck forcibly by the passion
that dialects can arouse, it was decided that such issues are
best left to one side here!
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PERFORMANCE.

  The performance of The Rhyme Finder is largely dependent on
disc access. Running the program from a floppy disc is not
recommended. A computer with a relatively fast hard-disc access
time is a bonus.

  If you have been using your computer's hard disc intensively
for some time without 'defragmenting' it, then this is
recommended, as the performance of not only The Rhyme Finder but
also all other programs which read disc files extensively should
be improved.

  A 'fragmented' hard disc drive is one where the physical
location of the data for a file on disc is not all in one place.
Your computer will still treat such a file as one 'logical' file,
even though the data may be dispersed across a large number of
different physical locations. Where this is the case the speed of
data access is reduced considerably because the hard-disc drive's
read/write head has to do a lot of travelling around to find all
of the things it is looking for. 'Defragmenting' a disc will move
data around so that these parts of files are put back into
contiguous physical locations, ie 'all in one place'.

  If you do not use a 'double-spaced' drive, -first look at your
CONFIG.SYS file, probably on the C:> drive, by typing

TYPE CONFIG.SYS|MORE

if you are not sure, since there will be an entry for DBLSPACE
there if it IS in use, -and in that case use a utility such as
the Norton SpeedDisc to defragment your drive.

If you DO have a double-spaced drive, then firstly run the
Scandisk program by typing SCANDISK, and then run the Defrag
program by typing DEFRAG.
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FEEDBACK.

  The author welcomes your feedback on the use of The Rhyme
Finder. Suggestions should be made to the address given below.
_________________________________________________________________

RHYME FINDER FILES.

  The Rhyme Finder uses only two files, RHYME.EXE (the program)
and DICT.DOC (the dictionary). This (README.TXT) file you already
know about- it contains supplemental information on the
installation and use of the program and some vital information on
registration, (which is also in the REGISTER.TXT file).

  Remember to delete unwanted files that you have created in the
program directory from time to time. Just leave the four files
mentioned above.
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REGISTRATION.

  The cost of one registered copy of The Rhyme Finder is as
follows:

  Britain:           9.00  Pounds.
  Eire:              9.00  Pounds Irish.
  United States:    $15.00 American.
  Canada:           $19.00 Canadian.
  Australia:        $19.00 Australian.
  New Zealand:      $24.00 New Zealand.

  A 50% reduction in the total price will be made to schools
wishing to register several copies. Where distribution discs are
requested from the author, in Britain 15% of the total price 
should be added to cover postage and packing. 20% of the total
price added should be added for P & P elsewhere. 

  Soon (hopefully), we can make 'e-currency' transactions on the
Internet. Until then, however...

  To register your copy please enclose cash, or a cheque made
payable to Richard Ebbs, for the appropriate amount to:

  Richard Ebbs
  6 Royal Park Grove
  Leeds
  LS6 1HQ
  England

  Registered users will be in a position to claim reductions on
future upgrades of the program.

  If you write music, poems, or short stories, then you may have
had experience of unlicensed distribution of your work with no
return for your work... (dot dot dot).
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SHAREWARE

  Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software
before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue
using it, you are expected to register.

  Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software,
with the copyright holder retaining all rights.

  Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You
should find affordable software that meets your needs, whether 
commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system, however, makes 
finding what  you want easier, because you can try before you buy. 
Because the  overhead for Shareware distribution is low, prices 
are low also. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee: if 
you don't use a package, you don't pay for it.

 You should treat this software just like a book.  An example is
that this software may be used by any number of people and may
be freely moved from one computer location to another, so long
as there is no possibility of it being used at one location
while it's being used at another. Just as a book cannot be read
by two different persons at the same time.

  Institutional users of The Rhyme Finder must register and pay
for their copies within 30 days of first use or their license
is withdrawn.

  Anyone distributing The Rhyme Finder for any kind of
remuneration must first contact Richard Ebbs at the address above
for authorization. This authorization will be automatically
granted to recognized Shareware distributors and such
distributors may begin offering The Rhyme Finder immediately.
(However Richard Ebbs must still be advised so that the
distributor can be kept up-to-date with the latest version of
The Rhyme Finder).

  You may upload The Rhyme Finder to a Bulletin Board provided
that all the files are included and nothing has been modified.
No fee may be charged for The Rhyme Finder other than the cost of
the media on which it is distributed and the cost of postage,
where applicable.

  You are encouraged to pass a copy of this software to your
friends for evaluation.  Please encourage them to register their
copy if they find that they can use it.

  The Rhyme Finder is copyrighted by Richard Ebbs. Sale of the
program for profit, by anyone except Richard Ebbs is prohibited.

  If you register The Rhyme Finder, it will be assumed that you
are doing so having tested the shareware version and ascertained
that it is suitable for your hardware and requirements. The
author cannot provide refunds for shareware registration if you
subsequently change your mind.
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DISCLAIMER.

  No warranty of any kind is expressed or implied in the
provision of The Rhyme Finder. The author will not be liable for
any damages, including any lost profits, lost savings or other
incidental or consequential damages arising from the use or
misuse of the program.
_________________________________________________________________

  Good Writing,
  Best Wishes,

  Richard Ebbs.

  MSc Software Engineer,
  Musician, Songwriter.
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