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                     DesktopPlant V1.8.0 Readme
                      
                     Copyright (c) 2004 DeskSoft
                      http://www.desksoft.com
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Welcome to DesktopPlant - a revolutionary program which brings life 
to your desktop. Plants grow directly on your desktop and need your 
care just like a real plants!

In contrast to other virtual-life programs, which require a 
standard window, your DesktopPlant will grow directly on your 
desktop (above a selected wallpaper but below the icons). This 
means your DesktopPlant behaves like a wallpaper itself, except 
that you can resize and move it. To interact with the program, 
double-click your plant to show the plant dialog. In this mode 
you can change size and position, care for your plant and change 
the program options. 

Your DesktopPlant grows whenever there is unused processor time 
left (when your computer is idle), so you don't lose any 
performance during your normal work. 

The included demo plants have already been growing for some time 
under ideal conditions and will gradually die after approximately 
one more week, no matter how well you have taken care of it during 
that time. DesktopPlant will display a message when your demo 
plants begin to die. If you purchase a license, you will get a 
plant with no limitations (nevertheless it can die, if you don't 
take good care of it).

All information about how to use this program can be found in the 
manual, which is accessible by pressing F1 or pressing the Help 
button.

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DesktopPlant main features:
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* Amazingly realistic growth depending on how well the plant is 
  taken care of (water, fertilizer, environmental parameters, etc.)
* Random effects will guarantee that each plant is unique
* DesktopPlant is a 3D model of a real plant with enhanced visual 
  effects
* Optimized routines for photorealistic graphics
* DesktopPlant will grow directly on the desktop; above the 
  selected wallpaper but below the icons
* Adjustable size and position
* Several plants can be displayed simultaneously

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Installation and uninstallation:
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To install DesktopPlant, simply run DPSetup.exe. The Setup program 
will guide you through all necessary steps. If you want to remove 
DesktopPlant from your computer, select "Uninstall" from the 
DesktopPlant program group or use "Add/Remove Software" in the 
Windows Control Panel.

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System requirements:
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*) Windows 95 / 98 / ME / NT 4.0 / 2000 / XP
*) Mouse or compatible pointing device
*) HiColor display (65536 colors, 16 bit)
*) 5 MB of free harddisk space

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Contacting DeskSoft:
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If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to 
send us an email or visit our website:

Email: support@desksoft.com
Web:   http://www.desksoft.com

If you experience any problems running the program, please make 
sure to include information about your computer configuration, 
hardware and software.

***** IMPORTANT *****
Please include the product name "DesktopPlant" in the subject line 
of your email, or it could be deleted by our spam filter! 

We answer all emails within a maximum of 3 business days (usually 
even within a few hours), so if you don't receive an answer from 
us, there's probably something wrong with your email address. In 
this case, please send us your message again and make sure to use 
a working email address so that we can reply to your email!

The DeskSoft Team.

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Windows 95 / 98 / ME / NT / 2000 / XP, Internet Explorer, etc. are 
registered trademarks of Microsoft. All other registered 
trademarks are registered trademarks of their respective owners.
