A HANDFUL OF LEAVES Readings in Theravada Buddhism version 2.0 November 1999 RELEASE NOTES This file contains last-minute release notes for this version of the HANDFUL OF LEAVES CD-ROM. For even more up-to-date information about this disk, visit the Access to Insight website: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/cdrom/ ------------ TABLE OF CONTENTS ------------ 1. Disclaimer 2. What's new in this version 3. What's on this disk 4. System requirements 5. Operating instructions 6. Improving performance 7. Known problems and issues 8. Getting help ------------------------------------- ------------ 1. DISCLAIMER ------------ I've put in many hours preparing the HANDFUL OF LEAVES CD-ROM and I don't expect that you'll encounter any serious problems with it. But since I haven't tested the disk with every possible combination of hardware and software, I cannot guarantee how it will work for you on your computer. If you're concerned that this disk might somehow damage your computer in any way, please go no further: quit this file now and eject the disk. ------------------------------------- ------------ 2. WHAT'S NEW IN THIS VERSION ------------ This CD-ROM replaces the previous edition (version 1.0), which was released in November, 1998. It includes over 100 newly translated suttas, several dozen new books and articles, a new collection of "Study Guides," improved navigational aids, and hundreds of minor corrections and improvements. ------------------------------------- ------------ 3. WHAT'S ON THIS DISK ------------ This disk contains a selection of texts with teachings from Theravada Buddhism, taken from the pages of the Access to Insight website (http://www.accesstoinsight.org). It contains over 700 translations of suttas from the Pali Canon, all indexed by name, plus indexes to help you locate specific passages by subject, proper name, number, and simile. There is a self-guided introduction to the Buddha's teachings, based entirely on passages from the Pali Canon. Also included are some 200 other books, essays, articles, and transcribed Dhamma talks from many respected teachers from a variety of traditions within Theravada, with the Thai forest traditions especially well represented here. These articles and books are all fully indexed by author, title, and subject. These texts are best viewed using a web browser program, such as Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer. Browsing software is not included on this disk. The "website" folder contains the files that your web browser needs to navigate through the website. The "extras" folder on the disk contains a number of additional files that may be useful to you: * "txt" -- A complete copy of the website files in plain unformatted ASCII text format. * "fonts" -- KR Norman's freeware Pali fonts. These are included for your convenience only; they are not required for any of the texts on this CD-ROM. * "canon" -- An anthology of Thanissaro Bhikkhu's sutta translations (Microsoft Word 6.0/95 format). * "wings" -- "The Wings to Awakening" by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Microsoft Word 6.0/95 format). * "study" -- Study Guides on various topics (Microsoft Word 6.0/95 format). ------------------------------------- ------------ 4. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ------------ * Macintosh users: MacOS 7.0 or later * Windows users: Windows 95 or later * CD-ROM drive with appropriate driver software installed * Web browser of your choice (Internet connection not required) * Printer (optional) For best results (see IMPROVING PERFORMANCE, below): * 30 Mb free disk space * Internet connection ------------------------------------- ------------ 5. OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS ------------ If you know how to use a web browser, then you know how to use this CD-ROM. If you don't know how to use your web browser, ask a friend to show you. Here's all you need to do: 1. Turn on your computer. 2. Insert the HANDFUL OF LEAVES CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive. 3. Double-click on the "Start" file on the disk. This should launch your web browser program. (If your browser does not start, you should start it using whatever method is familiar to you, and then use the appropriate menu command to open the "Start" file.) 4. Follow the hypertext links from there. ------------------------------------- ------------ 6. IMPROVING PERFORMANCE ------------ A. Copy the website to your hard drive You can always browse the HANDFUL OF LEAVES website directly from the CD-ROM. You may, however, find a significant improvement in your browser's overall speed and responsiveness when the website is run directly from your computer's internal hard drive. Here's how to copy A HANDFUL OF LEAVES to your hard drive: 1. Check that you have at least 30 megabytes of free space on your hard drive. 2. Create a new folder on your hard drive, named "Leaves". 3. Copy both the "website" folder and the "Start" file from the CD-ROM into the "Leaves" folder. 4. To use the website, double-click on the "Start" file as described above. You may, of course, copy to your hard drive any files from the CD-ROM "extras" folder that you wish to, although those files are not needed for proper operation of the website. B. Connect your computer to the Internet This disk is, for the most part, a self-contained website not requiring a connection to the Internet. It does, however, include a few links to sites on the Internet offering supplementary information that may be of interest to you. These links are marked by ">>". To access these links you must first establish a connection to the Internet. Once that connection is established, you can navigate seamlessly between this disk and the Internet. ------------------------------------- ------------ 7. KNOWN PROBLEMS AND ISSUES ------------ MACINTOSH USERS: None. WINDOWS 95, 98, and NT USERS: None. ------------------------------------- ------------ 8. GETTING HELP ------------ If you have any problems or questions concerning the CD-ROM, please see the HANDFUL OF LEAVES web page at: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/cdrom/ ------------------------------------- Revised: 11 November 1999 [end]