Last updated 1995-09-28

This is the README file for a IBM PC configurator application
called PSCFG......it is a production tool, supported by IBM Canada,
and by IBM Europe. Other geographies are looking at converting, too.
(There is NO plan to release a U.S. version.) PSCFG is being developed
by the same programmers who wrote the 32-bit OS/2 version of ICPA, and
the 16-bit version of ICPA for Windows. For more than 2 years, users of
ICPA around the world were polled for changes and requirements in a
new version, as ICPA is limited in what it can do.

ICPA has been withdrawn in Europe, and will soon be withdrawn in Canada.

Almost all of those requirements were built into this new application,
called PSCFG. Initially it will be available in an OS/2 version only
(also 32-bit) but a 16-bit Windows version is also under development.
ETA of a Windows version is 3Q/95. Since there are many changes and
enhancements to PSCFG (over ICPA) the application has quite a different
"look" to it. The "feel" will be similar, once you start actually
configuring a system, since the product data in PSC-CDN (PSCFG for
Canada) is the same as the product data in ICPA for Canada.

However, there ARE over 50 enhancements, and I would urge you to use the
on-line Help often to learn about them. There is also a Storyboard demo
available (PSCDEMO.EXE, which will unzip itself....then type RUNDEMO
to start the Storyboard, in a DOS full screen session). We have received
many positive comments about the value of the Storyboard demo, in assisting
users to understand how to use PSCFG. Many of the new functions were
un-dreamed of, by ICPA users. 

ICPACDN and PSC-CDN use the same Price
file(s), the same Help file(s), and the same "availability" file.
Probably the most popular enhancement in PSCFG is the ability to see both
the Price AND the Availability, when selecting items. The availability
file is updated almost every day, and you can obtain it from a number of
sources, including the PCCO BBS sites in Canada.

To see a quick summary of all the changes, in ICPA or PSCFG you should
click on HELP-->EXTENDED HELP(or GENERAL HELP)-->SERVICES-->SEARCH, and
enter PSCFG. Ensure you search in "all sections". Approx. the third
"hit" will be "Help for the PSCFG Application". Click on this, and you
will see a list of the enhancements, most of which have hypertext links
to more detailed descriptions. Please take the time to read these, as
you may not know about one or more major new functions, and thus miss
trying them. Even a list of the most important ones will have 10 entries.

Of course, all of these 50+ new functions do not come without a price !
PSCFG screen refresh is slower than ICPA, due to the rich content now
available in many windows. I think you will find that the benefits
of more accurate configurations, and richer functions, will outweigh the 
slower screen refresh. I recommend a minimum of a 486-33.

Since this tool is in early use (although the product set is identical
to that in ICPACDN---almost 1,000 different system units, and therefore
NOT a demo version) you should should understand the following:

1. The PROGRAM may still have some bugs, and may crash or exit. Please
   report these, so we can fix them. Internet ID available in Help.

2. The DATA may have bugs, which will prevent you from selecting some
   items. Please send a note on these, as well. PSCFG tracks MANY more
   resources (Slots, Bays, etc.) than did ICPA, and with so many parts
   to track, some of them may not work together, the way the resource
   data is currently coded. For example, an external CD-ROM drive entry
   may appear as a single item (although you don't see a partnumber),
   but behind the scenes it is adding the adapter card, the cable, the
   enclosure, the drive, and the terminator. ALL of these have resources
   that are now being tracked, and each item must have its new resources
   coded properly (all connectors, etc. must match) AND they must be
   added in the correct sequence, or PSCFG will suddenly tell you that
   the CD-ROM can't be added. An error msg will help YOU understand WHY,
   and assist ME in correcting the data file (but only if you tell me !).

   The DATA itself may be "wrong". For example, I may have a "disk space"
   value for a certain software package that is too high, or too low.
   This is a known problem for pre-loads software of DOS/Windows AND
   some applications. Examples would be PS/1 or ThinkPads.

3. Updates to either the program or data files will appear on a basis
   identical to that of ICPACDN, and perhaps even more frequently.


"Budge" Burgess        for IBM Canada - PC Company