========================================================================
       WIN32 APPLICATION : shipsclock
========================================================================

//
// Copyright (C) 2004 Bob Gunion
//
// This program is free software; you can
// redistribute it and/or modify it under
// the terms of version 2 of the GNU General
// Public License as published by the
// Free Software Foundation.
//
// This program is distributed in the hope
// that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY
// WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty
// of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
// PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License
// for more details.
//
// You should have received a copy of the GNU
// General Public License along with this program;
// if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
// 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA
//

(Optional:) To configure, start ShipsClockConfig.exe and select whether you want 
to silence the ship's clock for part of the day and, if so, what time
to start and stop the chiming.  Press OK, and you're done.  Note that
if you already have shipsclock.exe running you will have to stop and
restart it for the changes to take effect.

To start shipsclock.exe as an application, simply double-click it.
To start it as a service, you will need to install it first.  To do
that, open a command window, navigate to the directory in which
you have shipsclock.exe, and type "shipsclock -Service".  Then
open the service control manager (Start -> Settings -> Control Panel
-> Administrative Tools -> Services), scroll down to "Ships Clock",
and select "Start the service".  That's it, and the service should
start automatically the next time you restart the computer.

Ships Clock will ring a bell on every half-hour in the style of the
standard ship's clock.  That standard has its roots in centuries of
sailing ships around the world where clocks were impractical, and is
still used in present-day navies.  It is based on four-hour watches:
each watch was on duty for four hours starting at the hour of 12, 4, or
8 (am or pm).  Each half-hour during a watch was marked by a single bell
and each hour by a double bell.  For example, starting at 12 o'clock:

12:30  1 bell
 1:00  2 bells (as one double bell)
 1:30  3 bells (as one double, followed by one single bell)
 2:00  4 bells (two doubles)
 ...
 3:30  7 bells (3 doubles, one single)
 4:00  8 bells (4 doubles)
 
At the end of this cycle, the pattern is repeated.

Why is a ship's clock useful, even in today's world of copious clocks
and watches everywhere we look, and with no 4-hour watches in our
daily lives?  It provides an inobtrusive reminder of the current time
without having to look at any clock, while giving us a link to the past
(and, for those who were once in the Navy, to their youth).  It is a
fun and rewarding way of keeping track of time.

Buying a real ship's clock can be expensive since they are a specialty
item.  But anyone who has a computer also has a clock, so running this
application wil provide you with the same chimes as a real, live ship's
clock for free!
