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Cosmic Patterns offers the largest selection of top-quality interpretive astrological reports in the World. In the past, however, one had to to buy the $300 Kepler calculation program in order to run the report options. Cosmic Patterns responded to customer requests, and a couple of years ago released the first version of Pegasus, a $100 smaller version of Kepler that ran all of the Cosmic Patterns reports and performed all of the basic astrological calculations (hit lists, Solar and Lunar return charts, composite charts, etc.). It included four short but well-written interpretation reports: Cosmo Natal, Cosmo Compatibility, Cosmo Forecast, and Major Life Themes, and allowed you to create and edit reports and translate an existing report to other languages. The main feature that Pegasus lacked, that pushed many to buy Kepler instead, was a built-in time change atlas for most cities (it only had two cities per state). Pegasus 2 changes all of that. It includes a completely up-to-date electronic atlas of 230,000 cities, including virtually every city in North America, South America, and Europe. (It only has a few cities in Asia, Australia, and Africa.) Pegasus 2 also offers a bi-wheel and is easier to use. Those on a budget now have a completely functional alternative to buying Kepler when they want to run Cosmic Patterns reports, and Pegasus 2 is also a very good program by itself for a fledgling astrologer. Forthcoming Changes in Parashara's Light Parashara's Light has long been enjoyed as a Vedic program that has both style and ease of use. I just talked to its creator, and many new changes are in the works. A completely new version of the program is being developed on a new platform, which will enable it to be released for Windows, Linux, and the Macintosh operating system. It will be coded in 32 bits, which makes it faster and more compatible with contemporary operating systems (and more stable). The biggest change will be a total revamping of the Worksheet -- i.e. how the program displays tables and charts onscreen. Many of the program's features that were only available as separate screens, e.g. the Muhurta tool, the Ashtakavarga tables, and the transit bi-wheel, can now be incorporated into the main screen. You will be able to design an unlimited number of screens, using a whole range of new charts, tables, and graphs, and each will be able to be adjusted to any size. There will additional enhancements of Shri Pati functions, interpretations, and the Page Designer. Finally, the superb "artificial intelligent interpretation of Vedic charts available on their other workshop will eventually be offered as an add-on to Parashara's Light. Help! I received a copy of VegaSviri to test for reviewing, but it stopped working under Windows XP because the copy-protection scheme (a hardware plug that you place in the USB port and a software driver for that plug) did not function under the new operating system. I tried to email the author and could not reach him at that address any more. If anyone is in contact with Victor Smirnov, have him contact me or email to me his new email address. Thanks. Copy Protection, Bugs, and other Issues I am presently doing a lot of testing of astrology software for the PC running under Windows XP. While most programs run o.k., there are some issues that are coming up. For example, in order to avoid font problems with Solar Fire, when you install it on an XP system, reboot before running Solar Fire. If you own any Matrix WinWriter programs, you'll need a new CD from them and to reinstall WinWriter and any reports you own, to get WinWriter to work. Please read my next article in The Mountain Astrologer's Mercury Direct section for a detailed look at additional problems with Win*Star, Kepler, Shri Muhurta, and other programs. Important Notes Installing Windows XP: I tried several times, unsuccessfully, to install Windows XP onto my computer. Unfortunately, the installation process gave me no clue why it stopped midway. I've tried contacting MicroSoft but wasn't able to get through to a technical support person because their lines were swamped. Finally, a technical support person was able to guide me through a work-around, and now XP is running fine on my PC. Many programs (and older hardware) won't work with XP unless you upgrade to newer versions (or newer drivers). For example, you'll need the latest 2002 version of your anti-virus software, partitioning software, backup software, system tools software (e.g. Norton Utilities), etc. In general, if your computer is over two years old, it might not work with XP. I highly recommend buying a new computer with XP on it, because XP has many features that I'm coming to love, especially the way fonts look on the screen if you turn ClearType on. To turn ClearType on, since it is not turned on by default, right click on an empty part of the XP desktop, select Display Properties, Appearance, Effects, and where it says use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts select ClearType, and then click Apply. For laptop computers, ClearType makes much more of a difference in making fonts readable. Discounts on Software Software discounts starting January 2002: When you purchase astrology software through me, you will get: 1. My free expert guidance in choosing the right program. 2. The best pricing distributors are allowed to offer. 3. Free U.S. shipping, unless prohibited by the manufacturer, and for some programs, free Priority shipping. 4. Additional benefits. E.g. I offer a very inexpensive excellent transit report for purchasers of Kepler & Sirius, over 60 free beautiful extra artistic wheels for Solar Fire Gold, etc. 5. You are supporting my website, allowing me to continue posting astrology tutorials, software reviews, and much more. 6. Your software is fully registered to you and shipped to you directly from the manufacturer, with their full customer support as well as mine. To go to my secure astrology software order form, click here. You can support SoftStar News by: Telling others about our website. Sending us your insights and feedback on astrology software, Alerting us to new programs and astrological resources, Linking your website to ours, and by purchasing your astrological software through this site. Click to Return to 
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