Lucid Internet Startup - - PDF of this page.
This page last modified on 23 June, 2008
Assuming that you have the Java Runtime environment already installed, starting up one or more of my keys implemented for Lucid for the first time from the Internet is likely to involve some relatively long delays. The following series of screens shows what to expect, along with time estimates for a 3 Mbit DSL connection (AT&T's second level in Southern California). Several of the time delays will be much shorter on second and later references to the same Lucid key - - even after you have turned the computer off completely.
Roughly 15 seconds after you click the link to the page containing the key, the following browser window should appear. The notation "Please Wait ..." should appear before the rectangular outline with the very narrow lines.
If this page, or the thin rectangle, do not appear within 30 to 60 seconds after you click the Start Lucid3 based key link, then your browser may be trying to pop-up (something like) the following Dialog Box:
If this appears, then to continue you will have to click Run here.
That thin rectangle encloses the space taken up by the Lucid Player itself. In this screen I have used the vertical scrollbar to hide the two "Please wait ..." messages above and below the space taken up by the Player. You can expand or contract the browser window, and a vertical size change will change the size of the Player correspondingly. This screen should appear roughly 30 seconds after the previous one.
Next the following screen will appear, with lines in the Performed Operations box being displayed one by one showing progress in the loading operation. Elapsed time for the operation will be roughly a minute up to this stage.
Finally the list of species must appear in the upper right panel, leading to the following display after a short delay.
If you do not experience roughly the loading process illustrated above, it may be helpful to refer to the following Java website page:
To continue with the 3 Stage search strategy we recommend (see Taxonomic Databases for Inexperienced Users) you will need to refer to the Gallery which shows a closeup photograph of each species. You can view one medium size image for each species by turning on the Icons for the Entities (i.e. Species) Remaining list by checking the View menu "Multimedia Icons" option. This will alter the display as follows:
Click the colored icon next to any species such as Fagonia laevis (scroll down in the Entities Remaining list; context will be shown shortly) to get:
which will be in its own separate window.
Don't try to display the Gallery of photos quite yet - - unless you are prepared to wait for at least 10 minutes using a fast Broadband Internet connection!!
To reach Stage 2 of our recommended search strategy you will narrow the Entities Remaining list to roughly 10 species. It is at this stage that you could display the Gallery (for the first time involving these species) with only a brief delay to download the thumbnail photos for the species that are remaining. For example, making the 3 menu/attribute selections shown below in the lower-left (Features Chosen) pane you will have 12 species in the Entities Remaining list. Switch (using the tabs just below the bottom-right pane) to "Images" to get the Gallery.
All 12 slots in the matrix will initially resemble the bottom three slots in this screenshot. But they will progressively fill with thumbnail images as downloading from the Internet proceeds. To display the separate Image Viewer for any one of these species, click the thumbnail image.
Subsequent Gallery requests involving these species will show the thumbnail photos instantly.
-- Ken Bowles