var speed = 10

// decrease value to increase speed (must be positive)
// set pause between completion of message and beginning of following message
var pause = 2500

// increase value to increase pause
// set initial values
var timerID = null
var bannerRunning = false

// create array
var ar = new Array()

// assign the strings to the array's elements
ar[0] = "Bienvenidos a la Red Acelerográfica del CISMID"
ar[1] = "Centro Peruano Japonés de Investigaciones Sísmicas y Mitigación de Desastres"
ar[2] = "Página Web: [ http://www.cismid-uni.org ]"
ar[3] = "Comentarios y/o sugerencias: [ f_lazares@uni.edu.pe ]"


// assign index of current message
var message = 0

// empty string initialization
var state = ""

// no value is currently being displayed
clearState()

// stop the banner if it is currently running
function stopBanner() {
        // if banner is currently running
        if (bannerRunning)
        // stop the banner
        clearTimeout(timerID)
        // timer is now stopped
        timerRunning = false
}

// start the banner
function startBanner() {
        // make sure the banner is stopped
        stopBanner()
        // start the banner from the current position
        showBanner()
}

// assign state a string of "0" characters of the length of the current message
function clearState() {
        // initialize to empty string
        state = ""
        // create string of same length containing 0 digits
        for (var i = 0; i < ar[message].length; ++i) {
                state += "0"
        }
}

// display the current message
function showBanner() {
        // if the current message is done
        if (getString()) {
                // increment message
                message++
                // if new message is out of range wrap around to first message
        if (ar.length <= message)
                message = 0
                // new message is first displayed as empty string
                clearState()
                // display next character after pause milliseconds
                timerID = setTimeout("showBanner()", pause)
        }
        else {
                // initialize to empty string
                var str = ""
                // built string to be displayed (only character selected thus far are displayed)
        for (var j = 0; j < state.length; ++j) {
                str += (state.charAt(j) == "1") ? ar[message].charAt(j) : "     "
        }
        // partial string is placed in status bar
        window.status = str
        // add another character after speed milliseconds
        timerID = setTimeout("showBanner()", speed)
        }
}

function getString() {
        // set variable to true (it will stay true unless proven otherwise)
        var full = true
        // set variable to false if a free space is found in string (a not-displayed char)
        for (var j = 0; j < state.length; ++j) {
                // if character at index j of current message has not been placed in displayed string
                if (state.charAt(j) == 0)
                full = false
        }
        // return true immediately if no space found (avoid infinitive loop later)
        if (full) return true
        // search for random until free space found (braoken up via break statement)
        while (1) {
                // a random number (between 0 and state.length - 1 == message.length - 1)
                var num = getRandom(ar[message].length)
                // if free space found break infinitive loop
        if (state.charAt(num) == "0")
                break
        }
        // replace the 0 character with 1 character at place found
        state = state.substring(0, num) + "1" + state.substring(num + 1, state.length)
        // return false because the string was not full (free space was found)
        return false
}

function getRandom(max) {
        // create instance of current date
        var now = new Date()
        // create a random number (good generator)
        var num = now.getTime() * now.getSeconds() * Math.random()
        // cut random number to value between 0 and max - 1, inclusive
        return num % max
}
startBanner()
// -->