'

MAGAZINE

LIBRARY

rANDARDPERSONALCOMPUTING VOLUME 5 NUMBER

10

MAY 27.
$2.95

FIRST
R EFERENC E

COPY

DO NOT REMOVE
FROM THIS ROOM

LOOK

AT IBM’S $1,995 LAPTOP:
THE PC CONVERTIBLE

How Safe
Is Your PC?

PC Labs Tests

M Surge
Suppressors
Guru: The

First

Practical Expert System?

Tandy’s IndustrialStrength AT Alternative

Norton on the
Hidden Bug in

DOS 2.1

Plus:

5

Desktop Organizers

5 Style
14

Analyzers

Financial Services

And More

1

.

Directions
for

converting

aPC
toanXT

Retail

Distribution

Accounting

“What do we mean by honest accounting software?”

W

e

mean software

do;

it

works

that does

what

Our

it

says

it

will

in the real world.

What does RealWorld™ accounting

accounting line offers
General Ledger, Accounts Receivable, Payroll,
Accounts Payable, Order Entry, Inventory Control
and Sales Analysis as honest solutions to your
accounting problems. Our software runs on most
popular micro-computers.
fully

Insist
it

software do?

integrated

RealWorld software has been designed

says

and

stores, or call

us direct for the

number of the dealer nearest you. Or send us the
coupon below and we will mail the information to
you without

delay.

RealWorld Corporation
Dover Road
Chichester. N.H. 03263

to suit

603- 225-9565

1-

your business accounting needs. Our software is
built on the actual live feedback collected from our
dealers

on the accounting software thatdoes what
will do. RealWorld is available at most

it

major computer

RealWorld

users over the last ten years.

is

a trademark of

RealWorld Corporation

I'd like more information about the Accounting Software that doe^^
what it says it will do and the name, address and phone # of the
computer store nearest me that has RealWorld Accounting Software.

An

installed base of over 80,000 satisfied users
has kept us in touch with the true needs of business

Name

real world. An independent
survey of computer retailers rated us #1 in techniperformance, documentation, user friendli-

accounting in the

Company

cal

ness, features

and

See for yourself

Seeing

is

Address

adaptability.

what RealWorld can do

believing

City

— go to your local computer

State

Zip Code _

dealer and get a live demonstration of our software. You can enter real data about your real life

Hardware

accounting problems and see the results for your-

Type

of Business

l

self.

CIRCLE

168

ON READER SERVICE CARD

.

Our new improvements on
Crosstalk XVI are rev o luti onary! co l o ss a l! *
oonoatienqU ... too good to ignore entirely.

It's not easy to make big improvements to Crosstalk. So we
keep making little ones. To some people, our latest improvements may seem minor. But they may be just what
you've been waiting for.
If you need the KERMIT protocol, you'll be excited to hear
that our new version of Crosstalk XVI has it. Now you can
transfer files from PC to mainframe or back, with error-

In all, our latest version of Crosstalk XVI has 30 improvements. Some minor. Some major.
If you already have an earlier version of Crosstalk, we'll
update it for a modest additional charge.
If you use another data communications program that
doesn't keep improving, maybe it's time you had an improvement of your own. Try Crosstalk, at your local retailer.

checking.
If you use TopView, you'll be happy to hear that our new
version is compatible with it. You can now keep Crosstalk
running while you use another program.

Or

write for details.
*

MICROSTUF

Microstuf, Inc.

1000 Holcomb

Woods Pkwy.

Roswell, Georgia 30076

^KU \ \I/\LI\
CIRCLE 326

ON READER

SERVICE

CARD

CROSST ALK

is

a registered trademark of Mlcrostuf. Inc

CopyWrite
BACKS UP
IBM PC

SOFTWARE
Hundreds

of the

most

popular copy-protected
programs are copied readily.

CopyWrite needs no
complicated parameters.
It needs an IBM Personal
Computer, or an XT or an AT,
128k bytes of memory, and

one

diskette drive.

CopyWrite will run faster
with more memory or
another drive.
CopyWrite is revised
monthly to keep up with the
latest in copy-protection.

You may get a new edition
any time for a $15 trade

at

in fee.

CopyWrite makes back up
copies to protect you
against accidental loss of
your software, 't is not for

producing copies for sale or
trade, or for any other use
that deprives the author of
payment for his work.

To order CopyWrite, send a

check

for

$50

U.S., or call

us

with your credit card. We will
ship the software within
a day.

Quaid Software Limited
45 Charles Street East
Third Floor

Toronto. Ontario
(

M4Y 1S2

416 ) 961-8243

Ask about ZeroDisk

to run copy-protected

software from a hard disk without floppies.

PC

MAGAZINE

MAY
4

2 7.

1986

The World's
Top Selling
Full-Performance
EGA Board.

QuadEGA-f
When

comes to

it

Because our

EGA,

Quadram.

the world comes to

new QuadEGA +

delivers the superior

performance and outstanding value other boards can’t

match. Over 10,000 have been sold

And

the

in just

45 days.

number keeps growing. Power users, consultants,
and Fortune 1000 companies

small business owners,

the world over are buying

many have announced

QuadEGA + And

as their

it

From Quadram,
In the beginning,

.

new

standard.

of course

Quadram shaped

the enhancement

industry with the Quadboard. Since then,

Quadram

has grown to bring you a complete family of leading

PC products.

Graphics, add-on boards, communications,

and more. Today, Quadram is changing the industry
again. With QuadEGA + and its companion, the new

QuadChrome Enhanced Display.
Quadram

feature, dollar for dollar,

Feature for

outperforms

the competition to give you the best value around.

Enhance your image with

QuadEGA +

by Quadram.

a proven winner.

And step

up to the

quality

graphics that knocks ’em dead everytime.
QuadEGA +

a trademark of

Qudnm Carp.

QmJbosrd,

restarted trademarks of

Qadnm aid the Qjadr»n

lop

«

Qtadram Corp.

QUADRAM
'

CIRCLE

189

ON READER SERVICE CARD

J

An

Intelligent

Systems

Company

—
VOLUME

NUMBER

5

10

KA L RES
I

I

SOFTWARE

HARDWARE

Guru: Brave New
Expert System?

One, Two, Breakthrough:
The Core HC2S
Winn L. Roschi" Exclusive”

John Helliwell/Take an expert
system and integrate it with five

You Can
Your PC)
(But

Winn L.
HIGH TO GROUNO

LOW TO GROUND

HIGH

LOW TO GROUNO

—

hardware fans

—

is

number-one cause of PC

it

—

something about

Phil

lot

five

little

Take a look

at the

165

.

COMPUTERS
The Tandy 3000 HD:
A Fraternal Twin of the

PC AT
David ObregonlTandy has

.

come around from

socket boxes that

115

market.

One

thing’s for sure:

Tandy’s newest

—

a hard disk,

80286-based machine

—means
209

business

The Quest

ON-LINE SERVICES

for Style

A Guide to On-Line

Robin Raskin! Every office
even those containing good
writers

—

Wouldn't

needs an editor.
it be convenient

same PC you use

Investing

Thomas A. Meyers/On-line
if

the

to create text

and check spelling could also
scan for stylistic and
grammatical errors! But can it
really be done? These five
programs represent the state of

MAGAZINE

early

its

non-IBM-compatible forays
into the personal computer

you plug your PC and
peripherals into? No one
seemed to know. So PC
Magazine Labs torture-tested
34 surge suppressors and came
up with some surprising
results

181

programs reviewed

here

WisweWHow effective are

those

....

of space, but not when

An
.

fastest

PC takes

106

it

Ounce of Prevention

quarter-gigabyte

begin to get the picture

you consider the office
equipment it can replace. Want
to send your Rolodex,

typewriter?

time to do

Surge Suppressors:

What’s so exciting

fat

of storage, add the

and notepad the way of the

start

worrying now? Definitely,
still

we

first

country to

calendar, clock, calculator,

stops

you

Vincent PugliaTYhe

up a

or worse, starts

surging. Should

be the

in the

access times ever, and you

nobody pays much attention to
the current coming out of the

while there’s

Imagine a

Desktop Organizers:
Top-Notch Efficiency Tools
Diane Burns, S. Venil, and

surges, spikes,

wall socket until

it.

to

about another hard disk drive?
151

Protect

malfunction and data loss. But

coming

tear into

expert-system techniques in
business environments

blackouts, and brownouts
the

the hardware

knew we had

of a program that could, with

encourage everyday use of

/Tosr/i/Power-line

pollution

When

grapevine began buzzing,

What do you get? Guru, a giant
some serious commitment,

COVER STORY
Power Corrupts

alert:

standard business applications.

financial services

tell

what’s happening as

you
it

occurs.

Investors can get their hands

on

breaking and historical market
data as well as investmentspecific information
into

by tapping

Dow Jones News/Retrieval

the art in software dedicated to

and the other 1 3 services sized

cleaning up your copy

up here

MAY

27.

1986

189

213

PC NEWS
j

IBM’s new

laptop, faster

ATs,

an analysis of copy protection's

and a

future,

Microsoft

first

look

Word 3 .0.

at

Also,

New on the Market

33

REVIEWS IN BRIEF
David Obregon/The
file

Vfeature

security programs.

PRODUCTIVITY

|

WHAT’S inside

PC LAB NOTES
Printer Buffers:

Charles Rodriguez

spends the greater part of his

ROM chip

Charles PetzoldfW ays to
knock out printing johs without
compromising control of your
computer
231

day making things work. Or at
least that's what he did until

PROGRAMMING/

this issue to violating the

“power regulation” came up
on the

293

UTILITIES
Stacking

pocratic oath.

Up Subdirectories*^

John FriendTTake
utilities:

15

DOS

VendittolHard disk and
filter

options

25

PC’s
volts

New Technology: The
Toughest Sell
Bill MachronefWbal it takes
try

Which was exactly

the point.

No one had any

volts (50 times the standard office supply)

something new

We also knew

POWER USER

ed

PC TUTOR
file

spacing in WordStar

conversions,

unscathed, several of the products did not (page 115).

BASIC

Associate editor Jennifer de Jong turned to contributing editor

Winn Rosch

and proportional
265

106).

CD-ROM

Standard? What Standard?
The IBM standard: an enigma
wrapped in a mystery
91

STEWART ALSOP

PC MART
PC RLI 1F.ROOK
READER SERVICE

770
777

the topic of PCs

a PC Magazine exclusive look at the

PRODUCT INDEX
COMING UP
INDEX TO

289
299

was

he not only holds a

also the author of our

ADVERTISERS

301

in

time to take

on page 181.
In our first issue this year, we reported on copy-protection
schemes and protection-busting products. Since then, more companies have abandoned the whole idea of copy protection. Will the
walls come tumbling all the way down? A report by Stewart Alsop
and Charlie Bermant in PC News.
quite a spectacular showing; the review begins

Shig Ikeda

PC

and power just

new high-performance, highThe Core HC25 made

capacity drive from Core International.

Cover Photograph:
97

on PCs and power (page

right for the assignment;

engineering, but he

power supplies.
Rosch exhausted

PART)

The Zen of Arrogance

A look at the corporate

in electrical

cover story on power in March 1 983. Rosch will be closely involved with our upcoming reviews of uninterruptible and standby
last

is

87

to write our front-end piece

Rosch was just

degree

STEPHEN MANES

warrior

into

lab-hours to perform.

Rodriguez managed the testing and also reassured skittish software reviewers who were in the Labs evaluating programs for the
upcoming database blockbuster in issue 12. The labs were ringed
with extra fire extinguishers, and Rodriguez cautioned everyone
working near the KeyTek IEEE-587 surge generator to remove
rings, watches, and jewelry. While the reviewers all came through

CD-ROM Boom
how to get it there

that would meet PC Labs standards, productMike O'Cone and contributing editor Phil Wiswell
from some of the naon power regulation. The results translat384 individual procedures per device that took over 300

tion’s leading authorities

Paul SomersonlCrealmg a
memory-resident utility to
capture and save screen
images
259

differences,

should be going; the question

in

traveled across the country and sought advice

Charles Perzo/d/Executable

where the

uncommon

losing big.

USER-TO-USER

Awaiting the
is

mean

To develop tests

JIM SEYMOUR

Home

that multithousand-volt peaks are not

testing editor

253

to

71

kilo-

alike.

most offices. This makes it hard to devise a set of tests rigorous
enough to single out the winners and the losers. And, in this case,

Be sure to COMPare when you

COPY*.*

6

We did know

SPREADSHEET CLINIC

Paul Somerson/A special
collection of WordStar

59

idea what

might do.

no two are exactly

Jared TaylorlMore powerful
1-2-3 macros
249

customization tips

PETER NORTON
A Little-Known
Bug in DOS 2.1

it

can cause?"

243

losing can

FROM THE EDITOR’S
SCREEN

Hip-

artifi-

directly at the

surge protectors and then zap

that electrical surges are like snowflakes:

PC ADVISOR

“hurl

own power supply. Do you know how much damage 6,000

PUSHDIR and

POPDIR

“We had to do two things,” he recalls,

cial lightning at

the sting out

of switching with two

LETTERS TO
PC MAGAZINE

screen

Rod-

editorial calendar.

riguez likens his assignment for

VIEWPOINTS

Gus

(at left),

Magazine Labs technician,

Whoops! The Real-Time
Spelling Checker, and the PC-

Inmate

PC

Productivity Tools

John Dickinson, Stephen
Manes, Charles Bermant, and

MAGAZINE

MAY2
7

7.

1986

rg

—
TEXAS COMPUTER SYSTEMS
214 264-8511
Free 1-800-433-5184
Toll

Syrteim, Inc.

Texas

Mail Order Computing Since 1980 •

D&

Heart ol Texas Compiler
P.O. ®o« 53119®
Grand Prairie, Texas 7S053

B Rated • Major corporate PO‘s accepted.

•

We have lowest

•

No

prices.

Compa**!

surcharge

on VISA,
•

MC

Prompt shipping.
Free on many

Hems. Ca».
. finest service!

Your

lull

satnlaction
is our goal!

External

Cabinets
Converts
Drive Kits
to Cabinets.

Power supply
included.

High ?“ , °' " a, c ' J'voSce'eoiHechnofogy givis
J
cables & mslrucbo
average access time,
ou.stanbing quah V.^ *•
powBI supply.
,

^

j

-

„„

Systems
’“

Why

»ananty.
tacked b, 13 month
Disk.
Boots Irom Hard

settle for

TCS Turbo AT

tech nology
5 year-old design

when you can have

the sensational

<£705
TCS TURBO PC
with keyboard
2 speed motherboard
mode.
regular and turbo
selectable

motherboard.
64 OK memory on
8 expansion slots.
supply
135 watt power
•

m

1

360K

drive with
halt-height floppy

controller.

n
Vi

I

.

80286 Microprocessor
memory on motherboard.

built-in speaker.

indicator lights
quality cabinet.
Beautifully styled, high
(5151 Optional)
5150 style keyboard.

led

(MY
;

and

I

1

I

I

I

I

—ssKKsr-—

Meg

^Mlrcon'roller.
!

192 watt power supply.
8 Expansion Slots.
backup.
Clock'Calendar w/battery
AT style keyboard. key lock.
style cabinet with

AT

Set-up Software.
13

month

warranty.

Fujitsu 2100 Color

Fujitsu 2200
Fujitsu 2200 Color
Fujitsu 2400
Fujitsu 2400 Color
Panasonic 1080

Panasonic 1091
Panasonic 1092
Panasonic 1592
Panasonic 3151

•

.

.

.

.

.

*645
*64*
*295

.

SI* 95
* 225
SB
S39
*4 3 “

&

RGB COLOR
GoldStar

Pitch.

13".

•

Anchor Express

31 0ol
RssohJbon. ji

UKm-H^h

2°

*699

9219

BACKUP POWER
200 waits
425 watts

External

.

.

300-1200.
Hayes compatible.

*269 4 *2".

•

Evercom

*7

150 watt

Internal

•

* 195

Includes software.

POWER SUPPLIES

1035

•

300-1200.
Hayes compatible,

qg

1,000 watts

25
60 Meg

*275

•

300-1200.
Hayes compatible.
- 2 179
Volksmodem 12

Non-glare »cteen.

$88B

.

300-1200.
Hayes compalible.

Non-ptw* laewx.

Internal

60 Meg
.

IZQ sJ
1f %J
^
ZJ

modems

monitors

tape back-up
SYSTEMS

PRINTERS
Fujitsu 2100

(£

'

-

*412
• $100

We do not guarantee compatibility for al systems. Brand names listed are registered trademarks. Al
sales are final. Returns for repair require authorization number. Prices, specifications and
t subject to error or change without notice.

CIRCLE

324

ON READER

availability

SERVICE

CARD

•

•

AH merchandise

is

new

minimum purchase required.
with manufacturer's warranty.

VISA, MC, C.O.D.
and approved corporate PO's For American Express add 3%.

We accept cashier’s checks money orders,

TinyTurbo 286
'SuperchaiyeTYouFPCJa
IBM
an IBM-AV
Thdfl 3fJ
n.m Faster
Factor Than

nr

-

those
you've been singing
Blues,
"Computer Upgrade

II

Order

this. Now
stop and consider
$500, you too
,or less than
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can enjoy the lightning
on your current PC/

of an

AT

You'll bo

the remarkable

omazodal

speed increase
exciting PC/XT

And then

you’ll get with th.s
hall elol

s easy to
necessary.

MHz 80286

proceasor.

antnKT

no solware

install,

Sm**dsh«l

It

I

100%
lUUTI
I

•

Calculation

D,utMt5oil

speed. teeps 808
Switch selectable
lor absolute
processor in the system
I

I

•

TlnyTurtw

includes en 8

CADI Hawn-

•

Sieve

compatibility.
wr’

BfnclnijrW

»

performance
Gives you AT high

at a

traction ol the cost-

•

return you instantly to

where you

started.

DIR command

.... .Ui nn IRM-XT
short slot on IBM-XT
Fits 5 inch
RGB Card
Emulates standard IBM
Standard Printer Port

»

IBM
Emulates standard
compatibility
Hercules Graphics
Includes

sta ndard

rename files.
Send printer codes
from within program
you are using.
or

CARD
TCS MONOCHROME
Monochrome Card
.
B

•

Password lock
your computer.

•

And much more!

—

Printer Port

EVEREX EDGE

$239

"WindowDOS

Monochrome

Color and

as

Card
Oo-Everything Graphics

ant-a
Color and

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HandtingrShipping
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Monochrome

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^

'indow

Texas 214 264-2626
Money orders, cashier's checks. VISA, MC.
AmEx, and corporate purchase orders

Card
Do-Everything Graphics
&

itself

I

SOLUTION
ATI GRAPHIC
Serial

quickly established

an indispensible part of my PC environment.
can't imagine working without it.
Paul Bonner. Reviewer.
1

$249
1[

scroll

your screen.

• Easily copy, erase

.

,

Orders un.,

,

Quickly search for
any file, any time.
See up to 85 files
per screen page.
Check space left
on your disk while
running a program.
Never again have a
files off

COLOR GRAPHICS CARD
I

Utility

sued

accelerator.
I

1» - 800 wa re
So

Toll tree

DOS

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Pop-up windows give you instant access
to many enhanced DOS functions
from inside the program you are running.

XT.
,

interactive

-

toRun

*75

its

competition

card
res multifunction
t

Parallel. Serial,

, FIAM

and

I/O
a

Game

port

included.
disk software

memory
$99 Without

$149

CLOCK CARD

Serial. Parallel.

2nd Serial

Port,

&

Game

Port. Software.
companion*
•t perfect

add $15

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323

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ON READER

SERVICE

CARD

Software of the Future, Inc.
P.O. Box 531650 Grand Prairie, Texas 75053
WindowDOS Interactive DOS Utility Program lor IBM PC. XT. AT and true compatibles
Requires DOS 2 0 or newer and 80 column display Uses only 40K ot memory All brand
names

listed

above are registered trademarks

At

last,

the world's

best-selling portable

has a

little

computer

competition.

Introducing
the remarkable

new

COMPAQ PORTABLE II

N
so

ow

there's a portable personal computer so small,
and so fast it defines a
industry standard. From

light,

new

same company that set the
standard —COMPAQ/
The new advanced-technology

the

COMPAQ PORTABLE
all

II™ has

the advantages of the world's

PORTABLE II 30%

smaller and
17% lighter— with no reduction

and a big gain in
functionality —was an engineerin

monitor

size

ing triumph.

The

result is a full-

powerful than most desktop
computers.

With
sor,

the

its

80286 microproces-

COMPAQ PORTABLE II

can run

all the popular business
software written for IBM* Personal Computers. At speeds three
to five times faster than the

COMPAQ Portable, IBM PC/XT™
and other compatibles.
It's

more computer
in less space

Never before has a computer
this small been capable of so

much. Making the

COMPAQ

a

board for communicating

function, advanced-technology

with your mainframe.

personal computer that's easy to
on business trips or carry
from desk to desk.

The

No compromises

take

best-selling full-function
portable— the original COMPAQ
Portable— plus it's even more
portable. And it's far more

built in, the two expansion slots
can be used for connecting your
computer to others: add a
modem, a networking board, or

A computer for now
and for the future
The

COMPAQ PORTABLE

II

excels in compatibility. And
because of its standard 360Kbyte diskette drive format,
your data diskettes will be fully

interchangeable with other
COMPAQ IBM, and compatible
personal computers.

Expandability?

An

optional
10-Megabyte fixed disk drive
stores over 5000 pages of data.

RAM expands to 2.1 Megabytes
without an expansion slot, and
with one expansion slot
can expand to 4.1 Megabytes.
Since interfaces for the most
popular peripherals are already

COMPAQ PORTABLE

II

puts tremendous computing i,|g*l||
potential within the grasp of
jjj
every computer user. It's backed
by the service and the support
of over 2900 Authorized
COMPAQ Computer Dealers
worldwide. Plus, it's made by
the undisputed world leader in
portable personal computers.

And

for that title, there's no
competition.
For the name of the dealer
nearest you, call toll-free 1-800231-0900 and ask for Operator
16. In Canada, call (416) 449-

8741.

In

Europe,

84117898630AB;

RAM COMPAQ TTXD.
IBM* is a

registered trademark

and

telex

898630
IBM PC/XT™

a trademark of International Business Machines
Computer CorporaCorporation. « 1986
is

COMPAQ

tion.

All rights reserved.

comPAa
It

simply works better.

Look what our
worn processor
can da
Our word processor
does spreadsheets, and

our spreadsheet does

word processing (the two
most wanted business

PC applications), because
new FYamework 11" is a word
processor and a spreadsheet
in one.

So when you want to
learn a second function you
don’t have to learn a

second

set of commands, as you do

you want numbers, words
and graphs on one page.
And when you want to
move on to more complex
reports you don’t have to
move on to more complex
software. Because the unified command structure

with other software packages. that makes it easier to learn

And when you want to

another function also makes

switch functions you don’t

it

have to switch disks.

into the rich capabilities of

And you can cut out the
need to cut and paste when

Framework II.
Deeper capabilities like

easier to delve deeper

Look what
our spreadsheet
can da
Nik o' OS Acropadopol i $
Hermes hanof actur mg, Co.
Athens, Greece

fir

Dear Mr

Acropodopol

1

«v

S

jur third quarter sales analysis shows the sales for Olive
S^-p'.'se are ihe pits
Perhaps the American pcfclic Just Isn't ready for synthetjic olives

outlining (to organize

This does not mean there isn't a market for Olive Surprise
Somewhere
They'll ea
an^thino
5 » jcu tried the french'
In fac*
me d be more than glad to ship a
0 000 cases of yti
Surprise to them right away
(

-

information) and spell

1

forecast

checking for word pro-

£>tra J»jtfcos
Pits
No pits
tV.\* Surprise

!

.

$

Actual Difference

"’200

-r:

fc>000

637g

%00

H35

lOCOP

0

<2e>

(

37Q
35
10 000 )
,

cessing graphics for
spreadsheets, and a data
management function
that feeds both word processing and spreadsheets. You
also get instant access to all

communications device and,,
dial (800) 437-4329, Extern

sion 0294J for the location of
your nearest authorized

Ashton-Tate'dealer.Tlien stop
ofyourdBASE' files.
in for a free framework II
You can even collect data
Sampler disk.
for FVamework II
ASHTONTATE
And see just
reports and
FRAMEWORK II
VW/rd processing, spreadsheets, and mote.

how efficient our

analyses from outside sources

word processor
and spreadsheet

by

using its tele-

communications

are.

So pick up a tele-

.

,er, is.

•In Colorado call (303) 799-4900, Extension 0294.

capabilities.
CIRCLE

210

ON READER SERVICE CARD

Requires IBM* PC or 100% compatible. TYademark/
Owners: AshtonTate, Framework II, d BASE /.AshtonTate:
IBM/International Business Machines. Upgrades to
FYamework II are available to all owners of Framework 1.0
and 1.1.
1986 Ashton Tate All rights reserved.

0

When all else
fails.
Most diskettes are pretty good.
And some of the time that’s good enough.
But next time you throw away one that won’t
format or you lose the cash flow analysis you’ve
been working on for weeks, make a mental note to
try a box of Dysan diskettes.
They’re better.
So much better, in fact, that major computer
manufacturers put their names on our diskettes
sell them as their own.
Without fear of failure.
You see, we make our diskettes better with
advanced manufacturing processes that our
competitors have yet to figure out.
And we test them.
Almost to the point of absurdity.
Dysan diskettes are inspected almost a hundred

and

times as they
to

come down the line. They’re tested
levels way beyond industry

performance

standards. And each
percent error free.

one

is

certified to

be 100

Then our corporate quality assurance fanatics
come along and check them all over again. For all

the same things. Plus some things only they
understand.
When we’re done, you get exactly what you
wanted in the first place. Diskettes that will record
and retain all your data all the time.
We don't expea you to keep all that in your

mental note, but we would like you to remember
your last diskette failure.
And when your computer products dealer
offers you another box of pretty good diskettes,
tell him you’re ready for something better.
Dysan.
Call toll free for the name of the Dysan dealer
nearest you. (800) 551-9000.
Dysan Corporation, 5201 Patrick Henry
Drive, P.O. Box 58053, Santa Clara, CA 95050,

(408) 988-3472.

Dysan
Somebody has

*

be better
than everybody else.
to

CIRCLE 289 ON READER SERVICE CARD

s

V

I

B

W POIN

)

T

Letters to
PC MAGAZINE
FINDING THE RIGHT WORDS

your January 28 issue was just great.

weird requests, but

it

also has written

Until reading your article

A1 Henderson

ros for the college

I

work

of

Hinsdale, Illinois

them on disk

“The Business
Words” in PC Magazine (Volume 5
Number 2), I was never able to adequately
verbalize why I liked DisplayWrite 2 for

—

for

macand mailed

totally free!

Ted Hommel
Craig L. Stark

Scottsbluff,

replies:

Nebraska

Having spent weeks (though not months
trying to appreciate Spellbinder’s comadmit to being frustrated
by them. So, I suspect, would most readers, especially when they could have been

plexities, l quite

using faster, easier- to-use programs with
better documentation

and no less power.

WILD WORDS
Dawn Gordon’s

critique of WordPerfect,

Version 4.1 (“The Business of Words:
Professional”), stated that “search and re-

our corporate offices, WordStar for

own

use,

and possibly a

that

I

now

feel

I

packages to look

not case sensitive” and “wild-

Checking the reference manual under replace proves otherwise: “Lowercase characters will match both lowercase and uppercase. Uppercase will match only
uppercase. Ctrl-X will match any charac-

new-found insight is
have two or three more

at.
J.

is

My

my

Steven

place

cards are not supported” in that mode.

ternative for our small retail offices.

only regret about

my

third separate al-

Hausman

Greensboro, North Carolina

ter

except a function code, but should not

be the

first

character in a string

WORDS OF FRUSTRATION
*
Your cover line ‘PC Labs Puts Word

cessors in Their Place...”

is

—an

objectivity that

was sadly missing

Craig L. Stark’s review of Spellbinder,
Version 5.40 (“The Business of Words:
in

Professional”).

His comments were not so much a review as they were an expression of frustracomplex program that

tion with a highly

cannot be fully appreciated

in

a matter of a

few hours, days, weeks, or even months.
Lexisoft Inc. should have done better with
its documentation. Its advertising brochures are
its

much

easier to understand than

manuals! Other than

that,

John York
Denver, Colorado

Pro-

Mrs. Lincoln,

PC

Emerging

Technology’s Professional Writer’s Package, is not “slow with screen operations in
general” as you claim. It’s much faster
than XyWrite // Plus, Version 2.0, which

you often proclaim as “blazingly fast.”
The fault lies with the IBM color/graphics
board, which makes snow on the screen
unless stultifying measures are taken. If
you see Edix with a monochrome card,
you’ll find that

all

of Edix's screen opera-

tions are truly instantaneous.

a catchy

phrase that suggests scientific objectivity

”
.

Edix, the text editor part of

FIGHTING WORDS

James A.

A

programmable word processor such as
EdixlWordix, included in The Professional
Writer’s Package, Version 2.0 (The Business of Words: Professional), is important
for those times when offices outgrow their
WYSIWYG ( what you see is what you
get) word processor.
Wordix will do complex tasks, but it is a
bit

tough to explain

this to

a secretary

who

is on her second day with the system and
has never programmed. That’s why
Emerging Technology’s support is the best
I have known. Not only is it a help with

MAY2

MAGAZINE
15

7,

Oak

Rome

Ridge, Tennessee

WORDS TO THE WISE
The Leading Edge Word Processor, Version 1.3, reviewed in “The Business of
Words: Corporate,” has one major flaw
you didn’t mention: it takes complete control of the keyboard, which means you
can’t access any of the resident programs
available to

PC

users.

Programs such as

Desk Organizer, or PolyWindows DeskPlus ( SideKick works, but only
Spotlight,

if

1986

you are very

careful). In addition, the

VIEWPOINTS
At

last!

-

Fast On-screen
,

LETTERS

FLOWCHARTS
And Organization Charts
Finally!

printers, not just dot matrix printers.

do most

Wide charts can be printed in strips Also
works with Hewlett-Packard 7475A (and
compatible) plotters • Twenty standard
flowcharting shapes included •Com-

An on-screen flowchart processor that knows about flowcharts and
organization charts - not just another
"screen draw" program that makes you
of the work.

most important resident won't
mainframes.
Peter

mon shapes
Interactive EasyFlow is a powerful
full-screen graphics program dedicated

supplied in three sizes
• Extensive manual (125 pages) inmany examples • Context

cludes

and organization charts.
With this program you can quickly compose charts on the screen. More important. you can easily modify charts so
they are always up to date.

sensitive “help" facility provides immediate assistance at any time • Any
number of titles can be placed on a chart
• Commentary text blocks can be
placed anywhere in the chart • Fast:
written in 8088 assembler • Plus many

Features: • Text

more features than we can mention

to flowcharts

is

automatically

centered, character by character, within
shapes as you type it • Text formatting
controls allow you to over-ride the automatic formating where desired • Lines
are created by specifying the starting
and ending points - the program automatically generates the route • Powerful

shapes and
rows and columns of shapes

editing facilities allow

even entire
to be inserted or deleted: lines are automatically re-routed as necessary
• Large chart size (up to 16 shapes
wide by 16 shapes high) allows very
large flowcharts and organization charts
to be handled with ease • Charts can be
larger than the screen - the window into
the chart scrolls both horizontally and
vertically as necessary • Flexible printer interface allows it to work with all

here.

wotft: the

terminal emulator that communicates with

Romanchuk

Carlstadt,

New Jersey

COMPREHENSIVE RETORT
PC Magazine's article “The PC Plays TuMarch 25th issue
(Volume 5 Number 6) contains statements
tor" on page 225 of the
that are

erroneous and contain negative im-

Comprehensive
The statement that "Companies

plications concerning

Software.

such as Comprehensive Software Inc.

...

are no longer distributing applications

Requires at least 256K memory, DOS-2
and an IBM or Hercules compatible graphics card.

training products”

($15.00 S&H; USA/Canada only). Rush
orders received by noon will be delivered

the next business day (to most

untrue.

tributed applications training products for

IBM

the

Order direct for only $149.95 + $2.00
S&H (USA/Canada), $10.00 (foreign).
Payment by MO, check, VISA, COD or
Company PO. Rush orders accepted

is

Comprehensive Software has never dis-

or higher

PC. Our computer-based training

programs, called The Intro Series, are generic in nature.

They teach about computer

literacy, concentrating on why a category
of software might be used, and give inter-

active practice exercises

on

several differ-

ent application packages within one tutori-

For example, our Introduction to
Communications product features the IBM
Personal Communications Manager,
Crosstalk, The Source, CompuServe, and
al.

locations).

The sample screen display shown below is typical
what you see while editing a

chart.

Other screen

plays are provided tor entering
options, getting “help"

titles,

ol

dis-

changing

and so on.

Dow

Jones, as well as bulletin board on-

systems.

line

We

also discuss hardware

options for communications and

LAN

packages.

STATUS BAR

(not to

CHART WINDOW gives an

overview of your chart; this
example shows the “normal" view. "Close-up" view shows a
smaller part of the chart in more detail. “Wide-angle" view
shows a larger part of the chart at reduced size.

be

confused with a wet bar) tells
you what Interactive EasyFlow
is doing at all times.

The only one of our IBM PC
programs

that

training

could be considered an ap-

plications tutorial

is

Introduction to the

known as PC TUPC TUTOR covers the concepts be-

Operating System (also

TOR).

TEXT MESSAGE

WINDOW used to enter
user text and to display
messages from Interacts

hind an operating system and
ture

its file

struc-

and goes on to give extensive details

and practice with

EasyFlow.

PC DOS. PC TUTOR

enjoys what might be the widest distribu-

any such tutorial. It is autoenclosed
with PCs shipped by NCR, Cordata,

tion of

CURRENT SHAPE

WINDOW

-

shows the

content of the current
flowchart shape (the one

under the SHAPE
CURSOR) in complete

Comprehensive Soft-

detail

ware’s computer-based
training
HavenTree Software Limited
P-O. BOX 1093-P
Thousand Island Park, NY 13692

SHAPE CURSOR shows where you
,he chart Cursor keys

window
window

(613) 5U6-6035 ext 4 9
CIRCLE

201

ON READER

PC

SERVICE

scrolls

if

move

you run

off

are in
around: chart
the edge of the

CARD

MAGAZINE

M A V
16

2 7.

1

programs are

generic in nature.

it

8 6

Dac-Easy Accounting

InfoWorld

“Best Software Value”

PRODUCT

1985

OF THE
YEAR

InfoWorld
1985 “Product of the Vfe*r" Awards

Dac-Easy “Accounting Product of the Year ”
ery
VO
OOO ^ more evhow
U ,U\JU

“Dac-Easy has done something truly
remarkable."

day. That’s

I

InfoWorld Editorial,

many smart buyers have

already
streamlined their accounting with
the fastest-selling, most highly
praised accounting package ever

December
“Dac-Easy

introduced.

package, with

instant access to:

•General Ledger

•Inventory

•Accounts

‘Purchase
Order

Receivable
•Accounts Payable
• Forecasting

Billing

•

“This

is

800 - 992-7779

for

Ask

non
copy-protected, and comes in a
handsome package with easy-tois

Dallas,

iME/PayroIL

Read what the experts have to

ONLY

money back guarantee

Dac Software offers an unconditional guarantee on Dac-Easy
Accounting (less postage and
handling). There is a $10 restocking fee if the disk envelope is
opened.

Dac-Easy Payroll was designed to solve all your personnel and payroll management problems, outperforming
systems costing thousands more. And it can either stand
alone or integrate perfectly with Dac-Easy Accounting to
form a comprehensive business management program.
Features include:
•

Built-in 1966 federal

•Automatic

and state tax tables (all 50
and dty withholding

IBM (PCjr, PC, XT or AT)1 or other compatibles. (Also available
for Apricot and Victor MOO.) 128K memory, one D50D disk
*ive. 132 column printer in compressed mode. 80X24, CRT.
MS-DOS2 PC DOS^2X) or later.

like

union, insur-

ance, etc.

farm checks and W-2s.
• Up to 99 departments, with earning and deduction
codes per department.
Prints continuous

•Manages hire dates,
tions and sick time.

75244
me _

_ copies of Dac-Easy

I’ve

Check

Money Order

AMEX

VISA

and

after-the-fact

MASTERCARD

Expires

Account Number

Name
Company Name

_

Street Address

City

_2p_

raises, reviews, terminations, vaca-

• Generates complete range of management reports.
•Supports hourly and salaried employees, four different

payroll,

I

states).

federal, state

calculations.

•FTCA and user-defined deductions
•

TX

) lease rush

Accounting at $69.95 per copy and _
copies of Dac-Easy Payroll at $49.95 per copy.

6ft% saies tax ($428 for each Accounting, $3.06 for
each Payroll). U.S. prices only. Please indicate computer brand

$49?$

payroll periods, tips, piece-rate

Minimum Hardware

call

enclosed $750 postage and handling. In Texas, add

say.

30-day

operator #111

Texas or

more information
214 - 458-0038

“8 dac software, inc.
4801 Spring Valley Rd., Building 110-B

follow documentation.

have said “Yes!” to Dac-Easy

for

In

businesses.

or

coupon below today

return

service -or product-based

Accounting.

value."

InfoWorld,
23, 1985

Call toll free

1-

Compare Dac-Easy with
packages sold module by module
for thousands more. Then join
more than 70,000 people who

an incredibly good

September

I
®

You can generate over 300 reports
from 80 different routines. And
best of till, Dac-Easy Accounting
can be used to manage either

Dac-Easy Accounting

1985

“I've never before in a review come right
out and told readers to buy a product,
but I’m doing it now. Dac-Easy is an
incredible value”
PC Week,
August 27, 1985

Dac-Easy offers seven full feature
accounting modules in a perfectly integrated

2,

a genuinely amazing deal!'
PC Magazine,
OctoberI5, 1985
“Editor’s Choice"

is

Phone
Signature _

and much, much more!

only $4995... with the
guarantee!

All for

same money back

CALL 1-800-992-7779 FOR
IMMEDIATE RESPONSE

.

TVademarks
^IVademark

ot International Business

—

same as Dac-Easy Accounting,
floppy disks required.

Machines Corp.

of Microsoft Corp.

CIRCLE

149

ON READER SERVICE CARD

#111

,

!

Advanced

VIEWPOINTS

Authorized
Dealers

LETTERS

(Eastern U.S.)
Aardwolf Microsystems

ried

Wang, and other manufacturers. It is carby national distributors such as Softsel
and First Software and appears on the

especially surprising because

shelves of dealers such as Computerland

SuperProject Plus. The product was an-

IBM

and

Product Centers.

PC TUTOR

These omissions and inaccuracies are
Mr. Brown
in possession of full information on

was

nounced

is

Brown had

also used by several large corporations and
government agencies; some even site-li-

cense

'85

at Fall

discussed

Comdex, and Mr.
it

at length

with our

it.

The

most profitable

PC Magazine

no longer ac-

'

s

in

is

Birmingham, AL 35205
205/328-4882

to review only those

our 5-year existence.

be introducing several new off-

will continue to

We are

als.

products that are in

Fast Forward, Inc.
129 Adams Street

full

develop custom

Louisville,

we

are

on

ICS Software
P.O.C. 359015

target for a

Brooklyn,

one
any future articles on com-

better year than the last

hope

that

A correct representation

product

researched. Please call us next time and

would have at least mentioned SuperProject Plus and its capabilities.
Michael K. Crosno
Computer Associates
San Jose, California

how

we’re doing before you print

anything about Comprehensive Software.

Rick Lane
Comprehensive Software

Redondo Beach,

literature.

11235

Micro City Computers
110 West 31st Street

New York, NY

10001

212/563-6110

Mitech Corporation
#1 Perimeter Park South, Suite 335-S
Birmingham, AL 35243
205/967-0605

California

PC

Magazine’s policy is to review only
those products that are in full production.
While we welcome the power o/SuperPro-

PC Magazine did not intend to suggest that
Comprehensive Software is no longer active in the computer-based training arena.
Comprehensive Software has a growing
line of computer-based training products.

NY

718/743-4050

marketing manager and had received the

puter-based training are more accurately
find out

KY 40206

502/589-0301

production.

tutori-

very busy and very optimistic

about 1986. So far

I

Corporate Micros, Inc.
333 West 52nd St., Suite 1204
New York, NY 10019

Crest Systems, Inc.
2101 Magnolia Ave., Suite 208

policy

the-shelf training products this year, and

we

ject Plus,

it

was

in

beta form during our

201/228-3838

Computer Associates’ technical support

Network Data Systems,
3419 Pierson Place
Flushing, Ml 48433
313/732-6340

PRISM Computer & Consulting

The (incorrect) number of

resources quoted in our articles came from

In view of the massive changes that

“Project Management SoftThe Top Sellers” (PC Magazine,
Volume 5 Number 3) by Alfred Poor and
Brown,
Bruce
which appeared in
your February 1 1

have taken place in the past several
months, we will take a fresh look at project
management software this fall. Ed.

1986, issue, doesn’t

criticism about something you’ve read in

TRIMARC Systems,

PC

11716 Parklawn Drive

article

ware:

—

Do you

thors expressed an
objection (for exam-

NY

ple, lack of resource

MCI

Su-

perProject. In each

case where the au-

leveling), the

new

,

all criteria

to

PCMAGAZINE

at

address

We’re sorry we’re not able

with

to

answer

ease. In conjunction with the authors’ ob-

letters personally. All letters

become

were also inaccuracies. For

property of PC Magazine and

may be

jections, there

number of resources per task
when in actuality it is unlimited.

five,

Rockville,

Inc.

MD 20852

301/231-4991

Upen Computer Systems
4/01 N.W. 72nd Avenue
Miami, FL 33166
305/594-2980

the

not include a name, address, and phone

is

number for verification
p

NC 28054

704/866-8048

sub-

ject to editing. Wecan’tprintlettersthatdo

instance, the “at a glance” matrix states
that the

205/988-5111

157-9301.

version of the product,

SuperProject Plus, met

10016, or send your opinion through

Mail

Services, Inc.

2100 Riverchase Center, Suite 420
Birmingham, AL 35244

Gastonia,

have a comment, compliment, or

Magazine ? A question you’d like to
open up to other readers? Then send your
opinion on paper or diskette to Letters to
PC Magazine, One Park Ave. New York,

fairly represent

Inc.

Southeastern Systems, Inc.
619 East Price Ave., Suite #12

HOW TO WRITE TO PC MAGAZINE

c

K8

.

MAY2

MAGAZINE
18

7,

1986

Inc.

NJ 07006

Caldwell,

department.

testing period.

—Ed.

Modular Management Systems,
451 Bloomfield Ave.

DEBATING PROJECT MANAGEMENT
The

Inc.

616/243-1312

212/315-2853
is

computer-based training arena.
To the contrary, our last fiscal year was the
tive in the

will

Advanced Information Systems,
1336 Edna S.E.
Grand Rapids, Ml 49507

gives the impression that

article

Comprehensive Software

We

217 East 85th, Suite 102
New York, NY 10028
212/538-7840

THE
SOFTWARE
LINK, INC.

The Most Powerful LAN
Fits on a Disk.
Network Power. You knew that someday there would
powerful LAN that didn't need old-technology network
boards. It would be fast, easy to Install, and run 99% of PCDOS software. It would be expandable provide remote
access, password-protection, and enable you to use inexpensive terminals as workstations in a PC-DOS environment.
Dream no more because the power Is here.
Its name is LANLink!"
A Software-Driven LAN Powerful Enough To Use RS-232
Ports for Network Communications. In development for
aver three years, LANLink™ represents the next generation of
local area networks. All of the logic which has traditionally
resided on network boards is onlANLInk's Satellite and

be a

Server Diskettes.
No additional hardware is required. Inexpensive serial
ports replace “Kllobuck" Network Interface Boards making
Installation costs one-third that of a board-driven network.

How To Configure a Smart Network-.WIth Dumb
Terminals, But Without Dedicated Servers. Boasting a
wide variety of configurations, LANLInk " Is most often set up
as a "Star” having up to eight satellites connected to a central, nondedlcated server. Larger networks can have multiple servers, supporting a total of 73 or more network users.
R-LAN™ (Remote-LAN) gives users the ability to interact
with a LANLInk " network in real time via modem. Plus, if
1
MultILink Advanced " Is run on a Satellite, inexpensive
dumb terminals can be used to access network disks, files,
and programs.

99% of PC-DOS Applications Run In a TotallyTransparent Network Environment. If you know DOS you
already know how to use LANLink™ COPY transfers files

among users, and a 2-drive PC Satellite boots 1-2-3 from the
Server's hard disk with the entry ctlofus. Each satellite's
access can be limited to specific disks, printers, and subdirectories. A wide variety ot software Including Lotus 1-2-3,
dBASE
and WordStar 2000 is fully compatible. LANLInk™
has a collision-free data transfer rate which exceeds
III,

115,000 BPS.

Power Up Your PC* Today.

For

complete details and the

authorized dealer nearest you, call The Software Link TODAY.
The LANLink™ Starter Kit is $495 and includes m’odules for
both a Server and a Satellite. For a limited time 50 feet of
shielded RS-232 cable will be included free of charge.
Additional Satellite Modules are only $195, each.
LANLink™ is immediately available and comes with a
money-back guarantee. VISA, MC, AMEX accepted.

1

1

THE SOFTWARE LINK. INC./CANADA 400 Esna
Toronto (Markham). Ont

Park Drive. Suite 18

/L3R3K2 CALL: 416/477-5480

O

1

LANLink?* MultiLink Advanced '' & R-LAN™are trademarks ot

Tate,

and Lotus Development Cotp respectively
,

THE SOFTWARE LINK,
"

INC.

Developers of LANLink™and MultiLink Advanced™

GA 30338 Telex 4996147 SWLINK
CALL: 404/998-0700

8601 Dunwoody Place. Suite 632. Atlanta.

The Software Link. Inc.
IBM. PC, & PC-DOS are trademarks of IBM Com. WordStar 2000.
d 8 ASE III. and Lotus 1-2-3 are trademarks of MicroPro. Ashton

CIRCLE

394

ON READER

SERVICE CARD

Dealer Inquiries Invited

EXTEND
YOUR
COMPUTING

POWER

Mwjficariv'

Remote
Remote

is

lets

you run almost any program, from any

the software that turns your personal computer in-

a host computer. You or anyone you choose can dial it up
from almost any terminal in almost any location, and run most
to

popular application programs such as word processing, spreadsheets, and data base managers.
You'll see the program on your remote terminal screen as if
you were seated at the host PC.
While Remote itself becomes transparent in use, it offers
some very tangible benefits:
•

You

don't

need a second PC to do the job of two. Almost any

terminal or terminal emulator will do.

need

is

the software in your host PC.

The only software you

location, as if you

were there..

Each of several different users can call in from anywhere in
world and use the host PC and software. Remote includes a
sophisticated electronic mail system with encrypted messages
and individual password protection.
•

the

•

You can transfer files to and from the host computer, using

the Crosstalk or

XMODEM protocol.

Programmers and software vendors can use Remote to debug
a client's software by phone, without leaving their own offices.
•

Imagine the potential Remote has in extending the power of
your own PC. Ask your dealer about it, or write for details.
CROSSTALK and MICROSTUF

are registered trademarks of Microstuf, Inc.

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indows

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simultaneously even when updates are in
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adaptation to networks are possible You
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released
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hen the

inventor of the electronic

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it

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peNSABLE!

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many quick tools to
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GREENLEAF
LIBRARIES
FUNCTIONS
New 3.0 has 225 functions in both C and
assembler source as well as library format.
We have versions for Lattice Microsoft.
C86, Mark Wms New emphasis on tighter
functional groupings to minimize excess
baggage of functions loaded whether used
or

not.

Manual's 250 pages now help select
do demos and bulletin board.

functions, as

32

BTRIEVE

VERSION 4.0'
Queen-B File Manager Abdicates Royalties

DOS extensions: file and directory

mampulauon

for 2.0

Functions: Select

chrome

and

T

his

queen of b-tree file managers was

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for

whom royalties would ruin profit margins.

PLINK86 & PLUS

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tually

read

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link06™ long the overlord of overlay
linkers, now has a
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Btrieve's foundation is a balanced-tree
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linker Plink can be used with any compiled language which delivers Microsoft/
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up to

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when CP/M™ was the poobah of
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The network version works with any network that supports the MS-DOS 3. 1 file

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PC

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ing. writing, insertion, deletion,

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index can independently accept or block
dupbcate keys. Fixed record lengths can
be up to 4090 characters; variable length
records 64k; indexes 255 characters; files
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file across two drives— even two hard

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1.1.

23 Screen

mode page

mono-

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shape

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Want your

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Now you can build asynchronous
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code set up an interrupt dnven scheme
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buffers (characters are simultaneously
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you can download a record, then halt the
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all happens within the context of your program. Goodbye separate communications
software
'Die Greenleaf Comm Library supports
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or a

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trifling

price

BASTOC™ will

move truckloads of BASIC code over

It is a translator which takes in MicroExtended or CBASIC and emits pure
Ritchie C for the Lattice com-

to

soft

Kemighan &
piler.

It

will optionally

convert your pro-

gram into a single monolithic C function or
decompose into separate functions,
will

it

one for each

GOSUB label.

Version 2.0 adds optimization, with dramatic reductions in execution time It converts to C integers those numeric
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which really do not need floating point. It
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BASIC uses full assignment statements to
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in other statements. Strings are dynamically allocated in the target program, ridding your application of BASIC's catatonic
halts for

garbage collection.

BASTOC will try to create structure of
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and writes any indigestible statement into

C output as a comment accompanied
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the

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PANEL
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he newest version of this premier programming tool lets you layer your
screen designs with up to ten overlapping
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T

alternate sets of input fields.

Writing your

own screenware is a good

way to blow completion dates and

profits

Panel™ works with you interactively to set
up

and

data
forms rapidly. It tests your form to prove
it (and test data) behave correctly, then
converts the finished work into C source
code for incorporation into your applicafoolproof screen displays

en-

try

that

tion.

Compile with

Lattice or Microsoft.

Wonderfully diverse attributes may be
size data type
selected for any field
color, of course but also conversion of
input to upper case; clearance of existing
data when new entry is started; masks for
standard formats (eg, dates, phone numbers); a choice of styles for numeric fields;
phrases which fill in when their first letter
is typed; multiple-choice lists from which to
choose a field fill-in by cursonng a high-

—

may be multi-lined (eg,
name and address as one field) and
lighted bar. Fields

scrolled

if

larger than the screen space

allotted them.

Panel builds in a user interface for
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fields, and supplies extensive validation
routines for checking user field entries
in source code so you can tack on your

—

own unique

variants. Screen designs may
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optimized code to quicken display speed
The whole package is wrapped in a
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RIJN/C PROFESSIONAL VQISION
Interpreter Now Accesses Binary Libraries

LATTICE VERSION 3.0
Major Upgrades to the Best Selling C Compiler

R

athce has labored and come forth
with the long-awaited Version 3.0 of its
top-rated compJer. A long list of enhancements. adoption of the ANSI draft standard, documentation rivaled by few. and

Lattice has enjoyed pre-eminence so
long that developers have created far
more tools to marry into Lattice C than any

add-on libraries matched by none

other compiler.

UN/C was an innovator for converting inaccessible compiled C to an
interpreted language as easy to grab
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No longer: RUN/C Professional™ has
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The

interpreting engine lies at the
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to make once formidable C behave on
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.

create a program and RUN it. If it
stumbles, LIST it, EDIT it, add lines,
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Use familiar commands like LOAD,
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TRACE, and a free profiler

L

and every one lists a sample
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programs are also on the disks. So as
you read them in the manual, you can
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180k-256k recommended.)
in functions,

RUN/C Professional
RUN/C Pro has every feature of
RUN/C regular plus the binary library
of debugging

and an extra level

link-up

-

piled with Lattice's large model. How?
to develop the
interface to a library, using the Lattice

The manual shows how

C

They are ingeniously installed
behind a built-in function, so you can
aids.

call

debugging conditionally The called
function paints a menu of debugging
tools to choose from, including immediate mode to display variables, singlestep tracing, and changing of variables.
for

RUN/C Professional can tackle
Use as a creative
end to feed a continuous stream of
source code into compiled modules.
Only the source work in progress is still
projects of any size.

it

front

interpreted; the finished modules will
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recommended to fit libraries.)
RUN/C: quite a run for your money.
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in

C™

sheer quantity restore Lattice
to its
leadership role as the C compiler to beat.
Lattice now embraces key UNIX™

enhancements which have entered the
language since Kemighan & Rnchie: void
functions returning no value, enumerated
data tyjDes to assign stepped values to variables, the ability to pass data between
structures by assignment statements. And
3.0 adopts checking of external function
arguments by data type as proposed by
ANSI to kill bug swarms when modules
join up at link time
The greatly expanded libraries, now
comprising 325 functions(!), enable the file
sharing and record locking provisions of
DOS 3. 1 provide a full complement of
transcendental, and a host of utilities to
.

XENIX™ environ-

mimic the UNIX and

ments.
Lattice now delivers smaller EXE files,
curing one past complaint, boasts very
fast link times and a more efficient aliasing
algorithm.

The compiler now defaults to the ANSI
proposed standard when you need a strict
mistress, but command line options tolerate straying. New options generate code
to

use 80186 and 80286 features, and the

RUN/C is ideal for rapid program
development. Put up code at high
speed, tinker and re-arrange, try out
things devil-may-care, and let RUN/C
find your typos and malaprops.
RUN/C has a treasury of functions
built into the interpreter - over 100
paralleling the most used functions
found in standard compiler libraries. So

when and if the time comes to compile,
your source code will find counterparts.
There are lots more features — system
interrupts, a shell command to invoke
any operating system command without
leaving RUN/C, even the ability to load
a preferred editor in parallel and switch

back and

forth.

RUN/C Standard Version
Straight RUN/C has all above but the
Loadable Libraries™ docking module.
whether
It

utilizes

source code only,

created by its own editor, or from any
ASCII file, such as programs you've
already written, or commercial libraries
which supply source code.
It makes a splendid teacher. The
manual has not just instructions how to
use RUN/C, but its 500-plus pages
provide a thorough-going demonstration of the C language itself. Every
feature, of

C or RUN/C. is accorded its

OUTSIDE US.?
The

dollar is weaker. In your currency, our
prices are lower than ever. PC BRAND ships
anywhere. We’ll prepare the export documents
and ship to you or your agent by air freight,
courier, or air parcel post. Pay by credit card or
wire funds (see “Terms' below)

G

SS™ has reconfigured two compo-

nents of its comprehensive graphics
tools to conform with the more advanced
ANSI Computer Graphics Interface (CGI)
standard.
At the heart of the system is now the
Development Tbollat which contains all
language interfaces and device drivers
for keyboards, mice, joysticks, tablets,
printers, plotters, cameras, and more.
Drivers now house all management of vector graphics (plotters) and bitmaps used
by raster input devices (scanners) to insulate completely the application program
from concern for device ldiosyncracy No
one else has implemented CGI that way. It

means programming remains genenc;
just switch drivers and the same program
will dnve a different device, including
intelligent controllers which do not want
micro instructions.
GSS Kernel™ conforms to level 2b of
ANSI's Graphical Kernel System (GKS)

and contains all

its

needed

drivers

and

on a single computer and does not constitute
its ownership
will inquire tor you about site
licenses Excepl as otherwise indicated or where
follows the Product Code, products may be
used to create programs for distribution without
royalty payments or additional licenses, provided
said programs do not substantially replicate the

We

*

products themselves
Compatibility: PC BRAND'S standard products
are designed to operate with the IBM ® PC. XT or AT
under PC- DOS and require no more than 128k of
RAM unless indicated Non IBM machines using
MS-DOS contact manufacturer about precise differences so we can advise
Returns: See box page one Defective parts will be
replaced Please call for authorization to return a
product for refund

it

tnD
S!CGISTM®AHD!

apples and oranges, say

it

standard for storing every form of graphic
image as data The Metafile Interpreter
reads the contents of a
and inter-

CGM

prets

it

with

full

work. William Hunt, in his exhaustive analysis of 12 compilers in the 1/86 issue of the
PC 1\sch Journal awards Lattice the only
"very good" rating for add-on library

He sums up with this allaround accolade: "a fine product to consider for the production of important appliavailability.

cations."

Ask

List:

PC Brand

$500

$CALL

for:

S0100

BETTER BASIC
New Version Compatible
with Microsoft BASICS

TC

his hearty

implementation provides a

languages
melds the most useful features of

real alternative to technical

like

It

G Pascal, and Modula 2 into BASIC, while
retaining the familiarity of a language
already known to millions And now Version 20 is 100% compatible with Microsoft's

GW™ BASIC and IBM BASICA

including graphics, sound, and assembly
language calls. Just load old programs
and run Save and they are converted to
big:

CGI capability for re-crea-

on various devices, and you can cut
and paste before display
Quality software? IBM thinks so. They
sell the GSS senes under their own label
Unit royalties and annual fees have
been instituted for redistribution. Call for
schedule Needs 256k
tion

List

BetterBASIC's hugely

poised to RUN. It's fast: BB is an incremental compiler— unlike with interpreters
each statement is checked and compiled
just once. The Sieve benchmark runs six
times faster than with Microsoft
has C-like

BetterBASIC*
structures for
reference to entire records so say goodbye to FIELD MKI$, CVD LSET, etc It has
"procedures" summoned by name unlike

GOSUBs.

Lots

linker for

compiled modules; trace;

more

features: built-in

debugging breakpoints; cross-reference
command; 32k strings; DOS and BIOS
calls and interrupts; recursion
List

PC

Price:

BetterBASIC
Run-time Module
8087 Interface

*195

Brand
*169

*250

*239

Btrieve Interface

*

PC

Ask for:
Price: Brand.
GS010 CGI Dvlpmt Tbolkit *395 *339
*495
*419
GS020 Kernel System
*295 *249
GS030 Plotting System
GS040 Metafile Interpreter *250 *209

expanded

features require 192k; your programs can
all the way to the PC's full 640k It's
comfy: Behaves like Microsoft BASIC at
the interactive level, with a full-screen editor, direct statement execution, and always

go

Ask

for:

S1200
51201

51202
S1205

99

*

89

language bindings Kernel has macro

segment

it,

transform

it,

etc., all

the while

p^bli^c^^^es°go^rnn!ent,
rt

returning data on attribute settings, system and device status. So powerful, a sin-

command may represent several
score lower level statements
Plotting has the equivalent GKS tools for
graph and chart generation and then capgle

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE
Payment: We honor MasterCard. Visa, American

uct

and

if

Programmers now have
an enormous resource of libraries and utilities to use with Lathee to speed their

It's
,

bakes the numbers into a
digestible display for screen or plotters.
Kernel and Plotting have tools to convert
images they create to ANSI Computer
Graphics Metafiles (CGMs), a tokemzed
"pie",

level tools to draw and color an object,
store the sequential instructions, and
recreate the object on its own, as well as

Licenses: Each price is tor a license to use a prod-

‘

aN
honing: hand

utilized

aboard

BetterBASIC

The GSS GRAPHICS SYSTEM
Leave the Driving to GSS

8087 is of course sensed and

Express (no surcharge), checks in advance, or
funds wired lo PC Brand, c/o Chemical Bank. 126
East 86 St New York. Account 034 016058 COD
(U S. only) for cash, money order, certified check
(no fee) NY Slate, add sales tax Purchase orders
accepted from larger corporations and institutions
at our discretion if you agree to net 30 days plus 2 %
a month lale penalty (hereafter
Shipping & Handling: U S UPS Surface 1st
product $6, each addT $3 UPS 2nd Day Air 1st
product $10. each adcfl $450 UPS Next Day Air or
Federal Express 1-2 Day Air 1st product $1 8. each
addl $6 FedEx Next Day 10 AM 1st product $28.
each add'l $7 International Charges vary by
destination and carrier $10 per shipping container
for export forms Air parcel post at your risk beyond
.

collected insurable amount

later,

you gotta adm,

''J

r

,

nn h

ON READER SERVICE CARD
For Orders Literature, or Catalogs, Call Us at...
CIRCLE

144

,

800 PC-BRAND
That's (800) 722-7263. In

PC Brand,

150 5th Ave.,

Ttelex:
1986

NY State call (212) 242-3600
New York, N.Y. 10011-4311
COMM NYK)

667962 (SOFT

PC BRAND

Prices, terms,

and specifications subject to change without notice.

The

impressions you make on paper are frequently the keys to future opportunities.
first letter or an important proposal are the basis by which others are impressed
Polaris Software offers three printing programs which will make your
impressions great impressions.

Your

by you.

The

Polaris
first impression is the package in which your document is delivered.
Labelmaker prints striking labels and envelopes. The document itself is printed with
Polaris PrintMerge which prints each page camera ready as if it were typeset. And
finally, forms for all purposes are printed with Polaris Forms in an easy and cost
effective way. What better way to make a great impression?

HOWTO
MAKE A
GREAT

IMPRESSION

WITH

POLARIS
And

the Hewlett Packard LaserJet Printers

Polaris PrintMerge

.

.

$124.00

.

The

print program Hewlett Packard uses to make a great impression with the LaserJet.
Use all the
powerful features of the LaserJet and WordStar together. Add the enhancements by Polaris PrintMerge
and nothing can print better looking reports, presentations, documentation, or correspondence. Each is
printed to typeset perfection. Graphs are merged from Microsoft Chart and Chart-Master.

Polaris Labelmaker
Labels for

all

purposes printed

.

effortlessly.

.

$124.00

.

Labels and envelopes are created with any

Envelopes, too.

word processing program. They are printed with all the special print fonts and quality of the LaserJet,
including bar codes. Merge the printed data from any data base or enter it through the keyboard.

Polaris

Forms

.

.

$149.00

.

Professionally printed forms in minutes. Easily designed forms printed to perfection.
Store the forms in
the LaserJet PLUS for use by other programs.
Print just the form or merge data from other programs.
Special commands to design forms quickly using proportional fonts, right justified text and all features of
the LaserJet.

Let Polaris Software help you

make

For Orders

a great impression.

Call-

In California

800 231-3531
Of

Course,

A

Runs on IBM-PC, XT,

AT

or

100% compatibles

6%

with 196K

°

RAM

378

ON READER

SERVICE

800 338-5943

tax in Ca.)

San Marcos, Ca.
and the

HP

IBM

XT &

Registered Trademarks: LaserJet, LaserJet Plus, HP 150: Hewlett Packard Corp. Wordstar: Micropro International Corp.
Chart-Master: Decisions Resources. Polaris PrintMerge, Polaris Labelmaker & Polaris Forms: Polaris Software.

CIRCLE

Outside California

30 Day Money Back Guarantee.

($6.00 Shipping.

310 Via Vera Cruz, Suite 205

CARD

PC,

92069

150 with 384K
AT: IBM Corp.

o

619 471-0922

RAM

Microsoft Chart:

Microsoft Corp.

V

I

i

:

W

P

()

I

N T

s

EDITED BY GUS VENDITTO

PC ADVISOR
The PC Advisor helps readers choose the hardware and software products
that are best suited to their specific needs.

ADDING TO AN EXPANSION UNIT

make good

ics all

CompuAdd, a

drives.

When

mail-order service (Austin, Tex.; (800)

my

531-5475 ;

I bought IBM’s expansion unit for
PC-1 (with 64K bytes on the system

board),

I

was

told that

it

could support a

second 10-megabyte fixed disk drive. I’m

now

ready to add that second drive.

limited to a

1

Am

as

work?

your data at a rate about
you now
A full line of hard
disks running all the way up to 72 megs
for a whopping $4,595) is also available,
(

it

will

be cheaper.

Screen, Stretch Devices, Philadelphia,
Pa.; (800) 523-3694; in Pa., (215) 739-

3000; available in six sizes to fit most monitors; about $39.)

polarizers,

$30

these devices range from about

$135.

1

find

it

very difficult to

make a

to

pur-

chase without knowing the pros and cons

of each type. Can you shed some

light

on

this subject?

Richard Marrocco

Eugene, Oregon

add a second controller
card ($495) to address more than 30 megs.
(Core International, Boca Raton, Fla.;
The market is chock-full of competitors:

Seagate, Everex,

and Maynard

Electron-

ing from the monitor. Polarization has the
added benefit of increasing contrast, offering a sharper image. Linear polarizers
generally are used to screen out or emphasize a specific color, not to reduce glare.
The VU-TEK 1 Anti-Glare Filter is the

we know of. It’s made of polara glare-reducing coating.

best filter

consider the sources of the problem:
strong overhead light and an excessively

ized glass with

reflective screen.

bounce

gree. Their current

etched, rather than polished, glass tubes.

Adjusting

room

lighting is probably the

way

to

prevent glare.

otherwise dark room.

PC

Or

25

sizes;

$119.)

Polaroid also makes a comparable
model (Polaroid Corp., Cambridge,
Mass. ; (800) 225-2770; $129).

ASK THE ADVISOR
Send your questions about hardware and
software choices you arc facing to The PC
Advisor, PC Magazine One Park Ave,

nue,

New

York,

adjust the posi-

MCI

Mail

to

MAY2

MAGAZINE

(American Hoescht, Camarillo, Calif.;
(805) 987-5026; available in various

an

Try using a carefully placed lamp

in

7,

all-

around office use; they absorb refected
light and should display only the light com-

Before you look at filters for your screen,

single most effective

$1 ,595.

Circular polarizers are best for

and fine meshes. The prices of

(305) 997-6055).

lists for

and

are worth trying.

least expensive but are

There are many solutions to the problems
of screen glare: circular polarizers, linear

but you’ll need to

it

practical in most office environments,
filters

SOLVING SCREEN GLARE

IBM’s first-generation color monitors
light back at you to a terrible deECD (Enhanced Color
Display) monitors do not, nor do some recently introduced displays from Amdek,
Princeton Graphics, and others that have

will access

have;

usu-

adequate only
when there's a small amount of glare.
Also, the fibers create a small amount of
glare themselves and distort color images
in a wavy pattern. (Silverline Anti-Glare

but

five times faster than the drive

is

these suggestions are not

Dark, fine-mesh screen covers are the

ny's strong technical support background,

Core’s 20-megabyte drive will run off
same controller card you’re now using

Of course,

your sys-

Townsend, Tennessee

der houses.

and

as $445 including a separate con-

Charles R. Blair, Sr.

Because your expansion unit included a
ROM update kit, you essentially have an
XT and should have no problems using any
of the hard disks sold for the XT. Since
you’ll be running two separate hard disks,
we recommend you upgrade to DOS 3.0
(available at IBM Product Centers; $85)
for its better hard disk utilities (such as
SUBST) if you haven't already.
Your choices range from Core International’s top-of-the-line systems, which are
among the fastest around, to the morebytes-to-the-buck systems sold by mail-or-

the

little

of the screen; looking head-on

tion

ally the worst position.

tem to ensure that you order the correct
configuration. It won' t be as fast as
Core’s, nor will it come with that compa-

troller card. Ifyou call, describe

I

0-megabyte drive, or would a

more cost-effective 20-megabyte drive
also

(512)250-1489), offers
a variety of systems at discount, some for
in Tex.,

1986

NY

10016.

G. Venditto.

Or

write via
!i«

:

The

impressions you make on paper are frequently the keys to future opportunities.
first letter or an important proposal are the basis by which others are impressed
Polaris Software offers three printing programs which will make your
by you.
impressions great impressions.

Your

The first impression is the package in which your document is delivered. Polaris
Labelmaker prints striking labels and envelopes. The document itself is printed with
Polaris PrintMerge which prints each page camera ready as if it were typeset. And
finally, forms for all purposes are printed with Polaris Forms in an easy and cost
effective way. What better way to make a great impression?

HOWTO
MAKE A

GREAT

IMPRESSION

WITH

POLARIS
And

the Hewlett Packard LaserJet Printers

Polaris PrintMerge

.

.

$124.00

.

The

print program Hewlett Packard uses to make a great impression with the LaserJet.
Use all the
powerful features of the LaserJet and WordStar together. Add the enhancements by Polaris PrintMerge
and nothing can print better looking reports, presentations, documentation, or correspondence. Each is
printed to typeset perfection. Graphs are merged from Microsoft Chart and Chart-Master.

Polaris
Labels for

all

Labelmaker
purposes printed

.

effortlessly.

.

$124.00

.

Envelopes, too.

Labels and envelopes are created with any

word processing program. They are printed with all the special print fonts and quality of the LaserJet,
including bar codes. Merge the printed data from any data base or enter it through the keyboard.

Polaris

Forms

.

.

$149.00

.

Professionally printed forms in minutes. Easily designed forms printed to perfection.
Store the forms in
Print just the form or merge data from other programs.
the LaserJet PLUS for use by other programs.
Special commands to design forms quickly using proportional fonts, right justified text and all features of
the LaserJet.

For Orders Call

Let Polaris Software help you make a great impression.

In California

800 231-3531
Of

Course,

A

30 Day Money Back Guarantee.

($6.00 Shipping.

POLARIS
W A
T

R C

Runs on IBM-PC, XT,

6%

Outside California

800 338-5943

tax in Ca.)

310 Via Vera Cruz, Suite 205 ° San Marcos, Ca. 92069 0 619 471-0922
or 100% compatibles with 196K RAM and the HP 150 with 384K RAM

AT

Registered Trademarks: LaserJet. LaserJet Plus, HP ISO; Hewlett Packard Corp. Wordstar: Micropro International Corp.
Chart-Master
Decisions Resources. Polaris PrintMerge. Polaris Labelmaker 4 Polans Forms: Polaris Software.

CIRCLE

378

ON READER

SERV ICE CARD

IBM

PC.

XT 4

AT: IBM Corp.

Microsoft Chart.

Microsoft Corp.

.

V

i

H

W PO

I

N

I

S

EDITED BY GUS VENDITTO

PC ADVISOR
The PC Advisor helps readers choose the hardware and software products
that are best suited to their specific needs.

ADDING TO AN EXPANSION UNIT

ics all

When bought IBM’s expansion unit for
my PC-1 (with 64K bytes on the system
board),

I

was

told that

it

could support a

ready to add that second drive.

Am

I

would a
more cost-effective 20-megabyte drive
also work?
limited to a

I

O-megabyte

drive, or

ny's strong technical support background,

Townsend, Tennessee

but

we recommend you upgrade
(available at
its

to

ifyou

it

will

be cheaper.

$135.1 find

it

of each type.

haven' t already

bounce

add a second controller
card ($495 ) to address more than 30 megs.
(Core International, Boca Raton, Fla.;
(305) 997-6055).

The market is chock-full of competitors:
Seagate, Everex, and Maynard Electron-

etched, rather than polished, glass tubes.

room lighting is probably the
way to prevent glare.
Try using a carefully placed lamp in an
Adjusting

single most effective

otherwise dark room.

PC

Circular polarizers are best for

all-

ing a sharper image. Linear polarizers

gree. Their current

but you'll need to

3000; available in six sizes tofit most monitors; about $39.)

size

IBM’s first-generation color monitors
light back at you to a terrible deECD ( Enhanced Color
Display) monitors do not, nor do some recently introduced displays from Amdek,
Princeton Graphics, and others that have

you now

adequate only
when there's a small amount of glare.
Also, the fibers create a small amount of
glare themselves and distort color images
in a wavy pattern. (Silverline Anti-Glare

generally are used to screen out or empha-

light

reflective screen.

for $1 ,595. A full line of hard
disks running all the way up to 72 megs
(for a whopping $4,595) is also available,

and

are worth trying.

Dark, fine-mesh screen covers are the
least expensive but are

on

Can you shed some

Before you look at filters for your screen,
consider the sources of the problem:
strong overhead light and an excessively

it lists

practical in most office environments,
filters

Eugene, Oregon

to

this subject?

which are
among the fastest around, to the morebytes-to-the-buck systems sold by mail-order houses.
Core's 20-megabyte drive will run off
the same controller card you’ re now using
and will access your data at a rate about

usu-

Richard Marrocco

$30

make a pur-

chase without knowing the pros and cons

Product Centers; $85)
hard disk utilities (such as

is

course, these suggestions are not

around office use; they absorb reflected
light and should display only the light coming from the monitor. Polarization has the
added benefit of increasing contrast, offer-

very difficult to

tional’s top-of-the-line systems,

have;

problems

these devices range from about

DOS 3.0

of the screen; looking head-on

Of

and fine meshes. The prices of

Your choices range from Core Interna-

five times faster than the drive

to the

of screen glare: circular polarizers, linear
polarizers,

tion

ally the worst position.

Screen, Stretch Devices, Philadelphia,
Pa.; (800) 523-3694; in Pa., (215) 739-

SOLVING SCREEN GLARE
There are many solutions

IBM

better

SUBST)

CompuAdd, a

Charles R. Blair, Sr.

Because your expansion unit included a
ROM update kit, you essentially have an
XT and should have no problems using any
of the hard disks sold for the XT. Since
you'll be running two separate hard disks,

for

drives.

53 1 -5475; in Tex.. (512)250-1489). offers
a variety of systems at discount, some for
as little as $445 including a separate controller card. If you call, describe your system to ensure that you order the correct
configuration. It won' t be as fast as
Core’s, nor will it come with that compa-

second 10-megabyte fixed disk drive. I'm

now

make good

mail-order service (Austin, Tex.; (800)

I

Or

adjust the posi-

MAY2

MAGAZINE
25

7,

a specific color, not to reduce glare.
The VU-TEK / Anti-Glare Filter is the

we know of. It's made of polara glare-reducing coating.
(American Hoescht, Camarillo, Calif;
(805) 987-5026; available in various
best filter

ized glass with

sizes;

$119.)

Polaroid also makes a comparable
model (Polaroid Corp., Cambridge,
Mass. ; (800) 225-2770; $129).

ASK THE ADVISOR
Send your questions about hardware and
software choices you are facing to The PC
PC Magazine, One Park Ave-

Advisor,
nue,

New

York,

MCI

Mail

to

1986

NY

10016.

G. Venditto.

Or

write via
llM

MICROWAY’S 8087 RUNS
MicroWay is the world's leading retailer of 8087s and high performance PC
upgrades We stock a complete selection of 8087sthat run at 5 and8mhz. All
of our coprocessors are sh ipped with a
diagnostic disk and the best warranty
in the business - one yearl We also

Fortran, or Microsoft Fortran. Software
reviewers consistently cite MicroWay

software and 8087 expertise as the
best in the industry! Our customers frequently write to thank us for recommending the correct software and

offer

hardware to meet their specific needs
They also thank us for our same day

80287 from 4 to 8 mhz Our NUMBER

ducts which support the 8087 and
80287, we stock the largest supply of

daughterboards for socketless
computers (NEC PC) and 287Turbo
which increases the clock speed of the

SMASHER”

includes 640K ram. It will
run the IBM PC at clock speeds up to
1 0mhz and achieves a throughput of .1
megaflops with 87BASIC/INLINE, Intel

shipping! In addition to our

own

pro-

specialized software available For
formation call us at

in-

617 - 746-7341

7

1-2-3

FASTBREAK” employs the 8087 to increase the speed of Lotus 1 -2-3” Version 1A or 1A* by up to 36 to 1 $79

FASTPAK” includes FASTBREAK soft$179
ware and a 5mhz 8087
87SFL” Microway’s Scientific Funo
tion Library contains 1 70 scientific and
engineering functions Callable from

most 8087 compatible compilers First
Language $250; Additional $100
A2D-160” Microway’s Data AcquisiBoard performs 160,000 12 bit
Analog to Digital conversions per
second! Includes software drivers The
fastest 1 2 bit A to D board available
$1 295
For the IBM PC or XT
tion

Micro
lAIav
SPEED UP YOUR AT
OR AT COMPATIBLE
WITH 287TURBO Smhz
' -

8087Support
For the IBM PC, PC XT, PC

NUMBER SMASHER”

The Worlds Fastest Accelerator Card for the IBM PC, XT, and Compatibles! Includes an 8086 and 8087 pair tested
to lOmhz, and 640K bytes of high speed ram.
Compatible with all software, operating systems
and hardware! Your program speed is increased
by a factor of 2.5 to 4.0. Floating point programs
run up to 2.8 times faster on the PC than on an
80287 equipped PC AT. One of the few accelerators on the market which is compatible with all

EMS cards. Includes FASTBREAK
$1099
87/88TurtxT is a stubby card which includes
a clock calendar and a speed controller which
changes the speed of your motherboard from 4.77
to 7.4mhz. Its use requires your PC to have a socketed 8224. Typical speed increase is 1 .6. Some
programs run up to 2.5 times faster. The card overcomes the problem of slow hardware by slowing
up only when slow devices are accessed and
running at

full

speed otherwise.

It

includes an

8087-2

$350

286TurboCache” This new MicroWay accelerator uses

8K

of cache memory and 80286/
to provide an average speed
1
for most programs Call for
benchmarks and price

80287 processors
increase of 3 to
specifications

MATRIXPAK

”

manages a

MEGABYTE!

Written in assembly language our runtime package accurately manipulates large matrices at
very fast speeds Includes matrix inversion and
the solution of simultaneous linear equations
Callable from RM or
Fortran,
Assembler, or

MS

MS

in

assembly language

87BASIC/INLINE

87FFT™

Written

each $99
per-

forms Forward and Inverse FFTs on real and complex arrays which occupy up to 51 2K bytes of
RAM. Also does convolutions auto correlations

hamming, complex vector multiplication, and complex to radial conversions. Callable from most

$200

8087 compatible compilers

87FFT-2™

performs two-dimensional FFTs
Ideal for image processing Requires 87FFT $1 00

M/prn
•
Ml

Q|/
WmCty

p ° b ° x 79
Kingston.

Mass

02364 USA
(617)746-7341

Mega Page

Our

Intel-Lotus specification

memory earn The

only

EMS board which comes

DFixer” Our
PC or AT

For the

CMOS

EMS

disk utility which thoroughly
hard disks for bad sectors and
updates the MS DOS file allocation table accordingly. Solves the AT hard disk problem! ... $1 49

Compatibles.

8087 UPGRADES

with two megabytes of cool- running low power
ram installed. Includes ram disk, print
drain
spooler, disk cache, and
drivers For the IBM
PC, XT, AT and compatibles
$549

checks

AT and

MicroWay 8087 s indude a one year warranty,
complete MicroWay Test Program and accurate

All

Installation Instructions

8087 5mhz

$109

IBM PC, XT and compatibles

DCache™ Our disk caching software speeds
up your I/O by storing repetitively used tracks in
memory. The amount of memory used can be
selected in 64K byte banks
$49

8mhz
$149
Edge
80287-3 5mhz
$179
For
IBM PC, AT and 286 compatibles
80287-8 8mhz
$295
For
Tandy 3000 and
287TurbO 8 mhz you own an
Deskpro
AT compatible
the card you

87 Verify™ For users who have to be absolutely

need

DOptlmizer "

Optimizes the way your hard
its files Speeds up accesses

disk or floppy stores

by recombining fragmented

$49

files

sure of their results! This background task periodically performs an 8087 accuracy and stress test $49

87 MACRO/DEBUG”

Contains

all

the

pieces needed for writing 8087/80287 assembly
code including 8087 macros, object libraries for
commonly used functions, including transcendentals, trigonometries, conversions and MicroWay’s debugger - 87DEBUG
$199

OBJ -ASM" A multipass object module transand disassembler. Produces assembly language listings which include public symbols, external symbols and labels commented with cross
references Ideal for patching object modules for
lator

which source

is

not available

$200

87 BASIC™ includes patches to the IBM Basic
MS Quick Basic Compiler for USER TRANSor

PARENT 8087 support. Provides super fast performance for all numeric operations including trigonometries transcendentals addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
each $150

87 BASIC/INLINE”

converts the output of

IBM Basic Compiler into optimized 8087
inline code which executes up to seven times faster than 87 BASIC. Supports separately compiled
inline subroutines which are located in their own
segments and can contain up to 64K bytes of
the

code This allows programs greater than 1 28K!
Requires the IBM Basic Compiler Version 1 and
Macro Assembler. Includes 87 BASIC
$200

MICROWAY UDI runs RTOS or RMX compilers

under DOS

$300

8087-2

For Wang AT&T, DeskPro, NEC, Leading
the

the

ITT-XP.

AT,

If

this is
286 or
to get reasonable numeric performance It
plugs into your 80287 socket and includes a specially driven 8mhz 80287. The card comes in three
configurations The IBM AT version includes a
hardware RESET button
$395

NEC V20, V30
64K RAM Set 150ns.
256 K RAM Set 150ns
128K RAM Set PC AT.
JRAM, AST, INTEL

CALL

$10
$39
$49
CALL
375

plus 64K ABOVE BOARD PS
plus 1 28K AT ABOVE BOARD
Microsoft Fortran Version 3.31
IBM Professional Fortran
Ryan- McFarland Fortran Version 2.0
FORLIB+ or STRINGS and THINGS
Grafmatic for Fortran or Pascal
Plotmatic
NAG Fortran Library

DCache
DCache

Lattice

475
209
565
399
65
125
125
300
269

C

Microsoft

CALL

C or QuickBasic

IBM Basic Compiler Version 2.0
Summit BetterBASIC*
IBM Assembler w/Librarian Version

465

CALL
155
99
199
450

2.0

Microsoft Assembler Version 3.01
Microsoft Pascal Version 3.31

STSC APL* PLUS/PC
Phoenix Plink86 or Cosmos
SPSS/PC +
EPSILON Text Editor
LABTECH NOTEBOOK
MultiHalo (one language)
Fifth

Generation

FASTBACK

Revelation.

.

.

CALL
595
195
745
189
150

be displayed

at

twice as

many

possible

on

And

once.

Which

is

as previously

a PC.

you wish to use other
even create your

if

characters, or

own

alternate character set,

Spectra will support those, too.

More

colorful features.

Each Spectra EGA comes fully
equipped with a parallel printer
port, light pen interface and

256K RAM on
This

the single board.

good news
256K RAM is

especially

is

because a

needed

full

to run

most popular

graphics software effectively.

One

Perhaps the best news

Remember the first time you

Upon

glance you may find
that the Spectra EGA and the
IBM EGA seem to be very
closely priced. But look again.
Because the standard IBM EGA
only comes with 64K RAM,
whereas Spectra EGA comes
with a full 256K.

The thrill is still the same.
The discovery of color graphics.
child, it was a significant
event. As a business person,

software updates in order to
begin enjoying your EGA today.

it

change the way you use
your personal computer.

A

Genoa Systems proudly

The

will

in-

lot

more than

thing you'll rediscover

troduces a new and colorful
technology for the PC called
Spectra EGA. The Enhanced
Graphics Adapter that lets you
rediscover the benefits, and the
thrill, of color graphics on your
PC.

with your Spectra

An EGA with

once.

a better

vision.

EGA

compatibility

just pretty

pictures.
first

EGA
is

a

is

first

Now, you may purchase the extra memory board you’ll need
from IBM at an additional cost
of about 70-80 percent. Or you
can buy Spectra EGA from
Genoa... and rediscover the
thrill of a bargain.

There

color.

whole

is

Spectra’s price.

upgraded your
color graphics hardware?

As a

thrilling price.

lot

more

than ever before.
Sixty-four separate

from
which any sixteen
can be displayed at
colors, in fact,

Spectra Enhanced Graphics Adapter

Next, you'll notice
is

an

art that

only Spectra has mastered. And,
while other EGA hardware is incompatible with current industry standards, Spectra EGA
fully supports hardware and
software designed for the IBM
Enhanced Graphics Adapter,
Color Graphics Adapter and
Monochrome Graphics Adapter.
And the Hercules Board.

This means that you don’t
have to wait around for new

To

a higher resolution in

both text and graphics modes.

The

real

fun

comes

panning and winwas never before

soft scrolling,

dowing

that

possible

on

a PC.

And

flicker-free display will

you

the

allow

at

EGA from

in

Genoa

any direction.
There are 512 characters carried
in Spectra’s memory that can all

We make
CIRCLE

Inc.

Genoa.

Evolution in color graphics.

any speed, or

IBM, Hercules and Crayola arc registered trademarks of IBM Corp., Hercules,

more about
Genoa

408-945-9720. Or write to
Genoa Systems Corporation,
73 E. Trimble Road, San Jose,
CA 95131.
Spectra

to regulate these

movements

find out

Spectra, or a qualified

distributor near you, call

in putting

the board to work. You’ll see

and Binney

&

239

PCs

better.

ON READER SERVICE CARD

Smith, Inc. respectively.

MICROWAY’S 8087 RUNS
MicroWay is the worlcfs leading retailer of 8087s and high performance PC
upgrades We stock a complete selection of 8087sthat run at 5 and 8mhz. All
of ourcoprocessorsare shipped with a
diagnostic disk and the best warranty
in the business - one year! We also
offer daughterboards for socketless
computers (NEC PC) and 287Turbo
which increases the clock speed of the
80287 from 4 to8 mhz. Our NUMBER

SMASHER"

includes 640K ram. It will
IBM PC at clock speeds up to
0mhz and achieves a throughput of .1

run the
1

megaflops with87BASIC/INLINE,

Fortran, or Microsoft Fortraa Software
reviewers consistently cite MicroWay

software and 8087 expertise as the
best in the industry! Ourcustomers frequently write to thank us for recommending the correct software and

hardware to meet their specific needs
They also thank us for our same day
shipping! In addition to our

own

pro-

ducts which support the 8087 and
80287, we stock the largest supply of
specialized software available For
formation call us at

in-

617 - 746-7341

Intel

7

1-2-3

FASTBREAK" employs the 8087 to increase the speed of Lotus 1-2-3" Version 1A or 1 A* by up to 36 to 1 $79

FASTPAK" includes FASTBREAK soft$179

ware and a 5mhz 8087

87SFL" MicroWa/s

Scientific Func-

tion Library contains

70 scientific and

1

engineering functions Callable from
most 8087 compatible compilers First

Language $250;

Additional

$100

A2D-160" Microway’s Data

Acquisi-

Board performs 160,000 12 bit
Analog to Digital conversions per
second! Includes software drivers the
fastest 1 2 bit A to D board available
For the IBM PC or XT
$1 295
tion

Micro
lAlay

8087 Support

SPEED UP YOUR AT
OR AT COMPATIBLE
WITH 287TURBO’ 8mhz
-

PC

For the IBM PC,

NUMBER SMASHER" The Worlcfs Fast-

XT,

PC AT and Compatibles.

Mega Page

Our

Intel-Lotus specification

est Accelerator Card for the

memory cara. The

only

EMS board which comes

patibles! Includes

with two megabytes of cool-running low power
drain
ram installed Includes ram disk, print
spooler, disk cache, and
drivers For the IBM
PC, XT, AT and compatibles
$549

All

DFixer™ Our disk utility which thoroughly
checks PC or AT hard disks for bad sectors and
updates the MS DOS file allocation table accordingly. Solves the AT hard disk problem! ... $1 49

For the IBM PC, XT and compatibles

IBM PC, XT, and Coman 8086 and 8087 pair tested
Omhz, and 640K bytes of high speed ram.
Compatible with all software, operating systems
and hardware! Your program speed is increased
by a factor of 2.5 to 4.0. Floating point programs
run up to 2.8 times faster on the PC than on an
80287 equipped PC AT. One of the few accelerators on the market which is compatible with all
EMS cards Includes FASTBREAK
$1099
to

1

87/88T

urbo" is a stubby card which includes
a clock calendar and a speed controller which
changes the speed of your motherboard from 4.77
to 7.4mhz Its use requires your PC to have a socketed 8224. Typical speed increase is 1 .6. Some
programs run up to 2.5 times faster. The card overcomes the problem of slow hardware by slowing
up only when slow devices are accessed and
running at

full

speed otherwise.

It

This new MicroWay ac8K of cache memory and 80286/
to provide an average speed
1
for most programs Call for
benchmarks and price

MEGABYTE!

Written in assembly language our runtime package accurately manipulates large matrices at
very fast speeds Includes matrix inversion and
the solution of simultaneous linear equations
Callable from
or
Fortran, MS Assembler, or

RM MS

87BASIC/INLINE

87FFT™

Written

each $99
in

assembly language perreal and com-

forms Forward and Inverse FFTs on

plex arrays which occupy up to 51 2K bytes of
RAM. Also does convolutions auto correlations

hamming, complex vector multiplication, and complex to radial conversions. Callable from most

8087 compatible compilers

87FFT-2™
Ideal for

$200

performs two-dimensional FFTs

image processing Requires 87FFT $1 00

Micro
lAlay

P.O.

its

files

Speeds up accesses

$49

files

sure of their results! This background task periodically performs an 8087 accuracy and stress test $49

increase of 3 to

manages a

Optimizes the way your hard

DCache™ Our disk caching software speeds
up your I/O by storing repetitively used tracks in
memory. The amount of memory used can be
selected in 64K byte banks
$49
87 Verify"’ For users who have to be absolutely

286TurboCache"

MATRIXPAK™

DOptimizer™

disk or floppy stores

by recombining fragmented

$350

80287 processors
specifications

EMS

includes an

8087-2
celerator uses

CMOS

Box 79

Kingston, Mass
02364 USA
(617) 746-7341

87 MACRO/DEBUG"

Contains

all

the

pieces needed for writing 8087/80287 assembly
code including 8087 macros, object libraries for
commonly used functions, including transcendental trigonometries, conversions and MicroWay’s debugger -87DEBUG
$199

OBJ — ASM™ A multipass object module transand disassembler. Produces assembly language listings which include public symbols, external symbols and labels commented with cross
references Ideal for patching object modules for
lator

which source

is

not available

$200

87 BASIC™

includes patches to the IBM Basic
Quick Basic Compiler for USER TRANSsupport Provides super fast performance for all numeric operations including trigonometries transcendentals addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
each $1 50
or

MS

PARENT 8087

87 BASIC/IN LINE"

converts the output of
IBM Basic Compiler into optimized 8087
inline code which executes up to seven times faster than 87 BASIC. Supports separately compiled
inline subroutines which are located in their own
the

segments and can contain up to 64K bytes of
code. This allows programs greater than 128K!
Requires the IBM Basic Compiler Version 1 and
Macro Assembler. Includes 87BASIC
$200

MICROWAY UDI
pilers

under DOS

runs

RTOS or RMX com$300

8087 UPGRADES
MicroWay 8087s include a one year warranty,
complete MicroWay Test Program and accurate
Installation Instructions

8087 5mhz

$109

8mhz
$149
DeskPro, NEC, Leading Edge
80287-3 5mhz
$179
For the IBM PC, AT and 286 compatibles
80287-8 8mhz
$295
8087-2
For

Wang AT&T,

For the Tandy

3000 and

287TurbO

ITT-XP.

8mhZlfyouownanAT,

Deskpro 286 or AT compatible, this is the card you
need to get reasonable numeric performance It
plugs into your 80287 socket and includes a specially driven 8 mhz 80287. The card comes in three
configurations The IBM AT version includes a
hardware

RESET button

$395

NEC V20, V30

call

64K RAM Set 150ns.
256 K RAM Set 150ns
128K RAM Set PC AT
JRAM, AST, INTEL

$10
$39
$49
call
375
475

plus 64K ABOVE BOARD PS
plus 1 28K AT ABOVE BOARD
Microsoft Fortran Version 331
IBM Professional Fortran
Ryan- McFarland Fortran Version 2.0
FOI
FORLIB+
or STRINGS and THINGS
Grafmatic for Fortran or Pascal
Plotmatic
NAG Fortran Library

DCache
DCache

Lattice

209
565
399
65
125
125
300
269

C

Microsoft

C or QuickBasic

IBM Basic Compiler Version 2.0
Summit BetterBASIC’
IBM Assembler w/Librarian Version
Microsoft Assembler Version 301

CALL
465

CALL
155
99
199
450

2.0

Microsoft Pascal Version 3.31

STSC APL* PLUS/PC
Phoenix P!ink86 or Cosmos Revelation.
SPSS/ PC +
EPSILON Text Editor
LABTECH NOTEBOOK
MultiHalo (one language)
Fifth

Generation

FASTBACK

.

.

CALL
595
195
745
189
150

be displayed at once. Which
twice as many as previously
possible on a PC.

And

you wish

if

characters, or

own

is

to use other

even create your

alternate character set,

Spectra will support those, too.

More

colorful features.

Each Spectra EGA comes fully
equipped with a parallel printer
port, light pen interface and

256K RAM on
This

is

needed

the single board.

good news
256K RAM is

especially

because a

full

to run

most popular

graphics software effectively.

One

Perhaps the best news

Remember the first time you

The discovery of color

graphics.

child, it was a significant
event. As a business person, it

As a

still

glance you may find
that the Spectra EGA and the
IBM EGA seem to be very

Upon

A

Genoa Systems proudly

The

in-

troduces a new and colorful
technology for the PC called
Spectra EGA. The Enhanced
Graphics Adapter that lets you
rediscover the benefits, and the
thrill, of color graphics on your
PC.

An EGA with

a better

vision.

EGA

compatibility

lot

Because the standard IBM EGA
only comes with 64K RAM,
whereas Spectra EGA comes
with a full 256K.

more than

just pretty

pictures.
first

first

closely priced. But look again.

the same.

software updates in order to
begin enjoying your EGA today.

change the way you use
your personal computer.
will

is

Spectra’s price.

upgraded your
color graphics hardware?

The thrill is

thrilling price.

thing you’ll rediscover

Now, you may purchase the extra memory board you’ll need
from IBM at an additional cost
of about 70-80 percent. Or you
can buy Spectra EGA from
Genoa... and rediscover the
thrill of a bargain.

with your Spectra
EGA is color. There
is

a

whole

lot

more

than ever before.
Sixty-four separate

from
which any sixteen
can be displayed at
colors, in fact,

once.

Spectra Enhanced Graphics Adapter

Next, you’ll notice
is

an

art that

only Spectra has mastered. And,
while other EGA hardware is incompatible with current industry standards, Spectra EGA
fully supports hardware and
software designed for the IBM
Enhanced Graphics Adapter,
Color Graphics Adapter and
Monochrome Graphics Adapter.
And the Hercules Board.
This means that you don’t
have to wait around for new

To

a higher resolution in

both text and graphics modes.

The

find out

distributor near you, call

408-945-9720. Or write to
Genoa Systems Corporation,
73 E. Trimble Road, San Jose,
CA 95131.
Spectra

EGA from

Genoa

There are 512 characters carried
in Spectra’s memory that can all

We make
CIRCLE

&

Genoa.

Evolution in color graphics.

any direction.

IBM, Hercules and Crayola are registered trademarks of IBM Corp., Hercules, Inc. and Binney

more about
Genoa

Spectra, or a qualified

fun comes in putting
the board to work. You’ll see
soft scrolling, panning and windowing that was never before
possible on a PC. And the
flicker-free display will allow
you to regulate these
movements at any speed, or in
real

239

PCs

better.

ON READER SERVICE CARD

Smith, Inc. respectively.

Sink your
TEETH INTO
THIS.
Introducing WordStar' 2000 Plus Release 2, the

DisplayWrite* 3, International Data Corporation's

new and improved software that topped

Jim

Chapman concluded:

InfbCorpS chart of word processing packages.

We

could

make all

kinds of claims about our

WordStar 2000 Plus Release

About

its

new

is

training. Direct Lotus® file input Extensive printer

port.

"WordStar 2000

2.

commonsense commands. Tutorials for easy

DCA connectivity. LANs and

in

we decided

to let the experts

. .

for well-conceived and

site licensing options.

helpful documentation."

That would be easy to do.
But

our favorite- for ease of
ease of use. and

learning,

sup-

Now we don't expea you
do the

talking.

a comparative report— the report containing the chart

to the left— Robert Lefkowits of infoCorp said:

to take these opinions

as

gospel.

Because when it comes to knowing your company's
word processing needs, you're the expert who
really matters.

"WS2000+ emerges as a dear

So evaluate our produa

winner In overall applicability.

See your local MicroPro dealer today. Or call 800227-6703 (800-632-7979 in California) for the dealer

InfoCorp believes WS2000+
would appeal to the largest
number and widest variety of
users. Its layered functionality,
ease of learning, and excellent
communications features make it ideal for
corporate users, ranging from secretaries

yourself.

nearest you. Put WordStar 2000 Plus Release 2 to the
test

We

and see how
believe

it'll

it

measures up to the advance

be time

reviews.

you and your

well spent. For

company.
you'd like the complete InfoCorp and IDC reports, we'll
out the coupon
be happy to send them to you. Just
below and mail it to us,
or call 800-443-0100 X. 547.
if

to clerks to managers to executives."

fill

And, after reviewing WordStar 2000 Plus Release 2

MicroPro'

alongside MultiMate” Advantage” and ISM'S

!

MicroPro International, Industry Analyst Reports
P.0.
ve s,

I'd like

I

Box 57135, Hayward, CA 94S45

copies

of the infoCorp

2000 Plus Release

2.

and IDC Reports on WDrdStar

Please send them to

me

right away.

PCM

Company.
Address

-ZipPhone (_

Lotus and IBM DisplayWnte 3 are registered trademarks of lotus Development Corporation and IBM Corporation, respectively MultiMate and Advantage are trademarks of
MultiMate Corporation Current WordStar 2000 owners can update to WordStar 2000 Release 2 by calling MicroPro Customer update 800-433-01 00 x 265
8805M 2/86

CIRCLE 534 ON READER SERVICE

CARD

.

A Hard
Turn your

PC

into

Drive The Easy Way.

an XT

in

seconds with OnBoard, Maynard’s new hard drive card!

So your PC needs a hard drive.
When you bought your PC, you never dreamed
.

you'd need more than floppy drive performance.
But now, both you and your PC are ready for more.
In fact, there's just one reason you’ve been putting
off getting a hard drive. Admit it. It's the installation.
Cables and controller and all that.

OnBoard is here. The hard drive card
your PC’s storage capacity to rival any
AT* on the block! OnBoard snaps easily into
your IBM PC’s expansion slots! Open your
PC, plug in OnBoard, and close your PC. Just like
that. Your PC will boot directly to OnBoard when you
power up
no more floppy disk maneuvering.
Well, relax.

that boosts

XT or
one

of

—

Powerful Self-Control.
If

you already have a hard drive

in

your PC,

will double up and run
both hard drives. Which helps keep your expansion
slots open for other business.

OnBoard’s controller card

Lots of Head Room,
Lots of Desk Room.
OnBoard puts up to 20MB

of

power

your PC,
seconds! If

into

it into a hard drive heavyweight in
you need less storage but the same speed and
performance, you can install OnBoard 10.

turning

Single-Slot Installation.
Simply snap OnBoard into expansion slot 1 of your
IBM PC* or XT, leaving all your other slots free for
additional boards.

OnBoard is designed to work in today’s
leading PCs and is available at the
finest computer stores. Contact your
local dealer or call us today for more
information.

fine
*IBM PC. XT. and AT are trademarks

CIRCLE 478

of International

ON READER

Business Machines

SERVICE CARD

Maynard Electronics
Shaping tomorrow’s technology.
460

E.

Semoran

Blvd., Casselberry,

FL 32707 305/331 -6402

M A

V

9 H 6

2 7,

FIRST LOOK:

PC CONVERTIBLE

33

8-MHZIBMPCAT

38

FIRST LOOK: MICROSOFT

WORD 3.0

52

NEW OR THE MARKET

54

IBM Laptop Dignifies
The DOS-to-Go Market
FIRST

re

LOOK

Big Blue hopes

DOS compatibility

Meet IBM’s better-late-thannever PC Convertible, alias

on

Clamshell, the almost-IRS-lap-

desktop machine, you’ll have to

top that

try in the

byte disk drives.

BY BILL HOWARD

$ 1 ,995 laptop as a go-anywhere

3 '/2 -inch,

720K-

imagine yourself satisfied with

no numeric keypad and half

15-pound, battery-

powered. DOS-on-a-handle
IBM introduced the Convertible April 2, along with
more powerful and cheaper ATs
and XTs and upgraded 3270
PCs (page 38).

stretches to include

($180) or color ($400) display
top. To believe it’s a true

roughly the eighth en-

is

IBM

The box

NEW YORK—
ity

from schizophreand just killed off its broth-

(or suffers

nia),

er, the

PC Portable?

is

measures 12 by 14 by 2% inchand a road-ready unit with a

es.

wants you to think of its

15-character-per-second ther-

desktop use by tugging off the

mal printer and serial/parallel
docked on the back surpasses 20 inches. Inside, there’s

80 by 25 LCD screen and snapping on a $325 display adapter

CMOS RAM

of the system unit,
with a composite monochrome

drop-in modules. A carrying
handle is provided, more for

ports

room

at the rear

for only

new products

Microsoft and

Software Publishing
unlock their

Of the top
now only Lotus

software.
ten,

and Ashton-Tate are
holdouts.

BY STEWART ALSOP
AND CHARLES

BERMANT

The PC software

512K bytes of
on four 128K

in its

Harvard software

Copyprotection
Losing Its Favor
K ANALYSIS

bigger than you

might expect if you’ve seen a
Toshiba or Kaypro laptop. It

portable that can be converted to

What weighs 13
pounds, boasts a dual personal-

the

cursor keys.

genre.

PFS and

lines. “It’s

an ease-of-use issue,” says Kim
Domino, spokesperson for Soft-

ware Publishing. “Corpora-

industry

is

IBM's PC Convertible is SI. 995 with
256K bytes of RAM. an LCD screen, and
a pair of3'/:-inch drives. Plan to hand
the dealer as

much as S4.020fora com-

plete system.

show than comfort. Construcgood, a plus in a
market segment where quality
tion quality is

control isn’t always the highest

spend

priority. Plan to

at least

(continues on next page)

tions have requested removal of

copy protection, not to violate
the law but to

make backup

copies.”
< continued

on page 42 )

go-

It isn’t gathering on a
nude beach. Rather, more and
more software companies are
removing copy protection from
their major products.
Microsoft Corp. quietly
dropped copy protection from
Access Project, Multiplan, and
Microsoft Chart over the last 6
months and just recently from
its only remaining protected
PC- DOS program, Microsoft

ing bare.

O'Connor

,

Thom

Photograph:

Word (see “Microsoft Word

Wciman;

3.0 Gets Better in Most Every

Way," page

52). Software Pub-

lishing Corp. says

it

copy protection from

PC

will
all

Jon

drop

future

Illustration.

MAGAZINE

MAY
33

2 7,

1986

)

IBM Laptop

Laptop

MS-DOS Portables

(continuedfrom preceding page

Company 1
model name

Disk

$3,000 for a seriously equipped
machine.

drives

Dimensions

(lbs.)

price

Notes

IBM PC Convertible

(2)3%

14%x12%x2%

12.2

$2,190

$1,995 without

3 '/2 -Inch Drives

Quadram Datavue

(1)

5V«

12%x6%x10%

12

$1,695

Backlit fluorescent

wt.

List

serial/

parallel ports.

IBM

is

banking on the mar-

ketplace expanding
tion of PC
compass

its

screen, $1,995 Gaslit

defini-

compatibility to en-

720K-byte,

the

$2,495

Quadram Datavue

(2)3%

1

GRiDCase2

(1)3%

14x11%x2%

2% x 6% x 1 0%

14

$2,095

12

$3,150

Backlit fluorescent

3'/2-inch micro-floppy-disk

screen $1,995. Gaslit

drives. They’re better in every

way but one:

DOS

and

5 million-plus

use 5'/4-inch floppies.

IBM

20Mbyte hard

screen,

MS-

PC-DOS machines

768K RAM,

screen,

disk,

$3,495.

128K

RAM

(512K,

add $400).

expects data transfers

Morrow Pivot II

(2)3%

13%x11%x2%
13x5%x9%

14

$1,995

machines. Three 3'/2-inch

HP Portable PLUS

None

13x10x3

10

$2,695

Serial port only.

drives were announced for
desktop PCs; no 5 '/4-inch drives

Toshiba T1100

(1)3%

12x12x2%

9

$1,999

External

Kaypro 2000

(1)3%

11%x13x2%

11.5

$1,995

between Convertibles and desktop machines to be done with

Data General/One

(2)3%

8.8

$3,495
10Mbyte hard

320K RAM,

the 3 '/2 -inch disks at the desktop

are planned for the Convertible.

One possibility: IBM

is

herding

the marketplace toward
drives

IBM

for

Serial only. Parallel

adapter, $65.

Zenith Z-171

(2)5%

Sharp 7000

(2)5%

13x5%x9%
16x8%x6%

14.5

$2,399

19

$1,795

Backlit

LCD.

Backlit

LCD. 320K RAM;

AC

Why an LCD?
between

In the tug-of-war

drive,

$529.

3'/2-

on PCs. What’s good
good for America.

is

disk,

$3,115.

5%-inch

Except where noted, systems have 80 x 25

LCD screens. 256K-byte RAM. parallel/serial ports,

operation only.

two disk drives. All run

MS-DOS or PC-DOS.

battery life and display quality,

IBM went

for battery life.

The

display epitomizes both the pinnacle of

LCD

technology and

IBM

Readabil-

enhanced by the standard

control key in the lower-left-

says the con-

trast ratio is 3:1;

most other

LCDs are around 2:

1

ity is

.

IBM-designed character

set,

though the character spacing is a
bit wide. The made-for-IBM
LCD gives 6 to 10 hours of life

from

its

internal rechargeable

battery pack

compared with 2 to

3 hours for internally illuminated LCD displays. Alternatively,
for desktop readability,

you

—than a standard

based on the layout introduced
with the RT PC and now includ-

ed on new ATs and XTs: function keys along the top, a separate cursor-control pad, and a

mediocrity.

faster

It won’t blow
the AT or turbo-board
PCs, but the Convertible more

away

than holds

Both
Utilities

er-saving

say

it’s

too high.

It’s

rate

1

.0

on The Norton
PC Maga-

Syslnfo test.

zine Labs write, random-read,

and sequential-read benchmark
tests

showed

the Convertible’s

microfloppies to be faster than
the

PC’s 5 '/4-inch drives

File transfers between the

The Speed of a PC

cheer the 78-key keyboard.

critics will

against stock

nal 3'/: -inch drive, below.

The Convertible with

a

of the 8088 processor appeared
up to 5 percent faster with

—

screen updates up to 20 percent

the Convertible’s

microfloppies to be faster than the

PC’s 5!4-inch drives

slower in the 5 2-byte
random-read test, and tied in the
tests,

1

though.
In the

mark

PC

Labs’ 1-2-3 bench-

test (for

screen updating

and processor speed), the Convertible took 237 seconds with

PC Convertible and a desktop PC are done by a $395 exterNo 5'A-inch drive is availablefor the PC Convertible.

pow-

80C88CMOS version

PC Magazine Labs benchmark tests
showed

in the

four write and sequential -read

578-byte random-read test.
There’s a brief but somewhat
maddening hesitation between
the time when you hit the Enter
key and when the drive spins,

dinky function keys.

$725 color display options.
Most (not all) users will
dicky but less so than on the PC
and XT. Resistance is good;

own

its

PCs.

hand comer. The keys retain the
spacing of full-size IBMs. Concessions to the 12-inch system
width: no separate Home, End,
PgUp, and PgDn keys; no numeric pad (they’re shared with
other keys and accessed with a
PC/r-style function key); and

have the $505 monochrome or

It’s

mono-

chrome IBM PC.

in the write

and

sequential-read tests.

PC

MAY2

MAGAZINE
34

7,

1986

I*

C

N E

WS

PC Update, page
Some of the stuffier ones
want you to buy one copy for
your desktop PC and one for
your laptop.
format (see

44).

Among
modules

the clip-to-the-back

is

a 3'/2-pound thermal

printer. It’s

cheap ($295),

fin-

nated display.

College students

want

cover stories anywhere,

to

but the business of American
companies doesn’t take place

very far from a

fed,

IBM

has

40 characters per
second claimed but rated 15 cps
in PC Labs’ speed test.

most

likely

icky about the paper

and slow

—

it’s

Inside. IBM offers a $450,
,200-bit-per-second modem
"with the IBM command set,

thumbing

neatly

its

a color PC.
(The Convertible doesn’t require retrace checks for writing
to the screen, so the speed can
be improved slightly by patching out those checks in the driver.) When 1-2-3 pie charts were

IBM

SystemApps so

rigged

Software Tests
PC Labs tested

Didn’t Do
Aftermarket firms should
have a field day with the Con-

several of the

charts because of the horizontal

WordStar (Version 3.3), XyWrite III
and 1-2-3. The Convertible
seems to handle the LCD inter-

aspect ratio.

pretation of color graphics bet-

more

called to the screen, they

closely resembled watermelon

Included with the machine

is

Application Selector, a menudriven program shell with seven

DOS commands
Apps, which

is

and System-

best described as

IBM’s answer

SideKick:
Notewriter
(bare-bones
DisplayWrite ), Schedule,
Phone List, and Calculator.
to

While there’s not

vertible.

much

real estate left inside, a

take

on a business

Kf|

FACT

Aftermarket

1

power adapter. $25; 15-cps

Some

higher-density low-power

Software publishers are

RAM cards to break the self-im-

quickly supporting the 3 '/2 -inch

modem, a
20-megabyte hard disk, and
perhaps an all-in-one card com-

compatible internal

bining several features into one

back-porch module.

PC Por-

long can

On
IBM put the ma-

it

an 80286-based lap-

SI 80; 13-inch

top?

for

prove

’

IBM

nal drive for

Bill Howard

the easy readability of an illumi-

Photographs:

PC

MAGAZINE

MAY2
35

7,

AT (separate

new PC-XT, $190;

hardware guide. $50; technical
manual, $75; service manual.
S 50: carrying cases. $44 and
1

$84.
In Short:

IBM's belated and

well-built 13-pound entry digni-

"DOS to travel"

fies the

w ith speed equal

mar-

to a desk-

The 80 by 25 LCD
about as good as today's technology gets. Most us-

1986

screen

is

ers will like the keyboard. Dis-

appointments:

5I2K

RAM

limit, serial/parallel/video

con-

nections arc clip-on modules, a
is

chines with more ability and PC
compatibility than a RAMbased Tandy 200, yet weighing
less than a Compaq and without

—

*

itself legitimate.

banking that there’s room for
hundreds of thousands of goany where, 13-pound DOS ma-

—

—

PC, XT. or

models), $395; 3 '/’-inch inter-

top PC.

in the highly

competitive laptop/portable
market is by no means guaranteed. The 3'/2-inch disks are one
reason. The second is that the
market, while not new, needs to

—

RGB monitor,

$400; 3 '/-inch external drive

ket,

NEW YORK What can you say about the PC Portable, a
$2,250 machine (256K bytes of RAM and two floppy disk
drives) that was outmarketed, outsold, and outperformed by the
Compaq portables? How about good-bye?
With the emergence of the PC Convertible, IBM made it clear
it believed its 30-pound Compaq clone had little or no future.
Or, as Entry Systems Division president William C. Lowe
said April 2
in classic IBMspeak
“It was withdrawn from
active marketing today.

And how

take before a compet-

itor unveils

commonochrome monitor,

posite

5'/i-inch floppy disk drive,

CRT display adapt-

er module, $325: 9-inch

possibilities: a

IBM’s success

Thom

module. $295. printer

printer

cable. $45;

the back.

chine out of its misery.

O’Cc

modem,

$195: battery charger. $25; auto

72-pin I/O connector sticks out

table never sold well.

April 2.

Boca Raton. FL 33432

300/ .200-bps internal

day with the

had a strong folthe

P.O. Box 1328

I28K RAM upgrades
(maximum: two). $195;

field

Convertible.

IBM PC Portable, R.I.P.: 1984-1986

MBAs,

Entry Systems Division

$450; serial/parallel module,

lowing among America's
future

IBM

3.2, $95;

have a

Except at Harvard,
it

PC' Convertible

With 256KRAM.
AC adapter. Application Selector. SystemApps. $1 ,995; DOS

firms should

than the Toshiba T1 100,
which rendered some of them
black on black.
Don’t count on everything
running so easily, however.
Programs that bypass the BIOS
and write directly to hardware,
along with graphics programs,
could have trouble.

a

or a sales

List Price:

,

posed 5l2K-byte limit, a faster
and better printer, a Hayes-

where

trip

call.

(800)447-4700

3.0),

ter

IBM’s SideKick

The

business-

FILE

What IBM

leading software packages on

Word (Version

is

nose at ev-

the Convertible. All ran: Microsoft

cut out.

too heavy and bulky to

it

on desktop PCs.

can’t be used

10-volt outlet.

Compaq

equate for communications.

Color Display driver, versus

1

work
market

who now consider

who thought the Hayes
command set was more than ad-

253 seconds for

its

people

eryone

the

may want to

type term papers under shaded

oak trees and reporters may

Mickey Mouse printer, and nonHayes-compatible
tions.

modem op-

Only the market can de-

termine

if

“IBM

compatibility” stretches to

in-

clude 3'/2-inch drives.
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Softcraft

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Software Publishing
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Software Research
Smart Path
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version of

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Dynax, Inc

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Word Plus

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supports both Hercules
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Okidata

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193P
This 136

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included. Draft mode runs
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mode

NLQ

at 80 cps and
runs 40 cps.

Drives for IBM AT
and Compatibles
20MB HD

AST Research
Six Pak Plus w/64K (S &
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CC-232
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267
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Paradise

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389
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Works with monochrome. color or the IBM

Tape Back Up
Systems

1-Omega
*10 + 10H Bernoulli Box
(20MB)
$2349
*10H Bernoulli Box
(10MB)
1759
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3149
‘W/Non-Bootable Contrlr
Irwin

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Backup tape subsys
850
Maynard
Maystream Sys. 20 w/cntrlr
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$1199
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Tecmar
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179
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229

10MD HD

w/cntrlr

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Seagate (1/2 Hi. 80MS

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479

w/cntrlr

Everex Everdisk
(1/2 Hi. 85MS)
$599
Seagate (1/2 Hi. #225) ... 495
Seagate (Full Hi. #4026)
650
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Miniscribe

TM

100-2 floppy

$109

Teac
Half Hi

$109

Others

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1

serial.

parallel.

1

Internal software includes
calculators, phone directory,

calendar, clock-world map. work
$1899
scheduler. MS DOS

629
#202F.

(Full Ht.

679

$959

Amdek

(Full Ht. #4038.

610

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439

310A w/Cable
600
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w/rails

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12E

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300
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Zenith

$139
379
359
549
619
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1360 monitor
This replaces the 136.
It features contemorary
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CRT. Resolutions of
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or 640 x 480 with a video
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$485

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interlacing.

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Rodime (Full Ht)
Maynard (1/2 Hi.
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sply

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545

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IBM PC Compatible
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flpy dr. keybd & 135W pwr

and Compatibles

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$129

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JRAM AT-3-OK

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Everex Excell Stream 60
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$899
Int. w/40W pwr sply (XT only)
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969
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IBM PC XT, AT,
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IBM PC AT Compatible
640K on Mother board. 1.2MB
flpy dr & HD cntrlr cd, AT

Electronic Protection Devices
Lime/EC-ll
$ 55

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Motherboard

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flpy drives,
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169
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80287 AT Chip (5 Mhz)
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P

N E

(

WS
the

At Last, IBM Sanctions

new

pricing

ably replace

Faster (8-MHz) PC AT
routines where there

BY JOHN DICKINSON

is

run out; the

but nonzero, chance of disk er-

IBM

an

price cuts revealed

along with

TopView, and XT
enhancements.

if

MHz. The

with across-the-board price cuts

old one was rated at
And,” he adds as he lifts

that

reduce the size of the premi-

the

um

that

products must pay.

’

was almost

as

Ronald Reagan were on na-

“The new AT will run at 8
MHz,” says Bill Lowe. IBM’s

with a

and half-height disk drives.
the

his salt

would

PC
set

up

IBM

widely

Convert-

IBM's latest answer to the
640K-byte memory limit is to
enhance its year-old TopView
program so that it swaps inactive programs out of memory

RAM-

and onto disk (including

minor. With hard disks, the reductions are more substantial:

It’s

PC

TopView

disks). This means you can have
five or six programs running
even if their total memory requirement exceeds 640K. Top-

market pressures. For flop-

py-only units, the reductions are

$ 1 .000 for the

dealer worth

it

It’s

for

belated responses to competitive

same old box, now config-

ured like any

buyers of genuine

Upgrade

believed that the price cuts are

’

.

announced an XT
20-megabyte hard disk
also

true for

only truly aggressive price an-

Reduced

at

out generating excessive heat

tional television lifting the
speed limit to 85 miles per hour.

Prices

IBM’s array of hardware announcements was coordinated

only 6.

IBM
It

Hardware

hood off one in a back room
IBM’s New York headquarters, "we’re using new memory
chips that are fast enough with-

keyboard,

NEW YORK —

“The new AT fixes that

and also includes an 80286 chip
certified by Intel to run at 8

presum-

inventories

same holds

nounced was the
ible’s $1,995 tag.

spokesperson.

’ ’

he says.

that the 8-

will

new 20-megabyte XTs. The
to

rors occurring at faster speeds,

Across-the-board

it

when

the old 10-megabyte and the

models, according

a small,

is

MHz AT is the same price as the
6-MHz model

the

XT and $700

AT. The oddest

fact

for

about

View Version 1.10, priced at
$175, also supports (at last)
batch program operation.
G0
,

for a cus-

tomer.

Entry Systems Division president, “yet maintain compatibil-

with

ity

all

existing applica-

The same man,

you’ll recall,

recently promoted the idea that

ATs

shouldn’t be run so

When

Keyboard

101 -Key
If

you’re ready for

announced

tions.”

fast.

asked about what he said

“No,

it,

IBM

that the so-called

Enhanced PC and

AT keyboard

PC RT keyboard) is
now the IBM standard keyboard

(that is, the

across

all

product lines and will

I

be used as widely as possible in

at

the interest of compatibility.

speed now we have.”
There’s really more to it than

You can buy any model XT or

previously, he replied,
said

we

hadn’t tested them

that

—

that,

according

to

a technical

spokesperson from the

AT

group in Boca Raton, Fla. “We
found one area in the BIOS disk

AT

with either

a

standard

(83/84-key layout) or Enhanced
(101-key layout) PC keyboard
for the

same

IBM's 1 01 - key keyboard is a no-cost option ( to the current H3/B4 key units) on new PC-

XTs and ATs.

price, but they can-

tends

not be retrofitted to existing

with a separate cursor pad and 12 function keys across the top.

can' l be retrofitted to existing PCs. The most dubious improvement

LAN can communicate with

LANs and TopView

host applications.

A new version of IBM Local
Area Network software allows
machines running it to use

ment

for integrating

grams allow the PC (ir the PC
3270 running them to become a
“gateway” from an IBM local

NEW YORK— IBM's continucommitment to connectivity
its micros, mainframes, and minicomputers

took another evolutionary step

with a spate of communications

software and hardware announcements.
Probably the most significant
announcements are of new editions of the PC 3270 Emulation
Program (Version 2) and the

IBM 3270 PC Control Program
(Version 3). These new pro-

A new

a host

is

allows

into a host

network.

Any PC connected

PC

IBM's TopView, Version

to

38

to use

IBM’s own

it

allows a larger number of

1.10,

edition of the

ries the

found on the new

nounced

1986

3270

car-

same enhancements
PC-XTs an-

multitasking software (a signifi-

7.

ver-

,

and

cantly enhanced version of that

MAY2

MAGAZINE

a full-length card con-megabyte of memory,

expanded memory. Up
to 2 megabytes of RAM can be
accessed using the 3270 PC
Control Program Version 3,

A new
PC

mainframe

Network)

1

it

sion of

local and host-based tasks to run
on IBM’s hybrid-terminal PC.

mainframe network.

area network (Token Ring or

with

panded Memory Adapter,
taining

These new programs allow the PC or the
PC 3270 running them to become a
“gateway” from an IBM local area
network (Token Ring or PC Network) into

PC 3270s

hardware enhancePC 3270, the Ex-

for the

which

ing

between

IBM conthe place-

product was also announced),
and new software development
tools allow greater capabilities

the host by using the single gate-

Boost PC Connectivity

is

in the lower-left-hand corner.

way.

the

3270 Emulation Programs
BY JOHN DICKINSON

it

ment of the control key way. way down

at the

same time.

SB

For $2495'
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1

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YrrvTnmmr

C

P

Copyprotection

doesn’t plan to change

it

(continued from page 33)

its

NE

po-

The moves

drop copy protection by Microsoft and Software Publishing leave just two
to

of the top ten business-software

publishers

— Lotus

Develop-

ment Corp. and AshtonTate

—

selling copy-protected

software.

And

while Lotus says

knees.

its

“Copy

now sells the unprotected Multi-

CP/M, where newcomers
wonder what you’re talking
about,” says Gordon Eubanks,
chairman of Symantec Corp. in
Cupertino, Calif., which pub-

Mate word processors (acquired
when it bought Multimate Inter-

tabase and

to rethinking

position.

its

ton-Tate got on the

dBASE

selling

(never protected),

11

national),

map

Ash-

and

but has

Q&A

hottest of last fall’s three

no plans to remove copy
protection from its products in
the near future.

Ashton-Tate’s Experiment

da-

—

Ashton-Tate, on the other

the

hand, says that copy protection

major

software releases. Sales have

copy protec-

from Framework II to test
how sales revenues would be af-

er two,

fected.

then unprotected

been

tion

is

the

number-one issue for

corporate customers. “It corre-

Paradox (protected,

sponds to the increasing use of
hard disks and networks,” says

in

Version

other companies use copy pro-

and Javelin (protected).
Indeed, Michael Brown,

tection selectively. Living Vi-

founder and president of Central

sidering

deotext of Mountain View,

Point Software,

tion

some

the top ten,

its

impressive for the oth-

less

Uncle Sam’s
Marching
Orders: No Copy

Beyond

it

studying the issue carefully

is

will

word processor

Through a

spokesperson, Lotus says that

like

lishes the unprotected

seriously con-

is

sidering removing

ing their products.

protection

soon be one of those things

will

time soon, Ashton-Tate admits

Two Holdouts in Top Ten

\V S

to

copy protection any-

sition in

is

company’s president Ed
is now con-

the

1.1)

Esber. Ashton-Tate

getting ready

removing

the protec-

from Framework

II, its in-

Protection at DoD

Calif., for

move his company out of sell-

tegrated productivity package,

The four Air Force/Navy mi-

tects its

ThinkTank outlining

ing software that copies protect-

as an experiment. “If our reve-

crocomputer contracts for a
total of 150,000 PCs recently awarded to Zenith Data
Systems include many dif-

program but offers customers a

ed programs. Brown says Copy

nues go down, we’ll put the pro-

$40 unlocking program and

II

example,

still

to

pro-

plans to remove protection with
the next

not Lotus’s 1-2-3.

Lotus certainly makes
sales to the government, but
it

didn't have a chance at

Corporate Clout
What happened to copy

pro-

While individual and

these contracts because of its

small-business users have been

rigid copy-protection poli-

complaining about copy-protected programs ever since personal computers came on the

cy. Air Force officials

met

with Lotus; despite assurances of tight control, the

copy lock stayed on and
1-2-3 locked itself out

—

to

market, they lacked the clout to
bare

Calc.

to

in everyone’s best inCorporations, on the

now

other hand, are

The Department of Defense (DoD) lays a tough
software copying policy on

dreds of copies

man-

people. Individual

at

a time.

they don’t like to hassle with
copy-protection schemes, par-

and copying

ticularly with the advent

is

a frequent in-

DoD

back,” says Esber. ‘‘If
same or go up,

they stay the

we’ll take protection off every-

‘Morals’ Clause

soft-

software publishers continue to

ware publishers to drop copy
protection,” Brown says.
“Corporate and government accounts will no longer accept it.
With increased use of tape backups and networks, it becomes
too much of an inconve-

feel justified in protecting their

There are some areas where

products. Joe Diodati, vice
president of marketing for Softguard Systems in Santa Clara,
Calif., the leading vendor of
copy-protection systems (the
one used by Ashton-Tate and
Lotus) admits copy protection
“is probably dying” but main-

protection won’t die

overnight.

PC

The two

tains that specialized software

largest sell-

applications are

still

still

committed, for now, to protect-

Copy Protection:

And

agers are held responsible

its

“

customer base will force

ers of

estimated

buy as much as 40 percent of
the business software sold.
They buy in volumes of hun-

tection

setting sales records

thing.”

Copy

was

terests.

company’s lead prod-

still

Costs Michael Brown His
Award,” page 47). “But the

nience.”

persuade publishers that going

good fortune of Sorcim
IUS, the makers of Superthe

his

(see sidebar

tection? In a word, corporations.

PC,

uct, is

major upgrade.

ferent kinds of software, but

needs to be protected be( continued

on page 44)

How It Works

Copy-protection schemes are designed to make duplication of
program disks difficult or to make copies unusable.

of hard

one scheme, errors are purposely written on disks that the
utilities COPY and DISKCOPY automatically correct

policy

disks and networks. Protected

In

derives from the main job of

software installed on a hard disk

DOS

the military services: to be

often can’t be used after a rou-

PCs are used
for everything from programming the ECM (elec-

tine tape

when making copies. If you attempt to run a copy-protected program from a duplicated disk, the program checks for the inten-

spection item.

ready for war.

Along with pressure from big

tional errors;

it

won’t run unless

it

finds them. This

is

the

method

pods

are also beginning to believe us-

Softguard Systems uses for its SUPERLoK protection scheme.
1-2-3 (Release 2), Symphony, Framework, and dBASE III Plus

strike aircraft to control-

ers understand the legal issues

all

tronic countermeasure)

on

backup.

ling

bunk spaces.

If a

ma-

chine with a copy-protected

program

installed

disk goes

down,

on a hard
there

may

not be time to send for anoth-

To UnSam, the need to create
operable backups of programs is as intrinsic as the
need to make copies of maps
and intelligence photos. Until Lotus unlocks, it won’t go

er original diskette.
cle

to war.

G3

corporate customers, publishers

involved.

“More people

that it’s not right to

ware and give

it

to

Vault Corp.’s Prolok uses another technique:

realize

copy

manager for Software Publishing. “People understand what is piracy and
what isn’t. They want to be legal.” (They also want to be em-

To use older copy-protected

many corporations have

software.)

—Winn L. Rosch

hard disk.

customer pressure, then,
bringing copy protection

PC

software with a hard disk, users

had to have a key disk in drive A:. Newer methods, including
Softguard’s, allow hard disk use by hiding files at certain locations on the disk. Although a step in the right direction, these
programs can interfere with normal hard disk backups and cannot themselves be backed up except by so-called image systems,
which can only restore files to the same (undamaged) physical

strong penalties for copying

that is

creates non-

4

uct marketing

It is

it

damaging the disk with a laser. Prolok
was rumored to have a ‘killer worm” that would damage data if
illegal copies were made. While untrue, the reports scared both
users and makers away from Prolok.

duplicatable errors by

soft-

someone

else,” says Signe Ostby, prod-

ployed;

use this arrangement.

MAGAZINE

MAY
42

2 7.

1986

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Put Us To

To Order:

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• Advertised prices reflect a discount for
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• Customer Service Department: 503-620-9877
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Personal Financial Planner

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
9269.

Independently owned and operated by
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•

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Canada add 12% (915 minimum)
Foreign add 18% (925 minimum)
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599.

449.
549.
599.

CONROY-LAPOINTE

Quadboard 384K

429.

300G 12" Green Composite
300A 12" Amber Composite
310A 12” Amber TTL
Color 600
Color 722

PROTECTION

RAM

TALLTREE
JRAM III No RAM for AT
JRAM III 256K for PC

419.

Copy II PC
PC Tools
PC Option Board
FIFTH GENERATION

FUNK
39.

MICROGRAFX
109.

MB

279.
309.

309.

Sidekick (copiable)

CENTRAL POINT

CALL

Sign Master
Diagram Master
Chart master

GRAPHICS COMMUNICATION
215.
329.

Superkeys

22.
22.
81.

FINOT GROUP

DECISION RESOURCES
209.
235.
245.

Keyworks

43.
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$155.

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Proof
Report
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1.5

235.

8265.
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ALPHA SOFTWARE

Windows

SOFTWARE PUBLISHING
57.
75.
84.

Rampage for PC
Rampage for AT
INTEL
Above Board 64K For PC
Above Board 128K for AT

VIDEO BOARDS

UTILITIES

1-2-3

MICROSOFT
63.

135.
159.
409.
549.

EVE REX

Symphony

15"
15"

182 S or P. 192 S or P. 193

P1091
P3151 Daisywheel

NEC

MAGNUM

LOTUS
329.
449.

8125.

SixPak Plus. 384K

QUADRAM

Relay
Relay Gold

NLQ

AMDEK
AT
AT

EconoRAM 384K
PC MasterCard No RAM
PC MasterCard 384 K

Crosstalk

VM

ASHTONTATE

Plotter

FX 286 200 cps. 40 NLQ
LQ 800 180 cps. 60 LQ
LQ 1000 180 cps. 60 LQ.
LQ 1500 200 cps. 67 LQ.

MONITORS
for
for

ORCHID

MICROSTUF

INTEGRATED
PACKAGES

Plotter

FX 85 160 cps. 32
HI 80 Plotter

OK1DATA

8087-2 Chip

89.
139.
189.

Easy Link Mail Manager

MICROSOFT

Sweet P 100
Sweet P 600

PANASONIC

EXPANSION BOARDS

CALL
CALL

KENSINGTON

PAPERBACK

80287 Fast 5
80287 Fast 8

389.
419.
599.
649.
795.
995.

275.
439.

AT

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8087 Chip

HR-25 Daisywheel

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299.
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Kits

119.
175.

Pascal Compiler

C Compiler
Fortran Compiler

Smartcom

256K
128K

229.
349.

8269.
395.
495.

COMMUNICATIONS
9107.

CHIPS
NS Kits
NS Kits

64K. 200
64K, 150

AST

C Compiler

99.
199.

1-2-3

MICROSOFT
VP

Pascal

New Pack
Prolog

Lattice

Multiplan

&

CHIPS

HAUPPAGE

GameWorks
Turbo
Turbo
Turbo
Turbo
Turbo

285.

275.
229.

LOTUS

65.

13.
36.
49.

MICROSOFT

SSI (Satellite)

124.

9 12.

LIFEBOAT

Multimate
Executive

SPREADSHEETS
9329.

RAM

Turbo Tutor
Turbo Toolbox
Graphix Toolbox
Editor Toolbox

& PLOTTERS

BROTHER
8539.

EPSON

COPROCESSORS

BORLAND

LIVING VIDEOTEXT
59.
109.

MEMORY

PROGRAMMING
LANGUAGES

Word

Easy

Oregon: 1-800-451-5151

Hours: 6-6 Pacific Mon-Fri, 8-4 Sat

Clipper

WORD
PROCESSING
DAC
39.

PRINTERS

800 - 547-1 289

R:Base 5000

1200 External

1200B Internal
2400 External

2400B

Internal

US ROBOTICS

&

Budget
Financial Reporting
Sales Invoicing

499.

AR. AP. GL. Inv or Payroll

499.

299.

Password 1200 External
2400 External
2400 Internal

XT/Mari^2*

*1295
MB
IBM PC/XT Compatiblle
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

•
•

Mono Graphics Card And Monitor
RAM On Motherboard
640K

Dual 360K Floppy Drives
Dual Speed 4.77 & 8 MHz
135 Watt Power Supply
Selectric, AT Style Keyboard
1
Parallel & 2 Serial Ports
6 Slots & Clock/Calendar
Warranty: 1 Year Parts,
90 Days Labor

Conroy-LaPointe
CIRCLE

125

ON READER SERVICE CARD

PC

IBM's introduction of new PC-XTs and PC ATs April 2 was accompanied by price cuts on existing models. ATs with a 20-megabyte hard disk, 1 .2-megabyte floppy, 512K bytes of RAM. and a 6MHz processor speed were reduced $900, to $4,895. The same
units with 30-megabyte drives were cut $700, to $5,295; an enhanced version with an 8-MHz CPU is offered at the same price.

The 6-MHz, 256K

RAM AT with a

remains $3,995.
XTs with 256K

RAM,

1

floppy disk drive, and

and one or two

—

XTs

with

|

XTs formerly were

S

= ®
ts-S
°

and one and two full-height floppy
down from $ 1 ,995

IBM raised the price of its Writing, Filing, and Graphing Assis-

price

.«

“
2
o

e=

«2
" c
c *

uj

to

1

siness

$ 45
1

IBM

.

also raised prices

on

its

Personal DecisionlBu$80. PC Storyboard

Management Series, between $15 and

increased $25, to $275.
*

*

*

*

Software vendors were quick to support the new 3 ‘/2 -inch disk format of the PC Convertible. They include: Lotus, Ashton-Tate, Mi-

MicroPro, Microstuf, Microrim, Satellite Software International, Alpha Software, MECA, Living Videotext, and
Computer Associates International. Some vendors are making the
switch easy: copy the non-copy-protected software from 5!A-inch
format, buy the package in 316-inch format, or write for a free update. This group includes Microsoft, Alpha Software, and Micros-

cut

i-

E

$ 29

crosoft, Lifetree,

,

IBM’S PC/XT/AT PRICE CUTS

E

IBM PCs with 256K RAM
and $2,295.

256K

or half-height floppy disk drives are

full-

$2, 145 and $2,295, respectively; the full-height

•5

boards.
disk drives are $ 1 ,845 and $ 1 ,995, respectively,

tant programs from $149 to $165; Planning Assistant rose from

360K

a full-height

disk drive, and a 20-megabyte hard disk drive.

lu

$2,270 and $2,570. The half-height floppy machines are available
with a choice of the standard 83-key or enhanced 101 -key key-

.2-megabyte floppy disk drive

a 10-megabyte hard disk were reduced $1,000, to $2,895
the
same price as the new XT with 512K RAM, a half-height floppy

RAM

NEWS

PAUL M. STAFFORD

PC UPDATE

Price

New

tuf.

Upgrade (or “crossgrade”) fees are planned by Microrim and

PC AT

101-key key-

(30-Mbyte hard disk

board,

$5,295

SSI, about $20 to cover the cost of disks and handling. No word
from Lotus on prices for its 1-2-3 and Symphony crossgrades. Ash-

12%

CPU

1.2-Mbyte

drive.

$5,995

8-MHz

ton-Tate expects users of dBASE 111 Plus and Framework 11 (both

floppy disk drive.

copy protected) to buy the programs a second time.
Quadram Datavue 25), Data General (Data General/One), and

512K RAM, 84-key
keyboard, 6-MHz
CPU)

(

Toshiba (T1100) already

sell

portables that incorporate 3 ‘/2-inch

more than 60 programs are available on 3 '/2 -inch Data
General/One disks. Data disks should be completely interchangeable between the Quadram, Data General, Toshiba T1 100, and IBM
machines. According to Data General representatives, “some incompatibilities” might exist between the Data General/One and the
PC Convertible, especially in the realm of communications.
disk drives;

PC-XT

20-Mbyte hard

(10-Mbyte hard disk

diskdrive.

drive.

256K RAM.

51 2K

83-key keyboard)

$3,895

$2,895

26%

52,295

$1,995

13%

RAM,

*****

101-key keyboard

on April 2. Some of the enhanced ATs and XTs are priced the same as existing models

1 .01 of its Access communications program, with updated menus to support the Official Airline Guide,
more efficient hard disk installation, faster operation, and no copy
protection. It’s free to registered Access owners; $250 otherwise.
For more information contact: Microsoft Corp., 16011 NE 36th
Way, Box 97017, Redmond,
98073; (800) 426-9400, (206)

even though they have markedly superiorfeatures and performance.

882-8080.

PC

None

Microsoft released Version

(two floppy disk
drives.

256K RAM)

IBM cut prices on most of its personal computer line and introduced enhanced models

Copyprotection
(continuedfrom page 42)

WA

illegal copies, but then

programs.

can’t

cause the potential market is so
small. Widespread copying of a

Limited Liability
David Wagman, chairman of

specialized application could

Softsel, a leading distributor of

ruin the developer.

software, maintains that copy

Bruce Grant, chief of techniMicroage Com-

protection

is still

and

ture to say it’s vanishing.

He

doesn’t believe that

copy protection

will ever die

completely. Instead, he says
that new vendors with nichemarket applications should
copy-protect them, while publishers of a low-end word pro-

man

that it’s

solved the problem for the

home

Ashton-Tate’s Esber disagrees:

ing to develop alternative
schemes, such as providing corporate customers with unprotected software and an agreement to limit the corporation’s

company

you
With

ployee's actions. But no one has

Wag-

says vendors have been try-

liability if the

the program.

or small business user.

prema-

issue as ever

puter Stores in Phoenix, Ariz.,

copy

arrangement a corporation
wouldn't be as liable for an em-

this

as sensitive an

cal support for

agrees.

GH

keeps employees from making

feel justified in protecting their

“The

basic issue

is

the

sive, unprotected version

onstrated that

it

is

dem-

possible to

amount of liability a corporation
assumes in buying software.

business selling software that’s

Corporations believe that their

unprotected.

liability is

reduced

if

they buy

unprotected software or get an

The

make

build a healthy and profitable

Do

users appreciate unpro-

tected programs?

“My mail has

copies.

a night and day difference,”

truth is exactly the reverse,

says Living Videotext president

unlimited right to

agrees

began in 1983, with the
arrival of Borland International.
Borland turned unprotected programs into a marketing advantage by selling the unprotected
version of SideKick for $30
more than the protected version.
The success of the more-expenreally

cessor or spreadsheet shouldn’t.

to

enforce copyrights. “It’s a

since that puts the burden on

Dave Winer. “I haven’t gotten

(Publishers of entertainment
and educational software also

double-edged sword,’’ Wag-

them to enforce the law.”
The death of copy protection

a single nasty letter since

man

says.

PC

“Copy

protection

MAGAZINE

MAY
44

2 7,

1986

protected ThinkTank ”
.

we

un-

GH

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ON READER SERVICE CARD

Microsoft

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M

0

C

U

P

U

T
OPEN SYSTEMS

165.00

HARDWARE

369.00

AMOEK

Modules Version 3
Resource Manager

CALL

All

£j»«p

itct*utey

MONITORS

REALWORLD
All

Modules

Amdek 310A

PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
BORLAND INTERNATIONAL
40.00
40.00

Editor

SOFTWARE PUBLISHING

Gameworks

PFS Family
File

MANAGEMENT

DATA BASE
III

80.00

Turbo Pascal 3.0

80.00

Plan

80.00

Turbo Toolbox
Turbo Tutor

Report

69.00

389.00

BORLAND INTERNATIONAL

GRAPHICS

BCD

LIFEBOAT ASSOCIATES

DECISION RESOURCES
62.00

Reflex

Lattice

Chartmaster

230.00
209.00
175.00

Diagram Master

FOX & GELLER
145.00

III

QuickReport
d Graph

With 8087
With 8087 &

Plus

QuickCode

Jumbo Pack
New Pack

Graph
Access

ASHTON TATE
dBase

III

Signmaster

RESEARCH

145.00

DIGITAL

145.00

Gem Draw

159.00

79.00

M.D.B.S.
Knowledge Man (Version

Graphwriter

Combo

319.00
239.00

Freelance
2)

299.00

MICROGRAFX
279.00

In-A-Vision

MICRORIM
RBase 5000

359.00
89.00

Extended Report Writer

PC Draw

279.00
95.00

249.00

Clipper (dBase

III

Compiler)

359.00

209.00

MOUSE SYSTEMS

SOFTWARE TOOLS
Viewgen (dBase

III

Dr. Halo

119.00

II

49.95

Macro Assembler

65.00

Manager

279.00

Sixpak Plus

32.00
49.00
42.00

Sidekick
Sidekick (Unprotected)

140.00

Copy PC
Copy II Options Board
PC Tools

Color Card

PARADISE

RESEARCH
32.00

Desktop

249.00

Project

Project Scheduler Network

329.00

Wordstar

179.00
249.00
245.00
295.00

Wordstar Propak
Wordstar 2000

MICROSOFT
239.00

Word

265.00
205.00
65.00
205.00

Advantage
Executive

Just Write

Multimate

SAMNA
249.00
339.00

III

SATELLITE SOFTWARE

Word

Perfect 4

1

III

II

LOTUS
Symphony

PERSONAL MANAGEMENT
Home Accountant
II

Enable

95.00

LIVING VIDEOTEXT

99.00

ThinkTank

99.00
145.00

95.00

G.N.P.

CPA. +

359.00

Modules

309.00
379.00
99.00

Payroll

Easy Plus

6 9 2 4

C A N B Y

129.00

pricelist.

49.00
99.00

Dollars

And Sense

99.00

99.00

ADVANTAGES

205

subj^^^hange. No

surcharge American Express. No re
turns without

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defective goods.

All prices

surcharge for VISA or MasterCard. 2%

accounts.

•

must be
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notified with 48 hours.

15%

restocking fee on non defective goods;
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MONOGRAM

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339.00

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Crosstalk XVI

189.00

SOFTWARE GROUP

32.00

Printmaster

389.00

449.00

89.00

175.00

MICROSOFT

CONTINENTAL SOFTWARE

WOOLF

Desk

5151 Keyboard

189.00

Release 2

Remote

ASHTON TATE

Masterpiece

32.00

UNISON

COMMUNICATIONS

ALPHA SOFTWARE

MISCELLANEOUS

89.00

KEYTRONICS

III

HAYES
Smartcom

Transporter

Framework

SIMON & SCHUSTER

129.00

INTEGRATED SOFTWARE
Electric

115.00

Typing Tutor

379.00
399.00

KENSINGTON

Prokey

SORCIM/IUS
Supercalc

39.00
55.00

339.00

MICROSTUF
219.00

QUAID SOFTWARE

ROSESOFT

Multiplan

175.00

HAYES
1200 B
1200

Copywrite

Lotus 1-2-3 (Version 2)
Lotus Report Writer

445.00

MODEMS
55.00

Utilities

Zero Disk

SPREADSHEETS
LOTUS

MICROSOFT

MULTIMATE

Samna Word
Samna +

269.00

Superproject Plus

199.00

SIGMA DESIGNS
TALL TREE SYSTEMS
JRam II w 0 K

65.00

PETER NORTON

SORCIM/IUS

Wordstar 2000 Plus

245.00
120.00

QUADRAM

Color 400

38.00

MICROSOFT

Norton

319.00
159.00

Modular Graphics Card
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Quadboard 64K
99.00

FUNK SOFTWARE

225.00
390.00
305.00

HERCULES

29.00

FIFTH GENERATION

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w 128K

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85.00
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SCITOR
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Volkswriter 3

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MICROSOFT

LEADING EDGE
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LIFETREE

MEMORY AND
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with Merge

419.00

1275.00

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UTILITIES
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Total Project

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Models

1340

HARVARD SOFTWARE

WORD PROCESSORS

CALL
409.00
619.00
919.00

OKIDATA
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Gem

235.00

Timeline (Version 2)

rroH
Models

EPSON
FX 85
FX 286
LQ 1500

229.00
99.00

DIGITAL

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
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Fortran Compiler

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NANTUCKET

PRINTERS

249.00

II

125.00

Infoscope

475.00
565.00

TOSHIBA

MICROSOFT

MICROSOFT
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MICROSTUF

C Compiler

Run C

165.00

HX-12
SR-12

C Compiler

Quick basic

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LEADING EDGE
Nutshell

32.00
139.00
55.00
40.00
32.00
22.00
62.00
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Graphix Toolbox

80.00
80.00

Write

155.00

PRINCETON GRAPHICS
Max 12-E

ON READER SERVICE CARD

Label).

—

.

)

NEWS

PC

disk allows a hard disk installa-

Working Around
Copyprotection

lations),

tional installations available.

tion so that formerly protected

programs can be used and
backed up like an unprotected
program, or transferred to the

While software companies
would have you believe

that the

copy protection is theirs, programs costing as little as $40 effectively let you make the decision. These products help you
cope with copy protection in
three different ways:

new IBM
PC Convertible.
Of the products tested by PC

3'/2-inch format of the

• Some eliminate the need
keep an original, or key, disk

choice of keeping or abolishing

Some remove copy protec-

•

K PRODUCT REVIEW
BY WINN L. ROSCH

one or two instalyou then have addi-

tion (often just

to
in

floppy disk drive A: when you
have the bulk of the applications
program you want to use loaded
on your harddisk.
• Others let you back up the
distribution disks.

You

Magazine Labs

HardRunner,

ZeroDisk, CopyWrite, Disk Mechanic, UNlock, and the
II

PC Option Board

effective

haven’t

—

Copy

were
doing what they

at

nating the need for key disks.

As-

sociation convention last

fall

(Recording Industry Association of America) refusing

expecting to receive “gold"

platinum status on a record

tercepting the

because they didn’t like the

disk access (Interrupt 13H) and

lyrics.”

reporting back that the key disk

—

sales

criteria. It

certification for

PC /Mac. The
sociation

Copy

at

II

fledgling as-

was recognizing

programs selling 50,000 and
100,000 copies, much like
the music industry’s gold
and platinum records. But at
the last minute Brown was
told, “No award,’’ even
though his program met the
sales criteria.

"It

was out and out cen-

sorship,”

Brown

was supposed

says. "It

to be based

on

but they changed the

Not

was like the RIAA

true, says association

is in

rowly targeted.

versions of SideKick.

PCIMac

estingly, although the

stalled in

than

used largely to

hard-disk installations.

actu-

—

ZeroDisk ($75) is a moregeneral-purpose product that re-

Association bylaws state

“as additional issues

quires

solve

them

in

and

1A and

Symphony,

leases

ue of the awards is not
diminished.” With a gift
loophole staring them in the

4000, Spotlight, Clipper, Man-

aging Your Money, DoubleDOS. SPSS/ PC + Electric
Desk, Enable, ProKey 3 .0,
Clout, smARTWORK, Concentric Information Processor.
Harvard Project Manager,
Harvard Total Project Manager, ThinkTank and Microsoft
.

unanimously

rejected
Brown’s application.
Brown says tempers have
last fall, and
he’s applied for renewal of

SPA

membership. That,
too, is subject to approval by
the association’s board of
his

2),

dBASE III, Framework, R.base

cooled since

ware Publishers Association

RAM

ner.... to insure that the val-

face, association directors

—

15K bytes of

allows you to copy 1-2-3 (Re-

such a man-

Word

64K RAM (256K on

drive.

In Short: Bit-image disk copier

works like

use. Includes

DISKCOPY,

NOKEY, a

memory-resident
allows

utility that

some programs

to run

without a key disk in drive A:.

Not copy protected.
CIRCLE MS ON READER SERVICE CARO
4

-

•

ZeroDtife
Quaid Software Ltd.
45 Charles St. E., 3rd Floor
Toronto, Ontario

Canada M4Y1S2
(416) 961-8243

$50
(U ,S.y, ZeroDisk, $75 (U.S.)
Requires: CopyWrite: 128K
List Price: CopyWrite,

RAM, DOS 2.0 or later, Zeroother

15K RAM in excess of
memory requirements;

DOS 2.0 or later.
In Short: CopyWrite makes bit-

image copies of disks and thus

Easy to use. ZeroDisk is a memory-resident program that re-

moves the key disk requirement
for 1-2-3 (1A and 2), Sympho-

dBASE III, Framework.
R .base 4000, Spotlight, Clipny,

Managing Your Money.
DoubleDOS, SPSS/PC+, Elec-

per,

tric Desk,

Clout,
tric

Enable. ProKey 3.0,

smARTWORK. Concen-

Information Processor,

Harvard Project Manager,
Harvard Total Project Manager,

ThinkTank, and Microsoft

Word. Both include

UN-

GUARD, which removes Softguard’s copy protection.
CIRCLE M2 ON READER SERVICE CARD

(pre-3.0) without worry-

ing about a key disk.

allows you to copy the supposedly uncopyable disks by ignor-

directors.

—Charles Bermant

Copying the Uncopyable

A second

PC

Requires:

PC/r and Tandy 1000), one disk

copies copy-protected disks.
is

plication.”

was

arise, the association will re-

Copy 11 PC/ Mac program went gold
and then got snubbed by the Soft-

IK byte of memory. InterHard-

Runner distribution disk

ally surprised to get his ap-

I

# 100

$15 plus $3 shipping.

in-

marked “non copy protected,"
it is
and permits only four

plicate software.

,

List Price: $39.95; updates,

Disk:

When

most economical

its

form, HardRunner requires less

enable people to illegally du-

that

Michael Brown saw red when his

nar-

It

fy him. We want to honor
programs that promote the
growth and vitality of the industry. In our view Copy II
is

is

1

we wouldn’t certi-

.

(503) 244-5782

request for

works only
with 1-2-3 (Releases A and 2),
Symphony, and copy-protected

Wasch: “Mike Brown understood there was a possibility that

BIOS

drive A:.

HardRunner ($49.95)

executive director Kenneth

9700 SW Capitol Hwy
Portland, OR 97219

only better. Will duplicate most

the Software Publishers

Michael Brown arrived

L E

I

Central Point Software Inc.

that

Nostradamus’s HardRunner
and Quaid Software’s ZeroDisk
take the first approach, elimi-

Both programs are run, perhaps
as part of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, and become memory
resident. Each mimics the response the key disk makes to the
copy-protected program by in-

Central Point Software’s

A C T

COPY UPC, Version 3.05

copy-protected disks. Easy to

HardRunner, ZeroDisk

“Morals” Clause Costs Central Point
Software ’s Michael Brown His Award

•](

all

promised.

removed copy protection, but
you have extra insurance
against disaster. And, if each

F
F

®

MAGAZINE

group of programs

MAY2
47

7.

1986

ing dirty tricks like invalid sec(

continued on page 51

'

.

CALL TOLL FREE

88 Ryders Lane,

of

BARRONS

60MB Cod

Amiga

66 MB
AST

Mac and Apple).

Backup

(Internal)

CBS SOFTWARE

Zone

1

Goten's Bridge

43.00

Zotk

II

Mastering Hie SAT

54.00

MICRO LEAGUE SPORTS

something you need

If

40.00

General Monogars Disk

48.00

MICROPROSE

142 00

1-600-874-1108.

CALL (203) 375-3880.

Status.

CALL

595.00

Hard Coid

System Sales when ordering a complete

for

FREQUENT PURCHASER PROGRAM. Any
customer

will

repeat

automatically receive $1 off any
Please mention

us.

19.50

Slant Service

MULTIMATE INTERNATIONAL

your operator that you are a repeat customer.

to

We

value your continuing business. Send

PETER NORTON
Norton

in

of invoices (representing previous

purchases) and you
off

receive a coupon worth

will

any future purchase. With $5,000 worth

5%

coupon worth

of invoices, receive a

off

any

future purchase.

Utilities

3.1

7 days/week: 9AM-1!

—

Moth

48.00

more

we

and

of software

will ship

for

no additionol charge

your products by

air courier.

FURTHER DISCOUNTS BY MAIL.

the items

Circle

our ad you want, send the aid

in

Mention

your operator as you place your order.

this to
I

35.00

Printworks

SPECTRUM H01DBYTE

coupon below and receive $ .50

with the

in

each item!

off

Verbatim DS/DD

17.25

we

will

oH

give you $1

his price (subject to the

conditions below).
of items

dewed

"IP

to

46.00

Number Stumper

PC Pedestal

29 00

MEGA

II

785 00
850.00

PC-200 Power Bockup

227.00

Mostertype

XT-300 Power Bockup

340 00
527 00
595.00

Agent USA

N

Joystick
for

IBM

50

File

...

Check form of payment
Viso
MasterCord
D
Certified Check
Money Order

CO

80287 Moth

Ingi

Mouse W/Dt. Halo

Imsi

Mouse W/Dt Hole

Psnonol ond company checks olmr 3 weeks
certified check,

Ml

$100

or

money

$5 00

odd 7.SH

men!

II

Amazon

or

Shipping -Hardware

$2 00 Alaska. Hawaii. Conodo

crt

all

orders

P0 AP0.

am

or

11.00

CALL

1

.

safes tax

on

final

Prices vutject to
Call

change without notice

203 37$ 3160

"CemporaMe

whir vendors
fees

Thoe

to obtain

only.

All

Piece ol

Coke

VoM
Vol

.

KB-5153 Keyboard W/Tooch

Tablet

not

DBase

g

6

Outlets

8

Outlets

job Costing

w

Payroll

.

.

.

.

123.00

.

47.00

...

Oil

53.00

Reflex

Sidekick Non-Proiected

29 00
44.00

29.50

Supwta

35.50

Turbo Poscol
Turbo Poscol

lode Runner

Felony

40.00
45 00

OATASOFT

of

Wot

55.00

W/8087
W/BCD

55.00

65.50

Turbo Poscol W/8087. BCD

26.00

Turbo Poscol

36.25

21.00

Turbo lightning

54,50

15.50

Turbo Graphics loolbor

CBS SOFTWARE

Turbo

Murder By The Dozen

15.50

36.50

Gomeworks

jwer Programs

24.00
43.00

36 50
18.50

27 50

14100
CALL

38 00

(Protected)

R Graph

138.00
138.00

48 SO

«

28.00

feymoc

3500

Sideways

GO
Combo ftxk

Free Lance

329.00

Mocro+

25.00

2500
52.00

Recok-e-

GREAT PLAINS
475.00

HARVARD SOFTWARE
237.00

Monoger

HAYDEN
30.50

222.00

Timeline

.

Cutthroats oi Seoslolket

23.00

BR00ERBUND SOFTWARE

Enchanter, Wishbnnger ot Witness

2300

Bonk

Street Writer

.

107 00

Please

HOWARDSOFT
Real Estate Analyzer

.

65.00

46.50

208 00

III

IBM

......
INFOCOM

CALL

lopview

235 00

Cornerstone

INNOVATIVE SOFTWARE

405.00

Smori Software System

KENSINGTON
53 00

Eosytme Moil Monoger
Instant

Mod Monoger

53 00

KOALA
Speed fey

Controller

84.00
30.00

Kxt

Cord

Speed fey Tablet W/Softwore

BRIGHT8ILL ROBERTS
Graphics Partner

HAYES

Execute* Presentation

BREAKTHROUGH SOFTWARE
27.50

Sorgon

INF0C0M
Programs

29.00

Turbo Database loolbox

Turbo Tutor

Holy Gtoil
III

29.00

Turbo Editor Toofcox

HAYDEN

SOFTWARE

or

The Writer

BORLAND

29.50

BRODERBUNO

Passkey

Total Project

SkMuck

Anoent Ad

III

III

III

Business Programs

44.00

BOURBAKI

29.50

13.00

Index

GNP DEVELOPMENT
CPA+

Checkbook

29.50

35.00

Ouck

C/Groph

Graphwriter

212.00
.

BATTERIES INCLUDED
Electronic

GAMES

200 00
190.00

III

Possword+

Overhead Express

17.00

21.50

1

159.00

FOX ( GELLER
Quick Code

283.00

283 00
375.00

.

Business Graphs

20 00

Tycoon

EDUCATIONAL

Builder

14000

EVERGREEN SOFTWARE

348 00
23.00

.

8PS

32 00

Squire

287 00

CALL

....

II

General Acc./AR/AP

165 00

«i
Skill

235 00

Prospect Otgomzet

ENEKIRONICS

FUNK SOFTWARE
259.00

Plus

III

frome Uxk
BPI

Bruce lee

typegtophical errors on the

costs, credit cart charges, at

&

Spreadsheet link

CUM
51.00

II

D Bose

1800

165.00

STEDIWATT

i

Soles

Qukk Repod

ASHTON TATE

24 00

21 50

Easy os ABC

15.00

PERFECT DATA
Head Geonmg Kit

48.00

258.00

...

Inventory Control

2

B4 00

n

We da
mdude

de not reded higher shipping

$1 off offer enfy opphes to items

APPLIED SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY

2100

Newsroom

Clip lit

Ad

182 00

f

one before re

same item

advertised price" does nac

or prices that

140.00

One-Write Plus

154,00

II

Desk PC

Abstat

20 00
18 00

2

Musk Maestro

Clip

Database AAanoger

Framework
Machine

105 00

ALPHA SOFTWARE

tawAs

113.00

Jt

KB 5151 Deluxe Kevboord

ofraody the fewest. Final judgment remains with the mat

99.00

210.00

Enerchods

>5 00

105 00

4 Outlets

mtmhership

88 00
28 75
137.00

Investment Ewbotor

Market Anolyzw
Market Monoger

Enetgtophics W/Pkflet Action

22 50

M

Oregon World

Kxhwriter or Story

Snooper Troops
Trains

104 00

II

Universal Printer Stood

dear for fatter delivery tend cask lev's check,

addition

ordert-SIS 00 nwramum and IS* of

Defective merchandi se replaced with

lakes

pan

to

Shippmg-Softwore ($3 00 minimum)

ahMMei. fora*

Hostercod aed Too (please mdude cord no and expiration date)

outhoruotion number

Al

order

703-37S-3IM). COO-Add an

(pieote cal

and

B5 00
117.00
137.00

Etvergrophks

84 00

45 00

23 00

II

SPINNAKER

KEYTRONICS
KB-51S1 PC

2100
3100

VersofwmXl

SIMON AND SCHUSTER

32 50

CALL

Co-Processor AI

Mosterpiece

Oa

E*P

Gem Draw n
DOW JONES

SUBL0G1C
Night Mission Pinball

ADDISON WESLEY
True Bosk

24.00

or Turtle Tracks

KENSINGTON

Personal Check

No

Computer Mode'

155.00
155.00

.

137.00

2100

24.00

.

ANDERSON BELL

33.00

CALL

.

8087-2 Moth Co-Processor

Intel

Atosterpiece Plus

Cord

BMaBsaBMaanmieBM mbs n mob m amen

56.00

—

Draw

Gem Wordchort
Gem Desktop

24 00

Snow

20 00

SPRINGBOARD
Co-Processor

Intel

Mouse Sys Mouse W/Dt Halo

Phone No. at above oddress

Normondy
the

20.00
24 00

SCHOLASTIC

26.00

IMSI

Zip

State

Tigers

Eiecttit

Book About You

Typing Tutor

Joystick

8087 Moth

Intel

•

-

Battle for

SCARBOROUGH
Build o

500 Power Bockup

Flip

r

Oty

STRATEGIC SIMULATION

26 00

„

Irma Board
Irmaline Remote

Laid

0.

too
Gem Collection
Gem Graph

36.00

BUSINESS

Reader Rabbit

Bosk Building Blocks
Jim Ftu

INTEL

Address..

w

OCA

III

I

Jet

Word Spinner

or

Sapphire Sutge Suppressor

II

Of

Gem Draw

33 00

26.00

205.00

CPM/86

11.50

140.00

330.00

27.50

SPECTRUM H0L0BYTE

m

190.00

DIGITAL
ilTAl RESEARCH
RES
C Bosk Compiler
C Language

Dr Graph

ot II

I

95.00

1

Diagrammaster

26 00
26 00

LINE

Times Crosswwds

LEARNING COMPANY
Addition Mogiclan

Moch

Spy Hunter

ON

DECISION RESOURCES

Koalo Pod

Mogic Spells

Moth

Y,

SIITtCH

33.00

49 00

Tutorial Set

53.00

INNOVATIVE CONCEPTS

Name

II

35.00

Game Pod

06497

Instructor

Tjtgng Instructor

.

HAYES, CH
hit

w

SIMON AND SCHUSTER

Goto

Professor Pixel

Emerald Sutge Suppressor

AT-BOO Power Bockup

Send coupon and

DISCOUNT BY MAIL DEPARTMENT mmmm
Northeastern Software. 88 Ryders lane, Stratford. CT

26 00

INDIVIDUAL SOFTWARE

Ruby Surge Suppressor

AT-

Super Zoxxon

Wizardry

ACCESSORIES
CURTIS
Dicmond Surge L_ ,
r

22.50

SIERRA

Direct Access

Smimosler

23.00

N

45 00

HUMAN EDGE

The

35.50

III

Chompionship Blackjock

SEGA

King's Quest

2ioo

68 50
14.90

Fontpocks 1-11

Chodmoster

Armchair Quodetbock

Topper

flloo

III

Professor Dos

35.00

Iff C

DATASHIELO

Cut out a competitor's ad with a lower price and

23 00

Spellogiaph

w

Jl

HARCOURT, BRACE J0VAN0VICH

Mind Prober

21.00

FREE AIR EXPRESS SHIPPING. Purchase $150 or

I

Mas w

logo

I

Ultimo

30 00

DATA TRANSFORMS

DELTA TECHNOLOGIES

PC SOFTWARE

Computer SAT or GRE

VERBATIM

ESI.

28.00

EDUWARE
Albegto

68.75

28.50

.

1

ORIGIN SYSTEMS

DIGITAL RESEARCH
Or

227.00

Version)

3
00
44.00

Chess 7.0

3800

26.00

SOFTSTVLE

(New

28.00

26.00

ROSE SOFT

Module A,

PM

Right Simulator

(jOESTA

Backgammon

Word Arrack

77.50

36 00
275.00

Cataloger

Fontix

20.00

26.00

PANASONIC 1091

20.00

Ace.

20 00

Europeon Notions ond locations

Goto

additional charges for credit card orders.

I Convenient hours.

...

Grommoi Examiner

TRANSEC

No

I

MICROSOFT

DESIGN WARE

Prate

1%

Spitfire

20.00

Body Transparent

PANASONIC

$1,000 worth

21.00
.

Blaster

w

88 00
..

85

Home

Verb Viper

It

A

Tax Advantage

Property Monogemeffl

Demolition Division

Spelt

CONTINENTAL SOFTWARE
Home Accountant Plus

20 00

520.00

Multisync

Spreadsheet

11.50

20.00
20 00

Silent Service

245.00

NEC

23.00
23.00

Helkat Ace

17.00

Chose

Meteor Multiplication

Whiz

Starter Xit

Boss

SkxMne
CONSUMER SOFTWARE

21.00

F-15 Strike Eogle

Moth

.

.

CONNECTICUT SOFTWARE
Printer

Minus Mission

Speed Reader

Mulfinrote Advantage

wim

order he or she places

Disk

II

COMPUSERVE
CompuServe

Wwd

w

DAVIDSON AND ASSOCIATES
135 00

Corbon Copt

MICROPROSE

Baseball

Stockpok

25.00

25.00
23 00
25.00

III

Mkro leogue 1985 Team

to Riches Series

Spelling

332.00

6)00

MERIDIAN TECHNOLOGY

w

Mkro league

Programs

Alien Addition

Bobbies Greotest

20MB

system.

Suspect

DIM
350 00

JUKI

I Ask

All

Rags

Smtimodem 1200
IBM
PC/XT/AC (AH configurations)

I Order

or NIV)

CHANG LABS

not

is

hard to find, or needed in a hurry, CALL

listed,

(UV

CDEX

3I0A

Video

CENTRAL POINT

Speciol/rush orders.

25.00

Infidel

Forever Voyaging

The Word 1.0

750.00

235 00

3B4K W/Sidekkk

AMOEK

comed. CALL 1-800-874-1108.

»

A Mind

695.00

Bockup (External

Cart

Six Pack Plus

23.00

Hitchhiker's Guide

Sorcerer

BIBLE RESEARCH

ARCHIVE

softwore/hardware for the IBM PC and Commodore

School and corporate purchase orders are wel-

I

(Sm Below)

Computet SAT

Top our unmatched selection and Inventory

(as well as the

WE WILL BEAT

06497

Stratford, Connecticut

SPECIALS

I

.

382-2242

1

.

112.00

+

.

Connecticut Orders Call (203) 375-3860

CANADA 1-800-843-0074

IN

ANY COMPARABLE ADVERTISED PRICE BY $1
SILVER REED

SORCIM

LEADING EDGE

NvkM
Word

Processor

48.00

Eosywriter

48.00

Supercold

135 00

Word Processor W/Moil Merge & SPE

240.00

laltke ( Compiter

187.00

II

III

Superaroiect

Programs

Acct

LIFEIOAT

141.50

Volkswriter Deluxe

293.00

lightyeat

LIVING VIDEOTEXT

STONEWARE
763.00

92 00

THOUGHTWARE

299 00
299 00

irf
Monogmg

Vbur

94 00

Money

Halo

Data Bose Monoger

76.50

II

CALL

II

Time

Money

Is

160 cps

SD-15

160 cps

200

cps

SR-15 200
TOSHIBA

cps

1340

Pot.

372.50

11/2

.

63.00

Quodlink

365.00
669.00

Quodmeg-Al W/128R

hr

341

.

or Set.

3S1 hr

Quodvue Monochrome Cord

369 00
329 00
439 00
479 00

SIGMA

197.50

PRINTERS

So

So Pock

Wordstor

CALL

Wordstar

2000

Wordstar

2000+

233 00
277.50
233.50

.

BROTHER
DM 40 Par
DM 40 Sheet
HR IS XI

MICRORIM
118 00

0

75 00

Report Writer

RBose 5000
MICROSOFT

320.00

..

HR 15

Tractor

HR 25
HR 25

Tractor

HR 35

249 50

Business Bosk Compiler

.

Cobof Compiler
Fortran Compiler

MSP-10 (160

386 00
198 00

MSP-20 (200
MSP-25 (200
DIABLO

108 50

or Serial)

Multiplon

.

109.00

.

227.00

174.00

Compder

Pascal
Project

60.00

Windows

227 00

Word

92 00

Crosstalk

Remote

92.00
143 00

Tronsportet

MONOGRAM
94 00

MOUSE SYSTEMS
CALL

205 00
245 00

Multmte Advontoge
NANTUCKET

369 00

11400
66S00
11400

AST-Preview

PAPERBACK SOFTWARE
CALI

PC SOFTWARE
.

136.00

PALADIH
58 00

Ffosh Cole

PEACHTREE
185.00
185.00

Powerbose

104.00

Ok

...

.

232.00

.

57.00

330.00
332.00

FX 286

.

Above Board AT W/128K
Above Board Piggybock A1

MCI

CALL

ORCHID

CAU
CAU
CAU

525.00

Conquest Multifunction
Ercefl Multifunction

785 00
252 00
383 00

W/Ok

AT W/Ok

Romcrom Memory Cord W/Ok

252 00

PCNet Stoner kd (2 Cord
CAII

350
2030 or 2050
3530 or 3550

1

i

120 cps)
[35 cps)

380 00
615.00
95S.OO
11270.00

190 00

P3 Pinwriter

490 00
690 00

P5 Pinwriter (PoroHel)

970.00

OKIDATA

Modular Grophks Cord
Multi Display Card

Parallel Printer Port

Serial Pori

i

CALL

Mjcralme 182

KXP-1091

KXP-1092
KXP-3151

OUME

&

Ultra Hi Res

RGB

Tractor

Mini

IBM Enhanced Cota Monitor

Bernoulli Bax 2-20MB
IRWIN MAGNETICS

2440.00

3IS0 00

W/Cntil

Bockup (Extemot)

425.00

(Internol]

Bockup

650.00

(internal AJ

595.00

Bockup (Extemol A) 80S 00
l

3400 00

A! (Internol)

637.00

MOUNTAIN COMPUTER
10MB Onvecoid
20MB Drivecord

40MB
60MB
40MB
60MB

CAU
CAU

PRIAM
384 00

409 00
479 00
147.00

735 00
169.00
125 00

Sr-12 Super Hi-Res Colo.

Hi-Res

539 00

12" Green

XT (Internal)

for

AT

Internol

for A!

Internol

for

1395.00
1450.00
1175.00

1350.00

A! (internol)

Two

lor

PC

355 00

Jr

130 00

Eiponsnn Board

W/1281

145.00

135.00

SEAGATE

329 00
369 00
429 00

20MB HoH Height ta XT (Internol)
20MB Full Height for A! (Internal)
30MB Full Height for AT Internal

425 00

Res
Res

479.00

121 12" Amber

610 RGB Cota 510 X 200 Res

670 RGB Cota 650 X 700
630 RGB Cota 640 X 400
640 RGB Cota 720 X 400

for

RACORE

Dn*

TAXAN

RGB & Comp

Res

360KB

MODEMS

139 00

for

PC

Ji

550 (X)
695 00
795 00

60MB

ANCHOR AUTOMATION
Signalmon Express 1200

raksmodem 1200

EGA+

360 00

AST Reoch

RG

Memory Board W/384R

Signalman lightning

2400

725 00
340 00
168 00

AST
Expanded Quodboord W/Ok
Expanded Quodboord W/64K

W/384k

Quodboord W/Ok

126

1200

Smorttcm

Smortmodem 300

194 00

Smortmodem 1200 (Extemol)
Smortmodem 1200B (Internol)

1

90 00

Height

Cartridge

Bockup (Extemol)

Interface Cad taTG 70/21/22
TECMAR
60MB Cartridge Bockup ta AT

1350 00
135.00

1160.00

(Internol)

60MB
Internol

Cortrdge Bockup ta PC/XT

31000

HAYES

77 00
198 00

215.00

Full

TALLGRASS

264 00

289 00
129 00
189.00

CIRCLE

2310 00

W/Cntif

Bockup

NEC

229.00

S-lver

2-10MB

Cartridge

MULTISYNC
PRINCETON

Mego Memory Board WA)k

Mono Combo Cord Ok W/Clock

Expanded Quodboord

CAU

Box 10MB Plus W/Cntil

Cartridge

139.00

Monochrome Board

PCI Cota Board

227.00
345 00
3/5.00

1735.00
1865.00

MPI

Cota Combo Card Ok W/CVxk

Short Slot

835 00
995.00

(Internal]
(External)

W/Cntrl

10MB

210.00
507.00

121

625.00

10MB

10M8

Color

125 00

575 00

Cassette Bockup

(Internol-TEAC)

60MB Cartridge Bockup
60MB Cartridge Bockup
IOMEGA

20MB Conridge
20MB Cartridge
MAXTOR

RGB Cota

64 00
64 00

B

CALL

CAU
CAU

Cassette Bockup

20MB

425.00

HX-12E Hi-Res RBG Color

185.00

W/64K RAM Module

995.00
1250.00
1550 00
1450 00

AT Plus
Cartridge Bockup (Internal)

470.00
29.00

Swivel

Mox-12E Hi-Res Ambei

PANASONIC

74.50

Tilt

142 00
205 00
37S.OO

300 Composite
600 Hi-Res RGB

Cota 710

HX-12

W/Ok

Module C

(All

CALI

Mkrohne 2410P

50.50

Video 310A Amber
Color

165 00

Module A

Clock

795.00

(Internal!

AT Plus

Bernoui Box 2-10MB Plus W/Cntri

725.00

Module A

Serial. PoraHel

Bockup

Cartridge Bockup (External)

Bernoulli

PERSYST

Mcraime 192

Cartridge

20MB
30MB
60MB

20MB

AMDEK

HX-9 Hi-Res RGB

W/Softwore)

PARADISE SYSTEMS

Clock

60MB
60MB

(Inter nal-Memtek)

W/8087

505.00

CAU

8850 (55 cps)
2000/3500/8800 Troctor

BLANK MEDIA

590.00
PC Turbo-186

649 00

11400

Spinwriter Elf

66 50

160 00

IBM

175.00

TALLY

ARCHIVE

CORE INTERNATIONAL
155.00

Monochrome Graphics Adaptor

Colot

CAU

PCNer Blossom 64k

NEC

74 50

445.00

Monochrome Graphics Adaptor

MONITORS

104.00

Ml 85
MT-86

74 50

W/128k

VIDEO 7

Bernoulli Box

CALL

332 00

6200 (30 cps)
6300 (40 cps)
6300 tractor

PFS: Write

.

AcceAeratoc PC

249 00
227 00

DRIVES

Bernoulli Bax

(All

CALL

(10 cps)

PFS: Proof or Access

Wove 64k
TITAN

16.75

PC Turbo-186

PFS: Report

W/Optxws

Verbatim DS/DO

CALL

335 00

EVEREX

Speed Demon PC
II

IBM PROPRINTER

PFS: Plan

430 00
675 00
175.00

lob Master

283.00

INTEL

Okimote 20 with

SOFTWARE PUBLISHING

Graph** Mosler

11.50

Above Board PC W/64k

PfS: Fde or Graph

345.00

38 00

Short Port Color Grophks Cord

SOFTWARE PRODUCTS

Moestro Multifunction W/128K

16.25

(All

31500
31500

325 00

15.50

(All

Mkrolme 183

SOFTWARE GROUP

W/Ok

Moestro Multifunction

Maxell DS/OD (For AT)

0X20.

445.00

300/1700

Modem 1200 W/Crosstolk XVI
Modem Holt-Cord W/Crasstolk

ZOOM TELEPHONICS

BASE OS/DO

AH Boards

Mrcrolme 84

SCARBOROUGH

PC

Elephant DS/DD

CALL

CALL

SAMNA

139 00

209.00

Maxell OS/DO

OX 10

Spmwriret

Plus External

255.00

(Halfcord

57610

80

MANNESMAN

1200
PC

138 00

to

IMPORTS

6000

249.00

Color Graphics Cord

Monochrome Giophts Card

P2 Pinwriter

MjlwilD
Business Programs

Open Access

Mini AAogk Cord

CALL

1000

II

Half Cord WCrosstoft XVI

CALI

(All

800

Plus with Parallel Port

Graphics Plus

255.00
Grophks Edge Drsploy Cord

855 00
375.00

W/Pks Cord

IQ

74 00

PC Option Board

HERCULES

OUIFTWRITER

205.00

W/64R

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2400

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an

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325.00
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lor
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Net Worth

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330 00
500 00

CALL

Accounting Software

III

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AST-Reoch

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180.00

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The Edge (Color Monochrome
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OX-15

6100 05 cps)
6100 tractor

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Ok

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Promodem I200B Hordwore Only

11500

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495.00

305.00

Only

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ASI Advantage Board 128k
AST-Advontage Pock

2400 Hordwore

Half-Cord

PROMETHEUS

Coptmn Multifunction W/384R

AST-5251/12

OVMAX/FORTIS
04-45 Duol Heod Punier

JX

2400 Stcmdolone Modem W/Softwore 527.00
2400 Stondolone Modem
465 00
Half-Card 2400 W/Softwore
475.00

PC 1200 W/Softwore

328 00
95 00
4S5 00

II

145.00

149.00

570 00

JUKI

334.00

Word

cps)
cps)

Smortcot Plus 1700 Standolone

Coptom Multifunction W/64k

575.00

IBM

MULTIMATE INTERNATIONAL
Multimote

Show

cps)

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Access 123

168 00

W/64k.

W/2561
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Mono

260.00

308 00
518.00

417.00

TECMAR

AST-5251/11

AST-lfl Plus

226 50
165.00

ERA 7 (Internal 2400 W/Softwore)

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2

255.00
649.00

AST-3700

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384k W/Sdetak

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feed

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Quarter Byte

Rio Plus

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530.00

(Internol

Era

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(External)

a

175 00

625.00

slots)

Plus

Big Byte

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AST

MICROPRO

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o Expansion
b

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ON READER SERVICE CARD

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Disk)

1895

127.00

60MB

31000

Cortrdge Bockup (Internol)

875.00

4.1

Someone once
practice

makes

said that

perfect.

At SSI

Perfectly serious.

word

seems

cessing,

be working. Every
4.1
time we go back to work on
WordPerfect and release a

new

to

version,

we

get a

little

Perfectly sensible.

Whether your business

For serious
pro-

Software, that principle

is

WordPerfect 4,

is

1

the

word
processor a nybody ran
"

find at

IBM PC

any

large or

small, get the

best all-around

WordPerfect
for the

word processor
makes

that

price.

perfect sense:

4.1

closer to reaching our goal:

offers unsur-

WordPerfect 4.1.

4.1
perfection.

passed busi-

For more information, call
or write:
SSI Software
288 West Center Street
Orem, Utah 84057

Maybe

that's

why a lot

of computers at Ford

and

ness features. Like an elegant
thesaurus, columns displayed

Chrysler are driven by
WordPerfect 4.1. Or perhaps

side-by-side

why Wall

spelling dictionary, sort

Street giant Merrill

Lynch and a company

on screen, line
drawing, windows, a large

called

Phone:

capability, a

TRW both invested

chicago sun-times

(801) 227-4000

network version,

in WordPerfect

and more.

for busi-

ness word

Perfectly easy.

processing.

Yet WordPerfect

And why

is

WordPerfect
is

learn

now

word
processor on

and

use.

function keys,

selling

the market.

easy to

Utilizing the

the best-

ATLANTIC MONTHLY

WordPerfect 4.1 lets you
perform most tasks with just

one or two keystrokes.
CIRCLE

513

ON READER SERVICE CARD

SSISoftware
Reaching
for perfection.

A

1

I

continued from page 4 7)

and bad clusters that many
copy-protection schemes use.
Rather than correct such intentors

tional disk errors (as the DOS
COPY utility would), these pro-

grams duplicate each bit exactly
as it is found on the disk.

COPY II PC

($39.95)

include a program,
and written
by Robert T. McQuaid of Quaid
Software, that removes Soft-

Disk

all

UNGUARD

called

UN lock

Tran Sec’s

($49.95) consists of three packages, each able to unprotect sev-

en programs, and a fourth pack-

D1SKCOPY

it

checks

work

its

as

because
it

goes

let you know if a
bad sectors.
CopyWrite ($50) works from
a menu that lets you choose between several options that optimize the protected disk copying
process. The menu gives Copy-

though UNGUARD requires
DOS know ledge and skill to use

some programs,

by-step procedure that’s easy to

and copying of
to an individual track. You can even
create your own forms of copy
protection, if you are into such
things. But it’s not easy to use: a
hacker would be more comfortable with Disk Mechanic than a
corporate user would be.
Any of this threesome will
help you duplicate nearly any
disk that could be written with
the PC’s floppy disk controller.

—down

All three are updated periodically (usually

monthly) so that

keep pace
with the protection attempts of
other companies.

1.1, 2.0,

In Short:

and 3.0 (256K on

tect 1-2-3

RAM if

program

PC

and CopyWrite, for instance, could not deal with7ai -

II

by the

flop-

formation

in

ways

be duplicated by the

PC

ing

II

Point Software, the

Board

is

program

HardRunner
Nostradamus

PC

5320
Salt

this

S.

900

run 1-2-3 or Symphony.

program

best?

IK

Because copy protection can interfere with the ability to back

Summer 85). Managing Your
Money (1.5. 1.51, 2.0), Doub-

smARTWORK

( 1

9, and 10) and

Data Base Man-

unprotects Microsoft
( 1

.

15, 2.0, 2.01

A memory-resident

RAM and allows 1-2-3 (1

or 2.0), Symphony, and copy-

choice

if

your memory

We
honest.

believe the vast majority of

Not writing about

Good

Central Point Software Inc.

SW Capitol H wy #
.

Portland,

this topic

PC Magazine's

And

PC

00

One disk drive, one

Requires:

full-length expansion slot.

A hardware add-on

that allows

ities

PCs to copy disks us-

of the PC's

Mock. Version 4.9

TranSec Systems

readers are

own floppy disk

drive controller. Will duplicate
nearly

l'

all

software. Duplicates

software (including Javelin)

Inc.

1802 N. University Dr..

locks mostly keep

—

1

List Price: $95

ing formats beyond the capabil-

won’t make the thieves go

a lock on software.

,

OR 97219

(503)244-5782

In Short:

CIRCLE 680 ON READER SERVICE CARO

Plantation,
is

.

Report

Copy II PC Option Board
9700

protected.

Magazine

away.

Copy protection

C

Word

Multilink Ad-

Paradox ( 1 .0). PFS.Ac-

is limit-

grams are from Lotus. Copy

In writing

be bothered

by key disks or limitations on hard disk backup and the individual who merely wants to rip off software.

out honest people

),

vanced (3.02), IBM Writing As-

that requires less than

protected SideKick to run with-

PC

.0 revisions 8,

ager // (2.0, 2.02). Album

ed and your only protected pro-

to

and

CIRCLE 666 ON READER SERVICE CARD

board couldn’t

In Short:

who doesn’t want

).

I

Symphony

the best of the above.

UT 841 17

Any system that can

Requires:

wrong hands can be dangerous.

.

2.0).

List Price: $49.95

out a key disk in drive A:.

in the

I

Tank (2.0). Album D consists of

#110

(801)261-0769

any

handle.

about products that neutralize copy protection,

unprotects

and

.3

4.3i),

and

Clipper (Winter 84 and

Writer.

Lake City.

1

and

.2

cess (1984 edition), and Think-

Inc.

E.,

could not find a

Which product works

( 1

sistant (1.01),/ -2-3

COPY

installed, a

PC Labs

easy to use as the

Not copy protected.

($95),

patible can duplicate almost
disk;

COBOL

leDOS, Electric Desk ( 1 .04),

in-

CIRCLE 661 ON READER SERVICE CARO

Once the Option
PC or com-

disk controller.

UN-

recovery. Hackerlike

file

others.

PC Option Board

of system disk

Also has some Norton

terface; not as

hardware-and-software
combination developed by Cen-

avoids the limitations of the

copy protected.

Utilities-like features, includ-

A

Realia

1.1,

that are

.0

( 1

Graphwriter (4.3 and

many

ly all aspects

floppy

and II. Systat (

Album B

drive function. Includes

disk controller.

tral

allows duplication

I

of nonstandard disks, including

GUARD.

cannot

that

A DOS-independent

that

Allows intimate control of near-

py disk controller in their ability
Copy-protected originals can be created
on sophisticated machines that
write sectors and other disk in-

Why We’re Writing on Copy Protection

helps both the businessperson

A and 2.0), dBASE

can guarantee to deal with all
copy-protection methods. Copy

their copying abilities

Knowledge

( I

work

2.0), Spotlight

•

In Short:

or lat-

Hi and dBASE III Plus. Frame-

used with only one floppy disk
v

or
1

may impose
memory requirements.)
Album A will unpro-

(Each package

er.

RAM under

Compaq); 64K more

to write to the disk.

whole disk

IBM PC, AT.
compatible. MS-DOS 2.
specific

DOS

$74.95; up-

A, B, and C, $25 each;

drive,

elin. All are limited

the

Oil)

Requires:

The Do-It-All Board
No software-only product

Disk Mechanic ($70) gives
you complete control over your
PC's floppy disk drives. You
the formatting

D. $37.50.

MAO 170

Requires: 192K

use.

Album D,

$49.95;

dates for

P.O. Box 825

List Price: $70. plus $3 ship-

has a fully prompted, step-

erate.

can have precise control over

called into action.

ML1 Microsystems

(617)926-2055

UN lock se-

the

ries

more flexibility than
COPY II PC, and for some users
CopyWrite may be easier to op-

Copy

the

—

Disk Mechanic, Version 5.3

Framingham,

the software effectively with

target disk has

bit

And

is fine.

II PC Option Board is genuinely
heavy artillery not often necessary but unbeatable when

FACT FILE

age ($74.95) that amounts to the
“best of” the other three. Al-

along and will

Write a

dRunner

series

is

takes longer to duplicate a

disk requirement; if you use
only 1-2-3 or Symphony, Har-

guard’s copy protection.

grams to use. Running it is no
more difficult than using DISKCOPY. In fact, you may just
want to substitute it. COPY II
disk than

WS

up a hard disk, business-oriented users may prefer programs
like TranSec’s UNlock series.
For ease of use. it’s Copy II PC
or CopyWrite over the less-refined Disk Mechanic. ZeroDisk
is best for eliminating the key

chanic, CopyWrite, and Zero-

probably the easiest of such pro-

PC

N E

The third category of software removes copy protection
from an application. Disk Me-

Copyprotection
(

C

1

#200

FL 33322

some software-based programs
The most expen-

can't handle.
sive and the

most

versatile.

(305)474-7548

Bill Howard

List Price:

MAGAZINE

MAY
51

Album A,

2 7.

B, orC,

1986

CIRCLE 666 ON READER SERVICE CARD

PC

N E

W

S

mentary material or other text
you want to temporarily delete
from a document. Unlike most
hidden text implementations,
that of Word 3.0 works on even
a single character, where some
other word processors can hide

Microsoft Word 3.0 Gets
Better in Most Eveiy Way

only a paragraph or other large
text unit. Hidden text can be

K FIRST LOOK

buried totally, marked by a spe-

BY JOHN DICKINSON

entirety.

or viewed

in its

Date Format
New to Word 3.0 are

little

cial character,

The

third-annual release of Mi-

— Version

Word

crosoft

Built-in

3.0 of

newly public company’s
popular word processing program delivers a tasty menu of
new features for the professional power user and some appetizthe

format that can be printed as the
file’s

for working on mailing lists),
and a five-function calculator
( + ,-,*,/, and %) that works on
numbers found in text or in tables that are arranged like a

word processing depart-

ments.

Key

features for the profes-

sional user (typically writers,

spreadsheet.

academics, analysts, and execu-

Word

tive secretaries) are automatic

(or

any

3.0 also allows tables

text) to

be

moved or for-

generation of indexes and tables

Microsoft Word, Version 3 .0. offers 43-line support for users. Outline documents con

matted as vertical blocks and

of contents and a built-in outline

be viewed in normal I left) or outline I right) mode, and multiline headings can be freely

also includes the ability to align

processor. For corporate users

mixed with

(clerically staffed

ing departments,

ance

is

crucial).

enhanced

word processwhere appear-

Word 3.0 offers

laser printer support,

text. It

individual text

well.

ing the sort of sales proposals

most corporate-style
as Multi-

Easy Document Indexing
Word 3.0’s index and table

outline processor built

of contents capabilities are easy
to use, flexible, and reasonably

word processors, such

The
into

styles; ordinary text

Word 3.0 is a direct dcsccn-

Words

is copy
which caused older

dent of ThinkTank from Living

fast.

Vidcotext. ThinkTank users will

versions to start slowly. This

recognize the control keys used

dexed or put into a table of contents are marked with special

version

a rocket ship by comThe list price was hiked

is

to

expand and contract outlines.
they won’t recognize is

glossary entries

under headings, multiple-line
heading entries, and the flexible
formatting Word allows
including Word style sheets,
which have been enhanced to

The tables are built by running a
program (through Word' s Library Run command) that

incorporate special defaults for

places the index or table of con-

low as $225 to $250) will not
change. Upgrades are $75.
(as

Faster Scrolling

Word

3.0 is also considerably faster than previous editions

Word 3.0’s

The outline can be

reasonably

fast.

Both are

tied to a

build your

(it’s

if

and

new

when the document

O'Connor

still

Plus

not as fast as
(is

competitive with popular pro-

expanded

Version 3.0

is

complete,

is no real need to).
Both the index and table of

to full text formatting

or used as a simple topics

contents capabilities arc tied to a

list

new hidden

and printed in either format.
Outlines can follow several

PC

Microsoft Word,

in).

but there

and saving files. It’s
XyWrite II
anything?), but it is

at scrolling

FILE

you use them

surprising that

end of the document.
The program can be run again to
modify or replace the tables
whenever you make significant
changes to the document, and
pages can be numbered so that
the table of contents can be
placed at the front of the document after it is printed (you can
also physically move it there

hidden text format.

Thom

G3

FACT
Microsoft Corp.

160 II

NE 36th Way.

Box 97017
Redmond, WA 98073
(206)882-8080

tents at the

index and table of contents

capabilities are easy to use, flexible,

You can

frequently

Microsoft didn't build them

—

outline work.

ucts.

own

text.

the easy inclusion of text entries

$450, but Microsoft

word processing prod-

sional

characters formatted as hidden

What

offi-

to

and consulting reports that are
do with most profes-

difficult to

or phrases to be in-

cials expect that the street price

parison.

These

two features make the product
much more capable of produc-

faster than

$55

at hori-

zontal print positions.

paragraphs can be numbered as

Mate.

protection,

columns

numbering

from Word 3.0’s context-sensi-

Gone from Word 3.0

$450 and is no longer copy protected.

WordPerfect. WordStar Professional. and Volkswriter and is

and an improved on-screen tutothat can be optionally run
tive help facility.

costs

fessional programs such as

wide-ranging network support,
rial

Photograph:

save date or the current

date, paragraph sorting (handy

ers that should interest corpo-

rate

such as a built-in date

niceties,

—

text format that is

also useful for burying

MAY

MAGAZINE
52

2 7,

1

9 8 6

com-

List Price: $450: upgrade.

$75

RAM. two
DOS 2.0 or later.

Requires: 256K
disk drives.

In Short:

Added

to

Word's al-

ready excellent document-for-

matting

abilities are: Think-

Tank-sly\e outlining, math, a
five-function calculator, tabic

of contents and index generation. a 43-line screen
ics

(

in

graph-

mode), and more printer sup-

port.

Speed

is

much improved.

No longer copy

protected.

CIRCLE 664 ON READER SERVICE

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*
*
•

EPROM PROGRAMMER
FOR IBM PC/XT/A T AND COMPATIBLES
*

*

*

*
*

*

$869.00

SMW

MHz 80286 ACCELERA TOR BOARD FOR IBM PC/XT

8MHz 80286 RUNS 33% FASTER THAN A STANDARD AT
RUNS AT PROGRAMS COMPATIBLE WITH DOS 2.1, 3.0 8. 3.1
COMPATIBLE WITH ALL PC XT HARDWARE 8. SOFTWARE WITH
NO PATCHES OR MODIFICATIONS NEEDED
1 MEGABYTE MEMORY ON BOARD. EXPANDABLE TO 16MB
HIGH SPEED 16-BIT BIOS AND RAM
OPTIONS INCLUDE 80287 MATH CO PROCESSOR. MULTITASKING
SUPPORT AND MULTIUSER SUPPORT

PROGRAMS

27xxx SERIES

DISKETTE

AUTOMATICALLY SETS PROGRAMMING VOLTAGE
LOADS AND SAVES EPROM BUFFER TO DISK
READ, WRITE, COPY, VERIFY OR CHECK BLANK
DEBUG STYLE EDITOR FOR EASY MODIFICATION OF PROGRAM
SPLITS OR COMBINES EPROMS OF DIFFERING SIZES
INTERNAL CARD WITH EXTERNAL ZIF SOCKET MODULE
VISIT

mim-m

OUR RETAIL STORE LOCATED AT

H

«

1256

.

Microdevices
SffaJDR
1224
Bascom Avenue,
CA 95128
S.

$129.95

3*::

EPROMS UP TO 27512

MENU DRIVEN SOFTWARE PROVIDED ON

San Jose,

Toll Free 800-538-5000 • (408) 995-5430
FAX (408) 275-8415 • Telex 171-110

-si

,

i

i.saxj

SOUTH BASCOM AVENUE

IN

SAN JOSE

HOURS: M-W-F, 9-5
TU-TH. 9-9
TU-TH,
SAT, 10-3
PLEASE USE YOUR CUSTOMER NUMBER WHEN ORDERING
TERMS: Minimum

order $10.00. For shipping and handling include $2.50 lor UPS
Ground and $3.50 lor UPS Air. Orders over 1 lb. and foreign orders may require
additional shipping charges please contact our sates department for the amount CA
residents must include applicable safes tax. All merchandise is warranted for 90 days
unless otherwise stated. Prices are subject to change without notice. We are not
responsible lor typographical errors. We reserve the right to limil quantities and to
substitute manufacturer AH merchandise subject to prior sale.

© COPYRIGHT 1986 JDR MICRODEVICES

-

CIRCLE 133 ON READER SERVICE CARD

.

l»

N h

c

W

NEW ON THE MARKET

S

PAUL M. STAFFORD

side the PC’s DOS-recognizable 640KRAM.

Syon supports the IBM CGA
and Tecmar Graphics Master
graphics cards, with an EGAcompatible version due to be re-

with the introduction of a pro-

Stella Systems Corp.’s Syon
can be used either to create business graphics or to enhance
graphs produced by 1-2-3 Mul-

from Life-

tiplan , and other packages.

the

The C Gets Deeper:
Compiler, Interpreter
Introduced
The C programming language
gained two implementations
fessional interpreter

leased in

May. The program can

display eight colors at a time on

.

Tecmar card and four colors

boat Associates and an entry-

level compiler
Williams.
Lifeboat's

from Mark

IIOT

PROSPECT

and a WordStar- ike editor.
Let’s C, from Mark Wilis a low-cost compiler
designed to introduce beginners
and programmers in other languages to C. It is a full implementation of the language and
features one-step compiling,
linking, and assembling and a

and print highly readable
text and Okidata or IBM-

1

liams,

full-screen editor.

RUN/C

List Price:

trix printers are fast, quiet,

compatible graphics

in

up

14 colors. Okidata will con-

192 and 193.

Okidata's

Syracuse.

$699 Microline 292 and SX99 Mi-

3400.

293 supplement, not re-

croline

The speed and text and
graphics features alone
make these printers a breakthrough in price/ performance $699 for the Microline 292 and $899 for the

X

1

I

cps. versus 3

10128; (212) 860-0300.
CIRCLE 648 ON READER SERVICE CARD

printer.

York.

NY

speed

128K

RAM, DOS 2.0or later.

Mark Williams Co.,

1430

W.

Labs’
clocked the 293 at

1

CIRCLE 647 ON READER SERVICE CARD

Three Graphics Packages
Enhance PC Business,
Scientific Graphics

CARD

the print

256K RAM, DOS 2.0 or later.
Stella

Systems Corp.

,

1

0430 S. de

Anza Blvd., #185, Cupertino,

CA

95014; (408) 257-6644.
CIRCLE 641

ON READER SERVICE CARD

better than
List Price: Sigma-Plot, $199.

Requires: 256K
later.

RAM. DOS 2.0 or

Jandel Scientific. 2656
CA 94965;

Bridgeway, Sausalito.

(800) 874- 1 888; (4 5) 33 1 -3022.
1

123 cps in draft mode, com-

pared with 9

hancements. and an 8K-byte
memory buffer. Okidata

cps for the

two memoryresident programs: Okifont

CIRCLE 640 ON READER SERVICE CARD

also throws in

Proprinter.

Wrightwood, Chicago. IL 60614;
(312)472-6659.

cps for the

1

And

much

is

any 9-pin units.
Features include a choice
of rear or bottom paper-loading, a full set of print en-

PC Magazine

test

290s

00 cps in NLQ mode; we
clocked them in at a speedy
at

Proprinter.

New

13202; (315)474-

List Price: Syon, $199. Requires:

pass. Okidata rates the

quality

1651 Third Ave..

NY

CIRCLE 642 ON READER SERVICE

place. Okidata's 1921 193 9-pin line.

The 290 series is rated at
200 characters per second,
the same as IBM’s $549 Pro-

List Price: Let's C, $75. Requires:

1

120 E. Washington, #421,

—

Professional,

320K RAM. DOS

Lifeboat Associates.

$ 49.

RAM. compatible
DOS 2.0 or

The Marketing Channel.

later.

tinue to produce the Microline

Show Partner.

Requires: I28K

color/graphics card,

to

widc-carriage 293.

later.

,

business programs.

Okidata's Microline 292 and
wide-carriagc 293 dot ma-

ties

Sigma-Plot supports the
and plots on Hew-

lett-Packard and compatible
plotters and accepts data from / 2-3 dBASE II and III, and other

Okidata’s 18-Pin 292/293 Printers
Break Price/Performance Barriers

compilation process. It features
source-level debugging facili-

List Price:

Jandel Scientific’s Sigmais designed to create and

graphs and charts, including
scatter, line, and histogram
charts. It features log-log and
semi log scales and charts, and
one- or two-way standard devi-

IBM CGA

Profes-

professional C programmers
who want to run different pieces
and versions of their code without going through a lengthy

2.0 or

CGA mode.

plot high-quality scientific

ation.

RUN/C

sional should be of interest to

$250. Requires:

in

Plot

Most impressive is the
293’s speed in NLQ mode.
The 290s’ dual 9-pin printheads let them print high-

Low-Cost Memory and Fits

own; Color Screen Print can
print a color image of any

Calif.,

five typefaces
and an option to define your

quality characters in a single

Short Stack Half Card Adds

comes with

PC-XT s Short Slot
Ingram-Eve of National City,
is shipping its $199

In

screen plus change the im-

512K-byte memory card. The

age’s shape, size, and color

half-length Short Stack saves

before printing. The 293
a tractor feed
and acoustic cover; both are

space by packing two banks of
256K-bit chips on their sides.

erts, Stella

Scientific

options on the 292.

Capabilities
Packages from Brightbill-RobSystems, and Jandel
aim to put another arrow in the PC’s graphics quiver.

comes with

Brightbill-Roberts’s Show
Partner ( marketed by The Mar-

(continued

on page 56)

List Price: Microline 292.

$699 without interface): Mi$899 (without in(

keting Channel) is a memoryresident package featuring
slide-show and animation capabilities. It supports the IBM
CGA and EGA, as well as Hercules monochrome graphics
standards. Show Partner also
supports the Lotus/Intel/ Microsoft expanded memory specification, which lets all but 3K
bytes of the program reside out-

croline 293,

terface): Personality

(Microline or
serial),

$299;

IBM.

Module

parallel or

$110; cut-sheet feeder.

32K

buffer. $69.

Oki-

data, 532 Fellowship Rd.

Mount
Okidata's Microline 292/295 printers

Laurel.

OKI-DATA.

produce near-letter-quality printouts at

NJ 08054; (800)

(609) 235-2600.

CIRCLE 649 ON READER SERVICE CARD

8t cps and draft-quality at 123 cps.

Ingram-Eve' s $199 Short Stack employs

a sideways chip-packing technique to
squeeze two banks of 256K-byte chips
onto a half-length card.

PC

MAY2

MAGAZINE
54

7.

1986

NOW YOU
CAN TAKE
IT WITH
YOU WHEN
YOU GO
TECH PC

Portable computers
are designed for travel. Each unit
is

housed in an attractive yet funccase designed to allow

tional

maximal expandability with
minimal difficulty. The units can
be configured to be as powerful
as any desktop and yet have the
mobility of a fully portable unit.

These units are truly designed to
meet the needs of the individual
on the go.

The

TECH PC/XT PORTABLE

weighs in at less than 40 pounds
and is ideal for the individual who
has limited desk space or the
business executive

who

is

often

traveling.

available

now

are

in 4 different base models:
$ 999

Options:

Like our TECH PC DESKTOPS,
the TECH PC PORTABLES run all
software designed for the IBM
PC, and compatibles, such as:
dBase III, Lotus 123, Symphony,
Wordstar, WordPerfect, Frame-

programs based on
MS-DOS,
PC-DOS,
PICK.

work,

CP/M86, and

TECH PC PORTABLE COMPUTERS

TECH PC/XT PORTABLE

UCSD

p-system

operating systems.

Tech Turbo PC/XT Portable with 20 MB Hard
Disk

TECH TURBO PC/AT PORTABLE

TECH TURBO PC/XT PORTABLE

Tech PC/XT Portable with 1200 Baud Internal Hayes Compatible Modem and 20 MB
Hard Disk
$2599

Options:

Tech PC/XT Portable with 20
Disk

.

.

.$1095

Options:

Tech Turbo PC/XT Portable with 20 MB Hard
Disk

$1595

Tech Turbo PC/XT Portable with 1200 Baud
Internal Hayes Compatible Modem and 20
MB Hard Disk
$1795
329 ON

All

. .

MB

.$2099

Hard
$2399

TECH PC PORTABLES available with tape

backups, hard disks up to 280 megabytes, networking systems, and hundreds of other hardware and software accessories.

READER SERVICE CARD FOR END-USERS

is a full service manufacturer of Micro Computer Products and
and Multi-User Computer Systems as well as an accessory
one hundred enhancement products. TECH PERSONAL COMPUTERS are
all backed by a full one year warranty with additional maintenance coverage
and extended maintenance contracts available through Mohawk
Data Sciences. For more information concerning hundreds
of MDS Service Centers throughout the United

complete

$1999

Options:

Tech PC/XT Portable with 20 MB Hard
$2299
Disk
Tech PC/XT Portable with 1200 Baud Internal Hayes Compatible Modem and 20 MB
Hard Disk
$2499

Tech Turbo PC/XT Portable with 1200 Baud
Internal Hayes Compatible Modem and
$1699
20 MB Hard Disk

CIRCLE 328 ON READER SERVICE CARD FOR DEALERS/CIRCLE

TECH PERSONAL COMPUTERS

$1499

TECH PC/AT PORTABLE

offers a

line of Desktop. Portables

line of over

contact TECH PERSONAL
COMPUTERS at (714) 754-1170.

States,

714 / 754-1170
2131

S.

Hathaway. Santa Ana. California 92705

TELEX: 272006 Answer Back-TECH

FAX: 714/556-8325

New on the Market
(continued from page 54)

The card includes a clock/calen-

RAMdisk,

dar,

print spooler

software that can run in Short

Stack

memory above 640K

bytes, and other useful utility

programs. The Short Stack

is

Wireless Communications
Options Introduced by

The C-120 Micro Earth Sta-

Two Companies

Communications allows users

Two companies

to transmit electronic mail via

W.

National City,

wave

Ingram-Eve

CA 92050;

CIRCLE 646 ON READER SERVICE CARD

nectors.

Proprinter partisans take

note:

Dynamic Microprocessor

Associates of New York has an-

memory-resident
ProPal lets you

utility.

set printer features like en-

hanced printing,

letter quality,

different line spacing,
ferent character widths.

and difProPal

also features a typewriter function that outputs lines to the Pro-

printer after every carriage re-

turn, as well as an envelope

mode.

RAM. DOS

NewsWire,

offers Private

2.0 or

later.

128K

system.
torial's

tion, consisting

N.Y.).

Everex Streaming Tape
Unit Weighs In with Low
Price, Many Megabytes
Fremont, Calif.-based Everex
a

streaming tape subsystem that
can back up a maximum of 60

megabytes of data on a single

QIC tape

cartridge.

The

Excel-Stream 60-8 features
both file-by-file and mirror-im-

age backup options, as well as
automatic tape formatting and

automatic read-after-write error

Fremont.
1111

XTs

Everex Systems
Springs Blvd.,

CA 94539; (415)938-

.

CIRCLE 644 ON READER SERVICE CARD

to

users’ in-

UT 84070-

512K RAM. $995;

RAM, $1,149.

with

640K

MA Systems, 2015

O’Toole Ave. San Jose,
.

CA

95131; (800) 543-6546; (800) 223-

The Dynatec PC Supercharg10-MHz 8088-1 chip
slotless circuit

CARD

List Price: Performer-286, with

PCs and
AT-like performance

3276 (in Calif. ).
CIRCLE 636 ON READER SERVICE

board that

CARD

plugs into the PC’s 8088 socket

Station, $3,350;

transmission fee, $35 per month per

and mounts on the back of the
system unit. It features an exter-

receiving unit. Equatorial

nal switch for situations in

Communications Co.. 189 N.
Bemardo Ave., Mountain View,

which a 4.77-MHz clock speed
is

CA 94043; (415) 969-9500.

required.

M A Systems’ Performer-286
combines an 8-MHz Intel
with two banks of 20-nanosecond RAM chips. An additional
daughterboard carrying two
banks of fast 64K-byte chips

80286

CIRCLE 636 ON READER SERVICE CARD

1

IDEAssociates Introduces

4-Megabyte AT

Multifunction Card
IDEAssociates of Billerica,
Mass., makers of PC hard disk
and tape drives and other peri-'
pherals, has joined the AT mul

i

Storage Board Puts 20Megabyte Hard Disk on
0ne-and-a-Half Slot Card
Another hard disk on a card has
appeared: The Storage Board, a

20-megabyte model from Micro
Systems Group Inc. of Hoffman
Estates,

111.

The Storage Board lands
center slot in terms of price and

performance, clocking

in

at

a

72.5-millisecond average access time on Core International’s hard disk test and drawing
15.3 watts directly from your
PC’s power supply (rather than
through the bus). Micro Systems Group also promises a 30megabyte disk/controller in late

tifunction card market race.

May.

[ft

List Price: $995.

Group
The $279

megabyte daughterboard,

Dynatec PC Supercharger brings PC

bringing the card up to a total of

and XT operations up to an fi-MH: clock
speed without using an expansion

MAY2

MAGAZINE
56

7,

1986

slot.

Micro Systems

Inc.. 21 17 Stonington,

Hoffman

4 megabytes.

PC

9400 South,

Lake City,

circle 637 ON READER SERVICE

levels.

C-120 Micro Earth
CC:MAIL, $295;

Salt

two

er puts a

on a

E.

,

#103-B,

turbo cards that boost

MA 01760;

The IDEA Supcrmax/EMS

Warm

PC

Systems Inc. 870

manufacturers have announced

Microwave

CIRCLE 639 ON READER SERVICE CARD

1 .5- to

PC

Supercharger, $279. Dynatec

In a quest to slake

combines up to 4 megabytes of
expanded, extended, and conventional RAM with two serial
ports and a parallel port. The
main card can hold up to 1.5
megabytes of RAM, and a 2.5-

47777

List Price: Dynatec

Two Turbo Boards Bring
PCs, XTs Up to AT Speed
satiable thirst for speed,

up times as fast as .2 minutes
per megabyte in mirror-image
mode.

Inc.,

PC or XT.

CIRCLE 643 ON READER SERVICE CARD

bought or rented.

checking. Everex claims back-

List Price: $995.

640K bytes of high-speed
RAM. The card takes up a single expansion slot in the IBM

CC:MAIL
One

C- 1 20 station per machine is required; stations can be either

List Price:

CIRCLE 64S ON READER SERVICE CARD

brings the system up to a full

Dunham

MA 01821; (617)

electronic-mail software.

(617)655-3340.

New

Systems has introduced

Rd., Billerica,

663-6878.

of a receiver, a

2-foot antenna, and

OK RAM. $495;
RAM, $2,595;

With

IDEAssociates Inc., 35

The system uses EquaC-120 Micro Earth Sta-

Circle, Natick,

Dynamic

York, NY 10017;
(800) 645-4441,(800)632-4441 (in
Ave..

List Price:

with 4 Mbytes

a sa-

telite-based .message-delivery

Link, $6,000. Proteon Inc., 4 Tech

Microprocessor Associates, 545

'/4-inch

Communications

Equatorial

Co. of Mountain View, Calif.,

List Price: Proteon

List Price: $25. Requires:

Fifth

and network con-

transmitters,

IBM

its

megabits per second and can be
used with any wire connections
on the network. Each micro-

wave connection includes two
microwave dishes, receivers,

ProPal Adds MemoryResident Utility to IBM
Proprinter Arsenal

nounced

The microwave link
up to 10-

mile distances at a rate of 10

(619)474-1435.

ProPal

connects terminetwork with micro-

its

links.

transfers data across

D,

St., Suite

28th

I

Proteon Inc., maker of the
nals on

Inc., 301

A

satellite.

without relying on wire.

ProNET LAN,

sold with a 2-year warranty.
List Price: $199.

tion (S3,350) from Equatorial

have introduced innovative ways for PCs
to send data to remote sites

Estates. IL 60195; (312)

882-5666.
CIRCLE 635 ON READER SERVICE

CARD

"

The Best Features:
been talking about their Enhanced Graphic Adapters ... but
want talk
you want product! STB's got it and STB is
EGA PLUS'"
NOW!!!
'"
STB's EGA Plus is a universal video board that operates in 16 different
text and graphics modes, and is compatible with the IBM Enhanced
Graphics Adapter". STB's EGA PLUS'" also provides 256K memory
without need for the IBM Graphics Memory Expansion Card'" ...
saving you money!
.

delivering

.

.

.

.

.

YOU COMPARE THE FEATURES:
STANDARD FEATURES

EGA PLUS

'

IBM"

Supports IBM PC/XT/AT'* and compatibles
Supports 640 x 350 for IBMls Enhanced Color and Monochrome
Displays and compatible monitors
Supports
Display'"

16 colors in 640 x 350 on the IBM Enhanced Color
and compatibles

full

Supports full 16 colors
Color Display

640 x 200 and 320 x 200

in

for the

IBM

Parallel printer port

Soft scrolling, panning

and windowing

Optional Clock/Calendar

Supports a

light

pen

interface

Includes PC Accelerator", STBls exclusive utility program which
provides up to 10 disk emulators, 3 print spoolers and utilizes
available

system memory, PC/AT memory above one megabyte and
through STBls Memory

EMS memory [Lotus "/Intel" /Microsoft"]
Companion/PC"
Which board

STB

.

.

.

bom

board.

sells for

40%

to be “Simply

less than the other

The

Best"!

comparable product?

The Best Company
STB Systems. Inc. has dedicated

itself

since 1981 to designing

products for personal computers.
Proven by performance. STB has earned the reputation in the marketplace of consistently providing
the most asked for features in each of its expansion products, at a competitive price. “Simply the Best”

and manufacturing the best

in value

STB

on the market

in expansion

today.

carries this concept through from highly sophisticated board design ... to no-compromise
... followed by full functional product testing,

quality control in every phase of manufacturing

continuing through all aspects of documentation and support.
STB leaves nothing to chance to insure that we will remain at the leading edge of the marketplace
producing innovative products of the highest quality, staying “Simply The Best"! It!s not easy, but it’s
worth it ... to you and to us!
CIRCLE 517 ON

EGA plus, Memory Companion/PC trademarks of STB Systems,
Inc. IBM, IBM PC/XT/AT'*. IBM Enhanced Graphics Adapter. IBM
Enhanced Color Display, IBM Graphics Memory Expansion Card
registered trademarks ot International Business Machines Corp. PC
Accelerator trademark of RESICORP. Lotus trademark of Lotus
Development Corp. Intel trademark ot Intel Corp. Microsoft
trademark ot Microsoft Corporation.

READER SERVICE CARD

601 N. Glenville, Suite 125 • Richardson, Haas 75081 • (214) 234-8750

To Over 30,000 Installations,
MultiLink

MEANS Multi-User.

At over 30,000 sites, as many as one-quarter of a million
users tap into the power of MultiLink Advanced everyday.
Since 1981 they've come to rely on our multi-tasking,
multi-user system for compatibility with their favorite
software, and the ability to share disks, files, printers,
and programs in a true PC-DOS environment.
From the largest of the Fortune 500 to the smallest in
small business, MultiLink® has provided a cost-effective
multi-user solution that's available from no one else.
MultiLink Means Cost-Effective Timesharing
on a PC. MultiLink® Advanced utilizes the principle of
timesharing by sharing a central PC’s peripherals, files,
and processor time among nine users. Up to eight inexpensive terminals can be connected to a single nondedicated IBM PC. XT, AT or 100% compatible using
standard RS-232 ports. Each terminal effectively emulates a PC having up to 512K RAM.
PC-Shadow'” Workstations, shown below, even have
an AT look-alike, as well as work-alike, keyboard, display, and serial port. In addition, password-protected
-

,

"

remote access via modem can be made with either dumb
PCs running our terminal emulation software.

terminals or

is a registered trademark of
The Software Link. Inc. MultiLink’ Advanced
& PC-Shadow” are trademarks of The
Software Link. Inc IBM PC. XT. AT. PC-DOS.
Token Ring. & NETBIOS are trademarks of
IBM Corp WordStar, dBASE III. Multimate.
Lotus 1-2-3 & Symphony are trademarks of
MicroPro. Ashton-Tate. Multimate international.
& Lotus Development Corp respectively

MultiLink Means PC-DOS Compatibility with a
Software-Driven System. Lotus 1-2-3, Symphony,
WordStar, dBASE III, & Multimate are just a sampling
of the wide variety of PC-DOS software that's fully
-

compatible.
Our software-driven system is also IBM NETBIOS
compatible, so programs that are written for IBM's
will run on our multi-user system, as well.
MultiLink Means Multi-User to Leading
Computer Publications. Whether you read PC Magazine,
“MultiLink” Advanced delivers on... convenience, speed,
and flexibility," or InfoWorld, “ If you want a low-cost
multiuser system with up to eight terminals, MultiLink®
Advanced is worth a serious look!’ it becomes clear that
MultiLink® Advanced is a formidable contender in the
multi-user marketplace.
See What MultiLink Can Mean to You. Learn,
firsthand, how our multi-user system can benefit your
company. Call The Software Link TODAY for complete
information and the authorized dealer nearest you.
MultiLink Advanced is $495 and comes with a
money-back guarantee.

Token Ring

-

-

-

MultiLink*

CD

THE SOFTWARE LINK, INC.

GA 30338 Telex 4996147 SWUNK
CALL: 404/998-0700
Dealer Inquiries Invited

8601 Dunwoody Place. Suite 632. Atlanta.

THE SOFTWARE
400 Esna Park

Drive, Suite 18

CALL
CIRCLE

393

LINK. INC. /CANADA
Toronto (Markham). Ont.
416/477-5480

ON READER

SERVICE

CARD

L3R 3K2

VIEWPOINTS

FROM THE EDITOR’S SCREEN

BILL MACHRONE

New
TECHNOLOGY: THE
TOUGHEST SELL
What will it take to get PC users to discard their old monochrome monitors, dBASE II, and
lA)and take advantage of the latest technology?

1-2-3 (Version

Y

graphical output. Besides,

you can pick up one of the EGA imitators
and a decent monitor for half that amount.
Your boss will want to know what the
payback is. You can point to greater productivity because you reap the benefits of

lonely for

color graphics without sacrificing the read-

ou there, with the monochrome
monitor. Why haven’t you upgraded to graphics yet?

have color, the same

You can

its

community

user

faster products.

loyal. Sure, there are

Yes, there are better solu-

tions for multiuser applications. But the

How about you, still running dBASE lit

can make a case for preparedness because

number of embedded systems written in
III code is so large that most
companies would be foolish to consider
converting to another database manager.
R.base 5000 and Paradox are fine,

DO

Microsoft Windows works best on an
EGA, and it will certainly be the operating

Ill's installed base.

environment

either product,

run

it

text resolution,

ability

Can't give up your macros inside

Too

loops?

and

if you ever get
monochrome, you can always

green on black.

in

Chicken

lazy to leant something better?

of the

monochrome system. You

dBASE It and

products, but they’re up against

dBASE

I can make a case for
and half a dozen others,

your data files?
Hey spreadsheet jockey! Did you think
you!d escape this little tirade? No, you'll

can make a case for technology because

tions

just use 1-2-3, Version 1A, until

you’ll be able to use such state-of-the-art

applications could also benefit from being

right? Sure,

word processors as Microsoft Word.
The market leader in word processing

retired

to convert

it’s

you die,
good enough, but is good

enough, good enough?

generation of

that carries us into the next

PC

operating systems.

commands only 10

CLEAN BREAK

It’s

an age-old ques-

tion:

When do you break with the past and

start

out in a

Let’s look at

new direction? It depends.
some specific new technol-

how well the maris accepting them.
base of monochrome sysenormous. But today the swing is
clearly toward graphics systems. The Enhanced Graphics Adapter standard has
made a tremendous difference in the marketplace; it lets you have your cake and eat
it, too. I'm hard pressed to think of a user
or situation that wouldn’t benefit from an
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ogies and products and
ketplace

The

tems

You

it’s

It

was

some specific new applicabetter than dBASE. Some old dBASE

would

fit

and recoded

in

another database

program.

percent market share.

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the market.

that

first, it’s

programmable. But

is it

it

Specific new apmake the next
Or the next dBASE III. What does it

plications, though, don’t

1-2-3.

take to be a runaway best-seller in this mar-

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and after. Before was measured in thousands of units; after

is

racking up hundreds

of thousands.

to get the rest

At the PC Computer Forum in Februbunch of us sat around after the sessions and played, “Let's Fix Product X.”
The idea was to suggest the half-dozen best

price, for

changes

standardized on the

EGA

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What will

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VIEWPOINTS

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You might

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It's also performance sensitive: a new
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siCalc didn't stand a chance once there

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uct without the blessing of

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on something that their users aren't already

and drop the price.

But Symphony wasn't the

product to put 1-2-3 away, either.

DETHRONING

12-3

It’s

have tried. VP Planner from Paperback
Software is widely acknowledged to be
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have been than Lotus's version was. I saw
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of capability for a low price.

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do have a better idea about how to analyze
business problems. But

not the

it's

way

most people work. If you give people with
a spreadsheet a problem to solve, first
they’ll throw all the relevant numbers into
some likely rows and columns, then they'll
play with formulas to see
to

how

they relate

one another. Then they plug

what-if variables, and they’re

in

a few

all set.

You can do that with Javelin, too, but
you’d be using only a tiny fraction of the
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you

to get all

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in. While 1-2-3 is

then put the numbers

merely adequate for time-series analysis.
is superb. Sure, you can use 1-2-3

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if you don’t mind typing in “Jan Feb Mar
you start something
new. And yes, you can use named ranges
in 1-2-3 but not before you’ve created the

Apr...’’ every time

ranges. Javelin's technology
ter,

but

it’s

trying to face

Charts... Quickly

doubtful any-

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Organization Chart
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Org works on any IBM PC/XT/AT/jr or 11XW compatible computer with 192Kb of RAM. DOS version 2.0 or higher and
a printer are required. Org is not copy protected. A 60 page User's Guide and telephone support are included.
©1985 Banner Blue
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I

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Copyright

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1

HAVE YOU STRIPPED YET?
a question

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SWAPPING ODD CHARACTERS
IBM PC

If you've ever tried to print
isn’t

IBM compatible,

like

an abstract, surrealistic painting.

The data
Dickinson.

strips

you know the mess

on the right contain

The program

is

it

can create.

program

designed to swap

strips into

AUTOEXEC.BAT

your machine when you boot your

DOS.

•

f

!•!!

)

It

I

.

,

lii

§«

by John

Hr

V

!: ".:a

lllllf

printers.

yout PC. Run the program.

automatically load into yout

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Read the data

A screen dump looks more

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IM
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Reprinted « ith permission of PC Communicatiuns Corp. , a subsidiary of Ziff-Davis Publishing Company.
Copyright

C

1985 by Didtinson Associates, Inc.

StripWare Library No. 267

Cauzin Systems, Inc.

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1
VIEWPOINTS
PETER NORTON

A UTTLE-KNOWN
BUG IN DOS 2.
When you do a COPY *
ignored. Norton

T

* command with a lot offiles in DOS 2.1 every 256th file will be
shows you how tofix this bug and offers a tip for when you’re using *.*.
,

he main topic of this column is
some problems with DOS 2. 1 and
how to solve them. But before 1 go

some

into that. I'd like to talk about

esting things
the

.

Roland

Number 3),

learned since

I

I

inter-

wrote about

MB- 42

monitor (Volume 5
which glows white rather than
1

green or amber and can be flipped into
verse-video mode.

re-

some of
commented on can be over-

I’ve recently discovered that

the flaws that

come by

I

a screen-driver program that Ro-

land will supply to
reported that

if

its

users For example ,
.

shift

you use a Roland together
from side

when you

to side

switch between text and graphics modes,

causing

some of the displayed information
Ro-

to disappear off the side of the screen.

video

mode

to really

—a

work

screen.

it

does,

Take a look at an Apple Macintosh

*.*

nored.

border.

many

on
the idea of black-on-white screens, and I
was willing to lay out a wad of money for
the MB- 142 in the hope of getting it. But
for the IBM PC community, reverse vidI

said originally. I'm really sold

eo’s time has not yet

come.

can be disastrous.

command

you do

is that if

with a

of

lot

256th one won't be copied;

screen, and you’ll see the importance of a

As

it

What happens

wide

full,

white border around the active part of the

files

the popular Bernoulli
disks, you’ve got a
this

Box

cartridge hard

good chance of hitting

hidden problem.

DOS 2.1 DANGERS

JohnO’Boyle

wrote in with an interesting and dangerous
problem that lurks in DOS 2 1 but has been
.

fixed in later versions.
the
this

I

suspect that 2.

1

is

most widely used version of DOS, so
problem is lying in wait for hundreds

annoyance if you knew about it (particularly if you knew the name of the missing
files) but,
tify

of course,

DOS 2.1

files (say,

from one Bernoulli carcopy

them, the next thing you’ll do

Los Angeles,
its

CA

90040; (213)

in

I’d

have heard about

unusual circumstances (otherwise,
it

long ago), but

when

bulletin board ((213)

438-6783.) Needless to say,

peeved

guess, the problem only crops

up

I

that as a cash-paying

you’ve

many

lost

files,

in

some time. Ugh.

both locations (that only works, though,

the files to, doesn’t

fuse the count).
to use the

COMP,

where you copied
have other files to con-

COMP

MAY

MAGAZINE
71

27.

1916

is

target has

pears in the source

just

longer but better

way

is
Gebert

as you know, compares the
two files to make sure they

match. Using
check that the

suppose,

A

COMP command.

contents of

limitations in Roland's design), the re-

PC

with so

chances are you won’t notice

if the target directory,

On the whole, though, despite the patch
and the favorable impressions of PC Magazine contributing editor Glenn Hart and
several Roland users who wrote in, my
criticism stands. Because of limitations in

mode

delete the

The quickest way is to use the
DIR command to obtain a count of the files
ple of ways.

Roland more usable, but those are the
breaks. At least now you know about it.

verse-video, black-on-white

is

that, bingo,

—and,

or two

file

fend yourself against such problems a cou-

1

I

a

DEFENDING YOURSELF You can de-

who just bought an MB- 42 at a local comme
or tell me about this patch that makes the
puter store, the salesperson didn’t give

the display adapter (rather than.

When you do

the loss for quite

was quite
customer

doesn't no-

you. If you're copying in order to

move

tridge to another) rather than to just

originals.

Circle,

if

This problem would simply be a minor

As you can

685-5141) or off

ig-

around to reorganize, or working with

files

of thousands or even millions of PC users.

by writing

company (7200 Dominion

every

be

you're managing your hard disks, moving

land’s screen driver cures that problem.
get the screen driver

will

you don’t often copy that
at one time, particularly if

(You can

or calling the

COPY

a

files,

it

Now

you’re working with floppies; however,

I

with a Hercules graphics card, the screen

image can

doesn’t deliver what's needed for reverse-

a

terrific

every

file list

way

file that

Warren

to

ap-

and also to dou-

Illustration:

V

W

K

I

I'

()

N T

I

S

PETER NORTON

ble-check that the data in the

mand

match.

files

You do it by giving COMP the same speciple,

COMP C

:

*

Of course,

.

:

DIR and

file, its

might, too

can't test

(I

you myself because none of my
set up with that old but popular version of DOS). Ugh, again.

.

1

if

skips every 256th

COMP command

COPY, for examDOC D * DOC.
DOS 2. 's COPY com-

you gave

fications that

As a general

though,

when you're

slinging files around with the

COPY com-

rule,

that for

mand,

machines are

everything with the

not a bad idea to double-check

it's

COMP command be-

fore deleting anything.

A HANDY TIP ON FILE SPECIFICATION

I

will help

tip that

the venerable *.* file specification. If

Accounting For Micros
$395

can pass along a handy

when you're moving or copying

or doing anything that would involve

files

PI

you

DOS just the name of a directory (for

give

example, "C:\F1LES'’), that implies a
star-dot-star file specification. Note that
you type only the directory pathname,
without a final backslash (“C:\FILES",

Set of Four

$325 Set of Three
$465 Set of Five

The special exception
when you’re referring to a

not “C:\FI LES\").
to that rule

is

disk's root directory,

which must end

in a

backslash C‘C:\”).

you experiment with this technique,
you'll find that some of the DOS commands will work whether or not you put a
backslash after the pathname, while others
If

will only

ACCOUNTING
meet professional

and easy

structions.

they re

stairljrfdi

to use,

quirk in the

with

also includes helpful infonnatioir

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GENERAL LEDGER
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$125

k

accounts

balances for Last year. This Year and
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Try all 5 program* above (Cl, AR. AP.
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PAYROLL

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eight deductions per employee Deduc-

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may be determined as fixed

amounts or percentages, or

dollar

referred to

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Statements can be printed at any time.

INVENTORY

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SET OF FIVE
SET OF FOUR ...
SET OF THREE ..

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$465
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Allows up to 4,000 parts. Keeps 3

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RUN ON MOST CPM AND MSDOS

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Internal

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into another time (it’s a fascinating top-

by

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Files

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TMAN

name. Use

.

notation

two

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and two dots

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ORDER BY PHONE:

you create,

the

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but not everybody knows what they
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One dot refers to the directory you’re using,

COD (add $2.50 COD charge). Our
add

files

by using the directory
Everybody has noticed the
names that appear in each sub-

$16

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You can also

directories.

in the current directory

HOW TV ORDER: tease specify machine
and disk format. You can pay by check,
by VISA or MasterCard (we need vour
expiration dale and card number), or bv
dents,

star-dot-star.

named

avoid having to key in * * to refer to the

as a

filing

TMAN DEMO

UPS

Rather than butt heads with

do is
when you want
pathname as shorthand for the

This type of trick, by the way, doesn’t ap-

any

system, notebook,
etc Can be used alone or with data
from our other programs.
Try

itself)-

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$125

are easily entered, or purchased sepa-

Keeps

the final

an interesting

leave off the last backslash

tvpe of information for quick access.
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a table tor automatic look-up. Tax tables

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to

ic

pathname plus

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The "Catch-All

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$125

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handle up to 100 employees with

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is

DOS handles explicit and

the inconsistency, the best thing to

maihine.

Will

tions

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE

way

implied wildcard filenames, which we’ll

Our manual (show n %pve)

Allows up

work properly without

backslash. This

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fast

612 339-2521

refer to the parent

of that direc-

Every subdirectory has a parent

tory,

direc-

though of course the root directory

does not. While the root directory on each

James River Group

disk doesn’t explicitly have either of these
Dept.

"dot"

PC

entry,

125 North First Street

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entries,

it

implicitly has the single-dot

which always means “this direc-

tory right here.”

These dot directory
couple of reasons.

One

entries exist for a
is that

DOS

itself

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(If

PC’

MAGAZINE

M A
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the ultimate graphics card that

we

decided to give away a free copy
of Microsoft's Windows with each

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recommends that you run Windows
on an AT. Now Orchid's TurboEGA
gives you AT speed so XT users can
use this number one windowing
software at the speed they demand.

Features:
•

Powered by 7.2MHz 80286

• Optional 5 or
•
•

this

Microsoft

up the phone and

of

Windows &

Word
Lotus 1-2-3

much

& Symphony

Topview
Framework
Chart-Master

AutoCAD
PC Paint Plus

the complete graphics solution.

Pick

list

EGA software:

performance into one slot and comes
fully loaded with 256K of RAM, so
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is

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Supports the long

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Only Orchid puts

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Four graphics modes: EGA,

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•

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slot.

v

47790 Westinghouse Dr.
Fremont, CA 94536
415/490-8586
Tlx: 709289

y

/nk

ORCHID
The Innovative Leaders

good only on TurboEGA
purchases until July 31, 1986.

*Offer
TurboEGA, Orchid EGA, and PCturbo and trademarks of Orchid Technology.
All other product names are trademarks of their manufacturers. CGA screen by PC

CIRCLE

Paint Plus.

177

ON READER SERVICE CARD

5

VIEWPOINTS
PETER NORTON

this

by using a patching

—DEBUG,
— zap

tool

my program, The Norton

in

to

Utilities

out one or both dot entries from a subdirectory

and see what happens when

DOS tries

to deal with the disk.)

IMPROVING FILE MANAGEMENT

the disk, and the other speeds

These dot entries also help us deal with the
complexities of our directories. We can
use these dot entries two ways. One helps
make batch files work in any directory on

DOS commands.
It’s

rectories that

you’ve created: things

copying

deleting extraneous

files,

files,

If you

NOT COPY
Increase the speed of your computer by as much
as 4-B times. Why buy a PC AT when all you may
need is some FLASH. FLASH is just that, gives

BENCHMARKS
programs

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tor different

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or any number of other standard op-

erations. If you

SPEED UP YOUR COMPUTER!

up manual

common to create batch files to help

manage our disks and files. And you often
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FLASH

it

are discovered
to the user.

The program

There

is

totally invisible

is

Make your

nothing to learn

Make your hard

floppies taster than a hard disk

WORD STAR

2.0

0.33

BASICA

27

0.40

1138

600

LINKING

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that implies *.*.

WfL ASH

W/0 FLASH

disk accesses in a FLASH. Every PC owner can't
be without FLASH once the powers of FLASH

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105.0

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When FLASH increases

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FLASH will also tell you just
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like

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are screaming for

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RAM

be so amazed with your improved
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"The novice and expert alike

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IBM

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Works with

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AU. programs work in harmony with each other.

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Turbo Pascal
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Wbrd

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maintenance

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file

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CIRCLE 487 ON READER SERVICE CARD

PC

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it

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MACROS.

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Turbo Pascal

all

your fingers have to dance all over the key-

ON-L INE language-specific user definable HELP
I

implies

And
is a lot
much because it’s one
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the files in the directory.

nuisance that I’m planning to release a new

commands &

user configurable.

ANY

MULTI-FILE window editing. Move & copy
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Extensive Find

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Unprotect, unprotects basic programs.
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ALL
I

by
4035

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i

its parent directory, you can create
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on your disks.
You can also use the dot entries to save
time keying in direct DOS commands. For
example, if you’re trying to copy or delete
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is equivalent to keying in *.*. This is because specifying the directory name, either

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4935
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2000 key type ahead.
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£11

I

—

People. Products. Prices.
Meeting The Need
Progressive Micro Distributors was
founded on the belief that many purchasers
want a single, dependable source from which
to buy their Personal Computer equipment.
We feel customers want a reliable company
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printer ribbons. Compare our prices and ex-

perience our fast order turn-around. You'll

thousands of PC buyers get in touch with the
best in PC products and services We continue
if you buy PC hardware and
software, getting to know PMD can save you
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today's computer technology work for you.

People

Language
Once you've made an investment in a computer system, you've still got to get your proup and running. This often creates many
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Having professionals available
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Job Done On

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stallation

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Budget

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Our technical facilities can fully test all
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The operative concept at Progressive Micro
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quality
products and quality service, combined, at
reasonable prices. Because we feel this is
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customers' needs and have found ways to suc-

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accurate information. We are determined
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system, peripheral, or software package. Fbr

—

years, our support technicians have continuously researched, verified, and documented

technical data essential to succussful PC
operations. This knowledge can provide

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system purchase. Because we’ve learned that
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this philosophy will allow us to remain on top

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of the ever-changing

FOR ORDERS
1 - 800 -446-7995

PROGRESSIVE

MICRO

% DISTRIBUTORS
3039 Amwiler Road.

Atlanta.

Georgia 30360

£

THE PROFESSIONAL’S CHOICE
dBase

Lotus

Lotus

FrameWork

III

1-2-3

Symphony

Hus

II

*319

*449

*369

*369

(

Software
Word Processing
FANCY FONT
FINAL

WORD

OFFICE WRITER/
SPELLER
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THINK TANK
TURBO LIGHTNING
III

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VOLKSWRITER

3

SCIENTIFIC

WORD PERFECT 4.1
WORDSTAR 2000
WORDSTAR 2000*
WORDSTAR PRO
XYWRITE

Graphics

III

CSS C COMPILER
FASTBACK
LATTICE C COMPILER
MARK WILLIAMS C
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COMPILER
MS BASIC COMPILER
MS FORTRAN

FREELANCE

S3
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GRAPHWRITER

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IN-A- VISION

S3

MS CHART NEW
OVERHEAD

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NORTON

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SI

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$159
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1359
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$319
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AUDITOR
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****599

S3

$ 39

OPEN SY8TEMS
R BASE 5000
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WORD PERFECT

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•CALL FOR SHIPPING COSTS

^

$399
$599

33

BOX-10*10
$2399
IRWIN 310A 10MB TAPE

JRAM 3 (OK)
ORCHID r

$179

IRWIN 110D 10MB TAPE

oSSL ECCEL (OK)

$279
$459

$459
$799

KEYTRONIC 5151
KOALA
MICROSOFT MOUSE
PC MOUSE W

$179
$109
$129

PAINTPLUS
Accessories

CURTIS SURGE

PROTECTORS

(364KI

DATASHIELD BACKUP

JBUnAIN DRIVECARD

QUADBOARD (384K)
QUADBOARD

MB (INT)
$625
TALL OR ASS
$Cd
TECMAR QIC-60AT TAPE
20

$219

TECMAR CAPTAIN
$269

(3S4K)

(INT)

Quadram

Princeton

EGA

^*379

$1199

PLUS HARDCARD 10M8 $689
PRIAM 42MB AT
$1295
SYSGEN SMART IMAGE

6279
$249

SILVER
(OK)

S3

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(EXT)

(OK)

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Input Devices

$899

(INT)

PC TURBO 296 (OK)
PC TINY TURBO 296
$549
PERSYST TIME SPECTRUM

S3

OKIDATA 192
OKIDATA
193
'
TIB
TOSHIBA P321
TOSHIBA P341
TOSHIBA P351

IOMEGA BERNOULLI

$329

JRAM* AT -3
$ 69
$ 39

SIOEKICK

KMAN2

*

EPSON FX-85
EPSON FX-296
EPSON L 0-800
EPSON L 0- 1000
HP 7475A

Mass Storage/Backup
EXCEL STREAM 60 TAPE

GOLD QUADBOARD (OK) $419
INTEL ABOVEBOARO PS

OESK ORGANIZER
GEM DESKTOP

$369
$319

WATSON

AST ADVANTAGE (12SK) $359
AST 6 PAK PLUS (OK)
$229
AST RAMPAGE PC
$319
AST RAMPAGE AT
$459

STATPAK-NWA
ST ATP AC GOLDWALONICK
SVSTAT

Network Applications
DBASE III LAN PAK

TRANSNET 1000

Multifunction Boards

SPSS/PC

$359
$369
$349
$579
$549
$279

VENTEL 1200
HALF CARD

\z
$ 99
$ 49

Desktop Environments

ENABLE

DIABLO

NEC 3550

AST REACH 1200
HAYES 1200
HAYES 12006
HAYES 2400
HAYES 24008

Hardware*

$149

Statistics

Spreadsheets/
Integrated Packages

BROTHER TWINWRITER

JUKI 6300

Modems

II

REFLEX
REVELATION

$449

$Ca4
$Ca«
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ORCHID PC NET

3COM

2.0

SUPERKEY

OAA

QUICKCODE III
QUICKREPORT
R BASE 5000

Networks
AST PC NET

$599

Printers/Plotters

IRMA

Productivity Tools

PARADOX

$429/539

NEC MULTISYNC
PRINCETON HX-12
PRINCETON MAX-1 2E
PRINCETON SR-12
PRINCETON HX-12E
PRINCETON HX-9
TAXAN 122 AMBER
TAXAN 630/640

$649
$499
$469
$599
$849
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Communications/

II

III

KMAN2

$469
$429
$369

AST 5251-11*
AST 5251-12
AST BSC
AST SNA

S3

ALPHA DATA BASE

CONDOR

$259
$379
$379
$449
$399

Emulation Boards

ONE WRITE PLUS
OPEN SYSTEMS
PEACHTREE

NETWORK

Database Systems

CORNERSTONE
DBASE III PLUS

$169

BPI

GREAT PLAINS

Management
HARVARD TOTAL
PROJECT MANAGER
MICROSOFT
PROJECT
PROJECT SCHEDULER

Project

II

MANAGER
CUPPER

$159

SIGMA EGA 350
SIGMA COLOR 400
STB EGA PLUS
TECMAR GRAPHICS
MASTER
TSENG ULTRA PAK
TSENG ULTRA PAK-S

UTILITIES

TURBO PASCAL

GRAPH

SIGNMASTER

AMDEK 600/722
$299

MONO

PARADISE MODULAR
GRAPHICS
OUADRAM EGA*

QUICK BASIC

EXPRESS
PC DRAW
PC PAINTBRUSH

$
S3
$1
S

*209
Monitors

HERCULES GRAPHICS
CARD
HERCULES COLOR
CARD
PARADISE COLOR/

CONCURRENT DOS

EXECUVISION
ENER GRAPHICS

Si

Perfect 4.1

*819

Display Boards

Languages/Utilities

CHARTMASTER
DIAGRAM MASTER

Editors

II

MICROSOFT WORD
MULTIMATE
MULTIMATE
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Word

MultiMate

$1199

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$C«4

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MASTERPIECE PLUS
MICROFAZER INLINE
BUFFERS

IS?

BACKUP
POWER
2S6K RAM SET
8067 MATH CHIP
80287 MATH CHIP

rs
$135

TRIPPLITE

$199

IRMA

1

HX-12E

JRAMAT-3

Board

*539

*239

*799
-

LOWEST PRICE
GUARANTEE!!

We will match current
nationally advertised
prices on most products.
Call and compare.

Diskette
Library

Case
with your order

1-8QO-SS1 -1260
In

New York

State call (718) 438-6057

TERMS:
Checks— allow 14 days to clear. Credit processing— add 3%. COD orders— cash,
M.O or certified check— add $5.00 Shipping and handling UPS surface— add $3.0C
per item (UPS Blue $8.00 per item) NY State Residents— add applicable sales tax.
All prices

subject to change.

P’/rtd

MON.-THURS. 9:00AM-8:00PM
SUN. & FRI. 9:OOAM-4:OOPM

Softline Corporation

P.O. Box 729, Brooklyn, N
TELEX: 421047 ATLN Ul

FAX: 718-972-8346

Y.

11230

Make us Progressive.
PC SYSTEMS

POLAROID

2MB

QUAD RAM

3STM

INTERNAL
HARD DRIVES

33143

drives, ser. par. clk cal
drive.

10MB hard

drive.

20MB

(

w WD. DTC. Omti)

*99*
*1*9*

(nm
PC XT 30MB (Seagate. Genoa. Rodime. Tulin
w WD. DTC. Omti
tm
PC AT 20MB Seagate. Genoa. Rodime. Core
fnm
fna
PC AT 30MB Seagate. Genoa. Rodime Core
CALL FOR HARD DISK PRICES UP TO 380 MB
CMS 60 MB Exl Tape Back Up
fnm
We proudly offer what we think are the best
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sub systems available

*!!••

FULASB CALL FOB UP-TO-DATE PRICES!

33393

ser. par. clk/cal

33193
drives.

20MB

IMM

hard disk

MAONIS PC/XT

(

)

(

i

MOI,

te

ear par, elkfeal,

Amber

disp

These systems are brand new. shipped

3379

)

(

(

)

(

(

1149

)

)

(

(

160 cps narrow carnage dot matrix
160 cps wide carnage dot matrix

*9*9

i

*1195

(

<

)

(

)

*9449

GRAPHICS CARDS

11099

Spectrum and Spectr a

TOSHIBA
)

EGA

(

(

(

i

(

>

)

*49*

Color 400 ( Compatible

1399

HERCULE8

*990

Graphics Card

*T99

Color Graphics Card

NEC

CALL
CALL

CALL
CALL
CALL

fr*n 3999

Elf 350 < 20 cps daisywheel
P 5 (24 pin. 290 CPS. Wide

*499

i

Doubler

)

i

P 7 |24 pin. 216

1*0

64K nine chips
(

Ask about our

tractors and cut aheet feeders

)

8087-3 coprocessor

I

(

)

310
3199

3.
4.

(

(

)

>

3199
349

Wiring information available upon request.

5 Corporate. Government and Institutional volume purchase agreements available.
6. Call for
7. If

exact shipping charges; air shipments take priority

we must

8.

All orders

9

All

10. All

split shipment, you incur no additional shipping charges.

shipped insured

products

fully

No

Double sided/Double density
10/319
100/3199
High density AT diskettes
10/319
100/9949
Wt Mm any XDIZ, BTIAE. MAOLL tad P0LA10D 4Uks it my Mw

SOFTWARE

POLICIES
2.

additional charge.

waranteed; Some up to 5 years.

items subject to availability; Prices subject to change without notice.

3499
3449
391

BORLAND Pascal Sidekick.
BREAKTHROUGH Timeline

S'

Lightning

frta 339

3999

CENTRAL POINT Copy II PC
DECISION RESOURCES Slgn/CharLDiagram
Master

391

3139/339/393

FIFTH GENERATION Fastback

1113

JAVELIN
LIFETREE Volkswriter 3
LOTUS 12 3 Vs 2
LOTUS Symphony
MECA TOBIAS Managing Your Money
M ICROPRO EASY
MICRORIM Rbase 5000
MICROSOFT Word 4 0
MICROSTUF Crosstalk XVI

MONOGRAM

ORDERING INFORMATION

1 - 800 - 446-7995

1 - 404 - 446-7995

1 - 404 - 446-7996

TECH ASSISTANCE
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HRS: 9AM-9PM EST. SAT. 12N-5PM EST.
CIRCLE

309

ON READER SERVICE CARD

QAU
3199
(379
3449
3119

9109
3379
3399
999
1119
3949

Dollars and Sense

MULTIMATE MULTIMATE ADVANTAGE
NORTON Utilities
PFS FIRST SUCCESS w- Write.

File.

IM
3139

Plan
Disk

QUAID Copywriter Disk Explorer Zero

141/99/M

SOFTSTYLE Printworks 'Printworks for lasers
SORCIM IUS Complete accounting modules

frta 3399

SSI WordPerfect 4

3M/M
ui|

1

SUB LOGIC Jet

FOR ORDERS
CUSTOMER SERVICE

3979

PLOTTERS

ASHTON TATE Framework II
ASHTON TATE dBase III PLUS

$479

i

80287 coprocessor
256K nine chips

We accept VISA, MC. AMEX; No surcharge for VISA or MC.
COD requires cash or certified check; Company check when approved.
Allow 1 week for personal and company checks to clear.

1

3979

DISKETTES

ATI Training

Graphics Master 640x400 16 colors
<

CPS wide)

14 19

We carry all HOUSTON INSTRUMENTS and HEWLETT
PACKARD plotters

3399

CHIPS

1499

CALL

)

We carry all the best names including 3COM. AST
RESEARCH. FOX. IBM. NOVELL, and ORCHID
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3179

)

*1049

P-6 (24 pin. 216 CPS. narrow)

monitors

MODEMS

yriettl

w BoB & Scan

(

TEC MAR

Spinwnter

h> res color

RASP

board

monochrome graphics
color card w parallel

(

New

(

SIGMA DESIGNS

M 1509 180 cps wide carnage ser par 9 Pin
HR 15
17 cps narrow carnage letter quality
HR 25 23 cps wide carnage letter quality
HR 35 32 cps wide carnage letter quality

(

Smartmodem 1200 (external 300/1200 )
Smartmodem 1200B internal 300/1200.
wSmartcomll)
Smartmodem 2400 New external 2400 baud

GENOA

192 cps wide carnage LQ dot matrix

BROTHER
•

HATES

to

i

LBP 8A1 8 ppm. Diablo 630 emulation
LBP 8A2 1 2MB graphics RAM. 300 DPT

(

up

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W POINTS

JIM SEYMOUR

Awaiting the
CD-ROM BOOM
The marketfor CD-ROM read-only optical disks is about to blast off. But the question people
is: Where is it going?

should be asking
me

et

say

it

plainly:

CD-ROMs

words, something useful to do with

compact, read-only optical disks
are the single most interesting op-

computer

portunity lurking on the personal

These shiny

little

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—Sony.

PCs into the home on a
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jump

they

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I

we

wish

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Over

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enormous mar-

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lot

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fices. trying to divine just

where the CD-

Or where,
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likely, the first

optical disks

is

going to push the market.

CREATING A MARKET
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American ento the extraor-

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Henry Luces of

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market for

much you and

are going to be willing to

I

pay to play the optical- information game.
Here are four of those views:
1 .

Very wide and very narrow markets

think we'll

hold the greatest promise for

CD-RQM

sec both chickens and eggs nesting on

publishers: the middle ground

is

down at the corner ComputerLand fairly soon
and at surprisingly aggressive prices.

trap.

ket

may

die aborning.

So

I

—

the past year and a half I've spent

an awful

more

all

become

ROM

players and disks, this

the shelves

understood better

we're going to use them.

ROM

High Sierra

they understand that unless
in and effectively subsidize

permanent

But

the

Microsoft, and friends

the lever that gets

puter millionaires.

experience working with people
to

The members of

understand that conundrum

horizon.

all

those disks.

group

WHAT WILL WE SEE ON

A CD?

When

the market achieves “critical
mass," though, we still have to deal with
nub of the issue: just what kind of information do you and I want to buy 500 megabytes worth of on a CD-ROM ? And how
much will we pay for it?
Growing out of that year-and-a-half s
the

The

a death

early successes in optical pub-

lishing are

going to be disks targeted

at

very narrow-interest markets (lawyers
needing ease citations or manufacturers
publishing disk catalogs of parts) and at

very broad-interest markets (encyclope-

dias and other mass-market reference
works).
2. A lot of the value of optical disks will
depend on the quality of the indexing and
search-and-retrieval software provided on

the disk.

The

point

is

not just that

CD-

dinary opportunities lurking in this as-yct

ROMs let us put a lot of information in one

unborn market. Would-be CD-ROM publishers are scurrying around frantically, ty-

place and then reproduce and

ing

up

at the

new

trying to figure out

material

fodder for the

may

what

be appropriate

looking

CD-ROM market.

Right now.

CD-ROMs

CD-ROM

—

useful to
versely,
tical

in other

do with those

And

enough

3.

is

being paid today to de-

CD-ROM use.
CD-ROM publishers have to recog-

|

—

in other

MAGAZINE

MAY2
87

7.

g

nize that their existing approach to pricing

§

CD-ROMs.
You should hear how violently some of the

I

has been made obsolete by

disks on the market until there's a rea-

PC

attention

veloping effective, easy-to-use searching
tools for

con-

we won’t see a wide variety of op-

sonable installed base of players

power

of the value of

words, something
players.

that with the

are included

we won’t

players selling well until

there's a reasonable base of optical disks to

run on them

it's

for.

But unless really superb searching tools
on the disk, we’ll miss most
CD-ROMs. Not nearly

are victims of

the chicken-and-egg syndrome:

see

formation cheaply;

of the computer to help retrieve things,
we'll finally be able to find what we’re

the rights to existing material while

same time

kind of

sell that in-

1986

|

)

V

1

W

I:

I

O

P

I

N T

S

JIM SEYMOUR

people

in the on-line

condemn

database business

the appearance of the

their

CD-ROM

me

mainframes and collect from you and
it), feel the whole
of their business is threatened by

for looking through

Because what they’ve been
ever and ever

structure

to information.

viders (as distinct from the service-bureau-

CD-ROMs.
And they're

known

likc outfits that maintain information

on

One of the largest and best-

on-line databases for lawyers, for

example,

right.

selling for-

not information but access

is

market. These "IPs.” or information pro-

keep

tried until fairly recently to

customers from downloading data to
disks.

The "pay per view" approach to databases has been made obsolete by CD-

money back guarantee

ROMs.

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A

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Which means

From time
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California Retail Stores in Chatsworth, Irvine, and San Jose
1 ELECTRONICS are registered servicemarks of the Heath Group. Ltd.
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business. For

now, what we need are some cheap,

1986

CD-ROM

reli-

play-

and a few of those broad-market disks

to get things rolling.

CARD

I'll

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able. widely distributed
ers,

MAY

optical disks

dangerous misinformation, so we’re going

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Your Hardware and Software Source

CIRCLE

206

ON READER

SERVICE

CARD

S

VIEW

OINT

P

STEPHEN MANES

Standard?
WHAT STANDARD?
Defining True Blue’s standard PC
that’s given the

ofprecision

T

magazine calls itself “The Independent Guide to IBM-Standard
Personal Computing.” Excuse me
his

for asking, but

what standard?

from Microsoft, and abso-

lutely nothing to do with running
Appleworks.

But even

that’s rather fuzzy. Different

versions of the 8088 microprocessor grace

the sockets of

PCs and XTs,

variant

80286s have bloomed in AT-class machines, and clones often use chips unseen
in the True-Blue world. IBM changes the
BIOS on occasion, so deviant ROMs lurk
in PCs and ATs. And each DOS upgrade is
sufficiently different from its predecessor
to knock certain software out of the run-

across-the-board

Is

IBM

the

even consistent among IBM's

the

chines, and

standard henceforth

comes

along. Laptops' keyboards adhere

Cables aren’t standard
rial

cer-

dem

Parallel printer cables are thought to

You want display standards? We’ve got
IBM Monochrome stan-

cable

Firmware? The most standard thing

IBM PC

dard, the Color/Graphics standard, and the

an

Enhanced Graphics standard. They’re

32K of

another, and even

grams
in

that

sort

compatible with one

IBM

distributes pro-

won’t work with them

all.

Add

Professional Graphics, the displays

available for the

RT, and Hercules and oth-

not drive a serial printer.

ROM

it

Cassette

in

any simple instruction about such mun-

dane subjects as removing a screw or
ting a switch

many

is

WHAT IS THE MEANING?

its

Any word
menus now comes

complete with different drivers for over a
printers. Control

codes aren't

set-

likely to be irritatingly inapt

for

your own bureau of standards.
Printers, of course, have absolutely
nothing to do with standards.

in

holding

BASIC, but you won't
any clone on the market. Changes
the motherboard and cabinet assure that

find
in

probably the

is

er third-party schemes, and you can start

processor worth

be

standard. They’re not.

’em! There’s the

of, but not entirely,

may

A PC se-

work on an AT, and a mo-

the PC/r’s keyboard does.

the standard in the

many machines

cable won't

either.

to these standards about as assiduously as

users.

So what is
meaning of IBM-standard Personal
Computing”? Near as I'm able to figure it,
‘

the

machine can somehow or other be made to run software designed for an
IBM PC, it’s considered part of the "IBM
a

it’s this: if

Standard.”

Now,

disk? Hard disk drives can’t be part of the
standard, because

own ma-

IBM's diagnostics deny

tain printers’ very existence.

perpetuity or until something cheaper

hundred

ning.

DISK ORIGAMI

a ratherfuzzy category. But it’s just this lack

comes with an improved model, and
RT keyboard is rumored to become
in

The so-called IBM Standard is like pornography: it’s hard to define, but you
know it when you see it. It certainly has
some connection with a family of chips
from Intel, a particular BIOS, a certain operating system

isn’t easy; it’s

IBM PC its longevity.

don’t

standard.

don’t consider that

1

much of a

about as specific as "motor

It's

—

almost universal. So

how come the typical

something that can move along
ground under its own power and isn’t
powered by rubber bands. But the motor

IBM PC AT comes

only with an 80-track

vehicle industry didn't lock itself into rigid

have them, but 40-track 5'/4-inch floppies
and official DOS sectoring schemes seem

drive that can’t write disks in this

format?

And what

common

fit

any parts shop will prove. Considering that
we might all be using tillers to steer our
steam cars, this looseness is probably a

tradition-

floppies into their 3 16- inch drives only

via

the

some very clever origami?
The standard keyboard, of
much-maligned

about every

unit

IBM PC

course,

good

is

AT
PC

so

is

91

7,

1986

|
J

IBM PC

|

about the

I

the looseness of the

standard. For

MAY2

MAGAZINE

|

thing.

And

packed with just

and XT. But the

—

game and hasn’t
come up with all that many yet, as a visit to
standards early in the

of the Data Generals

and Hewlett-Packards that can
al

vehicle”

the

all

we complain

—
VIEWPOIN T S

STEPHEN MANES

lack of precise standards
ever!

—

very lack

this

is

IBM PC its remarkable

—and do we

what's given the

longevity.

'

‘standard’

'

or even

Mass

storage has improved from cas-

and then double-sided

sette (!) to single-

expansion slots led third-party vendors to

on the horizon. The original IBM PC had
no provision for RAM above 544K. and

develop multifunction cards and

last year’s.

150

$

Client Accounting System

VERSION 4.0 INTEGRATES WITH
TO ORDER
MCBS' 5 MODULE GENERAL
1 -800-FOR-MCBS
ACCOUNTING
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Up to 10 telephone calls for 850/yr.
Shipping Charges 83.00

Texas Resident add 6'»N Tax
COD Charges 89.00
Payment By Check. MC or VISA
All

programs run on IBM. I PCjr/PC /XT/AT).

AT»T. EPSON. TANDY 11000/1200/2000).
Tl. WANG. COMPAQ. CORONA, SANYO.
COLUMBIA*, and most other MS DOS
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Requires 1 2BK Ram. 2 Hopples or Fixed Disk.
80 Column Printer. MS DOS. PC DOS 2.0 or

V
NEW

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Is. With the new MCBS Client
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the client will not have to be reentered by the accountant. The
accountant may pick-up copies of
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System Integrates with MCBS' 5
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Accountant may use Client Data flies
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ALL MCBS DATA FILES MAY BE
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Payroll Data entered
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NEW Accounts or NEW Employees can
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Entry of Vendor /Payee ID Codr In
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I

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Allows retention of ALL General
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Performs Multi Period processing
allowing for prior period adjustments,
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SUPER FLEXIBLE Chari of Accounts
allows Accountant to Establish a

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Copy from one Client to another, or
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Produces Statement of Changes In
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Allows for Annualized or Monthly

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Includes a form of JOB COST

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Includes lapablllty to ireale and print

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Allows Journals to be printed during
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Account Numbers expanded to 7
useable
Includes Mini word Processor fo.
Creation and Editing of
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Includes Amortization Module that
call ulates prrsenl and future values

Check Number Increments
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number, description and date will
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If

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Debits Credits as well as

10
entries displayed on screen during
data entry.
BONUS- Special Formatted Entry
routine allows accountant to set up a
sequence of predetermined accounls
that prompts operator for amounts
Useful for certain types of businesses
using dally reports
System Includes automatic Report
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be printed and quantities and system
dors the printing while operator
performs other duties.
last

REPORTS GENERATED

amortization schedules.
Provides for recurring journal entries.

quick succession. Total compatibility
hasn’t been maintained, but the upward
migration path has been kept remarkably

smooth.

ble "standards.”

True, this flexibility slows down certain

kinds of development and complicates
sales to first-time users. If color

169

the world. If

stan-

people could buy on price alone

ities,

wonying what

stead of

IBM

tablets arrive with

in-

incompatibilities

lurk within their clones. But

when

stone

standards en-

graved upon them, sledgehammer sales

skyrocket. Forced to give up my
monochrome monitor for a flickery graph-

may

ics-based screen,

I

might just give up

IBM

instead.

Standards are often conceived in

re-

sponse to temporary or imaginary problems. IBM used to push a silly software
standard that included inverse-video func-

Journals
Balance Sheets Consolidated.
Departmental. Comparative to Budget

tion-key labels at the bottom of the screen.

Journals. Including

or Prior Periods

Income Statements Consolidated.
Departmental. Comparative to Budget
or Prior IVriods
Changes In Financial Position.
Trial Balance. Chart of Accounts
Detailed General Ledger, and
l>ayroU Journal.

Summaries

was impossible

lines

300

bits

Corporate types
Reports

ization

speeds higher than

at

per second.

94 Is W2’s. 1099 s

for State Payroll

me not long ago
over voice-grade

Bright engineers assured
that data transmission

Sub schedules

SUPPORT

makes

may find that standard-

their lives easier, but that's

not yet what personal computing

Complete Manual on Diskette, you
Print tl on your printer.
Telephone Support available. 10 calls
for S50.

FREE TELEPHONE START UP HELP
FREE NEWSLETTER

(MCBS)

about. Sure,

we need

is

all

standards, especially

when

it comes to networks and informaexchange and getting software X to
work with hardware Y. But we also need

tion

better, faster,

This field

and easier everything.
is still in

diapers.

We needn’t

MICRO COMPUTER

settle for

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Carrots in Tommy Tippee bowls. Pheasant

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ON READER SERVICE CARD

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were

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PCs were genuine commod-

dard, Microsoft

Standard Brand Junior Strained

under glass awaits
CIRCLE

Macintosh’s

attempted imposition of a standard
“Any color you want, so long as it’s
black"
failed miserably. If a computer is
to be as personal as a car, you want the
right to customize it and soup it up any way
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Cash
Disbursements. Receipts, and General
All

digits

and prints monthly and annual

to

—

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IBM

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IBM

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Nobody

wants to be stuck with an original

MAY

MAGAZINE
92

2 7,

1986

to toddle to

it.

if

only

we

can learn
[3J

The ONE and

ONLY$CA

Ow

Complete Accounting System
17 NEW Features Make 1 18 Reasons

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51

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Provides for entry, updating and deletion of
customer Infomatlon

)

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Call (713) 444-6269

52) Allows entry, editing and posting of
2) For fixed disk, creates subdirectory
copies all files to disk.
3)

Manual printing has been

and

receivables, credit

up to 99

53) Allows

greatly

memos, cash payments.

— UNCONDITIONAL —

repetitive line items for fast

Invoicing.

54) Prints the open Item and aged receivables
4)

Menu

Driven System
Stand Alone

8)

Data

Files

55- Prints Invoices. Credit Memos
57) and Statements.
58) Prints Sales Analysis.
59) Supports Partial Payments
60) Prints Invoice. Payment and Credit

can be accessed by Lotus. dBase,

etc*
9)

Manuals on diskettes,

print

them on your

1 1 )

61) Interfaces to

Modules can be purchased separately
Accounts and transactions limited only by

14)

Including PayrolL
Supports multiple departments

15) Flexible chart of accounts.
16) Prints financial

m

.

quarter, and 3 p9
23- Prints Departm& k
«nt
28) Statement and E
month, current quartfl
quarters.
29- Prints Budget Comparison

_

tiJith

periods.

8) Calculates Federal. State and Local Taxes.
Allows user to maintain all tax tables.
70) Maintains payroll history.
71) Calculates the payroll.
72) Prints the payroll register, check register and
)

*

>

deductions

85.00
MC or VISA

programs run on IBM. (PCjr/PC /XT/AT). ATS-T. EPSON.
1000/1200/20001. Tl. WANG. COMPAQ. CORONA
(

SANYO. COLUMBIA*, and most other MS-DOS machines.

W

Written In CB-86 complied basic.

Requires 128K Ram. 2 Floppies or Fixed Disk. 80

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Printer.

•Computer A software names are trademark or registered
by thetr respective manufacturers.

Client Accounting Software
This system

Is for

people. This

Is

more

people doing accounting work for other
new release Call or Write for

version 4.0. a

details

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$150

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73) Prints payroll checks.
74) Provides for after-the-fact payroll
7S Prints 2 s. 1099 s 941s and
78) quarterly earnings reports.

30) Income Statement and Balance Sheet
comparing Actual vs. Budget with variances

W

.

ratios.

31- Prints Trial Balance and Chart
32) of Accounts
33) Prior Period Adjusting Entries do not Impact
current results.
34) Data Entry screen displays beginning,
current and ending balances as well as the
last

All

62) Now Integrates with General Ledger.
2 and 1099-M1SC forms.
63) Now prints 1985
64) Provides for entry, updating and deletion of
employee Information.
65- Handles hourly, salaried or
167) commissioned employees on weekly,
biweekly, semi-monthly or mothly pay

stateiM^^*^

defined formats.^^^^^
17- Prints Income S|
22) Balance Sheet u

Payment By Check.
TANDY

with State S' Local Taxes

Improved budget reporting module.
Improved Integration with other modules

l

COD

MCBS' General Ledger or may

Payroll

disk space.

12)
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Shipping Charges 85.00
Texas Resident add 6 M% Tax
Charges

stand alone.

General Ledger

and

Service Contract

Up to 10 telephone calls for 850/yr.
Memo

Registers.

printer.

10)

MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

reports.

5) Integrated or

6) Simplified Installation
7) Complete Audit Trails

Inventory
urith
79-

Furduue Orders
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Add Customers, Vendors or Items without

with.
82) Reports allow selection by department or

35) System allows new accounts to be created
during data entry.

83)

Z 2
X X X I

allows

creation of walk-in customer account for
Point of Sale invoicing.
WILD CARD item allows for billing
miscellaneous, non-inventory charges.
85) Uses Average Cost.
86) Provides for Inventory item entiy. updating

Accounts Payable

84)

36) Vendors may be added to system during
the entry of invoices.
37) Simplified selection of vendors and
invoices for payment
38) Provides for entry, updating and deletion of
vendor information.
39- Allows entry, editing and posting
40) of payables, adjustments, cancellations and
prepalds.
41- Prints the Open Item •• Cash
42) Requirements reports.
43) Allows partial payments.
44) Prints A/P checks
45) Prints Check register.
46) Prints the A/P distributions to the General
Ledger
47) Prints the vendor anaytsls report.
48) Interfaces to MCBS' General Ledger or may
stand alone.

and

•

«

total.

WILD CARD customer feature

:

8

8 8 8 | | S
8 2 8 1 “?

81) leaving the entry screen you are working

10 entries.

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deletion.

87) Provides for order entry and editing with
Inventory update during entry.
88) Stock and non stock Items.
89) Handles purchases, returns, shipments and
adjustments.
90) Prints Invoices, credit memos, picking

purchase orders, price lists and
shipping labels.**
91) Prints on preprinted forms or plain paper.
92) Prints stock status report and purchasing
tickets,

advice report.
93) Full back order retention.
94) Quarterly, yearly and prior year Inventory

3 £
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Account* Receivable
49) Customize your own headings on
Invoices and Credit Memos. No
programming required.
50) Add finance charges at the rate you choose
to accounts you wish to charge.

Order Entry

1

1 1
1

3

95) Performs book to physical analysis.
96- Over 20 management reports
16) including extensive Sales Analysis and Lost
Sales Report.

MCBS' General
Ledger. A/R. A/P or may stand

18)

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CIRCLE 167

alone.

some

functions.

ON READER SERVICE CARD

.fc

•

&
i

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V

I

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I*

()

I

N

S

1

STEWART ALSOP

The zen of
ARROGANCE
Arrogance has long been both a cause and an
industry’. But is there a place for humility?

M

ost people

who

effect

of success in the personal computer

Steve Jobs and refined by Osborne

use computers

Adam

A

Com-

.sistently

—Software
—

successful companies

Compaq Computer

think that manufacturers and

puter founder

software publishers spend most

of people accused of arrogance have joi ned

Cotp.. and

of their time worrying about things like

these two:

ComputerLand founder Bill Millard, VisiCorp cofounder Dan Fylstra, Micropro founder Seymour Rubinstein. Bor-

by straightforward, sincere people who
don’t have an arrogant bone in their bodies.

ease of use. user interfaces, and computer

i

one of the most hotly
in computer company back
rooms is the role of arrogance.
Arrogance can be both the product of
success and the apparent source of success. which is what makes it such a hotly
dealers. Actually,

debated issues

debated issue.

Is

Or does
And.

it

And why have
been unable

so

many

to rise

Don

is

new

company

have graced the pages of the trade press

Adam Osborne began writing a column called “From the Fountainhead."

The word arrogance has a nasty ring to
it. You wouldn’t want your daughter to
marry an arrogant man. But, in fact, many
of the most successful people in the personal computer industry
entrepreneurs,
programmers, marketers are also some

since

a

—
—

At the same time, humility also must play
Three of the most con-

role in the industry.

some

relationship

And

and bad

most arrogant, meaning
must have some value.

A LEGITIMATE ROLE

found some validity

gance

is

So what’s

the

truth of the matter? The truth is that arrogance does indeed play a legitimate role in

the personal

business

is

computer

industry.

driven by a relatively

rapidly developing technology;

The PC
new and

companies

must continually introduce new products
that can solve new problems and offer

more

value.

But often the only way to stay ahead of
the competition

is

Many companies,
out new products

to take

enormous risks.
must bring

for instance,

.

tend to have enormous egos.

But arrogance comes in two forms; personal arrogance and corporate arrogance.

Personal arrogance

that

who displays
essarily

A LONG TRADITION The

suddenly

press.

people capable of contemplating such risks

between arrogance and
is that most of

the truly interesting people in the industry

the quality

cofounded

,

the corollary

are also the

run

that make their biggest
moneymaker obsolete to avoid having another company do it for them The kind of

of the most arrogant, a fact that naturally
leads observers to wonder whether there is
success.

,

all

Estridge.

to have come along
Development was founded in
1981. Yet it is run by a man, Philippe
Kahn, who is also widely considered one
of the most arrogant industry leaders to

nice companies

Yet Software Publishing Corp.

are

facing the prospect of declining revenues

Borland International, for instance,

above the industry’s

Inc.

rect personalities in the industry, is

widely considered the most successful

general noise level ?

Research

and run by Fred Gibbons one of the most di-

since Lotus

does humility necessarily lead to success?

AST

and even
the founder of IBM’s Entry Systems Divi-

software

does,

Publishing Corp.,

land International president Philippe Kahn,

sion, the late

arrogance
if

list

Lotus Development cofounder Mitch Ka-

necessary, industry ex-

it

inevitably lead to failure?

long

por, Microsoft founder Bill Gates,

ecutives ask themselves, to be arrogant in

order to be successful?

Osborne.

is

that of

an individual

egotistical behavior not nec-

shown by

others in the

pany. Corporate arrogance

industry has

is

same com-

displayed by

in the theory that arro-

an entire company, although no one indi-

necessary to achieve above-aver-

(Of course,
companies run by personally arrogant peopie tend to show signs of corporate arrogance more readily than those run by humvidual might act egotistically.

age success. Arrogant behavior has a long
tradition in the industry:

it

was

essentially

L

defined by Apple Computer cofounder

C

MAGAZINE

M A

Y

2 7.

19

8 6

|

I
J
§

I

I

V

I

E

W

P

O

I

N T

S

STEWART ALSOP

blc people, bul they arc separate

rate

phenomena.)
And. while some personal arrogance
has a legitimate role, particularly in com-

and ruin.
Apple Computer, which benefited inifrom Steve Jobs’s arrogant assumptions about the personal computer market,

panies that are just getting started, corpo-

arrogance appears to lead almost cer-

started

making serious mistakes when

of the company began to believe

the

was

tainly to rack

rest

tially

people to perceive the Macintosh as a busi-

infallible.

it

Apple, for instance, failed to get

Many people blame Jobs
what kind of company
would allow itself on network television
during the Super Bowl to depict business
buyers as a bunch of lemmings following
ness computer.

for that failure, but

IBM
it

over a

cliff?

A company that thought

could do no wrong, that was guilty of

corporate arrogance.

Borland International, on the other
hand, has been successful because its
founder is arrogant enough to take big risks

SideTalk

in the

minds the phone while you do your work

It

kinds of products his

fer

your

interruptioas! Because

files

now SideTalk can

company has

introduced. (Arrogance also helps get publicity.)

No more

But the company doesn't display

traas-

or receive your mail while you’re using your

computer for other important matters. And SideTalk is
programmable with its own BASIC-like language. What's
more, you’re never more than a keystroke away from all

Most of the

When we say SideTalk

is

the best telecommunications

program on the market, we’re not
side of our mouth.

just talking

truly

interesting people in

of the power of SideTalk.

the industry are also

out of the

the

most arrogant.
makes

the kind of corporate arrogance that
it

stop listening to

its

users or

and begin to believe that

Lattice

dealers

it

doesn’t

take anything for granted, including
ability to predict the

Incorporated

Post Office

its

incapable of

successful specifically because

To place your order
Lattice.

it is

doing anything wrong. Borland has been
its

needs of users.

What's most remarkable is to see a
company recognize its corporate arrogance and systematically eradicate it,
something that only three companies have
managed Apple Computer, now under the
watchful eyes of John Sculley, is far more
sensitive to what its users want than what it
thinks its users should have. Ashton-

Box 3072

Glen Ellyn, Illinois 60 38
312-858-7950
TWX 910-291-2190
1

.

—

now run by a man (Ed Esber) who
watched corporate arrogance destroy his
former employer, VisiCorp is aggreshumble, to the point that it is inviting some of its customers to participate in
the design of new products. And Microsoft, once confident that any product it
produced would be instantly accepted, has
learned from experience that it's much easTate

—

Only

sively

$ 119-95

ier to listen to its

force

CIRCLE

113

ON READER SERVICE CARD

PC

MAGAZINE

MAY

27.

1986

its

customers than to

customers to

listen.

try to

E?

OVERNIGHT DELIVERY
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beat it by SIO 1 This includes any bonafide advertised price
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Credit cards and PO's accepted.

TOLL-FREE CUSTOMER SERVICE.
Customer service and technical support are only

a toll-free call away.

another reason why Logicsoft has become the major supplier of
hardware and software to more than 50,000 companies worldwide,
including over 90% of the Fortune 1000.
It's

To order or receive technical assistance, call our National Hotline:

110 Bi-County
Farmingdale,

Blvd., Dept.

54321

NY 11735

CANADA: 416-283-2354
Domestic/lnt'l Telex

1

-

Mail orders to:

249 8440

LOGICSOFT EUROPE BV
pb 9460, 1006 AL Amsterdam, Holland

FAX# 516-249-5289
Circle

'Applies to order totaling over $100. Shipped

(516)

Customer Service: 1-800-431-9037

286905 SoftUR

T This offer

EUROPE: 020-83 48 64
Telex: 10759 Logic NL

800 - 645-3491

NY STATE: 1-800-235-6442

UPS— free

if

#400

on reader service card.

under $100 (wtthm Cont. US.). Due to weight

does not apply to items under $100. American Express or Terms orders.

In

these instances,

we

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NOW LEASE

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Lease the computer system you need
programs also available) at one of our

negotiate a lease extension. Give Logicsoft a

call.

We’ll begin

processing your

agreement right over the phone. And deliver your system within three
and last lease payments required in advance. Lease proposals
subject to credit approval. Rates based on current cost of funds.
lease

days. First

FREE 90-DAY,
ON-SITE SERVICE ON ALL SYSTEMS.
Whether you lease or purchase a system from

Logicsoft,

you get a unique

bonus: a free 90-day, on-site system hardware service contract. We’ve

contracted with one of the nation's largest and most respected independent

computer maintenance firms to provide you free service in most metropolitan
areas. If a problem arises, it’ll be corrected quickly and efficiently. At your
facility. And at no additional cost to you. There's no inconvenience of
transporting your system to and from a service center Wherever you are.
Whatever the problem. Expert assistance is only a phone call away.

To order or receive technical assistance,

110 8i-County
Farmingdale,

Blvd., Dept.

NV

1

1735

CANADA: 416-283-2354
Domestic/IntT Telex

54321

1

-

call

our National Hotline:

800 - 645-3491

NY STATE

1

800-235-6442 516 249 8440

Customer

286905 SoftUR

(

Service: 1-800-431-9037

FAX# 516-249-5289
Circle

#400 on

EUROPE: 020-83 48 64
Telex: 10759 Logic NL
Mail orders to:

)

reader service card.

LOGICSOFT EUROPE BV
pb 9460, 1006 AL Amsterdam, Holland

//

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CIRCLE 537 ON READER SERVICE CARD
Copyrighted material

Ikeda

Shig

:

PC

MAGAZINE

MAY2

7,

1986

106
Copyrighted material

—

COVER STORY WINN L. ROSCH

Your computer lives on

electricity,

in the power line.

but not on irregularities

Fair warning: Too

little

electricity

can knock the PC unconscious; too much can fry

brain.

its

POWER
CORRUPTS
(BUT YOU CAN PROTECT
lectricity is the lifeblood

E

its

state circuitry

every

side the

computer

is

always

.

Too

in

least as

ply

a

velop digital amnesia.

in the right rear

unit, attempts to

fragile

may

out, at

of the system
compensate for

most vagaries of

be
so strained that they stop working at all. The damage is permanent and expensive.
Electrical problems are probably the leading cause of death of
computer equipment and the
leading cause of frustration

line current.

But severe power-line pollution
can sneak past its protections and
wreak havoc inside the circuitry,
either eating away slowly at the
computer’s life or snuffing it out

—

PC

wear

on the power line often is
far from optimal. The PC’s power supply, the sealed silver box

Too much

and the PC’s

semiconductor circuits

is

long as the electrical supworking optimally, the

current

little,

and the computer’s thoughts can
become muddled; it can even deelectricity,

of personal com-

puters should never

thought. But the electricity in-

precarious balance.

PC)

—

personal computer, the vital essence that makes its circuits flip

and flop to transmit

YOUR

and wasted time among PC users. While in theory the solid-

of every

in

a single, explosive pop.

Even

in the

MAY2

MAGAZINE
107

7.

absence of physi-

1986

—

POWER CORRUPTS

damage, power-line inconstancies are
PC user. Next to carelesspower problems are probably the

cal

the bane of the
ness,

biggest cause of lost data.

An

interruption

PC

in the current supplied to the

less than a

second

is

enough

Yet the

PC

lasting

to erase every

byte of data in the computer’s

memory.

has no built-in means of pro-

tecting itself

from lapses

in its

supply cur-

the computer. If the overvoltage

is

severe

temperature increase inside semiconductor

er supply
to the

itself,

and

in

and

circuits,

faster than

this heat is

generated

can be dissipated.

it

much

If the

tem-

damage the pow-

perature gets too high, the delicate crystal

so doing lay waste

structure of the semiconductor breaks

overvoltage can actually

down and

whole of the computer’s circuitry.

the device stops working.

The

longer the duration of the overvoltage and

Power-protection devices are your PC’s
primary line of defense against the various

SPIKES AND SURGES

evils lurking in the electricity supply.

that differ

Some, spike and surge suppressors,

their voltage excess. Spikes are overvolt-

pro-

often

from nanoseconds

ages that

against electrical interruptions. All help

overvoltages that

preserve your peace of mind and sanity.
In this and future issues,

you can add to your
system, their effectiveness, and their

Our first examination,

sandths of a second). Surges are

ditions can also

nitudes:

in the article

In a future issue, we’ll delve

backup power supplies.

help you understand why these devices
should be considered necessary adjuncts to
any computer system, the balance of this
article will examine how power-line problems develop, the differences between
protection devices, and how they work.
All power line-related problems can be
divided into three types, each with its own
consequences for your system: overvoltages, undervoltages, and noise. Noise is

To

actually not a real problem; see the sidebar

‘The Noise Nonissue.

FIRE

’

its

energy content.

Overvoltages are transient

much

voltage

is

PC power supply compensates for voltage
fluctuations, reducing excesses of 10 per-

Rosch

is

likely

it

is

to cause

damage.
Because the microscopically thin gates
NMOS (N-channel Metal Oxide

of the

Semiconductor) circuits that make up the
bulk of the PC’s thinking elements are ex-

tremely delicate, only a small amount of
total

energy

is

sufficient to destroy

them.

Thus a brief pulse of high voltage, a spike,
or even static electricity can ruin an NMOS
device.

The danger

is real.

Brief peaks as

on normal power lines.
Some studies have shown that spikes
below the level that causes NMOS circuits

duration.

its

because

all

practical electrical circuits

internal resistance, cause heat inside

these circuits. In normal operation, the circuits

of the

PC warm up from the effects of

resistance and current flow, but their tem-

to fail catastrophically nevertheless

may

of the semiconand making it more

alter the crystal structure

ductor, degrading

it

vulnerable to later spike damage. The

THE NOISE NONISSUE
Despite dire warnings from noise protector makers, your

PC has enough built-in noise protection.

N

oise

any signal present on the

is

power

line besides the

expected 60-

cycle alternating current your

PC knows

to the

optimum

level

background of AM radio broadcasts.
Noise usually consists of short-term
over- and undervoltages that for the most

over the long run. As

part balance out

such, noise

a

is

similar to the signals inside

PC that actually carry out its thinking.
Should a

stray

and sufficiently strong

noise slip through the filtering that
L.

more

high as 25,000 volts have been measured

before they can get to the active circuitry of

Winn

is

and loves. It’s the equivalent to the pops,
crackles, and buzzes you often hear in the

supplied to your equipment. Normally the

more down

voltage and

potential, the greater the ex-

possibly resulting in parity check errors
that are fatal to the

program you're run-

ning (and possibly to your disks).

’

conditions in which too

cent or

its

spike or surge cause greater current flows

have

into data-saving

to

by two mag-

its

The higher voltages of the

and

equip-

ment damage.

from milliseconds

classified

the higher

cess heat and the

the product of its voltage, the current flow,

that,

fatal errors,

last

be

The energy content of an overvoltage

and
surge suppressors or protectors, which
that follows this one, deals with spike

prevent the ultimate in

to milli-

seconds (billionths of a second to thou-

protection devices that

worth.

last

seconds. Either of these overvoltage con-

PC Magazine

and evaluate the various

will investigate

Overvoltages

two overlapping subclasses
depending on the duration of

fall into

hardware-damaging electrical
excesses. Others, standby and uninterruptible power supplies, protect your data
tect against

ON

dissi-

is

pated at about the same rate it is generated.
The energy of a surge causes a very rapid

it

tions built into the

rent.

‘

perature stabilizes because the heat

can slip by the protecpower supply and per-

manently damage the computer hardware,
literally blowing up one of the semiconductor chips inside your computer. Or the

enough, however,

a contributing editor to

PC Magazine. He has 10 years’ experience working on high-power systems as a
chief engineer and holds an FCC general
radio! telephone license. He is also a prac-

into the
in

is

PC's power supply and mix

built
itself

with the logic signals in the computer,

the noise could cause data errors

memory

bits to

randomly change

and

state.

Despite the dire warnings given by the

manufacturers of noise-filtering devices,
however, noise in itself does not appear
to be a

FCC

MAGAZINE

MAY2
108

7,

all

IBM

To meet

personal

filters that

com-

prevent

their internally generated noise (actually,

from leaking
out through their power connections.
These filters work effectively in both ditheir electronic thoughts)

rections, keeping outside noise out as

well as keeping inside noise inside the

computer.

ticing attorney.

PC

major problem for PCs.

standards for the emission of radio

frequency noise,

puters have built-in

1986

Winn L. Rosch

damage

is

thus cumulative. Each pulse

some circumstances even

in

er loss occurs at a critical instant, such as

Undervoltages are just the opposite of

tion table while saving, copying, or delet-

—

—

overvoltages: temporary reductions in the
electrical potential supplied to the

comput-

worse complications can

DOS

when
ing a

file,

PCs
their

memory when

ever, the

total

it

occurred.

Although losing 2 hours of keystroking
to a flicker in the lights is troubling

jj y|

Anatomy

arise. If the

updating a disk's

is

file

pow-

alloca-

the entire disk can be rendered

unusable.

The worst undervoltage condition is a
power failure, which results in the
loss of any data that was in the computer’s

er.

|j

enough,

weakens the circuits a little bit, and when
enough pulses get through, the component
and your computer fails.

store a small

power

amount of energy in
enough to last

supplies, often

through a brief flicker of the

and the
time

it

lights.

How-

more memory boards, modems,

like a

computer has, the shorter the

can survive on

this reserve

energy.

Further, a power loss need not be comAlthough the
PC’s power supply can compensate for

of a

plete for data loss to occur.

Power Surge

voltage reductions of nearly 20 percent, a

Many things can cause a power surge: lightning, switching transients from generators, or
even nearby large machines starting up and

deep enough temporary reduction in the
power-line voltage a so-called brown-

down. Welding equipment and industrial machinery throw off electrical discharges
or create powerful magnetic fields. PC Magazine Labs’ testing equipment was run through
special filters so that our artificial pulses would
not go out over the building's power lines. Most

cause.

shutting

high-voltage surges

last less

lot

No amount of surge protection

of damage.
is

lightning strikes. Like people and laboratory

When

power system it may pass up a
good ground and char a telephone.
may blow out your keyboard and leave the
system unit unscathed. The farther a

per-

fectly

It

in

building wires,

however, the more likely
to

be grounded out or

damped

to

harmless
levels.

®
If

you’re

lucky, a

surge will
overload the
circuit breaker.

Most often, however,
the pulses are too short to
trip these heat-

1

or magnetic

field-activated devices.

^Arcing within the
^

may reduce

the

voltage to below

10,000 volts.

it

gets into a

surge travels

it

is

wipe out the computer’s

the electricity

it

sends to the computer’s

circuitry varies too far

from the optimum.

singular redeeming virtue: barring further

proof against

animals, lightning acts unpredictable

—

will also

memory. The PC’s design is partly the
Its power supply turns itself off if

As bad as that seems, undervoltages have a

than a thousandth

of a second, but they can do a

—

out

complications, they are usually not fatal to

computer hardware. Alas, most power interruptions include the complications of surges and spikes, which

almost inevitably result
when the utility company attempts to
restore
power.

—

POWER CORRUPTS

WHAT ABOUT STATIC ELECTRICITY?
It’s in the air, it’s

everywhere.

How can you protect yourself?

And do you really need to?

S

tatic

everywhere, and

electricity is

evidence of

its

presence abounds.

Static is so familiar, in fact, that learning

how

and create a
is one of the great
of growing up.
But can static electricity, so easily
to concentrate a charge

spark or benign shock
rites

produced, actually damage your personal

computer, floppy disks, keyboard, or
disk drives? Probably not
exceptions.

—but

The good news

there are
the

is that

precautions available are simple, cheap
(or free),

and

reliable.

Static electricity causes potentially

damaging sparks or invisible voltage
transfers when one charged object comes
near or touches another object that has a
different charge or

the

no charge

at all

.

Since

human body is well designed to accu-

mulate

static,

transmitting

it is

an excellent vehicle for

it.

DO-IT-YOURSELF PROTECTION
There are several ways to

—

rid yourself

of

—or

in

your body. The simplest and certainly

at least

the cheapest

reduce

method

static electricity

(it’s free) is to

ground the charge, literally sending it to
the ground. Technically, this can be
achieved only by touching a good conductor that

is itself in

contact with the

ground. But you can achieve nearly the

same

effect

by touching an object capa-

ble of absorbing the charge.
static

for

The

best

absorbers are good conductors

example, metal objects. Touching a

metal object before you

sit

down to work

at your computer is a reliable antistatic
procedure as long as you don't forget to

doit.

Product solutions are abundant. They
range from sprays costing under $10 per
can to antistatic touch mats for$19.99 to
a $179 “static eliminator” that absorbs

charges in the environment, thereby preventing buildup on clothing or in
the body. Those of you worried about
static

Shown here: Electrostatic Locator, $320 with carrying casefrom act Inc. (Elk Grove Village, III.);
Touch Me First mats, $69.96 and $39.95, and the First Touch keyboard strip, $19.95, allfrom the
3M Corp. ; Antistatic gripper chair mat, $160 from Global Computer Supplies (Plainview, N. Y.);
Static Free aerosol, under $10 from Chemtronics (Hauppage, N.Y.).

mmm

mmmm

—

how much

static is in

your work environ-

ment can purchase an
tor for

electrostatic loca-

According to PC Magazine contributing editor

Winn

preventive

is

L. Rosch, the best static

an interior humidity level

between 30 and 40 percent. Humid
absorbs
ic

which markets a keyboard

strip, mainsuch electrical eccentricities

tains that

can be caused by the sudden electrostatic

$320.

static in the

mat does. Dry

same way

air,

a

discharge from the user to sensitive

comabout

is

ing), has the opposite effect.

if

you choose to ignore static or should forget to ground yourself on a winter day

when

the air in your office is crackling
dry? What's the worst that can happen?
There's absolutely no agreement on this.
Rosch, who lives year-round in Cleve-

components

are, the

well,

harm a PC. Contributor Phil Wis-

who

reviews surge suppressors

this issue, tends to
ful.

Wiswell,

concur, but he

who

lives in

is

that

problems.

touch my metal desk lamp before using
my computer.” At the other end of the
anxiety spectrum, Mike O'Cone, PC
Magazine's product-testing editor, says
that he has frequently suspected static as
the cause of hardware and software dam-

“I’m very static conscious,” says
O’Cone. ‘I always take standard precautions to protect my equipment.” But
even these are not elaborate. O’Cone relies on mats and sprays.
In any case, it is difficult to demonstrate the effect of static electricity when
age.

PC

little

as one-fifteenth of

can affect some components.

static

Com-

charges can mimic binary signals.

However, even

damage

3M concedes that static’s

potential

is

much reduced by

the

law of averages. The company maintains
that there is a one-in-a-thousand

that the

equipment

signal as a

will recognize

command and

create a substantial static charge.

The

The worst-case
of data, but

if

mal.

Still,

characterized

scenario involves the

normal backup proce-

strange characters on the

program
been blamed on the static

screen, keyboard lockups, or
all

it’s a good idea to implement them, espeyour working environment is
by low humidity. Sprays
and pads are cheap and generally effective
although sprays work only if you
use them. The only way you can tell for
sure that their effects have worn off is

cially if

static

bogeyman.

—

when the static builds up enough to cause
a spark or shock, by which time

it

may be

late. Or you can treat static as a superand train yourself to ground your
body’s charges by touching tables and

too

stition

sitting down to work.
Using these minimal precautions, you

door frames before

and almost impossiwas the cause of
ephemeral

HIGH-RISK SITUATIONS

The more

ble to prove that static

exposed the computer's hardware com-

can be

damage. The

ponents are, the greater the potential for

will never cause a

effects of this

problems. This means that extra

force are often written off as unexplained

static

computer weirdness.

caution

some circumstances
for example, when installing
memory chips. Fewer than 500 volts can
is

—

Not surprisingly, the people who
make the most noise about static have an
antistatic product to sell.

computer

or physical damage

from static electricity appears to be remote. But precautions are so simple that

a

dures are used this loss should be mini-

freezes have

possibility that your

will suffer data loss

chance

perform an un-

intended function.

loss

'

transmitted to a

Measurements of up to 6,000 volts
have been recorded from the movement
of clothing agains the body in a dry
room. If that clothing is made of synthetic materials, just moving your arm can

puters are particularly susceptible, as

County, just north of New York City,
says, "It’s enough of a precaution to

,500 and

1

18,000 volts, depending on the humidity.

static

3 ,000 volts but as

in

care-

Westchester

installed in the

gains good
from

ion can generate between

greater the potential for

land, says he has never seen static electricity

it

You can

The more exposed a
computer’s hardware

WORST-CASE SCENARIO What

and

the effects of static charge.

Accumulating 500 volts is a cinch.
generate up to 35,000 volts just
by walking across a carpet in a low-humidity (below 30 percent) environment.
Even when the humidity is high, contact
with a carpet can generate a fleeting
charge of up to 1.500 volts. Simply sitting on polyurethane foam in a seat cush-

air

indoor

inserted in the board

computer, however,
though not foolproof

perceptible static charge

that a stat-

common

condition in the winter (caused by heat-

is detached
from the board. Once the chip has been

side the integrated circuit that

—protection

puter components.

A

—

3M Corp.,

called for under

bum up the

PC

silicon junctions or gates in-

MAY2

MAGAZINE
III

7.

iar

fairly certain that static electricity

major problem.
Should you want to engage in a familjuvenile rite, however, chances are

excellent that you will be able to

summon

up enough static to shock your family
and friends.
Virginia Dudek

1986

POWER CORRUPTS

Your

natural reaction to a

is

brownout or

immediately saving

flicker in the lights,

your work,

probably the worst possible

dimming

thing you can do. Certainly the

or flickering lights are often a warning of

imminent power

but writing to

failure,

makes

disk at that time

PC, but the telephone
energy to destroy his
port

lel

line carried

telephone

The

avoid the possibility of damage from pow-

enough

modem and the paral-

was connected

to inside his

and spikes is to stop them
from reaching your PC. Surge (and spike)

er-line surges

PC.

new mo-

dem, he added a surge suppressor

many times more

it

it

Needless to say, after buying a

suppressors do exactly that, chopping
power pulses down to a digestible size,
keeping them within a range that’s safe for

to his

line, too.

man-made

biggest

your computer.

spike generator

the switching of inductive devices. All

Most inexpensive surge suppressors

motors and transformers generate

use special electronic components called

disk’s file allocation table. Trying to save

or “induce" magnetic fields that actually

“varistors” that conduct electricity only

your work before the power completely
fails thus promises the greatest chance of
losing not just the data in your computer’s
memory, but the disk you are trying to

When a bolt out of the

probable that the ultimate power failure
will occur while

save

it

DOS

updating the

is

is

electric

when

SEEDS OF DISASTER As

with just

about everything else in the world, power

surges before

power

Man-

or through the works of man.

may

of it

line, part

—

wrong switch,

flicking the

power cord and pulling
from the outlet, or failing to notice
your hungry and very surprised cat gnaw-

ionized spark gaps, and ferro-resonant
eliminate overvoltages. Although based

computer.

on different technologies, they effectively
work the same way, clamping voltage at a
given level.

The

the plug

—

power cord

to engineer-

devices

is

not designed to slice off everything above

switched off and the magnetic

Because of the sinusoidal shape
AC power lines,- the peak
.4 times higher than its nominal
had a clamping voltage of 120 volts, the tiny varistor in
it would set itself against the whole of the

“collapses,”

of this stored energy

ing miscalculations that black out an entire

field

has no place to go, except

grid. Natural causes include all the

Hollywood

disasters

quakes, hurricanes, and

tidal

is

by

all

unpredictability.

sort

earth-

waves

well as ordinary thunderstorms.
quality shared

—

—

as

The one

power-line problems

You never know which

of disaster will next

befall you.

of electricity

is

all

Even

down the power

relatively small elec-

motors, like those that power refrigera-

tors

and

air conditioners,

can cause spikes

of thousands of volts. Longer surges, those
that

may

unleashed on the power

The most spectacular jolt
When a bolt out

its

when the electric utility adjusts
equipment to make up for changes in

the electrical

You

demand.

re-

routed toward your computer. But even

a rural area, you’ll probably encounter

when

blue strikes a

power

line, part

of joules or watt-seconds

lions

of

is,

its

may

of

of the
mil-

be

can’t get

problems.

If

you

volts.

of the voltage on
voltage

is

1

rating. If a surge suppressor

power grid, a confrontation it
would be most likely to lose. Also, be-

current in the

cause normal power-line voltage can vary

10 percent or more from

nominal rating
wide safety

its

for reasonably long periods, a

away from these power
work in a densely
populated area, man-made switching transients will abound. If you live and work in

line.

course, lightning.

120

stretch out for several seconds,

often result

Spikes and surges pop up whenever a
jolt

line as a spike.
tric

varistors in surge suppressors are

When one of these

store electrical energy.

power

favorite

is

transformers, are occasionally used to

tripping over the

ing through the

and

can pop into your PC. The

be rerouted toward your

blackouts range from the simple,

stupid variety

it

termed clamping voltage.
Other devices, such as semiconductors,

spikes

line-related problems can arise either natu-

made

level. In effect, varistors

short out the excess voltage in spikes

voltage at which the varistor starts clipping

to as well.

blues strikes a

rally

the voltage across their leads ex-

ceeds a certain

live or

—

margin

often as

—

much as 100 percent

is

usually allowed in specifying the clamping

voltage of a surge suppressor to prevent the
varistor

from trying

power from

to dissipate too

much

slight overvoltages. Better

the lightning doesn’t directly strike

fewer man-made problems, but the greater

surge protectors have lower clamping volt-

the wire, the electromagnetic field that sur-

stretches of transmission line across the

ages, generally under

rounds it can induce tens of thousands of
volts into any conductive material it

countryside will be more susceptible to

The longer the conductor, the
more voltage is induced. Miles-long pow-

you

power transmission by generating your

pressors slice from spikes doesn’t disap-

er lines can gather a big charge indeed.

own

pear:

flashes near.

Any
tract

wire, not just

power

lines,

can

at-

energy from lightning, and any wire

natural

phenomena

try to

like lightning.

Even

avoid the problems involved

electricity

electric plant,

PC will still be prey to
by the various inductive

age to

PROTECTING AGAINST SPIKES

its

circuitry. Last year, a thunder-

New York
Magazine editor. A surge
the power line protected his

storm struck near the suburban

home

of a

PC

suppressor in

PC

it

to pass

that spike

volts.

unimpeded.
and surge sup-

gets changed into heat, but that heat

stays inside the spike or surge suppressor

instead of heating

home or office.

appliances within your

peak to peak,

The energy

your

transients created

Some,
as high as 600

however, allow potentials
volts,

in

with a windmill or hydro-

connects your computer to the outside
world can bring potentially damaging voltthat

if

200

up your computer’s

semiconductors. Different surge suppressors can dissipate differing

Be-

ergy. If a surge suppressor

amounts of enis

cause you cannot avoid power problems,

small surge might destroy

your only choice is to protect your computer system against them. The only way to

surge protectors occasionally

MAGAZINE

MAY
112

2 7.

1986

too small, a

Although

it.

fail

violently

by burning or exploding, sometimes they

—

leaving you unaware

fail invisibly,

—and

unprotected. Thus, a surge protector with a

higher energy rating (which

watt-seconds or joules)
units claim to

be able

is

measured

is

better.

Some

handle millions of

to

watts, but only for very brief periods.
in how
To work ef-

they react to overvoltages.

fectively,

any surge suppressor must obviin

The standby power supply uses a very
within milliseconds) to switch your

length of the shortest pulse

it

is

supposed to

protect against.

When comparing

specifications of

two

the

different models,

its

com-

normal source of power to its

battery-based supply.

switches so fast

It

when

the power fails that your computer
does not notice the interruption.

The

a period shorter than the

UPS

power supply or

uninterruptible

goes one step further.

battery charger,

one able

uses a large

It

to handle

enough

energy to power your entire PC. The

UPS

verter inside the

“clamping speed"

nected to your PC and drawing power from

sponse times

seconds

may be as

(trillionths

These rebrief as a few picobetter.

of a second).

the battery and battery charger.

your

PC

purring along during undervol-

when

power

the

fails

completely, you need another source of
electricity, either a

surge suppressors.

Your PC is

main power

termines the

standby power supply

The advantage

to standby systems

that they are inevitably less

uninterruptible

tery chargers

enough

to get

teries fully

is

expensive than

power systems: their batneed only be powerful

and keep

their internal bat-

charged.

Uninterruptible

When

er.

power systems have

normal power

available, they

is

function as the ultimate surge suppressors

because their outputs are completely isolated

from the power

and

line

all

the evil

effects of switching transients, lightning,

and

line noise.

Unless extra surge suppres-

under- voltage conditions

sion

or when the power

surges, and noise.

is

built into

a standby power supply
your PC from spikes,
Raw, unconditioned

it,

will not protect

power-line electricity

completely, you

rectly to

of electricity.

may be

routed di-

your unsuspecting computer. For-

most better standby power sysfilter noise and have

tunately,

need another source

available in event of a blackout.

its monitor. A few minutes of backup
power should give you enough time to realize what happened, evaluate the situation, and shut down your computer systematically, saving your data until you pry
the penny out of the fuse box and put out

and

the fire.

A

your computer.
Both types of backup power systems
rely on batteries for the energy they ultimately supply to your PC. Both have builtin battery chargers that

keep

their

energy

supplies topped off and ready for whatever

emergency might

arise.

Both convert the

DC voltage stored in batteries into the AC
PC

the

waveform of the output:

sine

wave or

square wave. Sine-wave current exactly
that supplied to you by your utiliSquare-wave inverters are cheaper and
easier to make. However, square waves
sometimes cause problems. At a given
voltage level, square waves hold more energy than sine waves and can thus cause

matches

ty.

computer power supplies
Square waves are also rich
that

can leak into your

PC

to overheat.
in

harmonics

as noise.

A

re-

surge-suppressing circuitry.

called “stepped square

lack of switching

is

another advan-

power systems.

If

a

standby supply does not switch from line
tect

is

cently developed cross between the two,

The

they react to power failures and pro-

further consideration with both

standby and uninterruptible power systems

tems also

tage of uninterruptible

how

bat-

tery,

advantages over standby supplies, howev-

fails

can be
its

The backup power system should have
enough capacity, measured in watts or
volt-amperes (VA), to power both your PC

“backup power systems" because they
continue to nourish your computer with
electricity when the utility company fails,
these two devices differ fundamentally in

purring along during

that

power the inverter and
your PC without needing to switch and
with no interruption at all (hence the
name).
battery continues to

(UPS). Although often classified together

To keep your PC

maximum power

supplied at any given instant from

the electricity supply fails, the

When

(SPS) or an uninterruptible power system
as

power systems

and the battery capacity itself, which
determines how long backup power will be

line.

tage conditions or

ruptible

function as the ultimate

constantly con-

is

not directly connected to the

backup power systems Tokeep

available, uninter-

in-

generally a faster “response time" or
is

When normal power is

automatic switch (one that operates

fast

puter from

Surge suppressors also differ
fast

ously react

your PC operates on, using a device called
an “inverter.”

in

to battery

power

edly protected
lose

power

memory

enough, the supposcan “drop out,” that is,

yet

PC

for just long

enough

that

its

lost

supply was purchased.

MAY2
113

relatively inexpensive to generate.

single

backup-power system

—

in-

deed, no single power-protection device

can claim to be the perfect match for every
computer system and every situation. To
find the best unit for your particular sys-

tem, you should weigh each protection

Both standby and uninterruptible power
systems have two limiting capacities: the
capacity of the built-in inverter, which de-

MAGAZINE

is

No

fast

and it shuts itself off, defeating the purpose for which the standby
is

waves,” roughly
simulates the shape of sine waves to avoid
the possibility of overheating the computer

7,

system’s and power supply’s abilities and
disabilities

cise needs

1986

and compare them with the preof your computer.
K9

THE BYTE OUT OF
VOLTAGE CONDITIONS.

\

It doesn't take a storm to shock your sensitive computer and upset the business that depends on it.
Over ninety per cent of computer problems are due
power irregularities. Just the slightest surge or

to

UL-listed and CSA certified. And both are designed to protect computers against unwelcome AC
disturbances, including brownouts, voltage surges
and dips, voltage transients and transverse or
common mode noise. Even the most minimal voltage variations are tightly controlled because the
Sola PC 1 50/300 provides five per cent voltage regulation. So why not take a load

dip in electricity can trigger costly errors, memory
loss or a complete system shutdown. And anything from an air conditioner kicking on to a nearby
appliance starting up can disrupt your office operation.
PC 150/300 COMPUTER

REGULATORS

new computer

PC 150

or

PC

regulators

off

your mind,

when you can

take the load off your line with
the PC 1 50 or PC 300 from Sola.

But you and your computer can
weather the constant and
devastating onslaught of voltage irregularities with Sola's
easily

— the

A UNIT OF

300. Both are

GENERAL SION

SOLA
1717 Busse Rd.
Elk

Grove

(312)

Write for free literature.

CIRCLE

375

ON READER

SERVICE

CARD

60007
439-2800

Village. IL

COVER STORY

PHIL WISWELL

Some surge suppressors offer protection against electrical
damage; others, onlyfalse security. PC Magazine Labs tests
34 devices. Warning: don’t learn your lesson the hard way.

SURGE
SUPPRESSORS
AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION..

M

_____

ost people take electricity for
granted.

Admit

it:

protected

you just don’t

PC

experiences prob-

lems.

think about electricity very often. After all, when you buy a re-

thunderstruck

frigerator or a television or an air

lesson about surge protection the

you

hard way.

and go about your business and
expect the appliance to go about
its. You give no thought to the

day when

just plug

it

New

rance is bliss.
Well, not always. While your
other appliances uncomplainingly withstand the hundreds or
thousands of spikes and surges
your home or office receives ev-

PC

my

ing

me to continue,

so

I

powered

upstairs to eat,

feeling proud of my self-control.

Somewhere near the middle of

simply a matter of time before an unsituations,

learned

live

down and went

ery year, the microcomputer will

most

I

thunderstorms in the fall. One
I was working at my
computer, we had a doozie, with
thunderclaps following closely
after the flashes of lightning. I
had no surge-protection device
and there was no deadline press-

quality of power provided. Igno-

not. In

I

50 miles north of
York City, an area prone to

in

conditioner,

it is

my

MAGAZINE

tuna fish sandwich,

MAY
115

2 7,

1986

I

heard

)

SURGE SUPPRESSORS

my life. But no
and that was the end of the
went back to work as the sun came
my office window.

the loudest thunderclap of

one was

lights flickered,

strike

storm.

I

through

In the deep recesses of
something was wrong as

my

mind.

1

felt

I powered up.
“Don't usually see the KB counting itself
up?” I shook my head. "I guess not." But
as the floppy disk drive on the PC booted
DOS, I felt what I expect to feel the moment before I die. There was no image on
I

the screen.

I

sure.

Some

thought the lightning

would have been too

cial circuit that

thought: “I’d rather take

For example, the silicon diode reacts
very quickly to a spike

onds
onds

”

in

(trill ionths

I

—and

ries just like

mine. Horror stories in which

But although nothing is faster than the diode, almost everything is stronger. The diode can jump to attention in no
time flat, but it is weak and can-

turned the monitor

not withstand the large transient

panicked.

current that will follow the

DOS CHKDSK command

spike. Therefore,

tell

that

and

this will

was running, but

it

initial

something else

must be waiting just behind the
diode to relieve it. Most often,

MOV.

be a

Since

fairly

it is

small and in-

MOV,

nothing appeared on the screen. I
yanked the plugs, grabbed the
monitor and ran into the other

expensive, the

room, unplugged

suppression equipment. You'll

working

a

its

socket, turned

it

on

or metal

is the most commonly used component in surge

oxide varistor,

lamp, plugged the monitor into

find

—

dead.

it

in

almost every suppres-

The

sion circuit design.

my IBM Prod-

MOV

uct Center feeling like a you-

conducts electricity only when
the voltage exceeds a predeter-

know-what, and after the staff in-

mined

went down

I

to

spected the inside of the

monitor they made

me

level, shorting out the ex-

RGB

tra voltage.

even

MOV

feel

“Wedon’t want it," they
“Not even for parts.” An
hour later 1 left with a new RGB
under my arm and a bill for $720
in my pocket. I was sure I was a

is

The beauty of the
it is much more

that

worse.

powerful than the diode and

said.

fast

system units die, data

is

erased, hard disk

heads crash, chips pop their contents into

what happened to my monitor. It was not
turned on at the time of its death. I’ve

an alternative universe, and more.

duced voltage

that

and

all

don't need to hear

it.

You need

You
know

to

self.

Also,

what to do. The cheapest and simplest answers lie in surge suppressors—devices

pressor,

and reduce

The

it

to a ripple.

went through the

ground, into the electrical wiring of

my
my

A MOV,

surge suppres-

is

rail:

used by

itself as

—

not a solution

MOV

guard

HOW THEY WORK A

does not have the capacity to

with many spikes and surges without
blowing up.

designed to take a large incoming wave

I

lightning strike in-

it

dissipate the high energy levels associated

con-

the manufacturer's technical reps

The

is

tran-

drawback is that it does not act
quickly enough to catch the leading edge of a spike and therefore
cannot provide adequate protection by it-

advance

talked with countless experts, including

a similar theory.

clamp most

to

sients at a respectable level. Its

POSTMORTEM No one knows exactly

tacted during this project,

enough

The Datashield S85 was named an Editor's Choice for its performance in the Labs. Its construction reveals impressive workmanship.

you-know-what by now.

a surge sup-

it’s

a sacrifice.

comparable to a highway
can reroute the excess energy

is
it

to another part of the circuit, but cannot ab-

work with a handful

sorb it. Care must be taken not to create an-

of weapons: resistors, capacitors, metal

other problem with rerouting overvoltage

oxide varistors, silicon avalanche diodes,

carbon gaps, gas tubes, coaxial arrestors,

on the circuit. The best you could hope for
with a
alone is that it would reduce a

sides apart.

and so on. Each of these devices has

spike or surge greatly before

unit

own method of dealing

house, and straight for the heart of
monitor.

Once

the spike reached the in-

„

nards of the monitor,

|

charge that caused the monitor to rip

i

used

squash the leading edge of the impulse.

that lesson again the

green power lamp was dark.

could

|

is

hard

are plenty of other horror sto-

Care to leam

check the plug and wall connections. They were fine. I gave a

to

within picosec-

surge suppressors to catch and

way? There

pulled the unit forward to

I

—

of a second) or nanosec-

(billionths of a second)

many

off and back on, then noticed the
little

features

another’s performance.

my chances with

a good device than without one.

combines the best

of several devices so they can enhance one

intense for any

good
could have trapped the
spike, even one as large as this one must
have been. But each ventured one last
protection device. Others thought a

circuit design

it

set off an incredible
its

in-

I felt blessed that the system
had survived unscathed,
I asked all these experts the same ques-

Would

a simple $100-or-less surge

I

tion:

i

suppressor have saved

my

monitor?

No

PC

sor accomplishes

its

ergy voltage, but the
of the methods by
protection.

problem

itself

What you

MAGAZINE

is this:

MOV

need

is

none

a spe-

2 7.

it died and
would not catch fire.
So, you need another component behind the MOV to absorb the huge amount

that

gives sufficient

really

MAY
116

its

with unwanted en-

1986

it

(continues after sidebar,

'

'Testing Surge Supressors

'

TESTING SURGE SUPPRESSORS:

WHAT THE DATA MEANS

How strong a surge can a surge suppressor suppress? PC Magazine Labs sent 3and 6-kilovolt surges through each of the devices and recorded their
levels. The lower the figure, the better the protection.

A
to

ll

surge suppressors are not created

equal. In fact, this verity, applicable

most products, appears to be especial-

ly true

of surge protectors. The

PC Mag-

azine Labs tests demonstrate incontrovertibly that different surge suppressors

known and controllable

with a

surge, the

leak-through of any protection device

A

unpredictable.

surge and

may

device

is

one

limit

another identical surge pass

let

tion devices.

Two

given in the table

results

—

reflect

’

‘clamping’

there is a real possibility that some frequency component of a surge may actually be intensified by such ersatz protec-

through nearly unattenuated.

The

‘

surge suppressors, the Data-

S85 and SIOO. offered two de-

shield

are of varying quality and provide vary-

worst-case conditions

maximum

grees of “filtering” at different outlets.

ing protection. In most cases, the best of

amount of surge leak-through at the given intensity erring on the conservative

A full series of tests was run at each filter-

them will even prevent the loss of data
caused by surge-induced rebooting of

—

Just

surge

quately contain

one unobstructed

is

enough to

pacitate a

vices appeared to
either

The higher

blow away

its

The reason

that

To determine how much protection is
we tested separately

actually necessary,

the three different

IBM

uses in

PCs

power supplies

that

—one manufactured by

Zenith Electronics Corp. one by Astec,
,

and a
ture

third

—by

of unidentifiable manufac-

subjecting them to test surges at

various voltages.

When

hit

with a surge

catastrophically,

devices continued to function, reducing

memory.

the intensity of voltage surges.
that did fail,

chose to

however, most

We

shaken.

PC Labs

A number of defail

by becoming warm or literally spitmost cases, however, these

ting fire. In

this figure, the less
side.

to ade-

surges.

all test

DEADLY NOISE
inca-

computer or

the surge-protected outputs of the tested

protection the device affords.

on both devices were able

outlets

at all.

device.

ing level. Although the “super filtering”
outlets afforded greater protection, all

your PC. The worst may be more dangerous to your equipment than no protection

Of the test results given in the Benchmark Tests table, the most significant are
in the column showing voltage leakthrough with a 6-kilovolt surge. The
numbers represent the voltage in excess
of the nominal line voltage measured on

the

Of those
when

rattled

disassembled one such de-

vice and discovered that the capacitors

present the worst-case situations (rather

had been shattered by the testing process.

than create a statistically derived aver-

The

age)

that there is

is

no such thing as an av-

erage surge. Moreover, just one unobstructed surge is enough to incapacitate a

computer or blow away its memory.
The results were reproduced to verify
that high leakage values were not due to

usual purpose for such capacitors in

these devices

Since the

is

noise filtering.

PC already

ternal noise filtering,

we can draw from
filtering in

has effective in-

one conclusion

the tests

is

may

benefit,

in fact

between 4 and 4.5 kilovolts between the
high (H) and low (L) power leads, the

operator error. In

Zenith-equipped

PC rebooted. The Astec-equipped PC withstood 6-kilovolt
surges between high and low without

recur.

Devices’

(a bright electrical flash that jumped

flinching, but shut off

Unexpectedly, some protection devices not only allowed the full potential
of a surge to leak through but also ampli-

on any

2-kilovolt

values

all

cases high leakage

—although not

predictable

—

fied

low ground (G). The unknown power
supply passed all tests on high to low, but
on a surge to ground (from high or low or

danger to the supposedly protected

both) the power turned off

when

the

surge exceeded 3.75 kilovolts.

it,

increasing rather than reducing

equipment. In

all

likelihood, the culprit

in these ill-devised devices

was some

kind of reactive noise-filtering circuitry
that resonated at or near the

100-kHz

test

One

its

measurements

that

PC

The 384

Labs made on

each protection device revealed that even

PC

Unlike the

test signal, natural

surges are

device, Electronic Protection

The Orange,

which

in all likelihood

—

Four devices Control Concepts’ IsCP-7 and Islatrac CP- 15 and ElecKleen-Line Spike
AC-SUP-3 and Kleen-Line

latrac

Suppressor

MAY2
117

7.

would not have

damaged a PC connected to it. Testing of
the device was terminated at that point.

tronic Specialists’

MAGAZINE

re-

duced the intensity of the surge that
caused the damage to 1.7 kilovolts,

may,

be broadband. However,

from
The damage

The Orange

pulse sent to the unit.

not restricted to any one frequency and
in fact,

literally spat fire

outlets) during the tests.

occurred during the second 6-kilovolt

frequency and thus sharpened the pulse.

REVEALING RESULTS

be a

hindrance to surge protection and safety.

did

or greater surge between either high or

that

that noise

a surge-protection device, far

from being a

1986

1

r

r

SURGE SUPPRESSORS

Benchmark

fjTO

Tests

Surge Suppressors
|

While most of the devices PC Magazine Labs tested did a good job at
suppressing a surge, some allowed far too much voltage through. The
outlet symbols used indicate the mode where the device was weakest.
See the sidebars “Testing the Surge Suppressors: What the Data
for a guide to the results and "Surge Suppressors Test
Procedures” for an explanation of how they were tested.

Means"

MANUFACTURER/MODEL

MODE

HIGH TO

MODE

PEAK LET-THROUGH AT 3 kv

Brooks Marketing

i

i

LOW

JT

r

Corp.

LOW TO GROUND

HIGH TO GROUND

PEAK LET-THROUGH AT

HIGH/LOW TO GROUNO

6 kv

II

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

0.25

Surge Stopper AT 6-6

Computer Accessories

I

111111111

Corp.

0.62

PowerLineOne

ttttttt

Computer Accessories

I

I

I

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Corp.

PowerLine Strip
Control Concepts
Corp.
Islatrac

CP-7

0.82

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TTT

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488

mmmm

i

Control Concepts
Corp.
Islatrac

4.05

CP-15

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Curtis Manufacturing

Company
Diamond

1.03

Curtis Manufacturing

Company
0.92

Emerald

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Curtis Manufacturing

Company
1.67

Ruby
Curtis Manufacturing

I

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1.11

SAFE-Strip

tttttttt

Curtis Manufacturing

Company
1.54

Sapphire

Dynatech Computer

Power
3 Surge Sentry

0.97

DSF

Dynatech Computer

Power
Surge Sentry SS4

ttttttttt TTTT

Dynatech Computer

Power

0.94

Surge Sentry SS6

riii

Dynatech Computer
Power
SSC System Controller
Electronic Protection

I

I

I

i

i

i

i

I

I

I

I

Devices
EC-II

Electronic Protection

Devices
EC-IV
Electronic Protection

1

1

1.7

—

n

-t-

Devices
The Lemon

a— Device apparently failed without indication during test.
g

H i.W
.i

1

i

I

|

I

0.85

Probable only H to L protection.
JJjj

t>— High-filtering section.

c— Standard-filtering section,

-indicates Editors Choice

PC

MAY2

MAGAZINE
118

7,

1986

d— Super-filtering section,

r r

r

MODE

MANUFACTURER/MODEL

PEAK LEAK-THROUGH AT 3 kV

i

Electronic Protection

rrr

i

MODE

i

PEAK LEAK-THROUGH AT 6 kV

TT

r

i

Devices

The Orange
Electronic Specialists

Kleen-Line Spike
Suppressor
Electronic Specialists

Kleen-Line Super

/

7
{

7

i

'(

1.71

——

I

n

i

0.35

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7.37

Hi

r

i

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Filter/Spike Supressor

Kensington

Microware

"i

j

r

i

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i

4 79

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Micro Saver
Kensington

n

i

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i

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tl

u

Mil

|

Microware
PC Saver

n

5.44

———

LEA Dynatech
KleanLine MB-10

).06

LEA Dynatech
Surge Eliminator

J0.05

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i

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TTT

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0.62
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Panamax
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0.48

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Panamax
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PTI Industries
Datashield Model
110 AMS

BBB m

3.41

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——

PTI Industries

Datashield S85

mm
TT —
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PTI Industries

Datashield S100

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252

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Datashield S85

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PTI Industries
Datashield Model 75

KB

i

0.36

0.37

e— Testing cut short because of protection status indicator failure.

PC

f— Device spat flames; testing

MAY

MAGAZINE
119

2 7,

1

halted with only

9 8 6

H to L tests carried

out.

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PC

MAGAZINE

MAY2

7.

19 86

125
Copyrighted mi

—

)

SURGE SUPPRESSORS

( * Testing

Surge Suppressors

'

'

through occurred. All modes hold poten-

continued

Super Filter/Spike Suppressor AC-SFK36S apparently stopped functioning
without showing any external sign of
damage, and only one, the Kleen-Line

—

tial

danger for PCs.

dication are perhaps the most dangerous:

although the system these devices are

substantial voltage differences

connected to might seem to be protected,

between

AC-SUP-31 gave any
no longer protected the

Spike Suppressor
indication that

it

,

PC from surges. Such failures without in-

it

would be vulnerable

to the next surge.

The other test results graphically represented in the Benchmark Tests table
document the conditions under which we
made the worst-case measurement.
Surges can occur in any of four
modes: between the two leads normally

—
low (common or
—and between ground and

used for powering equipment
neutral)

cates in

may exist

stopped

You

should not rely on the numerical

data for an absolute ranking of the tested
devices;

ficult to protect inside equipment against,
and so such protection is indeed desirable. Note that PCs equipped with the

and, inevitably, individual units, even

Astec power supply are particularly vul-

is not twice as good as
one with a .68-kilovolt leak-through, or
necessarily even better. However, a clear
line can be drawn between those devices
that effectively limited surges and those
that offered marginal protection or none
at all.
Winn L. Rosch

nerable to surges that occur between the

Kensington Microware, apparently provides surge protection only between the
high and low sides of the power line. It

leak-

failure,

caused the failure did not leak through.

ground, and volt-

power leads and ground.
One device, the Micro Saver from

which mode the worst-case

from green to red upon

glowing altogether about halfway
through the procedure. The surge that

two. Such surges are among the most dif-

either

The table indi-

We didn’t run the full series of tests on
one device. Dynatech Computer Power’s
Surge Sentry SS6’s status indicator,
which was supposed to change color

age surges are not unusual between the

the so-

called high (or hot) and

or both of the other leads.

common and

showed almost no suppression of surges
relative to ground.

Several devices functioned well in

normal-mode surge suppression, but not
when the surge appeared between ground
and the common (neutral or low) side of
the power line. Although the common
lead may nominally be considered
ground, it is not the same thing. Often

we

tested only a small sample,

horn the same production run,
fer.

will dif-

In other words, a unit with a .34-kilo-

volt leak-through

A suppressed surge: These photos of an oscilloscope screen were taken during the PC Magazine Labs test procedure. Thefour photos are
representative of the 34 devices tested and show the voltage passing through to the

PC

MAGAZINE

PC after the surge was clamped.

MAY2
126

7.

1986

of energy that occurs

in the

form of a large

A

impulse that usually follows a spike.

So a device that clamps spikes
300 volts is doing its job.
Think of it this way: the lower the actual

to garbage.)

which is extremely powerful. This
tube is one of two types of devices called
arrestors that can absorb large amounts of
tube,

number of outlets they have.

vices

clamping

SINGLE-OUTLET
DEVICES

level, the better the protection.

Unfortunately, there are very few stan-

dards in this business, largely because no

is

the

one knows the quality of electrical power
and the problems associated with it for a
given customer. Even Underwriters Lab-

The surge

may be able to han20,000 amps of current. Used
compo-

oratories admits the difficulty in testing

ally consists

current. Like the other type, a pellet arrestor,

the gas tube device

dle

up

to

most helpful categorization of these de-

to less than

commonly used device is the gas discharge

properly in conjunction with other
nents, the gas discharge tube

outlet

is

power

protector with a single

designed to protect one piece of

equipment, usually the system

unit.

It

usu-

of a heavy-duty extension

is

cord with the device in the mid-

capable of reducing powerful im-

dle and will have no on/off

pulses to a size that computer
equipment can handle. Unfortunately, the tube is very slow to react and very slow to “cool off,"

switch, so there

so by

itself

There

it

is

too

is

nothing extra

is

power up before you turn on
your system unit. Most are designed with a power indicator
to

ineffective.

light.

The

another considerand gas dis-

ation with the pellet

idea,

of course,

is

sim-

of installation and opera-

plicity

by an impulse of

Once you plug it in, you can
forget about it. Most are not built

short duration, say less than a

for beauty, however, but as the

may

kind of thing you break your toe

short-circuit the line for as long

on underneath the desk.
One unit we tested was rather

charge tube arrestors:
vice

is

triggered

if the

millisecond, the arrestor

de-

tion.

as three quarters of a cycle, creating a transient that
the transient

it

explain

however. Called the PC
Saver, it replaces rather than
adds on to the normal PC power

we

cord. Its small, unobtrusive rect-

larger than

stylish,

nipped in the bud.

This phenomenon

why some

is

may

of the ring waves

sent into the devices while testing

them

in

angular

PC Magazine Labs came

the

through even larger than the original

unit

waves.

The

lets

you know

on.

The

majority of the overvoltage.

surge suppressors;
unit

And you need

in

clamps spikes

all

can do

it

at the

is certify

claimed

that

protection
1

2 inches

power were

a constant throughout the

mance and

A GOOD RULE OF THUMB
suppressors have what
ing level.” which

is

absorb

is

All surge

called a

"clamp-

indicated by the maxi-

voltage the unit

is

supposed to

let

through, but these levels differ. Some
manufacturers will figure that 400 volts is

OK, others shoot for
Most experts agree

less than

200

volts.

that it’s

OK

to let

through about 300 volts

at short pulses.

sustained 300-volt level for

(A

more than

second would reduce any

a

PC

PC

hang behind
it on your

set

of their suppressors.

reliability

Thus, although units from different manufacturers share common concepts and even

components, no two

circuit designs are

Each device handles overvoltown way, with widely varying
Since power problems are not

identical.

ages in

its

results.

“universal," neither

is

MAY2
127

fold. First,

it is

—

is

oth-

two-

designed to filter spikes and

surges coming from the wall outlet and clip

them.

Its circuit

of diodes,

consists of a combination

resistors,

two

line filters,

two

MOVs,

and a coaxial arrestor, all neatly
packed onto a board inside a box no larger
than a medium-size mouse.

The company claims that its single-outlet

system has an added advantage because

will keep surges from other peripherals
from traveling up a common power bar
and reaching the PC. This is a valid conit

you buy a six-outlet power
and plug everything you own into it.
Let’s also say you have an electrical problem with one of your peripherals, and it
sends an impulse back through the power
strip and into your computer. The PC Sav-

cern. Let’s say

the solution,

PC Magazine Labs tested 34 surge supThe accompanying features table
and benchmark test results tell the story for
each individual device. They come in so
many sizes, shapes, and flavors that the
pressors.

MAGAZINE

—and

er single-outlet surge suppressors

country, manufacturers could develop
standards that would enhance the perfor-

to

switching.

utility

it

The purpose of the PC Saver

a

level.

Surveys demonstrate wide differences
the quality of commercial power. If

ning strikes and

something extremely powerful

let

your system unit or

the huge impulses associated with light-

fraction of a

is

positioned about

desk near the right rear comer.

You need something reasonably fast

and powerful to reroute and deal with the

mum

is

PC, so you can

better surge suppressors

on the market use a circuit that
combines the best elements of
these and other components. You need
something superfast to grab the first impulse.

LED

power

before the plug to the back of the

7.

strip

1986

O'Cc

Thom

Photograph:

SURGE SUPPRESSORS

SURGE SUPPRESSORS TEST PROCEDURE
PC Magazine Labs had to generate artificial lightning to give the surge suppressors
a chance

T

o

to prove their mettle.

surge suppressors, you need

test

surges. Naturally occurring surges

preliminary

ing the test equipment (and building wir-

protection levels offered

ing generally) and causing real damage.

vices.

No load was applied to the device under-

the limit of the test equipment.

most widely accepted

going

fect

an

artificial

—

test signal

—used

surge

in ef-

for evaluat-

ing the ability of electronic equipment to

withstand surges

is

however,

F31 also served as a back-filter that prevented the simulated surges from enter-

in the power net are too unpredictable
and uncontrollable to allow objective
evaluation of competing products. The

tests because previous tests had
that loads had no measurable efon the efficacy of surge suppressors.

trials,

that current

proved inadequate to distinguish among

by various de-

We therefore chose higher current,

Testing beyond 6 kilovolts was not

shown

necessary because that potential

fect

nominal flashover point of the duplex

is

the

which most PCs are
connected. The outlet itself
outlets to

the Institute

of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers’ Standard 587-1980.

thus serves at the ultimate surge

tests, PC Magazine
Labs used a simulated surge

suppressor (although one inad-

For these

equate to fully protect a PC).

One technician, Charles Romade all the measure-

closely adhering to that stan-

driguez,

dard.

ments so as

The standard calls for differ-

to avoid

any incon-

ent test surges for equipment

sistency in test procedure.

designed for different wiring
environments or categories. By
definition under IEEE Standard
587, a Category A wiring environment is a duplex outlet with
a wire run of more than 35 feet
from the service entrance
(where electrical service enters

conducted all

a building) or a circuit-breaker

were made

tests

same order.
was subjected
the

He

of all units

First,

in

each unit

to a 3-kilovolt

negative-going ring

wave syn-

chronized to four different
phase angles of the current sup180, and

ply: 0, 90,

grees. Three

B environments are short-branch circuits,

at

270 de-

measurements
each phase angle

panel. Category

to assure consistency. Next, the

distinguished by their closer
electrical proximity to the ser-

polarity of the ring waves was
reversed (to positive-going),
and the measurements repeat-

The

was then

in-

and

all

vice entrance or breaker panel.

ed.

The surge dangers

creased to

A

measurements repeated.

in Category
environments are inherently

because the capacitive and resistive effects of normal

He

less severe

household, commercial, and business
wire circuits tend to reduce the intensity

of surges. Nearly

all realistic

tions involve Category

PC installa-

A wiring.

To

protect the test technicians

possible explosion and shrapnel,

We tested all surge suppressors at two
volts, both with

coupled

test

into the surge-

suppression devices through a

model F3

1

iso-

improvised from a printer sound-sup-

KeyTek Instrument Corp. model
Surge Generator/Monitor was used
100 kilohertz ring wave
with a Vi microsecond rise time, as per
the IEEE 587 Category A standard. We
1

to synthesize a

this test signal

we

lated the tested device in a safety shroud

pressing case.

A

71

from

KeyTek

Surge Coupler/Filter. The

PC

voltage levels, 3 kilovolts and 6 kilo-

Initially,

we

vived

failure,

1980 Category A, which specifies a

test

voltage of 6 kilovolts at 200 amperes. In

MAGAZINE

MAY2
128

7,

kilovolts

once for each of four surge modes: normal mode, high to low; common mode,
high to ground; common mode, low to
ground; and common mode, high and
low to ground. A total of 384 measurements was made for each device that sur-

planned to conform the
IEEE Standard 587-

exactly to the

6

quence of measurements four times,

an instantaneous current

of 500 amperes.

potential

repeated the entire se-

all tests. If

a device indicated that

it

had failed (either by an indicator light or
visible damage), we noted whether, in its
it allowed an excessive surge to
leak through.

—Winn L. Rosch

1986

TWO- AND THREE-OUTLET SURGE SUPPRESSORS

EMI-RFI Filtered
Surge Protector

AC

n

1

l

MAX

1

1

•

t

l

•

•

EPO
Sapphire

—

m

2I

Sapphire
Curtis Manufacturing Co. Inc.

305 Union

fMI-Rfl HLTIRfD
St.

Peterborough.

NH 03458

List Price:

fUCTBOMtC
SUBGePfXMCTOl?

H

(603)924-3823
$79.95

CIRCLE 836 ON READER SERVICE CARD

O

[7] EC-IV

1

1

Electronic Protection Devices Inc.

Dunham Rd.
Billerica, MAOI82I

1

1

m

35

1

1

m

m

(617)663-0017
List Price:
:l£ 651

i-iii><ifc

m n hflM

.

—J

-a

mL -

$59.90

ON READER SERV CE CARD
I

CLRTIS

CD MAX 2

INDOOR USE OMY

Panama*
1 50 Mitchell Blvd.
San Rafael. CA 94903
(415)472-5547
List Price: $79.00

.ruM

PC

MAGAZINE

MAY2
129

7.

1986

k -1-^ J

SURGE SUPPRESSORS

Surge Suppressors:

Summary of Features
Manufacturer

Model

Price

Brooks Marketing Corp.

$114.95

Overload protection

Number

Outlets

of

switched/

outlets

unswitched

Power
lamp

6

6/0

Yes

Unlabeled circuit breaker

Unit

Low-

Power

status

voltage

cable

UL

Plugs

indicator

sensing

length

listed

mounts on

Yes

No

6ft.

Yes

Wall/floor

In/

Surge Stopper AT 6-6

Computer Accesories Corp.
PowerLine One

$49.95

None

Computer Accessories Corp.

$79.95

Circuit breaker, 15

PowerLine

0/1

Yes

Yes

No

—

Yes

Wall/floor

6/0

Yes

Yes

Yes

6ft.

Yes

8A

$139.95

Circuit breaker,

Wall/floor

4

0/4

No

No

Yds

5ft.

No

$249.95

Circuit breaker, 15

Floor

6

0/6

No

No

Yes

6ft.

No

Floor

No

No

Outlet

Wall

CP-7

Control Concepts Corp.
Islatrac

1

6

Strip

Control Concepts Corp.
Islatrac

A

A

CP-15

Curtis Manufacturing

$49.95

None

6

3/3

Yes

Yes

$59.95

Unlabeled circuit breaker

6

6/0

Yes

Yes

No

6ft.

No

$89.95

Unlabeled circuit breaker

6

6/0

Yes

Yes

No

6

ft.

No

Wall

6

4/2

Yes

Yes

No

7

ft.

No

Wall/floor

Company
Diamond
Curtis Manufacturing

Company
Emerald
Curtis Manufacturing

Company
Ruby
Curtis Manufacturing

$29.95

Fuse, 15

A

Company
SAFE-Strip

$79.95

None

3

3/0

Yes

Yes

No

No

Outlet

Computer Power $119.95

None

4

4/0

Yes

Yes

Yes

5

ft.

Yes

Floor

Curtis Manufacturing

Company
Sapphire
rPT] Dynatech

0*^ Surge Sentry DSF
Dynatech Computer Power
Surge Sentry SS4

$79.95

Unlabeled circuit breaker

4

4/0

Yes

Yes

No

5

ft.

No

Floor

Dynatech Computer Power
Surge Sentry SS6

$89.95

None

6

6/0

Yes

Yes

No

5

ft.

Yes

Floor

Dynatech Computer Power
SSC System Controller

$139.95

4

4/0

Yes

Yes

Yes

5

ft.

Yes

Floor

6

0/6

Yes

Yes

No

6

ft.

No

Wall/floor

Outlet

Electronic Protection Devices

None

A

$69.90

Circuit breaker, 15

$59.90

None

3

0/3

Yes

Yes

No

—

No

$44.90

None

6

0/6

Yes

Yes

No

-

No

Outlet

$99.90

Circuit breaker, 15

6

0/6

Yes

Yes

No

6

ft.

No

Wall/floor

$35.95

None

1

0/1

Yes

Yes

No

3

ft.

No

Floor

$84.95

None

6

0/6

Yes

Yes

No

3

ft.

No

Floor

EC-II

Electronic Protection Devices

EC-IV
Electronic Protection Devices

The Lemon
Electronic Protection Devices

A

The Orange
Electronic Specialists

Kleen-Line Spike
Suppressor
Electronic Specialists

Kleen-Line Super Filter/Spike

Suppressor

PC

MAGAZINE

MAY
130

2 7.

1986

•J-.VV

•

*
...

Manufacturer

Model
Kensington Microware
Micro Saver
Kensington Microware

Number

Outlets

ul

switched/

$69.95

Fuse, 8

$49.95

None

A

Unit

Low-

Power

status

voltage

cable

UL

Plugs

indicator

sensing

length

listed

mounts on

Yes

No

No

9

ft.

Yes

Wall/floor

0/1

Yes

Yes

No

Bit.

Yfes

PC

0/1

Yes

Yes

No

6

No

Floor

unswitcbed

Power
lamp

4

4/0

1

1

Overload protection

Price

in/

PC Saver
LEA Dynatech
KleanLine MB-10

$209.00

Fuse. 10

LEA Dynatech

$109.00

None

A

ft.

ij

0/1

Yes

Yes

No

6ft.

No

Floor

$89.00

Fuse, 4

A

1

0/1

Yes

Yes

No

—

Yes

Outlet

$79.00

Fuse, 4

A

2

0/2

Yes

Yes

No

—

Yes

Outlet

$99.00

Fuse, 4

A

6

6/0

Yes

Yes

No

6ft.

Yes

Floor

4

4/0

Yes

Yes

No

6

ft.

No

Wall/floor

6

ft.

Yes

Wall/floor

Surge Eliminator

Panamax
Tele MAX

riTTj

^

Panamax

fTij

Panama!

MAX

1*3 MAX

2

6

t

Para Systems
Clean Power 1200

Perma Power

$49.95

Fuse. 10

A

6

6/0

Yes

Yes

No

$175.00

Fuse. 15

A

1

0/1

No

Yes

No

—

Yes

Outlet

$69.95

Fuse, 10

A

4

4/0

No

No

No

6ft.

No

Wall/floor

$119.50

Fuse, 10

A

$79.95

Electronics

Unlabeled circuit breaker

RS-610 Sockets Plus

Power
ZTAP

Integrity Corp.

PH Industries
Datashield Model 75
PTI Industries

6

0/6

Yes'

Yes

No

5

ft.

No

Wall/floor

$89.95

Circuit breaker, 10

A

6

6/0

Yes

Yes

Yes

6

ft.

No

Wall/floor

$99.95

Circuit breaker, 10

A

6

6/0

Yes

Yes

Yes

6ft.

No

Wall/floor

Datashield Model 110
fTj] PTI Industries
Datashield S85
[TTjj

PTI Industries

1*2

Datashield S100

— indicates Editor’s Choice
|

er
it

is

designed to prevent

this,

even though

shares the strip with other equipment.

One of our biggest
ing

came from a

One.

surprises in the test-

unit called the

PowerLine

a single-outlet surge-protection
device, only slightly more than an inch on
It is

LED

each side, with a small

know

its

to let

you

protection circuits are working.

We laughed as we hooked
Tek surge

generator,

sadistic after hours

it

up to the Key-

we were

feeling a bit

of testing and wanted to

blow up a wimpy device

for diversion.

But

PC

check out the test results of PowerLine
One. It goes to show you that size isn’t everything, because we just couldn’t faze it.
For a single peripheral or computer unit in
need of surge protection, we can recom-

TWO- AND THREEOUTLET DEVICES

mend this lilliputian device.
The single-outlet Kleen-Line Spike
Suppressor AC-SUP-31 produced excel-

Although the convenience of four or six
a handy feature in a surge suppressor, many people probably don’t need
to protect more than their system unit and
monitor and possibly the modem, too.

of the

These people will find that you can get just

lent results through the first half
tests,

clamping 6-kV spikes

low as 60
croaked.

volts.

down

to as

— the unit

Then, poof

We were not impressed.

MAY

MAGAZINE
131

outlets is

as

good a device with two or

pensive.
2 7.

three outlets

as the ones with four or six. and

1986

The

larger size

it’s less

ex-

of the extra outlet

Jumping* joysticks, key
— denotes IBM-AT compatibility.
* denotes
(call for

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IBM-PCjr compatibility.

SOFTWARE

come

only carry the latest versions of products
Version numbers in our ads are current at press

-Quick Basic

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May 31, 1986

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Memory Diagnostics

•

5 year warranty

35.

Designware

Send

Spellicopter (ages 6 to adult)
Grammar Examiner (ages 9 to adult).

22.
.

.

Eduware
Algebra 1.2, 3 or 4

and proof-of-purchase
Windows
special price

.

22.

55.

Spinnaker

(ages 3 to 8)
-Kids on Keys (ages 3 to 9)
-Kinder Comp (ages 3 to 8)
-Alphabet Zoo (ages 3 to 8)
-Delta Drawing (ages 4 to adult)
Stone (requires graphics board)
Letters. Numbers. Words (ages
-Kids Stuff (ages 3 to 8)
The Learning Company
-Reader Rabbit (ages 5 to 7)
-Rocky's Boots (ages 9 and up)

-My

18.
18.

20.
27.

+-Zork

II

-A Mind

III

Forever Voyaging

-Sorcerer
each

27.

each

29.

369.

RAM page! upgradeable to 2Mb, fully
supports LOTUS/INTEL expanded memory
specification

5)

29
29

most Infocom games.
Microleague Sports
-Microleague Baseball
Microprose
for

Specif'/

game

... 6.

RECREATIONAL
Blue Chip
High finance simulations.

25.

Strike Eagle
Microsoft
-Flight Simulator 2.12 (now works with
Hercules
Card)

IStep Software
-Golf's Best (Pinehurst)
-Golf's Best (Sr. Andrew's)
Parlor Software

-Bridge

Parlor (best Bridge simulation)

-Millionaire

38.

Electronic Arts

-Championship Blackjack

32.

Construction Set

One-on-One

35
rated Chess program) 32

shown

in italics

JUNIOR
-Seastalker

25

STANDARD
+-the Witness -Planetfall

-Wishbrmger -Zork

-Hitchhiker's Guide -Ballyhoo

Comet)

32.

PC Connection
Mill

Marlow.

Street

NH 03456

245M

each 24

For the IBM-PC (XT

or Color)

Portable Pedestal

to

27.

15
19.

25.
25.

159.

IBM Cable

17.

27.
-Keyboard Extension Cable (3 to 9 feet)
33.
-Extension Cables for IBM Mono Display
-Color and Monochrome Extension cables 39.
17.
-Printer-to-IBM cable

SURGE SUPPRESSORS
-Diamond
-Sapphire

21
(6 outlets)
(6 outlets; 6

29.
ft

cord)

36.

(3 outlets; EMI/RFI filtered)

-Ruby (6 outlets; EMI/RFI filtered;
-Command Center

6

ft

47.

cord) 55.

123

Epson

-FX-85 (80 column)
-FX-286 (136 column)
-LX-80 printer (80 column)
-LQ-1000 (136 column)

Ask about the extended service

& AT)

.

36.

-Printer Stand
System Stand
-Universal System Stand
-Low Profile Tilt and Swivel Pedestal

call
call

call
call

15.
-Printer-to-IBM cable
We are an authorized Epson service center

603/446-3383

I

17.

call

ACCESSORIES
-PC Pedestal (for IBM Mono

-Emerald

800/243-8088
6

-Enchanter
-Cutthroat

15.

units

-Safestrip

27
27

Tellstar (w/Halley's

power backup

WATT

CABLES
Smart modem

49

33.

II

T rek/Kobayashi
Spectrum Holobyte

—

—

Cuesta
-Datasaver 400

32.

Simon & Schuster
-Star

1-

call

.

Compucable
Plastic Keyboard & Drive Cover Set
-IBM Mono Screen Enhancement

-Crystal 300-watt (line conditioner)

25.

-GATO

Friendly soft

-PC Arcade

2Mb

32.

Sierra On-Line

-King’s Quest
24
26
28

-Pinball Construction Set

Difficulty levels

22

PC Software
38.

call

to

Curtis

Mono

26
32

(EMS)
upgradeable

Uninterruptable

Invisiclues (hint booklets) are available

-F-15
1 to

-Baron

Infocom

ADVANCED
-Zork

349.

Meg

to 1.5

.

-Spellbreaker -Suspended
18.

includes Crosstalk XVI

159.
-Video 31 0A mono monitor (amber)
-Color 722 - RGB monitor (EGA compat.) 519.

EXPERT

Educational Games for Young Computer
Users. (All require graphics board)

-Face Maker

III

modem

RAM page!
Amdek

Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
49.

one

includes Sidekick version 1.5 non-copy

- AT

-Computer SAT
-Computer GRE

full

year warranty.
SixPakPlus 64k includes Sidekick version 1.5

internal

receive free Microsoft

IBM-PC and XT

For the

a

protected

in registration

to Intel to

25.

with

-Advantage 128k upgradeable

for

Computer SAT

AST Boards come

235.
non-copy protected, & DesqVIEW
279.
SixPakPlus 384k (fully populated)
Parallel, game, or second serial port
35.
for AST boards (specify board)
579.
-11
-AST-5251
-Reach Modem half card 300/1200 baud

Meg

Clock/calendar with battery backup

26.

EDUCATIONAL

Hayden Software
-Sargon
(highest

79.

HARDWARE

39.

for

for Project

J/Larry Bird

the coach)

AST Research

free Microsoft

75.

Barron's

-Dr.

33

XOR
-NFL Challenge (be

47.

for

Management
Scarborough Systems
MasterType
Simon & Schuster
-Typing Tutor

-Music

$29

Pinball

fc-Jet

31, 1986

Above Board PS with
Windows

35.

II

Instructor

-Training
-Training
-Training

May

INTEL

-Tutorial Set (both items above)

-Typing

through

each $43.

.-The Instructor
-Professor DOS

^Night Mission

PC Connection
Hardware Special

WordPerfect

Displaywrite 3

Exclusively.

•COPYRIGHT MICRO CONNECTION INC ’986 All ITEMS SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WiTmQuT NOTCE

plan.

..

.

Hayes
$ 1 39.
389.

-Smartmodem 1200B (w/Smartcom
-Smartmodem 1200B (no software)

II)

349.

.

-Smartmodem 2400
-Smartmodem 2400B (wISmartcom
-Smartcom 2.1 (software)

II)

.

n' File
n' File

50
50 w/lock

579.

Expanded Quadboard

539.

parallel, serial

21

Intel

Above Board PC
call
call
-Above Board AT
Above Board PS (multifunct. board) special
129.
8087 (for IBM-PC & XT)
8087 2 (works on 8 Mhz computers) ... 177.
225.
**80287 (for IBM-PC AT)

17.

115.

5151 keyboard (deluxe)
jr5151 keyboard (deluxe)
.*5153 keyboard (with touch pad)
.-Joystick

-New/ 3

29.

Button Joystick

35.

-Executive Cursor Control (wlJoystick)

...

47.

Mouse Systems

-PC

Mouse w/PC Paint +
-PC Mouse w/Ready
-PC Mouse w/Ready and PC
-PC Mouse w/Dr. Halo

139.
139.
Paint +

.

.

159.
139.

II

NEC
-Multisync monitor

(EGA compatible)

Orchid Technologies
Conquest Multifunction Board

.

.

Toshiba printers listed are 24 pin dot matrix.
-P321 parallel printer (80 column)
519.
-P341 parallel printer (136 column)
849.
-P351 parallel printer (136 column)
1089.

189.

DRIVES

249.

floppy drives are completely pre-tested and
are supplied with a printout of the test results.
They are shipped with complete step-by-step
installation instructions. Drives are 320k/360k.

387.

All

249.

Printer Buffer (parallel)
to

w/copy

512k

159.

IOMEGA

369.

SMA
available

-10 Meg

-dBase

3.0-3. 1

Wordstar
-Wordstar 2000

-2-3

1

-20 Meg

2.0-2.1

III

Box 40 Meg w/PC2 card

67.

Mountain Computer
Drive Card 20 Meg
Seagate
20 Meg Internal Hard Drive

OUR POLICY

and cables)
-20 Meg Internal Hard

call

(w/controller

469.

Drive for the

-Eccell Multifunction Board for the

1

.

insured;
for

no

569.

FD-55B (5 /.") half-height drive (DS.DD)
Toshiba
-AT 360k Drive (5VO half-height drive

that

.

109.

117.

additional charge.

personal and

company

MEMORY

to clear.

• UPS Next-Day-Air available.
• COD max. $1000. Cash or certified check.
• 120 day limited guarantee on all products.*
• To order, call us anytime Monday thru Friday

64k Memory Upgrade Set for IBM-PC or XT
system board or any memory board
15.
1 50 nanosecond (set of 9)
12.
200 nanosecond (set of 9)
Install memory upgrades & run diagnostics
10.
at time of board purchase only
.256k Memory Upgrade Set lor any
39.
IBM-AT memory board (9 chips)

9:00 to 9:00, or Saturday 9:00 to 5:30.
You can call our business offices at
603/446-3383 Monday thru Friday 9:00 to

AT

.

Meg
Meg

.

DISKS

Accounts on net terms pay actual shipping.
Continental US: For monitors, printers, and

memory

drives,

319.

for

399.
749.

2%

UPS ground shipping. Call
UPS Next-Day-Air. For all
other items, add $2 per order to cover UPS
shipping. We will automatically use UPS

264.

add

UPS

Blue or

275.
159.

for information.

99.

109.
149.

DS/DD Disks

for

the

PC & XT

(40

TPI).

10 disks per box.

for

2nd-Day-Air at no extra charge if you are
more than 2 days from us by UPS ground.
Hawaii: For monitors, printers, and drives,
actual UPS Blue charge will be added. For all
other items, add $2 per order Alaska and
Outside Continental US: Call 603/446-3383

459.

Paradise Systems
-Color Card
-Monochrome Card
-Color/Mono Card
-Modular Graphics Card
-Five Pack w/384k

-Maxell MD-2
-Verbatim Datalife

19
19.

DS/HIgh Density Disks
10 disks per box.

for

the

AT

(96 TPI).
29.

-Fuji

-Maxell
-Verbatim

39.

45

-Flip Sort (holds 75

15.

disks)

INFORMATION SERVICES

PC Designs
FD 1000 Computer

789.

PC Magazine called “a top performance bargain" (Oct. 15). PC Week called
“a terrific
it

it

1-800/243-8088

machine at a terrific price" (May 14).
Please call for more information about
this computer.

CompuServe
-CompuServe Information

(includes subscription, manual, 5 hours of

connect

PC Connection
6

Street

Mill

Marlow.

NH 03456

245M

Service

time, monthly publications)

For the IBM-PC (XT

DEFECTIVE SOFTWARE REPLACED IMMFDlATEt V DEFECTIVE HARDWART REPLACED

& AT)

24.

Dow Jones
-Membership

Kit

603/446-3383

•

AT

TEAC

If

• No sales tax.
• All shipments
• Allow 1 week
checks

48.

2999.

cartridge

We are an authorized IOMEGA service center.

• We accept VISA and MASTERCARD,
e No surcharge added for charge cards.
• Your card is not charged until we ship,
e we must ship a partial order, we never
charge freight on the shipment(s)
complete the order.

2349.

—

cartridge

-Bernoulli

for:

DOS/Basic
-DOS/Basic
-Lotus

Box 20 Meg w/PC2 card

-Bernoulli

PC-Documate Keyboard Templates

549.

fully

(EMS)
Net Board

specification

PC Turbo 286e w/1
Tiny Turbo 286 w/1

Toshiba

SHIPPING
0k

supports LOTUS/INTEL expanded

-PC

384k)

MP 64 (64k) upgradeable
-QuadEGA +

169.

Kraft

to

Quadboard 0k

-Microfazer

169.

279.

and

port,

software.

(upgradeable

94.

129.

& game

with clock calendar,

384k (fully populated)
Gold Quadboard 0k
Silver

each $12.

-Multimate
All

Quadmaster

0k
159
299.

Turbo Pascal
-WordPerfect

Framework

$449.

monitor (690 x 240)

-HX-12E RGB monitor (EGA compatible) 539.
-MAX-1 2E Amber monochrome monitor 179.

Quad ram

16.

Kensington Microware
-Masterpiece
-Masterpiece Plus
•'Printer/portable computer stand
key tronic
5150 keyboard

-HX-12 RGB

309.

75.

II

Hercules
-Hercules Color Card (parallel port) ....
-Hercules Graphics Card (parallel port)
Innovative Concepts

-Flip
-Flip

-Symphony

Princeton Graphics

-Smartmodem 300
-Smartmodem 1200

Exclusively.

OR REPAIRED AT OUR DISCRETION SOME ITEMS HAVE MANUFACTURERS WARRANTIES UP TO FIVE YEARS

19.

pcpim
ROM

a day.
hen our new employees

isn’t built in

W

NH

bowers

of

(pop. 550), they think they know it all. Oh,
they are. In a matter of weeks, we cram so

how wrong
many computing

caveats and counsels into their craniums
were back in pre-med. Because
sell you PC products at super low

that they often wish they

we

won't

let

them

prices until they

know how

Put us to the test.
Back when our shrewd and
mascots

first

started

to

They even know how to capture babble fish and
unlock the secrets of Vogon poetry.
So whether you’re upgrading by degree, or looking
change your micro concentration, call us toll-free for
a quick tutorial.
by-step.

first day
Marlow,

arrive for their

of training here in the ivy

use the

dam

things.

furry

performing

to

Yankee ingenuity.
We've always considered our customers part of the family. Although we try to keep you abreast of community
picnics and local bear sightings,
there's not always time to fill you in
on all the fascinating details of
New England life. So we're giving

on these pages, the skeptics said
no mail order company could

a free 1-year subscription to

possibly give great support. But

who places a $500 order between
now and May 31st.

Yankee Magazine

nowadays retail stores and software manufacturers call us and ask
That's because our crew of
plucky pundits knows why your
is

planning to visit, call ahead
to make sure what you want

printing garbage.

They can guide you through
your hard drive installation, step-

A one year subscription to Yankee magazine,
the classic monthly compendium of life up here
in the north country. Limit one per customer.
Offer not available to commercial accounts.

For the IBM-PC (XT

COPYRIGHT MICRO CONNECTION MC

everyone

or 1-603/446-3383, M-F 9:00
to 9:00; Saturday to 5:30. If you’re

for technical assistance.

printer

to

Just call 1-800/243-8088

&

in stock.
at

The showroom

8:00 M-F and

at

is

closes

5:00 on Saturday.

AT) exclusively.

IMA MICRO CONNECTION AND THE RACCOON CHARACTERS! ARE TRADE MARKS OF MICRO CONNECTION

INC PC

CONNECTION

IS

A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF MICRO CONNECTION

NC MARLOW NH

FOUR-OUTLET SURGE SUPPRESSORS

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4744 Scotts Valley Dr
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328 Water St.
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(607) 724-2484

0

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List Price: $69.95

B

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Dynatech Computer Power

CA 95060

(408)429-6881

Surge Sentry SS4
Dynatech Computer Power
4744 Scons Valley Dr.
Scotts Valley. CA 95066
(408)438-5760

List Price: $139.95

Datashield Model 75

PTI industries

320 River St.

(408)438-5760
List Price: $119.95

CP-7

Clean Power 1200
Para Systems Inc.

Inc.

11425 Mathis

St..

#4W

Dallas. TX 75234
(214)869-1688

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S49.95

Inc.

4744 Scotts Valley Dr.
Scotts Valley. CA 95066
(408)438-5760

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Micro Saver

Kensington Microware Ltd.

List Price: $139.95

25

1

Park Avenue South

New York. NY

10010

(212)475-5200
List Price: $69.95

izz:

PC

MAGAZINE

MAY2

7,

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136
Copyrigh

PC

MAGAZINE

MAY2

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Copyrighted material

PC

MAGAZINE
139

MAY2

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LEMON

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Oil RS-6I0 Sockets Plus
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Inc.

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(312)647-9414
List Price: $79.95
CIRCLE 635 ON READER SERVICE CARD

2 7,

l

9 8 6

OF INFORMATION FOR
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Taken one issue

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in-

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640 KB MOTHER BOARD
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AT STYLE KEYBOARD.
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AND TESTED.

WARRANTY

360 KB FLOPPY DISK DRIVE.
[PRODUCED BY MAJOR INDUSTRY
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OVER 60% FASTER
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Connecticut Orders

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Northeastern Software Turbo PC is a trademark of Northeastern Software. IBM PC, XT are trademarks
3.1 is a trademark of the Microsoft Corporation.

MS DOS

CIRCLE

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ON READER

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of

IBM

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.

SURGE SUPPRESSORS

models does not mean larger or better
surge-protection devices.

MAX

2 from Panamax also
The
clamped very well during testing. Its design is small and simple. The MAX 2
plugs directly into the wall and has a constant

power

A replaceable fuse is loTwo receptacles are on

light.

cated on the top.

it. No muss, no fuss, no
good spike clamping, too.
EPD's EC-IV and Curtis’s Sapphire are
nearly identical in all respects. They look
the same from the outside, and they look
the same from the inside, right down to the
etching paths on the boards. EPD and Curtis have competitively priced models at all
levels. But if something goes wrong with
this type of unit, there will be no repairs:
you will have to chuck it in the garbage because the board is cemented in with some
type of silicone gel. Both the EC-IV and

overvoltage. The DSF also contains a
brownout/blackout sensor that shuts off
the unit and your PC until the reset button
is

pressed. This

the Sapphire plug directly into the wall

The only

tween the two

that Curtis provides

is

on a board

the size of a Saltine cracker.

has one of

smoke came through the deThe power box itself

small puff of

vice’s receptacles.

four outlets offset for a trans-

its

former pack, and

Tffl

EDITOR’S
CHOICE

ble.

However,

bath their surge-suppressing abili-

and their solid construction.

—standard and su-

offered on each

riding

on

1

this

would not want

cheap and

my

power
system

one.

seems the more outlets on the device, the
more devices there are to choose from, and
17 in this category, ranging in

and shape from boxes to power bars.
The obvious feature most users are looking
size

outlet device, did a surprisingly
good job despite its tiny size. Its
companion, the MAX 6 power strip,
was equally effective in limiting the

on/off switch.

is

thinner than that of almost every

we looked at

MAX

an

is

other device.

It

perfiltering all outlets provided
more than adequate protection.
The Panamax
2, a twin-

difference be-

warn you of trou-

SIX-OUTLET
DEVICES

Al-

though two levels ofprotection are

—

does have a status indi-

the plastic case

not of durable construction, and the

cable

ties

it

cator that’s supposed to

The Datashield S85 and Datashield
SI00 from PTI Industries impressed
the PC Magazine Labs staff with

A

board was charred on
one side, apparently the result of arcing.
At one point during our tests, in fact, a
coil attached to the

worse surge when the power is restored
when it dropped out. The Surge Sen-

than

and

offer three outlets.

all

surge suppressors because you can get a

the front. That’s

big deal, and

a feature to look for in

is

for in the six-outlet surge protector

is

the

number of outlets. But beware: any device
has a

maximum

rating,

and you should

most severe surges thrown at it.

never exceed

DEVICES

One of the nicer units was the
Surge Sentry DSF from Dynatech

computers, two monitors, and two printers

Despite the fact that four outlets are suffi-

It

cient in

most situations, the majority of usgo for six. Why? If you don’t need
more than four outlets, you can find excel-

more features than many of
the units andfared extremely well in

ers

our testing.

and protection with these devices. They come in many forms
strips
for the floor, models that plug directly into
the wall outlet, and handsome boxes that

man service in warding off the evils

the majority can also be attached either to

of all but a direct lightning hit.

the wall or to the underside of a desk. This

FOUR-OUTLET

lent designs

The boxes have an advantage
the kind of person

You can mount

you’re

who might go home

power

this

at

to the printer on.

type of surge suppres-

sor, with its visible

power and

lamps, where you won’t miss

way out.
One of the

if

it

status

on your

nicest units in this category

DSF

from Dynatech.
The device uses Dynatech’s patented
Surge Sentry circuit, which consists of a
is

the Surge Sentry

three-stage arrangement. First in line

is

a

silicon diode that reacts within

5 picosec-

onds

Second

to grab the first impulse.

line is the
ful

MOV,

than the diode.

DSF

has a power indicator lamp, a

in

slower but more power-

And

third, in case

of an

extremely large impulse is a gas discharge
tube that can ground out 20,000 amps of
,

PC

on/off switch for
set button.

The

all

four outlets, and a re-

unit did very well in our

sit

the six-outlet strips

on

an on/off,

contains

were de-

the floor out of sight, but

an obvious convenience

tains
it

you were thinking of
two

strip to protect

reset, or

power and

if

the unit con-

alarm switch, or

if

protection status in-

dicator lights. Otherwise,

much difference whether

it
it

doesn’t

make

can be mount-

ed or not.

testing.

Two

if

be located close together,

to

it.

Some of
signed to

is

try

happen

forget

surge-protection status indicator lamp, an

attach to the wall.

night leaving the

that

Any of thesefive should do yeo-

—

So

it.

buying a six-outlet

offers

surge-suppression devices that

do very well in our tests were the
Micro Saver from Kensington Microware
and the Clean Power 1200 from Para Systems. Both are short power strips with four
outlets, and both contain rather unsophisticated surge-suppression devices. The Micro Saver uses a coaxial arrestor, one
MOV, and two line filters. Check the test
didn't

We

some very

nice touches on
from PTI Industries.
The model S100, for example, has a lowvoltage lamp and an audio alarm circuit to
alert you of a pending brownout when the
voltage dips below 102 volts. In the event
of a blackout, the unit shuts itself off and
must be restarted by pressing the reset button, allowing your equipment to miss the

noticed

the Datashield series

surges associated with

results for yourself.

The Para Systems Clean Power 1200's
of no more than

ter

power returning

inside the SI 00 will sell

half-a-dozen components, including one

The board

MOV,

we tested, containing a small

one resistor, one capacitor, and
what appear to be silicon avalanche diodes

MAY2

MAGAZINE
145

7.

is

voltage regu-

lator/transformer as found in a

1986

af-

A look at the test results and
you on this unit.
one of the most sophisticated

an outage.

circuit is small, consisting

power sup-

SURGE SUPPRESSORS

ply, several noise filters, four MOVs, and
two coaxial arrestors. However, the replaceable fuse on the model SI 00 is located inside the unit a poor choice. The
model S85 trades the audio alarm and

—

switch on the SI 00 for an on/off power

switch that shuts

which

down

all

a feature missing

is

on

tis's

PowerLine

ries’

Strip, are constructed

of

six sockets,

flimsy plastic and fairly unsophisticated

S 100.

surge-suppression mechanisms and elec-

the

Two of the power bars we

CurSAFE-Strip and Computer Accessotested,

components. The SAFE-Strip contwo line noise filters, one MOV, an

tronic
tains

—

LED, and a load resistor for the LED not
much protection. The PowerLine Strip

NO

contains a bit more:

MOVs,

an audio

two

line filters, three

alert circuit/speaker,

a

bridge rectifier, and a soldered

fiise. That
make what should be a simchange a nightmare should it ever
be necessary. Still, the results were not
poor on either product.
Two heavy-duty power bars we tested

last

EXPERIENCE

item will

ple fuse

NECESSARY.

feature both sturdy construction

and multiwould

ple-stage surge protection, and they

Accounts Payable. Check printing with
multiple invoices, mailing labels, unlimited
allocations per invoice,

vendor

vendor number veri-

Beware: every device

during input,

fication

activity,

screen inquiry of
printed vendor history at

year end.

Accounts Receivable. Open item or
balance forward, aging report with 30-, 60-,
90- and over 90-day columns, mailing labels,
supports partial payments, statements, screen
inquiry of customer activity, printed customer history at year end.
PayrolL Manages employee records,
payroll calculations automatic, user defined
deductions, prints checks with check stub
information, provides quarterly and year
end information, screen in quiry of employee
payroll records including
information,
built-in 1986 Federal Tax Tables, four payroll periods to choose from.
Utilities. Depreciation schedules using
straight line, double declining balance, sum
of the years digits and ACRS methods. Loan
Amortization.
PCAS allows you to use these individual

YTD

The economical PCAS accounting

soft-

ware package was written for the computer
user with

But
the

little

or

no accounting experience.

loaded with features to please even
most experienced accountants. The

it’s

multi-featured PCAS handles General
Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Payroll and Utilities in an easy-to-use
accounting system for the small to medium

modules independently or
Accounting System.

size business.

tive verification lets the user verify account,
vendor, customer and employee numbers
with information on file during the entry

PCAS

offers

many

features,

including:

Simple to follow menus, optional password
protection, standardized formatted reports,
simple to follow formatted input screens,
and much more.

General Ledger. Double entry accounting system, multi-level accounts, screen
transaction inquiry, transaction reports,
balance sheet and income statement

as

an Integrated

Simple to follow input screens guide the
user through entries in all systems. Descrip-

process. Multi-level accounts allow detailed
account analysis for controlling costs while
summarizing accounts for tax preparation
and financial reports.

PCAS offers you this and more ...
price

the

tag

small business

all at a

has a

maximum rating,

and you should never
exceed
my

be

it.

choices

Stopper

AT

a

in

power

bar.

The Surge

6-6 from Brooks Marketing

and RS-610 Sockets Plus from Perma
Power have excellent suppression, and
their construction is rugged.

CONCLUSION The

bottom

surge-suppression devices

is this:

line on
you can

not monitor the performance of a surge

know
when the surges come nor how strong they
So don't buy the one that matches the
suppressor

in

use because you never

are.

color of your office, nor the one that looks
well built, nor the one that offers the great-

number of outlets and gadgetry, nor the

est

least

owner can

expensive.

Think of your needs, but don't exceed
If you only need two outlets, don't

appreciate.

them.

D&L SOFTWARE
4616

RINGGOLD LANE PLANO. TEXAS

bother getting four or six. Study the results

of our

75075

PC Labs

testing thoroughly. Find

clamp spikes at reasonable levRead the manufacturer's specs careThen make your decision. It’s one

units that

TO ORDER WRITE OR CALL TOLL FREE
1-800-752-7001 extsio
(In Texas 1-800-442-4799

IBM and PC-DOS
is

a

are registered trademarks of International Business
registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

fully.

ext. 810)

System Requirements: An IBM PC or IBM Compatible, MS-DOS or PC-DOS
least one DSDD diskette drive, an 80 column line printer and 80 x 24 monitor.

MS-DOS

els.

your PC

version 2.1 or

later,

196K Ram.

PC

will either live or die with.

Phil Wiswell

MAGAZINE

MAY2
146

Hi

at

Machines Corporation.

CIRCLE 522 ON READER SERVICE CARD
7,

PC Magazine.

1986

is

a frequent contributor

to

need that

"Stop whatever you're

spreadsheet'

doing... I need that

"I

me know when
Amalgamated stock

"Let

p

letter

now!”

"By the way, those labels
have to be sorted by

hits 45’.’

"Check

my schedule,

again! I can't have a
meeting at ten'.

"Hey! 1 can only do one
thing at a time. How
am I supposed to keep

up with these demands -

my new genIBM* XT?"

even with
eration

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CIRCLE

104

ON READER

SERVICE

CARD

The

ADVANCED LOGIC RESEARCH computer has been tested for IBM compatibility with PHOENIX'S com-

patibility test suite

using the

PHOENIX AT-COMPATIBLE ROM BIOS, and the PC-COMPATIBLE ROM BIOS.

WE

DON’T

2MB^

THINK YOUR
PERFORMANCE
SHOULD BE
LIMITED
BY THE
‘STANDARD’

At

ALR we

don't think your performance should be

limited by the 'Standard'.

So preoccupied

computer makers with meeting the

seem

to

are today’s

‘Standard’, they

have overlooked the opportunity to do

something much more worthwhile.

this

DART system
almost

half

will

the

^

Optional

The

first

MHz and

5 MHz. This System 286

sheets and sort data base

it

costs more.

modems,

and

believes a computer needs to
and in most cases
and other computers, so we design

our systems to include more standard

I/O.

6-1

Devices

is

ready to calculate spread

in

a flash!

SYSTEM
286

more expensive system. However, the ALR System
286 and DART system does not match the 'Standard'
price and this is one category we're glad to be con-

process your next
time,

with

CAD

in

Ip

design

a

sidered 'sub-standard'.

DIRECT ACCESS

Let

the

SYSTEM

one

PRICES AS OF APRIL 1986

The concept ot having enough memory is misleading.
It seems yesterday's 64K of memory was enough.
Today, computers require at least 512K in order to run

Symphony™ or Framework"
ALR System 286 and DART system both
memory capability built Into its

popular programs such as

PC/AT

SYSTEM

DART

286
Si-System Information

The

result?

have four times the
Command

a registered trademark of international Business

'motherboard' so you don't have to pay for

it

tomorrow.

Machines Corporation IBM PC/AT and IBM PC/XT are registered trademarks

of our sales engineers or dealers

ALR System

Hirise

286

is

plotters

PC/AT

LIST

IBM’

it

ALR

interface with at least a printer

High performance and more features usually results

PC/AT

Utility

DART

286

co-processor speed

RESPONSE TIME (DART)

'Based on the Norton

ALR
SYSTEM

IBM
PC/AT

Option I/O device? That usually implies you need

first

powered by a 10 MHz 80286 cpu with support for
an 8 MHz 80287 math co-processor, when compared
to the IBM ' AT’s 6 MHz cpu and 4 MHz co-processor.
in

5MB-

25MB
Standard

I/O
-

is

the

Memory

CD

IBM XT™. The

CAD computer with a super
performance AT™ Compatible. The DART system

Examine the DART. The

1MEG-

system did not reduce the performance,

with the cpu speed of 8
of

Namely, the concept of improvement beyond that
'Standard' acceptable level.

high

low cost of

Board

Standard

Explore the opportunity of the System 286
high speed AT below the price of an

System

limit

286,

DART

system. Turbo

IBM compatible systems

show you
XT and AT

that are designed to

your cost not your standard of performance.

ON READER SERVICE CARD
ADVANCED LOGIC RESEARCH, INC.
10 CHRYSLER
CIRCLE

152

IRVINE, CA 92718
TELEX 51060 1452
ANSWER BACK A0VANCE0
(714) 581-6770

ENGINEERING ADVANCED COMPUTERS
Business Machines Corporation

ot International

SOFTWARE JOHN HELLIWELL

MDBS claims to have taken PCbased expert systems to a new
‘

by combining ‘knowledge

level

engineering” with business
applications. Caution: Steep

learning curve ahead.

ook around you. Is there a task in
your daily business that you perform fairly regularly? Is the task
complex but systematic? Is it the
sort of responsibility you always
figured you could train an assistant to handle?
Perhaps your job requires that you work out
complex delivery routes, evaluate dozens ofjob

L

applicants, set quotas for

40 sales people,

eval-

uate credit applications, or select equipment for
internal use.
If

any of these business chores sound famil-

iar, it’s

system

time to inform yourself about expertshells, the next

wave

in practical busi-

BRAVE

NEW

EXPERT
SYSTEM?
few of these programs available (see “Artificial ExSoftware for Problem Solving,”
Magazine. Volume 4 Number 8), identifying
seven programs, ranging from $300 EXSYS to
$10,000 mainframe-descended Ml. Now, there are
pertise: Intelligent

PC

at least

twice as

many expert-system

shells available

for the personal computer, and the bottom

end of the

ness application software. Expert-system, shells

price scale has dropped to $49.95 (MicroExpert,

bring computer power, speed, and consistency

from the Professional and Reference Division of
McGraw-Hill Inc. in New York City). List prices of
several of the more sophisticated systems have been

to bear

on many tasks that depend on the appliknowledge and insight, rather

cation of both

And

com-

than on the relatively simple mechanical ma-

reduced substantially.

nipulation of hard data.

pany with substantial PC business software roots.
Micro Data Base Systems (MDBS) of Lafayette, In-

Last year,

PC

Magazine reviewed

PC

the

first

MAGAZINE

MAY2
151

7.

for the

1986

first

time, a

GURU

MAINFRAME HISTORY

diana. has introduced a tightly integrated

program

Expert systems store and manipulate human expertise and are usually used to answer ques-

that includes the five standard

business microcomputing functions (data-

base management, word processing,
spreadsheet, graphics, and communications), as well as the

the

most

the

is

possibly

human reasoning

versatile, practical tool available

today for building usable expert systems.

DBMS,

an expert-sys-

tem shell is a general-purpose tool: the
same shell can be used to create many different, unrelated expert systems, which

process. Expert-sys-

are stored as disk files exactly as databases

that

tem "shells" (or expert-system development tools ) are programs that build and use
expert systems in the same way that database management systems build and use

expert-system shell.

The new product. Guru,

databases. Like a

mimics

way

tions or give advice in a

As with database management

are.

soft-

ware, you get

have

tem

built

shell

at the expert systems you
by first executing the expert-sysprogram, and within it, invoking

a particular expert system.

The

GURU:

SUMMARY OF FEATURES

Expert-system features
Driven by if-then rules

Maximum rule set:

first

expert systems, which were

tools, were not
They were built from
LISP programming language, and usually at universities,

mainframe-based research
built using shells.

scratch, typically using the

about

1

MYCIN,

,600 rules

system developed

for instance, a

Rules must be abstracted to expressions involving variables

at

Multivalued variables with certainty factors (“fuzzy” variables)

blood infections.

Complex premise ( IF) expressions

lyze unidentified chemical

(THEN) can

Rule conclusion

be any collection of Guru

Rule sets interact effectively with other

commands

program features

Stanford, diagnoses bacteriological

WHY and HOW logic-tracing functions

pert

Rule sets can

help

call other rule sets

Tight control over reasoning process

if

desired

it

in

(under the
ery

name XCON)

fc^FACT FILE

text processing

Guru

up to 10,000 lines
set of communications commands

Micro Data Base
Systems Inc.
P.O. Box 248
Lafayette. IN 47902
(317)463-2581

files

among

functions

Programming language

List Price: $2,995.

Run-time version. $300
and

Full range of control structures

Single program can call on any of the business functions or expert-system rule sets

Over 50

built-in

to configure ev-

VAX computer that goes out the door.

command

5 different types of graphs

Reasonable general-purpose

Tight integration

conjunction with Digital

statistics

Multiple database inquiries in a single

Full

Rl

Equipment Corp., which uses the system

256-row by 256-column spreadsheet

Text

by analyzing geoCarnegie Mellon Univer-

locate oil deposits

logical readings.

Maximum database record and field size: 64K bytes
Maximum fields per database record: 255

1

oil

company, developed an ex-

system called Dipmeter Adviser to

sity built

SQL-like inquiry and

helps ana-

compounds.

Schlumberger Ltd., the giant French
field services

Standard business computing features
Databases hold up to 2 billion or more records

DENDRAL

for a single copy. Site license

multicopy discounts available.

numeric, string, logical functions

RAM. hard disk with at
least 2 Mbytes free. DOS 2.0 or later.
Requires: 512K

Supports arrays

Supports local and global variables

Versions available for Novell.
In Short:
solid, but

A huge program integrating a
complex and often bewildering,

expert-system shell with traditional

Menu and command interfaces not tightly
Weak natural-language interface
Custom screens for both

3Com. and

IBM PC LANs.

Burdensomely detailed control over program environment

User interface
interwoven

business applications (database,
spreadsheet,

word processing, graphics,

and communications) and a weak naturallanguage interface. A system development
tool rather than an end-user program. Guru
may encourage easy and casual use of
expert-system techniques in everyday

input and output

Documentation

Good reference manuals

business environment.

Poor user guide (beginner manual)
No tutorial manual

CIRCLE BW ON READER SERVICE CARD

PC

MAGAZINE

MAY27. 1986
152

Although on-screen integration

is weak, the different parts of Guru are
Building an expert system in Guru is a process of specifying if-then rules
and all can make use that express the knowledge of the human expert whose reasoning is being
imitated. Rules can be created and edited in the text-processing function
or using the interactive rule-editing screen shown here. You can move
shown here create a working database using the multiline CONVERT
from box to box using the PgUp and PgDn keys, and the boxes scroll if
statement. The variable E.CF controls the type offile that CONVERT will
necessary to accept lengthy text. The IF and THEN boxes contain the
create
ASCII, DIF. or Guru database.
premise and the conclusion of the rule, respectively.

lightly integratedfrom a programming point of view,

of the expert-system features. A rule set can include an initialization
sequence that is performed before the rules are exercised. The commands

—

THE KNOWLEDGE BASE AND THE
INFERENCE ENGINE As

expert sys-

expert systems,
like MYCIN, were

it became clear that each has
two more-or-less-separable parts. There is
the base of knowledge specific to the field
of expertise of the system. And then

designed to accu-

there’s the collection of processing proce-

same

dures, used for deriving conclusions from

technology could
incorporate, for

tems evolved,

the knowledge. These logical rales are
transferable to other areas of expertise with

minimal change. These procedures came
to be called the system’s “inference en-

gine.”

From
shell

this insight, the

was bom, and

expert-system

since then, every ex-

pert-system shell has consisted of an infer-

ence engine plus some
ing and

managing

a

facilities for build-

knowledge base

mulate the knowl-

edge of true experts. But the
software

example,
the
knowledge of a
sales manager who
has worked out
methods of setting
quotas. Another

system might be
used to do preliminary and straight-

specific to the expertise that the system

forward evalua-

captures.

tion of test scores

When business and the professions began to embrace personal computers, expert

of job applicants,

systems began moving out of the universi-

assistant to a per-

ties

and from mainframes

cros.

And

it

is

is

we

field

the

menu

interface.

The

the top of its box,

knowledge as

puters represent

er than the cost of another, then pick the

The “expert” in expert system might
you to believe that these programs are
they incorporate the knowl-

edge of someone

a database query made using

is

left trace the series of menu choices; each choice is moved to
and another overlapping box appears. Menus can even
be used to assemble multidatabase queries.

boxes on the

expert” expert systems, sometimes referred to as “assistant” and “colleague”
systems. They are potentially useful and

it,

a bit misleading.

if

Guru includes an excellent, full-featured database as one of the

shares most of these features with MDBS’s KnowledgeMan.

sonnel officer. Systems like this are "non-

are probably stuck with

lead

useful only

s

Pictured above

and mi-

apparent that the old mainframe terminol-

ogy, though

'

shell. It

becoming

to minis

as they develop,

to function as an

MBDS

five standard business applications integrated with the expert-system

who knows more about a

than you do, and indeed, the original

sets of

then rules: “If the cost of one flight

is

if-

low-

lowest-cost flight”; “if a passenger likes

considerably less difficult to build than

United Airlines, then the preferred flight

systems meant to do extremely specialized

one using United." (These two examples,
and most of the others you will encounter
in this article, come from PC Magazine's
sample scenario. See sidebar “New Job

and esoteric tasks.
Although there are expert systems that
use other schemes, Guru and most of the
other programs available to personal

PC

MAGAZINE

MAY
153

com-

27,

Tide:

1986

Knowledge Engineer.”)

is

GURU

MDBS claims that Guru' J natural-language interface will accept

Besides rules, initialization, andfinalization sequences, rule sets in Guru

ordinary English phrases and sentences, but

can include variable definitions like this one for BESTPR1C. The FIND
box in this screen contains any set of Guru commands necessary to set the
value of BESTPRIC
frequently, a prompt to the user to supply a value,

its

ability to

decipher

language is extremely limited, making this interface the weakest link in the
When Guru doesn’ t understand a query, it comes back with its

product.

own question (as shown),

but

ifyou

don' t know the proper names of the

business or industrial knowledge:
In

many

BESTPRIC is identified by PERFORMing the Guru program

called LOADBEST. which searches

There are several advantages to using a
computerized expert system to manipulate

•

—

Inthiscase,

available fields, you're out of luck.

tasks that require knowl-

edge and reasoning, the reasoning is repetitive and the whole task numbingly boring,

A

computer loaded with the set of rules
that constitute the knowledge required will

cations,

by copying a few floppy disks, so that their
expertise is readily available to anyone
who needs it.
• Because the expertise can be replicated, it can also be sold. Although the
market in expert systems does not yet exist, as the development tools become more

a single, very complex, but solidly engi-

MDBS

salespeople, a task in which the reasoning

used to determine the quota is the same for
each person.
• A computerized knowledge base can
continue growing, essentially forever, and

Guru

XCON, connow but the pro-

Large systems, like DEC’S
tain

thousands of rules by

,

cess has taken several years of rule accretion.

No one would attempt to design

such

an enormous system from scratch.

• Computerized

be programmers and other

leagues, or experts are always consistent.

They never

commit a simThey never go on vacation

forget a rule or

ple oversight.

or get sick.

•

Computerized knowledge bases can

PC

suffered from complexity and from

Newer

programs like Rtbase 5000 have established themselves as the real rivals to
dBASE. KMan, however, retains a significant market among professional program-

mers and system developers. Now,

computer pros, not

MDBS is pinning its hopes on Guru.

personnel managers.

tures with the latest version of Knowledge-

Guru

shares most of

its

business fea-

Man.

common, it is reasonable to expect that a
number of products will emerge. Perhaps
ads like “Buy yourself the best travel adviser in

Chicago"

will

appear within a few

It has an excellent, full-featured database function and small but useful
spreadsheet, communications, word pro-

cessing, and graphics features, as well as a

complete programming language. Programs and databases developed in KMan
can be moved to Guru very easily.

years.

assistants, col-

in

Knowledge-

difficult-to-understand manuals.

will

can accumulate knowledge from any num-

ber of different human sources. Most
knowledge bases start with a couple of
dozen rules related to a subset of a general
problem, and then grow and evolve as
more and more rules are loaded into them.

for

might be a serious rival to dBASE
widely recognized as the industry leadBut the program, though very power-

ful,

The people who work
directly with

known

KMan
er.

quotas for 100

best

system with a significant following. For a
few months back in 1983, it looked as if
II,

set

is

Man, a powerful database management

For example, an expert system

could be programmed to

and a natural-language interface

neered package.

process them over and over without complaint.

a database.

be reproduced accurately and quickly, just

In anticipation of a

new

business mar-

Like KnowledgeMan, Guru

is

a system

ket for expert systems

developer's tool, not an end-user system.

est in the

The people who work directly with Guru
will be programmers and other computer

and increased intercommercial exchange of expertise, MDBS introduced Guru, a $2,995
program that incorporates an expert-system shell, the five standard business appli-

MAGAZINE

MAY
154

27.

1986

pros, not personnel

advisers.

managers and

These programmers

travel

will, of

!

.

Turbo Pascal and the Turbo Pascal

66

Language deal
ofthecentuiy.
Turbo Pascal
.

family give you a perfectly integrated

programming environment and
unbeatable speed, power, and price
Turbo Pascal® Is faster than
any other Pascal compiler,
and at only $69.95, a distinctly
better deal. But

it

offers

static,

like

errors for business

It

YES!

search and sort data, and build
powerful database applications.

is

with complete documentation,

our 400-page reference manua.

All of which are

Turbo Graphlx Tbolbox

is

clearly

hlgh-resolution graphics with
-

and the recipient of
awards like PC Week’s “Product of
the Year" and PC Magazine’s
“Award for Technical Excellence."
And some of the reasons why Turbc
Pascal has now become a de facto
worldwide standard with more than

BM,

Turbo Pascal has grown
from a single product 3
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GURU

course, use

Guru

to build applications that

spreadsheet using

WHILE-DO loops.

will be used by those without computer
backgrounds, and Guru gives the pro-

command

grammer

prompt, you enter any

all

the tools necessary to create

truly powerful and simple-to-use applicaMDBS is clearly marketing Guru as
an application development tool by pricing
the full developer’s version at nearly
tions.

$3,000 and

selling a run-time version for

the application builder's point of

most users

offers four different interfaces: a

GURU>

interface (at the

command

for im-

MDBS’s

supposed to make

interface; a natural-language inter-

Guru using

face;

and user-defined input and output

The

tree-structured

menus

well-enough designed that an
late

little

are

intelligent

practice,

formu-

ad hoc database inquiries or get into a

the rage these days,

spreadsheet or begin text processing.

command equivalent to a sequence of
menu choices always appears on the

ed. and

screen before the program executes them,

word,

supposed to educate you over

sheets or databases, and a spreadsheet cell

which

time and free you from the tyranny of the

commands, such

menu. However, since switching from the

as a database extraction

Programmers have

or

statistical function.

all

the standard functions at their fingertips

simultaneously and interchangeably and

can

call

on

the expert-system features as

menu

is

to the

command

interface

is

tedious.

much

won’t be of

into the spreadsheet easily, text

can be defined by any collection of Guru

you look

other products. This one

can extract information from spread-

The

if

seems

vertisements and promotions for

integrated. Parts of databases can be

files

is

ion that

work

it

it.

Its ability
is

There’s

much more to Guru than the in-

tegrated business applications. What’s

a beginner when

.

.

comes to the

Almost everyone

practical business application of expert systems on

in a

form

letter,

or to select a record from a

But help

TEST-CASE, and IF-THEN-ELSE

BOOKS One

con-

is

good, well-illustrated,

clearly presented explanation of AI histo-

global variables.

by Henry C. Mhshkoff (Texas Instruments 1985).
MDBS’s chairman of the board, Andrew Whinston, is a professor of management, economics, and computer science at Purdue University. He is
coauthor of a book whose title suggests
that it is a general reference but which is
in fact exactly the tutorial on building

Both Guru and KnowledgeMan use upwards of 100 cryptic “environment variables" that give the programmer who thor-

oughly masters them extremely tight
exam-

control over Guru's behavior. For

ple, they allow you to define whether or
not you want the screen output printed or to

specify the protocol for

modem

file trans-

The problem with this approach is its
meaning of the Guru com-

fers.

obscurity: the

mand LET E.OPRN =

TRUE is consider-

ably less obvious than the equivalent
dBASElll command, SET PRINT ON.

ry, current research,
is

Understanding

applications that

throw

in

MDBS
down

MDBS

ought to

with every copy of Guru

it

sells.

doesn’t decide to include

won’t be available
it

yourself:

until June),

to

Expert Systems by Clyde Holsapple and

row-number designation

Andrew Whinston (Dow Jones-Irwin

(for

example,

third

C5

is

the fifth cell

down

the

column). Programs can refer to
if they were ordinary

1986). They’re available in hardcover for
$24.95 and $29.95, respectively.

NEWSLETTERS
put a

lot

opment

Those who intend

to

of time into expert-system develin business will

probably want a

continuing resource in the

field.

A

well-

written, business-oriented newsletter in

expert systems
gies,

is

Expert Systems Strate-

The Monthly Newsletter for Man-

agers and Developers of Expert Systems.
It’s

edited by Paul

Harmon

for the

Cahners Publishing Company, 275
Washington St., Newton, MA 02158
($247 per year).

it (it

then track

Manager's Guide

Spreadsheet cells are addressed using
column-letter,

a PC.

and future directions

Artificial Intelligence

Guru
If

it

available in severalforms.

and allows programs to call
one another, with parameters if desired
and with explicit control over local and
trol structures

new

too obscure for any novice to

is far

with.

FOR MORE INFORMATION.

full programming language includes familiar WHILE-DO,

to deci-

very limit-

needs a definition of a

value, to choose a paragraph for inclusion

database. Guru’s

ad-

Q&A and

requests the information in a fash-

desired to calculate a spreadsheet cell’s

is

at the

be

inadequate and

pher ordinary English queries

when

to

use to anyone. There’s

nothing natural about

it

is

possible to operate

it

ordinary English phrases and

sentences. Natural language

view, the different parts of Guru are tightly

moved

inter-

natural -language interface

menu

screens.

choose the

will probably

face appropriate to the task, rather than

graduate from one to the other.

mediate execution); a reasonably complete

novice could, with a

only $300.

From

Guru

June 1986).

Two books that are high on many lists

COURSES

Integrated Computer Systems offers a 2-day, hands-on course entitled “PC Expert System Shells,” covering basic concepts, evaluation of
expert-system-shell features, and guidelines to developing an expert application.

spreadsheet cells as

of worthwhile primers in expert systems

The course

and the spreadsheet can also be
treated as an array, in which cell C5 is referred to as
(3,5). Such all-numeric ref-

are Expert Systems: Artificial Intelligence in Business by Paul Harmon and

offered in several cities across the coun-

David King (Wiley Press September
1985) and A Guide to Expert Systems by
Donald A. Waterman (Addison- Wesley

Contact ICS

variables,

#

erences, in which the

placed with a variable,

program

number can be

make

to cycle through

it

re-

easy for a

any area of the

PC

MAGAZINE

MAV2
156

7.

1986

try,

costs $645.

ICS courses

are

with the best coverage in California.

Angeles,

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GURU

really interesting about this product,

explains

system

$3,000 price

its

shell, the

and

tag, is its expert-

engine for creating cus-

tomized business expert systems.

GURU THE EXPERT
pert

system

in

Building an ex-

Guru is a process of specify-

ing if-then rules that express the knowl-

edge of the “expert” being imitated. In the
“flight adviser” set of rules that PC Magazine built to evaluate the program, the
rules expressed ideas like: IF the passen-

ger’s seniority
flight is the

is

very high,

THEN the best

one preferred by the passenger;

IF the passenger

Saturday night,

is

something

like this:

rule’s
is

LET PREFERRED = {"UA406'' CF
80, "DL212" CF 50,
"PA411" CF 20}

ator, as in

{"AA263" CF

60}

rules in exactly this kind

selves can be adjusted: a rule that conclud-

rule to another.

Guru, however,

re-

you assign variable names to
each of the concepts you are working with.
In our sample, information on the passenger’s seniority was contained in the varithe

PEOPLE. SENIOR. The

company has

is

the passenger’s seniority

IF PEOPLE. SENIOR

> =

Similarly, "then the best flight

80
the

is

one

preferred by the passenger” translates into

Building an expert

newly

it

that express the

to look at the rule

premise can

If its

now

The end

know-

This process
chaining” and

is

which Guru can
also handle if desired, is called “forward
chaining." With this method. Guru starts
with the things it does know and casts
about for a rule that it can fire based on this
knowledge. Having fired a rule, Guru likely knows more than it did before. Then it
looks for another rule it can fire, does so,
and so on until all the rules that can be fired
have been. With forward chaining, the
process may not end with an assignment to

The
ed that United 406 wasn’t quite as desirable as had been thought earlier might use
the statement

-=

LET PREFERRED
20 }

{"UA406" CF

Guru would combine the two possible cer-

UA406 to arrive at a new

principal alternative,

tem
any conclusion or why

tors is controlled

most of us, a

the goal variable at

stead

may

all;

the objective in-

be to identify

sired departure time,

One

essential feature of

is its ability

to explain

assumes you want

to

determine a value for the goal variable.

It

into a certainty factor of 80 or

looks for a rule that, like the one described

explanations of why a rule

above, assigns a value to the goal variable.

ally just regurgitations

When

atory text that

it

it

finds such a rule,

it

checks the

MAY2

MAGAZINE
158

7.

1986

as a

and see whether

Guru can now conclude

notions of relative desirability. You also
decide whether “most likely” translates

particular rule set,

known

value to a person's seniority and to the de-

it was BESTFLIGHT.
When you command Guru to consult a

our sample case,

of the other

all

variables that are, implicitly,

consequence of the original set of knowledge. (For example, you could assign a

expressions of confidence, they might be

PC

“backward
common form

called

is

the most

of reasoning in rule-based expert systems.

mally identified as the "goal variable.” In

The Guru assignment statement associ-

Guru

variable.

ledge of an “expert.”

flight.)

ated with the airline preference would look

actually fired.

of the chain, should be a value for the goal

new field to leam and is very complex.
One variable in a Guru rule set is nor-

95

it

be evaluated.

result,

that certainty algebra is, for

they might be probabilities, they might be

IF

and continues down
down at the end

fires the rule,

the chain.

which are assigned numbers between 1
and 100. As the applications designer, you
decide

so. If the

it

pinch," Guru uses “certainty factors,”

to interpret certainty factors;

looks

is true,

that is,

The method of combining certainty facby environment variables. The new certainty factor of UA406
could be anywhere from 64 to 80, depending on which combination method were
selected. The good news is that the programmer, as is usual in Guru, has great
control over the process. The bad news is

how

it

locates a rule

it

THEN clause would provide useful

does so,

specifying if-then rules

value.

.

ulti-

identified rule's IF

Once

Guru’s variables can be fuzzy that is,
they can have uncertain values. Guru
might determine, for example, that the
passenger's preferred flight is most likely
United Airlines 406 but might also be Delta 212 or, in a pinch. Pan Am 41 1 To express notions like “most likely" or “in a

—

PEO-

for ex-

information and for which the IF clause

caused

system in Guru involves

tainty factors for

THEN LET BESTFLIGHT =
PREFERRED

if

then Guru “fires” the
performs the action deTHEN clause. Next, it
again checks the IF clause of the rule that

a seniority of 100 and an

very high" translates into the expression

If the

can be evaluated. Guru does

—

president of

administrative assistant a seniority of 30.

The concept “if

it

does

scribed in the rule's

quires that

able

it

variable (while keeping track of the

rule

use string-matching techniques to connect

one

—

the value of a variable

clause cannot be evaluated either,

clause

when

of language and

to see if

—

whose
them-

trick. Certainty factors

—

tree or false because

for another rule.

THEN consider even fare

choosing the most appropriate flight.
Some expert systems let you express

is

ample then it looks for another rule
whose THEN clause assigns a value to that
mate goal).

+=

LET PREFERRED

the IF clause

Guru cannot determine whether

PLE. SENIOR did not have a value,

willing to stay over a

levels with stayover conditions

know

not

concluded that American
263 should be added to the
list of possibilities, the plus or minus operIf another rule

Airlines flight

does the

—

premise

true. If

the IF clause

it

arrived at

wants a particular

HOW
WHY commands for this purpose, and

piece of information

and

it

the preferred

any expert sys-

how

both can be a

little

.

Guru has both

cumbersome
is

to use. Its

used are actu-

of a piece of explan-

you were required

to tack

on

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GURU

when you created it.
The programmer can control the order
which rules are tested and fired. You can

to the rule

in

tell

Guru

“eager”

to be

“patient,” or

“strict,”

of

in its testing

Each

rules.

can have an associated priority
or cost

priority rules first)

(

rule

(try high-

Guru avoids

the expert-system developer.

are required after

A rale's premise, the IF clause, can be
any logical expression that uses all of the
standard logical and Boolean operators

optional

like greaterthan, less than,

equal

OR. NOT, and XOR. The
clude database fields

to,

selected the

has evaluated

AND,

READY clause.

If a rale's

conclusion,

its

THEN clause,

clause can in-

includes an assignment to a variable, then
the rale itself can have a certainty factor

where possible). Such tight
power and flexibility

record of the "people” database) or

but adds another level of complexity for

spreadsheet cells. If preparatory actions

is

it

the premise, these can be specified in an

(PEOPLE.SENIOR

control offers great

high-cost rules

Guru has

rale for testing but before

(for instance, "If the return date

in fact the “senior'' field in the current

is

Friday

and the city is San Francisco and the season is spring, then it is 80 percent certain

NEW JOB TITLE: K VOWLEDGE ENGINI:er
To build a sample Guru kno\vledge base, a

travel counseli ng system, author John

Helliwell went through an inipressive learning,
r

A|

to

make

this evaluation

systematic as possible,

—

of Guru as
devised a

1

Saturday night

in

programm ing, and debugging

order to

the condi-

fit

challenge

of rales

tions for a discount price.

is

process.

to be sure that the collection

system

in the

is

complete and co-

sample expert system a set of rales embodying a particular expertise that we

tomized Guru expert systems will not or-

cases that are likely to

built into the shell.

dinarily be built directly

by travel counselors or loan evaluation officers or
personnel managers or other users in a
business environment. Although the
hardware will probably be available to
them, the complexity of expert systems
like Guru will require that a computer

requires a debugging process that

Our sample

is

a travel counselor

who

helps business travelers choose the most

New York

appropriate flight between

and Los Angeles. The choice, in real life
and in the sample system, is based on a
variety of factors: the traveler’s

and

seniority

company

airline preference, the fares

In the process,

concluded

I

professional debrief the

that cus-

human “ex-

which
num-

pert,” translate the knowledge into

airport the flight departs from, the

ru's terms, and then use the

ber of stops en route, and so on. Just like

create the expert system for the user.

available for a particular flight,

a

human

travel counselor, the

system

is

intended to resolve conflicts between
personal preferences

(‘‘I

United because I’m on

want

its

to

to

“knowledge engineer.”
Becoming a knowledge engineer,

sional a

discovered, involves as

much

I

unlearning

in fact

it

covers

come

up.

program, but very different
likely to involve

is

DO

of

rat’s nest

calls

would

loops and procedure

be, the

human

One consequence

expert's input

is

that expert sys-

tems are evolutionary

they're never

—

finished. A rale set might start with a
couple of dozen rales and grow to hundreds over the years while it is in use.

nary progamming

ing the right control structures: determine

puter help will be necessary

A first, then maybe branch to procedure B, test the value of C now, and ran
through this loop D times. But in an ex-

opment

zine's editorial staff

names,

erences, and seniorities;

airline pref-

some

queries to

("What is the passenger’s
name,” “When does he/she want to ar-

the user

rive?”); and a dozen rales.

ber of conversations with the
it

worked.

It

successfully recom-

mended a first-class seat on
airline for

does learning.

the preferred

PC Magazine’s publisher,

of-

fered the cheapest flight available to the

administrative assistant, and invited an

executive editor to consider staying over

PC

A
is

large part of ordi-

devoted to design-

pert-system shell like Guru, sequence

(

Guru can handle up to about ,600
And although professional com1

rales.)

stage,

it is

at the

devel-

reasonable to expect

nonspecialists, with a bit of experience,
to

leam

to

add and adjust

rales.

Expert-system development tools are

is

more than building

the responsibility of the inference engine

useful for

under the hood (although you can fine-

expert systems. Because the design pro-

tune the process).

numGuru help

After 2 or 3 days of effort and a

team,

it

fact

It is

easier to incorporate.

as

Guru included tables of flight times and prices; PC Maga-

kind.

in

you

built in

the

ev-

both the knowledge en-

program”) and company policy
there before midnight!”).

is

gineer and the human expert, and, because if-then rales are a lot easier for
computer amateurs to understand than a

(‘‘You’ll take the cheapest flight that gets

The system

all

To do so

ery bit as complex as debugging a regular

The

expert-system crowd calls such a profes-

go with

frequent-flyer

Gu-

program

herent and that

You have

to trust

it

to

decide whether to figure out the preferred
flight before the lowest-priced flight

vice versa.

It

or

doesn't matter in what order

cess
ful

is

interactive, they

traditional

can be very use-

as prototyping and design tools.

the shell to

debug the specs and

concepts. Then,

if

the shell

is

Use

test the

too slow in

the rales are devised and supplied. Rules

operation, or too expensive to

can be added or removed

copies of, use the completed rale set as a

from anywhere

at

any time

correctly, the

knowledge engineer’s

MAY2

MAGAZINE
160

buy 200

guide to writing a normal program in C or

in the rale set.

Rather than controlling the sequence

7.

COBOL
III

1986

(or

KnowledgeMan

)—John Helliwell

or

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GURU

Guru program or rule

day should be changed to
Sunday”). Yet another set of environment

that the return

er mle set processes

The flight advis-

set.

two databases looking

how the certainty factors

for appropriate flights. Rules could manip-

of the premise and the certainty factor of

ulate a spreadsheet or text equally well,

variables controls

combined

the rule itself are

communicate with

into a certainty

a remote database like

or the text-processing function might call

on a mle

the Official Airline Guide, or send an elec-

factor for the final result.

Beyond simple assignments, a

software tools

power

tronic-mail message.

rule’s

conclusion can be any collection of

Guru

From

the other side, a spreadsheet cell

can consult a mle

statements, including a call to another

set to arrive at its value.

set to

decide whether to include a

form letter. This
type of flexibility and interconnection between an expert-system shell and other
particular paragraph in a

is

is

unprecedented, but this

not easy to put to use.

The difficulty, which stems from the
environment-variable concept, is com-

COUNTERPOINT
GURU: DENSE SOFTWARE THAT PRETENDS IT’S SMART
Are expert systems yet another solution to a problem that doesn’t exist? Does this one
live up to its hype? Yes and no, insists contributing editor Charles Petzold.
Editor's Note: This
zine Counterpoint.
will publish

PC Maga-

is the first

From

time to time

we

Counterpoints by staff anil

contributing editors

who have opposing,

divergent, or, for that matter, similar

and

—points

therefore reinforcing

—
of

view. Counterpoint authors will he asked

become familiar with the hardware
and software in question and then react
to

completed review.

to the

T

he hype begins on the cover of the

Guru manuals: "Introducing software with a mind of its own” and “Artificial Intelligence that means business."
The hype continues on the inside with
references to

HAL

of 2001 fame and

some ponderous announcements

.

.

.

until

MDBS'

introduction of

Guru."

Of

Guru

is

targeted toward

a tough
bility

sell.

money

Nobody doubts

is. It’s

the applica-

of expert systems to medical diag-

tracing

Guru

is

right

now and

Guru has any widespread use
that

would warrant

in

in

business

the price of the pack-

PC

its

logic, this trace entails

comment to each

rule.

down
IF-THEN

attempt to break

maintenance of the

ly)

roles.

In

many

of problems. This is not your fault. All it
means is that you have a human mind that

good business decision means
coming up with a THEN clause that does
not yet exist. The new role itself is the solution to the problem. Of course you can

able to examine data in a particular

then add that role to the expert system.

constructs,

is

you

into

will probably

have a

ways

that

go

IF-THEN

far

cases, a

lot

(or fuzzy)

system

like a

Second, you could very well trap
yourself into either stagnation by relying
on a static rule set or continual (and cost-

back

sit

the temptation to

is

nothing more than listing the explanation

IF-THEN

you

type of analysis of recurrent symptomatic
is far removed from the decimaking and problem solving of most
It has not yet been demon-

trace through

added
developing the

for business decisions has several

GIGO (Garbage In Garbage
Out) principle. With a spreadsheet at
least you can check the numbers and formulas. Although Guru allows you to
ignore the

course the hard part of working

cisions in

businesses.

Relying on an expert system like

Guru

indeed.

context and reach successful business de-

strated that the type of expert

forest as well.

through inferences of a mass of

rules in the first place. If

Guru’s expert

its

ness thinking obviously sees the whole

statements and that it handles
“fuzzy logic” by simple probabilities,
Guru seems very arti-

with

ethics.

way through the thicket
by hopping from tree to tree. Good busi-

IF-THEN

Of

and business

system makes

the intelligence of
ficial

all

us hope) legal regula-

dangers. First, there

value has already been proven. But this

sion

(let

own.” Exploring Guru is a similar experience. Once you see that Guru's “intelligence” involves nothing more than

nosis or geological drilling, where their

conditions

thinking and leaps of logic,

tions

your business decisions

course

business. That's where the

ic

tempered by

At least the creator of the early “AI”
program Eliza (an interactive psychoanalyst now sold as a game) never pretended
it was anything but a neat trick. Once you
knew how the Eliza program worked and
you looked at the data file that fed it, you
knew it didn't really have "a mind of its

like

“Watching the development [of AI) has
been interesting but not useful to business

age and the tremendous amount of work
required to master this program.

And of course

beyond simple

Guru

Even a cursory reading of In Search of

The
num-

business bibles) reveals this truth.

bers and intuition, hard facts and gut feelings, tradition

and innovation, systemat-

MAY2

MAGAZINE
162

7.

will

now

1986

will

it

too

,

mean good business and

job security for those programmers

Excellence (or any of the other popular
best business thinking incorporates

3 months from

will be insufficient.

rules.

who

be responsible for maintaining the

expert system. This program is not something like 1-2-3 that managers can use to
sit

down and

themselves.

play with the numbers
Guru programming is more

—

pounded by Guru's failure to exploit the
features of the PC. The program makes extensive use of Ctrl-letter combinations and
no use at all of the PC's function keys. The
Guru manual insists on referring to keys by
its own names like FENTER, FABORT,

FSUP,

rather than explaining that they are

the Enter. Esc, and Cursor

PC.

It

may be

easier for

Up

keys on the

MDBS

to publish

one manual and

FABORT than to

refer to

Esc in the PC manual and some
VAX version. But it's not
on the programmer.
Guru’s documentation makes matters
even worse. It comes with four manuals.
Two of them, the reference manuals, are
complete, consistent, and coherent, if a lit-

er

two

are user guides:

refer to

command

other key in the

interface.

easier

tent.

tle

stingy in the index department.

The out-

know

We

all

the problems involved there. Pro-

grams are not supposed

to

be continually

placement questions. Guru decided

that

and marketing research
were the lop two occupations for me,
financial analysis

with data processing a distant third at a 56

about

to serve

as beginner's guides, but since almost ev-

ery Guru customer will be a beginner, their
is a serious flaw. They are not
and a tutorial is exactly what’s

inadequacy
tutorials,

needed.

somewhat
data processing department do.

menu

are incomplete, inconsis-

Fortunately,
closely equivalent to what people in your

one describes the

interface: the other, the

They

and incoherent. They attempt

for

its

MDBS

compensates

woeful user guides,

al-

though not surprisingly the compensation
costs.

The company

courses in

3-day
Guru and knowledge engineerwill offer

ing in a dozen major cities for $695 In ad.

MDBS

provides unlimited telethough you

updated, yet an expert system, particu-

percent certainty. In short,

one that must keep pace with the
sudden changes in market or economic
conditions indicative of business, will

as accurate as any other computerized oc-

phone support

cupational survey I've taken. You've

shouldn't expect a call back in less than a

been there, right? You've seen results
like this and your only reaction could be.

day or so unless you buy priority telephone
support guaranteed 2-hour response

larly

generate an unbelievable

number of data

processing job requests.

LIMITED DECISIONS The
system further shows that Guru

is

very

Even the
PC MagaGuru requires 2 to 3

limited for business decisions.

last

I

heard the phrase "stupid computer."

Yes. everyone knows that computers
few people use that

really arc stupid, but

now

will

tell

me

Manhattan
that

it

the best airline to travel
to

Long

will not

—

being can

tell

Island.

it

from

I'm also sure

me what any human

to take the

Long

Island Rail-

Of course, you can add that
the rules. Add Amtrak, buses,

ing. spreadsheet,

and database manage-

ment programs. You no longer call com-

you more productive. But the stupidest
computer (and program) is one that pretends to be smart.

advice to

could

dures.

"Why

Good business thinking might ask:
travel at all? Why don't we tele-

made

puters stupid because they have

road instead.

and cars as well. But the very nature of
good business thinking involves developing alternatives to standard proce-

And

MDBS

is

'

.

.

.

design process.

because almost everyone has

phrase

that

for another $300.

‘

been quite a while since

experienced the value of word process-

works and

—

time

considering including the Manager’s
Guide to Expert Systems ( see sidebar For
”), which includes
More Information
a good explanation of the expert-system

It's

airline travel adviser scenario

it

—

after purchase,

doing financial analysis.”

zine used to evaluate

days work. I'm sure

dition,

"That stupid computer thinks I should be
paucity

of examples available to demonstrate the

just

it’s

Any

fortune cookie

CONCLUSION
ings,

Guru

is

Despite

its

shortcom-

an exciting product. It brings
if complex, tool

a very powerful and solid,

out of the universities and laboratories and
into the business environment,

pert-system development
widely possible than

making ex-

much more

in the past.

The

pro-

to the notion of artificial intelligence.

gram encourages the use of a new systemdevelopment technique and will make it
possible to computerize many tasks that
have always appeared too complex to

The question of whether

computerize before.

tell you that wisdom
what you don't know.
Some people are opposed

is

knowing

in principle

logic circuits (in

And because

both hardware and software forms) can

human thought

in

Guru the expert-system

conference instead?"

ever imitate

While the example used to test Guru
in the accompanying review is necessarily a simple one, I have to ask that un-

ultimately a theological one.

ple believe that nothing will approach hu-

to use expert-system techniques in a casual

man

avoidable question: Where's the beef?

is

way, just like any other tool in the programmer’s toolbox. It is easy to imagine a

The four example expert systems included with Guru as demonstrations are
The most complex is a

cessfully imitate

job placement questionnaire. The source

But Guru

equally barren.

code ( which looks very much like a computer program) is 547 lines long. It asks
questions about your favorite college
courses and career goals and decides
what job you would be best suited for.
After I honestly answered the job-

PC

reasoning because the

notion that

it

is,

and

Some

human mind

I

human

I

don't reject the

someday a machine
is

is

peo-

from circuitry

intrinsically different

don't believe

processes

will suc-

is

no-

where close to it. It gives business software a bad name. It's the type of program
phrase "stupid comback into common office use and.

that will bring the

puter*
in the

’

process, not

smarter cither.

make

its

MAY2
163

large

it

makes

it

possible

Guru accounting or inventory

appli-

cation that includes, almost incidentally,
rule subsystems that

do

particular parts of the job better than stan-

dard procedural programs would.
availability of a

$300

the

(or less in quantity)

run-time version indicates that
a similar vision.

And

MDBS has
IH

users any

Charles Pctzold

MAGAZINE

only part of a larger systems-devel-

opment environment,

two or three dozen

thought.

not that imitator and

shell is

John Helliwell is a Toronto-based writer
and microcomputer consultant.
7.

1986

—

i

SuperKey,

PC Magazine’s

Buy

“Product of the Yean"

buy two, or

one,

Without SideKiek, SuperKey,

Traveling SideKiek

and Traveling SideKiek,
your IBM PC is only half-awake
What SuperKey

brings to the

party includes time-saving

macros, encryption, secret
passwords, and programmable

of dashing, because it’s not
getting the supercharge of a
high-speed productivity
booster like SuperKey,* PC

and re-programmable keys.
What SideKiek brings includes
a notepad with M-screen editing
and wordwrap, a phone directory,
autodlaler, calculator, appoint-

September 1, 1906). Incredbut you can save even

(until

ible values,

more. Here's

and

three for only

all

1 1 76.00, you save *4956!
Whichever oombinatlon
you biy, your're boosting your
productivity, joining the

Computer Age, prodding your
IBM PC awake, and getting it to
do what it can do with the right
kind of help— SuperKey, SideKiek

and Traveling SideKiek!

table. (If you don't

Combine the electronic
wizardry of SuperKey with

the #1 best seller for the IBM* the practical efhciency of
PC. Or the electronic clout and SideKiek
The beet way to get the most
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both SuperKey and SideKiek to
SuperKey "macros" are

processing program, don’t buy
one, because with SuperKey and
SideKiek, you probably don't

YES!

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Both SuperKey and SideKiek
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Wordstar* Turbo Pascal,*

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You avoid repetition like
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il

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is

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obviously

Traveling SideKiek is

enough. But
haven't

yet discovered

a revolutionary new

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already in

produces

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convenient familiar forms, then lets you

same
and over again. Which
makes no sense when a
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set of keystrokes

and

It

also

hotel reservation numbers, inter -

units.

It

address

travel itineraries,

includes inslant reference maps, airline

making a completely new category

in

lists,

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national telephone

prints out

saving power
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calendars,

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MA

add sales

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i

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scrambles your flies and keeps
confidential flies confidential

I
TtNphont

}

It
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of UuttMMunarnaraal CSrji
a
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Wadur

Murad m

CIRCLE

143

ON READER SERVICE CARD

TR7

SOFTWARE

DESKTOP
ORGANIZERS
Top-Notch Efficiency Tools
new breed

With the

offast and easy-to-learn
desktop organizers, the

PC plays an even greater
your busy’ day-to-day
work schedule.
role in

A

ddress

files, calculators,

and

calendars are standard supplies
in

any

office,

performing func-

tions so essential that business

might well grind to a halt were employees
suddenly forced to do without them.
still

on

Many

arrange these tools as physical objects

their desks, not realizing that they sit

right next to the

one

replace them

the personal computer.

all:

tool that could easily

Desktop organizers are one of the mostpopular categories of

PC

PC

software.

Many

on them, and most will
fiercely defend their favorite. Yet some
business people still use the older, manual
methods of performing standard desktop
users rely

functions. People tend to stick with old

methods as long as they work. You’re happy enough to skip through the Rolodex
when you need to make a call. If it takes 5
seconds to add two numbers on a calculator (which sits next to your PC) and type

discard your treasured, familiar tools.

the results into the text of the letter on your
screen,

why switch

to

an automated calcu-

you to exit your word processing program or that takes 15 seconds
of opening and closing windows to accomlator that forces

PC

same simple totaling? You need
shown significant benefits before you

plish the

to be

These benefits are so real

that

you prob-

out exiting the program

in

which you are

working. Furthermore, some of them are
so powerful and contain so

many

that users with relatively

simple needs

features

£
%

The

might want to make them their primary ap-

most-competitive products in this category

plication, running the desktop software

|
s

much as they would a more powerful

J

ably won't ignore them for long.
are

now

you use

easy to learn and speedy and

let

the desk accessory functions with-

MAY

MAGAZINE
165

2 7.

grated software package.

1986

,

inte-

:

DESKTOP ORGANIZERS

VARIOUS ACCESS METHODS By

far

most conventional and popular ap-

the

proach to using these packages

to call

is

them up from within standalone software.
All of the programs reviewed here address
this

need

in different

ways.

Some

load

all

modules into mem(maximizing speed of ac-

memory when we tried

cient

various

com-

modules in conjuncon
256K-byte systems), only one of these
packages actually bombed in some tests
binations of desktop

tion with other applications (especially

with other applications.

at start-up

cess). while others load only a kernel pro-

gram

up disk overlay files
memory space). Some of

that calls

(saving precious

these programs use

memory that

up such huge chunks of

the latter option

ly desirable, especially if

is

surprising-

you speed up acfiles on a hard

THE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS

So
many programs are out there, all working
in so many different ways, that choosing
among them is often as much a matter of
taste as anything else. The products we
chose for

this

review have one factor

common, however. Each contains the

in

er

methods also vary widely; the
one you choose should ultimately reflect
the way you like to work. Some of the programs use pop-down menus with Englishlanguage options that you select from by
moving the cursor and hitting either Return
or a designated function key. This method
makes the program easier to leant and at
first easier to use, but you might find it
faster and more convenient over the long
term to choose the Alt-“hot key” approach favored by other vendors.
The way the program looks on-screen
may be important to you. For example, in
some cases, a program's calculator will
look like the genuine article, complete
with the image of a 'paper tape’ scrolling
toward the top of the screen. Some programs let you overlay windows so that you
can see more than one module at a time,
while others clear the screen for each newly called-up module. These detailed graphics and multiple-window systems have the

base. calculator, autodialer, and calendar/

advantage of making
data
side

among
the

it

easy to compare

different modules; the

is that all that

makes

’

down-

screen access sometimes

program run

rather slowly

on a

standard 8088-based system.

We

haven’t tried to

test

text editor,

your day-to-day computing. In ad-

it

address/phone number data-

offers

each program's compatibility with other
applications in this project, but be aware

memory-resident programs often
cause problems when running with other
that

—

programs stealing RAM addresses, software interrupts, and so on. In our tests, we
worked with each desktop package in con-

and calendar,

and a

all

it

these features without having

One of Spotlight's truly convenient feait lets you move windows

around on-screen to make the best use of

However, you canwindows to come up

limited screen space.

not permanently fix
in a certain area.

When invoking Spotlight from the com-

Memory-resident

mand line, you can include parameters to
specify color and to set aside additional
amounts of memory for the accessories.
While Spotlight should be able to decide
on its own whether the system uses color

programs often cause
problems when running

or not, including the color parameter in an

with other programs.

AUTOEXEC. BAT file is a simple enough
matter. Setting aside

RAM from the begin-

ning precludes having other programs hog
daily organizer. In addition,

some of these

packages offer extra features such as alarm
clocks, which run off your schedule entries, built-in financial

functions,

vices, index-card file systems,

lone

DOS ser-

and standa-

word processing features.
Magazine has tested many such

PC

products before. For a comprehensive look

SideKick, see “It's About Time:

15

Real-Life Productivity Solutions,”

PC

at

space that Spotlight wants to occupy and
avoids annoying “insufficient
include the parameter and

loading order of accessories. For example,

on a 640K-byte system while running
WordStar, I was unable to get up the appointment book with any other module already on-screen. I could, however, pop it

Magazine, Volume 4 Number 24.
PolyWindows DeskPlus and HomeBase
were covered
ple,”

Volume

in

“ The Organizing

Princi-

5

Number 3. Many

graphi-

most or all of the essential five
features (see “Operating in a New Environment," Volume 5 Number 4, for a full

FACT FILE
Spotlight

also include

treatment of these programs).

Even

you are already using a word
processing package that serves your needs
for text editing and mail-merge and your
office

is

if

cluttered with notepads, calen-

H
RAM.

Lotus Development
Corp.

55 Cambridge Pkwy.
Cambridge, MA02142

(617)577-8500
List Price: $75
Requirements: I28K

one disk drive. DOS 2.0 or later.
A desktop manager with many

In Short:

dars, address books, and calculators,

features,

you’ll find these desktop organizers well

copy-protection scheme.

worth the low investment.

CiRClE 679 ON READER SERVICE CARD

of applications. While every

package ran into problems with

insuffi-

PC

to

try alternating the

tions, without using a formally scripted set
list

memory

you do not
do run across the

load accessory” messages. If

message, you also might

junction with one or two other applica-

of tests or

list,

has an index-

DOS services module. And

tures is that

cally based alternative operating systems

thoroughly for

a notepad, calculator, phone

filer

them take up gargantuan amounts of your
system's RAM. Because accessories load
individually as you call them up, you need
only those overlay files that you actually
use on hand.

five

components of a desktop organiz-

essential

disk.

‘

to ease

card

cess by keeping the overlay

Interface

Lotus’s Spotlight offers seven accessories

dition to

autodialer,

the desktop accessory

ory

SPOTLIGHT

—Diane Burns and

S. Venit

MAY2

MAGAZINE
166

7,

1986

some

limitations,

fine

and a horrendous

OFFICE
File

Erase

View
Copy

Print

Abandon

Quit

Hons Sort Other,.,
Delete
Rename Hkdir Paste Quit

While most desktop organizers serve impolite notice on memory-resident keyboard enhancers, print spoolers, and
screen grabbers waging a battle for keystrokes and BIOS interrupts that usually
ends in crashing the house down. Applied

Up

TOO

rd New Delete
rint Alternate

Goto
Quit

Search

Microsystems’

1

ATBNDT
FEATURE
FEATURE

4256
22656
22784
1260
3328
896
21376

SPOT

WOOFS

OLD
DOC

WORD
US

1-01-80
2-19-86
2-19-86
1-01-80
2-19-86
2-19-86
2-18-86
3-31-83
2-18-86

128
512
512
1024
4256

BAK

OFF
INTRO
FHU
SCREEN02 CAP
SCREEN03 CAP
SPELSTAR DCT
SPELSTAR OUR

CON

:

:

1-01-80
1-01-80
3-22-85

:

:

1:35a
8:20a
8:30a
12:30a
8:41a
8:42a
2:19p
12:06a
5:51p
12:08a
12:22a
3:17p

much

shell,
to Do!

utilities.

to Return

in this

like

It

ac-

many file-management

Unfortunately, there are problems

happy home.

OFFICE

creates a shell that divides

your screen into the “desktop,” or workspace, and the icon menu. Within this
shell,

8:44a

OFFICE has an editor, a file cabinet

documents created with the

editor, a

telephone book/autodialer. a calculator, an

DOS services module extends many standard DOSfunctions, so that you can format a

disk from within

lives in peaceful

this by avoiding memory residency completely and acting as a DOS

complishes

zitte

for

2-19-86

Filer

Spotlight ‘s

OFFICE

coexistence with other programs.
utilities

alarm clock, a calendar, a printer utility,
and some rudimentary DOS services. You

choose these functions from a menu that

an application and sort files in a subdirectory.

uses icons, making selections with the cur-

when reversed the loading order.
The notepad is restricted to a total of

most recently deleted entry. The
filer holds up to 500 cards of up
12 lines each. The cards are indexed by

delete the

sor keys and hitting F7. On-line help

index card

available for each, and a parameter file en-

eight pages of 14 40-character lines per

to

ables

document and allows you

the first line of text; functions include

system and

searching and goto.

The editor is capable of creating a document of up to 400 80-character lines and is
more than adequate for writing batch files,
memos, and rough drafts. You should

in

I

to save

and

print

either individual pages or the entire docu-

ment you are working with at one time.
While the module is adequate for writing
batch files and short reminders, it can’t import or export data from other programs.
This inability to swap data, however, is not
the rule in Spotlight: the notepad lets you
paste data from both the calculator and the

call

DOS filer. The calculator itself offers a

Star.

digit display

and the

ability to define

1

2-

con-

and retain subtotals in memory. Beware: quitting this module wipes
everything out of its memory.
The DOS services module may not be
as flexible as HomeBase' s (which allows
you to have up to four directories on your
screen at the same time), but it does have
stants

its

strong points. In addition to providing

functional clones of most of the

mands, the module

lets

you

DOS com-

sort files in a

Spotlight has

some

after

and

I

had

my

left

DOS

The

third

AT

from within an application; and

file

and space

track of

alarm

statistics

fora directo-

The appointment book keeps

weekly meetings, will sound an
you forget, and even lets you un-

lest

PC

from within Word-

filer

that the utility

note, though, that

file,

it is

is

a

utility

not a utility? When

stallation
best,

procedure

to

producing "0007

on

it

lacks a tab function

incapable of cutting and pasting

OFFICE

is

Applied

=

of three installations onto floppy or

hard disks. Furthermore,

my PC’s

I

found the dein-

work

—

read”

slightly misaligned

when other vendors arc

removing copy protection from their proit seems ludicrous to purchase a

grams.

copy-protected program, especially

in

MAY
167

------

Microsystems Inc.
P.O. Box 832
Roswell, G A 30077
(404)475-0832
List Price: $39.95

Requires: 256K RAM.
one double-sided floppy disk drive, DOS 2.0
or

later.

In Short:

A non-memory-resident desktop
DOS shell. While it

organizer that acts as a

solves the memory-grabbing problem,

some

serious limitations.

CIRCLE 878 ON READER SERVICE CARD

such a competitive market.

—Vincent Puglia

MAGAZINE

A

spottily at

failure to

2 7,

is

your

FACT FILE

al-

it

copy protected. Spotlight's scheme is one
of the worst I have seen, too, allowing you
a total

to

I was using a
two instances

had asked for was

I

ready installed.

When

program

printer.

ocurred while

recipe program. In the latter

me

to configure the

and automatic reformatting. And, while it
can import from or export to an ASCII text

a Spotlight message inexplicably informed

drive A:. At a time

or

system for 10 minutes
utility had gone into

the

screen saver

up the

errors

PC

had

action, a second time while attempting to

time, and filename; format a disk for your

ry or disk.

I

—once

perform cold reboots three times

subdirectory by name, extension, date/

obtain

compatibility prob-

lems. While reviewing the program.
to

you

1986

it

has

—

.

DESKTOP ORGANIZERS

use Alt-“hot key” combinations for ac-

PC-DESK

cessing their modules,

completely
this class

menu

only one module

menu

lists

III

is

driven. Also unusual for

of program

is

a time.

at

PC-DESK

you can use

that

The opening

Ill's options:

Enter

Addresses, Display Addresses, Sort/Select

Addresses. Search Menu, Print Menu,

Word

Processor, Calendar/Reminder,

Calculator, and Timekeeper.

The address book

essentially a data-

is

base with 14 fixed fields for your address
data: 8 fields for basic name/address/

phone information, a

salutation field, a

date field, 2 record-type fields (for selecting subsets), plus 2 fields for entry of free-

form notes.

You

for the fields.

cannot change the labels

The manual

states that

you

can enter up to about 200 address records,
more if you do not make entries in every
field.

Rather than residing in your PC's RAM, OFFICE acts like a DOS shell.
“desktop." or working space atul an icon menu.

It

divides the screen into a

A GOOD SORT
the address

.

book

One handy
that

is

it

lets

feature of

you

sort re-

criteria: ZIP code, record
number, or alphabetically by name or
company. In addition, for your mail-

cords by four

from the screen. Up to six documents can
be on the desktop, but you are allowed access to only one at any given time. The calendar provides eight lines for free-form entries. You select dates either by scrolling
with the function keys or by following the
screen prompts and entering the date from
the keyboard. The phone book comes up
with a data-entry screen that contains fields
for a last

name,

first

name, two telephone

numbers, and notes.

your disk. Also, the editor falls apart

attempt to insert text while the cursor
resting in or

While

OFFICE'S modus operandi does
some problems,

it

has

one. because the program
resident,

you cannot

call

it

is

no

facility for

not

For

memory

up from within

another program. For another,
self has

solve

limitations.

its

OFFICE it-

them

FICE

in the

program.

same

directory as the

When you

OF-

execute one of

these batch files from within

OFFICE, it
commands

creates a duplicate and appends

you to the OFFICE subdireconce you exit your other application

that return

tory

the last

word on

a line

.

is

Do-

merge or print

runs,

of records that

fall

rere-

causes the editor to reject additional key-

cord subtype values.

you back up the cursor and insert a space. Until you do, the computer
plays a poor imitation of the bird in Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf.

The word processing module goes a
step further than the average "notepad"
module: it accommodates most basic textentry and editing functions, including
copying and moving blocks and searching

strokes until

suffers

from a

split

personal-

DOS

and

other applications to function well as a

util-

ity:

ity,

too poorly integrated with

too limited to qualify as a standalone

program. Until

this

identity conflict,

program resolves

power

want to look elsewhere.

FACT FILE

this

users will likely

Vincent Puglia

PC-DESK III
Software Studios

8516 Sugaibush, #104
Annandale.VA 22003
(703)978-2339
List Price: $49

PC-DESK III
PC-DESK HI can operate either as a legiti-

Requires: 320K

speaking,

It is

memory resident,

a similar effect

not. strictly

but

it

by allowing you

achieves
to toggle

cations programs.

In Short: This package has good features,
such as simple-to-use sorting and mailmerge, but, because it is written in BASIC,

between areas of memory where PC-

its

DESK III is running and where your appli-

erations can be slow.

OFFICE

cations program

batch

files

ing" process

fail

creates in the "path-

to execute properly

more

PC

is

MAGAZINE

MAY
168

operation can be

awkward and certain op-

CIRCLE 877 ON READER SERVICE CARD

running.

Unlike most desktop programs, which
2 7,

1986

RAM

for use with other appli-

mate standalone program or as an accessory to other applications.

program. For some reason, the

in this

select subsets

cord type values, plus three different

text or else

Far worse than the limitations are the

bugs

you can

within a specified date

range or that match up to three different

was once your

recognizing or

changing a directory; thus, in order to use
DOS paths, you must write batch files and
put

on

ing so either causes an on-screen jigsaw

puzzle that

OFFICE

NOT MEMORY-RESIDENT

on
if you

often than not and create lost clusters

THE "QUlETwRlTER" PRINTER'S
ELECTRONIC PRINTHEAD THAT
MAKES TOR WHISPER-QUIET
PRINTING.

Plug -in
iSwj
"^SBaS
MODULES allow FO/R
QUICK changes of type faces
; ..

[Pi/ANCEP TECHNOLOGY RiBBON produces
'ARK,RJCH PRINTING.

\NORRS ini TH all IBM PC'S
AS WELL AS MANY OTHER
MICROCOMPUTERS. ,)

IVAllen&Son,Inc.

The IBM Quietwriter* Printer Model 2
for whisper-quiet quality graphics
Quality. That's the

springs to

word that

mind when describing

the “Quietwriter” Printer Model 2
Its

letter-quality printing, for

example, gives you

all

the crisp-

ness and deep, rich gloss of

IBM

Selectric® Typewriter printing.

The

quality of

its

high-resolution

graphics makes for full curves

and sharp detail. And, of course,
its w hisper-quiet operation improves the quality of your work
environment.

The “Quietwriter"

Printer’s

other qualities? Speeds of up to
60 characters per second, depending on pitch and application. And

and text.

family of personal printers.
All designed to serve a single

purpose: To give everything you

do the finishing touch.

IBM dealer
IBM Product Center nearest

interchangeable plug-in loots that
support the full 252-character set
of the IBM Personal Computer.

you—or for free

you need output
more than one type style.)

Or contact your IBM marketing

(Perfect

if

in

The IBM “Quietwriter”
IBM PCs and to
many other personal computers.
And it’s part of our growing

For the authorized
or the

1

literature— call

800 IBM-2468, Ext. LC/141.

representative.

Printer attaches to

IBM Personal Printers...The Finishing Touch

DESKTOP ORGANIZERS

for text strings. Its only text formatting,

however,

is

centering, and

sion for boldface or

italic.

MAILING LIST ADDITIONS

has no proviThe word pro-

NUMBER: 62

it

First Name

Initial

anti

cessor and the address book work together

mail-merge form letters and labels. You
can embed variables within paragraphs,

Last Name:Billings

to

but you can only enter one variable

From

line.

ter lines

the print

Jane®

Telephone: 12311111;

Title President

name

menu, you have
five easy-to-use options: you can print
form letters, envelopes, labels, your telephone directory, letters, and individual
Rolodex cards.
The calendar module displays one full
month of dates on the screen at a time, and
you page forward or backward between
months by typing plus ( + ) and minus (-)
signs. You can enter up to five 24-charac-

on a

SalutationiDear

Company.3344 Juniper Sierro
Street Mtlress:345 (lain Street
5tate:San Beuu, CA

City,

Record Type:09_

Zip Code 99999

|

Uari able

Notes

;

,

Sub-Record Type:.' 1;

|

Expiration

Date:ir

l

1

'

-

of reminders for each date; these

notes appear on the right side of the screen

when you position the cursor over a specific date. You can also enter up to 19 24down the left side

Enter <"> to Duplicate Last Information

character lines of notes

of the screen. These remain the same no

PC-DESK III’r address book is a fixed-field database that lets you generate mailing lists sorted by

matter what date or month you are viewing. All notes and reminders are free-form
entries with no special fields for times.
Print options for this module are limited to
using PrtSc to print out notes and remind-

name, company. ZIP code, or record number.

ers for a given date.

has centered headings but no bold or

The Timekeeper module

consists of a

you log
starting and ending times for tasks on lines
with predefined, unchangeable column
headings for client, type, and date. The
current system date and time are picked up
fancy appointments

list,

letting

automatically and entered in the appropriate

columns when you log in or log out but
,

these entries can be easily edited.

a disk

ly

when you
using

for

file that

you need

get the package.

PC-DESK 111

emphasis, no

dex (except
beginning
printed

itself,

is

PC-DESK 111

memory-partitioning scheme

is

an

inter-

The program divides memory
“Desk I" (where the PC-DESK III
modules reside), which gobbles up 224K
bytes of RAM. and "Desk 2,” which contains whatever memory is remaining. You

of software, adding some

found

packages

changes
are automatically saved to disk. Screen
changes between modules are extremely

who

mnemonic Alt-key combinations. Its modules include Word, Alarm Clock, Calen-

simply

wants to maintain a simple calendar (no

more than
list

five appointments per day),

of contacts, and use word proletters.

The

FACT FILE

sorting

you don’t
computer science

features are easy to use, and

have to have a Ph.D.

in

to figure out the

mail-merge feature.

—Diane Bums and

S. Venit

Pop-Up DeskSet Plus
Popular

Programs

if

you

saved.

WA

This package is easy for anyone to learn
and use, including those who are relatively
new to the PC. The manual is, alas, actual-

PC

POP-UP

one disk drive,

DESKSET PLUS
Popular Programs'

has the potential to be a winner in the desktop

utilities

sweepstakes. Not only

MAGAZINE

MAY
170

DOS 2.0 or later.

In Short: Pop-Up DeskSet Plus

Pop-Up DeskSet Plus

easy to learn and well behaved,

Inc.

135 Lake St.
Kirkland.
98033
(206)822-7065
List Price: $129
Requires: 128KRAM,

111 editing

slow down considerably
make many changes that need to be

any of the other

modules from other applications by typing

pressing Alt-Esc, at which

PC-DESK

in

we reviewed.

Each of Pop-Up DeskSet Plus's modules can be loaded separately, so that you
can save memory space by loading only
those modules you intend to use. Once
loaded, you can immediately access the

dar, Calculator, Financial Calculator (with

suitable as a low-cost, stand-

is

keep a

fast but

in this category

tools that aren't

DESK 111

cessing mostly to send

point any

The lack of a

not a problem in such a

into

memory by

at the

cludes nearly every feature you could want

keep this package at its low price.
Other programs out there have better
schemes for memory residency, but PC-

esting one.

toggle back and forth between each area in

in-

simple program, however, and helps to

alone package for anyone

HOW MUCH MEMORY

it

italic

and no

of contents

called an index).

manual

to print out

was prepared

illustrations,

that the table

is

It

which means

it

is

it

also in-

2 7,

1986

is one of the
fastest, most DOS-integrated packages reviewed here. Its address-book functions,
however, are limited.
CIRCLE 878 ON READER SERVICE CARD

—

Read what Hie experts say
about the PC's Limited AT.
The PC’s Limited AT’”
proved to be the functional
equivalent to the IBM®
product, only faster. Priced
at roughly one-third less,
it rates as one of the best
bargains available.”
Winn L. Rosch,

have no qualms recommending this system to
experienced users who
"I

need the added speed.”

— Sol Libes,
Micro/Systems Journal,
January/February 1986

“If price is your primary
consideration, skip both
AT&T1 and TI® and choose
this issue’s best buy, the
PC's Limited AT'”. Check

benchmark

its

results

you won’t be sacrificing
performance to save
money.”
— PC Magazine,

—

PC Magazine,
February 25, 1986

Editor’s Choice,

February 25, 1986

And that's not enough to convince you,
now we've got a 30-day money-back guarantee.
iff

6MHZ. 8MHZ

80286-based System Unit (Runs at
included at

no

option

extra charge.)

1024K on Mother Board

•

Meg

• 1.2
•

Floppy Drive

Combined Floppy/Hard Drive
•

AT

Controller Card

Keyboard

•

192W

Power Supply

* 2 Serials and
•

1

Parallel Port

Clock/Calendar with Battery Backup
• Operations
•

One

Manual

Year Limited Warranty

$1995
I'm Michael Dell. President of PC’s Limited.
that you’ll like everything about

And

I

want you to know about your

This machine, with 1024K on the Mother Board and an

we introduced
you can

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it

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can do for your operation. With a deal

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plus details on our guarantee.)

When a PC's Limited Turbo PC is on your
desk, you'll think
a good machine. And a
heck of a buy. . . a fine
.

“It

.

One

original.

— MIS

I'd

.

.

beyond the

no

status.

August
.

"We tested a wide variety of
software on the machine
and everything ran well . . .

believable.”

happily
choose over Big Blue’s
box.

a headliner tee.

it's

almost sounds unWeek,

21,

The bottom line for anyone considering buying
one of these computers
would seem to be this:

1985

.

status that at-

TOTAL SATISFACTION GUARANTEE
WARRANTY

taches to getting twice as
much for your money.”

PC’s Limited sells quality
systems for extraordinarily

—Jim Seymour,
PC

August

13.

low prices.”

Week,

—PC

1985

Week,

October 29, 1985
• 16-bit 8088-2 System Unit

6.66MHZ)
640K on Mother Board
360K Floppy Drive
(runs at 4.77 or

•
•

•
•

AT Keyboard

DOW

Power Supply

• Operations
•

One

Manual

Year Limited Warranty

$795

—
Our

1\irbo

were the

PC™ has

first

sold in large quantities since the

company

to break the

first

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1800 barrier with a machine

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we’re going to extend the margin even further by offering a 30-day

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m

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call

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Of course,

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SERVICE CARD

Ad Number 2527/86

—

DESKTOP ORGANIZERS

automatically placing the items in your ap-

pointment schedule into your current list of
alarms. As the time for each appointment
arrives,

an alarm sounds and the first 22
you typed beside the

characters of the note

time entry displays on the screen.

If

you

find the display of these characters too intrusive,

you can

alarm clock simply

set the

sound an alarm. Perhaps the alarm

to

run

clock’s best feature

is

things automatically,

which allows you

ability to

its

—

to

your computer to perform tasks such
at a ceras dialing an autodial sequence
tain time each day.
In addition to a simple five-function
set

—

Pop-Up DeskSet Plus

calculator,

cludes a financial calculator that
the

also in-

is

one of

most useful we saw. It includes built-in
and financial functions like natu-

statistical

log (logarithm), log base 10, e**x, sq

ral

and

modem dial), DOS

Utilities,

and Pop-

Anything (run another application). The
schedule files and address book files are
made using predefined formats of the
Word module.

PV

ture value),

NPV

(present value),

mean, correlation

Pop-Up DeskSet Plus includes a handyfinancial calculator that includesfunctions like natural
log. square root, present value and net present value, and slope.
extra built-in functions). Voice (autodial

(square root).

FV

rt

(fu-

(net present value),

coefficient, regression,

population standard deviation, and
“slope” (= mX + b).

formatting and editing functions and lacks

only a mail-merge function and support of
print
italic.

enhancements such as boldface and
However, you can always use the

clipboard to

move

text into another

word

MOSTLY WELL BEHAVED
Anything

lets

Pop-Up

you “pop up' other applica’

tions, use

them, and then just type

return to

Pop-Up DeskSet Plus

EXIT to
DOS.

or

specially formatted

We had no difficulty running Pop-Up
DeskSet Plus modules with several other
applications, including Microsoft Word
and WordStar. However, the graphics

Set Plus into other applications. For exam-

that lets

characters on the borders of SuperCalc3

you are in a word processing program and you use the calculator or any
other Pop-Up DeskSet Plus module, you

address book:

One of the
age
lets

nicest features of this pack-

is its true "clipboard" feature, which
you cut and paste from Pop-Up Desk-

ple, if

processing program for additional text for-

matting and mail-merge.

For address

was on

selected on-screen will paste itself in

Utilities feature lets

can use the word processing mod-

ule’s Search

command

as a database

"find" operation, but you cannot

your application.
modules and also

records or print them out to mailing labels.

enables you to paste entries between other

Once you locate the correct name and posi-

from one
application paste into the Pop-Up DeskSet
Plus clipboard, and then cut and paste
from there to wherever else you want the

phone number, you
can press Alt-V to call up Pop-Up Voice
and then press F2 to dial the number.
Similarly, you build your schedule in
the Word module with a predefined format

the current location of

This works with

all

the

different applications: simply cut
,

data to go.

sort the

tion the cursor over the

that

is set

up

for entering times, like 8:00,

FULL-FEATURED NOTEPAD The

8:30. and so on. along the right-hand side

notepad, or

Word module, is really a fairly
word processor. It uses
WordStar- like editing and dot commands

of the screen.

full-featured

appointments beside each time

to

perform

all

standard word processing

PC

as

You

enter notes about your
slot,

using

many lines as required for the entry.
Pop-Up Alarm Clock functions by

MAY

MAGAZINE
174

The

DOS

you execute DOS’s

DIR, CD, DEL (files), COPY, REN, and
TYPE commands from within applications.

You

the total line for the calculator or whatever

was

flashed after using any module.

name (tab) phone (tab)
company (tab) address,
city, state, zip

can press Alt-F instead of Esc to return to
the application, and then whatever

entries, the disk includes a

word processing file
you enter these fixed fields for an

27,

It

files

handy

also includes a

you look at the
you have on disk.

that lets

little

first line

feature

of any text

The package's basic operation was easy
used to. Pop-Up DeskSet Plus
comes with a reference card that proved
to get

very useful, although rather unattractive.

The manual has no headers,
lustrations,

nor does

it

footers, or

il-

have an index

Popular Programs clearly doesn’t expect

anyone

to

need to look anything up once

they’ve read

it

And
commands

through.

ably right: most

by function keys, and

are activated

is one of the
programs in the desktop category.
Diane Burns and S. Venit

best

—

1986

they’re prob-

there’s plenty of on-

screen help. In general, this

Imagine him
If

]

PC

the pace of your

read on. Because

11

at
is

70 MPH.
you buggy,
can make it function

driving

now you

"

up to 700% faster with the SpeedPac 286
So what once took eons foy/our IBM PC or
PC/XT, now happens in a flash. Often faster than an AT. And
for a lot less than you might think-just $595. And
you don’t have to add memory, or worry about Jy
software compatibility. What’s more (or less),
11
our 80286-generation accelerator is a half-slot
board, which saves room for other add-on cards. And

M

m

installing

it

buying

it

is

Call

June

is

so easy it’s virtually goof-proof. But then so
get a

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—you
your
more
800 248-5252

at 1

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nearest VICTOR dealer, or to order your SpeedPac 286.
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So why wait any longer?

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IBM PC and PC/XT are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation

CIRCLE

136

ON READER

Scott's Valley.

SERVICE CARD

CA (408) 438 6680

,

.

DESKTOP ORGANIZERS

Desktop Organizers: Summary of Features
Product

Name

Get Organized

Price

Works within
other programs

windows

Method

S99

Yes

Yes

Alt/Function key

Data

Overlay
ot operation

Alarm clock

management

Data swapping

Yes

Yes

Via clipboard

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Limited

Via clipboard

Yes

Yes

Within

combinations.

menus
$39.95

No

No

$49

No

No

Menus

Pop-Up OeskSet Plus

$129

Yes

Yes

Alt

Spotlight

$75

Yes

Yes

Alt/Shift

OFFICE

Alt/Ctrl

key

Import export
ASCII

combinations,

III

key combinations
key

GET ORGANIZED

also features easy-to-use 1-2 -5-style

Gel Organized (GO) is a slick windowed
system that incorporates full-featured
word processing and database functions
into the normal desktop utility lineup. In
fact, GO is such a powerful package that
adding a spreadsheet to it might just satisfy
users who want an integrated applications

and change for each module. You select
among these by pressing Esc and the first

at

Installing the

program

simple; just

is

run the appropriate installation program

your system (either two floppy disks or

a hard disk).

GO

may

then be used either

as a standalone program, or

it

may be

load-

ed as a memory-resident utility, running
quietly in the background of other applications. You can view multiple GO modules
in different windows on the screen simultaneously and toggle among them using
simple Alt-function key commands. GO

menu

the top of the screen

character of the desired selection.

A FANCY DISSOLVE For the most part
GO has a nice interface. Its screens are
well designed and attractive, and
gle back and forth between

package.

for

which appear

some

program modules

combinations

bars,

tiles to text

module

menus

PC-DESK

you

tog-

GO and what-

ing module.

The word processing module

goes beyond the

built-in notepad;

it

ever application you are running by press-

You can print out continuous-form mailing

do this, GO
performs a fancy screen dissolve and
makes a small exclamation (a very short,

(Rolodex) index cards. The five-function

ing Alt-G. Each time you

politely

whispered beep).

labels, 3

by 5 index cards, or rotary-type

calculator includes a cut-and-paste feature

you copy one or more of your entries from the on-screen “paper tape" into
GO's word processing files.
that lets

GO

contains both a standard utility
notepad and a full-featured word process-

FACT FILE
Get Organized
Electronic Arts

Campus

2755
San Mateo,

Dr.

CA 94403

(415) 572- ARTS
List Price: $99

256K RAM
for DOS 2.0, 320K for
Requires:

DOS 3.0, or 5 12K and a hard disk drive for
memory-resident use.
In Short: Get Organized is a well-integrat-

windowed program with a lot of depth. Its
huge memory and disk requirements may be
excessive for those with modest setups.
CIRCLE 975 ON READER SERVICE CARD
ed,

You can run Get Organized
utility.

PC

lets

you format and edit text as extensively as
most standalone word processing packages. It even includes a mail-merge feature
that works in conjunction with both the index card file and the address book. The address book itself is simply a formatted index card file, offering 13 fields with
predefined (but changeable) field names.

either as a standalone program from disk or as a memory-resident
Shown on-screen are four of Get Organized's modules.

MAGAZINE

MAY2
176

7,

1986

8

2

New From Peter Norton

Brand

A PROGRAMMER’S EDITOR
uiais
The telecommunications module

in-

ugnimng just wiui U iv
programmers need

features

cludes options for setting communications

parameters and storing multiple autodial
in an easy-to-use, pop-down
menu. You can escape from active telecommunication at any time and use combi-

sequences

This

NORTON

copy downloaded

Direct from the

from the screen

text

onto the clipboard and then into other

I’d

The Norton

applications.

GO’s

basic operation and

command

conventions should become second nature

Inside the

Utilities,

the programI

wished

had when I wrote

Norton

Utilities.

and the Peter Norton
Programmer’s Guide.

within a few hours, though you'll need to

Easily customized,

Editor."

and saved

Split-screen editing

GO’s one drawback is
the

A

amount of disk and

memory

space

it

wonderful condensed /outline display
Great for assembler, Pascal and C

Peter Norton, 2210 Wilshire Blvd., #186
Santa Monica, CA 90403, 213-826-8032

requires.

Visa, MasterCard
devote a

gram’s

more time to learning the proof word processing and daThe package includes a

bit

and phone orders welcome

full set

tabase features.

Save Time.. ..Save Money.. .With

quick-reference guide, cleverly printed on

two GO disks
two more data disks), and

TOCT.

the sleeve that holds the

(with

room

the manual

for

is attractively laid

5*3

Busimss Ctmputinj Xadt Siapltt

out, typeset,

:

Nnbj

Si l£K

Talle if C*n trots

and printed. The manual does lack headers
and footers, and so you must look in the ta-

Vr„ Mil

ble of contents or the index to find a given
topic.

But the program

is

• Unlimited

so easy to leant

that this shouldn’t matter very

much.

Sub-menus
|

• Password
Protection

I

LOTS OF RAM GO’s
the

one drawback

amount of disk and memory space it reThe modules by themselves take

1

run

GO as a standalone integrated system.
GO lets you take the edge off

Fortunately,
its

memory

appetite

of its modules

at

by loading only a few
capacity

limits, but they aren’t restrictive for

most

normal uses. For example, the calendar
cannot track more than 64 different recurring events;

Custom
Custom
Title

easy!

Itilitics
Itilitics

Colors
•

FI

R

bit

ni

—

ISDWKII 1)

BASICS

<1

canes <»u>

isB

spmsii (III)
<i

mm

KK

MIL

PRODUCTS < DIR)

TOC

TBS It

UTMXEC.I

IL.NT

\-

U]

Scroll

«m
TOC

<iii)

I

8 FAsT'-

'

fcswM

1

BOOT MlECIOffi 1-

<1

(III)

It] Chang?
( 111)

m

cal <iii>
UTILITY

(HD

—

OKS (III)
mnwroii)
IMMOC(III)
MTOMC.IAT

Will Easily Execute All Programs

From Hard Disks or Diskettes.

a time.

The program does have a few

S
M

Passing
•

quires.

up almost 240K bytes of RAM. For a program that calls itself a desktop utility, it is
big even by today’s gargantuan standards.
If you want to use GO in memory-resident
mode with other applications loaded,
you’ll need a minimum of 5 2K RAM and
a hard disk. With a mere 256K, you can

S&SEto::::::::::::::::::::

• Parameter

is

you cannot type more than 5 1

• DOS 2.0 or higher* 1 Disk Drive
XT, AT, or PC Jr. and all compatibles
Send Check or M.O. for $49.95 + 2.50 shipping to:

Requires 128K
For the PC,

Sand Si For Deni. Did'tfe IN-V. Rcijerm, plcaw intludf applicable

characters per notepad page, calendar to-

PC

THE MENU PROGRAM

-ales laa)

TOC BUSINESS SOLUTIONS INC., P.O. Box 129
Old Westbury, NY 11568 Call (516) 795-2800 for MC/VISA

:

CIRCLE 156 ON READER SERVICE CARD

MAY2

MAGAZINE
177

7,

1986

to

glory with The Norton

vVvV/

IBM PC,

my

You can

program your way

EDITOR

man who gave you

GO

is

mer’s editor that

nations of cursor keys and function keys to

nnnni

DESKTOP ORGANIZERS

grams

do list, address listing, or index card; and
no index card set (file) may contain more
than 25.000 cards. GO rated high marks
for compatibility with other programs,
working well with word processing pro-

WordStar, MultiMate, Volks-

like

Word

writer Deluxe, and Microsoft

which you must

select

GO' s

(for

when

loading).

WRITE TOOLS FOR YOU!

JIM BUTTON HAS THE

GO rates high marks

graphics op-

We did run into one
harmless but irritating quirk related to
tion

for compatibility with

other programs.

GO and
SuperCalc3 caused the spreadsheet's row
numbers and column letters to start flashing on the screen.
GO is nicely integrated, fairly fast, and
has a functional multiple-window capability. It is easy to (earn and use. It fills a
niche for users who want integrated, fullcompatibility; toggling between

When it comes to letters, memos and reports, PC-TYPE is the easy word processor.
It’s

powerful, flexible and designed with your needs in mind.

You

get all this

and

simple-to-use advanced features like working with:
* other programs (including

* multiple files

DOS

*

PC- Style)

commands

up your writing with PC-STYLE, the program that has a way with words!
Finally, someone has written a program to check the “vital signs” of your writing:
Polish

* put
* cut

“punch”
down on

* add a personal touch to sentences
what you write
words * make your writing more readable

into

PC-STYLE

PC-TYPE

And

your other computing needs

$59.95

for

-

for

an unbelievable $29.95

featured

word processing and filing modwant to leant a complicated

ules and don’t

the use of long

Pick up

command

structure. In

of cheap, plentiful

tomorrow's world

memory and mass-stor-

.

age, desktop utilities will look like intefor

.

grated packages, and programs like Get

.

.

For the record(s) PC-FILE/R is the one. You get everything more than 250,000
people are already benefiting from with this legendary database program; plus pO|>up help screens, built-in word processing (for mail merge) and relational capabilities.
It’s

yours for $149.00

Organized will point the way.

—Diane Bums and
Diane Burns,

and Vincent Puglia

are frequent contributors to

PC-CALC is a program you can count on.
isn’t

hard to use. Grab

it

for

$59.95

Popular,

full

featured spreadsheet* and

Get

it

for

$59.95

Jim Button not only has what you need

CHOICE
9 EDITOR’S
FTC

Our number one choice among the
packages we reviewed is Pop-Up

.

RIGHT NOW, but also what you didn’t even

DeskSet, for the strength of its integration with DOS andfor its speed.
We were impressed with the pro-

know you needed:
Try PC- TICKLE, the program

that never forgets. Tickler files will never be the

only

gram's ability to let us transfer data

ButtonWare: 1-800-

from the Pop-Up DeskSet Plus modules into our spreadsheet and word
processing packages with a single,
simple command, and it's straightforward and easy to install and use,

same. All of a sudden, your old calendar just became obsolete! This one
$29.95, too

JBUTTON

is

.

Place an order with your local computer store.

Add

(206-454-0479).

You can even

get

call

for shipping/handling.

foreign language versions

published in Europe by

DORTEC

*

GERMANY

*

ITALY

FRANCE
* HOLLAND
*

*

$5.00

Or

SPAIN

:

of

of ButtonWare programs
Denmark. Check with these sources:

For some, Pop-Up DeskSet
Plus’s database functions may

database functions and more depth

Mega/K

(1)455349 99
(072) 335044

Quinta Generacion

(1) 241 10 36

Soft

J.

:

A.B. Soft

:

to boot.

(07361)44004
(02) 683 797

Georg Abele Kg

:

:

PC Magazine.

it

.

For a program you can communicate with there’s the “hot” new version of PCDIAL. Advantages like a Mini-Editor, beefed up Smart Keys (macros); Scripts for
automating tasks; or use of DOS commands (without losing your connection or
leaving the program).

H

S. Venit

S. Venit,

.

limiting.

CIRCLE 313 ON READER SERVICE CARD

processing functions.

PC

MAGAZINE

MAY
178

be

For those who want more

each individual module, our runner-up choice is Get Organized,
which combines desk accessories
with integrated database and word
in

27, 19

8 6

1

DON'T LOOK
FOR PRODUCTIVITY IN A PRODUCT.
la-

1

f

The purchase

of

.

SEE US AT

a

COMDEX
BOOTH

data base system
should be the beginning
of

a

relationship.

1328

That relationship should
include planned product

upgrades, experienced

Manufacturer’s Hanover

technical support, vertical

Trust

Send

summed up the expe-

application templates, infor-

rience of tens of thousands

mational seminars, training

by calling DataEase
"the most impressive productivity tool have seen."

programs, user groups,
newsletters, special market-

and much,

When you

much more

Demand a

Relationship

At Software Solutions, the

as soon
as you contact us. We’ll
help you find answers
to your questions about
DataEase™—or about
relationship begins

talk to us,

ask

WANG

free

DATAEASE

my PC (check one):
DEC
Tl

relating to:

Corporate Client
Retailer
MIS/DP/IC Professional
VAD
Other

Name:.
Title:

_

Phone: _

.

as “the easiest to understand
and use full-featured data
base program,” calling it "a
program which could easily

Software Solutions,

Street

.Zip:.

City:

Mail

to:

703972
800- 243-5123

Telex:
Inc.

12 Cambridge Drive
Trumbull.

CT 0661

set the industry standard.”

Discover us. Find out
important the

at

diskette for

IBM

Indude materials

Company:.

ment

The product evaluator

for

and a

our sample diskette See for
yourself why Data Based
Advisor points to DataEase

any information manageissue.

sample

of users

I

ing programs...

information

how
company
be

behind the product can

Software Solutions. Get into a relationship that works for you.
Canada
Computed inks,

Toronto. Ontario; (416) 231-1270

United Kingdom
Sapphre Systems. Essex. 01-554-0582

PMAG 5/27/86

West Germany. Austria
M&T Software Vertag. Munich. 089^61 3-0

CIRCLE

193

Scandinavia

West

Soft A/S, Alesund. Norway; (47) 71-46166

ON READER

SERVICE CARD

Switzerland. France
Softsource. S
1209 Geneve, Switzerland;

A

985152&965-153

"

The world’s best

selling

monochrome

graphics card for the
There are more Hercules
Graphics Cards in more IBM*
PCs, XTs and ATs than any
other monochrome graphics
card in the world.
Over a quarter of a million
demanding users around the
world use a Hercules Graphics

Card to improve the performance of their software.

The Lotus' 1-2-3" Booster.
Consider Lotus 1-2-3.
Hercules gives an off-the-shelf
copy of 1-2-3
the highest
;

resolution

possible

on an

IBM

PC, XT or AT. More 1-2-3
users choose the Hercules
Graphics Card to get crisper
text and sharper graphics
than any other monochrome
graphics card.
And we bring the same

performance to other integrated programs like Symphony 7
Framework and SuperCalc*3.

IBM

improves all kinds of software.
Like Microsoft* Word, a

word processor that enables

PC.

parallel printer port.

Our

unique static RAM buffer provides sharp 9 x 14 characters
and flicker-free scrolling. Our

you to display text with subscripts, superscripts and italics exclusive safety features help
Or pfs: Graph, an easy-toprevent damage
use business graphics program
to your monitor.
that converts your data into
State-of-the-art
presentation quality graphs.
custom IC technology
Or Microsoft Flight Simudelivers unsurpassed relilator, the high flying game for
ability. Ordinary graphics cards
the overworked executive.
use up to 30 ICs to do what one
Or our own Graph X~ a
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sibility of component failure.
programming.
Which is one reason we
Or AutoCAD " a computer warranty the Hercules
aided design program that
Graphics Card for two years.
offers features normally assoUnbeatable reliability.
ciated with expensive CAD
Advanced technology. Proven
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by over a quarter of a million
And we supply free softusers. Why settle for anything
ware with each card
less than Hercules?
to do hi-res graphCall 1-800-532-0600 Ext 400
ics using the PC’s
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"

-

,"

But we don’t stop there.
The Hercules Graphics Card

The Hercules Graphics
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Address: 2550 Ninth St.. Berkeley, CA 94710 Ph: 415 540-6000 Telex: 754063. Trademarks/Owners: Hercules. Graph X/Hercules;
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Limited time offer, subject to change without notice.

CIRCLE

140

ON READER SERVICE CARD

1-2-3,

Symphony/Lotus; IBM, XT,

HARDWARE WINN L. ROSCH

ONE, TWO,

BREAKTHROUGH:

theCORE HC25
High-quality construction gives the Core drive 250 megabytes of
storage, while

its

brand-new interface breaks the speed barrier

for access times. Will other manufacturersfollow suit?

O

f late, personal computer technology has been progressing at the

capacity to good use, Core adds

slow, diligent pace of a sculptor

ries inch

el

software that doesn’t just

beyond

the

let

some nov-

the

HC-Se-

32-megabyte

DOS

honing and polishing his work to

gleaming perfection. At long
last,

creative inspiration has

struck. Breakthroughs are taking

place in hard disk technology,

and the

latest series

of high-ca-

pacity, high-performance hard

disks from Core International are

revealing the shape of things to

come.

The Core HC-Series

(for high

capacity) hard disks are big and

probably the biggest and
can fit inside an
AT system unit. What’s more,
the HC-Series drives blaze into
all-new territory and break down
fast,

fastest drives that

yesterday’s barriers with a ven-

geance.

These drives far exceed the
60-megabyte official IBM limit
of the

AT

chassis, pushing that

maximum up nearly

disk size limit but smashes

ten times, to a half gi-

gabyte (500 megabytes) of internal storage. Instead of shaving a few more milli-

HC-Series drives slice data transfer time
half

Unlike some earlier Core drives whose
ancestry could be traced back almost di-

in

totally new disk-interAnd to put all that speed and

PC

thoroughly,

1 gigabyte of disk storage to
be accessed as a single drive.

by adopting a

face standard.

it

allowing up to

seconds off their average access times, the

rectly to Control

Data Corp., the HC-Semanufactured by

ries drives are essentially

MAGAZINE
181

MAY2

7.

1986

I
3
at

a

1

THE CORE HC25

Core (although

do include sub-

the drives

contracted parts). At present, the series

HC

consists of two models, the

1

5 with

1

50

megabytes of formatted capacity and the
250-megabyte HC25. of which a preproduction model was received for evalua-

tioning information front a dedicated servo
spare. The heads are moved
by a high-performance voice-coil actuator
that has a rated average access time of 26

surface, and

An

milliseconds.

automatic park-and-lock

mechanism withdraws

the read/write

heads from the active data area when the

tion.

drive

BIG BYTES

On

HC25

the surface, the

looks like just about any other full-height

AT, though

drive slot in your

more rugged than most.

—

any other drive

It

it’s

a

bit

operates just

at least until

you de-

shut

is

down

power

the

HC25

uses a

standard (see sidebar),

is

it

new

not compatible

with the factory-equipped, combined flop-

IBM provides with
PC AT. The HC25 requires its own.

py/hard disk controller
the

Core-de-signed controller card, model

on the screen a

which

bit faster

than with other

hint of the

amazing

abili-

into

fits

pansion

PC AT

an empty

HC.

16-bit ex-

free" that finally pops on the screen
million.

replace the original

of the

The

HC25

is

the

number of “bytes

—250

real differences are

hidden inside

the cast-aluminum chassis. There you'll
find (if

you take the head-chamber cover

HC25

off and void the warranty) that the

has a

tall

stack of seven 5'/i-inch platters,

the actual hard disks that data

on. Each platter

is

is

recorded

covered with a sputtered

pure-metal thin-film recording medium.
(Sputtering
that creates

is

a form of

vacuum

plating

extremely uniform and very

hard recording surfaces that can store

formation

at

in-

high densities.)

Fourteen read/write heads scurry back

and forth across the surfaces of the platters:
2 heads for data, for reading head-posi1

I

ever. because

disk drives.

HC

AT

power sup-

AT computer. DOS 3.0 or later.
HC controller.
150 and 250-megabyte

1

second

—
—and

internal hard disk

on

its

mounting

sliding the

rails into

a slot and

HC25

the

HC

requires special

is

told that

no hard disk

dividing up a single

file

BACKUP
DOS for

in

among

several

drives or partitions.

imposed by the hard disk
structure dictated by DOS. DOS stores inThis limit

is

formation on disk
clusters,

sectors,

in allocation units called

in the

normal scheme of

made from

four physical disk

which

each holding 512 bytes. Individ-

ual files are assigned clusters through a

mapping system based on a file allocation
table (FAT) stored on the disk. DOS specifies that a certain limited amount of disk
space be devoted to the FAT. enough to
hold numbers that map 32 megabytes of
clusters.

EXCEEDING THE LIMIT The
dies to this malaise, the lack of

reme-

FAT.

are

hard to swallow. All involve some

is

being

in-

modification to

DOS. which means

alter-

ing the standard that has been instrumental

probably the most foolish because

it

means

giving up the very reason for buying a

—

PC

place
its immense software
Core allows for this possibility by offering full Xenix support for the HC25.
alternative
Another
is to modify DOS
in the first

base.

itself

ever so slightly to allow

bigger disks.

DOS

is

easily

it

to handle

amenable

to

up and par-

such software surgery, though the complications that can arise are potentially malig-

DOS

IBM

ATFDISK. which generally corresponds
to the DOS FDISK program. Finally, the

(or Microsoft)

HC25

thoroughly tested, modified versions are

is

formatted with Core-provided

—

One

nant.

of the limitations of

DOS

is its

MAY2

MAGAZINE
182

so-

volume lim7.

Although

is

as delivered

by

reasonably bug-free and

not as blessed. Changing an individual

byte in the code of an operating system can
lead to unforeseen consequences, particularly

again.

called 32-megabyte hard disk

PC

cause other than through the
program, no provision is made

Core-provided program.

and afterward can be used
any other hard disk except you may
never worry about a disk full of errors

AT internal hard disks that can be configured
as one or more DOS volumes.

drive letter and no larger than

system that supports larger disks. In today's PC environment, this strategy is

AT

like

CIRCLE 674 ON READER SERVICE CABO

own

In addition to the normal installation of

for about

ATFORMAT

formaned) high-speed ( 1 8-millisecond average access time and 10-MHz transfer rate)

its

in making the PC popular.
The most forthright solution is to abandon DOS altogether for another operating

a strange metallic singing/hum-

is

titioned using a

Requires:

with

at turn-

HC25

ming it makes
on time.

stalled. Instead, the drive is set

(available for purchase separately)

DOS,

must be partitioned or subdi-

vided into a number of virtual disks, each

signature of the voice-coil actuator of the

—

.

HC25 uses its own controller, the
IBM AT SETUP program (part of diag-

HC controller. $595

larger disks

all

nostics)

HC25 (drive only) $8,995: HCI5

32 mega-

is

operate under unadorned

Only the rigorous access-time testing
program caused a discernible noise
gentle, subdued rattle. The only telltale

cause the

Boca Raton. FL 3343

(

ROM

(though simple) software installation. Be-

HC-Serits Hard Disks

In Short: Very large

and Core controllers.

ply.

controller card, the

(305)997-6055
List Price:

does not operate floppy
most applications, you

then connecting the cables

Core International
7171 N. Federal Hwy.

(drive only) $6,995:

how-

for

IBM

controller has on-board

quieter than the fan in the

drive

FILE

it

controller,

code that permits it to boot its host computer from a HC25 hard disk.
Under normal use, the HC25 is quiet,

the

F A C T

So

need both the

The

IBM

standard, the

willing to deal with

is

To

things are

slot.

A single HC card can operate two Core
internal drives. The Core HC card does not

ties

bytes.

32 megabytes. Files must necessarily be

eyed. you might notice the characters snap

The only

system

smaller than 32 megabytes as well, be-

interface

cide to read a directory. If you're sharp-

drives.

DOS

According to the

largest single disk drive that the operating

head

is off.

Because the

it.

when

to protect against

crashes and media degradation even

hard disk you would want to slide into a

like

1

when

the modifications are

done

without the benefit of the source code, as
third-party modifications

1986

must

be. Fur-

GANGING GIGAFILES What makes
a system Core calls

this possible is

BENCHMARK TESTS
HC25 and Core ATplus75 vs.
IBM PC AT (with CMI hard disk drive)

Core

M

which

file,

gram.

core

Hca

CUibm pcatiw

core ATpim75
cmi

drive}

part of the

is

works,

GIGA-

ATFD1SK

pro-

much

like other disk modiby modifying the sector
size on the disk from its DOS standard size
of 5 12 bytes. In the case of the HC25, secIt

fications

of its

ilk,

4,096
up the maximum size of a
volume by eight as well. Disk clus-

tor size is increased eightfold to

bytes, pushing

DOS

ters, still

made of four

to 16,384 bytes (from

grow

sectors, thus

normal

DOS

2,048

bytes).

some weaknesses.
it can waste disk space when

This strategy suffers
In particular,
files

in
The Disk Input Output benchmark lest measures the time takes to create a 200K-byte data tile using record lengths of
512 bytes and 578 bytes The test program then performs a random read of 256 records from the created data file, followed
by a sequential read of the same records.

All

times are given

in

milliseconds.

are small.
file,

it

No matter how

little

data

is

up a minimum 16K

will take

cept for the root directory) will also take up
a

dBASE
Drive Access Test

a

bytes of disk space. Every directory (ex-

it

minimum of 16K.
The waste can be

Routine

best illustrated

ample.

I

taining

DOS commands

by ex-

copied a complete directory con-

from a DOS-fora GIGAfile directory

matted volume to
with a 16K-byte cluster
files

required about

than

660K

—

The dBase Routine benchmark test for database

—

pared to earlier versions of

database records consisting of 154 bytes each sorting
on a database file ( DBF), indexing on 2 of the 13 data
fields in each record, copying to a temporary database
file, setting two indexes on a database file, appending a
record, and deleting a record and packing (or removing
the data hole from) the database file.

it

more
same files!
become larg-

required

file sizes

importance and the effect of this

shortcoming (though not the shortcoming
itself) are reduced. Moreover, when com-

appli-

cations assesses how quickly the machine reads and
writes to disk by performing a senes of disk-intensive
dBASE II. \fersion 2.41, tasks The self-timing DOS batch
file runs a total of six dBASE routines on 81 individual

it

it

for exactly the

Fortunately, as
er, the

The Drive Access Test, wntten by Core International,
measures a hard disks seek time the fundamental
measure of how feist the drive responds to the disk controller's instructions The types of seek, or access, times
measured are track-to-track. or how long takes the
head to move to the adjacent track; rancbm. or how long
takes to do a senes of apparently nonsystematlcally
selected track accesses; and average, the average of a
series of random accesses

size. The original
320K of disk space; in

GIGAfile volume,

the

DOS,

the pen-

alty is

nowhere near as severe. For

stance,

DOS

8K

nearly as

in-

versions before 3.0 used an

sector size

much

on hard disks,

resulting in

waste.

Other manufacturers have used similar
sector-enlarging schemes. GIGAfile im-

PC Labs compared the Core HC25 to two other levels ofAT hard disk performance a standard PC
AT ( with a CMI drive ) representing the base level, and the Core ATplus72, a high-performance
:

drive with a conventional interface. Not surprisingly, the

high-performance interface,
potential

DOS may

HC25, a high-performance drive with a

the clear winner in virtually every

when handling largerfiles:

modified

ther, a

is

in that situation,

may

or

not be

compatible with machines other than those
it has been modified to run on. Disk
swapping may lead to strange, hard-totrace failures on other machines, possibly

that

trashing disks in the process.

It

may

also

up to its greatest
the performance gap is even more dramatic.

than through
ties.

The
the

third,

is

and arguably the

best, alter-

by Core for use of
under DOS: modifying the disk

the one chosen

HC25

PC

DOS will likely have difficul-

Core even allows for such finicky programs by letting you keep part of the disk
in

complete accord with the

DOS

stan-

dard.

MAY2

MAGAZINE
183

7,

It

is

also

DOS to handle a disk in one
chunk. For instance, to allocate the full

that access the disk drive directly rather

software.

stead of across the whole disk.

ciently for

DOS without changing
programs themselves. Because
DOS remains unchanged, there are no
worries about hidden bugs, and most programs run without a hitch. Only programs
DOS

the

its

modifications only within partitions inclever enough to enlarge sector size suffi-

parameters used by

prove unexpectedly incompatible with

native

test. It lives

proves on previous efforts by making

250 megabytes of the HC25, 16K sectors
are necessary A 1 20K partition on the disk
would be formatted with 8K sectors, and
so on, minimizing the waste per file.
GIGAfile extends the same strategy to
make up to 1 ,000 megabytes a full gigabyte (hence the name)
accessible by
CIOS as a single volume.
Core does not offer a drive that large, so
GIGAfile allows multiple physical drives
to be linked together as a single virtual

1986

.

—

—

.

THE CORE HC25

drive, exactly the opposite concept

A

partitioning.

across nearly as

may

single file

from

stretch

many drives as can be con-

nected to a single

—GIGAfile can gang

PC

together up to ten partitions,

all

function-

ing together as a single unit with one drive
letter.

Of

course, weaknesses exist in such a

THE NEW INTERFACES:
THE ESDI AND THE SCSI
A new industry standard speeds up drive operation,
making the Core HC25 the fastest drive around.

The

loss of any one drive disables
Backing up may well be an adventure in that conventional backup systems make no provision for such mon-

A

strous files. (At the time of this writing.

that follows a

Core is adapting its own tape backup system to handle gigabyte-sized files. You

(ESDI), instead of the ST506/412

system.

them

all.

DOS BACKUP

might also use the

func-

backing up 250 megabytes

tion, but

floppy disk seems

somewhat

to

ill-advised.)

Furthermore, finding any specific file
when all files are lumped together in subdirectories on one huge drive usually is
slower than putting them on smaller drives

because of the time DOS must spend
wending its way through directories.
Thus GIGAfile is not the ultimate solution but another tool. The strategy it represents

perhaps the best

is

handling

excess of 32 megabytes with cur-

files in

rent

way of

DOS

versions.

It

also allows putting

genuinely huge numbers of files onto a single disk
single

when

access might be limited to a

—

volume

for instance, in a

network

ATFDISK program.

other option to choose from

up a

It’s just

when

an-

setting

DOS

partitions (a

patibility

partition: standard

good choice

for

com-

with finicky programs that de-

pend on 512-byte

ATplus

tions (one or

all

PC

inter-

hitherto used. In so doing,

it

operates

any other drive you can curan AT.

rently connect to

In addition to
rate, the

higher data-transfer

its

lowing the integrators to connect their
products up to a variety of host buses.

The other new disk

hard disks have

ESDI interface allows several
make designing and manuhard disks easier. ESDI stores

(SCSI),

facturing

the interface

The

disk-configuration information on the

interface also

moves a

specifies

more disks or

partitions

handicapped by two primary speed
average access time (how

disk

is

limits:

fast the read/

.5-megabyte-

1

2-MHz) asynchronous data
and 4-megabyte-per-second

1

(32-MHz) synchronous

only slower, asynchronous designs have

NRZ (not

been implemented.
That high level of integration makes
SCSI drives easier for system integrators
and even end users to work with,

communicate with

the drive to

return to zero) data rather than

raw

MFM

which is a much better method of sending
data across wires and ensures better data
integrity over long transmission dis-

—

but
that

it

rate. Currently,

—

also imposes penalties, primarily in

it

forces the duplication of circuitry

allows future use

when

of Run Length Limited data coding,
which can increase hard disk capacity 50
percent without a change in the disk drive

to the

itself.

function at different levels of the

tances. Furthermore,

ESDI

it

systems, the same controller

can handle multiple disk, tape, or even
floppy drives. Besides just operating
the peripherals, the

also

manage

file

same

transfers

all

controller can
between them.

several peripherals are connected

same SCSI interface.
The two new interfaces are not mutubecause they

ally exclusive. In fact,

level interface in that

it

does not directly

connect into the host computer but

The Core

HC

controller

host adapter and the

in-

combines the

ESDI controller card

onto a single card.

MAY

MAGAZINE
184

2 7.

PC con-

nection, they can be used in tandem.

According to Core International,
when SCSI is used in conjunction with an
ESDI interface (as some disk makers are
on the order of
ST506/412 interface arises. The
which data can be transferred is
by the data manipulations that the
interface combination must carry out.
Core thus took the additional step to
attempting), a speed limit

limited

create

its

The ESDI

own ESDI system

interface.

controller itself plugs into the

AT drive slot and the drive unit, eliminating further circuitry and speed limits.

—Winn L. Rosch

write heads can shuttle between individual

PC

(

interface

separator, onto the drive. That permits

stead requires a separate host interface.

The performance of any hard

SCSI

two speeds, a

transfer rate

the old

formatted, you need never deal

the abil-

all

itself.

key part of the disk subsystem, the data

rate at

with GIGAfile again.

system-level

incorporates

definition of the

per-second

maps.

The new ESDI

it

the controller once assumed into

ities that

fect

A

interface is often described as “intelli-

gent” because

move data in different block sizes.
As with the classic ST506/412, the
ESDI interface is classified as a device-

parti-

classified as a high-level, or

is

system-level, interface.

features that

disk itself and allows self-contained de-

interface, the

Small Computer Systems Interface

In addition, the controller can be tuned to

linked into a single volume). After the
is

cause they permit configuring systems
for optimum performance while still al-

first

parti-

nonlinked partitions), and GIGAfile

drive

favorite choice of system integrators be-

PC product

face that nearly

faster than

Device-level interfaces are often the

standards in the disk drive
actually the

32-megabyte but

sectors),

tions (big, over

it’s

new industry standard, the
Enhanced Small Device Interface

In

partition.

The ATFDISK program gives you
three options for each

new

(modified frequency modulation) data,

Perhaps the most amazing aspect of

GIGAfile is that it almost does not exist.
There is no GIGAfile program and no unwieldy documentation to dig into. The
GIGAfile system is brought to life when
setting up the disk drive for the first time as
part of the

HC25 seems destined to

lthough the
set

industry,

1986

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QNX's superb performance and compact size is the result of
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IS

THE CORE HC25

disk sectors) and transfer rate

(how

Several advantages

rapidly

make up

for such a

read from a disk. Moreover,

No mechanical cogging
motion limits how finely the tracks can be

capacities

disk and fed to the host system).

mer limit has been

spaced, so the mechanism

more precise,
and greater amounts of data can be

move around.

dle data faster than the

squeezed onto each remaining disk sur-

deliver

the data in a sector can be read from the

The fornudged upward
by refinements in the physical mechanism
that shuttles the read/write head across the
steadily

disk surface.

the original

PC-XT was

forth

—stepping motors,

special direct-

have a speed advantage over
smaller kin because they have more
ters
is

plat-

new

and more heads, and one of the heads

always more likely to be close

to the de-

sired sector. In addition, larger disks often

have greater storage density
data are closer together

thin, flexible

band of metal,

its

discrete an-

gular positions are translated into discrete

—
—so heads do

tracks of

not

need to move as far to shuttle between
tracks. Little wonder, then, that the HC25
is

a genuine speed

demon when it comes to

is

the servo voice-

HC25

as well as

“scuzzy”), break through the 5-MHz barSCSI made a debut of sorts by being

revised Apple Macintosh.

previous Core models. In essence, this

mechanism works

an electromagnet

like

pulling against a spring.

The

stronger the

force of the electromagnet, the

spring

is

The

stretched.

more

a speed advantage over

to the

—

—

The higher

real difference. In the

tensive

one of

tracks in 18.39 milliseconds,

PC Labs.

exact

BEYOND 5 MHz

depends on the relative voltages and currents. Because of the high degree of precision required, the head might not be reli-

data transfer rate,

ably positioned. The head mechanism
requires an additional device to monitor

transfer rate

the location of the head and then feed cor-

computing has been ST506/412. Originally developed nearly 10 years ago when
5 '/4-inch hard disk drives with 5 mega-

which then constantly adjusts the head position by minute amounts to keep it precisely over the track desired. In most hard

The other speed limit,
more difficult to cir-

is

cumvent, primarily because the limit is porather than mechanical.

litical

tion.

The

The

data

the realm of standardiza-

is

principal standard in personal

bytes of capacity were the leading edge in

technology,

it

caught on because

gave

it

disk systems, there are actually several

drive makers a uniform standard to design

hard disks, called platters, each with

to

own

its

and

left

them

free to concentrate

on de-

read/write head, and the heads are

veloping other aspects of their products,

to a single actuator. The
necessary servo information for position-

such as larger capacities and faster access

ganged together

ing the stack of heads

one of the

platters,

that purpose.

Thus

is

written on a side of

which

is

dedicated to

the servo voice-coil

times.

per second. At

—

system has a singular disadvantage, one

onerous

storage surface wasted on overhead.

than the

PC

into

its

own only with long,

ST506/412

MHz,

first that

for instance,

XT could

definition

or

is

a

625K bytes

use short

it

was much

MAY2
187

files

benchmark

and involve substantial

amounts of microprocessor overhead.
While the HC25 can be imagined as the
ultimate in personal computer hard disks
(at least for now), it's probably more than
any single user will ever need. Both its
speed and capacity make it an excellent
choice for anchoring a network or mul-

More than that,

it’saharbin-

ger of an entire new generation of hard disk
drives.
ES

speed limit was not
faster

handle the information

MAGAZINE

sequential data

reads and writes, while both
tests

tiuser system.

Part of the

data transfer rate of 5

makes a

moderately disk-in-

PC Magazine Labs Compiler Roubenchmark test, the HC25 proved itself almost 30 percent faster than the
standard IBM 20-megabyte AT hard disk.
It also proved itself somewhat faster on the
Disk Input/Output benchmark test. Neither benchmark test reflects the real speed
potential of the HC25 because it comes
tine

position of the head in a voice-coil system

a servomechanism,

data-transfer rate

average access time, dashing between ran-

by

the peripheral that

ers

dom

the fastest drives tested

POSITIONING THE HEAD The

by

connected to rather than being limited

HC25 along with all other ESDI drives
now being turned out by other manufacturoperates at 10 MHz, twice as fast as
PC drives heretofore.

their smaller kin.

the

moving

is

premieres

specification allows the data

by the controller. Speeds of 20 MHz or
higher are possible. However, the

read/write head

on an arm attached
mechanism.

rides

rect information into

it

ESDI

PC product in this series of Core Inter-

transfer rate to be set

almost automatically have

new

adopted as the expansion interface for the

The ESDI

Larger-capacity disks

alternative to such band-

in the

the wait un-

the first of a

rier.

national drives.

used

is

Enhanced Small DeESDI and another new interface, the Small Computer
Systems Interface (SCSI, pronounced as

as a

The major

make

The HC25

breed of hard disk drives using a

linear positions across the disk surface,

other high-performance drives including

drive

data to

AT can han-

interface called the

corresponding to individual disk tracks or

coil design, as

much

vice Interface (ESDI). Both

cylinders.

stepper head actuators

when

5 or 10 mega-

ST506 interface can
and disks with capacities of hun-

NEW BREED

ments of

Because the motor
head by a

it,

dreds of megabytes can

their

smoothly, cog to discrete angular displacetheir shafts.

to

Alas, today the

Larger-capacity disks almost automatically

current motors that, instead of turning

shaft is coupled to the read/write

were limited

bytes, there just wasn’t that

bearable.

ers are faster.

introduced,

mechanism was essentially the same as that which cranks the
heads of floppy disk drives back and
the head-shifting

is

Moreover, voice-coil-type position-

face.

In the dark ages of personal computing,

when

defect, however.

7,

Winn

L.

Rosch

PC Magazine.

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WORD PROCESSING

THE

Style is being yourself—

but on purpose.

Although

ROBIN RASKIN

style analyzers

QUEST
FOR

cannot yet evaluate

your writing style
in context,

they can save you from

some basic
grammatical errors.

STYLE
F

many of you,

an integral part of your daily

confounds human rule-makers with its exceptions and constant evolutions
and you can

business

hardly expect the computer to fare better.

or

writing

—from memos

is

to

You

report for the boss.

heavily on

to help

rely

word processors

you accomplish

more efficiently,
and indeed these programs do help you write
faster and more easily. But they can't do anything to help

these tasks

you write

How

better.

—or even simple punctuation?

Style analyz-

can offer some assistance. These programs
attempt to polish word-processed documents by

ers

checking grammar and punctuation and offering

comments on
PC-based

work

word-processed document with a

in

tandem

stylistic rules.

set

formation

much

They tend

to be

about individual style or

in context.

made
ones
the

in

in-

The English language

PC

25 percent of

a document that a

the mistakes

all

human

editor

that typically

would

make a person's writing look

most unprofessional.
If

your job demands precise writing, style

do an admirable job of detecting erand simple
They do an interesting, if not always correct, job of flagging the no-nos in basic

analyzers

rors in capitalization, spacing,

punctuation.

English usage.

Many of the programs also offer
statistical

analysis of a docu-

ment's readability based on scales developed

by writing experts.
Best of

of stored

word- and phrase-oriented and blind to content;
if you're expecting William Safire on-disk, prepare for a rude awakening. The programs don't
understand

flag only about

catch, the items they flag as incorrect are the

an illuminating

style.

style analyzers

with word processors by comparing a given

grammatical and

Despite their limitations, style analyzers can
help writers write better. While they seem to

often have

you struggled with word choice or phrasing

—

correspondence to a status

all,

as a genre, most are single-disk

packages and are relatively inexpensive, easy
to use, and easy to customize. As an integral
part of the editing process, these

programs can

help you vary your writing structure and clean

up sloppy punctuation. In their mundane and
uninspired way, they can help the typical busi-

MAGAZINE

MAY
189

2 7.

1986

STYLE ANALYZERS

ness or technical writer avoid the most

common

English-usage

Grammatik

pitfalls.

II

allows

great flexibility in

PRIVATE EDITORS The five style analyzers reviewed here

all

customizing the

program to your own
needs. It includes a

analyzed a word-

processed document, but each handled the

900-phrase dictionary

analysis in a slightly different manner.

Some packages excelled at

and includes a

locating simple

and

cies, jargon,

others gave

expressions.

trite

variety

of utilitiesfor

typographical and punctuation errors,
while others accurately flagged redundan-

customizing style
analysis.

Still

more “global" feedback by

offering statistics about the types of lan-

guage structure and word usage in a document. The most practical were the ones
that created marked-up copy and offered
stylistic

To

suggestions.

their credit, all five

programs were

makes using
program more complex, but since writ-

vidual needs. This approach

ings. Statistics include information about

for-

the

readability, sentence length, end-of-sen-

memory

ing

is

limitations, four of these programs con-

it’s

worth the extra

tained no dictionary or thesaurus func-

Based on a combination of grammatical
and syntactical rules, Grammatik II includes both a 900-phrase dictionary and

easy to use and supported a respectable

number of word processors and ASCII
mats. Unfortunately, because of

Thus,

tions.

in

order to gain the fullest ben-

you’ve got to run your document

efit,

through a speller and then a grammar/style
checker, which

is

a great deal to ask of a

nonprofessional writer.

Writers have different areas of weakness,

and writing

matter.

style is also a personal

The best way

dividual differences
at the

way you

to

is

approach these

in-

to take a hard look

write, determine

what your

weaknesses are, and then buy a
program that best compensates for them.
linguistic

utilities

GRAMMATIK II
/,

was introduced

designed to customize style analy-

Upon starting,

only

phrases and passive verbs you use will be

encounters an error.

it

It

highlights

on the top of your
you the option of markGrammatik II
marks errors in four ways that range from a
simple symbol mark to a full-blown analy-

incarnation of

utilities

of

in-

program

profiler

include a redundancy

that lists

word frequen-

room

II offers the greatest potential

to suit indi-

PC

FILE

Grammatik II,

for the creation

Version 2.0
Reference Software Inc.

neologisms, folksy expressions,

2363 Boulevard Circle
Walnut Creek. CA
94117
(800)826-2222
(415)947-1000

and often-misused words are examples of
its preset categories. Incorrect phrases
such as “a number of,” "must of,” “sel-

modem age”
Another useful

ever,” and "today’s

are flagged immediately.

you to mark blocks of text
program to ignore a godsend if

—

you use lengthy quotes.

List Price: $89

Requires:
2.0 or

STATISTICAL SUMMARIES

Once

the

program has completed the error-checking
it

presents a

summary of the

MAY2

MAGAZINE
190

28K RAM. one disk drive, DOS

A

style analyzer that

find-

7.

1986

compares

your word-processed document with

copy

process,

1

later.

In Short:

for

its

large

It then creates marked-up
you to correct using your word pro-

phrase dictionary.

make it generally more responsive and easthe programs reviewed.

A C T

F

II finds grammar and style
24 preset categories and allows
of user-defined categories. Unbalanced punctuation, split in-

Grammatik

errors in

for the

program

is

Other

of the error with suggestions for alterna-

feature allows

for customizing the

last bit

useless (poor Hemingway and

ing.

dom

Grammatik

insurance policy. This

his third-grade reading level) but entertain-

ing or ignoring the error.

ments such as handsome screens and a
more comprehensive statistical analysis

Of all

life

formation

screen, then gives

the original program. Extensive improve-

ier to use.

you read the manual, which ex-

if

plains that the percentage of prepositional

a

it

the error in context

sive but not especially easy to use.

new

creates a backup, then

when

finitives,

a

length,

sive-voice constructions. These are helpful

does its marking on the original.
During operation, Grammatik II scans
the word-processed document and stops

sidebar, “Writer’s Workbench: The
Granddaddy of Style”). First designed for
CP/M and then ported to the DOS environment, Grammatik was fairly comprehenII is

word

tence punctuation, average

and the percentage of prepositions and pas-

effort.

out the errors as they are being marked.

in

1983 and was modeled after the UNIXbased Writer’s Workbench program (see

Grammatik

a matter of personal taste,

tives. Another option allows you to print

a pioneer of style analyzers

for small computers,

much

low if your writing rates high marks.
Next the document readability is graphically displayed and compared with selections from Hemingway, Abe Lincoln, and

sis.

sis

Grammatik

so

cessor.

CIRCLE 696 ON READER SERVICE CARD

—

To make corrections, you must reen-

cies.

ter the

word

processor, then search out and

destroy your errors.

POWERFUL DICTIONARY
power of the program

is

found

dictionary and phrase editor.

Thereat

While Grammatik II is sugar-coated for
it can also accommodate the
more ambitious user. It is loaded with options that make your document analysis reflect the type of writing you do. Unfortuthe novice,

nately,

many

users are not in a position to

handle the responsibility

this

partly because entering phrases
cult

imposes
is

so

diffi-

and partly because they buy a program

to follow

rules, not write their

its

own.

in its phrase

The

dictio-

is a standard ASCII file that holds the
of misused, wordy, trite, or overworked phrases. By adding to, deleting
from, or modifying the dictionary, you can
develop a customized tool honed for your

nary
list

CAUTION: USE WITH CARE
Style analyzers are clever

and helpful, but careful

writers avoid always taking

them at their word.

particular profession or area of interest.

new

Since wildcards are used to create
phrases,

words

like

"micro” would check

Grammatik II

A

high school teacher once said to

"A

class,

sugar-

a dangerous

is

wrong person."
knew exactly what she meant. She was

to be less than straightforward.

thing as a

synonym,

at least

no such
not as most
is

coated for the novice, but

Few words

in the

more ambitious user.

It

tleties

what
is

loaded with options that

ally

English language

mean-

of writing

mean

attached. Fearful doesn't

terrified does, yet these

words usu-

appear under each other's entries

thesauruses. Careful writers

reflect the type

know

like

misplaced modifier-

are not worth the effort. Except for

past participle

ear

PC-based

style

machine would assume

always better than passive.

when you want

occasions, for example,

naming

if

when

reading).

may or may

phrase dictionary editor.

voice can be essential to such an end.

careful writer can

Mystery novelists know

cy and

good

at

curing punctu-

the subject of an action,

when you choose

to

be evasive. Passive

was very

this:

awoke

"I

The

find

the sexist language nor flag the missing
‘

apostrophe in ‘employees salary.

’
'

It

erro-

neously flagged the use of “Tues. and
Fri." in the scenario, indicating the need
for capitalization after the period. Also, as
I

had anticipated,

detection of
tences,

it

totally neglected the

mixed

tenses, run-on sen-

burned

It

down

dle across the

to

its

late.

last

implied by style analyzers.
Electronic style analyzers are not real-

extinguished,
ly

glimpsed the outline of a
hand retreating from the candle holder as
I sat shivering."
It just wouldn't do to

assistants.

hlurt out,

I

"Suddenly. Martin extin"

guished the candle...

not,

we

MAY2
191

7,

at all:

They

they're style analysis

are like clever children:

decision makers, which

is

why

they flag

They know their
you decide to use

rather than alter words.
limitations;

Whether we’re aware of it or

MAGAZINE

analyzers

smart but not wise. They're not linguistic

be sure,

one, that you do too.

and improper clauses.

PC

split infinitives

but a faint light lingered near the hearth.
Just barely.

Only

than the standard-bearing alternatives

fire

embers: a

room was

so.

as only the

had

crept along the floor. Suddenly, the can-

it

do

—

know when redundan-

chill

suddenly.

instance, in the test scenarios, itdidn'tnote

“a lot, ” nor did

modem-tending

not be correct to

the careful writer can decide

and vague words
are more appropriate to the work at hand

and simple phrase malaise, but it
sometimes misses obvious mistakes. For
ation

the improper use of

A

style analyzer that flags gotten as archaic

to avoid

is

in

fact, is likely to

adding technical or profession-specific
phrases, most users will never need the

Grammatik //

truly archaic and.

is

Passive voice can be a very useful tool in

that active is

—

in

the hands of a careful writer. There are

voice, but only a

s)

sentence

above appears the word

the

applies to style ana-

lyzers. Sure, a standard

make, but other customizations such as
creating your own error groups (for example. split infinitives or

time from a

this

In Ihe next-to-last

verb to get. In Britain, this form of the

analyzer can flag occurrences of passive

adding the phrase WordStar are easy to

—

language":

the paragraph

gotten, the past participle of the irregular

not like interchangeable parts.

The same caution
Simple modifications

forth.

Another example,

style category usually labeled "archaic

mark you as an American
you use it in speech. In the homeland of
mother tongue, gotten was long ago
got
shortened to
so that an Englishman
would say. "He's got very uppity since
he was promoted." While got as a past
participle is making inroads in North
America, it still sounds very strange to
many Yankee ears (including the mind’s

Words arc

“ microprocessor,’’ “microchips,”

and so

he could be active and

all.

reply. "I misplaced it."

in

Their threads don’t necessarily match.

for

voice. After

this

and use the thesaurus to help master connotation, not to search and replace.

you do.

re-

port?" and he replies. "It must have got-

ings are pushed around by context or

loaded with connotation. There arc sub-

the

When

you ask your assistant. "Where’s that

ten misplaced." he's using passive

share identical meanings. Their

can also accommodate

all.

many occasions when we want

there are

that there really

are try-

ing to avoid responsibility. After

I

people understand the word.

it

when we

often use passive voice

thing in the hands of the

warning us
is

thesaurus

my

1986

if

—Bam Owen

s

.

.

s

1

STYLE ANALYZERS

RIGHTWRITER

While the program is running, you sit
back and watch prompts updating its proprogram informs you that it
is building a dictionary and lists the word
count along with some word statistics;

RightWriter and Grammatik II are the
most universally compatible checkers: although both support a large number of
word processors, RightWriter is especially

gress. First the

next,

it

analyzes sentence structure; and

word processing
fussbudgets as Microsoft Word, WordStar

nally

it

offers a

fluent in supporting such

To view the marked copy, you must return

2000, WordPerfect, ami MulhMatc It also
accommodates the use of pathnames and

to the

word processor or use

RightWriter

Like Grammatik, RightWriter works by

rors.

comparing a word-processed document
with a combination of grammar/syntax
rules and a phrase dictionary. It too is an
evolving product. The new version has a
45,000-word phrase dictionary and a
greatly expanded word rules list.
The program has no main menu selection. The only command you need to run
this program is RIGHT. This single com-

mand has three modes of operation:
mode that inserts comments

While

it

and the

file

gram does

listing word frequencies and inwhich words may be too difficult

list,

for the reader to understand.

The

which means

It

it

flags

is

not

RIGHTVVORD UTILITY A $29.95 utilRightWord can eliminate the unif you plan
good in-

ity

split infinitives,

not useful.

it

er-

common-word syndrome, and

is

list

misspelled, abbreviated, and most profession-specific words,

finding difficult items like passive voice
flags the occurrence

of long sentences so often that

this feature

considers sentences over

22 words long too long, and there is no
way to modify this limit. Most technical

called

to use RightWriter regularly, it’s a

vestment. RightWord allows you to add
specialized

word

lists to

disk. Since these lists

your RightWriter

can contain profes-

sion-specific vocabulary, they can turn

RightWriter into a spelling checker for

a stan-

FACT FILE

in the

RightWriter,

Version 2.0
Decisionwarc

2033

In.

Wood St.. #218

Sarasota,

FL 33577

$29.95
Requires: I2KK

DOS

name

l.l

list

into dictionary form. Finally,

copy the

The RightWord

dictionary to RightWriter.

disk contains seven professional dictio-

RAM.

naries, including a

hvodisk drives.

but

you are limited

time.

A writing tool that flags possible

emirs

in grammar, style, and syntax and
makes corrective recommendations.

proof-

rithms that minimize disk space to turn the

List Price: S95:

or later.

In Short:

your most frequently used words.
RightWord can add up to 100,000 words to
the RightWriter disk, and it’s simple to
run. First, create your list of words on a
word processor. Next, run it through
RightWord, which uses compression algo-

(813)952-921

RighlWurd utility.

you want to check, and the prothe rest. RightWriter’

uncommon

RightWriter also creates an

word

dicating

and

mode, RightWriter creates a
marked-up copy of the document and summarizes the information, commenting on
readability, strength of delivery, and use of
type in the program's

tences are appropriate.

a particularly useful feature.

32 categories of

lists

In standard

You

DOS

does an admirable job of

document, a prompt mode that lets you
choose the information to generate about
the document, and a remove mode that removes RightWriter comments from a document file. All proofreading marks are created on a special OUT file.

jargon.

the

TYPE or PRINT command.

subdirectories well

dard

fi-

summary of the document.

writing contains sentences of this length,

and, with proper punctuation, these sen-

CIRCLE 696 CN READER SERVICE

Of course,

ability to

computer dictionary,
one at a

to using just

a single program with the

update the word

preferable, but

RightWord

list

is

would be

an inexpen-

sive alternative.

CARD

reading process requires no user input or

DOCUMENT ANALYSIS

intervention.

RightWriter’

documents in the test scenario
was similar to Grammatik’ s. The program

analysis of

Ifyou run RightWriter

as a commandfrom a
word processor, the
program marks up
your document and

SysteMS ANalyst Grou
DATE: SepteMber 24, 1984
FROM:

did not flag the lack of “close quote”

marks, incorrect word choices such as
Proposal to Increase Autonation of Salary Raise Process

RE:

fect/effect, there/their,

Presently, the ManageMent tean reviews the current salary
for
A «»
REPLACE
Presently, BY now or soon
2. WORDY

structions such as

,

has it on-screen
waiting for you when
you return to the word
processor.

RightWriter

lists

a

total of 32 categories
of errors.

*»
every job title and coHpares it with that of the conpetiton,

«* 17. LONG SENTENCE: 29 WORDS *» A
percentage increase per job title is the assigned.
Each
enployees
salary is nannual ly updated keypunched and a file update is
done.

«*

21.

“a

lot

PASSIUE UOICE: is Mannuallv updated *»
«» 21. PASSIOE 0OICE: is done.

latives.

Information such as this

is

helpful

only to those motivated enough to find out

3» A
Cow Delete Fornat Gallery Help Insert Jump Library
Options Print Quit Replace Search Transfer Undo Hindow
Edit docunent or press Esc to use Menu
Page 1
Microsoft Word: RIGRAH2,

COMMAND: Alpha

0

where

document these errors lie.
is a fast, handsomely packaged, easy-to-use program that is capable
in their

RightWriter

of spotting certain structural errors.

PC

MAGAZINE

MAY
192

af-

and wordy conof." RightWriter

my

sample writing at the 1 3th-grade
level (apparently based on sentence and
word length) and suggested I make the
writing less complex. The summary also
told me I used too much jargon, not
enough active voice, and too many superrated

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1986

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—

STYLE ANALYZERS

WRITER’S WORKBENCH: THE GRANDDADDY OF STYLE
The challenge was to put together a package that could evaluate writing quality.
a mini under the UNIX operating system, succeeded so well
that even now no other program comes close.

Bell Labs, working on

S

PC gain their in-

operating system. This pack-

40

and requires about 700K bytes of memo-

is based almost entirely on patand rules though the patterns and
happen to be exceptionally elegant.
However, the parts-of-speech program is
a bit more sophisticated. It contains a dic-

domain of proofreading

tionary of simple endings for types of

and copyediting, the program contains
components to check spelling, punctua-

words and lists of other endings like -s
and -fully; it also gives 54 parsimonious
ad hoc rules that cover the remaining

tyle analyzers for the

from a collection of proon a minicomputer under

spiration

grams

that run

theUNIX

age, which comprises between 35 and

separate linguistic delights,
Writer's Workbench.

evolving

at

AT&T’s

It

is

called

software system that sells for approxi-

spring,

mately $28,000.

terns

Today Writer’s Workbench contains
somewhere between 35 and 40 programs

rules

ry.

has been quietly

Bell Laboratories

Under

the

since 1979. Several style checkers for the

tion, faulty phrases,

PC, made by other companies, have been
introduced since then and have made

To

and

capitalization.

evaluate style, 70 variables help the

curately, but they

word

types.

Many

of the

pioneers of these

initial

writing tools at Bell Labs have

progress in their ability to proofread acstill

—

don't hold a candle

to other pastures.

Writer’s Workbench,

to this forerunner of style analyzers.

heyday of Bell Labs’ research, a
mixed bag of linguists, computer scien
tists, and psychologists took an interest in
the mechanics of the writing process.
Their mission was to put together a package of software tools that would offer
In the

like

its

PC offspring,

original.

is

speech recognition component. The
parts-of-speech checker formed the program’s backbone and was written by
Lorinda Cherry, a computer scientist. It

At

this stage.

its

Elsewhere, researchers are develop-

new strategies

ing

patterns

and rules

ing process. At
Facility, a

for exploring the writ-

IBM’s Watson Research

group on the Epistle Project

approach. Other researchers (who prefer

happen

rules

to be

not to

comment on their R&D) are

inves-

tigating real-time style checking, while

exceptionally elegant.

still

others are developing a heuristic apin

which the computer continual-

ly learns

about an individual’s style of

proach

ment

to 96 percent accuracy (equivalent
human performance on the same task).
Nina McDonald, a psycholinguist at Bell

tence length, sentence type (simple or

better

to

compound), and other

for instance, instruct the style table to

the original Writer's

Labs, did the majority of the other pro-

print out all the passive voice construc-

cal staff, feels that the current

gramming.

tions or

by the English department at Colorado
State University and used experimental-

is

using a promising sentence-parser-based

writing.

The blossoming program was adopted

years of

maturity.

program assess readability by analyzing
the number of sentences, word and sen-

assesses the parts of speech in a docu-

is

Work-

Writer's

bench seems to be enjoying

based almost entirely on

though the patterns and

These early Bell Labs pioneers created a nucleus of 23 programs that included
style-checking modules and a parts-of-

moved on

current group

not nearly as large nor as active as the

writers feedback about the quality of
their writing.

The

all

factors.

You

can,

the “nominalizations" (trans-

formations of active verbs into nouns)

in

a document.

Do pure research environments spawn
programs than the competitive

market? Lawrence Frase, a

member of

Workbench

style analyzers for the

techni-

crop of

PC doesn’t live up

of its AT&T ancestor
partly because of marketing considerto the standards

who

statistical services that

marked improvement in writing. News
of a program that helped writers created a

check the diversity of the words you use.
Dealers sell the Writer's Workbench

"These program creators would
like to sell their programs for $45,” says
Frase. “They won’t write a package of
40 programs. Besides,” he adds, “PC
program creators shy away from attempt-

source code or binary code for approxi-

ing such sophisticated programs as the

ly.

The result? Students as well as faculty
used Writer’s Workbench showed a

public

demand

mand

led

for the product. This de-

AT&T to develop and

market

the Writing Lab, a bundled hardware and

PC

The
bench

latest

is

version of Writer's Work-

interactive

and includes special
allow you to

ations.

Writer’s Workbench parts-of-speech

mately $800.
Writer's Workbench, like

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8

STYLE ANALYZERS

the packages, RightWriter

is

the most pro-

manual

fessional looking; the
Its

some of

the ratings and indexes are too

This

simplistic.

gram

is

PC-Stale report for: ligrani.wit

actually

is

greatest shortcoming

typeset.

is

that

fense technical writing standards.
|

s

shareware offering,
PC-Style, offers a

per sentence: 14.3
\ Lena lords: l ".
X Personal tods; 0,8
fiction verbs: 8.5
Syllables per lord: 1,9

based on the Department of De-

is

Jim Button

Sentences: 13
tods: 18"

tods

puzzling, since the pro-

highly graphical
representation ofyour
writing style.

you

Feadatilita level: 16,3

to

It

allows

modify the

ofphrases that

it

list

will

flag automatically,

PC-STYLE

FftlP

Readability
Personal tone

designed, programmed, and
by Jim Button and Buttonware.
PC programs, it
can be copied and distributed freely, but if
you use it, you are asked to pay for it. At
$29.95 it offers a quick synopsis of a docu-

PC-Slyle

is

flVEEfiSE

EXCELLENT

GOOD

but only up to a 300-

i

word limit.
I
1

fiction

distributed

Like Buttonware's other

lort completed,

you 1like to print this screen?

ild

i

ment's style but does nothing to help improve a

as the

bills itself

way with words.

gram

is

program

that

Actually the pro-

so visually oriented that “a way

with pictures” would be mote apt. The
program analyzes your document and creates a graphic and percentage-based breakdown of your strong and weak areas, based
on a series of built-in scales.

THE PC-STYLE PREMISE
premise

that

is

Button

s

good writing demands short

many

sentences,

action verbs, and the use

of personal pronouns.

If your writing is not

geared to reflect any of these qualities
(lawyers and academics, for example),
is

not for you.

PC-Style

is

controlled by a modifiable

.PRO

file.

For example, you can change

—

—

—

—

23K

bytes of

the other programs,
validity.

and

that's not

PC-

After analyzing your document,
Slyle generates a report.

The main

area of

I

am skeptical about its

credit PC-Slyle is lightning

its

ASCII or WordStar
you print the results, but in
you get what you pay for.

lets

case,

file,

this

This program’s usefulness eluded me.

Jim Button’s own manual scored in the
"good” and “excellent" categories when
I ran segments of it through the PC-Style
program. My own samples both scored
only “poors" and "fairs." My readability
score

was

16.8, almost three grades higher

than the level at which any of the other pro-

grams scored

my documents.

PC-Style’

firm stand on action words,

short sentences,

makes

for extensive storage.

To

reads any

fast,

memory. No matter how

compressed the scales may be,

much room

program

this

on any of the scales and add
words to the PC-Slyle word list (though the
list can hold only 300 words). Altering the
scales puts the onus on you
not the program to be the grammarian and stylist.
The PC-Style disk contains 30 files and
reads more like a magazine than a program. The files include the manual (which
you need to print out), copyright notices,
registration forms, order forms, and information on other products. Only a handful
of files relate to the style checker, and only
one the PRO file is required to run the
program. The program itself takes only
the range

difficult situation.

PC-Slyle
has a

it

and personal pronouns

a good choice for people

who

write with these criteria in mind, but a poor

choice for anyone else.

the report offers statistical information

about sentence and word length, the percentage of long words, personal pronouns,

FACT FILE
-

L„,

terpretive scale

TC-Sp*
]

I
]-

!;

each category, from poor to best. Overall
ratings for readability, personal tone,

DOS,

action arc displayed graphically

of many of these products. Like the others,
Punctuation and Style is a punctuation,

Bellevue.
( 800 )

(

WA 98006

JBUTTON

main

206 ) 454-0470

Requires: 40K

NO PROOFREADING

RAM,

DOS 2.0

illustrates its strengths

That

is

the entire

program. Unlike others in its category,
PC-Style does not actually proofread the

document or mark

the copy.

cites additional reading

and

The manual

by scholars such as

Flesch and Gunning (both have developed

weaknesses.

m ON

area.

attesting to the evolutionary nature

grammar, and

document analyzer that compares your document with a series of scales

CIRCLE

and
below the

List Price: $ 29.95

A

and graphically

Punctuation and Style was also developed
in a CP/M environment and then ported to

Buttonware

later.

In Short:

showing you the range for

PUNCTUATION

AND STYLE

P.O.Box 5786

one double-sided floppy disk drive,
or

and action words, then creates a readabiliAlongside the main area is an in-

ty index.

READER SERVICE CARD

readability indexes). Still, because
ports higher readability scores than

PC

MAY2

MAGAZINE
198

it

re-

any of
7,

style checker, but

it

these elements as separate entities.

treats

The

two-in-one program contains a Cleanup

with punctuation and a
Phrase utility to deal with style. Although
this doubles the work by making you run
utility to deal

two distinct operations, it also lets you separate these two distinct areas of writing.
The Cleanup program is thorough and

1986

picks
errors

up all those awful “white spacing"
symptomatic of word-processed

documents.

It

checks for isolated punctua-

spaced ellipses, and, for
WordStar users, it even checks for unpaired commands. But although Cleanup
tion, incorrectly

lets

you mark the errors
them out.

in

your text,

it

will

The Phrase portion of the program is
based on the UNIX System’s Writer's
Workbench. The program compares your
document against a fairly extensive list of
frequently misused phrases, then suggests

When

flags an error,

it

in the

can choose to mark the error

in

cessor’s idiosyncrasies to Punctuation

it

to recognize

embedded commands so

You can

mode

files in either

—

is

—

letting

1

is

more

CIRCLE 695

Of

700

Webster conducts

dic-

a document

powerful suppress-phrase feature prevents

confounding.

program from recognizing certain
you
accommodate exceptions to rules.
Punctuation and Style is as much a tutorial on English usage as it is a program.
The Phrase section of the documentation
contains some fine tutorial material on effective writing.The manual also lists the

documents through

ternal dictionary to flag

by type of

erful

grammar, and
spelling. The Phrase
portion of the program
derives from on the
UNIX-based Writer’s
Workbench program.

in

treatment of
is

a bit

Webster runs
50,0000-word in-

First, Electric
its

and

list

and spelling errors. Next

ical

it

typographruns a pow-

hyphenation feature that

lets

you

customize the placement of discretionary
it looks for grammatical
and compositional errors based on a substantial phrase dictionary and stored rules

hyphens. Finally,

of punctuation. As with any program that

dictio-

error,

word processing

its

thorough, the process

phrases. This suppression cleverly lets

and

do

tries to

it

all, it

omits some attractive

features that the other style analysis pro-

grams incorporate. But for those who’ll
give up a few features for the ability to handle spelling and document checking as a
single process, Electric Webster is the
package of choice.
An Electric Webster session begins
when you type the document name at the
program's first prompt. If you include an
asterisk next to the filename, you can print
the report's output as well, though it would
be preferable if the program prompted you
for actions such as printing and quitting.

era.

of setitence punctuation, or extraneous space.

three separate

programs

is

the

actually consists of

for checking style,

facilities. Electric

document analysis

a three-step process. While

educate users as well as flag errors.
Punctuation and Style fcrror: Hissing end

its

along with
suggestions for correcting poor phrases. A
entries,

Reading the manual is in itself a lesson in
punctuation and style, and the program deserves high marks for its commitment to

ON READER SERVICE CARD

do

uncov-

the style analyzers reviewed, only

all

and grammar-checking

The Punctuation and Style phrase

that applies to the

gesting alternatives.

still

to

does not address.

Electric Webster includes both spelling-

contains a handy rale book for punctuation

and the other to clean up stylistic
problems by creating marked copy and sugtion errors

it

ELECTRIC WEBSTER

difficult to

structure.

naries, organized

In Short: A document analyzer that includes
two programs: one to help you catch punctua-

some stylistic work on your own

commands are

complete contents of the phrase

one disk drive.

considerable success, you must

er the errors

Grammatik' s main menu

tionary contains

Oasis Systems
6 60 Lusk Blvd. . #C206
San Diego. CA 92103
(619)453-5711
List Price: SI 25
Requires: 64K RAM.

grammar and

an attractive feature.

The Phrase program

accessible from

Punctuation and Style,
Version 1.21

ig-

more

So, while the program does achieve

ters.

you

tence, or print the correction.

FACT FILE

it

Punc-

batch or interactive

modify. All the customized

highly modifiable. For example, you

and phrases,

split infinitives.

Style deals with the

does not attempt to delve into murky wa-

to mark an entire copy of your
document without consulting you (like

check

and

concrete rules of style and

it

tell

powerful, but not as easy to use as those

Punctuation and Style, like Grammatik

tuation

Cleanup

RightWriter). This flexibility

when Punctuation and

nores such items as improper tense, im-

proper clauses, and

and

ment, ignore the error, suppress the sen-

II, is

Nonetheless,

Style checks punctuation

For instance, you can get

Style's checking.

you

your docu-

Cleanup

program to shut off the checking on a specified block of text. You can also customize
Cleanup to accommodate your word pro-

won’t flag them as errors.

not print

alternatives.

can define an ignore switch

ft: you wish to «uit without marking file? (Y/N) y
files changed

Ho

'phrase Lgraml.unf

MUSE

Version 1.2
Oopyright 1982 - Oasis S ystems

THE GOOD PART COMES LATER
After making a speedy word count. Elec-

MASE.OPT

loaded.

Webster begins running

tric

Pattern file reed.

During
lists

m
i

lot Of
:

:

mny

its

this first pass, the speller

the

words

it

speller.

merely

considers incorrect.

It

does not offer alternative spellings, nor

(AVOID

does

khe

is fluent in C, Pascal, LISP, and [a lot of] other programming languages
land has a [very] strong flair for recursive structured programing technique.

it

take corrective measures. This

shortcoming

is

remedied only

later

on

in

Electric Webster’s hyphenation phase.

Dark, Dgnore,

P)rint, or Suppress sentence^

:

j

PC

MAY2

MAGAZINE
199

7.

1986

During the hyphenation session, you

.

STYLE ANALYZERS

ANALYZING THE ANALYZERS
Three documents

rife

with errors put these style analyzers through their paces

—

and it was the style analyzers that came up short.

H

ow do you

create a test to evaluate

writing style? Delving into English-

an Ellen

is

also a accomplished long dis-

tance runner

and mother of 4

children.

ability test (13th grade),

cause

it

presumably be-

contains long sentences and big

disastrous,

Before the contest Ellen had said, she

words. Even when

since most creative-writing efforts are

through each program consecutively, the

grams with the types of documents they

would share the award money with others in her office. The rewardfor the winner is ten thousand dollars and a position
as Chairman of Computer Grammar in
the Watson Research Laboratory Celine,

should handle best. They consist of a
press release in letter form, a business

score,

memo excerpted

top notch first rate magazines.

TO: Curt Gowdv

dicated columns appears every Tues.
and Fri. in newspapers that find there

DATE: September 24, 1984

language

literature

destroyed

when

would be

run through these less-

than-literary style analyzers.

I

created

three scenarios designed to test the pro-

from a book on technical writing, and a newsletter I wrote covering neighborhood news. All contain a

number of commonly made

errors.

Two

of these scenarios follow.

collective effort

document

ran the

I

produced a

still

document despite

cally poor

—and,

grams' efforts

in part,

stylisti-

the pro-

because of

them.

Ka. Ellen contributed regularly to Info.

Computer Ware

Daily,

and other
Her syn-

way to nearly every desktop in America.
Ellen is this years winner and the oth-

MEMORANDUM
FROM: Systems ANalyst Grou
RE: Proposal

to Increase

Automation of

Salary Raise Process

er contestants will be back next year for

management team

Presently, the

re-

PRESS RELEASE: AN EXAMPLE OF
LUDICROUS GRAMMAR

another powerpacked competition. Be-

views the current salaryfor every job title

ing a winner of this contest required pow-

and compares it

Dear Sirs:

ers of obsen’ation, fluency

A amazing

event has recently taken

Board of the AssociFor Good Grammer in Computer

place. The Advisery
ation

Publications has reached

for a winner of

this

it’s

decision

year's People in

Computer Publications Contest.
Among the ten who were chose as finalists for the award were 3 women. The
of this choice will be felt industrywomen have come of age in computer publications. The women compu-

and

persis-

tence. Irregardless of who one, it is very
important we recognize the glory of this
acheivement and the culmination of an-

other year with the glorious tradition of

good Computer Grammar.

The

press release letter reproduced

here contains

many punctuation and style

and overall the style analyzer pro-

affect

errors,

wide,

grams missed more than they found.
None of the programs pointed out“Dear

terists each uses several different
programming languages and were also

Sirs" as sexist, none questioned the in-

The winner, Ellen Mcquire has been
oustanding in her publication record but

with errors as this one. they flagged only

'

luded to the famous ‘Women in Computing Speech delivered at the University Of
Missouri in the Fall of ’84 when he said
that these contestents

each reflected her

personalities in her professional career.

also in her

new programming accom-

plishments. She

USP, and a

is

fluent in C, Pascal,

of other programming
languages and has a very strong flair for
lot

recursive structured
nique.

programming

tech-

A symbol of today’ s modern wom-

PC

.

the

more obvious mistakes. They paid no

attention whatsoever to context

and

the bulk of the error-flagging to

left

human

editors.

This shamefully constructed press
lease received a high score

MAGAZINE
200

with that of the competi-

A percentage increase per job title is

the assigned. Each employees salary is
mannually updated keypunched and a
update is done. This process requires
the hiring of temporary employees and
lakes 2 wks. to complete.
The process can more efficiently be
accomplished by the following process.
1 The developement of a program to
update each employee' s salary by the re-

file

.

quired percentage.
2. The developement of a program
producing a summary reportfor the

correct use of “it's" for "its decision,”

none cited "a amazing event," and only
one questioned “ Advisery ” None of the
programs spotted numbers written inconsistently as numerals and as words, and
none found anything wrong with redundant phrases like "today's modern.”
None touched mixed tenses and mixed
persons. In a document as hopelessly rife

scholars of english usuage. In his keynote speech Professor I.B. Machine al-

ton.

3. Utilization of the

the letters

word processong

computer

capabilities of the

to

produce

of raise notification.

Benefits:
/

.

Time savings

•

eliminates

manual

updating of salaries and eleiminates keypunching.
2.

Cost savings

.

.

.

eliminates the need

to hire temporary help
3. Increase in
-

emploveed satisfaction

salary raises are giving sooner.

This system should work very well and

a lot of employees
managment

will

be greatful to the

re-

on the read-

The programs reviewed

fared better in

J

MAY

2 7.

1986

—

1

play screen. Since this positioning never

specify whether you want hyphenation,

and the

rest is

done automatically. You

occurs as a default, you always have to

set

monkey around with

the hyphenation configurations in a sepa-

align your spelling choice at the bottom of

hyphenated copy.
Also during this hyphenation phase (but

the screen. If the suggested correction

modifiable

file that

ing. properly

were highlighted on-screen or

not during the spelling phase), you may
browse though the program’s dictionary
and correct spelling errors. Each single

where the mistakes were

this scenario,

the cursor keys to

creates fine-look-

rate

more typical of those made in a business
environment. RightWriter complained
about the long sentences and heavy use

the top of the screen,

of the passive voice. Punciuation aiul

spelling.

As

Style excelled at finding poor punctua-

question mark in the dictionary's word

misspelled

word

is

now

displayed

peared automatically

at the

if

would be unnecessary.
During this hyphenation/spelling part
of the program, there is no in-context
spelling display. Though the program does

in turn at

and you can search

the program’s dictionary to find the correct

have an "in-context" spelling checker, it
is disturbingly unavailable until the gram-

you search the dictionary, a
list

indicates the program’s best guess about

mar-checking part of the program

of “presently," but only Electric Webmentioned
ster caught “greatful." As

the correct spelling.

abled. Thus,

none of the programs
did anything about organization and par-

or automatically.

tion. All

of the programs queried the use

You can

I

main

in the

article,

—

you need

memo’s two greatest

the

allel structure

it

automatically,

to position the selection

dictionary so

it

is at

is

from the

to

what

is

running.

The elements

arc

all

there

they're just muddled.

tidier after

I

During the
grammar-checking session you will see an
in-context display on the top of your
screen. Your potential grammatical error

FILE

A C T

F

used the style analyz-

The programs suggested that elimisome passive voice constructions

GRAMMAR CHECKING

I

nate

en-

ten-page newsletter, too lengthy

be reprinted here, did become some-

ers.

is

a corrective

running, and you don't see in-context

spelling errors while the corrective session

the bottom of your dis-

areas of weakness.

My

you don't see

spelling display while the spelling checker

correct the spelling manually

To do

ap-

it

bottom of the

screen, these positioning shenanigans

Electric Webster

plex sentence structure since

dience could handle

I

felt

Cornucopia

Electric

and replace some “high-flown" language such as "utilize" with easier-toread words such as "use." They also
helped clean up sloppy punctuation (for
example, commas should be inserted
within quotation marks and ellipses
should have white space separators)
without causing me to strain my eyes on
the display screen. However. I tended to
ignore their advice about long and com-

Webster

Software

Inc.

P.O.Box

61

is

DOS

I

I

.

or

later:

lets

you

A

series

of

correct the error. Options

include marking the text, asking for suggestions, and omitting or expanding the

List Price: SI 69 95
Requires: 64K RAM.
two floppy disk drives rec-

phrase.

When you

ask for suggestions, nine

"No

sug-

gestions.” Expanding the phrase
most obscure option can be tricky.

You

times out of ten the response

ommended.
In Short:

highlighted and categorized.

prompts

1

Albany. CA 94706
(415)524-8098

A combination spellcr/hyphenation

program plus grammar and

style checker.

CIRCLE 697 ON READER SERVICE

CARD

is

—

—

the

can substitute one phrase for another, but
they’ve got to be carefully aligned. This

my au-

it.

Overall, these programs are interestHTTP NOTE Of DOCUMENT TO BE PMOTD:

ing nitpickers. but they really function

only

at the

microscopic

level.

I’ll

bet that

But when

it

comes

1

fail.

pro

and

NhH

OF

Koran

TO BE PIOOFEB:

feature, though,

Lgraml.unf

'nuns mcuhent.
00378 UOBtS

To judge

.5

recommend

that

you

errors it has flagged
for you to preview.

HOOFING POCUNENT.

is

likes to read

'FIS

willing to help. At this juncture,

and

limited fashion

it

does even

I

acheiuement
contestants

software that analyzes writing style can

make your document more

NOT

—Robin Raskin

adviserg
contestants

grainier

li

tin re
structured

competitor
desktop
iskti
industry-wide
oustanding

isuage

«tson

«

recursive

PFOOFING CONFUTE

PC

cehne
culmination

In

rregardless
'uUilcation

lellen

techni-

that in a

is its

a

minireport with a

summary of the style

MFFEIENT IDECS

a sympathetic and grammatically

cally correct,

Webster

ability to create

knowledgeable friend wljo

only

Electric

contains an integrated

most interesting

content, flow, organization, and senfind

grant*

spelling checker. Its

to evaluating style in

relation to context, they all

tence structure,

t:

TIE NOT FOUNT.

even the best writers will occasionally
produce a few obvious mistakes in a document that these progrants can sniff out.

«

MAGAZINE
201

PPESS PETJPN

tues

TO CONTINUE

MAY2

7.

<

1986

computer! sts
didnt
infoscore

poterpacked
unglue

—

STYLE ANALYZERS

viation like wks. to signal the
tence; consequently,

it

end of a sen-

flags errors incor-

STYLE ANALYZERS:

rectly because

A FUNNY BREED OF SOFTWARE

Electric Webster has fewer error catego-

it finds that the word
following the period isn’t capitalized.

with fewer phrases in them than Right-

ries

can help automate the revision
process the part most writers hate and improve your
writing ability as they do it.
Style analyzers

—

W

Style.

Browsing through the phrase

nary makes

it

dictio-

obvious that the content

not as thorough as the competition’s.

is

Even

though you can customize and add
ord processors

made

easier writ-

With
comes a good deal of sloppy
wordy or stock phrases

ing a reality for the masses.

the reality

writing. Cliches,

such as "due to the

fact that."

way

of,” “in such a

pass judgment on their suitability. Per-

haps

that," and other of-

kind of coordination will be

this

possible in a future generation of soft-

Until

we get there, we can use only the

on our screens. Like

if

trained rats,

we

at

them do
finite set

match the document against a
of grammar rules and against a

quently encountered errors in language

mistakes.

usage. However, equally important

play

marks

for the Punctua-

Electric Webster let

my

of potentially awkward phrases. Cer-

tainly

at

loses performance

an elementary level, but they

is

set

opposing tendencies are

While
grammar compo-

"content-dumb.” What most of

are

see the phrases flashed before us often

market for style analysis software.

IMPROPER PUNCTUATION

nents are substantial. Electric Webster

enough, we’ll eliminate them from use.
As our awareness of good writing increases. there's bound to be a decrease in

Two

they are in the dictionary from the

start.

the spelling checker and

wrong

them

if

likely to be put

of poor writing. Cunent
style analyzers can detect right and

vade our correspondence. One of the
main benefits of style analyzers is that
spotting these phrases and flashing

to use

more

simple tools available to eliminate a certain percentage

they force us to think about writing by

phrases, phrases are

ware programs.

“in terms

ten used but never-any-good phrases per-

in the

Grammatik II. or Punctuation and

Writer.

—

one major function of a style analyprogram is to flag simplistic but fre-

sis

is

ellipses,

unclosed quotes,

and double-period sen-

the

program's ability to make the writer
more aware of certain elements in the

tences slip by unnoticed.

On one hand, an increasingly sophisticated group of PC users has justifiably rising

writing process.

expectations about this kind of software

eventual disuse. These programs train as

closed quotes, and double-period sen-

should do. If a program
claims to check grammar, then it had better check grammar and not miss a trick.

they work. While users should continue

tences slip by unnoticed, and

to run them as a check, eventually the

my habit of putting in extra spaces between
words and sentences.
The program is also plagued by small
operational annoyances. For instance, I
could not find an easy escape from many
of the program’s screens. I could not back
up to a previous correction when I acci-

and what

On

it

the other hand, true style analysis

is

unbelievably complex and requires AIlike capabilities.

The program needs

to

understand each component of a sentence, relate all the components,

and then

Implied in a style analyzer's use

is its

programs should have nothing to do but
confirm the correctness of the document.
Style analyzers
like their cousins,
spelling checkers
are a funny breed of
software: they're the ones you'll love not
using.
Robin Raskin

—
—

component.

tion

It

let

my

ellipses, un-

it

wrong selection. All too ofsuccumbed to a warm boot my only

dently hit the

words you are replac-

entails counting the

long sentence.

ing to the right and

left in your sentence
and indicating them with < and > signs.
None of the other packages have this fea-

ture. but,

awkward

as

Electric Webster flag

it

may

some

be,

it

helps

tense-related

Finally, Electric

summary of

Webster offers a statis-

document based on
average word, sentence, phrase, and paragraph length, then gives you a readability
score.

One
and

file
is

different files.

contains the phrases in question

loaded into memory; the other offers

and remains on
These files are also customized, and
program uses a simple format includ=
ing relational <,>, or
symbols to define misused phrases and suggest replace-

You can

program

to

the

also use a configuration

customize style parameters

such as the number of allowable words

in a

PC

I

—

avenue of escape from the rigid program
operation. Although the program works,
the user interface on this program could
stand

some modernization.

alternative suggestions
disk.

errors.

tical

ten

Actually, the phrase dictionary of this

program consists of two

also missed

the

NOT YET CRASH-PROOF

Electric
Webster supports the greatest number of

offbeat
the

word processors but omits some of

more popular ones. The manual cites
program as working with Spellbinder,

ments.

the

Notably missing from the phrase dictionaries are any abbreviations. Electric

Open Access, and WordStar but never
mentions how to use other document for-

Webster considers the period

mats.

MAGAZINE
202

in

MAY

an abbre2 7.

1986

A

call to

Cornucopia informed

me

WHAT’S A GIGABYTE?
Suppose you color-in each small square on

That's the

this page.

There are 10,000 squares.

Good News.

News

is

Now suppose each square represe
of data. You will have colored an

to

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by CORE

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GIGAfile™ comes with every CORE hard disk in excess of 32MB capacity
so you don't have to partition the drive into logical volumes. Unless you want to.
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You can have files and/or directories as big as a full gigabyte.
On files this big you could maintain a nearly unlimited customer-lead file with hundreds of
thousands of names and addresses for a successful direct mail campaign. Physicians and Attorneys can
now have detailed patient and client files electronically stored, thus relieving pressure on hard-copy file space.
Since no single PC hard disk yet can store a Gigabyte. GIGAfile’" makes it possible to have your files
expand across as many as eight physical storage devices. For example, you can install two CORE 72MB High
Performance hard disks in an IBM PC-AT or compatible and have one huge 144 MB file resident! Your system will see both drives as one device. And the CORE Drives support large files under XENIX’" too.
And as CORE'S near-future mass-storage development yields even higher capacity devices, you'll be
ensuring your capability for future storage growth. The time is rapidly approaching wnen multi megabyte
spreadsheets ana 100MB, 300MB or even larger databases will be common.
Some even as big as a Gigabyte. And that's like 100.000 pages of grids like the one above, each with
10,000 squares, to give you an idea of just how big a "Gig" redly is. One Billion Bytes. 1,000 Megabytes.
1,000,000,000 characters of information. GIGAfile'".
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CIRCLE

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ON READER SERVICE CARD

f

rr

t.

\ YA

rrITT]

ikVl

IT

"

'}

1

^

Stopping jbr

4

j

mformance ana
hire
*

1 «./. r

%.’.«»

* ^rrTTTTTiTT
Ml U 1
1 1

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11

Exploring the
endeavor.

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mJMMn
is

a confusing, and often

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and you can lose lots of money.

risky,

One wrong turn,

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STYLE ANALYZERS

Style Analyzers:

Summary of Features
and Performance
Grammatik
$89

RightWriter

S95

II

Electric

Punctuation

Webster
$169.95

and Style
$125

PC-Style

$125

Copy protected
Spelling checker

Displays error check on-screen

u>

Suggests alternatives

lor errors

IAJ

“

Marks up

&

Marks

text

text with

comments

Allows customized rules and phrases
Ignores blocks of text

Documentation

Word processing compatibility

zM
O
UJ
P™
i=
5S
u
z<
^
“°

Flags run-on sentences
Flags unbalanced punctuation
.

—

Flags white-space errors
Flags capitalization errors
Flags double words
Flags split inlinitives
Flags passive voice

Flags awkward language

2
| J2
cc c
cd 3
z“

g
£

Flags archaic language

Flags cliches and jargon
Flags redundancies
Flags confusibles
Flags gender-specific terms
Flags vague words
Flags wordiness

Flags wrong word
Flags

og
°
co
^
^
60
S

homonyms

Readability

Descriptiveness

Sentence structure
Word-frequency studies

taken by management"; preferred: active

Selected features have been given perfor-

mance

ratings.

These

ratings are based on

an analysis and comparison of the

analyzer (see sidebar. "Analyzing the Analyzers”).

The following examples

illustrate

grammar

cat; preferred: to eat heartily); passive
in

(last

=

"these actions were

yes, feature available in program

language (therein); cliches and

but not least, a case in point);

Blank space

=

no, feature not available

redundancy (today’s modem); confusibles
(effect, affect); gender-specific terms

=
=
=

somewhat); wordiness (at that point in
time); wrong word (must of; correct: must

capabilities": split infinitive (to heartily

voice (were taken, as

that; archaic

jargon

(chairman; preferred: the chair or, if appropriate. chairwoman); vague words (rather,

the stylistic issues involved under the features table heading, "Style and

"management took these acawkward language (due to the fact

voice, as in
tions”);

total er-

each category after running
three sample documents through each style
rors flagged in

have);

PC

homonyms

(flair, flare).

MAGAZINE
206

MAY

2 7.

1986

poor

average
excellent.

a

.

STYLE ANALYZERS

Desk Mate, XyWrite, LeScript,
PFS: WRITE will work

that

important proofreading functions

—

—

spell

Volkswriler, and

and analyze

The manual contains no discussion of ASCII files or other formats, even
though the program appears to work with
most (but not all) ASCII output. When
ran the program with Microsoft Word
(stored as straight ASCII), I managed to

ed dictionary, a less-than-robust selection

as well.

in

one package. But a

limit-

of prompts for the grammar and spelling

components, and

terse

documentation lim-

it this program. Worth noting is that Cornucopia recently released Whoops!
real-time spelling checker
and that the

—

I

crash the program repeatedly.

Subsequently.

learned that Microsoft

I

Word's lack of an end-of-file character

was throwing Electric Webster off

NEV

2.0

the

Many popuPC-based word processors don't use

track and causing the crashes.
lar

THE Intelligent
Electric Webster

with most (but not

Grammar and

works

ASCII output.

RightWriter

this character

was

to use

My only recourse
DEBUG and insert the

anymore.

DOS’s

character into the

This

file.

is

not a process

to go through routinely. When I
informed Cornucopia of this situation, the

you want

company promised
ately;

so stay tuned

remedy it immediyour word processor

to
if

Electric Webster has the potential to be
It

is

contains two

Robin Raskin is a frequent contributer
PC Magazine.

to

the

office auto-

first

mation package aimed at
producing better writing,
not

more

writing.

• Messages are Inserted
directly into text to point

out possible errors and

problem areas.

— only one

• Easy to Use

does not use end-of-file characters.
an effective style analyzer.

Style Checker

RightWriter is a new tool to help you produce lean, powerful BUSINESS
WRITING. RightWriter uses advanced artificial intelligence technology
to flag errors in GRAMMAR, STYLE, USAGE, and PUNCTUATION.

all)

command

to learn, your

word processor does the
rest.

• Works with Leading
Word Processors —
including WordStar®,

idea

is

whose time

Wolkswriter®, PFSwrite®,

yu

id

E D
T
C H O
I

I

O R

’

MultiMate®, and others.

S

PC-based style analyzer scene. Its

~ PC

^-

w°"‘ ^nr,amcm
documents,inn ‘S
arron9 the
best I have
sSn"

level of the

J,m fte. Soft

standard Flesch-Kincaid

Grammatik II has a
handsome user interface and some
Gram-

an ecce//enTT*

'’e

document using the D.O.D.

grade

Grammatik I is the old codger of the

s

,

formula.

Uncommon Word

sophisticated phrase rules.

matik IT j Achilles’ heel

—

is its treat-

lists

on
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2033 Wood St. • Suite 218
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Phone Orders Call: (813) 952-9211
Add 54 for shipping and handling.
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List

misspelled, slang,

and uncommon words.

ment ofpunctuation
Ifyour writing suffers more from
misplaced periods, commas, and
quotes than from overuse of cliches
and trite expressions, then Punctuation and Style is your bet bet. Its
punctuation

^opening

• Readability Index
measures the reading

C E

offspring,

RightWriter is

—

• Recommends

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final
RxgitWntet

left

CIRCLE

is punctilious.

PC

n

a trademark oi DectswnWare Inc VMxdSur is a trademark of MrraPlo International
is a trademark d 'VjM.Mau- International PFSwrae is a trader nark oI Software
is a trademark ol Ufetree Software. Inc

Corporation MuJUMaar

PubksNng Corporation VtJkswnirr

to you.

MAGAZINE
207

479

MAY

ON READER SERVICE CARD

2 7,

—

company has some exciting ideas about future grammar and style programs.
GB

1986

a

A

!

NEW SOLUTION from Microcomputer Accessories, Inc.

THECASEOF
THE DISAPPEARING CABLES

Here's a puzzle for you, Watson!
this

Look

at

new MicroManager!

1 see anything out of the ordinary, Holmes.

Can’t say

Think. Watson, not about what you

see,

but rather what you

don 't see.
But, Holmes, everything seems perfectly in order.
Precisely! When did
in order, Watson?

Holmes, you've solved the Case of the
Disappearing Cables!

MiCROMAhAQER

you ever see a printer station that was perfectly

mystery

my dear Watson. But the
MicroManager has solved an even deeper
Elementary,

— where to put the printer

See

how

this Basic Floor

composed of

individual sections— ‘modules;’
Americans call them. Consider the possibilities, Watson single
modules used as desktop printer or monitor stands, for keyboard
storage, or what-have-you. Combined, they can form any sort of

Unit

is

actually

—

station we need! The base has locking casters for instant
mobility. There’s even an optional paper refolding attachment!

work

Zounds, Holmes! Some rascal has stolen the cables!

—

So it seems, Watson, but observe carefully there's more to this than
meets the eye. The cables have been cleverly concealed right under
our very noses! Notice how each cable disappears through a knockout hole and enters a channel in the rear of the dev ice. Remove these

—

—we discover the cables passing from

vertical panels and
voila!
level to level through secret

compartments.

Cunning,

isn’t it?

By Jove, Holmes, this new MicroManager
clever device we’ve ever encountered!

Thank
Heaven its creators are
on our side!
Indeed. Watson.

CIRCLE

is

the most diabolically

Microcomputer
Accessor
les, Inc.
d
nco ccnuirc r»on

’iM
314 ON

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PC world,

has released itsfirst

80286-based machines. Competitors beware: The Tandy
3000 and 3000 HD are serious AT-compatible contenders.

O

Bowing

nce upon a time, Radio Shack was
the only game in town if you wanted a microcomputer that you

sures,

that long ago, innocent era

abouts),

you

(

1

975 or

to inexorable

Tandy

that ran

market pres-

released several computers

under

MS-DOS

instead of the

company’s own TRS-DOS. Each succeeding model that Tandy now sells comes

didn’t have to solder together yourself. In
there-

either pored through the back

closer to perfect

IBM PC

compatibility,

pages of electronics magazines for com-

giving ambivalent Radio Shack shoppers

puter parts you jury-rigged into something

access to the wide range of software and

remotely programmable or you plunked

add-ons available on the PC-compatible
market (see "Monroe and Tandy Strike

down money for a pretty plastic box called
the TRS-80 and ‘'attachments’’: a cassette

Out on Their Own," PC Magazine, Volume 3 Number 16, and "The Tandy 1200
HD: A New Direction for Radio Shack,"
Volume 4 Number 7).

recorder, a cheap thermal printer, and a

TV set.
For any but the simplest business applications, the early TRS-80 models were

In

it

all

keeping with

Tandy

—

ing to preserve
product.

its

Running

own

a Tandy
now-standard 8-

identity as

at the

MHz clock rate embraced by all AT-compatible manufacturers but

3000 proved

changed.

PC

this trend, the

—

3000
Tandy's first machine to be based
on the Intel 80286 microprocessor is as
close to an IBM AT doppelganger as any
machine currently available, while manag-

ponderously slow, mass-storage capacity

was a joke, and well-designed applications
software was nonexistent. Tandy Corp.
persisted in marketing the machines,
though, long after the IBM PC made its
initial splash. Following its own drummer,
Tandy stubbornly kept its micros apart,
alone in a world of PC-compatibles. Then

MAGAZINE
209

IBM,

itself a serious

MAY27, 1986

the

Tandy

contender.

THE TANDY 3000 HD

A DIFFERENT WAY OF DOING
THINGS The subtle differences between
the

Tandy 3000 and machines following

the

IBM AT design pattern are mosdy be-

neath the skin.

To keep

the machine’s

desktop footprint agreeably small (only

328'/ 5 square inches versus the AT’s
351 3/4 square inches), the designers laid
out the 3000’s interior in a radically differ-

Each succeeding model
that

Tandy now

sells

comes closer to perfect

IBM PC compatibility.
ent manner. Fust, the central front of the

chassis (the space used in

most AT-com-

patibles for a full-height hard disk) has

been given over to a large cooling fan that
directs its output of relatively cool air directly onto the machine’s ten expansion
board slots, instead of drawing hot air

away from only the power supply. This approach

is

unquestionably a better cooling

arrangement than IBM’s.
Despite the machine’s overall smaller

compared
have managed
size

AT,

to the

to provide

the designers

two more

footprint than

length expansion slots than are available

with the

AT. Three of

The Tandy 3000 HD (above) features
a unique center-position cooling fan
and slots for three half-height hard- or
floppy-disk drives. Despite a smaller

full-

IBM's AT. the Tandy's

system unit ( right ) has two more

these slots are de-

expansion slots than the AT.

signed to accept only 8-bit boards, with the

by either 8- or 16-bit boards. In
a machine equipped with a single monitor,
rest usable

floppy and hard disks, and single serial and
parallel slots,

you

still

have eight

slots left

over to fill to your heart’s content. Because
of the fan placement, you can do so without fear of overheating those expensive

hind the 3000’s plastic front panel. In

circuits.

fect, therefore,

it

ideal for typists

The

giving

the right has slots for three half-height

there

is

dedicated to the 1.2-megabyte floppy

backup unit. You might just
want to devote one or more of those extra
board slots to one of the plethora of harddisks-on-a-card now emerging on the market and use that drive slot for a unit with a

standard on both the 3000 and

floppy-disk drive or internal tape-backup

two of which

front panel in place.
is

3000

HD

is

tridge tape

are accessible
plastic

The topmost drive slot

models, with the 20-megabyte

unit.

Mitsubishi hard disk offered in the 3000

HD in the inaccessible, lowermost slot be-

iar

PC

The 3000’s keyboard follows the famil84-key AT layout exactly, which

MAGAZINE
210

MAY2

7,

used to the Selec-

arrangement. Otherwise,

light,

from the front with the machine’s

Illustration:

tric

markable.

drive that
Vittorio

makes

second floppy drive, hard disk, or car-

drives, only

Sartor

ef-

you have only one accessiwhich to mount a

ble drive slot left in

DISK DRIVE LIMITS The drive rack on

feel

patible

DIN

It

plug, so

let

rather

you know the

uses an
it

not re-

is

feedback, though

a definite click to

key’s been pressed.

it’s

of the keys

little tactile

IBM-com-

can be replaced

with any keyboard on the market, includ-

IBM’s own if you want.
The Tandy 3000 HD supplied for this
review came equipped with Tandy’s ubiquitous TRS-80 color monitor and adapter.
ing

Offered as an option with every other

1986

.

from The Norton
at

BENCHMARK TESTS
H D VS.

Tandy 3000

HD

Hi Hard disk

IBM PC AT

Hard disk

Tandy 3000

IBM PC AT

Utilities rated the

a whopping 8.4 on

after test, the

Tandy held

IBM’s more expensive

its

AT.

own

In test

against

product.

While the system lacks some of the
amenities common to AT-class machines
like a lock with a fancy chrome
key to dangle before the envious eyes of

HI Quad density
Quad

Tandy

scale, or better

its

than 30 percent faster than the

density

—

—Tandy

users of lesser systems

has

in-

cluded such niceties as a hardware-reset

(commonly

button on the front panel

ferred to as “the switch that

IBM

re-

forgot")

and a simple dual-voltage power system.

More

important, the

Tandy 3000 HD
Tandy Corp. of

heralds the recognition by

the current state of the personal computer

market.

The Disk Input Output benchmark test measures the time it takes to create a 200K-byte data trie using record lengths ot
512 bytes and 578 bytes The test program then perlorms a random read of 256 records from the created data We, followed
by a sequential read

of the

The 3000 and 3000

HD

will ac-

cept just about any add-on board, applica-

same records

tions software, or peripheral device

IBM AT,

for the

made

freeing the purchaser

from the fear of being locked into buying
products from a single vendor. With
Tandy’s vast retailing and technical support network, expect to see this machine
making waves in the marketplace.
CM

The Prime Number Calcubenchmark test mea-

( ASM), converts it to binary
code, and Imk -edits if with

sures the speed at which the

bnary files to make
an executable ( EXE) file
Stage 2 compiles and links
source code to resolve ad
dress references and make
an executable We

consisting of 154 bytes each
sorting on a database file
indexing on 2 of the
( DBF),
13 data fields in each rec-

The dBASE Routine
benchmark test lor data-

indexes on a database We.

lation

computer can

find all the

pnme numbers between
and 50

l

The Compiler Routine
benchmark lest assesses
the speed ot program development the microprocessor and RAM by way of a

m

two-stop, self timing

DOS

batch We using the IBM
Personal Computer Linker
program Stage 1 takes a
341-fcne

assembly code

file

DOS batch hie runs a total
ot six

other

dBASE

II.

database records

ord. copyuig to a temporary
database file setting two

appending a record, and
deleting a record and packing (or removing the data
hole from) the database file

base applications assesses
how quickly the machine
reads and writes to disk by
performing a senes ot disk
intensive

dBASE routines on 81

individual

David Obregdn is a computer consultant
based in New York City.

mark test for spreadsheet
applications, descried lor a
2S6K-by1e environment, assesses the computational
speed and RAM manage
ment capabilities of the maI -2-3 macro

FACT FILE

chine by using a

perlorms a senes of
both global and individual
worksheet tasks The macro
copies and recalculates a
10-cell range 499 times
that

moves

Tandy 3000 and .MXXI III)
Tandy Corp.
800 One Tandy Center
Fort Worth. TX 76102
(817)390-2728

1.000 cells, deletes

1000 cells, and then sysdears the

1

tematically

Version

The

2 41, tasks The self-timing

1-2-3

Routine bench-

spreadsheet

l.ist

The Tandy 3000 HD held its own against IBM’s more expensive product, demonstrating an
impressive price/petformance ratio. It outshone the AT in applications tests, and while it didn’t
perform quite as well in disk HO operations, it still gave a respectable showing.

A WHIRLWIND

mode through the technique
of double-scanning, while 320- by 200-

DOS computer Tandy has made yet. The
CORE International hard disk test, which

this

color graphics

pixel resolution

is

color color mode.

the best

you get

Tandy claims

in 16-

tests

we

did run

IN DISGUISE The
on the Tandy 3000 HD

it to be more than a match for the
AT-compatible machines we've reviewed
in past issues of PC Magazine and the best

proved

pits

a hard disk against a spectrum of tasks,

that this

concluded that the Mitsubishi drive used

graphics adapter can be used with Tandy’s

by Tandy was “the ultimate in hard
disks," with performance exceeding
IBM’s specifications for the AT by more
than 30 percent. The Syslnfo program

$99 monochrome monitor

for

mono-

chrome graphics, though this claim was
not tested by PC Magazine Labs.

PC

MAGAZINE
211

MAY2

7,

1

Minimum configuration: 5I2K

.2-n»egabyte floppy disk drive, one

and one serial

port.

$2,599, 3(XX)

HD configuration: 5I2K RAM.

monitor
can produce resolutions of up to 640 by
400 pixels in black-and-white mode. The
graphics adapter and monitor combination
can also produce the same resolution for 4-

Tandy personal computer,

Price:

RAM.
parallel

1986

1

.2-

megahyte floppy disk drive. 20-megabyle
hard disk, one parallel and one serial port.
$3,599. IX*luxe text (monochrome)
adapter. $299;

monochrome monitor. $99;

deluxe graphics adapter. $499;

CM

I

color

monitor. $599; second hard disk. $799

(needs second controller. $499);

DOS 3.

1

BASIC. DeskMinc software package. $99.
Microprocessor: 80286
('lock Speed: 8

Expansion
In Short:

MH/

Slots:

Ten

An excellent, lower-cost
IBM AT from a company

alternative to the

with an extensive retailing and technical
support network.
CIRCLE 700 ON READER St HVICf

CARD

Why the Hercules Color Card is
better for your XT than IBM’s.
Did you know that

And we’ll do just about anything to

there’s a color

graphics card specially designed for the
XT"? It’s called the Hercules" Color Card. We
think that it’s better for your XT than the
IBM "Color Graphics Adapter. Here’s why.

make our products the most reliable you
can buy.

The XT comes with an empty short slot.
IBM’s card

is

too long to

fit

in

it,

so you’re

forced to sacrifice a valuable long slot, while

your XT’s short slot goes unused.
The Hercules Color Card is designed to
fit in this short slot. It’s the smartest way
to maximize the usable slots in an XT and
provide for your future expansion needs.

IBM
11

I

Hercules

0 0

1

/

card will run on the Hercules Color Card.
You’ll have to give up IBM’s ninety day
warranty. Ours is two years.

01

'

/

IBM

Hercules

Of course, you will have to give up
something when you buy a Hercules Color
Card. You’ll have to give up software incompatibility. With Hercules, there is none.
Every program that runs on the IBM color

>

Compare warranties

IBM

3 months

Notice how much more efficiently
Hercules makes use of the XT’s slots.

Our efficient use of an XT’s slots is not
the only reason to buy a Hercules Color
Card instead of IBM’s. We give you a
parallel printer port at no extra cost. (IBM
charges extra and takes up another slot.)

A lot of people wonder how Hercules
can do everything that IBM can in a card
than half the size We do it by designing
our own graphics microchips. Just one of our
chips packs the punch of dozens of IBM’s,
reducing by more than 50% the number of
components that can fail.
less

s 2550 Ninth St., Berkeley. CA 94710 Ph: 415 540-6000
Limited time offer, subject to change without notice.

Tfelex:

754063

CIRCLE

146

And you’ll have to give up a dollar. The
Hercules Color Card is $245— IBM’s is $244.
Look into the Hercules Color Card
for the XT, PC or ATT Find out why the
readers of PC World voted the Hercules
Color Card 1985’s best color graphics
card-ahead of IBM’s. Call 1 800 532-0600
Ext.420 for the name of the dealer nearest
you and we’ll rush you our free info kit.

Hercules.
We’re strong on graphics.
e Hercules/ Hercules

ON READER

SERVICE

CARD

Computer Ibchnology; IBM, XT, AT/IBM.

THOMAS A. MEYERS

ON-LINE SERVICES

A GUIDE TO

ON-LINE
INVESTING
Financial services provide quotes,

statistics,

and advice from the

—the on-line tools you needfor well-informed investing.

experts

T
Dow

he caverns of Wall Strcel resonate
with the sounds of change in the
world's financial markets.

talks,

everyone

listens.

have to be there to hear

ments

it.

When

what’s happening as

it

the

But you don’t

New

develop-

in on-line financial services tell

you

happens. Never be-

have individual investors had so much

fore

information so

fast.

Dow Jones

News/Retrieval

mier interactive financial news

—and

tem

—

the pre-

retrieval sys-

other on-line financial informa-

tion services give

you instant access

to

current and historical financial quotes, up-

news on all topics, detailed
on companies, and more. In addi-

to-the-minute
statistics

tion,
line,

can

you can query investment experts onusing electronic advisory services.

now even

You

enter stock orders to a grow-

ing number of brokerage firms directly
through your home or office PC.
Investors arc not the only beneficiaries of

on-line services like
Retrieval (DJN/R),
tion Service,

Dow Jones News/

CompuServe Informa-

NewsNet, and

scribed in this article.

If

the others de-

you're not inclined

your money in the stock market, you
retrieve key information about the
company you work for (or want to work for),
to put

can

still

I

competing companies,

Perhaps you don’t have funds to invest

a particular indusand the entire economy. Such information
can frequently help you handle your personal finances.

It

now

do so

in the

Using
on-line financial services today will educate you
about managing your investments tomorrow.
market

try,

can even advance your career.

PC MAGA.ZINE
213

MAY

but plan to

2 7,

1986

in the future.

1

ON-LINE INVESTING

GETTING ON-LINE To

get on-line

PC, a modem, and, to access
most of the services, a standard communiyou’ll need a

cations software package.

Some of the ser-

ting

up your account and assigning you an
number and password as-

Several on-line services charge a mini-

identification

mum

signment. In addition, you usually get a

these services regularly, though, you’ll

user manual and a few hours of free con-

probably exceed the

you

how to navigate

vices require a particular communications

nect time to help

software program to enable you to retrieve

through the system without incurring con-

information in a particular format; these

nect-time charges.

learn

monthly usage

fee.

If

minimum

you access
fee and in-

cur additional cost.

You can minimize

the actual time

you're connected to an on-line service and

packages are usualfrom the on-line services.

you're connected to the service. Connect

keep your charges down by following
some simple suggestions. First, always

Sign-on procedures are the same for

charges are per-minute or per-hour fees for

plan your on-line sessions thoroughly be-

relatively inexpensive
ly available

most services: using your communications
software, dial a local-access number and
number and password. You’re now ready to use the system.
To subscribe to an on-line service, you
must first pay a registration fee, normally
from $25 to $50. This charge covers set-

enter an identification

PC

From

then on you pay for the time

the actual time

you

use, based

on

the time

fore

you sign on. With the mountains of fiyou

of day you access the service and the trans-

nancial information at your fingertips,

mission speed of information (the bits-per-

may be tempted to sign on and go from one

second). Connect charges are usually

feature to another, looking at information

greatest during peak usage hours

that’s intriguing but

ness hours

Monday through

for higher speeds

—
—and
busi-

Friday

ue. Using

So

of transmission.

MAGAZINE
214

MAY2

7.

1986

it

this

of

little

practical val-

way incurs high costs.
map out

take a few minutes to

the

The new Version 2

aLYNX
Trackball
a quality product

from

Honeywell

^

A Productivity Tool
For Applications Software

E

/xLYNX comes with a software driver for
text or graphics mode to emulate either
keystrokes or mouse commands. /iLYNX

nhance your efficiency on spreadsheet, data base and word processing

software with

a professional

control device

made

for the

cursor

IBM PC/XT™

and other 100% keyboard compatibles.
Stop hitting arrow keys, quit jumping in
and out of NUM-LOCK...get on the
/uLYNX ball and find out what cat-like
cursor motion is all about. Move up to a
higher level form with microprocessor
intelligence that will allow you to purr

use up a

sits

where you need

it

without

taking up a lot of desk space. juLYNX is
simple to install and even easier to use.

/nLYNX...for the serious user of practical
software who wants to enhance
action and productivity.

around.

DOES NOT

lets you customize a button function and
cursor rate template, then save it right
with your program. /uLYNX has a pop-up
macro menu for the advanced user.

juLYNX

across the screen instead of just mousing

/uLYNX piggybacks with your keyboard,

\S0^

it

serial port.

Honeywell
Oise Installments Subsidiary

Dealer Inquiries Invited
Limited

r

Time

— Special Offer

Receive a /xLYNX version 2 Trackball, including software.. .PC Paintbrush

—
T

“

and Graphics Driver!

ALL FOR JUST $195! ORDER NOW!!

!

Contact your local dealer for a demonstration of the /x LYNX Trackball. If he does not yet carry the n LYNX, ask him to
You can also order the /x LYNX directly from us by mail or phone.
MAIL
PHONE

call us.

Send cheek or money order,*
residents add 6.5% sales tax)

in

the

amount

of $105.00 (California

plus $4.00 shipping and handling for
eacn unit, to:

J

Call directly to place Mastercard, Visa or C.O.D. order:
In California, 714-970-5300 Ext. 223
Outside California, 800-824-3522

Honeywell/Disc
E. Baker St., Dept. MX
Costa Mesa, CA 02t>26

!

Offer ends 6/30/86. Void where prohibited.
*C.O.D. orders also accepted by mail.

102

GEM DRAW is a trademark of
Arts

PC

Paintbrush

is

Digital

Rescan

a trademark of ZSofl

h Inc SIDE KK K is a trademark of Borland Inti Mull. plan is a trademark of Microsoft Coro. DESQ is a trademark of Quarterdeck. C,rl Organized is a trademark of Electronic
Corp Lotus 1-2-3 and Symphony arc trademarks of Lotus Development Carp. Framework is a trademark of Ashton Tate IBM-PC/XT is a trademark of IBM Corporation

CIRCLE

170

ON READER

SERVICE

CARD

ON-LINE INVESTING

features
ic

you want

to access

information you need.

and the specif-

Then

sign on, re-

trieve the information efficiently,
off.

and sign

DOW JONES

Journal, Barron’s, and the

NEWS/RETRIEVAL

News

Dow Jones & Co. Inc., the publisher of
The Wall Street Journal, has a worldwide

Standard

Also, whenever possible, access the

You

reputation as a leading supplier of financial

servicebeforeorafterbusinesshours.

can then retrieve the same information for
up to 80 percent less than you’d pay during

information. Likewise,

DJN/R,

is

its

on-line service.

recognized as the premier

inter-

Easy to use, DJN/R
menu-driven.

To

highest possi-

While other on-line services offer only bits
and pieces of financial information,

database, for example,

ble transmission speed. Although charges
for 1,200-bps transmission are normally

DJN/R

twice those for 300-bps transmission, the

line service for the investor.

higher rate means that you're receiving in-

access to numerous proprietary and non-

formation four times as

proprietary databases. Information sources

sult is a

at the

—and

fast

the re-

lower overall cost.

is

include

a complete, well-rounded on-

Dow

Jones’s

It

gives you

own Wall

Street

(//)

completely

and the appro-

mnemonic (for the Dow Jones News

priate

system to retrieve data

is

access a given database,

simply type two slashes

active information service for investors.

set

Jones

& Poor’s and Media General Fi-

up your

peak business hours. Finally,

Dow

Service as well as such sources as

nancial Services.

it’s

DJNEWS) and

press the Enter key.

Changing between databases is also
mnemonic command for the database you want to go to
and press the Enter key. To go to the Cor-

easy. Simply type the

porate Earnings Estimator database from

FACT FILE
The

Commodity Systems Inc.
200 W. Palmetto Park Rd.
Boca Raton, FL 33432

FCI-Invest/Net:

1929 N. Harlem Ave.

Metropark

(800)327-0175
(305)392-8663

North Miami, FL 33169
(305)652-1710

Chicago, IL 60635

(312)622-6666

510Thomall St.
Edison. NJ 08837

Registration Fee: $150 (includes a

Registration Fee: $50

Registration Fee: $30

(201)494-1200

communications software package)

Minimum Monthly Usage Fee: $35

Minimum Monthly Usage Fee: $26
CIRCLE «m ON READER SERVICE CARD

when used;

5000 Arlington Centre Blvd.
Columbus, OH 43220

Registration Fee: $39.95
vice);

(basic ser-

$49.95 (with Executive Ser-

vice Option)

Minimum Monthly Usage Fee:
None (basic service); $ 10 (with Exec-

National Computer Network

if

Minimum Monthly Usage Fee:

you do not use the ser-

Minimum Monthly Usage Fee: $24
CIRCLE 062 ON READER SERVICE CARD

Schwab’s Electronic Brokerage

Vickers On-Line

Service

Huttonline

& Co.

Vickers Stock Research Corp.

Schwab Technology Services
Schwab & Co. Inc.
101 Montgomery St.
San Francisco, CA 94104

226

(800)334-4455

Minimum Monthly Usage Fee:

None (service requires usage of The Equalizer soft-

None

Charles

P.O.Box 623
Bowling Green Station
New York, NY 10274
(800)334-2477
Registration Fee: $25
Minimum Monthly Usage Fee:

Registration Fee:

None

Minimum Monthly Usage Fee:

CIRCLE 689 ON READER SERVICE CARO

None
CIRCLE 686 ON READER SERVICE CARD

(800)257-5114

Merlin Dial/Data
Hale Systems Inc.
1044 Northern Blvd.
NY 1 1576
(800)645-3120

(609)452-1511
Registration Fee: $29.95

Minimum Monthly Usage Fee:
None

New York Ave.

Huntington.

NY

1

1743

(516)423-7710
Registration Fee: $50 per year

CIRCLE 681

ON READER SERVICE CARD

ware, $199)

utive Service Option)

P.O.Box 300
Princeton, NJ 08543

Registration Fee: $295

None
CIRCLE 086 ON READER SERVICE CARO

CIRCLE 882 ON READER SERVICE CARO

Dow Jones News/Retrieval
Dow Jones & Co. Inc.

Investment Technologies Inc.

no fee

CIRCLE 080 ON READER SERVICE CARO

E.F. Hutton

(800)848-8990
(614)457-8650

Vestor

Nite-Line

NW 183d St., #126

vice during a particular month, there
is

CompuServe Information Service

Insider Trad-

ing Monitor

99

Warner Computer Systems Inc.
One University Plaza
Hackensack, NJ 07601
(800) 626-4634

The Source

(201)489-1580

1616 Anderson Rd.

McLean,

Roslyn,

Registration Fee: $48

VA 22102

Minimum Monthly Usage Fee:

(800) 336-3366

None

(516)484-4545

(703)821-6666

CIRCLE 680 ON READER SERVICE CARD

None
Minimum Monthly Usage Fee: $15
CIRCLE 088 ON READER SERVICE CARO

Registration Fee: $49.95
CIRCLE 884 ON READER SERVICE CARO

NewsNet

Telescan

Registration Fee:

CIRCLE 681 ON READER SERVICE CARO
1 101
Richmond Ave., #600
Houston, TX 77042
(800)624-9307

945 Haverford Rd.
Bryn Mawr.PA 19010
(800)345-1301

1

None (service re-

(215)527-8030

Registration Fee:

None
Minimum Monthly Usage Fee:
None (there is a $15 per month sub-

quires usage of Telescan Analyzer

Registration Fee:

software, $49.95)

Minimum Monthly Usage Fee:

scription fee)

None

CIRCLE 087 ON READER SERVICE CARD

CIRCLE 883 ON READER SERVICE CARO

PC

MAGAZINE
216

MAY2

7,

1986

Powerful business tools
don’t have to be complicated
records, inventory

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©Software Publishing Corporation

o

ON-LINE INVESTING

DJNEWS

the

//EARN and
In

all,

database, for example, type

press the Enter key.

35 databases are available on

DJN/R, grouped

into three primary cate-

gories: Business

and Investor Services,

General Services, and Using News/Retrie-

The Business and

val.

—our

category

!Xtra

too^ ofp

o° u0 ' e

idtn

is

'

C

uary 1984 are available. Text-Search en-

rt

«"

you to search for news using any
words, phrases, names, dates, or numbers

you how to combine their
forces to make them work for you.
The Company/Industry Data and News

from the headlines or text of any of these
articles. You can design specialized search
statements by linking several words to-

tells

1

DJN/R

3

company and

databases that

industry data and

3 c«

A

powerful research tool, Text-

Search can save you a tremendous amount

Wall Street Journal Online (//WSJ).
the headlines and sum-

You can review

Dow Jones News Service

as recent as

though, makes a great deal more sense

90 seconds ago and

90 days.
news you want

than paying 90 cents a minute (during

'

You can

—

all

as far back as

search for the

simply enter the two-letter code to the
of the headline that interests you and

left

press Enter.
try

The database accesses

indus-

and government news just as easily. To
first page of headlines for the Of-

see the
fice

Equipment Industry,

for

example,

but also

With

its

company's current earnings
anticipated future earnings.

the Corporate Earnings Estimator da-

you can determine what the professionals forecast for a particular company.
Updated weekly, this database supplies

tabase,

consensus forecasts of earnings per share

companies

for 3,000 widely followed

based on the estimates of 1 ,000 top Wall
more than 60 major bro-

Street analysts at

kerage firms. For each company, the data-

base shows the average of the

cal years. In addition,

mergers and acquisitions, and earnings

their previous projections.

re-

The hot business news is a real valgiving you current-day business news

ports.

that the

Dow

Jones

News

MAGAZINE
218

eam-

ings-per-share estimates as well as high

and low estimates for each of the next 2 fis-

news, headlines of the hour, economic
news, monetary news, bond market news,
stock market news, news on tender offers,

ue,

latest

of

as hot business

retrieve information in a variety

news categories, such

PC

reflects the

company, industry, and government news,
you can

^

Corporate Earnings Estimator
(//EARN). Ultimately, the success of any

type .I/OFF 01 and press Enter.
In addition to being able to access

9S0

50 cents a copy,

prime time) to view the headlines and summaries of major stories on-line.

’

^^r^

per's newsstand price of

company lies in its ability to make a profit.
The price of a company’s stock not only

line,

iflpr???

database. Paying your newsdealer the pa-

space, 01, and press Enter to retrieve the

<

2aK,or
M,N««°'
1w
1
gK iandV

maries of the major stories from The Jour-

by company, industry, or government category. For company news, type a period,
followed by a company’s stock symbol, a
page of headlines for a particular company. You can examine subsequent pages
of headlines by pressing the Space bar. To
view the complete text for a given head-

96M°r™' ”

c

gether.

of time and help you make sure you don’t
overlook important information.

nN

De

first

r

ables

guarantee

arra

%

all

have appeared in The

nal through the Wall Street Journal Online

co nipat'

19

"te

articles that

offers, the typical scenario that follows the

Dow Jones News (//DJNEWS). The
Dow Jones News database itself is cause

lx under"'"'

rt

in The Wall Street Jourand the Dow Jones News

age and Stock Symbols, all detailed below. After you know what each database

news

enough to sign with DJN/R. It gives you
what no other on-line service can supply:
access to news stories and special features
from The Wall Street Journal and Barron's and up-to-the-minute news from the

^ae roH or

:e nPers

Dow Jones News database is Text-

have appeared

Journal or The Washington Post since Jan-

news:

,

that

Quotes and Market Averages, and Broker-

focus on

ssss-ssv-

ing the

Search, a library of selected news articles
nal, Barron’s,

Service since June 1979. In addition,

descriptions

^,ono^ on

—

interest here

further broken down into three sections:
Company/Industry Data and News,

section contains

"9

Investors Services

primary

think can have a strong immediate impact
on a company, an industry, the stock market, or the economy.
Text-Search (//TEXT). Supplement-

Service editors

MAY

27.

it

gives estimates

dating back 4, 13, and 26 weeks, so you

can compare analysts' current estimates to

Media General Financial Services
(//MEDGEN). One of the most useful
DJN/R databases is Media General Finan-

1986

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ON-LINE INVESTING

Services, which supplies a concise

cial

summary of
price

a company's or industry’s
and volume data as well as funda-

mental data.

It

presents this detailed infor-

mation for over 4,300 companies and

The

industry groups.

price

80

1

and volume

data this database supplies includes stockprice action and volume, obtained

when

you simply enter a stock symbol or industry code, a slash (/), P, and press Enter.
Fundamental data includes revenues, earnings, dividends, ratios, and shareholdings.
Entering a stock symbol or industry code,
a slash (/), F, and pressing Enter generates
a report on fundamental data.
Standard & Poor’s Online (//SP).

&

The Standard

Poor’s Online database

contains concise profiles of more than
4,600 companies. By entering a stock
symbol, you can view a business summary, recent

market

formation.

It

and dividend inyou product-line

activity,

also gives

summaries and earnings estimates for most
major companies.
Disclosure

II

(//DSCLO). For more

extensive financial and descriptive data,

you can also access the Disclosure II database, which includes a variety of financial
reports and enables you to retrieve information by stock symbol for over 10,000
companies. This information is from 10-

R:BASE 5000

reports.

DISKETTE.

•

1107

NW

14th • Portland. Oregon

97209

Telephone (503) 222-2399

383

As of February 18,
example, had 31 research

important economic news and statistics in

ON READER SERVICE CARD PC

Since the information contained

includes an executive

summary of

is

not updated and the

in the

da-

than a few definitions.

Wall Street Week Online (//WSW).
The Wall Street Week Online database includes full-text transcripts from the popular

PBS

television

program “Wall

Street

views. Verbatim transcripts of the four

most recent shows are kept

on-line.

cost/benefit of using this database

tionable.

You’d probably be

is

The

ques-

better off

watching the television show or obtaining
a written transcript of the show directly

from “Wall

Street

Week”

for a couple

of

dollars.

Japan Economic Daily (//KYODO).

the

This database offers major economic, political,

wrap-up of the past week’s events, the

vided by Japan’s

220

is avail-

any bookstore, buy the book and save
yourself connect charges if you need more
ly

week’s economic news, a day-by-day

MAGAZINE

book

able in paperback for only $9.95 at virtual-

It

a concise, easy-to-understand format.

1-800- MANUALS
CIRCLE

for

Weekly Economic Update (//UPDATE). This database gives you access to

APPLEWORKS*
Nol part ol the E-Z senes

MIS

IBM,

1986,

SMART SOFTWARE*

1

each company, and each report con-

tains several pages.

PARADOX

BOOKS ALSO AVAILABLE WITH

by the
government. The forecasts are based on a
survey of economists and money market
dealers at 50 leading financial institutions
in the United States. For each of the indicators’ forecasts, you can obtain a bar chart,
showing the distribution of forecasts by the
50 survey participants.
Online Dictionary of Investment
Terms (//DEFINE). Adapted from the
book The Words of Wall Street, recently
published by Dow Jones-Irwin, a subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co. Inc., this database defines over 2,000 investment terms.

Week." Commentary from the show is
broken down into four sections: host Louis
Rukeyser’s Commentary. Panel Discussion, Viewer Questions, and Guest Inter-

for

Guide

com-

monetary and economic indicators with
the latest actual figures released

now access thousands of these reports con-

ten several research reports are available

Ref.

vey. This database provides a table

paring the median forecast for numerous

tabase

and historical
marketing and financial information.
Warning: watch your connect charges. Of-

Bus. Appl.

tant

K. 10-Q, and 8-K reports, proxy statements, annual reports to shareholders,
tender offers, and registration statements
filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
Investext (//INVEST). Leading stockbrokerage firms constantly release research reports on individual companies.
Through the Investext database you can
taining current, forecasted,

PC DOS
LOTUS 1-2-3
LOTUS 1-2-3

most recently released economic indicaan analysis of the week’s most imporeconomic topics, and a calendar of
economic indicators to be released during
the next month.
Economic and Foreign Exchange
Survey (//MMS). For a more extensive
look at the economy, you can access the
Economic and Foreign Exchange Survey
database supplied by Money Market Services Inc., composed of a weekly dealer
survey of the domestic money markets and
U.S. economy and a foreign exchange surtors,

MAY27, 1986

and business news from Japan. Pro-

Kyodo News Intemation-

OURNAL
CONOKREVr ENVIRONMENTS
DATA MANAGPRS AS

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EXPANDED MEMORY

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“Answers

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your fingertips.”

A handy display of

• The 10 function keys are

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directly referenced.

commands, menu

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• The Mini-Manual
specially

is

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assignments software quide containing
and cursor control
references, examples and
tables needed most often.
information is at your
structures, key

al Inc.,

news

gives you the day’s top

it

stories, a section

on the Tokyo

financial

markets, and a section of general economic,

news

business, and political

able at the

a.m.

—

—

all avail-

end of Japan's business day (9

eastern standard time).

The Quotes and Market Averages

sec-

DJN/R databases

you

tion has six

that give

current and historical security quotes:

Current Quotes Enhanced (//CQE).
With this database, one of the most frequently used of

you get

prices

stocks,

all

the

DJN/R

databases,

on common and preferred

NASDAQ

(over-the-counter)

stocks, warrants, options, corporate
bonds, foreign bonds, mutual funds, U.S.
Treasury issues, and government securiDesigned
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also has a useful

you when the company you are looking at is making news. Once alerted, you
can access that news through the Dow

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Jones

CIRCLE

The database

news-alert feature that automatically advises

Include $3.00 per order for shipping & handling.

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All prices are delayed a

ties.

$19.95

Wordstar

News Service.

Obtaining current quotes

ON READER SERVICE CARD

is

simple.

You type a stock symbol and press Enter to
see the previous day’s closing price, current day’s

there an

Is

low, and

opening price, and the high,
quoted along with cu-

last price

mulative trading volume.
current quotes for

XEDIT

ware packages, such

Manager

compatible editor for

•

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your

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KEDIT.

XEDIT commands

and

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XEDIT fullscreen

•

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as.

soft-

Dow Jones Market

Plus, automatically access this

database to update information on securities.

Real-Time Quotes (//RTQ). If you
want prices on stocks without the usual 15-

Real-time quotes are available for all
stocks trading on the New York, AmeriMidwest exchanges.
Historical Quotes (//HQ). This database gives you historical stock quotes: daily quotes, available for one year; monthly
quotes, available from 1979; and quarterly
quotes, from 1978.
Futures Quotes (//FUTURES). Current-day commodity quotations from the
major North American exchanges are

Group

available through this database.

VM/CMS

You can

more than 80 commodon a delayed basis of 0 to 30 minutes.

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ities

ON READER SERVICE CARD

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IBM’s powerful fullscreen editor for

You can

to five securities at a

minute delay, you can pay an additional
monthly charge and access this database.

Storrs,

layout

up

time by pressing the Space bar between

each symbol. Numerous investment

1

Information on each contract includes de-

T T R

E

L

X

I

Adds New Life to
Your Old Printer
ABCDEFGabcdef
ABCDEFGabcdef

Be-fore:
and month; daily open, high,
low, last, and settlement price; lifetime
high and low; volume; and open interest.
Tracking Service (//TRACK). With
this database you can monitor quotes and
news on up to 125 companies by creating
up to five lists of stock symbols with a
livery year

maximum of 25 stocks in each list. You
can automatically retrieve current quotes
and news for all companies in your list
rather than having to request information
one company at a time.
Historical Dow Jones Averages
(//DJA). This database enables you to obtain the Dow Jones Index for 30 industrial
stocks. 20 transportation stocks, 15 utilities, or the composite of all 65 for any specific day during the last year.
for

The Brokerage and Stock Symbols section contains DJN/R’s’brokerage database

as well as a stock symbols database, part of
the Using News/Retrieval category, that

makes using

the other databases easier:

Fidelity Investor’s Express (//FI-

DELITY). For the most part,

there’s

little

difference between one on-line brokerage
service and another.

son

why

And

there’s

little

rea-

there should be. Fidelity Inves-

no exception. It does exactly what you would expect by enabling
you to enter or cancel orders for stocks and
options, as well as view your open orders
and account information. In addition, you
can maintain on-line portfolio records that
are automatically updated as security
prices, dividends, and holding periods
tor's

Express

is

change and when trades are executed
through Fidelity Investor's Express.

News/Retrieval Symbols Directory
(//SYMBOL). To obtain news, quotes,
and other information from various DJN/R
databases, you often need to know a company’s stock symbol or industry code. You
can use the News/Retrieval Symbols Directory to look it up quickly.

A TYPICAL SCENARIO We

all

get

“hot” stock tips from friends and coworkSometimes these tips are good, but
more often they don’t work out. Nonetheless, when someone tells you about a company that’s “going to be the next IBM,"
it’s hard not to get excited and want to get
ers.

in

on the ground

floor.

The next time

this

happens, spend a few minutes on-line with

DJN/R and check

out the

company

before

PC

you

invest your hard-earned

money.

After:

Let’s assume a friend calls to brag about

owns in Possis Corp. He doesn’t
really, know what the company does, and
he doesn’t care. As he puts it, “I’ve more
than doubled my money in the last 6
stock he

months, and
will

my

stockbroker

probably double again

me

tells

in the

months.” Not having the blind
your friend, you decide you want

it

next 6

of

faith

to

know

more about the company before investing.
So you sign on the DJN/R.
First you access the Symbols Directory
(//SYMBOL). Following the prompts,
you quickly retrieve the stock symbol,
POSS, which you will use to search for
more information. You also note that the
traded in the over-the-counter mar-

stock

is

ket.

Next, you access Disclosure

11

(//DSCLO). After entering the stock symbol, you examine the corporate profile to
determine what the company does. It indicates that Possis Corp. concentrates its efforts in the development of proprietary
products that require advanced technological, engineering,
bilities.

Looking

note that the

With LETTRIX 1** your EPSON
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.

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LETTRIX resides in memory
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Roman

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and manufacturing capa-

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H.l“lLl£lLfil£.tL

balance sheet, you

Banker

at the

company has

assets close to

imair
Print

is

currently trading at

caused the market price per share to be

lowered to $20 from $40 per share, with
each stockholder owning twice as many
shares as before the stock dividend.

To find out more, you go to Dow Jones
News (//DJNEWS). A recent news article
appearing in Barron's notes that with the
stock at 19 times sales and an infinite mul-

of earnings, the investment risks are

very high. Although Possis Corp.

is

now

specializing in engineering-orientated

R&D that could result in substantial earncompany has earned

less than

$250,000 from continuing operations
last 5 fiscal years combined.

MAGAZINE
223

MAY

2 7.

in its

1986

A it it (Deco
Engraved

Gothic

note that the stock

$19 per share. Next, you turn to Historical
Quotes (//HQ), which shows a rapid increase in the price per share. During the
past year the stock had soared from $7 to
$40 per share, at which time a 100 percent
stock dividend was declared. This action

ings, the

belongs

.

software library. It produces
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$9 million with liabilities of $2.3 million.
The income statement for the last fiscal
year shows a net loss of over $400,000 on
sales of $3. 2 million.
Continuing your search, you access
Current Quotes Enhanced (//CQE) and

tiple

.

.

©otums

Espanol
Franiais

Prestige

PyccKn

Folio

Orator

'EXXtivikos

>

00

all

V

2

a3u

au
-i

1

OCR-A
characters:

IBM

at 3

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ax

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LETTRIX includes all of the
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Call now toll-free
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CIRCLE 303 ON READER SERVICE CARD

ON-LINE INVESTING

At your

final stop,

Corporate Earnings

tion to

make an investment

decision, one

Estimator (//EARN), you find that a con-

not solely based on a hot tip from an ac-

sensus forecast of earnings per share

quaintance. Using

available for Possis Corp.
front of you,

you are

in a

With

is

not

the facts in

much better posi-

OTHER ON-LINE SERVICES
tion to

In addi-

Dow Jones News/Retrieval, a num-

DJN/R, you have been

ber of other on-line services are available:

able to extract the information vital to your

CompuServe Information Service and The

decision in a matter of a few minutes.

Source for on-line information; The Equalizer from Charles Schwab
Co. Inc. for

&

electronic brokerage; Telescan for on-line

NewsNet for on-line newsletters;
The Insider Trading Mon-

charts;

FCI-Invest/Net:
itor

and Vickers On-Line for insider

trad-

ing information; Warner Computer Systems Inc., Commodity Systems Inc.

RETAILERS

(CSI), Merlin Dial/Data, and Nite-Line for
historical quotes; Huttonline for clients

of

E.F. Hutton; and Vestor for investment advice.

TAKE

features of

when used

complement

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Although since its inception in 1 979 CompuServe has had a reputation as an on-line
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MAGAZINE
224

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Investors often use charts of a stock’s price

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PC

MAGAZINE
226

9 8 6

Then you

A BED OF ROSES-INTERLUDE #136

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FCI-IN VEST/NET

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THE

INSIDER TRADING
t

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Investors follow the actions of insiders,

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WordMARC

tering a stock

MAGAZINE

228

MAY2

By en-

symbol, you can retrieve

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Denominator
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scientific professions.
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You

mation by stock symbol, company name,
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tems come one way. Take

securities traded in the over-the-

owning the
7.

1986

selected stock; only institutions

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summary

report.

New York Cotton Exchange; New York
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Exchanges; and various exchanges in
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Sydney, Tokyo, and Winnipeg. The
Futures Exchange;

historical data for each commodity ranges from 1 year to over 20 years
with most commodities traded on U.S. exchanges having approximately 20 years of

amount of

data.

HISTORICAL PRICING INFORMATION

Historical pricing information

vital to investors

is

wanting to prepare charts
One weakness of

for analytical purposes.

DJN/R

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plement

is

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certain items, such as

not available.

year

1

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Dow Jones),

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zine,

Volume

5

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7), the historical

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WARNER COMPUTER

simple.

SYSTEMS INC.
Historical prices for over

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gives you daily historical prices dating
are available from

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uity issues, bonds,

1975. In addition to eq-

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WordMARC™ Author™ is
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COMMODITY SYSTEMS

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You never have to memorcommands or study a book.

INC.

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ize

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PC

through WordMARC Composer™
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WordMARC
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WordMARC. Author and Composer are trademarks of
of International Business Machines Corp.
1986 MSI. Inc

MARC

Software International. Inc IBM

C

See us at Spring

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CARD

CIRCLE 476 ON READER SERVICE

MAGAZINE
229

MAY2

7.

1986

is

a registered trademark

ON-LINE INVESTING

MERLIN DIAL/DATA

sues. mutual funds, options, indexes, and

The Merlin Dial/Data database

offers a

commodities.

You can

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up

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on

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the

up to 20 years of historical data
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on

is

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changes and over the counter. In addition.

NITE-LINE
The Nite-Line historical pricing service offers up to 9 months of historical data on
stocks, bonds, options, and indexes, and
up to 2 years of historical data for all major
commodities traded on U.S. and London

COMPARE, IBM COMPATI
—

XT

TYPE SYSTEMS:

(4.77MHz, 8 Slot)

exchanges.

CPU, 640KB, 360KB-FD, Keyboard
w/addt'l

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—

XT

(8MHz, 6 Slot) TYPE SYSTEMS:
CPU-, 640KB, 360KB-FD, Keyboard
w/addt’l

$
$

20MB-HD

680.
1,155.

HUTTONLINE
Specifically for clients of E.F.

995.

ton accounts, current security prices, and

—

research reports from E.F. Hutton and

W/1.2MB-FD
W/1.2MB-FD. 20MB-HD
CPU, 1MB, 1.2MB-FD, 20MB-HD, Keyboard
Disk Drives:
360KB Floppy Disk
Monochrome & Color Adaptors:
Color Card
Color Graphics Card

Multi-Purpose 1/2 Size Cards:
Serial & Printer Port, Clock, S/W
Floppy Disk Controller & Cable
Memory & Multi-Function Cards:
576KB Sockets only, (XT
Card)
384KB RAM (XT
Card)
384KB RAM, SP, PP. Clock, GP (XT)
1.5MB Sockets only, AT
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Card)
2MB RAM (AT
Card)
3MB RAM (AT
Card)

2.285

with their account executives.

$

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place buy and sell orders, though.

$

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$
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65.

1
H
H

quality
quality

you

to access a va-

of programs that analyze, screen,

riety

chart, find price objectives, project trading

ranges, generate timing signals, obtain
fundamental rankings, and retrieve data on

98.
48.

4,500 stocks, options, and futures.
Vestor’s programs are in two broad cat-

69.

egories.

105.

that analyze, screen,

129.

tions.

and futures; the second, informa-

59.

tional

and data

310.

$

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$

450.
775.

One includes evaluation programs
and chart stocks, op-

retrieval

service generates specific

programs. The

buy and

sell sig-

on the basis of proprietary algorithms.
According to Investment Technologies
Inc. Vestor's developer, the Vestor model
portfolio has outperformed the Dow Jones
Industrial Average by an average of 76
percentage points a year for over 21 years.
They also point out that past performance
nals

,

Modem
Modem

$

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535.

$

135 Watt

quality

can’t

service offering electronic investment

advice, Vestor enables

158.

Power Supplies:

—

You

$
$

$

200 Watt
Keyboards:

Top
Top
Top

communicate

VESTOR

99.

Modems:
212A/103 (1200B) PC Card
212A/103 (1200B) External
212A/103 (2400B) External

XT
AT

It

service, enabling users to

1,945.

$

$
$
$

—
—

also has an electronic-mail

1,795.

$
$

$

—

—
—
—

Moody’s.

$

A

Monochrome/Color Graphics Card
Mono Graphics w/PP (Hercules type)

—

Hutton,

Huttonline's basic on-line service has in-

1.466.

formation on the user's personal E.F. Hut-

Includes one Serial Port, one Printer Port and
one Real Time Clock.
AT
(8MHz, 8 Slot) TYPE SYSTEMS:
CPU, 512KB, FD/HD Cont’lr, Keyboard

XT
XT
AT

cannot guarantee future

|fT
.

.

i

"

m

89.

$

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kets. access to the latest financial informa-

$

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tion

$

79.

Thomas A Meyers

916-635-9485 (FAX), 910-367-3707 (TWX)

.

J

marTap-

services

MAY2

7,

is

an investment

nologies consultant in Lawrenceville,
Jersey.

2.10

to an investor’s success.

DJN/R and other on-line

can increase the odds that you’ll make
profitable investment decisions.
GS

Microcomputer Products
11309 Folsom Blvd.
Rancho Cordova. CA 95670
(916) 635-9340

MAGAZINE

In today’s fast-moving

is vital

ping into

CIRCLE 525 ON READER SERVICE CARD

PC

results.

$

IN Sl)M
Keyboard
(100 Key) Keyboard
(84 Key) Keyboard
(84 Key)

1986

tech-

New

)

PRODUCTIVITY

PC LAB NOTES: PRINT SPOOLING

Printer buffers:
PRODUCTIVITY
TOOFS
A printer buffer,

whether built into your word processor, bundled with your memory board,

or standalone, can cut down on the time your computer is unavailable.
t’s not enough that you have to put up
with the constant squeak, chatter, and
clatter of your printer. You also have to
add and change paper, clear paper jams,

printer while you're

change ribbons or toner cartridges, and

the command at
something in.

The program

in-

terpret balky printer control-character se-

hand when you type
builds a queue (some-

times called a spool) of characters sched-

quences that don’t always get along with

uled to be printed and picks

your word processor or other product that
prints your reports.
Worst of all, you have to put up with the
fact that printers are the slowest machines
in your PC setup. That means biding your
time and finding something else to do
while your printer turns your work into the
hard copy everyone expects computers to
produce. It wouldn't be so bad if you could
do some maintenance work, like making
the critical backup of your hard disk you’re
always putting off, but you can’t because
your PC will be too busy sending data to
your printer to pay any attention to your

send them to the printer one

way

them off

the

if

you get a

is

ON DISK OR IN MEMORY

The

print

queue can be on disk or in RAM. Most
programs I have worked with use the disk
drive so as to conserve your PC’s 640K
bytes of

RAM for more

like the file

important things,

you're currently working on.

Some programs

use

DOS's

built-in disk-

based print queue (see sidebar,

trashy nov-

"PRINT-

but

it’s

maneuver
not used by

grammer can

fix

AT’s 80286 does,
DOS), but a good pro-

(the

a program to do the job in

software.
Print spoolers are typically

side of

housed

in-

word processors. Spreadsheets and
management systems don’t gen-

them, although the MicroWindows operating environment con-

soft

tains a print buffer that may do the job if
you use a product that works with it. Several popular word processors have a "print
while editing” capability (the PC Magazine Labs Expanded Fact Files in Volume
5 Number 2 will tell you which ones).
There are (of course) no standards for

to implement an applications-based
programs have a variety of
you have to live by. Some only allow
you to print a file you're not currently
working on while others only allow you to
print the one you are working on. Still others allow you to print a file you haven't
even thought about working on before you
decide to print it. The rales are strictly up
print queue;

rules

There are no standards
for

how to implement an

A

printer buffer designs are

applications-based print

and it may even be advantageous to have more than one on hand to

queue; programs have a

good

for this

how

printer buffer for

slogging along in the background.

variety of

own.
This strategy is a rudimentary form of
“time sharing” or “time slicing” the
computer resources at the program’s disposal. The 8088 has no hardware support
their

erally include

your system. A printer buffer, also known
as a spooler, is a hardware or software
product that allows your computer to keep
on working on other jobs while your printer

.COM: The Background Print Utility DOS
You for Free”), while others roll

Gives

database

portant to do.

els? Drink gallons of coffee? That’s not

necessary

to

a time (the

at

PC’s printer interface logic
can handle them) while it’s not busy doing
something else. The job of sending characters to the printer is abandoned momentarily whenever there’s something more im-

only

ministrations, pleas, or orders.

So what do you do? Read

busy trying to figure

out what to do next and to pay attention to

I

available,

to the product's developer.

suit different printing situations.

variety of rules

Software print buffers are designed as
part of an applications
to the

DOS

is

8088 processor

to

to

to live by.

sophisticated approach

is

A

a general-

purpose print queue that can be accessed

by any program you run on your PC. Pro-

program your PC’s

pay attention

GENERAL-PURPOSE SPOOLERS
more

program or attached

operating system. In either

case, the trick

you have

to the

(continues after

PC

MAGAZINE
231

MAY2

7.

1986

"PRINT.COM"

sidebar

)

PRODUCTIVITY
PC LAB NOTES

GETTING THE MOST FROM
AST’S SUPERSPOOL PRINT SPOOLER
SuperSpool

is

one of the most popular printer buffers around because

it’s

packaged

with AST’s popular memory boards. These tips can help you take advantage of it.

T
is

ucked away

in the

box with

virtually

every expansion card on the market

some form of print spooler

software. Yet

how

to use

it

(or buffer)

remains one

of the best-kept productivity secrets
around. One reason is undoubtedly the
mysterious, meaningless term “spool."
It's an acronym, so I’m told, for Simultaneous Peripheral Output On-Line.

FOOLING THE COMPUTER What

RENAMING THE BEAST
ware

is

How come?

Most spoolers

bling fingers to type the

SUPERSPL. Having

The memory quickly
its

single letter

spooler software hides out in the back-

about

Why don't more people use spoolers?
Two major problems: they take up memory, and they're often tricky to install and
the advent of

lot

faster.

FUSSY LOADING

With

awkward word

only to enter the

printing

you can get back to more
meaningful work with it. Meanwhile, the
ground to dole out the data to your plodding paper-eater. Performance of the
foreground application almost never suffers in any noticeable way while the
spooler is at work.

memory-maxed-

out machines, extended and expanded

[plus parameters]
They

are there ever parameters!

follow slashes, and you can get a

summary by typing

com-

S makes things a whole

tasks fast, and

use.

are

You have to get at them
from DOS. The last thing you want to
worry about when you need to invoke the
spooler in a huny is getting your fummand-driven.

is fool the computchunk of memory is a

data destined for the printer

And

S/?

superfast printer.
all

S LPT1:

all

quick

REN SUPERSPL.COM S.COM

spooler software does

so that your program finishes

first

to get a

er into thinking a

sucks up

The

do before installing spooler softcopy onto your boot disk.
thing is to rename it:

thing to

The second

Since spoolers are

memory-resident, they tend to be fussy

how they're

loaded, and so an

Most, however, are exceptionally arcane
and best ignored. The important ones at
bootup involve memory management.

The spooler’s buffer

defaults to

64K

bytes, about 32 double-spaced pages, un-

you specify otherwise with

less

/M=n

a

command, where n is the number of kilobytes you choose. The 64K or your
choice comes out of your 640K-byte user

—

space unless you’ve got extended or
expanded memory and specify /EXTM.

AU-

ABOVE AND BEYOND If you do invoke that /EXTM option with AST’s

Spooler software fools
the

computer into think-

ing a

chunk of memory

RAMpagc! expanded memory
you
at

first

board,

have to load two device drivers

bootup. That’s a matter of putting two

files,

REMM.SYS and REX. SYS, in the

root directory of your boot disk and add-

is

ing the following

FIG.SYS

a superfast printer.

two

lines to

your CON-

file in this order:

DEVICE=REMM SYS
DEVICE=REX SYS n
.

memory cards, and spoolers that can take

.

advantage of them, the former problem
essentially solved.

The

should help with the

One

tips that

is

follow

latter.

of the most popular spoolers

is

1 .40 of AST Research’s Supercomes on the Version 5.02
Superpak disk supplied with AST’s popular expansion boards including the top-

TOEXEC.BAT

MODE=LPTl:

AST SixPak.

Other spoolers (and

PC

first

.BAT

file will

like this

below

after

DOS command

has been invoked.

three lines of your

The

AUTOEXEC

probably look something

(remember in all the examples
you haven’t renamed SU-

that if

PERSPL.COM to S.COM,

type

SUPER

SPL instead of S):

is the number of kilobytes you
Your n should be a multiple of 16

where n
and

SuperDrive RAMdisks and

nonresident

the

AST’s SuperSpool
work similarly but by no means identically. SuperSpool may be an industry bestseller, but its manual is not the industry
leader in clarity, and so it makes a good
example for these tips:

a must. Super-

AST

Version

earlier versions of

is

select.

Spool. which

selling

file

Spout demands to be loaded after any

at least as

want

big as the buffer size you

for the spooler

Absolutely. First

REMM.SYS

printer.

[plus parameters]

MAGAZINE
232

utility

fools the

expanded memory,
then REX. SYS fools the computer into
seeing expanded memory as AT-style
extended memory, and finally the spooler software fools the computer into thinkcomputer

into using

ing the fake extended

MODE LPT1:
SUPERDRV A:

and similar

software such as RAMdisks. Confusing?

tion.

MAY27. 1986

Welcome

memory

is really

a

to the world of emula-

—
PRODUCTIVITY

PC LAB NOTES

HERE COME THE OPTIONS If you
add the /B option in your AUTOEXEC

current incarnation adds

some handy

tions with

command

printer control options.

To

send a form-

processor

“remembers" where

printhead

supposed to be while

—something

like

PRINTER CONTROL

feed

S LPT1 /EXTM/B

SuperSpool's

Spoolers will cause strange interac-

command, you simply type

:

SuperSpool

count line feeds and
formfeeds to keep track of your current
and previous pages. If you run into a paper jam later on, you can then issue the

S/FF

ing the process

will

You can

lents

Then you

to stop the spooler's output.

can adjust the printer to the top of the
form and call

command

of ASCII characters.

want

If

is

If

S/RP

You can trans-

the buffer

you’ve just halted printing and
by advancing to the top
it

by hand.

you've turned off your machine and

will begin reprinting at the

ing, it’s time for

it

roll-

before you issue these
wise, the printhead
place and the

On

commands;

may

be

first line will

it’s

and on again

best to turn your printer off

in the

mand

arrive

ing the

A

17K-byte 1-2-3

you.

pages) whizzed into

askew.

seconds; the

while

my

file

my

READY

surprise

prompt returned

was

daisy wheel printer

still

COM

intended for a

used with

MODE.

But

to send material initially

COM

port through the

spooler, so you'll need to reconfigure

all

your other software to send output to
LPT and the spooler will ostensibly do
I :

You’d probably end up with a

command

line like:

S LPT1 i -COH1 ! /RATE-1200 , N , 8 , 1/B/BXTM/R- 128

isn’t

or-

in

the smartest in the

to stop.

Serial printers

;

no way

the rest.

Spooler software

it

can

move the
And when

to redirect LPT1 output to a
along with a set of /RATE parame-

ters like those

there’s

(about six

spooler in 50

command

S/C
which continues printing where you
dered

port,

through-

may

put advantage of a spooler

other-

you probably don’t
tum off your printer before issu-

to

print jobs

jobs don’t

can be particular headaches. With the
AST software, you have to issue a com-

The Big Purge.

SPEED AND CATCHES The

wrong

the other hand,

want

in disaster if the

SERIAL HEADACHES

top of the current page; the latter at the
top of the previous page. In general,

the
typ-

to start out

needs some sort of setup string to get

The former

it’s

something goes radically awry while
there’s data in the buffer, you have to exit
the program you’re working on to get
back to DOS to deal with the spooler.
Knowing where to find the printer on/off
switch is highly recommended.

that these direct

end of

to the

of the form, you’ll have to do

or

your word

well result in every-

paper to the top of the form.

mit up to 60 characters with such a com-

mand. The trouble

may

Queuing up multiple
end

and r are decimal equiva-

r,

commands go
queue.

S/R

with the

S/STRING=p,q,r,s
where p, q,

S/S

If

thing being typed backwards.

also send a string of charac-

ters to the printer

command

some programs.
is

ing a document, interrupting and restart-

your

AUTOEXEC.BAT

probably won’t type

it

file.

You

in right the first

time, either.

PURGING THE SYSTEM

That’s the

world. Reprinting botch-

theory, anyway. Spooler software generally isn’t the smartest in the world.

Re-

If

your spreadsheet sends a setup

iffy.

throw off the spooler’s page count. If
your word processor sets the printer's
margins, the printer won’t remember

them

after

you tum

jam. Often a purge

it

is

off to clear a paper
the only answer.

So

remember the command

P

hammering out page 2. You’ll get a similar boost when doing things like listing
BASIC programs. But that’s far more favorable performance than you’ll see with

contain features to

word processing programs that do a lot of
output formatting on the

fly.

better than 2-to-l increase

is

A

slightly

the best I’ve

There are some catches. Printers with
is

for Purge),

which instantly
when all else

cleans out the print buffer

goes awry.

Leam

to type

it

in

a hurry, or

use a macro processor to assign

it

to a sin-

gle key.

PC

off-line, the

life. If you accidentally
you send a screenful of
data into the spooler buffer. You'll have
to go out to DOS and purge it before running the print job you really want.
SuperSpool and other such programs

hit Shift-PrtSc,

seen with WordStar.

S/P
(the

your printer goes

printer returns to

string

containing a line-feed character, that will

When

spooler simply stores the data until the

ed pages can be

printing botched pages can be iffy at best.

large buffers of their

own may

actually

memory

to spare,

Stephen Manes

27.

PC Magazine.

1186

it’s

definitely

worth a

Stephen Manes

try.

MAY

memory-

is all

when used with a spooler and, of course,
they won’t respond instantly to commands issued through the spooler.

233

sure they don't

what I’ve outlined
you should really need to tum
some unused RAM into more productivity. If you’ve got a little time and a little
here

experience a decrease in throughput

MAGAZINE

make

interact unpleasantly with other

resident software. But

is

a contributing editor of

1

PRODUCTIVITY
PC LAB NOTES

HARDWARE PRINT BUFFERS

Printer buffers can also serve as translator units

SAVE PRECIOUS MEMORY SPACE

Printer Buffer

A hardware print buffer can not only save you time,

can

it

each side for

or

Quadram

Quadboard) include RAM-based

while the machine performs other func-

Many word

own

ly they’re identified as

rent print

and edit”

RAM.

jjjfl

sIm

files; typical'

having

the hardware-

is

Some have

enough

only

for about

FACT

allci port

FI

bytes

perform dot matrix functions.

A hardware print buffer can even perform some local area network functions.
A printer buffer can potentially partition
its memory for different tasks and hook
up to eight computers to a single printer,

though a photocopier

1

List Price:

Caddy
.

$369 (memory

incre-

ments optional)

Requires:

Any microcomputer

serial to parallel .$139

loline.

Any

CARD

Any

computer/printer

CIRCLE 616 ON READER SERVICE

CARD

Scooter Multi-Buffer

(312)3595500
List Price: From $429
$1,391 for 5

computer/printer

Requires:

Quadram Corp.

1

for

64K

to

2K

Any computer,

parallel

printers only.

configuration.

CIRCLE 620 ON READER SERVICE CARD

Norcross,

CIRCLE 615 ON READER SERVICE CARD

GA 3(X)93

(404)923-6666

Microbuffer/K
Practical Peripherals Inc.

Buffer Plus Model P, Model P/S

List Price: Parallel/parallcl. from

3 1245 La Baya Dr.
Westlake Village. CA 9 362
(818)991-8200

Applied Creative Technologies

$ 79 for

1

10529 Olympic Dr

.

Dallas. TX 75220
(214)358-4800

8K

List Price: parallel. $299; parallel/

59 for
32K; parallel, from
$ 1 59 for 32K to $279 for 64K
Requires: Hpson MX. RX. FX, or
for

serial.

1

#101

List Price: Serial, from SI

S219

Requires:

configuration.

plotters.

Applied Creative Technologies

Requires:

to

St..#N205

G A 30318

List Price: parallel/parallcl. $1 19;

746 Vermont Ave.
Palatine. IL 60067

combination.

CARD

Hous-

(DMPL). Hewlett-

10th

Atlanta,

ohm/Elcctronics

10529 Olympic Dr.. #101
Dallas. TX 75220
(214)358-4800
List Price: $439

623 ON Rl ADI R SERVICE

8 Mbytes.

(404) 872-4430

Systemizer

$499 for 256K
Requires: Any printer/computer
l

Digital Devices Corp.

430

ton Instruments

ON READER SERVICE CARO

Practical Peripherals Inc.

CIHC;

Model P16 Printer Buffer

Inc.

CIRCL E 608 ON READER SERVICE

to

program buffers for multiple output

—Charles Bermant

Packard (HPGL), and compatible

CIRCLE 621

Westlake Village, CA 9 1362
(818)991-8200
List Price: from S299 for 32K

also

of the same document.

8101 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Niles. IL 60648
(312)966-0290
List Price: $1,295. Expandable to

Requires: Calcomp.

ports.

to

$995

for 5

1

2K;

ser-

or par-

from $199 for 8K to
64K; Microfazer II from

allel/serial.

$330

$235

$369

Requires:

8K

ial/parallcl. parallel/parallel,

for

for

8K

to

$1,895 for 2

Mbytes.

Any

Requires:

printer/computer

computcr/printer

IBM PC printer.

configuration.

configuration.

CIRCL L 622 ON RE ADE R SERVICE CARD

CIRCLE 619 ON READER SERVICE CARD

CIRCLE 617 ON READER SERVICE CARD

PC

MAGAZINE
234

Shuffle Buffer
Interactive Structures Inc.

2 1 8 Great Valley

Pkwy.

Malvern. PA 19355
(215)644-8877
List Price:

From $349

for

32K

MAY2

configuration.

7,

1986

to

$499 for 28K
Requires: Any computer/printer
1

Any

al-

up to

characters per second), users can

Plotter Buffer (512K)

Dickerson Enterprises

# 10

printer or plotter, serial or parallel

3 1 245 La Baya Dr.

And

faster (at 10

650

L E
Printer Optimizer

slot.

is still

that’s equal to

pages per minute,

queuing and organizing data.

Applied Creative Technologies

ON READER SERVICE CARD

or mixed

ware-based spooler does.

0529 Olympic Dr.
Dallas. TX 75220
(214)358-4800

IBM or compatible, par-

or card

CIRCLE 624

8K

4 double-

Graphics ConvertaBuffer
Von Lei vend vke Hnterprises
Silverminc Ave.
Norwalk. CT 06X50
(203)846-4973
List Price: $299; internal. $349
Requires:

‘concur-

capabilities.

Another solution
based buffer.
of

serial/serial,

megabytes, enough for ,000 pages.
They share one common trait: they don't
use up any of the PC’s memory as a soft-

are

II,

.

processors include

print spoolers for their

en-

configurations. This capability opens the

like

1

spoolers that allow data to be printed

tions.

serial

door for the use of printers, modems,
plotters, or any combination.
Some buffers can handle CAD applications or allow a daisy wheel printer to

Microfazer

print

and

buffers are less universal, available in
parallel/parallel,

AST SixPak

the

Quadram's
available with up to 2

spaced pages. Others,

ost multifunction cards (such as

parallel

from Johnathon Freeman
serial port on
input and output. Some

Designs has a parallel and a

network several computers to one printer.

M

between

vironments. For instance, the Universal

CIRCLE 614 ON READER SERVICE CARD

)

DMA SOURCiS
FOR DP PROFESSIONALS AND COMPUTER SPECIALISTS
WHO PLAY IT SMART.
DATA SOURCES is published four times a year, so your

complex and ever-changing computer field, smart
means knowing how to make the right product choices.
In the

is always up-to-date. And it comes in two
handy volumes hardware and software. Tightly formatted and superbly organized. DATA SOURCES will give
you a complete overview of more than 25,000 software
packages, 18,000 hardware and data communications
products, and profiles of more than 10,000
manufacturing companies.

information

Without wasting time and money.

Which means

DATA SOURCES.

DATA SOURCES is a complete reference “factbook"
of virtually every computer system and software package
on the market. With product comparison charts that let
you compare specifications and prices at a glance.

—

To subscribe, call toll-free 1-800-443-0100,
It’s

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DATA SOURCES you can make better,

With

gent comparisons

—

in

—from

more

the broadest range of possibilities

minutes.

Sottwore Poctooe Index to help
you access specific packages,
even if you're not sure ol the
author or product classification.

Hcidwoie Including terminals,
printers, controllers,

memory

devices and more.
Product
It

eosy

on

polo Communications included In
the Hardware volume, covering tire
full range ol
of data comn
comm products

Com portsorr Cha rts make

tor

you to quickly compote

r,

entire group of
ol products ol a

nature.

Each entry includes

e reference directing you to

comprehensive Information.

Sottwore

r

listings otter

me most

—comm processors, local orea

where—over 25.000 systems*

networks, virtually anything you
require

ond applications packages.

SOFTWARE PACKAGE INDEX
WORD PROCESSING,
international

WORD

HIGH-EN

On-Line Software

pg N-1050

PROCESSING,

Professional

PROCESSING. SBS Computers

pg N-1034

PROCESSING,
PROCESSING,

Solvation

pg N-698

State of the Art

pg N-1029

WORD PROCESSING,

Stratus

Computer

pg N-1060

MULTIPLEXORS/CONCH
DATACOMM MANAGEMENT
SCIENCES

(Continued)
link
loopback indicators
RackmountD 17.000 channel
1971

[I

WORD

PROCESSING, Sydney
Development pg N-1051
PROCESSING, Us Plus pg N-1034

WORD
WORD

PROCESSING. Westrend
Business Systems pg N-708

WORD PROCESSING

DICTIONARY.
Computer pg N-1060

Stratus

WORD PROCESSING ENHANCEMENT,
informatics General pg

Profile located

08034

comm vendors.

WOROMARC, MAl
pg N

iRC, Pulsar a-

SPANISH,

Group pg N-1034

SYSTEM.
Cromemco pg N-1036
SYSTEM. Modtek

Up to 16 VF inputs M
300 bps modems
Packmen*!
dicators

channel ends installed

N-1063

1977

Q

SOFTWARE COMPANY PROFILES
MICRO PERIPHERALS,

MICRO LAB
312-433-7550
President Stan Goldberg.

VP

Marketing

Susan Goldberg; VP Sales: Evelyn Burg.
VP Research/Dev Mike Hatlak
Sales $5,000,000; Empl. 60;
Business Areas— Software

Eat.

I960

MICRO MANUFACTURING
SYSTEMS
2600 Corporate Exchange Dr
Columbus. OH 43229
€14-695-0738
President: Larry J Fox;

WORD

PROCESSING-S/23. IBM

pg N-1045

WORD PROCESSING/OATA
CONVERSION, Muller-Mugno
pg N-1040

WORD PROCESSING/ELECTRONfj

P O Box 3695
Reading.
2 15-921 -t

VP

Marketing

9754 Deenng Ave
Chatsworih. CA 91311
213-709-4202. TLX 910-494-

CEO

i

Krunic

Sales $60,000,000; Empl 1.5C
1977
Manufactures Disk equip.
Other Business Areas SoP

—

5275 Edina Industnal Blv
Minneapolis, MN 55435

612831-0079
President Robert Hildr
Paul Clifford; VP Sale

Secretary/Treas Tim
Sales $1,500,000; F
-'••smess Areas-S

^^tmming.

Syr

Owner
Sales S12J
Business

TYPEWRITER, Sulcu* C
pg N-1060

‘iCo*0; R-t.inour,,

'itWM
(J

1.

I9KTTP,

*8.240 (24-ch.)

C

26 async
Up to 600 bps async
jt
RS-232. 20/60 mA current loop nput fnte'
faces! s)
Transparent npul
FDX controls/ch
1 composite
n.isi
T ?CO bps
composite rate
General (common) alarm.
Local channel loopback. Remote channel
loopback; Local composite link loopback,
Indicators
Standalone. Rackmount
25.0G0 channel ends installed
1971
Purchase
$575 (per ch

33

BLACK BOX CATA

1

'

—

Company

Profit*

k

eCONC-OP
2, 4.

8 channels

bps async Input
9.600

h

—

MICRO SOFTWARE.

WORD PROCES SOR,
4***'-.nS*
VO
'

?6 ch

1:

Ralph Gabai: President:
Campbell; VP Marketing/Sales

:

)

Point-to-point. Multipoint

IN

(MPI)

2699 Skokie Valley Rd
Highland Park, IL 60035

MICRO MATES

IN

pg N-1055

1

i

(16-ch

N.J.

WORD PROCESSING

on

MUX/VE RTER

Point-to-point. Multipoint

50-300 bps async input
T ra
1 composite lmk(s)
t .800
00 dp,
Q{
ite rate
General (common)
>n) ala
a
composite link loopback;
loopback; Remote channel oq

— Sfl.000

Hill.

WORD PROCESSING

Philips

INDUSTRIES. INC.
Company
e

PO. Box 5845.
Cherry

Gregory A Miller
Sales $1,200,000: Empl. 12; Eat 1979
Business Areas— Software. Turnkey

WORD PROCESSING

GENERAL DATACOMM
integrated

SOURCES
ware and data

International

Philips Information

PROCESSING,

Business Computer Systems pg N-1060
WORD PROCESSING, RCA Service Data
Services Division pg N-1064

WORD
WORD

Workstation

251.

Systems pg N-1058

WORD

)

WORD

APS

ext.

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Rename IS es
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Pint location ot lies tound

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PC LAB NOTES

PRINT.COM: THE BACKGROUND
UTILITY DOS GIVES YOU FOR FREE

Now
mand
to

DOS’s PRINT.COM utility lets you do background
printing without using up precious RAM;

COPY

com-

COPY thinks is the printer.

This

by the print
memory. While this

actually intercepted

is

buffer and stored in

process

takes the

it

you wait for the

to shovel everything in the file out

what

data

is

faster than actually waiting for

it does take some time.
And, you’ve dedicated some of your

the file to print,

characters directly from your disk.

memory for the printer buffer to hold the

W

data.
aiting for

your printer to

finish

the buffer area of memory they have cre-

its

business can be as discomfiting as

ated. This

program for further work while the print
buffer hands the data out to the printer at
a speed the printer can handle
PRINT is different. Although PRINT
is a resident program like other software
print buffers, you’ll find it takes up far

waiting for your dog to finish his. Hard-

ware and software print spoolers are
available to speed the process and hide

move frees up the applications

it

from your view, but before you reach for
your wallet to solve the problem, you
should take a look at the background
printing utility you get free with DOS.
It's called PRINT.COM, and in some

less

memory

space because

have to save the whole

in

do

is

—

transfer the file

from the disk to the

a fundamentally dif-

it

by

bit

needs
bit

able

PRINTING A FILE

al-

chunk of user memory to
hold the stuff you want to print. Then
they intercept the data sent by an applicalocate a large

tion to the printer as fast as the application can send

it

and temporarily store

it

in

files that

Let’s take an ex-

this latter

shortly.)

ular file. You would have to
command
COPY filename PRN

printing out

execute the

file in

source
sions

such as
(batch),

Mini-MicroS pooler

SUP’r Buffer

Interfazer

M&R Enterprises
9 10 George

Quadram Corp.
One Quad Way

St.

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(408)980-0160

List Price:

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List Price: parallel. $139; serial.

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Requires:

IBM PC or compatible.

$149

Requires:

Any

Requires:

Any

computer/printer

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CIRCLE 612 ON READER SERVICE CARO

Norcross,

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6K. $195;
parallel or

configuration.

serial

CIRCLE 610 ON READER SERVICE CARD

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Consolink

AST Research

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1067 Dolores

Longmont. CO 80501
(800)525-6705
List Price: $318 (16K) to $486

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(256K)
Requires: Any computer/printer

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Irvine. CA 927 14

(48K)
Requires:

Any

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ON READER SERVICE CARD

PC

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any I/O configuration.
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Universal Printer Buffer

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Requires: Any computer/printcr

are

.ASM

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Longmont. CO 80501
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a directly print-

files

Consolink

configuration.

St.

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List Price: Free with

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expansion products
Requires:

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configuration.

later.

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CIRCLE 607 ON READER SERVICE CARD

MAGAZINE
2.17

a

programming language

files,

.BAT

MultiSpool

Multi-PC expan-

is

On the other hand, PRINT is great for

Anex Technology

printer.

can

problem, as you’ll see

151 N. Route 9W
Congers. NY 10920
(914) 268-2400

parallel

PRINT

have been saved

ASCII form. (There

around

ample. Suppose you have a normal print
buffer installed and want to print a partic-

sion chassis.

the data in the

course, the fact that

doesn’t store the

printer.

way from most software print buffprograms

Of

only print

won’t be able to use PRINT to print a file
created by your word processor. That’s
because your word processor probably

to

its.

PRINT works

immediately and

all

memory.

file in

disadvantage. Further, in most cases you

your printer does
ferent

PRINT starts up almost
doesn’t have to store

memory.

already exists on your disk. All

ers. Usually, these resident

better off in this situa-

by simply executing

PRINT filename

print a file that

file in

PRINT can only

ways it’s the best thing available for letting you do your work at the same time

Indeed,

doesn’t

it

You might be
tion

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:

PRODUCTIVITY
PC LAB NOTES

CI‘RINT.CO\r imiiminl)

.PAS

(Pascal).

SIC).

If

C

you want

the

(C). or

to print a

.BAS (BA-

BASIC

pro-

list

the

device right

first

in the

command

line

time you run PRINT, thus:

.BAS

extension (assuming you used the
.A option when you saved them), enter

PRINT /D PRN filename

gram with PRINT, however, make sure
you save it with the SAVE command using the comma and A (for ASCII) option

your

after the filename.

simple line

FILES FOR
every line

file,

was

files in

is

shorter than the character width of your

Otherwise, the printer will trun-

This

in

and

set

won’t

it

up to use

PRINT

the

memory

PRN device,

start printing

you've specified the

in

but

the next time

with a particular

PRINT

device to

very easy to print out

it

more than one file. All you have to do
list them out on the command line:

is

on the

you can PRINT

it.

Try

the

command

sen the easy

mand

line will

OK

looks

all

It

doesn’t splatter

command

pop up

try

it

in

a

The

first

time

to print a file, you'll

window just

PRINT

“hi.”

course,

PRINT filel file2

in the

[

PRN

you

files

specified and will even

send out form feeds to your printer so that

your system
is

PRN.

(the usual

so just press

two printers con-

nected to parallel ports, you can press

Enter if you want PRINT to work with
the first printer; you type in LPT2 and
press Enter to use the second printer instead. If

your printer

rial port,

type in

is

connected to a se-

COM1

or

COM2,

de-

pending upon whether the printer
connected to the

first

each
page.

file will start at

And

the top of a

while these

mand
PRINT file4 file5

the version of

DOS

3.0 and

3.

the disk the file

many

it.

file,

is

on.

This means

other things)

best

is

1 ,

you can

also use

it

of

with a floppy

You can

for a full status report.

question mark characters with

PC

1-2-3

.WKS or .WKI

For example, to print your

MAGAZINE
24(1

files.

But here's how to get around that

Many word

limi-

processors and

spreadsheet programs have a

'

’print to

You can use such a facility
to make a file that PRINT can print. For
instance, if you want to use PRINT to.
file’’

option.

the

worksheet, just go through
normal 1-2-3 setup procedure for
you want the

printing, but specify that

worksheet sent to a

file

also use

PRINT.

files

MAY

instead of to the

and
program will then store a printable
form of the worksheet under that filename with the extension .PRN. Now
leave 1-2-3 and execute

the

PRINT

PRINT

included

PRINT with
tation.

printer. You’ll give 1-2-3 a filename,

uled in the print queue, just enter

or second serial

you can specify

1 mentioned
you probably won’t be able to
with files created by

PRINT directly

your word processor. Nor can you use

print a 1-2-3

They just join onto the end of the queue.
To see what files PRINT is currently
working on and which files it has sched-

global filenames with the asterisk and

With

use

new

being

files are

you can set up a couple more to
be printed by just executing the comprinted,

is

port.

with

(like

earlier that

in the order
]

The PRN in brackets means that PRN
is the default if you simply press Enter. If
you only have one printer attached to a
your printer

process of printing a

HARD-TO-PRINT FILES

f ile3

PRINT will then proceed to print the

press Enter. If you have

to

When

disk system.

Name of list device

case),

it

a queue

suited for use with a hard disk, but.

to say

THE PRINT DETAILS

printer port in

sets
it

rule:

PRINT needs to access that file regularly

to your printer.

you execute PRINT
get the message

PRINT,

and gives

until it’s finished printing

PRINT filename
to send

loads

first printer,

PRINT is

over your screen or

screen, then use Ctrl-Break to get out.

and then

in

size of 32 files.

Here’s the most important

down your

PRINT

your com-

file,

this:

PRINT /D: PRN /Q:32
use the

PRINT is nice and
polite.

streaming

where n is a numyou've cho-

of putting

look like

do no remove
it

you can

ten.

to 32. If

I

way

yourAUTOEXEC.BAT

command

TYPE filename
If

3.0 and 3.1,

is

time you execute

line,

ber ranging from

This

file,

TYPE it.

here’s a simple rule: If you can

default

first

specify

/Q- n

anything. After

list

you boot up your machine.

PRINT makes

it.
The
PRINT, you just

it

doubt about whether you

PRINT

PRINT

change

line will load

problem.)
you're

DOS

queue. Under

print

once, you won't have to do so again until

wrap

them to the next line, or print all the excess of the line over at the edge. (Different printers react in varied ways to this
If

2.0 and 2.1 versions of

PRINT can only hold ten filenames in the
while the

de-

which

cate the lines at the right margin,

can use

BAS

.

DOS

The

in

using the

PRINT /D PRN

terminated with a carriage
return and line feed. The lines should be

printer.

you can even put PRINT

AUTOEXEC.BAT
:

PRIM PRINT

signed to work with ASCII

In fact,

*

PRINT

:

with a

2 7.

1986

PRINT file. PRN

—

)

PRODUCTIVITY
PC LAB NOTES

where file

is

name you gave

the

it.

This

can he the same name as the worksheet

from which it came, since the two
files have different extensions ( PRN and
tile

- R CX

YouTI

CX 0000

that the files

:3

tor.” That

.WKS).

Of course, if you find this process to
much of a bother, then PRINT is

bly be better off with a regular old rnemo-

ry-hog print buffer.

SKIPPING PERFORATIONS

PRINT

your printer when

will not reset

starts

it

up, which can be an advantage, as

it

al-

lows you to send out control sequences to
the printer before using

PRINT. These

it's

Writing 0003 bytes
-9

Now

probably not right for you. You'd proba-

if

you want

for the files that

you are printing. Howev-

PRINT

while

printing,

is

will pre-

it

vent other programs from using the printer.

does

(It

printer

is

by signaling

this

busy. ) This

means

that

file

nor-

PRINT filel SKIPPERF file2
Spend an hour or so with your printer
manual and DEBUG, and you can develop a whole collection of tiny control sequence files for a variety of print styles.

"hi."

to put printer control

using

PRINT
and

tiny file called

SKIP-

contains the control sequence

needed to make the printer skip five lines
at the paper perforation. For IBM and
Epson printers, here's how to make such
a file with DEBUG. At the DOS prompt,
type in the underlined material below
supplies the messages and the hy-

phen prompts.

want
it's

200K

allow

this

access are either de-

vice drivers for the printer or are loaded as

ther case, they usually intercept calls to

Intemipt

er for almost

and BASIC).

all

1

7h, which runs your print-

programs (including

When

bytes long.

where

file is the

one you want canceled.
than one with the

Interrupt 17h

is

DOS

called

8088 processor has

maker of SideKick, evknows about how remain-resi-

International, the

erything

it

dent programs can access

idle

PC

files,

which

the version

is

PRINT

commonly

use,

of PRINT included with

DOS

3.0 and 3.1 allows you to optimize the
specific printer.

For

on how to do this, see my PC'
Tutor column in PC Magazine. Volume
4 Number 21
Charles Petznld
.

is

a contributing editor

Most

hands, characters are sent to the printer

ering have their drawbacks.

from the queue.

tions

The strategy is very similar to the one
used inside applications, but it removes the

you’re a floppy disk user, things can slow

programming and processing burdens
from those products. Many multifunction
boards for the PC come with a printer buff"bonus.” If you want to
works, see sidebar “Getting

er as a software

Most from AST’s SuperSpool

the

quaint

DOS. InDOS's only true multitasking
program. PRINT, in fact, taught Borland

of PC Magazine.

how one

whenever
time on its

Miss Man-

actually one of

parts of

command

the

disk-resident print queue. Then,

is

full details

terminate the remaining

see

rerouted to a

it

it's

program for your

PRINT /C filel file2 file3

with the simple

Little

may seem somewhat

most sophisticated

Although I've discussed the

RAM- or

is

Although PRINT'S
ners style

the

parameters you'll most

with a request to print characters, the character to be printed

Now that's cool.

and old-fashioned,

Charles Pelzold

terminate-stay-resident programs. In ei-

BIOS

all

PRINT /T

'Printer Buffers' ' continued)

that

you

five files in the print

is

You can cancel more
command

files

grams

one

printed at

You can even

DEBUG SKIPPERF

I

it

PRINT /C file

File not found
- E 108 IB "N" 5
'

will tell

normally not an easy thing to do.

on

For instance,

(DOS

it

Errors on list device
indicate that it may be
off-line. Please check.

STOP THAT PRINT! Sooner or later,
PRINT is churning

the middle

to say

uation . you just execute

want, by entering

small

in

these files

the

PERF that

window just

to shut

at

deed.

is

files.

you can make a

in a

it down,
PRINT
you or freeze your keyboard. It stays nice and quiet. If you want
to know what PRINT thinks about the sit-

doesn't beep

no good. You don't
and, what's more,
What do you do?
Do you let it print anyway and then throw
out the paper? Or do you turn off your
computer and start all over again?
Neither Just tell PRINT you want to
cancel one of the files. You do this, while
it
is busily printing what you still do

PRINT

sequences

You can then include
PRINT command line.

doesn't splatter all over your

queue, you'll suddenly remember that

PRINT.

One approach when

it

your printer jams up with paper

that the

you've already started printing some-

thing with

If

and you have

you can-

not send out printer control sequences after

were "canceled by opera-

like

screen or pop up

one

mally and a second file with a skipped
perforation, you'd run PRINT like this:

of course, while
away and it's got

I

programs,

to print

control sequences will remain in effect

er,

message on your printer

little

means you.
most about PRINT is that
nice and polite. Unlike most resident

-fi

be too

get a

What

.

Print

Spooler.”

applica-

programs use the disk for maintain-

ing the print queue, and especially

if

down quite a bit whenever the program accesses data destined for the printer. Pro-

grams, especially the RAM-resident ones
that use
buffers, take up gobs of

RAM

your PC's memory, and

if

you're a large-

spreadsheet user, that's too precious to
give up just to speed up your printing

Both of these approaches

MAGAZINE
241

to print buff-

MAY

2 7.

chores.

I486

—

1

PRODUCTIVITY
PC LAB NOTES

EXTERNAL PRINT BUFFERS

The

third approach to print buffering is to use
an external hardware print-buffer device.
These modem-sized machines are singleboard microcomputers that include a processor and memory. The type of processor
and amount of memory are usually the
prime determinants of a hardware buffer's
cost.

Most models use

include up to

64K

8-bit processors

bytes of

RAM

,

and

good

for

about 32 double-spaced pages.

Hardware

cantly faster than disk-based software

application and return to

buffers.

printing

problems found

may be well worth the cost to you.

MISTAKE

to absorb the characters

and store them

memory

PC's

in

printer port

can produce them and to print them

later

whenever your printer is able.
Because they work at computer memory speeds, they are able to absorb printer

RAM-based

output nearly as fast as

ware buffers

(the speed

parallel or serial port

you

soft-

limited by the

is

are using), but

mon

A

rent print

By

it

printing chores.

if

you’ve

to clear a ribbon or paper jam.

let you restart the current page
and some do either. One of the nicer features around is the ability to make more
than one copy of any document you print.
Options aside, even the simplest printer
buffer can save you tons of aggravation
and time.
John Dickinson
!5i

Others just

it will be too late
your application to stop things by the

that time, there

might be ten or more pages of output

manage your

job (say a document)

had to stop

so fast into the buffer that
tell

the thing if that

help you

to all types of printer buffers that

time you see the error.

sit-

ting in the buffer.

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ON READER SERVICE CARD

MAGAZINE
242

MAY

2 7.

to

a print job (and

you can always unplug

Some products allow you to restart the cur-

one problem com-

shows up whenever you realize you’ve
made a mistake in your printed work.
Once you start the print job going, it moves
to

you

just press a button to kill

Other options can also be included in
hardware or software printer buffers that

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU MAKE
is

DOS to stop
from a resident software buffer,

doesn't work).

your PC's

There

or buttons that allow

These may be diffihave to leave your current

to stop the printer.

but hardware buffers usually allow

in software solutions but

it

as fast as your

you

add to the cost of owning a PC. Depending
on your needs, however, a hardware buff-

is

at

optional

External hardware buffers solve the

a later time. Their job

your printer

products solve this problem with

commands

cult to use if you

primer output as their input, and output
to

Many

they

memory.
Even though they are a mite slower than
RAM-resident programs, they are signifi-

don’t take up your PC’s precious

er

print buffers take

own RAM,

because they have their

1986

509330

COMMAND TECH

)

:

PRODUCTIVITY
PROGRAMMING/UTILITIES

JOHN FRIEND

Stacking up
SUBDIRECTORIES
Getting back to where you started is a problem with

PATH,

but with

PUSHDIR and

POPDIR you can stack directories like cordwood.

M

major programs today sup-

then return you to where you started?

port the pathnames and subdirec-

PUSHDIR and POPDIR, the two programs you can create from this article, let
you do just that. They provide some help-

ost

tories

of

DOS

Few, however, make

with

life

2.0 (and later).
on a hard disk,

multilevel subdirectory structure,

its

it might be. Wouldn't it be nice
you could just type a simple name from
anywhere on your hard disk, and your favorite program would run automatically
regardless of which directory it was in.

as easy as
if

Min

group
code
segment public
cat main

code
assume

org

1Mb

BEGIN:

jmp

batch

file

functions for switching direc-

tories automatically,

USING PUSHDIR AND POPDIR To
use these two

utilities to

their greatest usefulness is in batch files.

gram

1 - 2-3 as

ov
para

i

pop
pop
pop
jne

.CON file

5

dd

?

ox
di
es

use

invoke any pro-

an example) from

(length of the signature
(does string at ds:si match essdi ?
(recover all registers we used
(no, not correct signature

NOTSIG

was a signature request so return ds equal to the current code
(segment so subsequent pushdir's and popdir's know where the original
(is located.
(yes,

it

(Old int 16h vector

offset Minipushldir
67 dup (•)
67 dup (0)
67 dup (0)
67 dup (0)
67 dup (0)
67 dup (0)

push 3d ir
pushldir
pushSdir
push6dir

(I'll

cx. lengthsignature
cmpsb

repe

‘code*

(program starts here
’Copyright 1986 Ziff-Davis Publishing Co.",lAh
’PUSHDIR VERSION 1.0'
- signature

nextpush
pushldir
push2dir

going beyond the

of the DOS PATH command.
Although PUSHDIR and POPDIR can
be used directly from the DOS prompt,
limitations

START
db
db

signature
lengthsignature savedlntl6

ful

PUSHDIR saves the current directory, and
POPDIR restores the current directory
from the last PUSHDIR. Space is allocated for up to six directories to be saved, so
PUSHDIRs and POPDIRs can be nested
up to six deep.

push
pop
xchg

(next place to save a dir
(storage for a saved dir
(more storage
(more storage
(more storage
(more storage
(last storage

cs
ds
ax,bx

(set ds - cs
(flip these two 60 we know that
ids is being returned
(recover original flags
(return back to the program
(that called the int 16n

popf
iret
my int 16 endp

end resident

(up to here must be EXACTLY identical in both PUSHDIR and POPDIR so that
(popdir can know how to access the memory space reserved by the first

label

(label marking the end of the
(code to remain resident

byte

(pushdir.
(code after here will not remain resident
;myir.tl6 is an Interrupt handler chained onto the existing interrupt handler,
(it is used to find out If PUSHDIR is already installed and if it is, where
(is it located?
It works by adding another function to int 16h.
To use it
rax * 7788h, bx « 7789h, and ds:si points to the signature string.
If any one
rof these conditions is not true, then the int 16h call is passed onto the
(Old routine without doing anything.
If they are all true, then we switch
(ax and bx and return ds - code segment (cs) of the Interrupt handler.

db

1

db

'Error reading the current directory. $'
'PUSHDIR installed. S'

db

(0

START:

(turn interrupts on

Sti

ayintlC proc

far

(first check

pushf

cap
je

already Installed, 1 • not installed

install

abortmsg
installmsg

ax, 7788b

(save flags
(possible signature request 7

CHECKS IG

(yes

NOTSIG:

jmp

cat |savedintl6]

(no - recover flags
(go to old routine as normal

cap

bx,7709h
NOTSIG

mo

popf

int

assume

see if PUSHDIR is already installed

(Signature request
ax,7788h
bx,77B9h
(Signature request
(point to signature
si, offset main:signature
16h
(is it installed 7

mov
mov
mov

ds (nothing

CHECKSIG
jne

(possible signature request 7

cap

bx, 7788h
NOT IN STALL ED
ax,7789h
NOT INSTALL ED

jne

cap
(ax and bx were correct for a signature request
mow see if ds:si was pointing to the signature string
;the whole idea of the signature is that is has to be
(totally unique so no other program could possibly use the same one.

push

es

push

cx
di, offset main:signature

mov

Figure

1

:

jne

(were ax and bx switched

7

(were ax and bx switched

7

(yes it is Installed already
mov
NOT I N STALL ED

(save the registers we will use

cs: (install) ,0

(don't Install it again

:

(ds • segment of the installation

(address of the signature

(Figure

The assembler code for PUSHDIR.COM.

PC

MAGAZINE
243

MAY2

7.

1986

I

continues

h0
3

)

9
4 h

«

PRODUCTIVITY

PROGRAMMING/UTILITIES

including disk drive letter

the current directory,

.•store

bov
•dd
bov
aov

si

,

ds

:

I

«h,47h
21

bov

ABORTERR
ah, 19h

int

21 h

add

al.'A'
byte ptr dai|ai-3),al
byte ptr ds 1 si-2] , '
byte ptr da I si-1 1 , *

i»ov

bov
bov

»

iget storage address (or next push
make room (or di\
;de(ault drive
;dos (unction nucber
;get current directory
terror sassage it carry set
idos (unction nueber
;get the current drive
{convert to ascii
.-add the *Di\* in (ront of path

next push]

si,
dl ,

int
)C

save the current int 16 h vector

push
mov

es
isave es
ax, 3516h
idos (unction 35h, vector 16h
iget the existing vector into esibx
21h
word ptr Isavedintl6] ,bx
isave es:bx
word ptr |savedintl6*2| ,es
isave esibx

int

mov
mov

mow

set the new int 16h vector
dx, offset maln:mylntl6

mov
mov

1

ax,2S16h
21h

int

1

to point to my routine

{point to my new routine
idos function 25h, vector 16h
iset new vector to ds:dx

:

update

i

mow show a message on the set eon
{this message can be suppressed by redirecting output to NUL
:by using pushdir like this: PUSHDIR >NUL

Inextpushl (or the next PUSHDIR
{time to wrap around ?
»yes
mo, point to next one

ds: Inextpushl ,o((set Bain:push6dir

WRAPPUSH
ds: Inextpushl ,67

dx, offset
ah,

mov

mov

short COTNEXTPUSH

WRAPPUSH:
BOV
COTNEXTPUSHt

Baiminstallmsg
ishow installation message

21h

int

ds: Inextpushl ,o((set Baimpushldi

mow free up the memory occupied by the envi moment so it is not
{permanently wasted

(wrap back to beginning

{Should we install it

mo,

»yes
we are done

{address o( error message
{dos (unction number
{Show error message
lend program on error

mov
mov
mov

ax,ds:|2ch]
es.ax
ah,49h

int

21 h

:get segment of environment
{load envi moment segment into es
idos (unction number
{free the environment memory

mow terminate resident protecting

only the first part of this program

to end of resident code
dx, offset mail lendresident
; point
dx , If
{round up
cl,

>i( we got to here, then pushdir is not already installed,
iso we need to install it by making part o( it meaory resident.

{convert to paragraphs (divide by 16)
idos (unction 31h, error code>0
.•terminate and remain resident

dx,cl
ax,31S«h
21 h

DO INSTALL:

pop
assume

ds

set ds

I

begi

cs

(Figure

Create a batch

1 .

istart execution at BEGIN

i

dsmain

anywhere on your hard
you do:
12. BAT)

disk, here's

one

out requiring you to change a directory

where you were previously working, with-

file (I'll call this

even once.

To use this same technique for programs other than 1-2-3. simply create sim-

save the current
directory
change to lotus
directory
(startl-2-3)
restore original
directory)
(

CD\LOTUS

ilar

(

123

POPDIR

(Figure

continues)

automatically return you to the directory

with the following instructions:

PUSHDIR

I

whal

batch

files

(usually

same subdirectory, so
the

all

names

Set the DOS PATH command in
AUTOEXEC.BAT file to include the

in the

be found by

and substitute

for the desired cur-

rent directory (in place of

program name

placed

they'll

DOS PATH command)

the appropriate

(

(in place

LOTUS) and the

of 1 23).

2.

your

which you keep the above
and also to include the directory
and POPDIR

directory in

batch

file

where

.COM
3.

PUSHDIR.COM
reside.

Type 12 <Enter> from anywhere on

your hard disk and 1-2-3

THE PATH OF NO RETURN

By now.
someone will be asking whether you can
do all this without PUSHDIR or POPDIR.
by using the DOS PATH command.
The answer is almost, but not quite. First,
you could create a batch file just like the

just

one above, except without the

will start.

PUSHDIR

your

PATH C:\LOTUS command in
AUTOEXEC.BAT file. But when

1-2-3 starts, the current directory will not

be LOTUS, and 1-2-3. like many programs, will not be able to find its configuration files (most programs assume they
reside in the current directory).

programs such as IBM's
culty, but not the first.

DIR There
tain

tory;

and 123

When

1-2-3

will start execution
is

finished,

of 1-2-3.

POPDIR

you were

in

will re-

PUSHDIR and
POPDIR provide some

ways you can ob-

I

.COM
the

file with EXE2BIN. Alternatively,
BASIC programs contained in Figures
PUSH-

3 and 4 will automatically create

Imagine you have been working in your
word processor and in its associated directories and you need to quickly update some

DIR. COM and POPDIR.COM if you type
them in and run them once. Or, if you have
a modem, you can download the files di-

switching directories
automatically.

from PC Magazine's, Interactive
Reader Service by calling (212) 696-0360

figures in 1-2-3. Just type 12. update the

and your batch

are several

PUSHDIR and POPDIR. One method

to type in the assembler

Figures

helpful batch functions for

before you entered 1-2-3.

figures, exit 1-2-3.

]

code shown in
and 2, assemble it with the IBM
Macro Assembler or equivalent, link it
with DOS LINK, and then convert it to a
is

store the original current directory, so

same subdirectory

—Ed.

GETTING PUSHDIR AND POP-

PUSH-

you'll be back in the

[Utility

File Facility are

also available to solve this particular diffi-

find the

DIR will save the current directory;
CD\LOTUS will switch to the Lotus direc-

it

putting the

BAT file and start executing

it.

ends)

matically start 1-2-3 from

your hard disk, but

The DOS PATH command will
12.

I

POPDIR commands.

This would autoanywhere on
would leave you in
the LOTUS subdirectory upon termination. instead of returning you to the subdirectory whence you came.
Again, you can use PATH to get to the
directory containing I23.EXE simply by
or

rectly

file will

PC

MAGAZINE
244

MAY2

7.

1986

r

9

.

)

PRODUCTIVITY

PROGRAMMING/UTILITIES

Min
code
assume

group
code
segnent public
ca:main

org

108h

{useful so we just terminate with an error message.

para

'code'

{.COM file

BEGIN:

ISINSTALLEO

jaip
START
program starts here
db
"Copyright 19B6 Ziff-Davis Publishing Co.",l*h
signature
db
PUSHDIR VERSION 1.0'
lengthsignature • $ - signature

i

:

iget the address of the directory previously saved by pushdir

•

>

nextpush
pushldir
push2dir

offset
67 dup
67 dup
67 dup
67 dup
67 dup
67 dup

pus hid i

push4dir
pushSdir
pushfidir

Mlmpushldlr

db

errpopl

db

jnext place to save a dir

(()
(•)
(0)
(0)
(0)
(0)

iset the current directory

tup to here must be EXACTLY identical

notinstalledl

iload ds:dx with directory to set
idos function number
iset current dir back
{branch on error
{update Inextpushl if successful

in both PUSHDIR and POPDIR.

mov

Bust run PUSHDIR.COM before POPDIR.COM'
will do anything. ,13,10,10, $'
Error popping the currant directory' ,13,10,10, S’

db

bp.dsi Inextpushl
iget the next push location
bp, 67
{back up one to the last push
.-need to wrap back 7
ds: Inextpushl .offset maimpushldi r
NOWRAPBACK
ino
wrap back
bp, offset main:push6dir
; yes,

mov
sub
cap
jne
mov
NOWRAPBACK:

be identical to pushdir

'

'

ds: Inextpushl , bp

iset the current drive also

'

linterrupts

sti

dl,ds:|bp)
dl.'Af

mov
sub

START:

iget drive letter from path
{convert to binary (0»A, 1-B)
;dos function number
iset drive

c

Its PUSHDIR already installed 7
ax, 7708h
bx,7789h
si, offset

assume

>xit

isignature request
{signature request
irsignature
dsisi to signatui
; point
its it installed 7

i

push
pop
mov
mov

ds: nothing

cmp

bx, 7788b
NOT INSTALL ED

iwere ax and bx switched 7

cap

ax,?789h
NOTINSTALLED
short IS INSTALL ED

iwere ax and bx switched 7

jne
jmp

successfully with no message

cs

ds
dx, offset maimerrpopl
ah,

iset ds

cs

{error message
idos function number
ishow the message
{terminate

lyes - continue, no error

NOTINSTALLED:

{start execution at BEGIN

(Figure 2 ends

ihere PUSHDIR was not previously installed so POPDIR can't do anything

Figure

2:

The .ASM

listing for

POPDlR.COM

.COM versions of

via

modem. To

the

two programs directly, your communi-

load the

area.

To do this, PUSHDIR attaches a very
Int 16h innormally used for

simple interrupt handler to the

cations software must be able to use the

terrupt.

Xmodem

retrieving keys from the keyboard buffer,
but in this case we attach a bit of additional
code to it in such a way that we can determine if PUSHDIR is already installed.
This additional code does not affect the
normal uses of the Int 16h interrupt.
Normally, Int 16h has three subfunctions, which are determined by the value

The BASIC programs

protocol.

can be downloaded, renamed with
rather than

.ASC

BAS

extensions from .ASC,

PUSHDIR.COM

and then run to create

POPDIR.COM. PUSHDIR and
POPDIR are also distributed with the
and

|

PC -OUT-

shareware outlining program

LINE,

and

written

distributed by the au-

—Ed.]

placed

thor of this article

This interrupt

in the

is

AH register when

it

is

called.

These subfunctions provide programs with

HOW PUSHDIR WORKS
time

The

first

PUSHDIR is run makes a tiny piece
memory resident. Sub-

PUSHDIR do

sequent runs of
additional

memory because

not require

the

already installed and
The 752-

it

doesn’t try to

install itself again.

byte space

used as a permanent storage

is

is

area for the directory

PUSHDIR

POPDIR

and

very simple interrupt
handler to the Int 16h
interrupt in such a

way

for a simple interrupt handler that allows

subsequent
find the

PUSHDIRs

memory

and

POPDIRs

installed
it

and

if

is
it

to find out if

that

we can determine if

shown

is,

where

can use the already

it

is

already

PUSHDIR

1

its

located. This routine is

is

as the procedure labeled

myintl6.

Myintl6 works
check

to see

we

as follows: First,

whether

AX

is

equal to the

new

function value, 7788h. If

then

we just jump

is

it

not,

to the old routine withIf

it is,

then

BX

we

test for

must equal

7789h, and DS:SI must point to the signa-

’PUSHDIR VERSION

1.0”.

These extra tests for BX and DS:SI are
added precautions that prevent conflicts
should other memory-resident programs
do similar things. They also allow you to
use exactly the same method on other
memory-resident programs by just changing the signature.

of the above

tests are

passed, then

DS equal to the segment value of the interinstalled.

rupt handler

—which

is

also the segment

value of the storage table. Then, instead of

memory

PC

Figure

we switch the values in AX and BX and set

located, so

installed

tell

already installed and where

memory
in

If all

PUSHDIR is already
simple; the
it is

is

it

storage

area and ascertain that

PUSHDIR is already installed.
PUSHDIR is actually very
only real trick

to

that

ture string

names saved by

and restored by

subfunction that does not interfere with the
existing functions but does

two more conditions:

PUSHDIR attaches a

program

detects that

(

out doing anything.

it

of itself (752 bytes)

means of getting a keystroke AH=0),

the

checking to see if one is available
(AH=1), and checking the status of the
shift flags (AH=2). We just add a fourth

jumping

MAGAZINE
245

MAY

2 7.

1986

to the regular Int 16h routine,

we

)

PRODUCTIVITY

PROGRAMMING/UTILITIES

6 SB

DATA

66® DATA
67 B DATA

DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
85 6 DATA
866 DATA
876 DATA
886 DATA
896 DATA
966 DATA
916 DATA
926 DATA
936 DATA
946 DATA
956 DATA
966 DATA
976 DATA
986 DATA
996 DATA
1666 DATA
1616 DATA
1626 DATA
1636 DATA
1646 DATA
1656 DATA
1666 DATA
1676 DATA
1686 DATA
1696 DATA
1166 OATA
1116 DATA
1126 DATA
1136 DATA
1146 DATA
1158 DATA
1166 DATA
1178 DATA
118* DATA
1196 DATA
68B
69B
7BB
716
726
736
746
756
761
776
786
796
866
816
826
836
846

(Figure 3 ends

skip

it

with an IRET.

With

this

technique

follow the steps in

in

we

mind,

PUSHDIR

can

automatically use the correct storage loca-

increment [nextpush] to point to the next

tion.

storage location. If the next storage loca-

In

starting at

BEGIN. First, we jump over the
data to START. Then we check to

programming terms. PUSHDIR
The

the label

works as a

stored

[nextpush] contains the address of the

PUSHDIR

by issuing an
Int
6h with AX = 7788h, BX = 7789h,
and DS:SI pointing to the suing "PUSHsee

if

is installed

1

DIR VERSION

PUSHDIR

circular stack.

variable
lo-

cation at which to store the next saved current directory.

we

To push

a saved directory,

from [nextpush], save
the current directory to that address, and
get the address

tion

is

past the

located, then

again with the

PUSHDIR
for

up

easily

end of the space we have alit wraps around and starts
first

one. In this version of

1 have left room
PUSHDIRs. The code can

and POPDIR,

to six

be modified to allow space for as

ready installed, then the values in

AX and

many as desired.
To save the current

BX

DS

voke the

will

1.0”.

If

be returned reversed and

is al-

will

contain the segment of the storage table.

The

flag [install] will be set to 0, so

know

not to install

it

we

rectory

In this version of

again upon exit. If

PUSHDIR is not installed, then the normal
16h routine will just ignore the invalid
function value AH=77h; it will return with

PUSHDIR, I have

left

room

for

up

to six

to install

it

For the next part of the program,
set to

be the segment of the storage

PUSHDIR

is

DS

area. If

already installed, then

it is

not installed, then

program. Since
use

DS

all

allow space for as

many

we

as desired.

use the

DOS

to

Function

add those sub-

DOS

return,

AH= 19h to ob-

“A” to it, and it is stored in front of the
previously returned current directory
string (along with the colon and backslash)
and path
in the form, D \ pathname.
Next we must update [nextpush] to
for

point to the location for the next directory

will

PC

begin with a back-

room

to give us the full directory drive

variable references will

as their base segment,

does not return the

it

leave

AL. This is converted to ASCII by adding the ASCII value

can easily be modified to

DS

DS will

point to the local storage area in the current

It

we

tain the current drive in

is

will point to the previously installed stor-

age area. If

in-

drive letter, nor does

we

PUSHDIRs. The code

when we exit.

we

function will

sequently. After a successful

AX and BX not reversed and we will know
we need

directory,

function to Get Current Di-

pointed to by DS:SI.
slash, so

Int

that

DOS

(AH=47h). This

store the current directory to the location

MAGAZINE
246

MAY

2 7,

1986

PRODUCTIVITY

PROGRAMMING/UTILITIES

—

620 DATA
630 DATA
640 DATA
650 DATA
660 DATA
670 DATA
DATA

108 REH
BASIC PROCRAM TO CREATE puehdir.COM
110 OPEN 'pushdir.COM* AS 01 LEN - 1
120 FIELD 11,1 AS A$
130 CHECKSUM - 0
140 FOR I» - 1 TO 91
1S0
L1NESUHI • 0
160
FOR Jt - 1 TO 0
170
READ BYTE*
180
CHECKSUM • CHECKSUM * BYTE!
190
LINESUMt - LINESUMI * BYTE!
200
IP (BYTE! < 256) THEN LSET A$ • CHRSIBYTEI)
210
PUT II
220
NEXT Jl
230
READ LINECBECKI
240
IF LINECHECKI <> LINESUMI THEN PRINT 'Error in Line* j 280 <
250 NEXT II
260 CLOSE
270 IF CHECKSUM • 30304 THEN PRINT 'Successful Completion * i ENC
lidi'
67
111 ,
11
1
11
300 DATA
310 DATA
320 DATA
330 DATA
340 DATA
350 DATA
360 DATA
370 DATA

680

690 DATA
700 DATA
710 DATA
728 DATA
730 DATA
740 DATA
750 DATA
760 DATA
770 DATA
780 DATA
790 DATA
800 DATA
810 DATA
820 DATA
830 DATA
840 DATA
850 DATA
860 DATA
870 DATA
880 DATA
890 DATA
900 DATA
910 DATA
920 DATA
930 DATA
940 DATA
950 DATA
960 DATA
970 DATA
980 DATA
990 DATA
1000 DATA
1010 DATA
1020 DATA
1030 DATA
1040 DATA
1050 DATA
1060 DATA
1070 DATA
1080 DATA
1090 DATA
1100 DATA
1110 DATA

1

380

390
400
410
420
430
440
450
460
470
480
490
500
510
520
530
540
550
560
570
580
590
600
610

DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA

DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA
DATA

(Figure 4 ends)

Figure 4: A

BASIC listing to create POPDIR.COM.

save. First,

we check to see if |nextpush|

already pointing
If

it is,

then

at the last

we just add
to

it

is

directory entry.

we wrap around and set it back

to the first directory entry. If

it is

not, then

the length of a directory entry

and point to the next one.

[install]

PUSHDIR or just exit because it is al-

ready installed.

PUSHDIR
exit with

an

is

If [install] is

not

already installed, so

1,

then

we just

Int 20h.

then
this,

we need to install
we install the Int

16h interrupt handler by saving the current

we

POPDIR
it

is

can chain onto

then installing our own.

Then we

it)

has not,

it

can’t

we

terminate

we

has been installed,
tell

do anything useful

preceded by a

you where

it

is

PUSHDIR.

use the

DS

located so

If

it

tion Call, reserving

HOW POPDIR WORKS

which contains

to save a directory.

saved, so

[nextpush],

which
want is

the next location at

we set the current directo-

What we really

where a directory was

Function

AH=3bh

current drive,
ter

we have

and up-

Change Cur-

does not affect the

rent Directory function

to get the drive let-

from the storage location, convert

hex value, and

it

to a

set the current drive using

DOS Function AH=Oeh.
PUSHDIR.COM and POPDIR.COM

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First,

DOS

we need to back up one directory
Most of the time we can

storage location.

from having

PUSHDIR.

to the last location.

With the address of the previously
stored directory,

date [nextpush]. Because the

To start a POPDIR, we get

and the storage area.

just the reverse of

wrap back

rectory.

and

memory for just the in-

from the current value of [nextif it is already back at the first
we must remember to

storage location,

ry using

brief installation

terrupt handler

push], but

register

we can get

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vector value (so

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PRODUCTIVI

T Y

EDITED BY JARED TAYLOR

Spreadsheet
clinic
Thisforum

readers exchange the ingenious solutions and timesaving hints that make their
and integrated software packages work better.

lets

spreadsheets

MORE MACROS

«

SIMPLE VERSION

»

The

1-2-3 manual says you can have 27
macros in all: \0 for the autoexec macros
and the letters \ A through \Z. While this
seems like a lot at first, as you begin to ac-

cumulate them, 27 macros just aren't
enough. Also, you can’t give macros
meaningful names with just one letter.
not
With the two macros in Figure
only can you have an unlimited number of
macros, but you can name your macros
anything you want. The trick is to give the
beginning cell of every macro a meaningful range name rather than a \A-type
name. Suppose, for example, you have a
macro that prints the worksheet. Instead of

/reNAMEl"
/xl'NAMEl"

\P

/*9

NAME1

«

calling it\ P,

range

name

you could give
Print Out.

its first cell

Then,

using the simple version

if

the

you were
you
1

Figure

in

,

MEND VERSION

»
< MACRO MENU
Print Out
Consolidate
Save Pile

/reNAME" {goto JmacmeniT
/c{bsi{?)~NAME~
/xg

\M

1 ,

NAME
Figure

1

:

Two macros that increase the possible number of macros in

number of macros from which to
way to arrange
them is in the form of a square, with the
large

choose, the most efficient
cell

named

MACMENU

located right in

the middle. That way you can get to the one
you want without too much key pounding.

have already entered
year

is

will

change when the

incremented.

Alex Kotar
San Francisco, California

MORE ON DATE ENTRY

Alt-Pprint out<Enter>

of February 1
1986 (PC Magazine. Volume 5 Number
you ran an item about entering dates in

In the Spreadsheet Clinic

to

mn the print

is

nothing more than an infinitely variable

In effect, the

1-2-3.

and get back into the date entry loop. The
{edit} {calc} sequence is necessary in this
macro because without it all the dates you

would type

macro.

>

Monthly Report
Xtract File
And So On

macro

1

—

The second macro is very convenient
more so. even, than you suggest. What

I

3),

find most interesting about

work, you can use the menu version of the
macro. Aside from the slightly more com-

macro #1 in Figure 2.
This is certainly a good way to enter dates
in a column of cells, and when you have
finished, you can get out of the loop with

plex macro, you need a

Ctrl-Break.

change the numerals
for the year. This can be generalized as a
good way to increment or decrement a
counter when you have a macro that has to
run a certain number of times. In BASIC,
for example, to increment a counter, you
put a statement such as LET A = A + I into
a loop. Since 1-2-3 can’t do that, most
macro writers give their counter a name
like COUNTER and then employ a sequence such as

1-2-3 that included

\xg command.
If typing out Alt-Pprint

macros you

named

call,

list

with a

MACMENU.

is

too

much

of the various

cell in that list

Now.
move

if

you type
the macro

Alt-M, the cursor will
to
list. Use the arrow keys to highlight the
macro you want to run and hit Enter.
W. J. Jhang

Cerritos, California

I

have found, however, that the second
in Figute 2 is a very useful variant
to enter an ascending se-

macro

when you need

quence of dates
sheet

YR

Then

date entry loop.

This

is

very slick. Readers should also note

the layout of the

macro menu

.

Ifyou

have a

PC

that runs

through more

You name a cell in the workand enter the numerals for the

than a year.

earliest year.

hit

When

Alt-B to

start the

MAGAZINE
249

go

7,

Data

it is

the use of

Fill line to

end

to the next year

MAY2

I

{goto}COUNTER~
{edit}+l‘{editKcalc}

your series of dates

gets to the next year, hit Ctrl-Break to
the loop and Alt-Y to

the

Using the /Data

1986

Fill technique,

you could

2

'

|

“

PRODUCTIVITY

SPREADSHEET CLINIC

MACRO NO.

your A: drive called WINDOW, which
contains ASCII 18. 1-2-3 can't read that
so while you're still at the DOS

1

file,

/rfdl~@date(86,{?})-

\p

prompt, type

{down }/xg\D"

MACRO NO.

/dfYR-YR+1
Figure 2:

copy a:windov a:windov.prn/a <Enter>
)

YR

/rf dl"@date (YR, { ? }
{edit } {calc}" {down }/xg\B"

\B

87

The .PRN extension

1-2-3 applications a very professional look

the following:

/df COUNTER ‘ COUNTER+ 1

and has another benefit as well: you

‘ '

find that

most macros

cause they won’t have to update the

cursor in place, so you don’ I have to put in

screen.

another [goto] to get back to whatever

will

PUTTING VARIABLES IN MACROS
Symphony and Version 2 of 1-2-3 have a
very powerful feature that lets you put
variables into macro statements. The first

will run faster be-

This not only uses less code but leaves the

full

Brad Stephenson
Jenison. Michigan

it

was you were doing before you incremented the counter. And it's almost as easv as
BASIC.

1-2-3 recognize

the

Two date entry macros.

do the same job with

lets

and the la puts a Ctrl-Z at
end of it so that 1-2-3 can read the file.
Use 1-2-3's /File Import Text command to
read the file and you will have ASCII 18 in
your worksheet. Use the /Copy command
to move it wherever you need it in a macro.
the file as text,

/xg\B~

line in
in

Figure 5

is

an example of a formula

a single cell that actually becomes a

dif-

ferent macro, according to the value in

screen during

This is an excellent use of this undocumented macro command feature. Fusco
created ASCII characters to import into a
worksheet by writing a BASIC program
that writes a 1-2-3 -readable .PRN file.
Here’s a quick-and-dirty way to get ASCII
18 into your worksheet: At the DOS

lets

prompt, type

This example does nothing more than
copy a range (EAST, WEST, or CEN-

BLANKING THE SCREEN DURING
MACRO EXECUTION
Like other 1-2-3 macro programmers, 1
have often wanted to be able to blank the

macro execution. Release 2
you do this with a macro command,
have found a way to do it with Re-

but

copy con: a: window <Enter>
Ctrl-R Ctrl-Z <Enter>

I

lease 1A.
is to create two windows. The
which takes up all but one row of the
screen, contains a message to the user that
calculation is under way. The second con-

The trick

macro. The problem,

so far, has been that there
in 1-2-3’ s

windows

after

is

macro language

ai8:

’DISPJ1SG

no command
that switches

0

Using Joseph Fusco’s tech-

12

nique from Spreadsheet Clinic (PC MagaVolume 4 Number 22, page 208), I

13

(F6).

C

B

14

zine.

15

able to create a window command by
importing an ASCII 18 character into the

LABEL

CODE

forms the mac-

ro can take are governed by
effect

on the

(fr

COUNTER’S

ehoose function and are
To make the formula

listed in the table.

work

in

Symphony, replace

^

the initial

TRAL)

A

1

0.

to another range, beginning at cell

However, you can use the same

tech-

nique to modify macros in any number of

ways. The

trick is to

combine

G

strings with

fr't

was

worksheet and putting

it

into a

17

18

macro. Fig-

19

shows the DISP_MSG macro I call
from each time-consuming macro routine.
The single character in lines 3 and 5 of the
ure 3

macro

is

ASCII

18.

DISP_MACRO
screen

in

displays the message

Figure 4, and in the

turns control to the

macro

last line re-

that called

it.

The main macro executes “off-screen."

When it is finished,
tine that

it should contain a roubeeps and removes the message

set up one-row window
establish unsynced windows
move to lower window
display macro message (A60)
move to upper window
return to calling macro

home} (down)
/wwh/wwu

20

t

21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31

{gotoJMAC

f1SG“

t

/xgRETURN"

Macro that calls a message screen and hides
spreadsheet activity

screen.

This two- window technique gives your

Figure 3: This two-window technique enables you to blank the screen during macro execution.

PC

MAGAZINE
250

MAY2

7.

/

with {menu}.

-

The second line will appear as ~R 'Z, and
you hit Enter, you will get a file on

first,

tains the executing

COUNTER. The different

1986

-

f

0

)

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This technique avoids the bother of
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HIDING SPREADSHEET NOTES
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• Mailing Label Package #115
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from all
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that there's anything at

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all

To see the

These two notation methods are appropriate for different purposes. The first is a

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columns to the
which the note would otherwise

bad

CONTRIBUTE TO THE CLINIC

right into

invisi-

too

way as well.

$50
$25

spill over.

with order of 5

It’s

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ble even if there are blank

column. That way, the note will be
#233.

and it’s very effective.

S15.

3080 Olcott

be

note for yourself,

just hit Edit (F2).

them,

(PC Magazine, Vol-

Spreadsheet Clinic

invoicing

GAMES:

want

with 72 spaces. That way,

for hiding things so that only you can find

#251-252

• Industrial Eng. Time Study Sheets
• XLISP #109

really

Don Ford

programs #111

&

you

control panel.

You could put several Ca choose functions within a single formula to radically change a macro' s behav-

2 disks

•

billing

If

but the most determined snoops, start

Sacramento, California

•

•

Fugler

within the worksheet.

#262

• Professional time
#290, 291

the note will appear within

the spreadsheet.

Canada

#257
useful

I.

This is a quick, effective way to make macro execution reflect changing conditions

finance

SYSTEM:

you

contents in

a single, unobtrusive apostrophe in the
R.

• Recover LOST FILES: #255
• CATALOGING: Keep files organized

and 30 more

macro ex-

Montreal, Quebec

#169

for children

column width,

its

you increase the

if

Sll)

Sll)

#231

spelling, etc.

• Word Processor
programs #263

a global re-

recalculate specific cells

• Math tutor grades 1-6 #241
• 3-D algebraic functions, chemistry,
• History

If

with {recalc}.

etc.

for example,

If,

the cell containing the

note, you’ll be able to see

recalculation: the

Only

EDUCATION:

them completely.
move the cursor to

the control panel. Also,

reflect the current

A few selected disks:

to the val-

cell.

graphics, etc.

SI

When the computer is

displayed during calculation of the macro shown in Figure 3.

ampersand (&) character and to make
use of the fo choose function to modify the
the

$11

Special Introduction

G

F

E

short while.

a

finished, it will beep to alert you.

Figure 4 The message screen that

• Catalog A with 0-240 different disks
• Catalog B with 241 and counting up

D

C

Calculation will take

&

sort capability!

•

B

62
63
64
65
66
67
68

programs.

MAGAZINE
252

MAY2

7.

1986

according to the value of

Iffl

—

—

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The Best of The
Norton Chronicles

PRODUCTIVITY
EDITED BY PAUL SOMERSON

Power user
Push your hardware and applications software to the limit by incorporating these special
WordStar productivity-enhancing tips from readers.
FRONT AND CENTER

tine to

do the work. Unable to

BIOS

find a

The border-color patches published in the
Power User and User-to-User columns of

constructed a procedure to access the I/O

PC Magazine (Volume

ports of the

wouldn't center

my
this

Number

several-year-old

text display properly.

be used to solve

4

25)

CRT

causes the resident portion of

file

and

MODE-

.COM to be loaded.
I

decided to write a short assembler rou-

6845

The addresses
controller are at

adjustment.

1

NEW. Then put SCRIPT.NEW on
same disk as DEBUG.COM and type

register.

for the I/O ports of the

&H03D4

and

&H03D5.

Although the 6845 controller has 18

You can

then center the screen whenever

you’re

DOS simply by typing SHIFTER

and

in

hitting Return.

David R. Burford

inter-

nal registers, shifting the display requires

Mobile, Alabama

—

modifying the contents of only one renumber 2 (horizontal sync position).

gister

If you want to both set the border color
and center an off-center display from in-

side WordStar, type the script in Figure

and name

We didn’t
our

WordStar’s nondocument (N)

A
MOV DX.03D4
MOV AL,02
OUT DX,AL

mode or the

DOS COPY CON: facility. Make sure you

A

340 and
and make sure you hit the

leave a blank line above the

IBM

have this centering problem on
color-graphics adapters and

N SHIFTER.COM

1

SCRIPT. WS. You can use

it

the

DEBUG <SCRIPT.NEW

CRT controller direcdy

and change the appropriate

MODE.COM could

problem, but that ap-

proach involves using a batch

made such an

interrupt that

INC DX
MOV AL , 56
OUT DX, AL
INT 20

above the W,
Enter key after each line, especially the last
Then put a copy of WS.COM on the
same disk as
and
SCRIPT. WS, and get into DOS and type

one.

DEBUG.COM

RCX
C

DEBUG WS.COM <SCRIPT.WS

W
The

instruction that actually tells the

video hardware
screen image

SCRIPT. W.V script to add a purple
border to WordStar and center the image on
certain older screens. Use WordStar's N mode
or DOS’s COPY CON: to create the file; make
sure you include blank lines after the two JMP
instructions and hit the Enter key after each
line, especially the last one. Then put this
SCRIPT. WS file, a copy 1 not the originalI) of
your WS.COM WordStar program, and
DEBUG.COM on your disk, and get into DOS
and type DEBUG WS.COM <SCRIPT.WS.
Figure

1

:

PC

is

how much

MOV

to

move

Q

the

AL.56. Using a

Figure 2: SCRIPT.NEW script to create a

higher

standalone SHIFTER

the

screen image

number than 56 moves the screen to
a lower one moves the screen to
the right. Unless you have a technical manual for your color card and monitor, you
left;

will

have

to get

to

experiment with these values
adapt this to create a short
file that will

center the

do not write
to register 2 of the 6845 controller. Type in
the script in Figure 2 and call it SCRIPT
screen for

all

applications that

MAGAZINE
253

.

COM utility to center the
s N mode

DOS. Use WordStar

instruction

MAY2

7,

'

and hit the Enter key after each line,

Then pul this
SCRIPT. NEWfile and DEBUG .COM on your
DOS and type DEB UG
<SCRIPT.NEW. Change the 56 in the MOV
AL.56 line if necessary to center the image
properly; wefound 59 worked best on IBM
CGMs’.
especially the last one.

your screen just right.

You can

SHIFTER.COM

in

or DOS's COPY CON: to create the file; make
sure you include blank lines after the INT 20

disk, get into

1986

.

.

.

.

... ,.

DISKCAT-5

PRODUCTIVITY

S}rft Catalog ZPxoapam

POWER USER

0

Finds
-

files fast!

ALL

on

your disks

0

Stores 32 , 000

0

Add

names
monitors, but this trick will move the
screen image on problem displays. And

descriptions to

meaningless

file

names

SHIFTER.COM

header lines will work as nicely as

were a standard

if

they

feature.

its

The technique used for making multiple
header lines can also be used with equal

0 Print

we found the best value for
MOV AL.xx was 59 rather than 56. By the
way, Mr. Burford's SCRIPT. WS script

0 Sort/print catalog

changes the border to color 5—purple. If
you prefer a different color (we like color
3 light blue), change the last digit in the

one for every additional line used by the
header and footer texts.
Not all printers work with this technique. The Hewlett-Packard Laserjet, for

while the

utility

did

trick also,

directory labels
to attach to disks

by

—

file name, extension,
size, date, category
or by disk name

Only $69
Volame/aitc

MOV BX.0005 linefrom 5 to any other hex

dm

instance, truncates text that extends be-

DOUBLE HEADERS

yond the right margin. Users of these printers may be able to accomplish the same effect by embedding printer control codes

WordStar 3.3 users no longer have to feel
hampered by the program's inability to
print multiline headers and footers. The
solution is to use your printer’s natural tendency to wrap lines of text that extend beyond the right edge of the paper. If you
write an extra-long header on a single

available

DEMO DISK - $2
FORD SOFTWARE
484S Willowbend

TX 77035
(713) 721-5205

Houston

—up

,

line

105

ON READER SERVICE CARD

to 194 characters

—

the printer

lines.
-

PUBLIC

DOMAIN

SOFTWARE

within the text of the header or footer.

Though

from system

the details vary

to

WordStar 3.3 users

is

forced to print the header text on several

MC/VISA Accepted
CIRCLE

page length by

number between 0 and F.

pltu I5 shipping.
lice

success for making multiple footer lines.
Just be sure to reduce the

This technique gives you up to three

lines of header and three lines of footer text
on each page. The two-step procedure described below assumes the WordStar defaults of 66 lines per page, 65 characters
per line, and 10 characters per inch on letter-size paper. With some experimentation, you can make this technique work for

no longer have
feel

to

hampered by the

program’s

inability

to print multiline

headers and footers.

a variety of paper formats.

The

Newsletter

right

Keep up with

all

first

step

is

to write the header line.

Since the header line will extend beyond the

of the

margin,

it

is

necessary to turn off the

"OW.

automatic word wrap feature, using

system,

it

could be done by installing one

of the WordStar user-defined print control

and low cost
software available from
bulletin boards and user

Then type

extending no farther than column 194 (my

turn

groups

version of WordStar prints only 194 char-

this

even though there may be as many
240 characters onscreen). Remember
80 characters on
line, so you have to design your text
to have appropriate break points. When the
header text is finished, add the dot com-

wherever you want the next

latest free

the header text without the dot

command HE, beginning

in

column

1

and

acters,

Each month get reviews
analysis and listings of
available

programs
and how to get

them.
a one-year
for a

line to begin.

Wayne

Belmont, Massachusetts

it

to the beginning

of the

line to

as the header.

The second

subscription or $1
sample Issue to the

Raila

step

com-

with the right settings to

available for the rest of the

For a two-line header, use
three-line header, use

Once

to

PL

be

.PL 64.

these steps arc completed, print

MAGAZINE

»

254

MAY2

make

it

work. But

the results will be well worth the effort.

told.

65; for a

your document as usual. The enhanced

PC

Unfor-

are absurdly non-

extra line used by the header reduces the

number of lines

M 1065 new better a on dUk for 05

A simple but truly solid idea.

tunately, since printers

standardized, you'll have to experiment

document, and WordStar needs

P.O. Box 61565
Houston, TX 77208

;

effect.

to use the dot

is

Most letters we receive about printer rightmargin wrap complain about the printer
line wrap feature this uses it to ingenious

mand PL toadjust the paper length. Every
.

Public (Software) Library

Text of

re-

line feed.

that the printer will put

mand .HE
for

‘PQ, ‘PW, *PE, or "PR) to

You could then insert
command into the header or footer text
and

as

identify

Send $12

(

send the sequence that causes a carriage

each

best

the

commands

7.

19

KEY FUNCTIONS
Jack W. Wright of League City, Texas,
submitted a tip that duplicated Ward Starr
and Mel Murch’s technique in "Notes
6

.

PRODUCTIVITY

E 64A 77 00 02 11 12 2A 2A 2A 2A
E 653 75 00 02 11 03 2A 2A 2A 2A
E 65C 84 00 02 0E 02 2A 2A 2A 2A
E 665 76 00 02 0B 0B 2A 2A 2A 2A

the UnderGround WordStar" (Volume 5 Number 2 ) for adding four entirely
new function keys in Version 3.3. Howev-

from

W

several of the actual function-key key-

er,

strokes suggested by

Q

Mr. Wright were

Mr. Wright's original

worth reporting.

To recap Ward and Mel's trick for adding four new function keys to your standard WordStar, make a copy ofWS.COM
and examine it with DEBUG by typing
DEBUG WS.COM. Once you see the DE-

BUG hyphen prompt,

neglected to

tip

include the length byte (02 in each case

above), but

we added

He

it.

did suggest

another function key that can be very use-

o/WordStar. His F9
’KDP'R[, which saves a file and

ful, exceptfor a quirk

key

is

then automatically prints

type

it,

with just one

keystroke (the [ standsfor Esc). Ifyou want

D 649 66D

to try this

and make sure all you see are 00s (pairs of

new F9

key, while in

DEBUG,

type

E 6B8 05 0B 44 50 12 IB 2A
The problem with this trick, as Mr.
”
Wright points out, is that the R " reenter

WordStar's “go-toend-of-line”

key-

a file and then hit F9 to print it.
a string of files, 7?
will subsequently dredge up the name of
the previous file printed. Still, if you work
on one file at a time, it's awfully handy.
Another useful group of function key
settings was proposed by Douglas E. Roberts of Columbus, Ohio, who attempted to
duplicate WordStar 2000’s commands for
deleting by sentence and by paragraph.
Both tricks worked by using three function
keys in quick succession. The first key
marked the beginning of a block with a
conventional 'KB. The second key hunted
down either a period ( which ends most

something
other than 00s, hit Q immediately and quit.

sentences) or the beginning of the next
paragraph. The third key marked the end

The instructions below will put four new
function keys in this area, obliterating
whatever was there.

of the block ( with a ’KK) and then deleted
the block with a ' KY
Mr. Roberts's trick for locating paragraphs was unduly complicated. He customized a function key to send "P P the
undocumented toggle for proportional
spacing—followed by 7, the tab character, and used this key to begin every para-

there’s a little-known

command that lets you
instantly to the

of any

end

line.

zeros). This is the

space WordStar pro-

vides for nine redundant entries in

board dispatch

table. Ifyou see

If all you see are 00s,
tion key

its

expand the func-

Ward and Mel point

out, if you’re us-

ing WordStar Version 3.24, type

4A

E

Ctrl-End

Ctrl-PgUp
Ctrl-PgDn

at

.

top of file

these, after

start of each

new

hard
speed

freer Access professional

disk

menu

system

will

J the way to your software.
cnoose from a menu that you define.
One keystroke will take you where
you want to go
via the Direct
.

.

.

Access express route.
Access menu system Is
resident and, once Inyou define your menus In any
way you choose, you can move
aulckly from word processing to a
.

non-memory
stalled.

data base, to a spreadsheet or to
any program on the hard disk.
,

'

features Include

usage tracking, wnich will track all
use of the computer and print out
detailed or summarized reports.
Custom Applications allow you to
execute up to 20 lines of commands
with a single key stroke. Password
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r and power are essential,
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wasn’t realty necessary.

= end of file
= begin block
= end block

To implement

change

if you're editing

paragraph then meant using "QF to track
down each P P ~I. This cluttered the left
margin with extraneous ~P characters and

instead.)

=

edit

But

graph Locating the

2427

Mr. Wright's four new keys are
Ctrl-Home

you

—

area by typing

E 2431 4A
(As

To Your
Software

shortcut he uses will workfine thefirst time

command is

grossly misnamed. But

move

Route

Since users have different editing
single spacing, double spacing,

styles

—

indents of various lengths, or no indents at

making the

2431 (or 2427 for Version

all—there's no universal way to hunt down
paragraphs. The method used by most
writers we've

3.24), type

PC

bumped into

MAGAZINE
255

is

single spac-

MAY2

7.

1986

DELTA TECHNOLOGY
1708 westgate Road • Suite A
Eau Claire. Wisconsin 54703

CIRCLE

256

ON READER SERVICE CARD

PRODUCTIVITY

POWER USER

you can prowl through text deleting whole
paragraphs at a time just by answering the
FIND? query with 'N'Nxxxxx ( where
each v represents a tap of the space bar)
and then hitting 'KB 'L KK 'KY, since
the "L repeats the last search you speci-

ing text but adding an extra carriage return between paragraphs. This

is

especial-

ly useful if 'JH (help) is permanently set to
0 and the top margin ruler and bottom help
line are turned off, giving you a full 24
lines for text. To do this, type

DEBUG
E 360
E 38B
E 248

end of the block and then delete it in
one keystroke, but it's probably better to
have them separate for occasions when
you want to mark blocks but not delete
the

Mr. Roberts properly points out

time.

you can isolate sentences by hunting
for the period at the end, with 'QF. ’M"
in response to FIND? The problem with

them. Again, this

M

Q

E 2431

’

An easy way to hunt for and delete sentences

is

to

add four extra function keys on

use single-spaced text with double

This will

indents.

=
=
=

begin block

—

delete block

In this example,

hunt for period

82
85
82
85

8B 42 2A
11 46 2E
8B 4B 2A
0B 19 02

2A 2A 2A
8D 8A 2A
2A 2A 2A
11 50 2A

we added ~B ~QP to the fi-

nal 'KY block delete to clean up the dele-

end block

The 'B ‘ QP reformats the paragraph
and then returns the cursor to its previous
position. This "B 'QP is handy all by itself.
tion.

you hold down the Ctrl key

let

88
88
88
88

Q

Ctrl-PgUp
Ctrl-right arrow
Ctrl-PgDn
Ctrl-left arrow

not all users adhere to this style. However,

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MAY2

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7.

1986

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one-year

(12 issues) single copy price of
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Exp. Dote

.

Please ollow

PC

if

W

the cursor pad:

indent your paragraphs a standard five

spaces, you might want to hit the space bar

for Version 3.3x;

line.

4A

E 6 4 A 84
E 653 74
E 65C 76
E 665 73

periods.

five times after this string.) Unfortunately,

and five-space

for 243 / in the first

don t always end with

this is that sentences

With such single-spaced text separated
by a pair of carriage returns, you can find

paragraphs simply by answering the
FIND? request of QF with ~N'N. (If you

is

you’ re using Version 3.24, substitute 2427

that

19

carriage returns

to

A better trick is in deleting a sentence at
a

0

arrow key to delete them. It’s possible
combine the last two commands to mark

left

fied.

WS.COM
0

W

if you

and scan across the right column of the
cursor pad to mark sentences, then hit the

first issue

PRODUCTIVITY

POWER USER

LONG JUMPS

Note

when

that

editing at the

Once you move beyond

WordStar's “go-to-end-of-line" command (Ctrl-QD) is grossly misnamed.
the right edge of

text,

the screen, the cursor creeps forward in pa-

the cursor down a line.

thetic little

file,

20-column hops. This is very
when you're working

columns

files that

may

500

command

that

ple to

you move

lines after the last line

in

a very wide page,

between.

end of any
line, regardless of length. If your cursor is
at the beginning of a line, type Ctrl-XA.
This takes you down one line, then backward to the end of the line you started
from. Even if your cursor is at the middle
instantly to the

rather than the beginning of a line,

of

move

it's

move between columns,

quickly over the mass of data that

in length.

There’s a little-known
lets

end of a

the Enter key or Ctrl-N to

move from

Then
This
text

key places, such as

set several tabs at

halfway across and
lets

at the right

margin.

you tab across great masses of
faster than using word-right

much

(Ctrl-A) or end-of-line (Ctrl-QD).

it’s fast-

hop slowdo

Enter key after each

line.

SHARE YOUR POWER
Tell the world about your latest technical
tips for hardware and software applicaPower User, and we’ll pay
you $50 for your trouble p/ux an extra $25
if you submit it on a disk. If you do send a
disk, please include a printout of your sub-

tions through

mission to ensure against

squeezes the sequence of four keystrokes

Ctrl-QS Ctrl-XA is indeed far superior to
Ctrl-QD. To customize your function keys

into just one.

so that

to

Q

,

with a series of Ctrl-QDs.

Programming a function key

W

hitting the

your data without shoving text forward.

Atherton, California

to

DEBUG WS.COM
E 6A6 02 11 53 2A 2A 2A 2A
E 6AF 04 11 53 18 01 2A 2A

set

Ctrl-QS and

Ctrl-XA than

it

lies in

tab to tab through

George R. Beinhom

hit

put

sim-

er to return to the beginning of the line with

ly rightward

make a copy
on the same disk as

the right edge,

flying

When doing columnar work,

Insert off to

and F8 to
WS.COM,

text

of

DEBUG.COM, go into DOS, and type the
following:

you’re using WordStar to type co-

lumnar data

stretch past

hit

some blank

or else Ctrl-X won’t be able to

If

slow, especially
with data

you must

insert

this

F7 takes you to the left edge ofyour

sit.

damage in tranto Power User,

Mail your contributions

PC Magazine, One Park Ave., New York,

NY

10016,

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PC

MAGAZINE
257

MAY2

7.

1986

US currency only.

A $1495 PC/AT?
Is

This a Joke?

A Hoax?
A*1Hck?

A Put-On?
A Spoof?
A Flimflam?
No, it’s an A*5tar™! And, unlike most of its would be competitors, it’s none of the
above. What it is will astonish you! At $1495*, A*Star is by far the lowest priced PC/AT
compatible on the market. But, it’s not just another clone, it’s better!

30% faster than most AT’s, has twice the memory and eight available
expansion slots; theirs has only seven. Plus, A*Star is so “compatible” it’s
backed by an exclusive money back guarantee. Better yet, A*Star is the
only “network ready” AT you can buy.. .at any price.

A*Star™ runs

But that’s not all. A*Star™ is also the only PC/AT compatible made in America by an
American Stock Exchange manufacturer. And that’s real peace of mind when you
consider the unknown origin and quality of many of the cheap, import imitations.

A^Star™

It’s

3243 Sunset Boulevard

•Second

unit price. Call

us

about time! And. ..it’s from Wells American.

•

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for first unit pricing

and guarantee

details. You’ll

CIRCLE

515

be amazed!

ON READER SERVICE CARD

• (803)

796-7800

TWX 510-601-2645

PRODUCTIVITY
EDITED BY PAUL SOMERSON

USER-TO-USER
PC Magazine’s readers share theirfavorite tricksfor getting the most horsepower out of
DOS, BASIC, and their systems in general.
SCREEN GRABBER

programs (and programs

sometimes want to capture screen images
and save them to disk while a program is
running, so I wrote a short, memory-resident assembly language program called
CAMERA.COM that you can create by
typing in the CAMERA. BAS program in

9)

1

100
110
120
140
150
160
170
180
190
200
220
230
240
250
260
270
280
290
310
320
330
340
350
360
370
380
390
400
410
420
430
440
450
460

I .

graphics screen to disk by simply pressing
the Ctrl, Alt, and RightShift keys simulta-

The

neously.

first

time the program

is in-

"A” on
one of the following extensions, depending upon the
mode under which the screen was saved:
voked,

it

will create a file

named

the logged disk drive with

.40T— 40-column text
.

.

80T — 80-column text
MRG — medium-resolution
graphics
— high-resolution
graphics

.HRG

The next images will be saved using the
"B,” “C,” and so on (with the

filenames

appropriate extensions).

age

file,

simply

To view any imscreen mode

set the correct

in BASIC and BLOAD the file. For assembly language programmers who wish

BLOAD header, deDEBUG hex addresses

to save files without a
lete the lines at

107-10Dand 17B-188.
program for use only with
modes supported by the color/graphics
adapter. For the sake of simplicity, it saves
only the first page when dealing with text
screens (although the program can easily
be changed to save all the pages in one
file). Finally, certain memory-resident
I

wrote

this

PC

not

work with

that

use Interrupt

Figure

1

:

We’ve seen many screen capture prothis one is compact and unoband its sophisticated detection
and marking of screen modes sets it above

this utility.

grams, but

Cheng
Wayne, New Jersey

trusive

Phillip

Once CAMERA.COM is loaded
memory, you can save any text or

Figure
into

may

—

Program for creating CAMERA. CON
PRINT "Checking DATA statements; please wait..."
FOR B=1 TO 13: FOR C=1 TO 17
READ A$:IF C<17 THEN 160
Z#-Z»+VAL(A$)
NEXT: NEXT
IF Z #**16249 THEN RESTORE GOTO 200
PRINT "ERROR
WRONG NUMBER OF DATA STATEMENTS,
PRINT "OR IN BIG NUMBER AT THE END OF ONE LINE. " :END
FOR B=1 TO 13: FOR C**l TO 16
READ A$:TTL=TTL+VAL("&H"+A$)
NEXT
READ S:IF S=TTL THEN 270
PRINT "DATA ERROR IN LINE" ;B*10+330
PRINT "CHECK FIGURES AND REDO" :END
: NEXT: RESTORE
OPEN "CAMERA.COM" AS #1 LEN=1 : FIELD #1,1 AS D$
FOR B-l TO 13: FOR 0*1 TO 16
READ A$ : LSET D$=CHR$ (VAL( "IH"+A$) )
PUT #1 : NEXT: READ DUMMY $ NEXT CLOSE
PRINT "CAMERA. OOM CREATED"
DATA E9,A0,00,00,00,00,00,FD,00,B8,00,00,00,00,40,2E,940
DATA 00, 00, 00, 00, 01, 34, 30, 54, D0, 07, 03, 38, 30, 54 ,A0,0P, 766
DATA 05, 4D, 52, 47, 00, 40, 06, 48, 52, 47, 00, 40,1E, 06, 50, 53, 793
DATA 51 ,52,56 ,57,9C,2E,FF,1E,03,01 ,B8,40 ,00 ,8E,D8,A0 ,1593
DATA 17 ,00 ,24,0D,3C,0D,75,52 ,B4 ,0F,CD,10,3C,06 ,77 ,4 A, 1019
DATA 0E,1F,0E,07,B£,14,01,3A,04,76,05,83,C6,06,EB,F7,1279
DATA 46,BF,10,01,FC,B9,03,00,F3,A4,FE,06,0E,01,BA,0E,1600
DATA 01,B1,20,B4,3C,CD,21,72,21,8B,D8,B1,07,8B,04,A3,1680
DATA 0C,01 ,BA,07 ,01 ,B4 ,40 ,CD,21 ,8B,0C,B8,00 ,B8,8E,D8,1566
DATA 33,D2,B4 ,40,CD,21 ,B4 ,3E,CD,21 ,5F,5E,5A,59,5B,58,1770
DATA 07,1F,CF,33,C0,8E,D8,FA,A1,24,00,2E,A3,03,01,A1,1667
DATA 26,00,2E,A3,05,01,C7,06,24,00,2C,01,8C,0E,26,00,731
DATA FB, BA, A3, 01, CD, 27, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 845
'

—

:

:

:

CAMERA.BAS program to create the memory-resident CAMERA.COM utility for

capturing screens in any

mode on color/graphics adapters. Once you run CAMERA .COM, save
command to display the images, or

screens by hitting Ctri-All-RightShift. Use BASIC's BLOAD
the

CAMLOAD. BAS slideshow program in Figure 2. CAMERA.COM won’t work if certain

programs like SideKick are already loaded in memory.

MAGAZINE
259

MAY2

7.

1986

PRODUCTIVITY

fmaxelCA

USER-TO-USER

DISKETTES

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SS/DD MF1-DD $25.50
DS/DD MF2-DD $41.75
5%" DS/DD MD2-D $22.50
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3'/*"

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PRINTER RIBBONS
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IMAGEWRITER

APPLE

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$5.87
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5152 PC

—

CAMLOAD. BAS
by PC Magazine
Works with P. Cheng's CAMERA.COM.
Must run this from CAM. BAT batchfile
on disk that contains three lines:
DIR ?.* > CAMERA. FIL
BASICA CAMLOAD
DEL CAMERA. FIL
OLDTIME $=TIME$
INPOT "Seconds per slide: ",S
IF S<1 OR S>59 THEN BEEP:GOTO 180
DIM A$(26) ,S(26) :K=1
OPEN "camera. fil" FOR INPUT AS #1
IF EOF (1) THEN CLOSE :GCT0 310
T=0 :INPUT #1,B$:M$=MID$(B$,10,3)
IF M$="40T" THEN T=1
IF M$="80T" THEN T=2
IF M$="MRG" THEN T=3
IF M$="HRG" THEN T=4
IF T=0 THEN 220
A$(K)=LEFT$(B$,l)+"."+M$
S(K)=T:K=K+1:GOTO 220
FOR A=1 TO K-l
ON S(A) GCTO 330,340,350,360
SCREEN 0:WIDTH 40:GOTO 370
SCREEN 0 :WIDTH 80:GOTO 370
SCREEN 1:G0T0 370
SCREEN 2
BLOAD A$ (A)
TIME$="0"
WHILE VAL( RIGHTS (TIMES, 2) <S :WEND
NEXT :TIME$=OLDTIME $: SYSTEM
'

'
1

1

'

'

'

)

CAMLOAD. BAS slideshow program. First, run the CAMFRA.COM program treated
by CAMERA. BAS in Figure I Use CAMERA.COM to stive several screens in a variety of modes
Figure 2:

.

I

sample programs

modes are shown in Figure 3). CAMLOAD
modesfor the amount of time you specify.

in all four

screens in the proper

SOFTWARE SPECIAL

WORD PERFECT 4.1
APPLE lie and lie, IBM PC
SATELLITE SOFTWARE

IBM,

State-of-the-art
utilizes the full

Word

100
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Jr.

for word processing that
power of Your personal computer

program

Perfect not only promises, hut delivers,

everything you hoped for in a good word processor
Its use of function keys allows you to create,
edit and print almost effortlessly The text on vour

screen looks like the printed document

page length and spacing can he changed
Special features include
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at

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OPEN ACCOUNTS WELCOME
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PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Hg

—

by PS
40TEXT.BAS
KEY OFF SCREEN 0 WIDTH 40:K=1
COLOR 1,0,0: CLS LOCATE ,0
S$=CHRS(206)
A$ (1 =CHR$ (201 +SS+SS+CHRS (187)
A$(2)=S$+CHR$(188)+CHR$(200)+S$
A$ (3) =SS+CHR$ (187) +CHRS (201)+S$
A$ (4) =CHR$ (200) +S$+S$+CHR$ (188)
FOR A=1 TO 21 STEP 4
FOR B=1 TO 36 STEP 4
FOR C=1 TO 4
LOCATE C+A-l,B+2: PRINT A$(C);
NEXT: COLOR K MOD 6+l:K=K+l
NEXT: NEXT: LOCATE 1
'

:

)

,

)

H&S ELECTRONICS

—

by PS
80TEXT BAS
100
110 KEY OFF: SCREEN 0 : WIDTH 80
120 COLOR 1,0,0: CLS : LOCATE ,,0
130 AS=CHRS (176) :BS=CHR$(177)

205 SOUTH SECOND STREET
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19147
DIRECT TOLL-FREE NUMBER:
ORDERS ONLY
(

:

:

'

1

will then display all the

.

(Figure 3 continues)

800 448-3472
)

QUESTIONS
(215)467-4689
,(215) 627-7271

.

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Figure 3: Sample programs for color/ graphics adapters
medium- and high-resolution graphics.

PC

MAGAZINE
260

MAY

2 7,

1

9 8 6

in

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80-Column

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SR-15 (200cpt) 15* Carriage

Smanmodem 2*008 (Internal)
Smart modem 300 (External)
Smanmodem 1200 (External)
Smanmodem 2400 (Exlemal)

99 00 ^

Drive

MECA

Entertainment

NLO Mode
NLQ Mode
NLQ Mode

Automation
Signalman Express 1200
Signalman Lightning 2400
Hayes
12006
Hardware Only (Internal)
-. -3 H
1200Q w/Softwa-8 (internal)

Nashua DSIOO (10)
Verbatim DS/DO (10)
3M DS/DD HO)

MB

Bernoulli

M Ultimate

135 00
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385.00
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1

95 00

Crosstalk Mark
Transporter VI

I

ND-04D 380KB Half Height PC/XT 89 00
ND-040E-G 380KB Halt Height AT 94 00
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Iomega New Halt Height Mortals'

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Symphony

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Silver Reed
EXP-400P (14c ps) Daisywheel
EXP-500P (18cps) Daisywheel
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Maxell DS/OD (10)
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122 12- TTL-Amber
RGB 620 Color 640x200 res
RGB 630 Color 640x400 res

Maestro Multifunction 128K-AT
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Captain Multifunction w/64K
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call

t

PRODUCTIVITY
USER-TO-USER

the rest.

140
150
160
170
180
190

C$=CHR$ (178) :D$=CHR$ (219)
FOR A=1 TO 23
COLOR A MOD 6+1 A MOD 5+2
FOR B=1 TO 10
PRINT A$+B$+C$+D$+C$+B$+A$+A$;
NEXT: NEXT: LOCATE 1

100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180

'
MEDRES BAS
by PS
KEY OFF: SCREEN 1: COLOR 1,0:CLS
FOR E=1 TO 75
A=RND*3 0 0+7 : B=RND*1 3 0+1 2 : C=RND*5+5
FOR F=1 TO C STEP 2
LINE (A,199)-(A,B)
CIRCLE (A,B),F,(F MOD 3)+l
CIRCLE (A+1,B-1) ,F, (F MOD 3)+l
NEXT: NEXT

100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180

by PS
HIRES. BAS
KEY OFF: SCREEN 2:CLS
FOR A=200 TO 1 STEP -2
LINE (0, A) -(639, A) NEXT
FOR E=1 TO 150
A=RND*600+1 B=RND*180+1 C=RND*20+5
LINE (A,B)-(A+C,B+C) ,0,BF
LINE (A+4,B+1)-(A+C+4,B+C+1) ,BF
NEXT

combine

different

the CAMERA.COM program. Type in the
sample programs in Figure 3, or write
your own in each of the four modes it can
handle. Capture screens in different
modes by hitting Ctrl-Alt-RightShift when
you see ones you like. Then get back into

DOS

and create a batchfile called
.BAT that consists of the three lines

CAM

DIR ?.* > CAMERA. FIL
BASICA CAMLOAD
DEL CAMERA. FIL

—

’

easily

BASIC program like the CAMLOAD. BAS
version we wrote in Figure 2. First, run

—

.

You can

screen modes in one slideshow by using a

,

CAM. BAT creates a file

called

CAMERA

:

:

.FIL consisting of the names of the screens

CAMERA.COM, and then
CAMLOAD. CAMLOAD asks how

captured by

:

runs

,

(Figure

PC GUARANTEES

long to view each slide, sets the proper
mode, and B LOADS the screens.

J ends

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—

"

)

PRODUCTIVITY
USER-TO-USER

PRTSC FEEDING

and press the form-feed button. But with

The major problem

PRTSCRFF the

in doing a series of
prim screens is that every time one finishes
you normally have to take the printer off-

sembly-language

PRTSCRFF.COM

program called
to do it. The

PRTSCRFF.BAS program in Figure 4
will create
Run PRTSCRFF.COM once
it.

when you boot your computer, and all subsequent Shift-PrtScs will be followed automatically by a form feed.

simply calls the original

print-screen routine (Interrupt

and follows

it

05H)

up by sending a form feed

the printer. This

to

especially useful for the

is

lines

deep and printed pages a little more
if you don't have too many
sometimes handy to run off two

than twice that,

automatically

to print it's

screens per page.

SCAN CODE SHORTCUT

.

to force

PRTSCRFF

is

Gary Khachadoorian
Weston, Connecticut

form-feed button, then put the

line, hit the

I wanted to find a way
a form feed after a print screen,
and wrote a 77-byte memory-resident as-

printer back on-line

BIOS

page

printed and fed through the system.

Ifyou

have

to grind out screen

dumps,

Most programmers

this

beats having to go off-line and then on-line
repeatedly.

trap extended key

combinations such as PgUp, Shift-FI

However, since screens are 25

Ins,

.

or Ctrl-PrtSc with routines like

—

PRTSCRFF.BAS
by Gary Khachadoorian
OPEN " PRTSCRFF COM " AS #1 LEN=1 : FIELD #1,1 AS D$
FOR A=1 TO 77 :READ A$ LSET D$=CHR$(VAL("&H"+A$)
POT *1: NEXT: CLOSE: PRINT "PRTSCRFF.COM CREATED" END
DATA EB,21,90,00,00,00,00,FB,1E,52,53,50,8C,CB,8E,DB
DATA 9C,2E,FF,1E,03,01,BA,00,00,B8,0C,00,CD,17,58,5B
DATA 5A,1F,CF,8C,CB,8E,DB,B0,05,B4,35,CD,21,2E,89,1E
DATA 03,01,2E,8C,06,05,01,8C,CB,8E,DB,BA,07,01,B0,05
DATA B4,25,CD,21,8C,CB,8E,DB,BA,23,01,CD,27
1

100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180

.

:

:

Hewlett-Packard Laseijet printer. The Laseijet's standard print screen is held in a

buffer until you take the printer off-line

Figure 4: PRTSCRFF. BAS program to create PRTSCRFF.COM utility. Run PRTSCRFF.COM
on bootup, and all subsequent Shift-PrtScs will automatically be followed by a form feed.

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PRODUCTIVITY
USER-TO-USER

The Buffer That Upgrades Your Printer*
To Letter Quality
IS-INKEVS
IP I$=” THEN 100
IP LEN(I$) <2 THEN 100
IP A£C(MID$(I$,2) —82 THEN ...

100
110
120
130

)

I’ve discovered a simpler solution that
relies

on

the

MKIS

function to convert an

integer into a 2-byte string.

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5

^

or write

•

CEL

•

0<

call

1

we can

simplify the expression and can

pick out what

is

going on

much

faster.

When INKEYS returns a two-character
(“extended”) code, the

first is always a
null,orCHR$(0). In the &H5200 example
above, the 00 at the end represents

&H52 is the hexadeci-

mal representation of 82 (the Ins key).

To use this technique,

look up the deci-

mal value of the key or key combination in
the BASIC manual chart, convert it to hex.

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1

100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180
190
200

CIRCLE 370 ON READER SERVICE CARD

—

SCANNER. BAS
by PC Magazine
>
PRINT "Hit cursor pad keys
PRINT "Or hit Esc to quit"
FOR A=1 TO 10 :READ A$:B$(A)-A$:NEXT
I$=INKEY$: IF 1$="" THEN 140
IF I$-CHR${27) THEN END
IF LEN(I$) <2 THEN BEEP: GOTO 140
S=INSTR("GHIKR>10PQS", RIGHTS! I $,1)
PRINT B$(S) ; " key" :GOTO 140
DATA Home, CsrUp, PgUp, CsrLeft, Ins
DATA CsrRight, End, CsrDown, PgDn, Del
’

—

Figure 5: SCANNER. BAS program that
illustrates a technique for trapping keys with

extended codes (such as Home, End. Ins,

precede

it

with a

etc.).

"&H", and follow with
BASIC code
it

a pair of zeros. This results in

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This trick saves typing, but

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do a single checkfor the initial null and use
a long INSTR string to identify all the keys
quickly. As an example, try the SCAN-

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DOS interface. Then make them

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ON READER SERVICE CARD

PC

MAGAZINE
264

MAY2

7,

1986

GH

PRODUCTIVITY
EDITED BY CHARLES PETZOLD

PC TUTOR
The PC Tutor answers your questions on everything from programming and operating
systems to hardware

and applications software.

.EXE TO .COM CONVERSION
I’ve written a

SIC

that

I

mat

number of programs

have compiled with the

in

BA-

BASIC

when I attempt to use EXEconvert the .EXE files to .COM

compiler. But

2BIN

to

programs,

I

get the

message "File cannot

is

an endangered species. The mix of
in the same segment and the

code and data

calculation of the segment addresses outtwo of the major

blocks that limit

PC programs to

byte of addressable

memory and

I

mega-

them from running under the PC AT 80286
protected mode. If a future version of PCDOS supports the 80286 protected mode,

Would you

ble solutions.

Tom Liss

it

Lisle, Illinois

Simply put, compiled BASIC programs in

.EXE format cannot be converted

.COM format.

This

is

to

a

not really a prob-

lem, however, since the

.EXE format files

are directly executable by

DOS

without

conversion.

Only .EXE files that have been specialprepared (generally in assembly language) can successfully be turned into
.COMfiles. These programs must not contain a stack segment, they must have no
ly

references to relocatable segments,

will probably not support the

.COM file

format at the same time.

AUTOMATING A DOS 3.1 UPGRADE
We recently installed DOS 3. on our PC
ATs but had to return to DOS 3 .0 because
of a change in the way the ECHO command works. We have a great many batch
files that turn ECHO off and then use the
ECHO command to display instructions
1

on

the screen.

We’ve been

using

ECHO,

followed by two spaces, to create blank
lines, but

DOS

3.1 gives us an

off” message on these

"Echo

lines.

and

they must begin execution at offset lOOh in

an executable .EXEfile must
have a stack segment and generally uses
and data segments, the two
formats are essentially incompatible.
The COM format has afew advantages
over the .EXE format, notably a smaller

PC

is

Don't let a little thing like this prevent you
from upgrading to DOS 3.1 Converting
your batch files is an easy job using the
search-and-replace function found in
many text editors and word processors. Indeed, the conversion is an excellent illustration of a job you can handle rather elegantly using only normal DOS programs
andfacilities.
The secret of getting ECHO to print a
blank line is to use the ASCII code 255 instead of a blank. ASCII 255 shows up as a
blank on the PC screen, but to DOS, it's a
nonblank, so you won't get the unwanted
'Echo is off message. You can create an
ASCII 255 at your keyboard by pressing
the Alt key, typing 255 on the number pad
( right side of the keyboard), and only then
.

’

'

’

releasing the Alt key.

Some text editors and word processors
can handle ASCII 255 and some can’t, but

the file. Since

If

a future version of

I’d like to illustrate the job by using

separate code

size and slightly easier assembly language
programming for small programs. However, .COM files are limited to about
65,000 bytes. (The .COM format was
adapted from the CPIM operating system,
which had only a 64 K address space.)
So, don't be too eager to convert your
programs to .COM files. The .COM for-

1 .

Cynthia R. Collins
West Hartford, Connecticut

prevent

explain the

conversion process and suggest any possi-

be converted.”

We’d really like to upgrade to 3. but
we can’t unless we overcome this obstacle.
Can you help?

side the code segment are

PC-DOS

a line editor. I had to use a line
editor on a mainframe terminal for years,
and once I began usingfull-screen editors,
cause

80286 protected mode,
will

it

probably not support

/

it's

got really spoiled and

back. But

the

.COM file format at
same

time.

vowed I'd never go

EDUN is tiny andfast, and ideal

for doing fix-up jobs on

64 K

the

ED-

UN. Fora long time, I ignored EDUN be-

supports the

in length. (It’s

text files less

than

somewhat clumsy for

largerfiles.)
Ifyou edit the batch files in

EDUN, you

can do a search and replace to fix up the

MAGAZINE
265

MAY’

7.

1986

,

.

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PC-XT
256K RAM

or

6 66 MHZ)

MONOCHROME/

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12" TTL

$099.00

$496.00

$595.00

-

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•

Her-

1

50+

1-49

XT 3I0K FLOPPY

XT10NEI INTERNAL

V,

NEIIMT

MEI INTERNAL

Vi

NEIIMT

$40.00

$80.00

$495 00

$466.00

$479.00

$426.00

$141.00

$129.00

AT SO MEI INTERNAL 40 MSEC

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HER INTERNAL 40 MSEC

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AT SO

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M0N0/IRAPMIC/PRN

(Here comp)

10-99

100+

$74.70

$80.00

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$52.90

$48.00

My

search and replace

case-sensitive, you'll
it

for lowercase

'

$80.00

$400.70

$414.00

$14.70

$14.00

text editors),

$24.00

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tion ofstandard input.

small file (with

LA

NAII0I

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10-49

50+

let's

SAMPLE

(unlike

EDLIN, of course)

RECHO
REcho
l.Reoho
,

<F6>ECH0
<F6>Echo
<F6>echo

$09.00

$05.00

$80.00

$275.00

$2)5.00

E

$400.00

$459.94

$4)5.00

Don’t type these

.11

ADD ON DOARDS

-

lines

will themselves

ities

,

{255}

If you have batch files in

as commands

MHZ
MHZ

$99.00

$95.00

$109.00

$185.00

be using below. Note that I've included three different search-and-replace

$60.70

$58.00

strings for the three possible

$45.80

$42.00

probably appears

(Hayes comp) $115.00

$105.00

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$57.00

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we'll

it has the IB flag.)
to change a particular batch file,
have to do is enter the command

Now

DOS

266

M A

Y

2 7.

the

make sure to set

PATH command so that DOS can
CHGALL and CHGBAT from differCHGBAT

’

DIFFERENT BASICs
Recently, I’ve been trying out

niques

will get all the keystrokes from

MAGAZINE

over

.BAT to include the specific directory
where REPLACE may be found.
After you execute that one command,
you can sit back and watch the magic, or
you can go to lunch. When you come back,
you II be readyfor DOS 3.1

EDLIN batfile.BAT <REPLACE
and

CHGALL

ent subdirectories. Also modify

EDUN will stop reading thefile at thefirst
all you

ON READER SERVICE CARD

Ifyou decide to do this,

your batch files. The

your

Ctrl-Z unless

to run

on the hard disk with

command:

SWEEP CHGALL

ECHO

find

ACS IMPORTERS

Programming/ Utilities column, Vol-

ume 4 Number 23)

and save.
(If you ever have to edit REPLACE after you create it. use the IB option with EDUN. Since F6 is the same as a Ctrl-Z,
which normally means "End of File,"

5311 OERRY AVE.UN1T A
AGOURA HILLS, CA 91301
HOURS 9 AM -6 PM PST
(till M9-1092

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in

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a lot of differon your hard disk, you

my SWEEP program {PC Maga-

all subdirectories

following

E command at the end tells EDUN to end

TELEX: 299353 POST UR

CIRCLE

zine,

,

as data into the file. These are keystrokes

$73.00

4.77/0.01

could use

in

100+

100 UNIT ORDERS

be edited by EDUN during

Neither of these two peculiarcaused any problems when I was experimenting under DOS 3.1 however.
this process.

10-99

•

CHGALL.BAT and CHGBAT.BAT

that

EDLIN. Instead, go into EDUN's Insert
mode ( with the! command) and type them

PARTIAL LIST

version. Thus, the

CHGALL.BAT comes

in

across the file again. You’ll also notice

{255}

$70.00

AS SWITCH RRX

FOR command

{255}

PC-XT-04M MOTHER BOARD 1 SLOT

PMT-R4RK TURBO

new

entry to save the

called

ent subdirectories

SM

TRANS-NET (LAN)CARO

some batch files will get edited
The reason is that EDUN renames
an exIt creates a new directory

tension .BAK.

REPLACE that looks like this:
1

that

the old version of an edited file with

most word processors and
can be used with redirecBegin by creating a

SSII.OO

i

is

twice.

it

MONO

M

B0T 7S0

EDUN and uses REPLACE

interesting side-effect you' II en-

counter when you go through this process

if

DOS

COLOR ROB

) 14

MM

commands

‘

your batch files.

EDLIN gets keyboard input through

SI 00T 140 i SOU
MI-7 14” COLOR RIB

MO

in

take this one step further.

Since

1

MONITORS
Cl-001 12” TTL

you' ve also used these

Now

An

is

probably have to do

‘echo’

$05.00

SMe.oe/WTlT+11%

batch file into
place.

EDUN's

$22.00

ACS IMPORT FEE

you run CHGALL.BAT, it
every

CHGBAT.BAT for

for the keystrokes to do the search and re-

Since

$42.00

TOTAL LANIER CIST.

Now when

batch file on the disk (or subdirectory).
Each time CHGBAT runs, it loads another

lease the Alt key. This, incidentally, will

$20.00

HMutn

IN t-.BAT) DO COMMAND /C CHGBAT ItX

appear as a blank on your display.

$25.40

SUBTOTAL BASIC PC NO DRIVES

MX

will execute

means instead: Press the Alt
type 255 on the number pad, then re-

$11.10

AIR FREIIMT

FOR

notation

$2)00

OCEAN FREIIMT

file

called CHGALL.BAT that looks like this:

appear on the display as a ‘Z.
Then type the new string: ECHO followed
by a blankfollowed by the ASCII code 255
Do not type the curly brackets around 255.

RAM

BUTT

this:

EDLIN %1 <REPLACE
Then create another one-line batch

< and > brack-

F6 key (do not type the

KEYBOARD

IS” TTL HI0N RES MONITOR

looks like

ets). It will

FLOPPY OISK CONTROLLER
KITS 2BSK

—

Not bad, but I'm not done yet let’s go
a step further. Start by creating a one-line
batch file (called CHGBAT.BAT) that

’

‘

key,
INDIVIDUAL PART PRICING FOR TAINAN
PC-XT-S6IK S SLOTS (super XT BIOS)
195MF

you.

The first number means ‘start at line
I
The missing second number after the
comma means to end at the last line in
memory. Next is R for ‘replace, followed immediately by the old string (ECHO
and two blanks). After the old string, press
the

DRIVES

Ml

REPLA CE to do the search and replacefor

ED-

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in

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that

some

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Some of them (for instance,
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MS-DOS.

not sell DOS to the general public ( instead
licenses

it

DOS
PC-DOS BASIC

The

Yes.

the IBM

included with their compati-

On a related topic, I' ve received a number of questions about where to buy DOS
from readers who are building their own
PC-compatibles from kits. Microsoft does

Forestville, California

it

to

companies making MS-

computers), but

PC-DOS

able at any IBM Product Center

interpreter for

PC and the MS-DOS BASIC inter-

avail-

is

structurally they are quite different. In

Inte

'

Citizen

of people might be using the

lots

out disk drives

and

storing

I

Ponosonic 1080
Panasonic 1091
Panasonic 1092

Sweet P 600

20VB

stall" printer, so
lation

Teoc 55B
OotoShleld XT

PC AT,

however,

versions of BASIC
tines in the

the

Microsoft

Word

Perfect 4

....

1

w/

Plot

Turbo Lightning
Microsoft Proiect 2

Timeline 2
True Basic
Microsoft

C Compiler

Microsoft Fortran

preters are sometimes referred to as
'

tensions’

With microjustification, the word pro-

'ex-

of ROM BASIC. This makes the
it

limits their use to the

cessor inserts slivers of space between the
letters so that the right margin lines up.

IBM

PC. IBM-compatible machines cannot
clude the

cause

called

in-

IBM ROM version of BASIC be-

GWBASIC

but

also include

named BASIC and BASICA, which

files

are identical copies of the

GWBASIC

in-

PC, BASIC and BASICA are different. ) The GW' of GWBASIC is either the reversed initials of
Microsoft Chairman William Gales (better
known as Bill Gates), or it stands for 'Gee
terpreter.

(On

the

'

'

'

’

Whiz.

/ prefer the latter theory.

Since
bles,

PC-DOS runs on many compati-

many IBM-compatible users have
PC-DOS. The only real probthat the PC-DOS BASIC interpret-

switched to

lem

is

2 a inch.

tor

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Proportional spacing

267

is

'

different from

MAY2

7.

19

219
229
209

in* A* Villon

57
239

119

89

62
219
279

Proof

Fontrlx

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Microsoft Chart 2

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Many 24-pin dot matrix printers

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can do this. In the WordStar installation
program, you have to specify a custom installation for a 'specialty printer.
Have
your printer manual nearby you' II be
digging out control sequences and telling
WordStar about them.
Although I once installed WordStar to
microjustify on a Toshiba 1351, I wasn't
entirely happy with the results. Since I also
set up other print functions to do doublewidth print. WordStar didn’t know it was
doing double-width and lost track of where
it was printing on the page. / personally
found it more difficult to read than ragged-

ers won't work, so they have to use the
I*

M

'/

zontally spacing in increments of
'/,

may

Call

WordStar can be installed to do microjustification on any printer capable of hori-

it is proprietary.

Versions of MS-DOS for compatibles
generally come with a version of BASIC

Mocro ASS em Bier
Quick Basic

BASIC.COM and BASICA.COM files
shorter, but

CALL

309
269
209
3B9
249

155

.

Word

Fteelonce

related.

'

4 MONITORS

CALL Smart

cnartmaeter

me

are not the same thing, although they are

inter-

109

—
369

369 Mump an 2.0
209 Mosaic Twin

Volks writer 3

Energrophics

In fact,

ft

II

Supercaic 3

instal-

Los Angeles, California

and BASICA use rou-

ROM BASIC module.

an

What do I do?

clear up some confusion
about the differences between proportional spacing and microjustification. They
First, let

PC-DOS

PC-DOS BASIC and BASICA

it's

SPREADSHEETS
Lotus/ Symphony

Framework

T. Lee

ROM BASIC is still

included with the machine. The

don't think

179

99
479
749
659

Kit

300

problem, but WordStar refuses to

microjustify for me.

grams to cassette tape. With marketing assumptions like this, no wonder IBM was
surprised at how the PC took off! Even on
the

I

Hora Disk

Easycard20MB
Sigma One Reel Tope

ACCOUNTING
from
Peochtree'Moduie
Bock To Basics Accfng
Open Systems /Module
S8T GL PR or JoO Cost
SBT AP or AR (source)
Accounting Partner 2
BPI Accnfng/tAod

have been trying to get WordStar propor-

and microjustification to
work on my 24-pin dot matrix printer and
have been unable to do so. The printer is
recognized by WordStar as an “auto-in-

PC with-

199

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219

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384K Rom Card

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WORDSTAR

locations within the interpreter

'unprotect' scheme) can not
be used on both versions of BASIC.
The IBM PC has an entire self-contained (but limited) BASIC interpreter
coded in a read-only memory (ROM) inside the PC. For the very early PCs, IBM
included this under the assumption that

(as does the

384k

SixPokPtus

general, techniques that access specific

memory

359
279
289

AST AOvontoge

PRINTERS, PLOTTERS

and other

computer stores. For the PC-compatible
owners running PC-DOS, Microsoft sells
separately a version of GWBASIC that
does not need the PC ROM BASIC.

preter for IBM-compatibles both come
from Microsoft andfunction similarly. But

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Word processors more advanced than
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Microsoft Word and XyWrite III) have
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WordStar itself does not support proor so MicroPro says.
However, WordStar does have the rudiments of proportional spacing logic built
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PC PRODUCT INDEX
PACK*
RS»

PRODUCT

ADVKRTISKR

*

370

Stylewriter

QNX
WINDOWING SOFTWARE

391

323-324 Window DOS
ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS

Carolina Engineering Labs
Quantum Software Systems. Inc

264

477

186

INTEGRATED SOFTWARE

Texas Computer Systems

8-9

522

PCAS

D & L Software

149

Accounting Software
Lotus Software
Accounting For Micros
Accounting Software
Accounting Software
Real World Software

DAC Software
H & E Computronics

260
*

166
169
168

ADVERTISER

PRODUCT

RS#

146

Softype

Softest Inc

Able One

Able International

Fastbreak

MicroWay

Framework

AshtonTate

Javelin

Javelin Software

147

Reflex

Borland International

159

Recreational Technology

227

304
72
93
92

James River Group

MCBS
MCBS
Real World Software

129

Interlude

LANGUAGES
*

F77L-Lahey/Fortran

326
325
257

2-3

Micro Stuf Inc
Micro Stuf Inc
Systems

20

174

Graphics Software

MonoGrafx

367

Org

201

Flowcharter

492

Pro-Cad

144

American Small Business
Analytx International Inc
Banner Blue
Haventree Software
Pro-Cad Systems Inc

Comp

219
268

269

Travelling Sidekick
Professional Software

Borland International

157

Conroy- LaPointe

Smart Notes
TOC-'/i

Personics Corp
TOC Business Solutions. Inc

43
226

Scout

Chalcedony Software Inc

139

Turbo Family

Borland International

Wordstar 2000 Release 2
Micropro International
Processing Software Marc Software
Processing Software Marc Software
Satellite Software lnt'1 (SSI)
WordPerfect
XYQuest
XY Write

Word
Word

Rightwriter

378

Polaris

356

Printmerge/Labelmaker
Rapid Writer

Decision Ware

145

Public
Public

Domain Software
Domain

PFS Software

21

217

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PC File/R
R Base

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R

193
147

Reflex

313

Buttonwarc
Microrim
Microrim
Software Solutions
Borland International

Base

DataBase

178

300
78-79
179
159

Up Windows

Software Bottling

161

SPF/PC

Command Technology Corp

Kcdit

Mansfield Software Group

242
222

155

OTHER

UTILITIES
Copy II PC

228
229
50
193

24
195

PC

225
252

Central Point Software

Diskette

*

Disk Mechanic
Norton Utilities

*

The Norton

489

Lightning

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Copy write

487

Disk Casher
Pathminder

344

157

Utilities

Ford Software
MLI Microsystems
Norton Utilities, The
Norton Utilities. The
Personal Computer Support Group
Quaid Software Ltd
Software Masters
Westlake Data Corp

264
254
236
295
177

248
4
74
298

HARDWARE
125

Quixote

Flash

TEXT EDITORS

155
105

30-31

207

Polaris

Software Publishing

184

MULTIFUNCTION SOFTWARE
528

98
28
22-23

389

WORD PROCESSING AIDS
479

PC Brand
PC Brand

62

251

236

WORD PROCESSING SOFTWARE
534
474
476
513
518

MicroWay
Mix Software

INFORMATION MANAGERS

530
28

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SOFTWARE
219

Lattice Inc

PROGRAM DEVELOPER/GENERATOR TOOLS

177

ENGINEERS/SCIENTISTS
Microway

Programmers Tools
Programmers Tools
Programmers Tools

Lahey Computer Systems

DATA BASE MANAGERS

16

142
125

287 Turbo-8

24

*

61

282
156

*

1

SOFTWARE FOR PROFESSIONALS

*

Works
87 Macro/87 Debug
Lattice

510

C5

Tall Tree

GRAPHICS SOFTWARE
475

69

ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE

I

113

Remote

83
28
12-13

17

PROGRAMMER S TOOLS

Graphics

262

102
*

210
265

COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE
Crosstalk

PACE#

TYPESETTING SOFTWARE

DISK OPERATING SYSTEMS

Hardware

Conroy-LaPointe

43

IBM PC COMPATIBLE COMPUTERS
Software Interest Group

Personal Computer Products

PC

MAGAZINE
289

152
*

Business Systems 286
Computers

MAY2

7.

1986

Advanced Logic Research

Compaq Computer Corporation

150
10-11

)

PC PRODUCT INDEX

PAGE#

RS#

PRODUCT

ADVERTISER

140

Graphics Card
Color Card
PC-AT High Performance
PC Compatible

Hercules Computer Technology
Hercules Computer Technology
IBM Entry Division
Northeastern Software
PC Designs

46
270
1

135

372
Plain Vanilla
495
PC’s Limited Turbo
328.329 IBM Compatible

PC

PC’sLimited
Tech PC

*

VT286PC

Victor Technologies

498
515

Turbo-Jet PC-2

Vogue Imports

A Star
SYSTEMS INTEGRATORS

Wells American

202

Systems Integrators

Micro Mail

235

154

Modem
394
393

143

179

502
235

MULTIFUNCTION BOARD
*

125

Six Pak Plus
Multifunction Boards

537

CSS XT-286

177

MultiFunction Board

235
214

AT4X4Plus BT6

Plus

The Atlas Board

AST Research
Conroy-LaPointe
CSS Lab (American Computers)
Orchid Technology
Qubid
Red River Technology

Spectra

EGA

EGA

INPUT
199

STB

Megapage

Systems

Disc Instruments

Cauzin Systems

Mouse

Maynard

Laptopp Systems

218

Hammerlab

223

29
5
57

Electronics

215
70
32

MASS STORAGE HARDWARE
Compu Add

86

Core International
Delta Technology
Qubid
Express Systems, Inc
PC’s Limited

Multilink

Advanced

Lettrix

Information Systems Group

169

103

Print

0 Spooler

27

Software Directions

DISKETTES
289

Dysan Diskettes

Dysan

125

Diskettes

Conroy-LaPointe

14

43

SOFTWARE SECURITY SYSTEMS
Sola

Sola Electric

114

Megahertz Corp
Bay Technical Assoc
Microcomputer Accessories

208

ACCESSORIES
390
212
314

Turboswitch
Print Master
Accessories

268
185

KEYBOARD OVERLAY
494
532

Infoplates

Interstate

Templates

TDA

236
222

Software

OTHER SUPPLIES

203
255
40-41

353

Power Conditioner

204

LITERATURE

173

383

COMMUNICATIONS HARDWARE
393

40-41

IBM

45

Softstrip

Backup

173
81

Qubi£

Printer

28

Lynx Trackball

Hard Disk Card
Hard Disks

Taxan

Quietwriter

303

375

The Flash Card

96

Tatung
PC’sLimited

PRINTER DRIVERS

89

Logitech

170
160

Gigafile
Direct Access
Hard Disk. Tape

Monitors
Monitors
Monitors
Color Monitor.
Monochrome Monitor

PRINTERS

INTERFACE DEVICES

179

164

*

MicroWay

478
362
225
275
235
380

19

58

Borland International

Trio

*

73

HARDWARE
Logimouse

40-41

Software Link. Inc
Software Link. Inc

105

40-41

EXPANSION UNITS
*

Qubil

PRINT SPOOLERS
Genoa Systems Corp
Quadram Corp

Board

Chauffer

Advanced

147-148
43

VIDEO/GRAPHICS BOARD
239
488
517

Lanlink
Multilink

DISPLAYS/MONITORS

188
175

63

Everex

40-41

NETWORKING

80

Victor Technologies

PACE#

Qubid

1

OTHER COMMUNICATIONS HARDWARE

258

Micro Design International

ADVERTISER

PC212A/ 200( Internal)
2 1 2 A/ 1 200E ( External

181

Hard Cards
Turbo Board
Magic Card II

PRODUCT

Modem

ACCESSORY CARDS
253
136

RS#

MODEMS

180
212
94-95
144
291
171-172
55
39
85

Topaz

68

Management Information Source

The Manual

220

ORGANIZATIONS AND SERVICES

Software Link

58

PC

MAGAZINE

525

West Coast Computer Exchange

Service

MAY2

7.

230

1986

290
Cc

ted materiel

Those “bargain” PCs are missing
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Reviews in brief
How Secure Do You Want H?
BY JIM FORNEY
Using file-management techniques strongly
reminiscent of

some popular PC networking

systems. Golden

Bow

file

one or more hard disks into up to 24 separate
volumes of various sizes with DOS 2.0 or later versions, and control user access to these

volumes. Volume sizes can range between
33K bytes and 33 megabytes with Vfeature
and up to 280 megabytes far more than a PC

—
normally support — with Vfeature De-

Individual volumes can be password-protected using either

You can

common or different

pass-

also either temporarily or

permanently write-protect volumes and key
read-only volumes to prevent downloading
unless a specific password is given, preventing valuable files from being copied to floppy
disks.

a significant

improvement

software run times.)

volume

I

in

disk access or

found the process of

size reallocation to be a

little

tricky;

Whoops! The Spelling Checker
That Came Too Late

The keyboard can also be locked by the
when a system is left unattended.

software

Installation of either of the packages,

while menu-driven and

fairly simple, requires

considerable planning to be really effective.

By its very nature, neither package is software you can simply run on an existing drive
full of files and directories. You have to start
from scratch, formatting your hard disk with a
special procedure supplied. After you have

it named its real-time spelling checker
Whoops!, Cornucopia Software may have

can be loaded into memory; but they do chew

an individual’s immediate re-

was left with 41 IK bytes of RAM. Because
of its appetite for memory, loading the dictio-

to

action upon noticing a typo. Instead,

it

focus-

up memory. For example, on a 640K system,
I

es attention on various oddities and possible

naries

bugs

configurations.

as

in the

good

as

program’s design. Unfortunately,

Whoops

—and

is

it

is

—

good these
program

is

impossible on systems with smaller

The dictionary and

the options

menu

oddities are going to prevent the

screens are called up by hitting combinations

from ever becoming a major

of the Alt and Shift keys. The options menu
includes such choices as adding words to the

Whoops!

is

seller.

a memory-resident spelling

checker that catches errors as you type. It
comes with a two-file 50.000-word dictio-

nary. a file for the most

words, and

utility

commonly used

programs for adding

words, editing the user-defined dictionary,
and customizing the main program. Whoops!
is compatible with over eight word processing
programs including MultiMate, WordStar.
Volkswriter. and PFS. WRITE and can be
used

to

proofread 1-2-3 spreadsheet

Vfeature Deluxe cun take a hard di\k bexond the 32-mepuhxte DOS harrier.

PC

systems that contain over 256K bytes of
RAM. both the program and the dictionaries

BY VINCENT PUGLIA
When

been alluding

luxe.

words.

tage to using larger-than-default-size clusters
is

For more efficient use of the storage caif you have a lot of small

pacity, especially

security and access control and

can be used with multiuser applications built
around a single PC or compatible computer.
Either of these packages allow you to divide

will

files, the Vfeature packages allow you to
change the PC default hard disk cluster size
from 4,096 bytes down to as little as 512
bytes. You can also increase the cluster size if
most of your files are larger ones. (The advan-

onto your hard disk.

Systems’ Vfeature and

Vfeature Deluxe offer you an extraordinary

degree of

done so, you can allocate your storage space
and tack on access control codes as required
before loading your files and other software

files.

On

dictionary, skipping the offending

ation (indicated

proofreading

mode from

Whoops! has a lot of usefulfeatures and some quirky ones too.

MAGAZINE
293

MAY2

7.

word

for

hyphenby slashes), and changing the
reading each character as you type to checking a full screen. It
also lists the eight most recent misspellings
and offers a deinstall option. Among other
things, a configuration utility allows you to
set the tone and duration of the beep, automate the dictionary expansion process.
the rest of the session, displaying

1986

!

)

R K V

Whoops!
(

W

BRIE

IN

S

F

type ahead of the screen into the keyboard

Break Out of the

and so it’s extremely disconcerting to
suddenly lose control and not know what is
going on and how it will affect the next applibuffer,

continued

choose which mode to start with, and define
the minimum number of letters to be consid-

Post-Test Blues:

cation session.

ered a word.

Typos are signaled by beeps (in real-time
mode) or highlighting (in screen-proofread
mode). If you know the correct spelling, you

and

Whoops! delivers more than is advertised,
I for one am not too ecstatic about the exNone of the extras prevent the program

PC-Inmate Chip

tras.

can correct misspellings immediately. If not,
you can switch to the dictionary and either
have Whoops guess at the correct spelling or
scroll

E

I

BY VINCENT PUGLIA

from accomplishing its task; they just add to
your work. I fully expect Cornucopia to address these problems, but until it does, I cannot

you tend to swap boards as often as a chameleon changes color on a multicolored quilt,
or otherwise enjoy poking around the innards
of your PC. look into JS & J Software’s PCInmate. This 8K-byte ROM chip allows you
to boot up more quickly, lets you use as much
as 704K bytes of RAM as main system memory (and you thought 640K bytes was DOS’s
limit!), automatically blanks your monitor
when your keyboard is inactive, puts up an informative configuration display, and lets you
easily switch between color and monochrome
If

recommend Whoops!

through the dictionary yourself. Once a

spelling has been chosen, the

correct

program

will

automatically. While the program

it

guesses

at spellings,

That

letter basis.

is,

it

does so on a letter-by-

Vfeature
(continued)

unlike Borland’s Turbo

don’t attempt
fully

it

unless you acquaint yourself

with the documentation.

Once volumes have been allocated and
passwords assigned, you cannot make

FACT FILE

changes without the use of a special key floppy and a password to assure the integrity of
your files. Also, you cannot deinstall Vfeature without downloading your files to flop-

Whoops! The Real-Time
Spelling Checker

P.O.Box 61
Albany.

Inc.

11

CA 94706

List Price: $49.95

58K RAM, two disk drives,

DOS

1

a

lot

A real-time spelling checker with
its

bugs. Whoops!

is

storage devices.

not

right for

One

installation is a

snap

Adding

the configuration dis-

play option brought the effective time back up
to a minute, but in return for the

40 seconds,

I

now knew which

boards and ports were installed and available. Performing the memory

common mass-

took

test

To

of these might be just

1

minute and 7 seconds.

install the

PC-Inmate

ROM

chip, you

simply locate the socket on the PC’s mother-

your security needs.

copy protected.

board labeled U28, orient the chip with the

CIRCLE 403 ON READER SERVICE CARD

others so that the notch points toward the rear

Lightning,

it

tell

you the correct spelling

“the.”

Whoops!
ated with an

—these”

ther side of the

em

dash as a valid spelling.

Whether you should separate words and hyphens

orem dashes

is

a stylistic decision, not

a spelling one, and the programmer should
have taken that into account. Also, the pro-

gram appears

to consider deletions

and back-

spacing as part of a spelling (see the screen
photo) when they are done before hitting the

Space bar. As a result, the word you correct as
you type is also flagged.
Finally, when you exit the application program, Whoops! immediately updates the dictionaries on disk from memory, taking full
tend to
control of the system as it does so.

you’ll

Bow Systems

touching the chip. In the

CA 92103

(619)298-9349
List Price: Vfeature. $80; Vfeature

ST-506-interface hard disk.

2.0 or later. Vfeature

into shape with a straight-

this

High-Risk Situations.)
After that, you must reset the
sition so that

software supporting hard disks to 500

figure

megabytes. Features include selective
hard disks and inhibited downloading to

Both versions are copy-

protected.

CIRCLE 402 ON READER SERVICE CARD

294

MAY

to

704K

bytes of contiguous

RAM.

you intend to use the screen-saver feature,
you should also set a DIP switch in the first
bank (Switch I). Both the chip socket location and the DIP switch settings are clearly illustrated in the five-page photocopied documentation that accompanies the $59.95
chip. The PC-Inmate ROM loads itself into

ROM

I

MAGAZINE

up

If

password protection of up to 24 volumes on

theft.

DIP switch-

bank (Switch 2) to the off poPC-Inmate can locate and con-

es in the second

In Short: File management and access con-

prevent data

by

of static
Dudek’s sidebar in
issue’s cover story. “What About Static
at the issue

Electricity?” especially the section entitled

DOS

Deluxe PC-DOS

3.1.

I

PC

into position, preferably

it

electricity, see Virginia

Requires: XT-compatible hard disk con-

trol

latter case, carefully

bend the pin back
gently pressing

edge. (For a fuller look

De-

luxe, $120

troller,

gently into place.

potential problems are the danger of
and the possibility that
bend a pin. In the former case, make
sure you have discharged any static before
static electricity,

2870 Fifth Ave., #201
San Diego,

it

The only

Vfeature and Vfeature Deluxe

Golden
also proofreads phrases punctu-

em dash, such as “good

paragraph of this review, as if they
were a single word. It does so even if the program recognizes each individual word on eiin the first

of the system, and snap

FACT FILE

will not handle transpositions

such as “hte” and
is

tiuser environments that share

of useful features that are unfortunately

outweighed by

third the time.

degree of hard disk access control.
The programs are especially suited for mulfer a high

.0 or later.

In Short:

all,

Without PC-Inmate, my PC took 60 seconds to run the power-on self-test (POST),
boot, and arrive at the time prompt; with it,
the system booted within 20 seconds, one

original condition,

(415)528-7000
Requires:

monitors. Best of

(figuratively and literally).

your hard disk back to its
even deleting the DOS
partition before running FDISK and reformatting under DOS.
Golden Bow's Vfeature and Vfeature Deluxe packages arc basically easy to use and ofpies. then taking

Cornucopia Software

27.

19X6

REVIEWS

IN

II

K

You know I can

E F

I

rescue your data.
no secret. Thousands of home
and business users have used

wonderful, Peter!”
UnErase is a

t’s

I my Norton

Without PC-Inmate

my PC took 60

installed,

seconds to run

POST,

that lets

Mr. Kriley of Los Angeles

for lost data

using

He

my

and found

UnErase™ feature.
owe my degree

the system booted within

20 seconds.

the

memory

the

ROM BIOS and above the area usually ac-

cessed by

area just below that occupied by

EMS boards such as AST’s RAM-

page!. Therefore, you need not worry about
conflicting with

As with

all

anyone

else’s

RAM area.

things, though, there are

can damage your monitor by enabling the
screen-saver feature. PC-Inmate has a pass/

memory

fail

mono

test in

response to the First proof the Hercules

that users

card disable the screen-saver feature

PC-Inmate

is

That’s

But,

if

ities

don’t lose data every day.

why

there’s

to the set

the highly

File

and

you configure systems, want an addibytes available for your 1 - 2-3

I

do

so they cannot be altered or erased.
Wipe File deletes data by file. Wipe
Disk clears your entire disk.

O

measure availfile space, test your disk
damage, and measure

ther utilities

able
for

your computer’s performance. PC
Magazine calls The Utilities “Indis-

Find

Text

fied files

28

in line.

Every day.

The Norton

Sfl

Utilities. Designed for the IBM* PC, PC-AT, and
DOS compatibles. Available at Computerland and most software dealers. Order direct for $99.95 from Peter Norton,
2210 Wilshire Boulevard. Santa Monica, CA 90403.
213-826-8032. Visa and Mastercard welcome.

FACT FILE

PC-Inmate
JS

INORTON

& J Software

1281 S. King St..

6A

Honolulu. HI 96814

UTILITIES

List Price: $59.95

Requires:

256K

IBM PC that can handle at

least

RAM on the motherboard.

In Short:

and access to up
CIRCLE 401

DATA RECOVERY

A useful enhancement chip that

permits easy reconfiguration of a
to

for

pensable.” The New York Times says
“Don’t compute without it.” Peter
Search. File
McWilliams (The Personal Computer
Attribute
Book) says “You 11 bless this disk.”
marks speci- Dozens of features keep your data

ies.

64K

a great deal easier.

more

List Director-

not for everyone, especially

your system to power up, PC-Inmate can

make life

mands. It makes
The Norton Util-

data recovery.

than just UnErase. My other utilities
perform a wide variety of organizational and maintenance tasks that
help keep your PC organized and
your data secure. They have names

worksheet, or are just plain tired of waiting
for

your data.

for you every day?
You

you’re leery of going inside your system.

tional

for

acclaimed industry standard

Now what can

because of incompatibilities. (There are no
problems with the Hercules color card.)
if

A life saver

it

some

drawbacks. First, to get quick booting you
must disable parity checking. Second, if you
have a Hercules monochrome adapter, you

band recommends

Computer

and

with a
few simple comretrieve

it

pundit Jim Seymour says
“Norton has saved my posterior
with UnErase so many times— it’s

it,

sys-

tematically search

writes: “I

to Peter Norton.”

time prompt; with

utility

you

restore precious data erased
or deleted by accident.
lost his thesis

boot, and arrive at the

powerful

Utilities'" to

DISK

PC system

MANAGEMENT

704K RAM.

A life

ON READER SERVICE CARD

PC

MAGAZINE
295

MAY

27,

saver for your data.

1986

/"

//f //ll l
f
1 *+11*1*

c
Wvij

a 4- a vt/i
I’L

Cl

Few people realize that software piracy is a
the computer software

and

'b'f'J
KsIl'U
'

0
(v

/j /m4f44/t/1
kl'

I’M

I

Federal crime.

W

They told me those copies of
programs j made for my computer
company hundreds of thousands
Maybe even cost me my job.

could cost the
of dollars.

At ADAPSO,

services industry association, we're doing

everything we can to inform the public of the problem.

And the penalties.

You could unknowingly put your company on the receiving end of
a lawsuit by making illegal copies of software. Maybe even put yourself
on the receiving end of a pink slip. And that’s why ADAPSO wants
you to know the facts.
Return the coupon for a brochure that explains the risks of software
piracy It’s free. And it may help you keep your job.

Software Piracy

is

Send this coupon or your business card for more Information.
us at (/03) 522-5055 and ask for Marilyn.

I

Or call

|

ADAPSO,
Virginia

1300 North Seventeenth

Street,

Arlington,

22209

j

nut

NAMI

ADDRESS

LIU'

a Federal Crime

s

T

21 f

I

BEFORE YOU BUY ANYTHING
FOR YOUR IBM PC,

CONSULT
THE EXP
expert!^
Software, hardware and accessories are
not purchased on impulse. With so many
products introduced on the market, it’s
necessary to have the most current
reference source available to assist you
in

making smart buying decisions—

why you should comparison
shop with PC BUYERS GUIDE!
That’s

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REPRINTED

FROM

IBIPPIf

SiPTEMBER

1900

10,

VOL

2

-

NO 38
.

THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER OF IBM STANDARD MICROCOMPUTING

'PathMinder’ Tool Handy
Making Hard Disks Easier

for

whom

to your

they're only distantly related.

ur penchant for categorizing things,
from music to politicians to social poover into our percep-

tion of software.

That's one of the reasons software publishers bemoan what they like to call “the
bottleneck at retail": It's tough to get a new
program in an established category onto
the market; nearly impossible to get a new
kind of program on the shelves.
Because sheep-like, we follow the same
ruts across the pasture to the old. familiar

any directory, on any disk, to any other
without playing Wildcard Roulette.

An encryption routine scrambles data
very nicely. An applications-menu generator lets you hide PathMinder from the casual user, while delivering its power to

That preference for sorting programs out
and usually ill-defined catego-

into too few

manager" and

"DOS command
(or mispercep-

tion) of a program's natural habitat leads to

confusion for buyers, and also means a few
exceptional programs get buried under
l(p.scr but market-leading competitors to

Jim Seymour

New

Price,

don't

user log tracks who used
how long and for

for what,

DOS like the guys at Midon't have any trouble re-

know
I

move

into-DOS

Ib*'lir&giaiii
rry

is

lull

the computer. But with rare exceptions, I
PathMinder handle the dirty detajli
of command syntax. And for th<
I
use PathMinder's eajjr^vindowstill let

tions,

Copyright

<

1985 1*

I

new

recompilation.

type>fmy more

—

you*

ThafyjOK

vive close encounters of the hard-disk kinth

iwe

flourishes

if

you've never seen PathMinder, you

it

to yourself to take a look at the state

the art in

Making

Life Easier.

SL

Daws Put*sNng Company A* Rights Reserved

6-iLsLl*<_

Features,

New

bi-

well -spent, I'd

that, from sorncbncWtairefuses to
say
use a desk-accessories prograimS(hJ doesn't
routinely load a macro prograrnWa^use he
won't give up the memory.
You don't need a disk manager to

But
lets

facility to

zarre maneuvers.
NothingVfren/tfnd while PathMinder
only c<>si'/S^VoJdripkjake up memory,
now down uTaK>utyOKbytM after a recent

of nice"

good screen-oriented editor

Jean up .BATs and add

New

I

lows the DOS rules, it runs with almost
anything vou can out on a disk

users happy.

computer

whom.

Because it's memory-resident, PathMinder runs lightning fast; because it fol-

,

A

his screen.

the

membering how to CD, MD, DIR, TYPE
and ASSIGN my way through sessions at

is

to do.

writes the syndicated news-

paper column. “MicroBusiness " and helps
corporate clients keep their microcomputer

c

—

crosoft. but

PathMinder

screen.

shell" slots.

The market's perception

more.

contrast.

things among them quickly with a
Lotus-like menu across the top of the
You can execute almost anything
possible within the DOS command-set (except a single-step, copy-and-rename operation) by simply hitting the first letter of the
English-language term for what you want

has meant we've seen a slew of often
very different utilities lumped together into
the "disk

it

so fast, convenient and useful that I use it constantly,
and can no longer imagine trying to run a
large-capacity hard disk without it. The
program uses windows for lists of directories, subdirectories and files, and lets you

By

ries

files

On the surface looks like a
DOS command shell; in practice, it's a so-

much any

stuff.

CONFIG

phisticated disk manager, a nearly indis-

pensable tool for hard-disk users.
Bourbaki's Jdir was the first “disk manager" utility I saw. and it was and remains a
good product. But Idir suffers from a problem 1 find almost universal among command shells: After a while, you begin find it
tiring, and eventually find you don't use it

sitions, carries

and

without having to boot up your\yorite
plain- ASCI I word processor
CONning.
The BAT-file copying and BAT-fili
erasing capabilities of PathMinder are
alone worth the price. You can erase
groups of files, or move groups of files from

—

to market.

O

AUTOEXEC

PathMinder, from Westlake Data, is a
example of such a winner a power
tool far better than anything like it on the
market, but one which suffered from being
second (or maybe fifth or eighth) of its kind

Finding a Winner
perfect

Documentation — The

BEST keeps

getting better.

See your Favorite Dealer or

STA TE OF THE ART IN MAKING LIFE EASIER!
OR SEND S39.9S plus SS handling to WESTLAKE DA TA

Cat! (800) 628-2828 ext. 555 and order the

Got the name?

It’s

©
P.O.

BOX

1711

PathMinder™ — Don’t boot up without
WESTLAKE DATA
AUSTIN, TEXAS

CIRCLE 157

ON READER

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you save, with size, color and imprint

Coming up
WORKSTATIONS

The

cently a well-kept secret,

com-

32-bit

was

until re-

known

only to

puter specializing in graphics

IBM

redefine the workstation by introducing

new machines
workstations

that

—

PRINTERS

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tor

Frank

J.

DOS.

159

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PC Magazine

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great idea to software developers a couple

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Q

users clung to

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158
158

International's speedy compiler brought
renewed popularity to Pascal. But Turbo
isn’t without its flaws. Dozens of software
publishers have rushed to fill in the gaps
with screen generators, program editors,
and libraries of routines. Peter Feldmann

Card No

EH

AP. AR. PR)

SYMPHONY
MS-DOS/GW BASIC
PATHMINDER
SIDEWAYS

-Exp Date—

Signature—

(must

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Index to advertisers
RS#

RS#

Page

Advertisers

RS#

Page

Advertisers

83

102

Advanced Logic Research

150

.

475

Analytx International

114

Arlington Computer Products

Inc.

...

Delta Technology

. .

.

154

268

380

Express Systems

AST Research.

105

Ford Software

284

149

Inc

367

61

527

267

212

Bay Technical Associates

138

Borland International

.

.

391

Quan tarn Software Systems

2-3

356

Quixote Corporation

168

Real World Corporation

30-31

129

Recreational Tcchnologv

28

214

Red River Technology

299

513

251

520

Microstuf. Inc

63
2<M

•

Minority Hitech Industries

254

510

Mix

135

Northeastern Software

..

Soft ware

29

239

147148
*

326

255

534

219

...12-13

210

Havcntrcc Software

185

140

Hercules Computer Technology

C6

279

H&S Electron ics
1BM-ISG

50

263
76

144

*

295

*

177

80

177

Orchid Technology

260

363

Oryx Systems

1

.

169

Division

Software Bottling

103

Software Directions

Software Link, Inc

K

21

264
160
Central Point Software. Inc.

Software Masters

....

*

Software Publishing

...217

375
517

STB

257

Tall

181

Tatung Company of America! Inc

502

Taxan

113

400

Command Technology

Group

225

218

70

60

PC Wholesalers of America .238-239

242

45

383

Management Information

248

Group
220

242

.222

389
10-11

229

120-123

.228

114

226

282

Pnliaric

86

57

....

Tree Systems

...C5
.

81

3291

328

Tech PC

206

Tclcmart

324

Texas Computer Systems

....

323

Texas Computer Systems

....

55
90

....

156

Toe Business Solutions

353

Topaz

136

Victor Technologies

*

Victor Technologies

8
9
...

177

68
175

39

46

no

Computer Dynamics

183

Computer Mail Order

125

Conroy-La

85

143

169

MCBS

185

Programs Plus

302-303

390

Megahertz Corp

268

*

Progressive Micro Distributors

Micro Computer Accessories

208

309

Ptogrcssive Micro

Pointc. Inc

225

43

314

203

253

92

146

Warehouse Data Products

261
...

75

188

77

78-79

4

105

522

%

...222

532

98
99-104

Logicsoft

236
184

Interest

179

Software Solutions

135

62

,

264

•

PC Software

145

74

487

291

372

268

Software House

*

370

155

342

18

58

53
197

27

....

19

73

72
69

161

.

...36-37

PC Brand

124

Company

530

193
...

178

*

Peterborough

1

89

262

146

157

313

195

227

236

16

304

159

Borland International

186

.

223
201

164

147

Page

Advertisers

300

*

256

289

174

RS#

Page

Advertisers

*

17

...

266
152

26
258

515

Wells American

525

West Coast Computer Exchange 230

157

Westlake Data Corp

298

518

XvQucst. Inc

193

PC MAGAZINE ADVERTISING SALES STAFF
Advertising Coordinator
Jeanne Woodlock
Park Avenue. New York. NY 10016(212)503-5100
.

I

Rl, CT
Kathy Krochta - District Manager
160 State Street
Boston.
A 02 109
(617)367-7190
John Bucknavagc Account Representative
(212)503-5100

MA. NH. VT, ME,

M

MD. DC, VA. WV, NC. SC, AL,
MS.TN, AR. KY.PA.GA
DE.

Bush - District Manager
5901 Peachtree Dunwoody Road Suite 500
Atlanta. GA 30328
(404)394-0590
Lauren Morse - Account Representative
(212)503-5100
Jerry

—

NY, NJ, PA
Kim Banks - Account
1

Dave Ricglcr

-

District

North),

OR,

WA

Manager

Davis Drive
Belmont. CA 94002
(415)598-2341
Charissc Smith - Account Representative
(21 2)503-5 100
CA (Santa Barbara to So. San
Francisco), CO, II). MT, AK, NV. HI

Park Avenue

1

New York. NY 10016
(212)503-5128
NE, WI, IL, IN, MN,

MO,

OH, MI, IA,ND,SD, Canada
John Hcmsath - District Manager
180 N. Michigan Avenue Suite 1400
Chicago. IL 60601
(312)346-2600
Jim Stafford - Account Representative
(212)503-5100
Jeff Miller Western Advertising Director

1

Janet

MAGAZINE
301

Ryan

-

District

Manager

CA (LA, San Diego & Orange
County), AZ
Debra Huiskcn
1601

Dove

-

Manager
240

District

Street Suite

Newport Beach. CA 92660
(714)476-0749
Steve Lincoln - Account Representative
3460 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles. CA 90010
(213)387-2100

Davis Drive
Belmont. CA 94002

TX, OK, LA.KS.UT,

NM

Jennifer Bartel

Manager

(415)598-2341
Charissc Smith
(21 2)503-5 100

5956

1

-

PC

.

.

CA (San Francisco &
Representative

1

MAY

-

Account Representative

2 7.

19

8 6

District

-

Shcm Lane Suite 1330
TX 75225(214)691-6934

Dallas.

Joanna Broome
(212)503-5100

-

Account Representative

)

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