The first edition of PC Notebook appeared in an issue of Fact in February, 1988 (copies of all issues are included in Appendix A). This issue contained an introduction, explaining the purpose of the publication. I tried to describe what would be covered in future issues:
. . . tips and techniques for software such as WordStar and Lotus; news about different products (such as hardware and software); technical information to make more effective use of equipment; and answers to questions that computer users may have.
I also suggested that readers might want to save each issue for future reference.
Since it was an introductory issue, I provided a glossary of some important terms. This list included "PC" and explained that it referred to IBM PC-compatible microcomputers and not other machines such as Apples. Other terms defined were MS-DOS, byte, floppy disk, hard disk, and file. I hoped that these definitions would help establish the readers' basic level of familiarity with the technology.
The major topic of this first issue was hard disk concerns, a subject that could be complex. Since a hard disk was part of the basic office configuration, I felt it was an important subject to cover. I tried to introduce the readers to concepts (such as how to create and use directories) that could make them more effective users. I also presented some information that could protect them from losing data or damaging their disks. Included was an illustration that tried to show how the directory structure worked.
In this first issue I used the conversational tone and simple, clear writing style suggested for effective technical writing. For example, rather than saying "backup copies of all files should be maintained on floppy disks in order to avoid the potential risk of irreplaceable data loss due to hard disk failure," I wrote:
If you use your hard disk to store all your data files (such as WordStar documents and Lotus spreadsheets), you should always keep a backup copy of these files on a floppy disk. The reason is that the hard disk may someday have problems from which you will not be able to recover. If the only copy of all your files was on the hard disk, you may end up losing a lot of information that cannot be replaced.
Based on comments from readers, this approach seemed to be successful at communicating information to microcomputer users on campus.
This issue introduced a feature called "MS-DOS Corner," which was the start of an attempt to get users to learn more about MS-DOS, the operating system of IBM PC-compatible microcomputers. Many users who are comfortable working with word processing or other software have difficulty learning operating system commands. As I explained, "much of what DOS does is invisible to the user, but it also provides tools to format floppy disks, copy and delete files, and organize your hard disk." DOS is difficult to use because it is command driven instead of menu driven; that is, the user must know what command he or she wants to use and then must enter it in exactly the right form. A basic knowledge of DOS commands, however, is essential to using the PC. This "MS-DOS Corner" dealt with the copy command, which allows users to make copies of a file or group of files. I included a text box which gave examples of copy commands and explained what they did.
Another item in this issue was "Purchasing Tips." This grew out of a situation which I frequently had to deal with in assisting the university's purchasing office. Many new microcomputer users were ordering equipment, software and supplies, but they often provided incomplete or conflicting information. PC Notebook seemed like the perfect forum to instruct these purchasers as to the best approach to ordering computer items. I explained how to locate software through evaluations appearing in computer magazines and how to determine if the software would run on existing equipment. I also discussed university practices for placing the order and showed the proper form for listing the item on the purchase request.
Another feature in this issue was "WordStar Q & A," a question and answer column on the software package most widely used on campus at the time. No one ever actually wrote in with questions; instead, I took questions that people asked when they phoned in for assistance and then wrote them up to share with all users. Many of these questions came up with a number of different people, and writing about them turned out to be a very valuable way of educating WordStar users. In this issue, the question was about the limit on the number of files that could be stored on one floppy disk. When the limit was reached, it was possible to lose the file that was being edited at the time. This situation had happened to a number of people, and the solution to the problem was not explained clearly in the software manual.
The final section in this issue was called "PC Notes," which contained short news items for microcomputer users. In this issue, there was an item about a bug (or error) in a menu program that was installed on hard disks on campus. The item explained how to fix the problem. Another item gave information on ordering an upgrade to a new version of Lotus Symphony, a software package used by some university offices. The final note gave some information about PC Notebook and asked the readers to call or write with suggestions or questions.
The third issue contained another "MS-DOS Corner," this one on the rules for creating file names. One of the many annoying aspects of DOS is the number of restrictions on the way files are named. File names are limited to eight characters, followed by a period and another three characters. Certain characters (such as spaces) are not valid in file names, and certain names cannot be used because they are reserved by the system. As the rules are fairly restrictive, this is the sort of thing that sometimes intimidates new users. The Apple Macintosh computer provides an interesting contrast: file names can be up to 32 characters long and can include spaces. As an example, consider a file that contains a paper written as the final assignment for an English course. On an MS-DOS computer, the file name might be "ENGLFINL.PAP," while on a Macintosh you could call the file "FINAL PAPER FOR ENGLISH CLASS." Obviously, the Macintosh name can be more descriptive and can help the user identify the contents of the file. PC users, on the other hand, are challenged to create meaningful names with 11 characters. The "MS-DOS Corner" tried to offer some suggestions for making the most out of these limitations.
Another item was headed "Software Copying." This addressed an unfortunate problem that seemed to come along with the widespread use of microcomputers: software piracy or the illegal copying of software. Many people find it hard to understand why they should pay hundreds of dollars for a software package when the disk can easily be copied in a matter of minutes. This item was an attempt to educate users about copyright protections on software and about the university's policy on copying software. I explained that when a copy of a software package was purchased it could only be used on one computer, and I provided general guidelines on the type of copying that was permissible. At the end of the item I urged readers to comply with the policy and said, "while it may seem like a trivial matter, unauthorized copying of software is just as bad as walking into a computer store, lifting a $500 software package off the shelf, and walking out without paying for it." Trying to increase awareness of this issue was something I did regularly on an individual basis when I worked with PC users. With PC Notebook, I was able to get the message out to a much wider audience.
The final item in this issue was another "WordStar Q & A." This dealt with techniques for setting up temporary margins in order to create indented paragraphs. A number of secretaries had asked for help with this because they had documents that were formatted in this way. I demonstrated the proper method so that other WordStar users would be aware that this type of formatting could be done.
This issue featured a long article on the problem of computer viruses. In some ways, this was a reaction to articles in the popular press (newspapers, magazines, and television reports) on the subject that were often vague or downright inaccurate. I first defined the subject: "A virus is a computer program deliberately created by a malicious programmer to attack other programs and disks and cause damage to your files." Then I explained how viruses work and what kind of damage they cause.
Most computer users on campus were not at risk for having their systems damaged; consequently, one thing stressed was how viruses are spread. Something that always bothered me about the articles that were then appearing on the subject was how they made it sound as though all microcomputer users were at risk. A February Newsweek article, for example, had the alarming headline "Is Your Computer Infected?" and an equally alarming subheading: "Systems fall to silent--and contagious--killers." The article goes on to say that "computer viruses are silent killers. Usually there are no obvious signs of infection until the damage has already been done." It warns that "the viruses are highly contagious."
In fact, most people who use a PC that is not connected with other microcomputers on a network or through a modem are very unlikely to have a problem. The last part of the article offered some suggestions on simple precautions to take to avoid problems. In order to make the subject clear, I created a graphic that tried to show how a virus spread. With arrows showing the path of a virus transmission, this graphic used symbols representing computer disks and programs and telephone connections.
This issue also had another "WordStar Q & A." This one dealt with merge printing, which is a word processing feature that allows you to take a list of information (such as names and addresses) and place it into a standard document form (such as a label or a letter). There were certain procedures required by WordStar to create a file in a nondocument format in order to perform a merge print operation. Unfortunately, it was possible to inadvertently convert a file from this format to a regular document format. This happened to a number of users, and it created problems which caused the merge to fail. This item explained how to convert a file back to the proper format if this problem occurred.
The fifth issue started with another "MS-DOS Corner." This one was on booting up, the process of starting up a microcomputer. Once again I had to start by defining the subject: "Booting up loads the operating system into the computer's memory and prepares the equipment to be used by different software packages." This is not a technically complete explanation, but the concept seems to be a difficult one for novice users to understand without a lengthy discussion.
This subject was somewhat advanced for many readers, but I tried to present it in simple terms. In most cases, users such as secretaries did not have to deal with these matters; they were taken care of by my office when the systems were first set up. Other users such as faculty, however, did configure and modify their own systems. This article was directed more at them and it explained the options that were available by altering two files, AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS. I also offered suggestions for the types of options that should be selected.
The next item in this edition contained some news on different software upgrades. A number of new products, such as upgrades of WordStar and Lotus Symphony, had just been released, while others were scheduled to be out shortly. Most PC users on campus did not read computer industry publications, and this was an effective way to get the news out to them.
Finally, the "WordStar Q & A" dealt with a problem that some of the newer microcomputers on campus were having with WordStar. Because of the type of display or monitor that these computers used, any text marked to be printed as underlined would not appear on the screen. This could be very disconcerting, since it looked like all the text in the document was lost. I had received a number of frantic calls on the subject from people insisting that the computer had destroyed their document. The solution was simply to adjust the configuration of the WordStar program so that underlined text displayed differently. In this item, I described the problem and explained how to fix it.
This edition focused on PC Expo, a computer industry trade show that I attended in New York City. In this case, I wanted to use PC Notebook to share information that I had learned from the show with other PC users on campus. I hoped to make them aware of new products and developments in the microcomputer field. Some of the products that I viewed at the show and wrote about were new releases of WordStar, Lotus 1-2-3, and dBASE.
This issue also contained a "WordStar Q & A." This one was on techniques for handling long documents, including chain printing. This is a way of combining a number of different files into one long document. When the document is printed, the pages will then be numbered consecutively for the entire document.
For the first time I also had a "Lotus Q & A" in this issue. Lotus 1-2-3 is an electronic spreadsheet that was used in a number of offices on campus. Although not as widespread as WordStar, it was still part of the standard suggested configuration for offices. The item combined two questions about printing, which was always difficult in Lotus. I suggested some steps to help deal with these printing problems.
The final section of this issue was "PC Notes," which contained news items including information on ordering the upgrade to WordStar. I also listed some of the topics that were covered in the first five issues of PC Notebook and noted that back copies were available.