Many of the articles were educational in nature. This came from the need for me to explain the same techniques or procedures over and over to different users. I tried to use PC Notebook as a way to educate a larger audience. The "MS-DOS Corner" articles, for example, were an attempt to educate users on some of the basic concepts and commands of the operating system. Many users were afraid to work in this cumbersome, command-driven mode, but I tried to slowly introduce them to techniques that were useful.
The very first issue, for example, was devoted to some basic PC concepts and then to ways for working with hard disks. I covered the copy command in the second issue because this was a basic command that could be used to duplicate files or transfer them from one disk to another. In the third issue I wrote about rules for naming files, which is an essential concept for effective use of the equipment. These articles, and others that followed, were designed to increase the self-sufficiency of microcomputer users on campus.
Another type of article was also educational in nature, but instead of trying to teach the reader a particular skill this type conveyed useful general information. An example was the feature on computer viruses in the fourth issue. Although the article did contain some tips on precautions to take, its main purpose was to inform the readers about viruses (and, as I noted earlier, to correct some inaccurate information that had appeared in the press). Another article of this type was the one on software copying in the third issue. This item tried to make the readers aware of why it was wrong (and illegal) to make unauthorized copies of microcomputer software.
A third type of article consisted of news items. In the course of my job, I read a number of computer magazines and also receive information from vendors and other sources. The average user does not have access to these sources of information; I tried to use PC Notebook as a way to share some of the more important news with my readers. The items on software upgrades, for example, helped distribute that information quickly and efficiently to a large number of people. Disseminating the news this way saved me from a number of phone calls asking for the same information over and over.
Finally, the question-and-answer items came from actual experiences I had answering questions from computer users. If I felt that the situation or problem I was dealing with would be of interest to other users, or if I answered the same question from more than one user, I wrote about the subject in the form of a question and answer.
Once I selected a topic, I would begin writing a first draft of the article. In doing so, I tried to follow the guidelines discussed earlier in the section "Choosing a Writing Style" in Chapter 3. The tone of the articles was always conversational, and I addressed the reader directly as much as possible:
The important thing to remember when using the COPY command is that it will work when you specify the full information about the source and destination. If you leave out any of the information, such as drive, directory, or file name, DOS will use the current settings. (#2)
In this way, I tried to avoid some of the stylistic problems often found in manuals and other computer literature. Some of this writing suffers from a dry and technical style, while in other cases the author uses an overly formal or impersonal tone (such as referring to the reader as "one" instead of "you," as in "when one uses the COPY command . . .").
I did all of my writing for PC Notebook (as well as for everything else) using WordStar Professional on the Zenith PC in my office. Before I began using microcomputers, I did most of my first drafts of writing in longhand. Once I began using computers regularly, however, I found that I had no trouble composing at the keyboard. The flexibility of word processing in making corrections or deletions or even moving large blocks of text enhanced my ability to write and to revise quickly.
While writing, I would often move back and forth from the composing of the article to the technique or subject I was writing about. If I were preparing a "WordStar Q & A" or some other article about word processing, I could experiment with the software as I wrote. For other subjects, I would work out the procedures or commands I wanted to discuss, often jotting down notes, before returning to the text.
This was a particularly important part of preparing the items in PC Notebook. If I gave instructions which were incorrect or incomplete, or simply failed to operate exactly as I described, I ran the risk of losing the trust of my readers. I knew from personal experience how many authors describing microcomputer operations could be careless, often neglecting to mention a vital step. Before I published an article, I would always follow my own instructions to make sure everything worked properly.
After the first draft was completed, I would print out a draft of the article and review it for style and accuracy. While word processing is a useful tool for writing and editing, it is generally difficult to proofread by looking at text on a computer screen. Producing a hard copy (the term that is used for a printed copy of something that is in a computer file) allowed me to read over the text and spot errors or problems that I missed while using the word processor. It also allowed me to make copies to show to an informal network of advisers, microcomputer users who would read it over and give me their reactions on the subject matter or the way I had written about it.
Once the articles were written, the next step was to prepare the actual publication. This involved assembling the articles, as well as any graphic elements to be used, and laying out the printed pages that would become the camera ready copy sent to the publications office for duplication and distribution with Fact. Because I was not an artist, the graphic elements of PC Notebook tended to be more limited than I would have liked. Thanks to some graphics software packages, however, I was able to add some visual flair to the publication. This software will be discussed in detail in the next section.
PC Notebook was prepared using a desktop publishing software package. Desktop publishing (or DTP in the industry) is a category of software that goes beyond word processing to allow you to lay out the pages of publications, adding elements such as lines and boxes, headlines, columns and so on. One of the first and most popular DTP programs was PageMaker, which was available in different versions that ran on IBM PC-compatibles and on Apple Macintosh computers. The program I used was Ventura Publisher, which was a bit more structured in its approach compared to the free form nature of PageMaker. This software will also be discussed in detail in the next section.
Using the DTP program I would lay out the text of the articles, place the graphics in the appropriate places, and prepare the pages for printing. During this process, I would set up the headlines and subheadings, as well as any special types of text such as bullets (for lists). I would also designate certain text attributes for words and phrases. For words that I wanted to stand out from the main text, such as commands or the names of software packages, I would use bold print. In most cases, I also made the commands uppercase to stand out. I used italics for the question portion of the Q & A features, a convention that seems to be used by many other publications.
After preparing the text, I would place any graphic elements on the page. If these were illustrations, this would involve blocking off areas of the page and then placing the image in the box. In some cases, I used text boxes that allowed me to use a larger character size or bold print to illustrate a point from one of the articles. In issue number 2, for example, I used a text box that gave examples of different uses of the copy command, while in the third issue I put a list of invalid file names in a box. These text boxes were usually shaded to stand out even more from the regular text.
Once the text and graphics were assembled, I would have to deal with the issue of length. If an issue did not fill the two sides, I might make a graphic element larger. Depending on the type of graphic, this could add more white space or else make the size of the image larger. DTP software is a powerful tool for this type of work, allowing you to change different aspects of the design until the page is in the form you need.
When an issue was too long, it was more difficult to make changes. I could try to make the graphic image smaller, but in most cases when I first created the graphic I chose the smallest size appropriate for the image or text. Another option was to edit the text in order to cut down the length. This would be a concern if the copy was being edited by someone who was not familiar with the subject. As both writer and editor, however, it was possible for me to make changes in the text without affecting the meaning of the article.
All this preparation and editing was done on a microcomputer using the Ventura Publisher software. Once the issue was ready, I printed a copy on an Apple LaserWriter II laser printer. I then reviewed this copy to check for errors and to make sure it presented all the information clearly. If any corrections were needed, I went back to Ventura Publisher and made them. A final copy was then printed and sent to the publications office.
Besides writing about microcomputers, I relied on different types of microcomputer equipment and software to prepare PC Notebook.
To type the text of the articles, I used the word processing program WordStar Professional Release IV. This software was the standard word processing program used in university offices, and it was the most frequent subject of articles in PC Notebook. I tried to work with WordStar as much as possible, since most of my support activities involved that software. As I noted earlier, the editing features of word processing enhanced my ability to write. I also relied on the spelling check feature to locate spelling errors in my articles.
I used Ventura Publisher as my desktop publishing software to lay out each issue. This was a complex and highly specialized type of software, and as far as I knew I was the only person on campus who used it. Because I did not use it frequently, it was often difficult and time- consuming to prepare an issue. One advantage, however, was the structured nature of its approach. Once I designed the format, I could use the same template for each issue. I would simply insert the new text and add any graphics I wanted. For special types of paragraphs (such as bullets), I could specify the settings using a paragraph "tag." Then the next time I wanted to use this type of paragraph, I could simply assign the appropriate tag and the paragraph would have the proper features.
I used other software packages to create some of the graphics for PC Notebook. In the first issue, for example, I had an illustration showing how the MS-DOS directory structure worked. To create this, I used a program called EasyCAD. CAD (Computer Assisted Design) is a type of software used for mechanical drawings and other types of drafting, but in this case I used it to create a chart of lines and boxes.
In the fourth issue, I used an illustration to show how computer viruses are spread. To prepare this, I used Lotus Freelance Plus, a business graphics software package. Freelance can be used to create different types of charts (line, bar, and pie charts) as well as illustrations or other types of graphics. It comes with a library of images which can be arranged to create these graphics. In preparing the virus illustration, I used some of the computer images such as the front and back of a PC and a microcomputer disk. I then used arrows and text to show the way the virus is passed through telephone lines and modems to different computers and then to individual disks.
Different graphics software packages save their images in different types of computer files. There is not one standard format, and in some cases only the program that creates the file can read it back and display the image. Using EasyCAD and Lotus Freelance Plus, I was able to save the images I created in file formats that could be recognized by Ventura Publisher. When I was ready to place a graphic on the page, I would lay out the box and then link it to the graphic file. Ventura was able to display the image on the screen and then print it out.
Besides a Zenith PC, other microcomputer hardware was used to prepare PC Notebook. For the printed output, I used an Apple LaserWriter IINT laser printer. The LaserWriter printed at a high resolution (300 dpi, or dots per inch) and used the Postscript page description language. Postscript is an industry standard used by a number of different laser printers and typesetters, and it provides access to a variety of typefaces and fonts.
Another piece of equipment I used was a Hewlett-Packard ScanJet desktop scanner. A scanner is a device that can take a printed copy of a graphic image and convert it into a computer file. It uses a technology similar to a photocopier. The graphic image is placed on a glass bed and the scanner shines a light on it, recording the image in a form that can be saved on a computer file. This file can then be brought into a graphics software package, where it can be cropped or altered and then placed in a publication. In the sixth issue, I scanned a copy of the PC Expo logo to use as an illustration for my article on that trade show.
The hardware and software tools that I used made it possible for me to create PC Notebook without any direct assistance from the university's publications staff. Instead of relying on illustrators, typesetters, and layout artists to prepare each issue, I was able to do the work myself. Although the tools themselves did not make me an expert on publishing, they did make it possible for me to create my own publication and learn as I went along.