The seventh issue of PC Notebook varied somewhat from earlier issues in that the entire issue was devoted to one subject. It was also the first time since I introduced the "WordStar Q & A" in the second issue that there was not a question and answer item.
The heading on this issue was "Freebies," and the subject was public domain software that was available free of charge to any microcomputer user. I had promised to write about this subject at the end of the article on software copying that appeared in the third issue. Public domain software consists of programs which are created by microcomputer enthusiasts and then made available without fees or licensing restrictions.
The article was divided into five sections, each about a specific category of public domain software. In this way, I tried to give users a sense of how these programs could be useful. The first section was called "DOS Replacements." It discussed programs that replaced some of the MS-DOS commands that are used to manage computer systems. For example, to view the contents of a text file you use the DOS command type. Unfortunately, this command simply scrolls the text on the screen and does not allow you to move backward or forward. A public domain program called BROWSE will display the contents of a text file and give you the capability of moving around through the text.
Other sections discussed public domain programs that provide disk services, give more security to disks and files, help manage a computer's memory, and provide services to copy, move and delete files. A final section explained how to obtain from my office a disk with the files for these programs on it; the section also gave steps for installing the files on a computer.
The point of this article was to get microcomputer users interested in programs that could make their professional lives easier. It tied in with a service I was providing through my office by making the disk available with these programs on it. The article was successful in getting people interested. I had almost two dozen calls from individuals requesting the programs.
This issue introduced "Software Spotlight," a new feature intended to give readers information on new software packages. It was an attempt to get computer users interested in different types of microcomputer applications. This article dealt with ReadRight, a text scanning program that allows you to scan pages of typed or printed text and convert them to a computer file that can be used by a word processing program.
This process is called Optical Character Recognition or OCR. It requires a scanner, which is the same device I discussed earlier for converting graphic images into computer files. With the right software, a scanner can also analyze an image of printed text and convert it into computer format. This is a slow and complex process, but it can be used to avoid retyping a document.
Because of the expense involved in purchasing the hardware for such a system, most microcomputer users on campus could not use an OCR system in their office. One of the services I provided, however, was a Microcomputer Support Center where individuals could have access to special equipment and software. I explained that readers interested in the ReadRight program could try using it at the Support Center.
The eighth issue also had a "WordStar Q & A" that dealt with disk errors that can be encountered when trying to save a file. This was a serious problem that had been encountered by a number of users, and in most cases they ended up losing the document they were working on. In some respects, the problem stemmed from a flaw in the WordStar program. When errors such as insufficient disk space occur, programs should be able to handle the error by assisting the user in taking the steps needed to recover. WordStar recognized the error, but then made it difficult to do anything about it. I explained the appropriate steps to take to get around the problem and to save the file.
This issue also had a "dBASE Q & A." dBASE III Plus is a database program that is used to store and to manipulate information. It was not widely used because of its complexity, but at least a dozen offices on campus did have the program. The question was an actual problem I dealt with that involved poor database design, and the solution was a little more difficult than just giving a few commands to fix it. In this case, I had to write a short program that would analyze each record and separate one field that combined city, state and zip code into three different fields. I decided to write about it because it gave me a chance to present a mini-primer on how to write a program in dBASE. One of the strengths of dBASE is its powerful ability to manipulate data. One of its shortcomings is that it often requires programming knowledge to do this. When you are dealing with over 300 individual records, however, it is more efficient to spend some time setting up a program than to go through each record manually.
In this item, I explained how to create a program and I discussed some of the concepts involved in performing the operations described. I also listed, in a text box, the entire program to show how it worked. Finally, I explained where to look in the dBASE manuals for more information on writing programs. This item was somewhat successful in reaching the small group of dBASE users. After it appeared I began helping a number of them create their own programs.
This issue had another "Software Spotlight" on Lotus Freelance Plus, a charting and business graphics program. Like the ReadRight program featured in the previous issue, this software was not necessarily one that every microcomputer user would purchase for his or her computer. I wanted to reach those readers who might have a need for this type of graphing, and then let them know that it was available for their use in the Microcomputer Support Center.
Up to that point, most graphs that were created on computers used the capabilities of Lotus 1-2-3, the spreadsheet program that was one of the standard software packages used in university offices. Although it was relatively easy to set up line, bar, stacked bar or pie charts using this feature, there was little flexibility in controlling the appearance of the chart. In this article, I explained the differences between graphs created in 1-2-3 and those created with Freelance.
By way of an illustration, I displayed samples of graphs I had created using 1-2-3 and Freelance Plus. Although the basic pie chart was the same, the Freelance drawing had additional text, a box around a portion of the graphic, and images to illustrate the various categories (such as a car for travel expenses and a computer for lab equipment). The images were from a library of what Freelance calls symbols; I used some of these same symbols to create the computer virus illustration in the fourth issue of PC Notebook.
This issue also had a "WordStar Q & A" on ways to edit a personal dictionary. WordStar had a spelling check feature that recognized standard words and also allowed you to create your own dictionary of proper names and other types of words (such as technical terms not commonly used) that would otherwise be flagged as misspellings. This item explained how to open and edit the file that contained the personal dictionary words.
The final item was a "PC Notes" section that had news about two software upgrades. The first was significant, since it was the new release of WordStar, which was the most widely used software on campus. In the item, I warned readers that we had not yet evaluated the new release in order to make a recommendation about purchasing it. I promised a full evaluation in the next issue of PC Notebook. Because some people were already using the new version and had experienced problems transferring files back to the old version, I gave instructions on converting files.
The other software upgrade was dBASE IV, the upgrade to the database program dBASE III Plus. I recommended that current dBASE users upgrade to the new version because of the many new features. Unfortunately, it later became clear that the new features in dBASE IV made it more difficult to use. In addition, the new version had a number of problems that made it unreliable.
The software package discussed most frequently in all the issues of PC Notebook was clearly WordStar. This word processing package was the most common one on campus, and it occupied the majority of my time in providing support services to microcomputer users. When a new version of WordStar was released, it had a tremendous impact on our plans for a standard software configuration in university offices. I decided to do a complete evaluation of the new version, and PC Notebook seemed to be an ideal vehicle for sharing the results.
It might be helpful at this point to explain how software upgrades work. The companies that develop and market microcomputer software continually evaluate and improve their products in response to customer suggestions (or complaints), changes in technology, and other factors. When new versions are released, current users are generally given the opportunity to upgrade their software rather than having to purchase a new copy.
Even at a reduced upgrade price, however, purchasing dozens or even hundreds of copies of a new release is a substantial investment for any company. On the other hand, when you have to purchase additional copies of the software for new equipment, the older version is usually not available. This could leave you with a mix of old and new versions of a software package, which means your "standard" software is no longer quite so standard. The differences between the two versions can cause problems in support activities such as training workshops.
Because of the importance of this subject, the tenth issue was expanded to four pages and was devoted entirely to the evaluation of WordStar Professional Release 5. I began by discussing some of the fundamental differences, including a new menu system and some changes in basic editing procedures. To illustrate the changes, I created images of the different screen displays with notes pointing to the different features.
Another basic change in the new release involved switching from a line number and column number approach to text placement to one that involved inches. For example, on the old version if you typed ten letters the last letter would be in column 10. In the new version, the last letter would be at the 1" position if you were using a 10 character per inch print size. If you used a 12 character per inch print size, you would be at the .83" position.
I felt that this was such a drastic change that I needed to explain why it was done. The primary reason was that the printers available for microcomputers were starting to use proportionally spaced fonts (or character styles). This meant that each letter no longer used the same amount of space. An uppercase "W," for example, took up more space than a lowercase "l." The capability to support these fonts was one of the technological advances that created the need for the new release of WordStar, but it also caused confusion among some users.
After discussing fonts and the new measuring system, I mentioned some of the new features provided in WordStar 5. These included: the ability to work on two documents at once; new ways for setting margins and tabs; the ability to import spreadsheet data into a document; a feature for creating columns; automatically numbered footnotes and endnotes; and improved spelling check and thesaurus features. These features were already available in other word processing packages (such as WordPerfect and Microsoft Word), and they were intended to make WordStar more attractive to potential users.
The final part of this issue was an evaluation of the software. Unfortunately, WordStar 5 was a seriously flawed product and I explained to my readers some of the problems I discovered. Some of these were programming errors that made the software defective:
When a program does something it shouldn't or behaves unpredictably, computer people say that the program has bugs. When you find bugs in a program, it causes concern since you wonder about the bugs you didn't find.
As I worked with WordStar 5, I discovered a number of bugs. For example, the text did not reformat correctly when I changed certain settings. I also felt that many of the new features were poorly designed and that these poor design choices decreased the value of the new features.
The final section was headed "The Bottom Line." I summarized the pros and cons of the new release, and I concluded that current WordStar users should not upgrade. We had to consider switching to a more current word processing program as our campus standard because of the new technology. While it would have been preferable to remain with WordStar since our users had been developing their skills with this program, the problems with WordStar 5 outweighed the advantages.
When I eventually recommended that we switch from WordStar to WordPerfect, I faced a lot of resistance from computer users. Changing to a new package meant they had to relearn many of the basic word processing skills that I had already taught them. Being able to use PC Notebook to present an evaluation of WordStar 5 and explain why we wouldn't upgrade helped to lessen the amount of controversy that resulted from the switch to WordPerfect.
This issue featured another "Software Spotlight" on PEP, the Personal Emulation Package which allows Zenith microcomputers to function as mainframe terminals. PEP is actually a software and hardware package. It includes an interface board that is installed in the microcomputer and used to communicate with the University's Unisys mainframe computer. This gives the user access to the University's academic and financial databases.
The PEP package was used by a large number of people on campus, but most did not understand all its features. I tried to explain some of the benefits of using the package and then illustrated some of the commands and techniques for working with it. For example, I explained how PEP can run in the background while the user works with microcomputer software such as WordStar or Lotus. By pressing a certain key combination (Alt-Esc) the terminal can be brought up without exiting from the software. I also described how to use PEP to print mainframe information.
Another feature of PEP that I went into some detail about was the macro key feature. In general, the term macro is used to refer to a single keystroke or key combination that is used to generate a series of keystrokes. Macros are labor and time saving devices that take advantage of the computer technology to eliminate repetitious work. The PEP package allows you to define up to 10 macro keys for commands that you use frequently on the mainframe. Unfortunately, the steps to set up these keys are awkward for the inexperienced user. I "walked through" these steps in an effort to encourage use of this feature.
This "Software Spotlight" was different than the earlier ones. It focused on a package that many of the readers already used, but I wanted to show them more of the features of the package and to demonstrate that there were better ways to make use of it.
This issue represented a change of pace as I tried to lighten things up in honor of April Fool's Day. As I noted at the beginning, "this month's PC NOTEBOOK is all about those little problems we encounter in using microcomputers." It was basically an entire issue in the Q & A format devoted to the various little frustrations faced by PC users.
The first section was called "Dangerous Knowledge," and I started by quoting Alexander Pope: "A little learning is a dangerous thing." The questions were based on experiences with users who knew just enough about MS-DOS commands to cause serious problems, such as erasing or replacing important files.
The next section, "WordStar Whoops," included some of the more interesting problems faced by WordStar users. For example, the first question was about someone who tried to open a document but instead seemed to wipe out all the files on the disk. What happened, I discovered, was that the person had accidentally pressed the "F" key, which is right next to the "D" key that she was trying to press. The "F" command at the opening WordStar menu turns the display of file names off or on. I explained how pressing the "F" key a second time would bring the list of file names back.
The last two sections were "Lotus Lulus" and "dBASE Disasters." Although not as many microcomputer users worked with these packages regularly, I wanted to share some more examples of little problems that caused large amounts of frustration. One of the Lotus problems, for example, was from someone who thought that Lotus was incorrectly adding a column of numbers. I explained that Lotus displays numbers in whatever way is specified (such as rounded off to 2 decimal places), but uses the actual value to perform calculations:
If you have something formatted for 2 decimal places, the value 50.246 will display as 50.25. If you have another cell like that, it will also display as 50.25. If you add these two, the value will be 100.492. It will display as 100.49, even though it seems that adding 50.25 and 50.25 should give you 100.50.
The first dBASE question covered a problem with deleted records showing up in reports. I explained how to remove deleted records from the database so they wouldn't be displayed. A second question dealt with ways of grouping categories of data for reports.
This issue of PC Notebook was meant to give a lighter look at some of the problems and frustrations faced by microcomputer users. This lighter look also tried to serve a serious purpose. By getting users to realize that the problems they are dealing with are not always that serious, I hoped to lessen some of the anxiety that can come from using this technology. I also wanted my readers to see that the answers might be available if they stopped for a moment and thought over what they were doing.