eu Macworld 1986 05 OCR

MACWORLD May 1986 $3.95 The Macintosh"Magazine Canada $4.95 i Ld Ld Faster and Smarter New Mac HES software organizes & your files for iy | fast access ae i Three Powerful Data Managers On-Line Network of the Future Cut Keystrokes with Macros i Expert Systems for the Macintosh Now! . 05 '08530 | a u Borland’s SideKick and PhoneLink the world, and double your SideKick, The Macintosh Office Manager, now supports MacPlus (128K) and Finder 5.1 for the same low price—$99.95. An upgrade is available from Borland for $19.95. The upgrade is FREE if you purchased SideKick after 12/15/85. For more information, call (408) 438-8400. Sean past Neto Fn Tt Dah si Tab ang Tato gts ib Tats un Tato clear your desk, connect youto tieny «i compliments as productivity for only $99.95 | auser- ment see SideKick, I | know I want it. i Jean-Louis Gassée, VP, Gidexicx® The Macintosh” Office iter iran Manager,” gets rid of antiques like desktop phone directories, calculators, SideKick is the calendars, notepads, clocks, adding ae — first product for machines, and similar clutter. Sweeps f pe ag the Mac that all that off your desk and into your af begins to make Mac. You can now bring true desktop mise organization, information manage- a aE ment, and telecommunications to OL an €. your Mac and do all that while you're running other programs. What PhonelLink” does foryou bulletin board while using D Gives you a credit card file [| In true multi-tasking style, other applications. (You need that tracks entries, balances, a PhoneLink automatically dials & modem for this feature.) and limits. a for you even while your G Lets you tap into a full- G Arms you with a report i modem is in use on some featured financial and generator that prints out your Rush me SideKick and PhoneLink at i other task, like sending or scientific calculator that will mailing lists, calendar, or 95 | receiving a file. This one let you print out a paper tape phone directory. e | cubic-inch piece of hardware — of your work. Tells you the time with a To order by phone : plugs into your Mac’s sound Offers you a print spooler sweep-hand analog clock. or for a dealer nearest you, 5 port and will dial all your that prints any text file while © Gives you instant on-line call (800) 255-8008 7 phone numbers a ee you run other programs. “Help” with one mouse click, in CA call (800) 742-1133 can install your Phonel Shows you an instant ie a few seconds, and take extra gatendar- by day, week, or Get both SideKick, The ' a H pleasure in the fact that it month—which you can also intosh Office aoe X CA and MAres. add sales tax $___ gp didn’t cost you anything print out PhoneLink for only $99.95 ‘Amount Enclosed i_g because it came free with Your Reminds you of important SideKick for the Mac is an Payment: VISA MC Bank Orat Check new SideKick. ve Por electronic leap that projects Credit Card Exp Date ! dates/times/appointments a Fi Pn you and your Mac into the What SideKick does for you —_ with a, “things-to-do” file. real world. But you're getting cod#{|Litititis a G Gives you a full-screen G Alerts you to engagements rch more than that. You're [Ltliittii Galnehand inion with aconvenientlarm © gering Sidekick, youre | sont AETDNOE Tre Processor that, lets you Jot ae getting PhoneLink, and you're down notes, create andedit © @ ‘Tells you what you're getting our legendary 6Oday gj files, and/or be used in. spending in telephone ‘Shipping Address: money-back guarantee.** SideKick is not copy- protected. It will clear your conjunction with programs charges by calculating the like MacWrite or MacPaint. cost of every call to whatever ci. B Provides you with a area, code or time zone. deak and do es for your Troe Zip: telecommunications program I Keeps you aware of roductivity—and do all that oo that sends and receives data. business and travel expenses. ae only aoe eed tues lhrusneate aa from any on-line network or rat, payable in US dalars drawn on @ US bank. YES, if within 60 days of purchase this product does not perform in accordance with our claims, nse flour customer service eparment and we wit BORLAND 22s" SCOTTS VALLEY, CA 95066 INTERNATIONAL — (408)438-8400 TELEX 172373 Ue bo ipron deka trea sd Phonelin of Briand Inemationa Ine Mo Macniah leona to Ape Compute, no Mace a radamar of Apple ‘ompuierIn.Maclme and ManPent are puted y Apple mur, Ie. Oopyrght 1986 Brand Iniemaonal 10824 Circle 381 on reader service card MACWORLD May 1986 92 " 100 | On the Cover Apple's long-awaited Hierarchical File Sys- 108 tem lets you nest files within files. See “Order out of Chaos,” page 92. Faster gu 114 Getting Started Order out of Chaos Danny Goodman A big plus with the new Macintosh: the Hierarchical File System blazes a trail toa civilized and flexible organization of files within folders. Také a guided tour with this.introduction. Review New Relations l Jim Heid Looking for a data manager that’s a good match for complex tasks? Consider three recent entries to the relational database field: Singular Software's Interlace, Eqtron’s MacBase, and Blyth Software's Omnis 3. Cutting Keystrokes Danny Goodman Affinity Microsystems’ Tempo delivers a printout—or performs about any other procedure~at the touch of a single key with macros, automated sequences of keystrokes and mouse moves. State of the Art Tools for Thinking Tom Meramaa and Daniel Farber The next wave of microcomputer development is software that puts into practice the principles of expert systems. Neuron Data’s Nexpert brings the technology to the Mac. 122 128 13 25 The Macintosh"Magazine Hands On Putting VideoWorks to Work > » Erfert Nielson Action speaks louder. Use Hayden a VideoWorks to move your audience with an animated business presentation. Community The Telecom Link Tom Moran Apple Computer talks to its dealers via AppleLink, a prototype of a truly user- friendly network that may soon reach the rest of us. Departments Personal Computer Games Come of Age David Bunnell Note Pad Dean Gengle Anetwork observer predicts that on- line services won't catch on with the public until the services become as easy to use as MacPaint. 31 Graphic Details: Notes froma Novice Publisher “ée “Steven Levy 41 Letters 63 _ Macworld View tware entrepreneurs in cahoots, a at thes ms to take the cramming out of . veterinary training, and other news Ba __ and notes for the Macintosh ™ ; aN nm Get Info — Lon Poole We Me ’s tutor answers questions Eby about alarms, labels, XY graphs in ee Excel, anew Imagewriter printing oddity, and i Macintosh concerns. 137 Macware Reviews ta =PC ca e. ‘Tangent Tech- n board puts the IBM. " cnspeaking ‘ms with Apple's e i a a you're “elton sing step-by-step pez tant helps you make 3 deci Ss ica Database data. Shop- ping for database power? See the com: parison table of six relational databases in “New Relations,” page 98. "= Fokker Triplane Flight Simulator Experience the thrill of a World War I dogfight as you fly the simulated skies. = Hard Disk Util This handy utility lets you run programs on a hard disk without inserting master disks, «Housekeeper Keep track of your possessions with an easy-to-use home inventory program, = Mouse Exchange BBS With a Mac, a modem, and Mouse Exchange, anyone can set up a bulletin board system. =4paint Prepare sketches for MacPaint drawings with 4paint’s grid, curved lines, and full-page layout. Open Window Edited by Jim Heid MACWORLD David Bunnell Publisher J. Kelley Younger Executive Editor Jerry Borrell Editor Jacqueline Poitier Associate Publisher, Artand Design Editorial Associate Editors: Daniel Farber, Adrian Mello Technical Editor: David Ushijima litorial Manager: Janet McCandless Senior Copy E Kathleen Christensen Copy Editors: Nancy E, Dunn, Joe Matazzoni iditorial Assistant: Heidi Mitchell Assistant to the Executive Editor: Gina Vanlue Editorial Secretar} Contributing Editors: Danny Goodman, Jim Hei Steven Levy, Gordon McComb, Lon Poole, Jeffrey S. Young n Drapiza Artand Design Art Director; Bruce Charonnat Designer: Dennis McLeod Associate Art Director: Christopher Burg Design Associates: Leslie Barton, Victoria Floyd Design Consultant: Spiegelman Design Associates, Inc. Production Director: Herbert Linden Senior Production Managers: Frances Mann, Lee R. Trevino Editorial Production Manager: Ellyn L. Hament Production Editor: James Felici Ad Traffic: Jayne Boyer Telecommunicators: Mark |, Duran, Susan M. Ford, Virginia Weir 4 May 1986 Display Advertising Supervisor: Georgia George Assistant: Otto Waldorf Research Associate Publisher/Director: Cheryl Woodard Manager: Gary L, Rocchio Research Analyst: Ralph Ames Assistant; Steven York Corporate Development Manager: Karen Wickre Special Projects: Jeffrey 8. Glines International: Karen Dowell Administrative Assistant: Gloria C. Sundin Marketing and Advertising Sales Associate Publisher/Director: James E, Martin Regional Advertising Manager! No. California (San Francisco), ‘Texas: Penny Rigby (415/861-3861) No. California (San Jose), Northwest: Patricia Navone (415/861-3861) Midwest: Jeff Edman (312/827-4477) ‘ast: Linda Holbrook (617/879-0700) Southeast: Judy Sutter (404/394-0758) Southern California/Southwest: Michela O'Connor (213/201-5900) Directory/Yo-Page Ads: Niki Stranz Advertising Services Manager: Ray Petsche Assistant to the Director. Loretta Giglione Circulation Director: Penny Ertelt Director Single-Copy Sales George Clark Subscription Manager: Gi Single-Copy Sales: Bill Cox Fulfillment Coordinator: Phil Semler Egbert Promotion Coordinator: Doug Norde Administration Director: Janet McGinnis Accounting; Pat Murphy Facilities: Joseph Wollenweber Personnel: Shelly Ginenthal Technical: Nancy Canning Assistant to the President: Christina W. Spence ad Corporate PC World Communications, Inc. David Bunnell Chairman Bartlett R. Rhoades President & CEO Herbert Linden Vice President James E, Martin Vice President Jacqueline Poitier Vice President Cheryl Woodard Vice President Andrew Fluegelman May 1986 Volume 3, Number 5 Macworld” (ISSN 0741-8647) is published monthly by PC World Communications, Inc, 555 Del San Francisco, CA 94107, Subscription r $50 for 24 issue Foreign onders must be prep axiditional postage. Add $6 per year from Canada and Mexicoyadd $12 per year for surface mail or $80 per year for airmail from all other countries. For for 12 issu andl $70 for 36 issues din US. Funels with subscriber service questions call toll free 800/525 (0643 (in Colorado 303/447-9330) o write Subscriber Services, RO, Box 54529, Boulder, CO 80322-4529, To place new orders, call 800/972-3100 {in Nebraska 402/895.7284), Second-class postage paid at San Francisco, POSTMASTER; Send address changes 10 Macworld, PO. Box 54529, Boukler, CO 80325-4529. Balitorial and business offices: 555 De Haro St, San Francisco, CA 94107, 415/861-3861 Macworld is.a publication of PC World ‘Communications, Ine Macworld isan independent journal, not affiliated in any way with Apple Computer, ine Apple isa registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Macintosh isa trademark licensed! to Apple Computer, Ine. The following are trademarks of PC World Communications, Ine: Note Pad, Macware Reviews, Open Window, Macworld Gallery, Macware News, Macworld View. Prined in the United States of America. Copyright ©1986 PC World Communications, inc. All rights reserved, READYSETGO: The 1-2-3 of Electronic Publishing. Spreadsheets revolutionized number crunching. READYSETGO is doing the same for electronic publishing. Its unique block design—a familiar spreadsheet concept—puts the power of professional document production where it belongs: at your desk. If you've ever produced a newsletter, brochure, ad or manual you'll appreciate the way READYSETGO reduces the tedium of document production— while saving you time and money. = 2a 1 Entering copy and graphics. After creating a text block, you enter copy using READYSETGO's built-in editor or by importing text from any Macintosh™ program, READYSETGO's powerful document editor makes text input a breeze. A self-contained desktop publisher, READYSETGO features a wide selection of professional typefaces, multiple font sizes and variable line spacing. And you may flow text over 40 page documents. READYSETGO handles graphics just as easily. Create a picture block and paste in any image from the Scrapbook or Clipboard. Advanced graphics editing allows you to scale and crop graphics to suit your document's layout. 2 Designing the document. READYSETGO does not restrict document design—you can change the appearance or contents of the page at any time. Block placement is flexible, yet can be specified very precisely. The ease of READYSETGO's what-if design style inspires creativity. But you don't have to be an art director to achieve remarkable results. Artistic decisions come to life instantly—and the screen displays exactly what you'll print out. READYSETGO is not cluttered by scroll bars, so you see more of your design. An exclusive new feature lets you scroll documents quickly—even diagonally. as 3 Printing. Once designed, you can print your document using the LaserWriter™, ImageWriter™, or any PostScript™ printer. For extra high resolution, READYSETGO documents can be produced on Allied’s Linotron® series typesetters. Now READYSETGO offers a professional solution for all your printing and publishing needs that’s as easy as 1-2-3. ‘Development Corp READYSETGO and The Uma Pape Proce A versatile document editor supports all your text and graphic needs; variable typefaces and fonts (on the same line), infinitely variable leading, multiple text columns, left and right justification, reverse- outs, tabs, hairline tules, boxes, shading, scaling, cropping, etc. Circle 2 on reader service card New! Specifications Version 2.1 Editor Typefaces: all Adobe fonts* Point Sizes: 1-99 Document Size: 1-40 pages Variable Tabs: 5 with full editing support" Indents: paragraph, left Scrolling: up, down, left, right, diagonally; by page or article/block” Text Flow: reflow, vacuum Line Spacing: 1, 1%, 2 or by any point size" Blocks Maximum: 100 (page); 1,000 (document)* Frame Styles: square, oval or circle Solid Block Shades: 4 Lines: solid, broken or hairlines ler insert, delete, duplicate, move or clear* Placement Accuracy: 1/10,000"* Graphics Scaling/Cropping: 1-999%* Print Preview: single page or facing pages: General Copy Protection: none* Output: LaserWriter, ImageWriter, Linotron 101/P or 300 or any PostScript device* System Requirements: 512K Macintosh, Macintosh Plus Price: $195.00 "Advanced feature | To order ReavySerGo call (212) 989-6442, or send a check for $200 (includes $5 shipping and handling) to: | Manhattan Graphics | 163 Varick Street l New York, NY 10013 i] Name | Company | Address I city a Stte______zp OMastercard OVisa CiCheck Charge card # Expiration date Signature (NY residents please add 8.25% sales tax) The Ultimate Page Processor. sdemark of Ad Comp ater and Imager ar teams if Apple Compo, Ine Macintosh 4 adematk emi wo Apple Computer. 1:28 x tdemaek of re rears of Manhattan Grapes Corp CckAet a eademark of TMsker Company OverVUE. Best Database of the Year. Choosing a database manager is no easy task. It's by far the most confusing and fiercely competitive field in Mac software. But now your buying decision is crystal clear, because the editors of MacUser and the readers of MACazine have both selected OverVUE as the Best Database of the Year. Said MacUser (Jan. 1986), in selecting OverVUE for its Editors Choice Award: “OverVUE 2.0 is a deceiving program in that the more you use it, the more you realize what it can do. Power, speed and logical menus make this a dream database.” When MACazine (Jan. 1986) bestowed OverVUE with its Readers’ Choice Award, they wrote: “We selected OverVUE because of its ease of use, clairvoyance and statistical capabilities. The fact that OverVUE was subsequently selected by our readers as Best Database simply confirms our original assessment: the product is a jewel and the customer support a bonus!” OverVUE's clean sweep of these two prestigious awards only confirms what everyone else has been saying all along: Infoworld (July 8, 1985): ‘:. .it is Macintosh software done right.” Icon Review (Fall 1985): “OverVUE 2.0 is our favorite database workhorse... . it simply offers the best balance of power and ease-of-use available on the market today.” Nibble Mac (Oct. 1985): “OverVUE is not only easy to set up, it’s the easiest for data entry. Its tools for entering repetitive data minimizes typing time." Online Today (electronic version — Nov. 1985): OverVUE 2.0 is a heavy-duty data management tool... It does all the things a good relational database manager should.” OverVUE's features and power make it the ultimate database choice. Clearly, users and editors alike think OverVUE is something special. We think you will, too. So visit your nearest software dealer and purchase your very own copy of OverVUE, the Best Database of the Year. Write for information concerning our new Mail Management and Personal Finance Templates. Be ProVUE Development cof. ~ 202 2and Street Huntingtel Beach, CA 92648-714/969-2431 Circle 77 on reader service card Macworld is a member of the CW Communications/Inc. group, the world’s largest publisher of com- puter-related information. The group publishes over 50 computer publications in more than 20 ma- jor countries. Nine million people read one or more of the group's publications each month. Mem- bers of the group include Argen- tina: Computerworld/Argentina; Asia: Asian Computerworld; Aus- : Computerworld Australia, Australian PC World, Macworld; Brazil: DataNews, PC Mundo; China: China Computerworld, China Computerworld Monthly; Denmark: Computerworld/Dan- mark, PC World, Run (Commo- dore); Finland: Mikro; France: Le Monde Informatique, Golden (Apple), OPC (IBM), Theoreme, Distributique; Germany: Com- puterwoche, Infowelt, PC Welt, Computer Business, Run; Italy: Computerworld Italia, PC Maga- zine; Japan: Computerworld Japan; Mexico: Computerworld/ Mexico; Netherlands: Computer- world Netherlands, PC World; Norway: Computerworld Norge, PC Mikrodata; Spain: Computer: world/Espana, PC World, Com- modore World; Sweden: Com- puterSweden, MikroDatorn, Svenska PC World; United King- dom: Computer News, PC Busi- ness World, Computer Busines Venezuela: Computerworld Vene. zuela; United States: Amiga World, Computerworld, inCider, InfoWorld, Macworld, Micro Marketworld, PC World, Run, 73 Magazine, 80 Micro, Focus Pub- lications, On Communications, ‘APUBUICATION OF ) © cw commarnacarions ) Maxell Corp. of America, 60 Oxford Drive, Moonachie, NJ 07074 maxell. FLOPPY DISKS * THE GOLD STANDARD. 66YOU GET MASS STORAGE. PLUS LIGHTNING SPEED » PLUS WORKING BACKUP PLUS BOOTABILITY PLUS RELIABILITY PLUS TRANSPORTABILITY, PLUS SECURITY PLUS EXPANDABILITY... “With its incredible speed, we're free to do other, more important things with our time.” “With identical copy backup, we're free from the hassles of restoring data to the disk drive when we need it. It's always available.” “With its unsurpassed reliability, we're free from worries about head crashes and lost data.” INTRODUCING THE EXPANDED, , MORE POWERFUL With its rugged, removable cartridges, we're free to work ina BERNOULLI BOK FAMILY: MOSSES 8 Se FOR THE MACINTOSH PLUG. Soe These are the things that satisfied users of The Bernoulli Box have been proclaiming for years. Now, with the changes Apple has built into the Macintosh Plus, The Bernoulli Box delivers add-on performance never before possible. Speed no other mass storage device—inside, beside or underneath— has ever achieved. Immediately usable, identical copy backup. Fast, simple booting. And unparalleled versatility. The cartridges store and ship easily. They can be locked up for security. And when you need to add capacity, you add i ee cannes not Bu Ls ‘unbeatable combination of pluses. ee ach a Bootability, Reliability. es sinned Security. ‘And expandability. For more information on how to your information, see your local dealer or call (800) 556-1234 ; at. oa in California, call (800) 441-2345 ext. 215. [-M=GA 1OMEGA CORPORATION, 1821 W. 4000 South, Roy, Utah 84067 Ask Your Dealer About The Free Data Double-Up. NEW BERNOULLI BOX" THE MACINTOSH PLUS. 77 Circle 171 on reader service card al il mysterious to me like you had yourself a female visitor Yast night, Perrg. Entertaining a new pee fow have’ rere pga a loose pile of junk nail 2 toothbrush: 2 flathead screuériver or go (lng vera) FRPiebs Lie sear soun contain! pocket fluff The vast yellow ships thunder across the sky, spreading waves of terror and janic in their wake, The voice of the Vogon Captain slans across the country, Hinsistine that the planmine charts and denolition orders have been available at THE ST COMPUTER LINE FROM ATARI. IT'S ALREADY KNOWN BY THE COMPANY IT KEEPS. It’s only natural that the hottest new computers in America are attracting the hottest software companies in the business. The library of innovative business, education, entertainment, system manage- ment, and integrated package software for the 520ST™ and the new 1040ST™ is already impressive, with literally dozens of new programs being introduced almost every week. In fact, the software companies who are committing their time, money, and expertise to the ST are the same com- panies who regularly show up on all the software hit lists. And it’s no wonder that the leading software developers are excited by the power and speed of the ST Computers. Stoneware®, for example, checked out the speed of the ST Disk Drive in data base applications and flipped. Instead of having to wait forever to manipulate data, thousands of records can be sorted in a fraction of the time that it takes on other computers. And instant responsiveness is the name of the game, not waiting. Sierra On-Line®, on the other hand, took one look at our incredible high speed, high resolution graphics and was ecstatic. The result is a whole series of games that are more realistic and lifelike than ever before. For their needs, Activision® focused on the built-in MIDI ports for attaching syn- thesizers and other musical instruments. This enabled them to design the ultimate program for playing and composing music. The list goes on and on. But a designer for Spinnaker® perhaps summed up the capabilities of the 520ST and the new 1040ST best: “T feel like a painter,” he said, “who at last has a canvas large enough to let my creativity run free.” So if you're looking for a computer system that combines the very best in software with the very best in hardware at the very best price . . . you're looking for an ST from Atari. A ATARI Circle 370 on reader service card It’s alive! Next, there’s expandability. The Three to One Touch Board makes an additional 384 K of ROM space available to you. Look for popular software packages, resident in ROM, available from he Human Touch comes to Macintosh.” It's called the Three to One Touch Board,™ and in the ten minutes it takes your dealer to install it, the Three to One Touch Board will revolu- tionize your Apple Macintosh. Start with Speed. By increasing the Macintosh’s 8 Mhz. process- ing speed to 12.5 Mhz., the Three to One Touch Board more than doubles your processing speed. This means that you will now be able to load and operate up to eight programs using Apple's Switcher™ in a fraction of the time it would otherwise take. On to Memory. Through the addition of 1.5 megabytes of RAM, the Three to One Touch Board actually quadruples your Macintosh’s workload capability. The Three to One Touch Board works just as well with your 128 K or 512 K Macintosh. By making all data storage contiguous, your computer works a whole lot harder because it works a whole lot more of the time. Human Touch shortly.” Also, the Three to One Touch Board contains expansion capabilities that allow access to the micro- processor bus. The card cage and case adaptor will be available from Human Touch soon. Don't forget ease of installation. The Three to One Touch Board opens the Macintosh architecture without the need to solder, wire, or alter the inside of your Macintosh in any way. Tell your dealer to give u: | for further information. Finally, there's action. This is the only part of the Three to One Touch Board program we've left up to you. Get on board . . . when it comes to your Macintosh, the Three to One Touch Board gives a whole new meaning to being alive. One TOUCH” BOARD 4 ace Human Touch Computer Products Corporation * 401 Rt. 70 East * Suite 200 * Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 * 609-429-6300 * Software Developer: Please contact Human Touch Computer Products if you would like to participate. Macintosh isa trademark licensed to Apple Computer, Ine Switcher is.a trademark of Apple Computer; Inc Circle 434 on reader service card David Bunnell Personal Computer Games Come of Age Anew genre of computer play mimics the real world, exercising the mind and not just the mouse Ultimately, computer games will change the way we think about thinking. Conventional wisdom in the personal com- puter industry says that the potential of home computers will not be realized until some truly practical and desirable applica- tion comes along. Electronic shopping and control of household appliances are often cited as the breakthroughs that will some- day send hordes of new customers to the computer stores, But I believe that it will be entertain- ment, not utility, that makes the home com- puter a standard household item. I'm not referring to multitasking, RAM-resi ities, networking, ar- icial intelligence, databases, or even cur- sor keys that glow in the dark. No, I'm thinking about something that happens to have many more implications for humanity's mental health: computer games. In the final analysis, computer games will prove to be the deciding factor that puts computers in every home. Fun—not functionality—will be the key. Ultimately, computer games will change not only the way we view the world—they will also change the way we think about thinking. How is that possible? First of all, I'm not referring to the goofy track ‘em, eat ‘em, shoot ‘em up games played by the game pioneers of olden days. We've come a long way since then. Most early games, you may recall, grew out of video games—or, to be precise, out of the mainframe computer game called Adventure. In Adventure you traveled along a branching path, looking left and right, and made decisions about which direction to take. You also had to pick up certain ob- jects along the way, such as a lantern and a knife. Eventually, you crossed a stream and came to a cave. Waiting inside the cave was a dragon you could slay only if you managed to light the lantern and grasp the knife. Adventure was the great-granddaddy of today’s interactive adventure games f personal computers. Computer games that originated from video games like Donkey Kong, Pong, and Breakout largely tested your reflexes and your hand-eye coordination. One thing computer games didn’t do was tax your brain. They were variations on a theme, and after you played them for a while, they became boring. Because these games were so dull and repetitive, most computer magazines and computer enthusiasts wrote them off as ju- james weren't seen as particularly meaningful. Until now. With personal computers that are more powerful and have more memory, computer games have changed dramat- ically, They are becoming exercises for the mind. I heard about this notion from Trip Hawkins, president of Electronic Arts, a company that specializes in home com- puter games. ‘Trip spoke at a computer con- ference recently about the brain’s Use It or Lose It syndrome. He made the interesting observation that from the seventies on, physical exercise has been an important part of people's lives. More and more people today jog, swim, use Nautilus equipment, and engage in various other physical activities. (continues on page 16) Macworld = 13 Only the Hayes Transet 1000 can get you out of this one. | MEED MARKETING DESPERATELY PLAAI OAM! - ay SY gee ut 7 Now your PC can do three things at once instead of making you wait while it does one thing at once. We call it triple tasking It means you can work with your PC while the Transet 1000 receives your electronic mail and runs your printer for you simultaneously. Three jobs at once. No waiting. When you're away from your desk, or at night while your PC is turned off, Transet 1000 serves as an electronic mailbox. Because it has its own indepen- dent 128K or 512K memory. To get the messages that come in through the night, you can call them up on your PC. Access them through a remote modem if you’re away from the office. (©1986 Hayes Microcomputer Products. Ine Or even have them waiting for that Transet 1000 can make your you in hard copy. : By now it’s dawning on you tive as it is now. Which is no PC about three times as produc- small statement. You've also figured out it’s more than just a print buffer. More than just a communica- tions buffer. And probably costs alot. Right? Wrong! It costs only $399* for the 128K model which stores up to 90 pages. And only $549* for the 512K version with up to 360 pages of storage. For more information and specifications, contact your authorized Hayes dealer, Or Hayes directly at (404) 441-1617. Hayes Microcomputer Prod- Say yes to the future with Hayes. ucts, Inc., P.O. Box 105203, *Manufaceurereentineted reall peice Atlanta, Georgia 30348. Circle 257 on reader service card Meet The Perfect Companion For Dinner At Eight: ~ w SILVER PALATE CO-L LECT LON If you enjoyed browsing through recipes from America Seam finest restaurants, you'll love spending time with The Silver Palate Collection, cor from the renowned Silver Palate Cookbook® by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, This e Program c everyday meal into a deliciously memorable occasion as y speedsearch recipes from either collection, combine shop, lists, and coordinate cooking times for everyihing from a single serving to an claborate feast Now both programs are available in a spec from Rubicon Publishing. Call today for the For more information, call 1-800-MAC. 6300 LaCalma Drive, Suite 100, Austin, Texas 78 The Silver Palate Collection isa trademark of Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins licensed to Rubicon Publishing. Dinner at Eight ia trademark of Rubicon Publishing "The Silver Palate Cookbook copyright 1982 by Julce Rosso and Sheila Lukins. RUBICO PU Bl ToS NG: David Bunnell (continued from page 13) But so far we're exercising just the body and ignoring the mind. Trip believes that soon we'll discover it's equally important to exercise our gray matter. With practice, we'll be sharper mentally, have a better memory, and in general prolong our intellectual alertness as well as delay the mental effects of aging. What health food is to the body, com- puter game software will be to the mind. In fact, personal computer games could be the most engaging and beneficial form of mind exercise. ‘Today, some people do the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle, and some people play chess. These are mental exercises, of course. But the computer gives us the potential to enjoy a much greater variety of mental exercises with far more applications. I've recently found two examples of games that flex the brain. There are many others, and there will be many more in the future, but both these games are excellent tools for developing awareness. They are also extremely educational. One is Mindscape's Balance of Power for the Macintosh, and the other is Reality Development's Business Simulator for the TBM PC. 1 think that the theme of Business Simulator reflects the fact that the IBM PC is a business-oriented machine for the cor- porate world, while the global quality of Balance of Power is more in line with the attitudes represented by Apple's Macintosh. With Business Simulator you start your own company. You're in the robotics industry, you have $500,000 in seed money and access to robotics technology—and you're competing against Apple, Hewlett- Packard, Tandy, and ‘Texas Instruments. As you play the game, you need to make all kinds of choices—like what your prices should be, how many units you should build up in inventory, and how much you should spend on advertising, After you've made the choices, you run the program. It goes through an entire year’s projections. Depending on your choices and the preprogrammed decisions of the other companies, the program determines your market share and how successful you'll be. The game becomes more complex as you go from one level to another. For ex- ample, on a higher level you have to intro- duce new products into the market. There’s a pet robot, then a security robot, a home robot, and other consumer prod- ucts. You must decide how much money to spend on R&D, You're concerned about re- turn on equity, about raising venture cap- ital and building new factories. And you have to decide when to go public. It’s really like a Harvard MBA course ona disk, Of course, the game is not real life, but you do learn many valuable concepts about doing business. As I became more involved in playing it, | began to dream at night about what kind of robots I was plan- ning to build and what my fictional com- pany was doing. In fact, the game became so consum- ing that I spent more free time thinking about Business Simulator than | did about my real job at PC World Communications. In Balance of Power, you find your- self playing the role of the United States or the Soviet Union. The purpose is to create a global strategy. The impact of your moves can put the whole world in jeopardy, es- pecially since you could easily cause a nu- clear conflagration. (continues on page 18) NEON: TURN ON THE FULL POWER OF YOUR MACINTOSH. THIS MESSAGE IS FOR BEGINNING PROGRAMMERS, TOO! Hidden within your Mac is the programming power, flexibility, and speed to match your imagination. Neon is your key to this object-oriented world. Based on the same design philosophy as the Mac itself, Neon lets you create and command objects — program modules that you build, perfect, and add to your personal collection of tools. In this Smalltalk-like environment, you wield the power to quickly assemble and test ideas, tuning as you go for maximum speed and efficiency. [1 Neon now includes full floating point support. An integrated Neon A: sembler is also available as an add-on product. (1 Neon is easy to work with and comes with a comprehensive manual by Danny Goodman. o Created by Kriya Systems, Inc. for the development of our Typing Tutor III™ program, Neon is your answer for professional software development. With Neon, there are no licensing fees. Ever. For the Macintosh developer, Neon is the best choice. Tochoose, call 1-800-34-KRIYA (In Virginia, 703-430-8800) with Visa/MC. Or Write Kriya Systems, Inc., Six Export Drive, Sterling, VA 22170. Neon, $195; Neon Assembler, $50. Add $5 shipping for each. [Neon and Typing Tutor Il are trademarks of Kriya Systems, Inc. Apple Macintosh isa trademark of Apple Computers, inc 16 May1986 Circle 246 on reader service card PageMaker™, the remarkable page layout software program, brings the capability of a dedi- cated publishing system to the personal computer for the first time. You can now produce high- quality business communications such as newsletters, data sheets and price lists in your own office. Combining PageMaker with a Macintosh Computer and Laser- ‘PageMaker is a trademark of Aldus Corporation, traditional way.” he says, feed @ statt of tive or six. PageMaker ‘me one oF two hours to do what ‘would normally take four orfive times as tong.” Writer creates a powerful desktop publishing system. It so substan- tially reduces the time and money you spend on publications, the system pays for itself in less than one year. PageMaker eliminates the need to spec, order, wait and pay for type, illustrations and photostats. It gives you the ability to prepare and print your publications within hours rather than days or weeks. It’s time you met your PageMaker. For more informa- tion, contact Aldus Corporation at 1-800-824-4000, ext. 674. LugeMaker Aldus Corporation 616 First Avenue, Suite 400 Seattle, Washington 98104 Apple® is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Macintosh TM is a trademark licensed to Apple Computer, Inc. ©1985, Aldus Corporation Circle 306 on reader service card David Bunnell (continued from page 16) Just as with Business Simulator, you become completely involved, so when you accidentally blow up the world, you actu- ally feel depressed. As a consequence, you are deter- mined to be more careful when you start up a new game. You come to appreciate the implications of each action, and you learn some of the complexities of international diplomacy. The game has four levels— Beginner, Intermediate, Expert, and finally, Nightmare. As you play, you make decisions about whether you should support the use of force in a particular country or attempt a coup d’état and assume leadership. If so, how will the other superpower respond to your moves? What are the implications? A decision that is a good strategy in one case might prove to be disastrous in another. The goal of the game is to gain more prestige than your rival without blow- ing up the world. These two games are examples of how the computer game has come of age. I think that all computer users will pay more attention to games from now on. pec vee Cyrillic R CAl To Onder NORMA And I predict that games will usher in anew era of fitness aimed at developing and strengthening the mind—firming up gray matter that has become flabby from lack of strategic exercise. There could be all kinds of Business Simulators. In fact, just as the early puter game Adventure came to us from the mainframe world, today’s genre of so- called reality software is also taken from mainframe computing, For some time now, programmers have been developing business simulations on mainframes for specific companies like IBM and AT&T. So, for example, instead of playing with a robotics company, I could have a magazine publishing company. I could program my personal computer with all the characteristics of different computer magazines, and in doing so I would be creating a real-life simulation of my own business. Eventually anyone could have a custom-designed simulation. This is where computer games are heading. As personal computers continue to gain memory and horsepower, you'll see more levels of simulation that truly relate to your life—both personally and professionally. It's been a long ume coming, but com- puter games are no longer going to be con- L(6 sidered an unimportant by-product of com- puter technology—just something for kids to do when they want to vegetate electronically. The games are going to be much more serious than that. Two or three years from now, computer games will be #he thing. When you add CD ROM technology to computer games, they're going to break through all kinds of mental barriers. That breakthrough will herald the golden age of computing, the information renaissance. Just think about it. Radio, television, stereo—all these major advances in human communications met popular acceptance through the entertainment world. It’s always entertainment first, educa- tion second. And with this new generation of com- puter games, we will see the distinction between entertainment and education dis- appear completely. They will become one and the same. 0 A mistake in the April column rewrote Philippe Kabn’s life story; actually be never worked at Xerox. TimeWand'- Keeping track of time... wiatieR PAAR ae. mo OO oe oe Tarra Edit Scan Data | nee The Videx Time Wand™ js an intelligent yet inexpensive bar code system for your business needs. Small enough to fit easily into a shirt pocket and weighing in at less than two ounces, TimeWand gives a new dimension to the concept of fully portable bar code readers. Versatility is the hallmark of the TimeWand system. With its built-in microprocessor, TimeWand puts the power of a computer into the palm of your hand. Power that lets you actually change how TimeWand works. Whether you want to read different types of bar codes or program the wand to read bar codes in a certain order, TimeWand can accommodate your needs. Available in three different memory configurations, TimeWand can store from 2,000 to 16,000 characters in its internal memory. This means you can hold from a few hundred to a few thousand bar codes in the TimeWand before transferring the information to a host computer system. TimeWand time-stamps each bar code as it’s read. This lets you know not only what the bar code says, but when the code was read. MMM ©6Six easy steps to time management! _iililillill The TimeWand’s recharging/download station uses a standard RS232C serial connector that allows you to communicate with the wand through a variety of host computer systems. Since the communication is keyless, the scan information is sent quickly and error free. Currently, software packages are available for the IBM PC (and compatibles), Apple //, and Apple Macintosh personal computers. Put the power of TimeWand in your own hands... and let it work for you. TimeWand (2K version) - $198 Recharger - $149 TimeWand Manager Software (Macintosh) - $499 TimeWand Communications Software (IBM) - $299 1105 N.E. Circle Bivd., Corvallis, OR 97330 503-758-0521 Videx is a registered trademark and TimeWand is a trademark of Videx, Inc. Circle 383 on reader service card Microsoft Excel. For those whc You may speak more softly now. formidable spreadsheet ever to run on a For we are delivering into the hands of __ personal computer. business, a very big stick. A spreadsheet which is in turn linked Microsoft* Excel for the Macintosh*A with anextraordinary graphics program and financial analysis tool of unprecedented —_a highly capable data filing application. power. These already consider- First and foremost able powers are magnified Microsoft Excel geometrically by Macros. is the most Which give Microsoft Excel yppreciate the uses of power. the capacity to learn your most complex stration of the powers of Microsoft Excel. routines. And activate them with a single In the right hands, a potent weapon, keystroke. indeed, in the cause of commerce. Yet for all its ability, Microsoft Excel is We trust you will use it responsibly. simple to learn, simple to use. No complex commands to memorize. No classes to take. The only thing complicated about ° Microsoft Excel is the problems it can solve. Microsoft Excel See your Microsoft dealer for a demon- The rest are history. You can upgrade to Microsoft Excel from Microsoft Multiplan® (Macintosh version) for a suggested retail price of just $200. See any participating Microsoft dealer. For the name of the nearest one, call (800) 426-9400. In Washington State and Alaska, (206) 882-8088. In Canada, call (416) 673-7638. ‘The upgrade offer is good only in the United States and expires on 8/31/86. The good news is that virtually all of you who follow these things know that Microsoft® Word is by far the most capable word processor you can run on a Macintosh” The too bad news is that some of you think that means you're not qualified for Word. Well, you don’t need to be writing a novel to appreciate the way Word accelerates all the repetitive activities of word processing. In fact, if you've ever needed to combine information from old files in a new one, or if you've ever had to shut down one file just to look at another—then you're ripe for Word Leave the windows open. For people who've gotten used to the i tedium of closing one job before they P could open the next, Word's windows 2 are a real eye-opener. 1 Because this feature—an exclusive, [ate we must add—lets you display four Dont be overwhelmec different Word documents on screen at one time. And leap rapidly from one to another, cutting and pasting among them. A real time saver, even if you're only composing a memo. If, say, you needed to combine material from your three previous memos into a fourth new one. The training wheels aren’t welded on. Some things are best done with mouse and menus. But once you've worked with a Macintosh for a while, you'll want the option to run commands from the keyboard as well. A faster way to order up everything from opening and closing files and starting a new file, to printing and saving, to changing font styles or page formats. It's an option only Word gives you. Avoid the risk of repeating yourself. For everyone who hates to type the same thing twice, the Glossary alone has been enough to convert them to Word. In the Glossary you can store letterheads, standard disclaimers, the party line. Or dy superiority, mumbo jumbo. All can be instantly retrieved with a keystroke. At the bottom of this ad you'll find trademark info and other legal niceties. Perfect examples of things to keep in your Glossary. Word won't hold you back. If you need to do professional quality word processing on the Macintosh, we're pleased to say your choices are limited. To Microsoft Word. A monopoly you will not mind. Because Word gives you every- thing your literate heart could desire. Noteworthy being unlimited manuscript length. Just keep writing 'till your disk runs out. Then put in another disk. Word also runs the most popular letter quality printers. As well as the Apple® LaserWriter. For astonishing results. In fact, you can astonish everyone you've ever known with Word's exclusive mail merge feature. Which lets you match form letters with address lists. Putting mass mailing in the reach of anyone who seeks a vast audience. THE NEW You'll pick up Word fast. We were smart enough to make Word supremely capable. We weren't going to be dumb and make it hard As the designers of more Macintosh applications than anyone else, we give Word the benefit of our unmatched experience. Along with a very comprehensive on-line Help feature. Making Word a very quick study. And if you should ever have a question you can’t work out on your own, our telephone support people will walk you through it. So before you process another paragraph, test scribe the program from Microsoft. And never be at a loss for Word. Microsoft Word The High Performance Software™ For the name of your nearest Microsoft dealer, call (800) 426-9400. In Washington State and Alaska, (206) 882-8088. In Canada, call (416) 6737638. Free Memory TheMax2.., for 128K and 512K TheMax2. With three times more added memory than you get from Apple for about the same price, it’s like getting memory free. Installation is so easy you can do it yourself. * Get contiguous memory without changing ROMs. With 15 Mb contiguous, youre free to handle all your favorite software, even Switcher and Excel. + Add the new Apple ROMs when youre ready, for 2 Mb of con- tiguous memory, without boot software. ¢ Plug in the new megabit chips for 4Mb that can handle even the largest programs. * Recover easily if you crash— MaxRAM saves your RAM disk intact to get you going again fast. * Get MaxRAM and MaxPrint free—you'll have more free time. Circle 337 on reader service card Free Time for all Macintosh users Introducing MaxRAM™ and MaxPrint™ two productivity tools that are so useful we include them free with every Max expansion product. Now, whether you have a 512K, ex- panded mem- ory, or hard disk system, you can have them, too. MaxRAM auto- matically creates an adjustable RAM disk at boot that runs 10 times faster than a floppy disk. Best of all, it auto- loads as easily as putting files into a folder, both from hard disks and from multiple floppies. MaxPrint— the desk accessory that lets you keep on working while you print—even lets you change files and applications. And it spools both text and graphics easily Use it with expanded memory or hard disk systems — the perfect companion for Apple's HD20. Now, with MaxRAM and MaxPrint, your only problem will be deciding what to do with your free time. Home Free Just ask. We'll send you the product of your choice to try for 15 days — free. If all that speed and efficiency isn’t right for you, feel free to return your order for a full refund. Want more information? In California, call (408) 773-9922. Outside California, call (800) 862-2636 TheMaxPlus.. for the Macintosh Plus TheMaxPlus turns your Mac- intosh Plus into a2 Mb power- house of memory— modular memory to expand with your growing memory needs. * Install it yourself in minutes. Just plug TheMaxPlus into the Macintosh expansions slots provided by Apple. * Have more memory free for handling your largest applica- tions —2 Mb of linear, contiguous memory that doesn’t require boot software or ROM modifications. * Feel free to expand—our modular design lets you plug in a full 4Mb when you need it, and be ready for other MacMemory plug-in products as well. * Get more free time— free MaxRAM and MaxPrint software let you work 10 times faster than with a floppy— even work and print at the same time. Now you can use your time to do more than just wait. MacMemory Inc. 473 Macara Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94086 (800) 8-MAC-MEM (408) 773-9922 Apple is a trademark of and Macintosh is a trademark licensed to Apple Computer Inc. TheMax. MaxRAM and MaxPrint are trademarks of MacMemorv Inc. Note Pad: Dean Gengle Network Static Until information services are as easy to use as MacPaint, the people who use them will remain a minority. In spite of these caveats, I still recommend having a modem. In personal computing the term networks refers to the various aspects of telecom- munications. Networks are touted in full- spread ads in computer magazines, on mo- dem packages, and in books and breathless articles about the emerging network na- tion. Networks include information ser- vices, common carriers that link personal computers to those utilities, small-scale bulletin boards, conferencing systems, vid- eotex and teletext systems, and, of course, local area networks in the office. None of these networks lives up to the hyperbolic promises of the last few years. The promises have come mostly from two camps: people whose business is directly related to networks and telecommunica- tions enthusiasts who are to networks what hobbyists were to the first personal com- puters—brothers and sisters, under the skin, to CBers and stamp collectors. In real terms, networks are not yet ready for most people because of unfriendly user inter- faces, an unfavorable cost-to-benefit ratio, the lack of hardware and software stan- dards, and the specter of electronic junk mail. Despite the great number of how-to books about information services, con- necting a personal computer—even the otherwise easy-to-use Macintosh—to infor- mation services such as The Source or CompuServe is still time-consuming and frustrating for a beginner. Despite on-line help, tutorials, seminars, and one-to-one in- struction sessions, even long-time users have their costly on-line time gobbled up by discovering through trial and error un- announced changes in a system's user in- terface, command set, or communications protocols. On-line services will not catch on with the general public until they are as easy to use as MacPaint. Taken together, all the benefits of sub- scribing to an information service may jus tify the costs of a subscription and connect time. But most businesses and individuals do not need instant access to the whole gamut of on-line offerings, from teleshop- ping and airline schedules to stock market quotes and general news. The information demands of businesses and individuals are highly specific, vary with time, and can often be met more cost-effectively through alternative—and less expensive—sources, such as the public library. There will be no mass market for general information services until the cost of the services ap- proaches the average cost of subscribing to a magazine ora newsletter. The information services’ scattershot approach negates a major advantage of microcomputer technology: the ability to narrowcast information. Although spe- cialized services such as Newsnet and Dow Jones News/Retrieval cost more than gen- eral-information services, they are the best buys for businesses that need timely information. No Standards and Too Much Mail Without hardware and software stan- dards in telecommunications, network de- signers are caught in a bind. Because the existing base of users includes a variety of terminals and personal computers, the search for the least common denominator (and the least cost) prevents each network from taking full advantage of the state of the art. Making telecommunications seem easy and intuitive through the still-evolv- ing Macintosh interface takes a lot of hard work and cold cash—more than the infor- (continues on page 29) Macworld 25 OMNIS 3 is designed as the one database you will ever need to buy — whether you want a simple file manager or a complete business information system. As your database requirements increase, you can take advantage of OMNIS 3’s powerful, mouse-driven programming language to customize applications in record time. And as no other database, OMNIS 3 will grow with your needs. “OMNIS 3 is an ideal means to develop customized applications for Macintosh. It is a powerful development tool that provides multi-user solutions for vertical markets.” Guy Kawasaki, Manager, Software Product Management, Apple Computer. “Multi-user capability; microcoding with the mouse; automatic syntax; your own pull down menus and on-screen button commands...no wonder we're developing custom software in a fraction of the time it used to take with Assembler, Cobol, and the rest.” Dr. Michael Sanders, The Program Workshop, Washington, D.C. “As a straight database, OMNIS 3 functions faster than anything else around.” Dr. Felix Evangilist, The Computer Room, Charlotte. Circle 38 on reader service card For the name of your nearest dealer (415) 571-0222 OMNIS 35. ) call: Macintosh is a trademark of McIntosh Laboratory, Inc., licensed to Apple Computer, and is used with expressed permission of its owner, Circle 21 on reader service card LOOK WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU! Now more than ever, there's more for you when you buy BASF Qualimetric™ FlexyDisks’ There’s a special two-part game ticket that not only gives you 100 chances to win an Apple” lic Computer in our Apple-a-Day Sweepstakes, but is also an excit- ing scratch-off game with 14,110 chances to instantly win cash prizes up to $1,000. What else is in it for you? Only the best...the BASF FlexyDisk, certified 100% error-free and warranted forever. See your BASF dealer today and look for the specially-marked boxes of 5.25” and 3.5” BASF FlexyDisks. i) BASF Note Pad (continued from page 25) mation services can afford. Therefore, be- fore a mass market for on-line information can emerge, telecommunications tech- nology must reach an evolutionary plateau, which probably won't happen until early in the next century. One of the most oversold capabilities offered by information services is elec- tronic mail, or E-mail. E-mail can’t replace all functions of regular mail. Most busi- nesses would not finalize a contract, for ex. ample, using E-mail. They would rather de pend on hard copy, face-to-face meetings, and overnight delivery services. In my experience many more people make demands on my time through E-mail than through regular mail if 1 let them: Junk mail in a post office box is bad enough. Junk messages in an E-mail box are more frustrating because I have to pay for connect time to read sales pitches for information or services | am not interested in and can't afford. Besides, people who intend to communicate with one another electronically must be connected to a net work, preferably the same one. Clearly, to popularize E-mail, network designers must develop a system for val- idating contracts that is as ical, and secure as mailing a letter. -n with these caveats, I still recom mend getting a modem. The future of tele- communications is wide open, The advent of embedded artificial intelligence features in networks will help filter out junk E-mail. Encryption-decryption systems will pro. vide complete privacy for electronic corre- spondence. On the other hand, compact disk storage devices will make encyclo- pedic databases as cheap as paperback books and will further undercut the ap: peal of information services as they're cur rently structured. These services, in turn, will respond to the objections stated here and to the twin drives of the marketplace and technology. This response should in- clude a few pleasant surprises for those of us who've been spoiled by the Mac and frustrated by the tangled web the networks weave. asy, Econom: Dean Gengle is the author of The Net- weaver’s Sourcebook (Addison-Wesley, 1984) and a telecommunications con- sultant with the CommuniTree Group in San Francisco. (1 Macworld 29 Legal Billing, Professional Time Billing and Bulk Mailer are avail- able at your dealer or from Satori Software. SULT WARE Satori Software 2815 Second Avenue, Suit Seattle, WA 96121 Mastercard American Express Steven Levy Graphic Details: Notes from a Novice Publisher Hard copy about the desktop publishing craze I once spent a brief internship at a small newspaper in central Pennsylvania. As it happened, that season was a cathartic time in the newspaper's long history: the pro- duction process was changing from Lino- type to offset printing. This meant that the highly skilled handlers of hot type—those who operated the machines that ham- mered the lettering into the heated metal and who then, with the lead barely cooled, dealt the type into columns with all the deftness of Vegas blackjack dealers—were rendered obsolete. Since they had been guaranteed job security, their new job was moving around the columns of “camera- ready type”—already-printed text and headlines—and pasting them on page forms that would be photographed for printing. It was embarrassingly less time- consuming and immeasurably less macho. After all, standing around a layout board is not exactly beer-commercial material. Yet, the men and women swallowed their pride and did it. The new process greatly lowered the cost of publishing and made possible a lot of otherwise marginal ventures. If you were to look back and compare what was lost (a culture of Linotype masters whose art form was present in every well-crafted page of type) to what was gained, you would have to conclude that the change was for the better. Indeed, it is unimagin- able to consider any periodical today choosing to use the old style of produc- tion, unless it wanted to present itself as a sort of living museum. Desktop Publishing As significant as that change was, we are in the opening stages of something even more cataclysmic: the desktop pub- lishing phenomenon. This is a revolution fueled by the convergence of three tools: personal computers, printers that displace typesetters (most notably Apple’s Laser- Writer), and page-makeup software capa- ble of transforming computer documents into a format that looks, well... . published. The idea is to eliminate the type shop en- tirely; one person equipped with less than $10,000 worth of technology can now churn out something that looks typeset. ‘This can result in severe cognitive jolt. For when we view a document that looks “professionally” printed, our assumption is that a certain amount of production time and money went into it. We react to it dif- ferently than we do to something created in the familiar, typewriter-style manuscript form. We actually read it differently. In this Stone Age of the desktop publishing phe- nomenon, these are relatively subtle con- siderations. But as the trend continues, people will have to consider the conse- quences of using a technology previously available only to craftspeople. Some of these considerations became apparent to me only when I attempted my own venture into the world of desktop publishing. As a service to an organization of computer writers I belong to, I volun- teered to put together a newsletter. In pre- vious times, standard typewritten output might have sufficed, but a collection of journalists supposedly in touch with the cutting edge of computerdom would look pretty silly with such a low-tech effort. So it was a foregone conclusion that the Com- puter Press Association newsletter would be not only written but also laid out on a Macintosh, and printed on a LaserWriter. (continues on page 32) Macworld = 31 Invest in Your Personal Success The Investor is a full-featured portfolio management system created exclusively for the Macintosh. The Investor gives you control over your financial holdings, allowing you to participate in the rousing bull market with confidence. Versatile Attain maximum performance with minimum effort. The Investor is easy to use, flexible and fast. A valuable aid for decision-making and tax preparation, it produces over a dozen reports and graphs to record the performance of your portfolios. “hee a ene puguane The Investor is the only portfolio management program designed from the ground up for the Macintosh. The program uses icons, windows, dialog boxes and pull-down menus already familiar to you. See your dealer for a demonstration, or order The Investor directly from us. Our 15-day, money-back guarantee ensures your satisfaction. VISA and MasterCard welcome. THE INVESTOR $150.00 Programs for Professional People INC. P3, INC. — (316) 686-2000 949 Parklane Center — Wichita, KS 67218 Circle 492 on reader service card 32-33 May 1986 Steven Levy (continued from page 31) The Mac, of course, is the machine on which the craze is centered, It is not the only machine that works with the Laser- Writer, but it does have the best software for the task. MacPublishing The software everyone is talking about is a $495 program called PageMaker, but before jumping into that, I thought it would be a good idea to try a more modestly priced package—Boston Soft- ware’s $99.95 MacPublisher. Boston Soft- ware’s $149.95 MacPublisher II, which has several enhancements to the original pro- gram, including the ability to open word processing or graphics files directly, a tele- communications facility, and automatic text flow, was not available at the time I created the newsletter. I might also have tried Man- hattan Graphics’ $125 ReadySetGo 2.0, which offers a range of features similar to the other programs’ MacPublisher works by putting a dummy page on the screen. The theory is that you can lay out stories, pictures, and headlines just as if you were pasting up a physical page. It’s a logical tack, but in prac- tice it can get somewhat unwieldy. The problem is that every item you lay down on the page has to be in a particular format. You need a separate file for every story, headline, picture, and “continued on page 2." These files add up; I have never messed up my Macintosh desktop quite as thor- oughly as I did after an hour of usi Publisher. The manual sugg duce clutter by storing the files i but you can't avoid the problem entirely— MacPublisher doesn't print unless the files are open. This is like a printing company refusing to accept the finished boards un- less the original typed manuscript pages are also provided. Ittook me a little time to get used to the way the cursor kept changing from a little arrow to a tiny pair of scissors (which you use to move stories around and cut text to size), and I never did get the hang of using the transparent ruler, which is sup- posed to size stories and pictures on the page. But eventually I was able to lay out my first page. It took longer than expected, because I frequently had to shut down MacPublisher to create a graphic in Mac- Paint, look something up in MacWrite, get a file | downloaded from MacTerminal, or swipe a piece of clip art from a Simon & Schuster program called The Mac Art De- partment. The notorious Disk Swapper Sore Wrist syndrome began to set in. My difficulties were more a hardware problem than a flaw in MacPublisher, how- ever. Using the software would be much easier with a hard disk for storing the ap- plications and files. In my own case, poor planning aggravated the problem: if | had created everything I wanted to go in the newsletter beforehand and used the Scrap- book, I wouldn't have had to do so much switching. But then, the whole point of desktop publishing is interactivity—the freedom to move things around on the page and, if there’s a hole that needs a pic- ture, to instantly whip up something to put in the hole. That problem aside, MacPublisher proved itself capable of doing the job I set out to do and allowed me a good time while doing it. | was creating headlines, moving pictures over from MacPaint, and laying out articles—all without my hands getting sticky with rubber cement or hot wax. PageMaking Things got even better when I moved to PageMaker, the Cadillac of desktop pub- lishing software, The limitations of Mac- Publisher had particularly primed me for the virtues of PageMaker. More intuitive commands handle text layout and picture sizing. Unlike MacPublisher, PageMaker lets you italicize or boldface words and even write headlines without creating new files. And once you load stories or pictures into the final document, you can get rid of the original files. It wasn't long before I was drunk with power, switching on three-column formats, selecting documents, and—by a simple mouse click—filling in text neatly down the columns, Then I would move things around, getting the page to my liking, dropping in pictures and resizing them to fit the space. I filled up my eight pages in quick order. (continues on page 34-35) Steven Levy (continued from page 32-33) Coming of Age Soon I was ready for the acid test: printing the newsletter on the LaserWriter. I do not possess that pricey peripheral, but I live near a fellow named William Bates who not only owns one but has written his own typesetting software, called JustText. So I took my disks—just about enough to fill up a box, what with data disks and pro- gram disks and startup disks and backup disks and master disks—over to Bates, We fired up the LaserWriter, loaded the soft- ware, and told it to print. Since the LaserWriter doesn’t make much noise, it was hard to tell what was happening in there. But in less than a min- ute, it grudgingly ejected a piece of paper with the first page of the newsletter. At first, | was bowled over by the qual- ity of what I had done. It looked real, es- pecially the headlines, so solid in their Times Roman font, just like the daily news- paper. It was hard to believe that I had sin- gle-handedly created that document while sitting at my desk. I said something to that effect, and Bates looked dubious. “Do you feel that way when you see your words in print?” he asked, Well, no... but maybe I felt that way the first time I saw my words in print. I recalled the glow of that moment. The fact that crews of art directors, pasteup people, and printers had worked on my story marked the passage of my work from private habit to public declaration. It had not been an altogether happy event, though. When the initial shock was over, I reread that first story, finally in formidable columns of justified text, arranged in the same way as the words of the writers I had admired for years. For the first time I was able to see where my writing was not quite up to standard, Norman Mailer was safe. Standing at the LaserWriter, looking at my first foray into the field of design and production, I had similar feelings. A second glance at my newsletter revealed that my graphic skills were woefully inadequate to fully take advantage of what technology had brought within my reach. The newslet- ter’s logo, a combination of text and a graphic, spilled over the middle column al- most to the right of the page—I had thought this placement an elegant variation, but it simply looked awkward. Though I had re- strained myself in the use of different type fonts, I could see how even the few alter- natives in headlines and “continued on page...” lines I had tried clashed violently. The rest of the eight-page newsletter, though impressive in places, was full of similar horrors. There was no consistent scheme for mixing the text with graphics and headlines, no page design to point readers to what I wanted them to read first. These flaws were not so drastic that I was tempted to trash the entire project; the wonders of the software and the laser printer make sure that anyone with a rudi- mentary sense of layout can create an ade- quate piece of work, What bothered me was that I, a graphic-design virgin, had sud- denly been thrust into competition with renowned graphic designers such as Milton Glaser, I might have had a better chance in a boxing ring with Michael Spinks. Before depression could set in, Bates began showing me his own desktop pub- lishing software, Unlike the previous two. packages, the $195 JustText doesn’t work with the Imagewriter and doesn't have a preview mode so you can see on screen how things look, We worked on just one page; to get it right, we wound up printing over a dozen tests. But ultimately that page looked more impressive than the output from the other two programs. This was not so much because of the power of JustText, but because the page was laid out by Bates, - who not only knows the software but knows about professional page layout as well. And that’s the key. I suspect we are going to see a lot more professional-look- ing documents as desktop publishing tech- nology catches on. The more we see, though, the more we will appreciate docu- ments created with a sensitivity to good art direction, imaginative page layout, and a solid awareness of how to manipulate graphics and text to make an effective presentation. I can recommend any of the software packages I worked with. But none of them can replace careful craftsmanship. While the tools and techniques of publishing are now within anyone's grasp, the skills still have to be learned. It’s as if the cost of air- planes were reduced by several factors of ten: we'd all have Learjets, but we wouldn't automatically know how to fly the contrap- tions. Most likely, more than a few of us would have some horrid moments circling the airport trying to figure out how to get the thing back on the ground. 0 er eo Toe Cae haiti First Street, Rockville, MD. e: (301) 279-9550 Telex: 894 The Mouse Is Out! Macintosh- Integrated Digitizer Circle 323 on reader service card Macworld 34-35 HAVE YOU STRIPPED YET? Itsa question more and more Macintosh owners are asking. And no wonder, What everyone is talking about is Softstrip™. The revolutionary technology that is changing the shape of computer software. The Cauzin Softstrip System is more than just software or data on paper. Because when you invest in this system, you can do much more with your computer, and for far less than you are probably spending now. You can even create and print out your own data strips. But that's only the beginning of an offer that’s going to make you wonder why you havent stripped yet... TAKE OUR ADS (SUCH AS THIS ONE) Its part of our expanding StripWare™ Library containing programs, data, clip art, spreadsheet macros and templates. The Library features avariety of software applications and youll find new material appearing each month in the leading computer magazines including MAC Apple, MACazine, Mac User, MacWorld, and Nibble Mac. BUT THERE'S STILL MORE... When you invest in the Softstrip System, you get the Softstrip reader, a special storage base, and a full one-year replacement warranty. Also included with your purchase is a complete Accessory kit for your Macintosh containing connector cables and communications software to link your computer to the reader. Inaddition, you'll find a StripWare Sampler with 23 programs from such popular authors and publishers as Addison-Wesley, Family Apple™ and Macintosh® are registered trademarks of Apple Computer Inc., Apple® is a registered trademark of Apple Records, Inc. Softstrip® and the Softstrip® System Reader are trademarks of Cauzin Systems, Inc. IBM? is 2 registered trademark of IBM, Inc. Computing, Hayden Books, Nibble/MicroSPARC, Osborne/McGraw- Hill, The Waite Group, and John Wiley & Sons. When you become Softstrip reader owner, you also get a FREE one year StripWare Club membership with programs mailed to you monthly. You'll even receive a FREE Cauzin Effect Newsletter filled with the latest updates and news about Softstrip developments. And on the pages of such magazines as // Computing and Nibble Mac, you'll find featured programs on strip each issue. AND IF THAT'S NOT ENOUGH TO START YOU STRIPPING... You'll find StripWare brand software in authorized Softstrip dealers across the country. Our collection of titles include everything from utilities and entertainment to business programs, There is even a StripWare program that let’s your Macintosh talk. All for only $2.98 to $19.98! Do you want to create your own data strips? Well, ‘now you can using an Imagewriter dot matrix printer and a special StripWare program called “STRIPPER’ that’ only $19.95. Just chink of the things you could be stripping. Store backup files on paper. Print, copy and mail your own programs to others easily and inexpensively. The Cauzin Softstrip System is just that, a complete system that opens up a new world of computer programs and data on paper. And its all yours for only $199.95! For the Softstrip System Dealer nearest you, (or if there isnt one in your area, to order), call toll free: 1-800-533-7323 (in Connecticut: 203-573-0150) StripWare pacages offer ules, games, business programs, templates and much more Softstrip Cauain Systems, Inc. 835 South Main St., Waterbury, CT 06706 Circle 452 on reader service card A MACPAINTERS EYE VIEW One of the most innovative uses of MacPaine isto present slide shows, Visual representations can be used to market a produc, tell an organizations story or even to present an annual report at a convention, ‘The data strip on the neat right contains a graphics utility called VIEW PAINT by Steve Dagley and Creative Computer Services. Using the entire screen the program displays just the upper left-hand corner of a MacPaint document. This makes viewing a number of documents a great deal easier, ‘The program i useful for creating astareup screen or making that important slide show, Store your MacPaine masterpieces on a data disk, and scan your visual Library using VIEW PAINT. ‘After you tead in the data strip, scan your files and open those MacPaint files you need. Simply Click to view anothet, GET CONTROL OF YOUR DISKS ‘Takealook around the room. Are you slowly being overrun by floppy disks? Maybe you've placed al your valuable disks ina convenient plasticcase. Whats on the third data disk you come to? Is speedy retrieval of a program for you? ‘Wouldnit it be great to havea librarian to keep track of all the files on your disks? ‘The three data strips on the far right contain. program called DISK CAT, by Craig Vaughan of Software Sorcery Inc. of Virginia, that should help you correc the problem, DISK CAT catalogs the contents of your disks. It provides the file name, type, creator, name of the disk its on, and a “location” field specified by you. Read in the data strips and RUN the program. It willask you toenter the location for the batch of disks you want cataloged. Just pop in one disk after another and the contents are cataloged toa library text file with tabs between each field, Its easy for you to transfer the contents to a word processor or filing program for further processing. ‘These programs appear courtesy ofthe Boston Compute Society. ‘MacPaint is » registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc, StripWare Library Nos. 204-205 il ne il nih Uh) Nov; Macintosh Plus Has the Drive to Succeed In Business. Introducing AST-4000 The advanced, hard-disk/tape-backup system for the Apple® Macintosh™ Plus. AST-4000 gives the Macintosh Plus all the sophisti- cated features required for serious busine: computing. Together, these two great systems offer powerful, reliable data processing and storage capabilities. With performance specifications that exceed even the most demanding business computing environments, AST-4000 is fully compatible with the software pack need most to help run your business. This high-performance, hard-disk system has the capacity to ably handle the file server needs of AppleTalk® network soft- ware like MacServe"and TOPS” And provides maximum speed and functionality for your data base software like Omnis 3" Double Helix’* Interlace™ and Busin« Filevision® as well as memory intensiv integrated applications like Jazz® and Excel™ Even with vertical software packages, such as Page Maker" for desk-top publishing and Dental Mac™ for medical office manage- ment, you'll find AST-4000 increases office productivity through enhanced system versatility, storage and data-access spe AST-4000 Expands To Meet Your Future Needs. onder your system you You ca AST000 te ‘enemas MacServe tal trademark with as few as 74 megabytes and, as your requirements grow, add Expansion Units for up to 370 megabytes of total data storage capacity. That adds up to the largest, most atile hard-disk/tape-backup system available for the Macintosh Plus. It’s fast. AST's advanced Winchester hard-disk is designed for speed and safe, reliable data storage. With a 30-millisecond erage -disk-access time your favorite soft- are packages will sizzle with speed. That translates into increased efficiency and higher productivir Our 5-megabyte per minute tape data transfer rate also means it's fast and e: make backup tapes, providing maximum archive security. A Powerful Business Connec Thanks to our industry-standard (Small Computer System Interface) bus architecture design, AST-4000 is fully compatible with the new Apple Macintosh Plus and a variety of readily available peri- pherals*Additionally, universal compati- bility with all leading personal microcom- puters is made possible with AST-4000 host adapter kit Installation is as simple as unpacking the AST-4000 and plugging it into your Macintosh Plus. Circle 501 on reader service card Macinninhtrakemark cf Melons Laboratory, Blythe Scare Dobe Helis trdemat Olle Corp Tnterlace trader of Single yee Miceft nc Page Maher trademark of Aldus Cor, Dental Mac taderark of Heath Cave C And with a our standard utility software, you'll find AST-4000 to be as intuitive and userfriendly as the Macintosh Plus itself. Hard Driven For Success. AST-4000 is the hard-disk/tape-backup system that can make the Macintosh Plus a successful addition to your business. For a demon- stration, visit your local AST/Apple dealer. Or contact AST Research, Inc., 2121 Alton Avenue, Irvine, CA 92714, (714) 476-3866. AST-4000 Features egabyte formatted Winchester hard-disk capacity + Expandable to 370 megabytes with optional AST-4000 expansion units + 60-megabyte tape backup + 30-millisecond average-disk-access time; 5-megabyte/minute tape data transf + Backup/Ri tore by volume or file RESEARCH INC. lhcems n» Apple Compt, nc an ue with th Letters Macworld readers write of upgrades, color, the competition, and more Loyal to a Fault Apple has done it again. The new Macin- tosh Plus is surely an improvement over the existing hardware, While I applaud Apple for making sure that an upgrade path is available to the owners of existing Macintoshes, I rebel at the price. Let's take a look at the eco- nomics of upgrading a Macintosh. The announced prices of the upgrades are $299 for an 800K drive and new ROM, $599 for a new motherboard with 1 mega- byte of RAM and a SCSI interface, and $129 for a new keyboard, bringing the total up- grade price to $1027. Assuming you paid $2500 for your 512K Mac (as | did), upgrading to the Mac Plus will bring your total expenses to $3527. A new Mac Plus costs only $2599. Apple has seen fit to reward early loy- alty by charging $928 to remain at the cur- rent Mac standard. I would feel much more loyal to Apple if they offered upgrades at their cost. The uproar over the old 128K to 512K upgrade had no effect. Richard Scotty Spokane, Washington On the Other Hand As an early (April 1984) Mac owner, I've never really understood why so many Mac owners are upset that the price has dropped. These decreases were predict- able; computers were—and are—constantly improving and lowering in price. So are VCRs and audio compact disc players. I bought my Mac when I did because even at the inflated price, it was a good value for the money, Sure, I would not have minded saving a grand, but my productivity in- creased dramatically. The Mac paid for it- self in less than a year. Shel Horowitz Northampton, Massachusetts A Learning Experience Last year my wife and I decided to investi- gate the purchase of a computer for the small businesses we run from our home. In addition, we felt the exposure of our two children, 9 and 11, to the uses of a com- puter would be beneficial. We purchased an Apple Macintosh last month and find a considerable amount of excellent business software but, alas, very little educational software, We are now wondering if we made a very expensive mistake. We find it difficult to believe that a company » * that produces a computer with so maay, positive points can overlook the educa- “_, tional software market. Ask yourself how many parents would spend the extra money for a better computer in the hope that their children will benefit. The mar- ket is there; why isn’t someone cashing in on it? Frank D. Mathon Taylorville, Illinois Radio Radio Radio Recently I filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission requesting that it create a new radio communication service to allow computers to exchange data in a local area network without cables or telephone connections. Before making a decision, the FCC waits to hear from the public. People who have something to say about my Proposal for the Creation of the Public Digital Radio Service can write di- rectly to the FCC, Washington, DC 20554 (refer to RM-5241). For a copy of the peti- tion, contact the FCC copy center at 202/857-3800 or see the copy on Compu- Serve ACCESS, file name FCC1.DOC. Don Stoner Mercer Island, Washington —. User Nonchalance Most reviews of Macintosh software in- clude some wording like “makes full use of the Mac's graphic interface” or “thoroughly conforms to the Mac's user interface” or “extensive use of pull-down menu titles, di- alog boxes, and so on... in typical Mac fashion.” Initially there is nothing earth- shattering about these statements; anyone familiar with the Mac's operating environ- ment would expect to find these points covered in reviews of Mac software. The profound significance begins to come out when the author expounds on these basic statements further into the review, stating, for example, “Anyone with some experi- ence on the Mac already knows how to use 90 percent of this program; we never had to refer to the manual.” We all take this concept for granted. The statement “it moves forward when put into drive and stops when you apply the brakes” would not get much attention in an (continues on page 45) Macworld 41 Introducing System Saver Mac. Ever put your hand on top of your Macintosh™ after it's been running a while? Pretty hot, isn’t it? And that’s a problem. High temperature conditions can affect your computer's circuitry. Even shorten its lifespan. That's why we developed the System Saver Mac. System Saver Mac keeps your Macintosh cool. The System Saver Mac’s quiet fan draws a breath of fresh air in through the ventilation slots on the bottom left and right sides of the Mac, across the circuit board, over the power supply (the primary source of heat), and out the top ventilation slot (the one hidden under your Mac’s handle) at the rate of 17 cubic feet per minute. It leaves your Mac cool, calm and running at top speed. System Saver Mac stops the scramble for power. No more reaching around to the back of your Macintosh to turn it on. No more fumbling for spare outlets. System Saver Mac organizes all your power needs. It provides outlets for two peripherals (like your printer and modem), while replacing the Mac’s power cord. Cool Solution System Saver Mac has a great switch play. System Saver Mac comes equipped with two switches — important for those of you who want to power one of your peripherals separately. For example, if you use a Hard Disk 20, you have to power up your hard disk first, before you turn on your computer. Just use one of the System Saver Mac’s switches to control your hard disk and the other for the rest of your system. — =) a Of course, we realize that many of you would prefer the convenience of a single switch to control your entire system. That’s why every System Saver Mac also comes with a special single switch cap. Just pop off the two separate switches and pop on the single one provided. Available June ist System Saver Mac provides pure power. 70-90% of all microcomputer malfunctions can be traced to impurities in the electrical current. Line noise can be interpreted as data, confusing your Macintosh and causing annoying system errors. Power surges and spikes can do costly damage to its delicate circuitry. System Saver Mac clips surges and spikes at a safe level and filters out line noise. It provides pure power to make your Macintosh more accurate, efficient and reliable. ‘System Saver Mac (© 1986 Kensington Microware Ltd System Saver Mac Is not a completely new idea. Clever, yes. Versatile, convenient and useful, yes. But not completely new. After all, we’ve been making the original System Saver for years. It’s the best selling accessory ever made for the Apple II—chosen by over 1/4 million Apple Il owners. We thought you'd agree—Macintosh owners deserve the best, too. System Saver Mac, $99.95, is available from Apple dealers everywhere. For the dealer nearest you, or to speak to a Kensington sales representative, call toll-free 800-535-4242. In NY 212-475-5200. KENSINGTON. <j Circle 11 on reader service card Tilt/Swivel, $34.95 Mouseway, $9.95 Circular Polarizing Filter, $49.95 Kensington has a solution for every Macintosh’ problem. Maccessories: Awhole family of enhancement products for the Macintosh” You'll find the perfect solution for every problem. From the com- plete power organization of a Control Center to the simple, portable protection of a Surge Suppressor. From the conve- nience of an A-B Box or Printer Stand to the comfortable relief of a Tilt/Swivel or Polarizing Filter. Of course, the best way to solve problems is to prevent (© 1986 Kensington Microware Lt. aria Mouse Cleaning Kit with Pocket, $24.95 P y wz A-B Box, $99.95 PT .< 2 Disk Drive Cleaning Kit, $29.95 Disk Case with Disk Pocket, $29.95 Dust Covers, $9.95 to $13.75 them. That's why we make a com- plete line of Cleaning Kits and Dust Covers for your Mac. That’s also why we've just in- troduced the System Saver® Mac! Turn back a page to see this im- portant new peripheral. For a Maccessories dealer near you, for a free 12 page brochure, or to speak to a Kensington sales representative, call toll-free (800) 535-4242. In New York (212) 475-5200. Circle 11 on reader service card Letters (continued from page 41) automobile review. But, if by adhering to strict rules of form and function, we wind up with software that all works in the same manner—now we have something to shout about "an non-Mac users grasp the incredi- ble significance of this concept, or do they, too, skip right over it because they can’t imagine the real meaning behind a princi- ple so foreign to them? Henry Sitzman Plantation, Florida In Hard Disk Heaven A committed MacFanatic for nearly two years now, | am also the proud owner of a new Apple Hard Disk 20, Forget that the HyperDrive is a little faster for the present; speed isn’t everything. From anywhere in the HD 20's entire 20 megabytes you can open any document or application. I don’t think you can do this with the HyperDrive without opening a particular volume. No volumes here, just straight storage. The new Hierarchical File System performs very well, allowing users to “nest” docu- ments and applications in folders any way that suits their work habits. Also, forget for the moment that Apple doesn't bundle a backup utility with the HD 20. It will. And if Apple doesn't, rest as- sured that a slew of third-party developers are laboring over such programs at this moment. Conversely, I suspect that no one but the HyperDrive manufacturer con: tinues to improve its utilities. Nothing against General Computer Company here, or any other hardware supplier. I'm just glad I waited for Apple's unit. History has shown that the industry responds quickly to Apple products. Witness the Macintosh itself In short, 1am pleased with the Apple unit. It's quiet enough, reliable so far, and very easy to use. And as for having innu: merable applications and documents ayail- able in seconds? It's a Macintosh user’s dream Ric Spiegel Dallas, Texas A Taxing Error In “Taking Care of Taxes” in your March 1986 issue, you printed the wrong phone number for our product, ZaxWizard '85/'8O, Linda Brandt Santa Monica, California The correct information is Gamma Pro- ductions, Inc., 817 Tenth St. #102, Santa Monica, CA 90403, 213/451-9507.—Ed. We Stand Corrected Mr, Bunnell’s reve on his trip to China (‘The China Interface,” Macworld, Febru- ary 1986) certainly reveals his abilities as a high-tech prognosticator. Indeed, he may soon be writing syndicated columns, a la John C. Dvorak, However, may I suggest that the population of the People’s Republic of China may be 4 or 5 times as large as that of the United States, but it is not 15 times as large. Robert Matutat San Francisco, California You are so right. The 1985 edition of the World Book Encyclopedia lists the esti- mated population of the United States at 238,420,000 and China at 1,047,800,000.—Ed. Regaled by the Tales I just received my February issue of Mac- world and completed reading Jeffrey Young's article, “Tales of the Macintosh.” I was warmed by the story of Steve Jobs and his dream. I have read so many articles that discount and cheapen Apple’s Macintosh story that it was refreshing to read this ver- sion that shows a bit of the bad but mostly the good of a truly wonderful entrepre- neurial event, Steve Jobs and his group may have been young, idealistic, and inex- perienced, but their intelligence, personal fortitude, and most importantly their imag- ination and enthusiasm truly set them apart Stacie Lyn Gre Bellevue, Washington Déja Vu As I read David Bunnell’s editorial January 1986) that maintained the Macintosh doesn’t need color and won't until color on a computer screen becomes acceptable and can easily be displayed on a printer, I was saying amen and hallelujah because that’s pretty much my opinion (I like the Mac’s crisp black-and-white display) until 1 came upon this sentence about Com- modore’s Amiga: “Why buy a machine with an entirely new operating system and no software base?” (continues on page 48) IBM, VAX... Users! TEK 4014 VT 100 TEK 4010 TEK 4006 TEK 4105 VT 640 spoken here! Tekalike lets you use your Macintosh as a graphic terminal with mainframe applications from Issco Graphics, Molecular Design, Chemical Abstracts Service, Precision Visuals, SAS Institute... and take the IBM, VAX, etc. mainframe graphic to the Macintosh for editing and page compositio Save documents for MacDraw, MacPaint and Pagemaker. High quality output via the LaserWriter, the Imagewriter, or plotters. Price: $250 Other Mesa Products plots MacPaint documents on Apple, Hewlett- Packard, and Houston Instruments color plotters Plot-It Use your MacPaint pictures to create color transparencies for presentations Price: $95 Mesa Graphics P.O. Box 600 Los Alamos, NM 87544 (USA) (505) 672-1998 Telex Il: 5101003099 Circle 97 on reader service card Macworld 45 The Helix environment from Odesta Corporation is based on the idea that, above all, systems should be responsive to the needs of the people they serve. That what- ever stands between you and the informa- tion you need is an obstacle, not a feature. That technology should narrow the gap — enabling you to do what you do best, and to get it done quickly. Helix is a data-based applications environ- ment, since the core of any business system is most properly a data-based foundation. Helix has evolved— in response to a year of learning what you have been doing with Helix; from listening to you tell us what you want next; through exploiting oppor- tunities afforded by advanced technology. Helix is an active, evolving environment. Today, Helix addresses the full range of business needs. Double Helix — develop- ment of tailored, secure applications. MultiUser Helix— sharing information in a multiuser network. RunTime Helix — runtime generation for appli ing. Remote Helix— of! corporate information ba: NOW YOU BUSINESS CAN - MORE | BAN HELI | | Helix i is a complete data-based information | management and decision support system. It provides a data-based “pool” into which you can put all kinds of information — text, numbers, pictures or ASCII data-communications. Helix— the system solution Once information is entered, it is then just as easy to examine from any angle, and use in any application. From reports, lis and mail merge letters to analyses and interactive searches. All within Helix. Programming not required You don’t have to learn a query language, spreadsheet formulae, report formatting or data-base algebra. You don’t have to know a programming language or battle with com- mand codes, modes, or imposed structure. All you need with Helix is the desire to improve your business management and administrative systems. $395 A system that you can mix and match, and that expands as your needs grow. For DowtileHELDX | Custom menus and more | Now you can develop and then customize | even more new, powerful applications. To the Helix environment, Double Helix adds subforms, the fast creation of custom menus, password protection, data valida- tion, extended data import and export capabilities, and optimized performance characteristics. Of course, anything already built with Helix version 2.0 may be auto- matically updated to Double Helix. Build it up, lock it down, keep the key Double Helix lets you design a complete system to run a small business, medium office, or large departmental project. Custom hen make the whole system easy to y clearly associating forms with func- tions. Password protection lets you lock it down to prevent unauthorized changes. Yet, since one of the main features of the Helix environment is its ability to change as conditions change, you or your key s can easily make modifications on an as-needed basis $495 AND YOUR OF WHAT YOU DO BEST MultiUserH=LDX The promise of a network The idea of running a business using shared information in a direct and affordable way has been one of the premises and promises of the “computer revolution” since it began. In a number of important respects, MultiUser Helix is the first fulfillment of that promise. Just plug it in You don't have to worry about a “file server” or other special hardware or software. MultiUser Helix turns any hard disk into the host for a whole network. Just by using the “visit” command, you can be working within a dynamically interactive network, in which all windows are updated automatically. The benefits of a breakthrough With MultiUser Helix, everyone within a company or department can work from common project, inventory, customer, ordering or financial information. The direct benefits from both an operational and management perspective are dramatic. $695-$2500 Now, you can publish your own Helix applications with RunTime Helix. Any application built with Double Helix can be run through the runtime generator, creating a stand-alone program for sale or distribution. Start a whole new business If you are an existing VAR, or an up-and- coming entrepreneur, here is the opportu- nity to leverage the dynamic attraction and functionality of Helix applications into a wide range of new business. The birth of applications publishing Or you can easily provide a variety of applications to others within your organi- zation — from expense reports to sales tracking; from departmental phone lists to project coordination. By offering an organizational site licensing program for RunTime Helix, Odesta helps you bring a new dimension to the concept of “desktop publishing” — the in-house publishing of specialized applications. $500/10 applications (site license available) REMOTEHELDC Close the circle with Remote Helix— the way to communicate with your central Helix information base from the field, home, or satellite office — anytime. A modem, and then magic You can modem straight into your “central” Helix, and be immediately on-line. . .as if you were working directly in your main office. And, if you are running a MultiUser Helix environment, Remote Helix will log you on as a live member of the network. System access from anywhere Receive orders from, or transmit infor- mation to, your sales force in the field; tie sites together for communication and coor- dination; or have 24-hour access to the heart of your business, no matter where you are, With Remote Helix, global telecommuni- cation becomes an information management tool for you to use, now. $150 departments, small business/professional services, independent consultants, research establishments. . . Circle 13 on reader service card (© 1986 Odesta Corporation. Odesta Heli isa registered trademark of Odesta Corporation, 4084 Commercial Avenue, Northbrook, IL 60062 USA 800-323-5423 (IL: 312-498-5615) on DOUBLE SIDED 800K 3.5” EXTERNAL DRIVE 400% Macintosh” Compatible Featuring More for Less AUTO EJECT not Manual ONE YEAR WARRANTY Quality COPAL Drive Mechanism Reads Double & Single Sided Disks Complete and Ready to Use 800-325-1895 In Connecticut call 203-488-8993 Circle 470 on reader service card @MICROTECH A division of Microtech Intemational inc. 29 Business Park Drive/Branford, CT USA 06405 Dealer inquiries call 800-626-4276 FASTER...MORE POWERFUL...QUIETER Letters (continued from page 45) Mr. Bunnell’s memory may be short, but I remember people telling me, “Don’t buy a Macintosh, It’s got a new operating stem that's different from all the other Apple computers, and the only software for it is MacPaint and MacWrite.” Jennifer Petkus Colorado Springs, Colorado Color It Sold I fully agree with the January 1986 article by Mr. Bunnell on the case against intro- ducing a color version of the Mac too early. However, there is an important considera- tion that he did not cover: color, like sex, sells. Why else would all the laundry de- tergents be packaged in the most splen- diferous, eye-catching colors possible? Even if it costs an arm and a leg, a high-end color console might just pay for itself by selling the cheaper goods. Sounds a bit mercenary, but