IIgs Buyers Guide 1988 Spring

A Redgate Publication Spring 1988 $2.95 U.S. rcial Productivity Issue: Word Processing For The Apple IGS Make Way For Desktop Accessories d Disk Drives Reviewed \ Two For Taxes More Than 200 Apple IGS 74470°19436 —~_ NowApple speaks IBM. Three times faster than IBM. Introducing PC Transporter”“ The Apple® II expansion board that lets you run MS®-DOS programs. Now your Apple II can run over 10,000 programs you could never use before. Like Lotus® 1-2-3® MultiMate® dBASE IIL PLUS® Even Flight Simulator® With PC Transporter, MS-DOS programs run on your Apple II like they do on IBM® PC's or compatibles. With one important difference. PC Transporter runs most of those programs three times faster than an IBM PC/XT® Plus, to speed through number- crunching tasks, you can use our optional 8087-2 math co- processor chip. It plugs into a socket on the PC Transporter. Less expensive than an IBM clone. Sure, a stripped-down IBM clone costs about the same as the PC Transporter. But the pe- ripherals it takes to get the clone up and running make the clone cost about three times what our American-made card costs. You don’t have to buy new hardware to use PC Transporter. Works with the hardware you already own. With PC Transporter, MS-DOS programs see your Apple hard- ware as IBM hardware. You can use the same hardware you have now. With IBM software, your Apple hardware works just like IBM hardware. Including your drives, monitors, printers, printer cards, clock cards and serial clocks. You can use your Ie® or IIcs™ keyboard with IBM software. Or use our optional IBM-style key- board (required for the II Plus). You can use your Apple mouse. Or an IBM compatible serial mouse. Plenty of power. PC Transporter gives you as much as 640K of user RAM and 128K of system RAM in the IBM mode. PC Transporter also is an Apple expansion card, adding up to 768K of extra RAM in the Apple mode. The Apple expansion alone is a $300 value. Easy to install. You can install PC Transporter in about 15 minutes, even if you've never added an expansion board. You don’t need special tools. Simply plug it into an Apple expansion slot (1 through 7 ex- cept 3), connect a few cables and a disk drive, and go! Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com es WPS PC Transporter taps into the world’ largest software library: Now your Apple can run most of the IBM software you use at work. And it opens a new iworld of communications programs, games and bulletin boards. A universal disk drive controller. PC Transporter supports 3.5” and 5.25” MS-DOS and ProDOS formatted diskettes. You'll shift in- stantly between Apple ProDOS and IBM MS-DOS. You'll need our versatile 5.25" 360K drive system to run IBM applications from 5.25” floppy disks. Use your Apple 5.25" drive for Apple 5.25” disks. An Apple Disk 3.5 Drive will support the new 3.5"disks whether they're IBM MS-DOS formatted or Apple ProDOS for- matted. The PC Transporter acts like an Apple Disk 3.5 Drive disk controller for IIGs, He, and II Plus users. PC Transporter supports up to 5 drives in a number of combinations. For example, you can connect a 5.25 Applied Engineering 360K dual-drive system directly to the card. Then plug two daisy-chained Apple 3.5 Drives (not the Apple UniDisk 3.5) to the dual-drive system. For a fifth drive, use a ProDOS file as an IBM hard disk. PC Transporter controls Apple and IBM compatible disk drives. It supports 3.5” and 5.25" MS-DOS and ProDOS formatted diskettes. ‘Ape hs mst be FEC Cerio TBM and PCT re reper ‘rademarks of Aston ‘ae foe MS and Fight sealers Machines ‘Simulaor ar egstered wademaris of Microsaft Apple le and Versatile data storage. PC Transporter reads MS-DOS and translates it into Apple native ProDOS. You can store IBM pro- grams and data on any ProDOS storage device including the Apple 3.5 Drive, Apple UniDisk™ 3.5, Apple 5.25” drive, SCSI or ProDOS compatible hard drives. (You can use the Apple UniDisk 3.5 with its own controller card for storing programs and data,but not for directly booting an IBM formatted disk.) You can even use our 360K PC compatible drive for ProDOS Make your Apple speak IBM. PC Transporter memory choices. RAM in RAM in Apple mode: IBM mode: Price: 384K 256K $489.00 512K 384K 529.00 640K 512K 569.00 768K 640K 609.00 Note: The IBM mode is 128K less because the PC Transporter uses 128K for system memory. lcs Installation Kit 49.00 He/Il Plus Installation Kit 39.00 PC Transporter Accessories 5.25” IBM Format 360K Drive Systems Single-Drive System 269.00 Dual-Drive System 399.00 Half-Height Drive 135.00 (asd 08 Single -Drive system to make -Drive IBM-Style 139.00 (required for Apple Il ia Requires IBM Keyboard Cable. IBM Keyboard Cable 34.00 Sony RGB Monitor 499.00 Analog RGB Cable 39.00 (for use with Sony monitor) vs ital RGB Cable 39.00 (for use with Sony monitor) Digital RGB Adapter 24.00 ColorSwitch 44.00 (included with Ics Installation Kit) 128K ZIP 40.00 PC Transporter per set Memory Expansion Chip Set 8087-2 Math Co-processor 229.00 Heavy Duty 69.00 Power Supply (Ile and I Plus only) See your dealer or call or send check or money order to Applied Engineering. MasterCard, VISA and COD welcome. Texas residents add 7% sales tax. of International Business coe PC Transporter produces better IBM graphics than IBM. Analog is sharper than digital. So with an analog RGB monitor PC Transporters CGA graphics and text are superior to IBM$ digital display — even while running IBM software! And, you can also use an Apple composite ‘monitor in IBM text or graphics mode. storage and a 143K Apple 5.25" drive for MS-DOS storage. Created by Apple's original designers. The brains behind PC Trans- porter were also behind your Apple IL. The PC Transporter design team includes the former project managers for the creation of the Apple Ile and IIc. The co-designer of the Apple II disk controller. And the first full-time Apple programmer and author of the ProDOS operating system. So you know the PC Trans- porter and your Apple were made for each other. Support and service from the leader in Apple add-ons. Applied Engineering sells more Apple peripheral boards than any- one else — including Apple Computer. So you know we'll be around after the sale. PC Transporter comes with a 15-day money back guarantee. If you're not fully satisfied after using it, return it for a full refund. PC Transporter also comes with a 1-year warranty. How to get your PC Transporter today. See your dealer. Or call Applied Engineering any day between 9 am. and 11 p.m. CST at 214-241-6060. -~ Applied Engineering The Apple enbancement experts. PO. Box 798, Carrollton, TX 75006 214-241-6060 A Division of AE Research Corporation. Reader Circle Number 1 eas so 1.23 are eegerod trademarks of Laeus Development Corporation MuliMate and HAE il PLUS are ester ‘ProDOs are rqpsicred tradomarks and HGS apd UD are trademarks Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com CONTENTS Editor's Window... 3 GS Address... 4 The editors of The Apple IIGS Buyer's Guide and Contributing Editor Philip Chien answer letters and questions from readers. Features ‘The Gang Of Four... Are you still divided between text- and grapbics-based word processors? ‘This com- parison among four different approaches to word processing should make it easier to decide which is best for you. Making The Upgrade. secunnsseeeeeee dS Any Apple He can be upgraded to an Apple JIGS, but does it pay to take the plunge? Read this article and find out. Make Way For The DAS ....... er) ‘The Apple IGS! design opens a whole new market for desktop accessory suppliers. Here's a look at the early contenders. ‘Three Hard Drives For The IGS .....o:00.26 A bard disk drive adds a lot of convenience toan already great computer. Is there one right for you? Two For ‘Taxes 32 Now may be the best time to bring in your Apple HGS for a consultation. Read this arti- cle first, however, to determine which tax preparation program is best for you. Product Reviews 37 sl TOpRAM. vss LifeGuard..... om, \ \ ‘ 2 Buyer's Guide Apple lics Life Scienc : ‘ 39 The Print Shop IIGS. WordPerfect For The lIGS Apple IGS Hardware And Software Directory Accessonies.. os Switch boxes, cleaning kits, dust covers, mouse containers and more AppleWorks Compatible programs for AppleWorks Books And Publications ... a Literature of interest to Apple IIGS users Business And Productivity. . Integrated software, accounting packages, vertical-market software, personal finance packages and more Creative ... 54 Paint, draw, animation software and more 56 Desk Accessories ......... ce Pop-up accessory software for home and business Desktop Publishing . Combined graphics and text software for personal publishing projects Education .... one i Reading, writing, arithmetic and more Entertainment. Basketball, simulation adventures and more * Hardware And Peripherals .....:0:00 66 Extended memory boards, bard disk drives, graphics products, synthetic speech acces- sories, modems and more Mu: Training, writing and MIDI software for music On-Line Databases. aren Information utilities available on-line Programming And Utilities File recovery software, programming lan- guages and programmer utilities Word Processing sscsisusoaassunsavsnssscd Graphics- and text-based word processing programs Indexes Company Index... Product Index.. Advertiser's Index. Entire contents copyright 1988 by Redgate Communications Corporation. Al rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, eléwwutt- ic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Apple IIGS Buyer's Guide is an independent journal; not affliated in any way with Apple Computer, Inc., but Apple Inc. has granted Redgate Communications Corporation the right to use the file, The Apple IGS Buyers Guide. Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Apple lle, Apple lic and Apple IIGS are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., used by permission. Redgate Communications Corporation is not responsible for the accuracy of product listings and descriptions. Some of the views expressed by contributors may not be representative of the views held by Redgate Communications Corporation. Unsolicited manuscripts and other materials will be returned only if accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The publisher is not responsible for unsolicited materials. Printed in the U.S. The Apple lIGS Buyer's Guide is published quarterly by Redgate Communications Corporation at 660 Beachland Boulevard, Vero Beach, FL 32963, 305-231-6904. Subscription rates: $8.95 per year: Canada $14.95: foreign $29.95. All orders are payable only in U.S. funds. Redgate Communications Corporation also publishes The Macintosh Buyer's Guide, PAQ Review — The Independent Magazine For ‘Computer Users, FYI — The Harris Magazine For Information Management, a series of computer books and other properties. The company also provides marketing communications services to a wide range of high-technology clients. For more infor- mation contact Ted Leonsis, Redgate Communications Corporation. 2 Spring 1988 Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com EDITOR'S WINDOW Tune In, Turn On, Link Up 97° ith money being a limited resource, it's not easy for Apple IGS owners to decide what “ories to buy after their computers first come home. If you've got a little extra cash on hand and are looking for a good return on your invest- ment, let me make a suggestion: communications, The tools you'll need to put your IIGS in touch with literally millions of other comput- er users worldwide are simple enough. A modem, communications software and appropriate cables will do nicely, as will access to a telephone line. Virtually any external 1,200- or 2,400-baud modem will work, and more IIGS-compatible internal modems are produced all the time. As for I1GS-compatible communications software, turn to this issue's "Apple IIGS Hardware And Software Directory" for inspiration. Tcan hear some of you now, "I just bought an Apple IGS to access all the graphics and sound hardware I've been reading about in your magazine. Now you tell me to go out and buy a modem so I can watch black-and-white characters flow across my screen? Maybe I should have saved a few bucks and bought a used VT100 terminal at at garage sale.” I'll admit it doesn't take an Apple IGS to tie into the world of on-line communica- tions, but that really isn't the point. Through local bulletin boards and Apple II special s interest groups, found on services such as Compuserve, Genie and The Source, a IIGS user can meet scores of other IIGS owners. Collectively, they represent a potent knowl- edge resource not obtainable in any other way. Post a query on just about any IIGS subject, and I can practically guarant eral answers will be waiting the next day Besides the helpful dialogue available to IIGS users, most on-line services and bul- letin boards offer a database of public domain software. Once you get the hang of domain programs, all free connect costs. For those of you yet to expe- rience this magic, be forewarned. The thrill of electronically receiving a program over the phone can be addicting. Communications adds an important dimension to home computing, but it is becoming indispensable to business. Here at The Apple IIGS Buyer's Guide, for example, nearly all the editorial input from contribut- ing editors arrives by electronic mail. This extends deadlines up to the last minute, facilitates communications between writers and editors and helps us save on overnight delivery services. (Fear not, Federal Express. Our sales force sends out enough copies of the magazine to more than make up for the difference.) We believe in communications. After all, that's what this magazine is all about. To keep the interchange between readers and editors flowing, we're starting a new column in this issue called "IIGS Address." We hope to answer as many reader questions as pos- sible. You can either send us your inquiries the old fashioned way or use E-mail on Compuserve and The Source. Speaking of The Source, we're placing the “Apple IIGS Hardware And Software Directory" on-line as this issue goes to press. The fine-tuning remains to be worked out, but we're working closely with the AppleSig's sponsor, Joe Kohn, to make the electronic information available in ways that are impossible on the printed page. Stay linked for more information. Il — Paul Pinella, Editor-In-Chief The Apple IIGS Buyer's Guide Publisher: Len Scaffidi Vice President/Editor-In-Chief: Paul Pinella Directory Editor: Paulette Siclari Production Manager: Carolyn D. Sizemore Quality Control Manager: Ron Errett Staff Writer: Linda Topoleski Editorial Assistant: Catherine L. Spencer Contributing Editors: Philip Chien; Gail Hodgkiss; Carol S. Holzberg; Ken Landis; Michael Meyers Other Editorial Management: Jordan Gold Assistant To The Publisher: Mary J. Spoto Vice President/Creative Director; Mark S. Ballard Senior Art Director; Patricia N. Walker Art Director: Bill Stahl ‘Typesetting/Traffic Manager: * Kathleen S. Ross Typesetting Operations: Debra R. Siraco; Sharon Thomas Circulation Manager: Sandra J. Byrd Single-Copy Sales Consultant: Sparano Joseph J. Single-Copy Sales Assistant: Maura Sheehan Subscription Processing Coordinator: Karen Lindsey Advertising Sales: Sandy Van Salisbury Redgate Communications Corporation, 660 Beachland Boulevard, Vero Beach, FL. 32963, 305-231-6904 ‘Western Advertising Sales Director; Redgate Communications Corporation, 185 Berry St., Ste. 5401, San Francisco, CA 94107, 415-777-3911 Response Services: Tammy Smith Redgate Communications President: Ted Leonsis Executive Vice President: Alfred J. Mandel Senior Vice President/Chief Financial Officer: Jeff Parsons Director Of Finance: Nancy A. Birt ‘MIS/Facilities Manager: Tim Duncklee Accounts Payable Administrator: Brenda Simmons Finance Assistant: Cindy Schuster Assistant To The President: Donna M. Philo Assistant To The CFO: Ursula Wallag Receptionist: Julie A. Yan Gaasbeck Cover Photography: Greg Leary ‘The Apple IIGS Buyer's Guide 3 IIGS ADDRESS Address all inquiries to "IIGS Address," c/o The Apple IIGS Buyer's Guide, Redgate Communications Corp., 660 Beachland Blvd., Vero Beach, FL 32963. Questions may also be sent via electronic mail on The Source (CPA211) or Compuserve (71625,567). Individual responses can- not be guaranteed. 1) How do you select the reviews and features that appear in The Apple IGS Buyer's Guide? For a software product to be reviewed, it must fit the following qualifications: expansion cards for the Ie that they claim will expand AppleWorks! desktop. Your question correctly addresses the problem — record limits, While most AppleWorks expanders do expand AppleWorks’ desktop size (when you boot AppleWorks, it indicates more memory available on your desktop), they don't resolve the software's internal limita- tions, including the number of records you can have in the database. Applied Engineering's Super AppleWorks Desktop Expander is an exception, It upgrades AppleWorks' inter- nal limits to 22,600 records in database mode (the same a) While certain products may work on other Apple II computers, all products we review must be fully IIGS compatible. If a product requires a specific configuration (such as set speed to slow and columns to 40), that information must be clearly stated in its documentation. b) Products must be available on 3.5-inch disks, Because all IIGS owners do not have 5.25-inch drives, we believe software devel- opers must take the initiative to either sup- ply their products on 3.5-inch disks from the start or make their products available on 3.5- inch disks at a reasonable cost. c) Products must be either available or — at the very least — in the final stages prior to production, We don't review "vaporware." 2) I'm a programmer who wants to mar- ket my programs. How can I contact Apple and how can I become a developer? Apple Computer, Inc. originally - lished its Developer Services department to help programmers interested in marketing Macintosh products. The scope of the department was later expanded to include the Apple II series. Technical data, special utilities and up-to- date information on hardware and software, which average users would find confusing, is available to help you develop and market your programs or hardware. The editors of The Apple IGS Buyer's Guide and Contributing Editor Philip Chien answer letters and questions from readers. When you sign a developer agreement with Apple, you pay a nominal paperwork fee to distribute the company's system soft- ware with your programs. Even if you are nota developer, you must license Apple's software products (ProDOS, BASIC.SYSTEM, etc.) to distribute them with your programs. There's no fee for becoming a developer, and it's worth considering if you want to sell your programs. For more details, write to Apple at: Developer Relations, Apple Computer, Inc., 20525 Mariani Ave., Cupertino CA 95014. If you've written a program that's ready to sell or are considering selling one, ask for a developer application. 3) [have an Apple Ie with 128K and I use AppleWorks to keep track of my mailing list. Because AppleWorks' database has a 6,350 record limit, I've run out of space. How can I solve this problem? Can I purchase more memory? Will I have to upgrade to an Apple IIGS or a new version of AppleWorks? How do you feel about a 22,600 record limit? With some modified versions of AppleWorks, you can keep track of more than 22,000 items in your database file. Several different companies sell memory number of lines in word pro- cessing mode), Furthermore, the company's AppleWorks. expansion programs are designed to work with its Ramworks and Ramfactor cards on the Apple Ile, the ZRAM series on the IIc and the GS-RAM series on the IGS. AppleWorks expanders are also available from other companies for use with their memory boards. Check to see that these expanders actually expand AppleWorks! internal limitations, however, not just the size of the desktop. 4) What's the difference between ProDOS 8 and ProDOS 16? Are they compatible? ProDOS 8 is the standard Apple ProDOS. Ithas been renamed to avoid confusion with ProDOS 16, which is the new standard oper- ating system for the Apple IGS. ProDOS 8 will work on any Apple II with at least 64K of RAM, including the IGS. ProDOS 16, designed to work with the IIGS, has more powerful capabilities because it's designed around the 65816 microprocessor. Because the same file structure is used, a file created with one version of ProDOS is com- patible with the other version. Programmers must decide to write their software in ProDOS 8 — making their appli- cations compatible with all Apple II comput- ers — or to use ProDOS 16 and tap the greater memory of the Apple IIGS. 4 Spring 1988 Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com From a user's point of view, the different versions of ProDOS make little difference. If you save an AppleWorks word processing file (a ProDOS 8 program), it can be loaded into MouseWrite (a ProDOS 8 program) or Multiscribe GS 3.0 (a ProDOS 16 program). All you have to worry about is having enough memory and the correct type of computer, 5) How do I start using modems and telecommunications? How can I use my Apple to keep in contact with other users through electronic bulletin board systems (BBSs) and on-line databases Just purchase a modem — with the prop- er connector cables — and a communica- tions program for your Apple. In many cases, one package will include everything you need: interface card and modem, mod: ular phone cord, communications program and a start-up kit to connect you to a variety of pay services Many modems and terminal programs come with special start-up discount offers for major on-line services, including stock market information, airline schedules and general-purpose databases such as The Source and Compuserve These services charge for their informa- tion, typically on an hourly basis. Local BBSs, though, are usually free. Their owners often operate them as a hobby or as a way to attract customers to a business, such as a computer store ‘The best way to find a local BBS number is to ask at a local computer store or user- group meeting, Once you find one BBS, you may find other systems posted on-line or by sending electronic messages to users on the newfound system Another excellent source for BBS listin is Computer Shopper, a monthly newspaper- like magazine oriented toward technical users and hobbyists. One of its monthly fea- tures is a nationwide listing of local BBS phone numbers, 6) What is public domain software? How can I get some? Is it really free? Public domain software is software that the author or owner has decided to dis- tribute without royalties or other pay Generally, the author or owner has decided it isn't practical to attempt to market or sup- Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com HIGH GRADE Davidson's new Math REPORT on performance math software Blaster Plus is the high- wath around—Math Blaster Plus. est octane math software READING _ Call us toll-free for more program you can buy for _ \ SpEUuNs Ai information and for the your kids. iia ey peachers — name of the Authorized to grow with kids—from Davidson Dealer nearest you. addition and subtraction to multi- 800-556-6141 or 213-534-4070 Pucation, division, fractions, deci- (California residents) mals, and percents. Math Blaster Plus pumps in confidence and motivation, prints out Certificates of Excellence, and improves kids’ grades from 1st grade through 6th. With four motivating learning activities, exciting graphics and color, and a new action-packed arcade-style game, Math Blaster Plus makes learning fun. And, it has new pull-down menus that are easy to use with keyboard or mouse. So pull into your local software dealer and pick-up eer the highest Grades 1 through 6. Available for Apple® and IBM! 9.95 suggested retail, Treturn this coupon to enter our monthly drawing for $100 worth of free Davidson software* We'll also send you more infor- mation about all the high grade programs available from Davidson. Name. City, State, Zip ‘Type of Computer jidson & Associates, Inc. 3135 Kashiwa St. Torrance, CA 90505 *NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Offer ends Dec. 31, 1988 Void wherever prohibited or restricted by law. Odds of | | | | | Address ______ | | | | | & (Gs9/88) H j ! i AW Davidson. = Reader Circle Number 2 IIGS ADDRESS port a program, or is experimenting with a preliminary version of a program intended for market at a future date. Programmers are often encouraged to donate such programs to user-group libraries, which the user groups then trade with other user groups. Other sources of public domain software include programs designed under govern- ment contracts or university projects where no copyright is attached, programs specifi- cally written for the public domain and, occasionally, programs distributed as adver- tisements to attract interest in another pro- gram, Due to the variety of sources and wide range of programmers involved, public _ domain software ranges from extremely crude and troublesome to excellent. Documentation showing you how to use public domain applications ranges from non- existent to self-documenting. Usually, it is much less detailed than that accompanying commercial products. Not all public domain packages are free. Many "shareware" programs are distributed through public domain channels with the understanding that users — if they like and use the programs — will send payment to the author or authors. 7) How can I find out if I have the latest system disk and ROM in my IGS? As of December 1987, the latest version of Apple's System Disk is version 3.1. The latest system ROM is version 2.0. You should check with your local Apple dealer or user group every couple months to determine if newer versions have been released. Confusingly, System ROM 2.0 shows “System ROM 01" on screen when you first turn on your IIGS. Don't worry, that's the way computer programmers count. The orig- inal System ROM (1.0) is number 00 and the 2.0 ROM is number 01.Your original Apple System disk has a version number printed on its label. If you have an carlier version, an autho- rized Apple dealer can upgrade your system ROM and re-copy your system disk with the latest version. 8) Can I read IBM disks on my IIGS with- out investing in an expensive hardware solution? Yes. There are several different ways. The best solution is hardware, however. The PC Transporter card from Applied Enginccring (reviewed in the Winter '87 issue of The Apple IGS Buyer's Guide) con- verts your Apple 3.5 drive into an IBM- compatible 3.5-inch drive —as well as an Apple-compatible unit. You can also pur- chase IBM-compatible 5.25-inch drives that work with the PC Transporter. Other companies sell disk controller cards for the Apple that support IBM-compatible disk drives, With the proper software, your drive can transfer data back and forth between Apple and TBM formats. But you asked for an inexpensive, non- ed solution. If you have an iS and an IBM within close proxim- ity of each other, you can purchase a hookup cable that connects the two comput- ets together via their communications ports. You can then use a communications pro- gram that runs on each computer to transfer data between the machines. ‘There is a limitation to any data-transfer method between IBMs and Apple IIs. Apples and IBMs use different operating systems, languages and hardware. Program files designed for one computer won't work on the other unless properly translated and converted, Text files (word processing documents, data files, etc.) can be transferred without any problems. Intermachine formats (such as an Apple spreadsheet program that reads Lotus 1-2-3 files) help simplify the procedure. 9) I have an Apple Ic with a 16-color (digital) RGB (red, green, blue) monitor and I use the Video 7 RGB interface. Despite its fewer colors, I would like to use this monitor with an Apple IGS. Is this practical? Possibly. Some RGB monitors can be attached directly to an Apple IIGS with the proper adapter cables. You don't need your Video 7 adapter box (the box that converts an Apple IIc's video output into RGB video) because the IIGS produces its own RGB video. ‘The trouble is the IIGS' 4,096-color RGB output is different from the eight- or 16- color RGB video used by most other com- puters. Even if you can use your monitor with the IIGS, you won't be able to use most IIGS programs. That's because they're designed to work with 4,096-color RGB monitors. ‘There are RGB monitors that work in both digital and analog modes. With the proper cables, these monitors can be used with the IGS and other computers. 10) Where can I find a local Apple user group? Check with your local Apple dealer. Most dealers have good relationships with local user groups and will be glad to tell you when and where a group near you meets, ‘The group may even meet at the dealer's store. Another good source for user-group infor- mation is schools and libra f you can't find a local group, call Apple at 800-538- 9696. The company keeps a list of groups and supports those groups with newsletters and information. 11) How can I make backup copies of copy-protected programs I've purchased for my IIGS? It depends on the product. Many software products are copyable, and you shouldn't have any problems making backup copies, For companies that still insist on copy pro- tecting their products, backup disks are usu- ally supplied. ‘Whenever we review products for The Apple IIGS Buyer's Guide, we try to note whether a product is copy protected and what a company charges for backup or replacement copies. There are bit-copy program: copy some copy-protected dis! never found bit copiers useful, however. Whenever a company selling a bit copier announces it will copy a certain program, the company that made the program comes out with a new copy-protection scheme the bit copier can't copy. Fortunately, most major software develop- ers have decided to either do away with copy protection or use a copy-protection method that is as friendly as possible to users. Il 6 Spring 1988 Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com Subscribe Now And Increase Your As an Apple IIGS owner, you know how exciting this computer is. But there is only one source that concentrates exclusively on your needs—The Apple LIGS Buyer's Guide. Every quarterly issue of The Apple IIGS Buyer's Guide spotlights the range of products that exploit the com- puter’s leading-edge technology. The Apple IIGS Buyer's Guide explores the incredible promise of the Apple IIGS and also features practical reviews of software, peripherals and accessories. As an Apple-authorized publication, The Apple IIGS Buyer's Guide has the inside story on new technological developments, features, exclusive interviews with Apple management and offers the latest in news about the Apple IIGS. The Apple IIGS Buyer's Guide is the source for the latest information about the Apple IIGS, software and accessories. Apple [IGS Buying Powet Judge for yourself. See if The Apple IIGS Buyer's Guide isn’t just what its name says it is. The authority for Apple IIGS owners. Subscribe now! Receive four quarterly issues of The Apple IIGS Buyer's Guide for just $14 per year...a 30% savings off the cover price. Simply fill out the attached card or call 800-826-9553 to start your issues coming (In Florida call 305-231-6904). Apple Hiss Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com 5 Are you still divided between text- and graphics-based word processors? This compari- son among four different approaches to word processing should make it easier to decide which is best for you. 8 Spring 1988 a Comparing Word Processors For The Apple IIGS loaded from www.Apple2Online.com Word processing has made dramatic strides since the Apple Ile’s stan column capability was introdu Since the advent of the Apple II leaps. The sophisticated word processing, programs available for the Apple IIGS make it possible to perform document magic undreamed of in 1983. Current word proc documents of amazing v down menus and ruler-based formatting, a user can produce multicolored documents that are sprinkled with a variety of fonts, type styles, type sizes and pictures. Some programs even allow a user to cre- ate pictures within documents, though most applications only support importing images from programs such as Top Draw and Paint- works Plus. Choosing a word processor is not an easy task. Although many features are available, no word processor has them all. This article examines four of the best packages currently” available for the IIGS. Armed with the infor- mation provided here, we hope you'll be able to chose the one that best suits your needs, Text And Graphics tinctly different types of word ailable: text-based important to under- stand the differences between them. sed programs use the IGS! built-in ‘om which ROM-based charac- ters are instantly available for screen display. This gives text-based word processors a dis- tinct advantage in terms of speed. With graphics-based programs, both char- acters and pictures have to be drawn indi- vidually on screen. Because this bit-mapped drawing process takes longer, graphics- based programs operate significantly slower than text-based programs. Another distinction is what text-based and graphics-based word processing programs are capable of displaying on screen. Text- based word processors can only display alphanumeric characters and certain sym- bols. They cannot display pictures or special effects on screen. Text-based word processors can often the printer control codes needed to print any of the fonts, font s type styles and colored text an attached printer is capa- ble of producing. Text that has been selected for special effects usually appears highlighted or sur- rounded by control symbols, Text-based word processors rarely offer what-you-see- is-what-you-get screen displays, When they do, rest assured that no special effects are involved. The Magic Of Graphics With graphics-based word processors, just about anything can be displayed on screen, Although these word processors issue con- trol codes that determine what an attached printer prints, a user doesn't have to think about that. Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com The Apple lIGS Buyer's Guide 9 WORD PROCESSORS Backup SAnduded= 80,000 Wd N= eee UA eee No =i —— SS aes ——— = seme = | = NES eee == Noo =¥ = oe == = Selecting "italics" causes a word to appear in italics on screen. Likewise, selecting "ted" causes a word to appear in red on a color screen. When placing a picture in text, the picture appears exactly where you put it, both on screen and on paper. Early graphics-based programs for the IGS were decidedly slow, but the newest ones have improved speed. That is not to say they come close to matching the speed of text-based programs. They don't. With long documents that contain pictures or several different type styles, graphics- based programs can perform very slowly. In general, the longer and more complicated a document is, the more slowly a graphics- based program can be expected to update the screen display. Screen-display speed is not the only con- sideration, however. Text-based programs also load and print more rapidly than graph- ics-based programs. In fact, the text-based processor we examined loaded from a cold boot in under 30 seconds. The three graph- ics-based programs we saw each took two minutes — give or take a few seconds — to boot from the Apple Program Launcher or the desktop. Query Yourself Before selecting a word processor, it's a good idea to examine what you want to do first. An important question to ask is, Who will use it? Will the program have one user, or will your family be involved? A power word processor that satisfies the needs of a busy secretary would probably be too much program for a third-grader. Graphics displays and on-screen fonts and type styles are easier for children to work with than text-based formatting commands. Another question to consider is the kind of word processing tasks you anticipate. If a program will be used for typing business let- ters, long reports or a master's thesis, a text- based program offers the required speed and keyboard flexibility. The capability to print in color is certainly eye-catching, and certain graphics-based programs can do remarkable things when Paired with a color printer such as an ImageWriter II. But do you really need a color printer? If so, What kinds of color graphics are you likely to want? 10 Spring 1988 Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com WORD PROCESSORS If your documents must be copied and handed out to a number of people, the abili- ty to print in color diminishes in importance. Most photocopy machines cannot reproduce the kinds of color graphics that can be gen- erated by a color printer. If your audience is limited, color may be more important. After all, it's more fun to send grandma a letter written in several col- ors or to impress a teacher with a report containing colored illustrations. One On One We looked at four word processors for the Apple IIGS: MouseWrite, Multiscribe GS, Writer's Choice Elite and GraphicWriter. Each package offers its own unique combination of features. In the descriptions that follow, we describe the features that differentiate each of our chosen word processors from one another. First, it's worthwhile to point out similari- ties. All of the programs mentioned above offer pull-down menus and dialogue boxes. All offer text editing with cut, copy and paste capabilities. All have the capability to create headers and footers and to print a variety of fonts and type styles. All of the programs also have ruler-based formatting, at least for margins and tabs. All offer single, double and triple line spacing and four justification options: right, cen- tered, left and fill. In addition, all of the pro- grams offer search and replace capabilities and are LaserWriter compatible. ‘The four packages share another charac- teristic: all are basically good products. None is perfect, however. We've noted annoying or otherwise bothersome charac- teristics in the individual descriptions that follow. To their credit, we found that all four programs perform as advertised. We didn't find any disabling bugs. If you match the features these programs offer with what you need, we think any one of them will serve you well. MouseWrite (Version 2.6.8.b) By Roger Wagner Publishing, Inc. MouseWrite is the only text-based word processor considered here. It's also the only product that will work on earlier Apple II models and the Apple IIGS. The package contains a single 3.5-inch disk, which holds the entire IIGS program, and three 5.25-inch disks, which hold the Ile/IIc version. Text-based word processors such as MouseWrite bold an undeniable speed advantage over their graphics-based cousins. Note that a user cannot use the software ona IIGS and a Ile simultaneously. The pur- chaser is licensed to operate the program on only one computer at a time. Asa text-based word processor, MouseWrite is fast. When compared to the graphics-based programs in our group, it seems to operate at lightning speed. Its screen display is instantaneous, and we were amazed at its printing speed. The features offered by MouseWrite include the ability to print — but not display on screen — a number of fonts and type styles. These selections may be chosen from pull-down menus or by separate keystrokes. It's also possible to select already-typed text and change its font, style or size. Font and style selections are signaled on screen by a diamond-shaped marker. MouseWrite has no graphics capabilities, and pictures may not be included in docu- ments. The program supports color printing, however. Choosing a color — from a choice of blue, green, orange, purple, red or yellow — in the color menu instructs a color-capa- ble printer to print the selected text in that color. MouseWrite also features an interactive spelling checker with a 61,000-word dictio- nary. Words in a document that the checker doesn't recognize are highlighted. Up to 10 alternate spellings may be suggested for a flagged word. When a word is highlighted, a user has the option of ignoring it, changing it, delet- ing it or marking it for later attention. The word can also be added to the program's custom dictionary so it won't be flagged in later searches. MouseWrite works with a RAM disk previ- ously defined in the Control Panel. If the RAM disk is large enough, an expanded desktop may be set up that allows a user to open as many as 12 documents on screen at a time, while holding the spelling checker's dictionary in memory. While MouseWrite works with the stan- dard 256K IGS memory, a memory expan- sion card of at least 256K is required for the expanded desktop. Also, loading the spell checker into RAM requires at least 384K in an expansion card, MouseWrite offers a number of other powerful word processing features. It has a mail-merge capability that can add new sec- tions to a specifically designated place in a letter or complete form letters with informa- tion from a list file. The list file might be set up in MouseWrite or an AppleWorks database file may be used. The Apple IIGS Buyer's Guide 11 Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com WORD PROCESSORS competitors. The program can also stop in the middle of a letter during the merge/printing process and allow a user to add a personalized note from the keyboard. MouseWrite also provides a glossary capa- bility. From this file, a user may call up words or paragraphs of information with a single keystroke. Because the glossary rec- ognizes commands, it takes on a kind of macro-creation capability that can be used to perform a number of functions with a single keystroke. When used with a modem, MouseWrite's communications feature can be used to send and receive text files over phone lines. This function includes a phone list and automatic dial capabilities, but it does not function as terminal emulation software. Therefore, it will probably not meet all your communica- tions needs. One of MouseWrite's features should be of particular interest to teachers and writers. ‘The "About Mouse Write" selection from the Apple menu brings up a dialogue box con- taining information about the current docu- ment, including a line count, word count and an estimation of the reading level of the document. ‘An 80,000-word spelling checker and thesaurus belp set Multiscribe GS apart from its The readability information, based on the Frye Graph and Flesch Index, shows the approximate grade-level reading ability required to understand the document. This analysis may be performed on an entire doc- ument or any portion of text selected prior to choosing "About MouseWrite." Short Course On Graphics Before continuing with the description of the three graphics-based word processors, let's look at the two types of graphics that can be produced on the IGS: bit-mapped and object-oriented. Though both types may be used to produce complex and beautiful images, they differ in how they are used and how they behave. Bit-mapped graphics programs produce images in the form of dots on the screen. An example of a bit-mapped program is Paint- works Plus. A clue to the fact that a graphics program is bit-mapped is the word "paint" in its name. Illustrations in bit-mapped programs are constructed by using tools and shapes to draw on screen. Because shapes are made up of dots put together in a certain pattern, a rectangle may be drawn, for example, and a portion of it erased to obtain the desired effect. In contrast, object-oriented graphics pro- grams work by placing objects on a screen, An example of an object-oriented program is Top Draw. A clue to the fact that a graphics program is object-oriented is the word "draw" in its name. Drawings in object-oriented programs are constructed by combining or layering shapes. A rectangle that looks like a rectan- gle created in a bit-mapped program may be drawn, but it behaves quite differently. The object-oriented rectangle exists as an object and must maintain certain basic quali- ties. It may be edited or resized, but it must remain a four-sided figure. No portion of it may be erased. It is possible, however, to hide an unwanted portion of an object by placing that portion behind another object. Because the two types of graphics pro- grams behave so differently, they cannot normally be combined. Multiscribe GS (Version 3.0) By StyleWare, Inc. ‘Multiscribe GS supports both text and graphics within the same document. Graph- ics may be imported to a document with the Load Picture command, which can handle either bit-mapped or object-oriented images. Imported bit-mapped graphics may be cropped, but not otherwise edited. Object- oriented graphics may not be cropped. All graphics may be resized, though we found this a bit tricky to do in a document with text. Once graphics were added to a docu- ment, the screen display slowed consider- ably. Scrolling a screen-size image was time-consuming. The picture had to be reformed on screen each time the position changed even slightly, Graphics are memory eaters, making it easy to run out of memory when including several graphics in a document running on a IGS with 512K of memory. If there isn't enough memory remaining in RAM to allow graphics to be loaded into a document, Multiscribe GS provides a disk- based memory management system that allows the temporary storage of graphics on a disk. This disk file is treated as if it were in RAM. This safety feature also prevents loss of data in the event of a power failure. 12. Spring 1988 Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com WORD PROCESSORS Multiscribe GS has its own object-oriented drawing capabilities, but they are somewhat limited. With the Draw menu selection, a user can create pictures with lines, circles, rectangles and rounded rectangles. Objects may be line shapes or filled, and a selection of line widths is available. After each item is drawn on screen, a menu choice or command-key sequence must be given before another object can be drawn. The Draw Again menu selection allows another use of the previous choice. Draw must be selected again to switch tools. With patience, one can create many interesting effects, Graphics may be used between lines of text or placed behind text for a back- ground effect, Text in Multiscribe GS may appear in any of 11 fonts. The Style menu includes bold, underline, outline, shadow, italics, and superscript and subscript styles. Because the program is graphics based, special effects appear on screen as they will appear in print. ‘The program supports font sizes from six to 48 points, In addition, a utility disk is included that contains additional sizes, which may be added to the system folder to provide missing font sizes. Text may be typed on screen in, literally, any of the 4,096 colors available on the IGS. In addition to the 16 colors (including black and white) in its Color menu, Multiscribe GS provides a color editor that allows a user to mix colors to any shade desired. Once creat- ed, these colors may be used for both text and graphics, One of the best features of Multiscribe GS is its spelling checker. With it, a user can check the spelling of all words in a docu- ment. The spelling checker includes an 80,000-word dictionary. As errors are locat- ed, a dialogue box appears that allows the user to ignore the word, ask for a suggested spelling or correct and replace the word. Itis also possible to add words to the dictionary. It is important to place the cursor at the beginning of a document before starting a search, however, or some spelling errors are likely to be missed. That's because Multi- scribe GS' spelling checker searches from the current cursor position to the end of a document. fe Edit Find Format Font Style Color Window Untitledt windows fun? Just imagine Plz? Writer's Choice e rogrom ino Wi on the screen, differen You con have foreground type in either black background con be set to one o Gedaaomeraivalaeet 14 high] And of course, you can You wouldn't expect anything less from Activision! directly on the soreen, s€, you can print out your document in color if you t- maf highlighting directly on the ser int out Writer's Choice Elite may lack bells and whistles, but it's got some features not found else- where — including the ability to 'name" rulers. In addition to spelling errors, the spelling checker also flags double words (and and) and certain capitalization errors. Multiscribe GS is the only word processor considered here that has a thesaurus, Select- ing a word in the text and choosing Syn- onym from the Edit menu brings up a dialogue box that shows a definition for the selected word and a number of possible synonyms. It's possible to automatically replace the original word with one of the synonyms in the list by selecting the synonym desired and clicking Replace. For systems with only one 3.5-inch drive, using the spelling checker or thesaurus requires swapping from the Multiscribe GS program disk to the utilities disk and back. The files required are not stored in RAM. Writer's Choice Elite By Activision, Inc. Like Multiscribe GS, Writer's Choice Elite can import either bit-mapped or object-ori- ented drawings. While there are some differ- ences, the font and style capabilities of the two programs are very similar. Writer's Choice Elite provides 13 different fonts, each of which is available in point sizes from six to 32 points. The styles avail- able include plain, bold, italic, underline and outline. In Writer's Choice Elite, text may appear on screen in either black or red. Writer's Choice Elite also offers a selection for setting colored backgrounds for text that is unlike either of the other two graphics- based programs we considered. A back- ground color of white, red, yellow, green, blue or black may be selected to form a background for any portion of text — letter by letter, if desired. Writer's Choice Elite's use of color is also different when importing graphics. The pro- gram can only display four colors, not counting black and white, so the colors shown on screen will almost certainly be dif- ferent than those of the source image. This problem only applies to the screen display. When printed, colors return to their original hues. Importing a graphic requires using the Copy Image command from the Edit menu. A dialogue box appears asking for informa- tion concerning where the picture is stored The Apple lIGS Buyer's Guide 13 Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com WORD PROCESSORS on the disk drives. Once this is specified, the picture is displayed in a window on screen. Before it may be copied into the docu- ment, a user must draw a box around the exact portion of the picture that is to be placed into a document. We like this method because it provides the ability to control exactly what will appear in a document. Once in a document, pictures act like sep- arate paragraphs, Although text may be placed before or after pictures, it may not be placed on either side of a picture. Even though Writer's Choice Elite seems to be the "plain vanilla" of the word proces- sors presented here, for some users it may be the best choice. We also like two of its special features: crossed-out text and local rulers. ‘The program's Color menu offers a "cross" selection that allows text to be typed on screen and printed with a red, black or white line running through it. This feature is useful for anyone who must type documents that show all changes made to them. A new version of a contract or a script may, for easy comparison, show previous |-out text next to the new wording. is feature is a real timesaver for someone who might otherwise have to draw lines by hand through the old text. In Writer's Choice Elite, rulers may be given names, The first ruler at the top of a page is called the main ruler, Other rulers may be given the designation "local." A local ruler only affects the text of the paragraph following it, not the remainder of a document. This feature is especially handy for placing indented, single-spaced quota- tions in a document. Instead of inserting another ruler after a quotation, all that's needed to revert to the earlier format is to strike the carriage return for the next paragraph. GraphicWriter (Version 2.0) By DataPak Software, Inc. The difference between GraphicWriter and the other three word processors we've examined is evident as soon as the program is loaded. A palette of tools, shapes and col- ors appears at the bottom of the screen. GraphicWriter is the only one of the three that offers the capability to create both bit- mapped and object-oriented graphics in a document. While it's possible to boot the program and begin typing — as with any other word processor — GraphicWriter offers a number GrapbicWriter's page-layout features approach desktop publishing. of page-layout features that are especially useful in desktop publishing. Among these features, GraphicWriter offers the capability to divide text into two, three or four columns on a page. Further, it has the capability to set aside "regions" on a page where such items as headlines, illustra- tions or special messages may be placed. Regions in GraphicWriter may be of two . Anobject region object tools in the palette. A canvas region may only hold a bit-mapped drawing. Though the various shape tools may be used in either a canvas or an object region, they function differently depending on where they are. An arc may be erased from a circle in a canvas region, for example, but not in an object region. The pencil, paint- brush, eraser and selecting marquee are exclusively bit-mapped tools and may only be used in a canvas region. Any object, drawing or text may appear in any of the colors from the 48-color palette at the bottom of the screen. While this pro- vides a great deal of flexibility, when we began to type in color, the line we typed developed an annoying flicker. Itis possible to avoid this by typing your text in black and then setting another color for the text. We also noticed that, depending on the color we selected, portions of letters were sometimes lost in the screen display. In addition to typing text and creating graphics, GraphicWriter supports the import- ing of text-only documents and screen-for- matted pictures from such sources as Paintworks Plus. In GraphicWriter, text placed in columns flows automatically from one column to another. Continuation markers provide the ability to both break text exactly where desired and specify where it will continue, We particularly like the Show Full Page option, which provides a way to see all ele- ments on a page before printing your docu- ment. Although most text is unreadable in this window, it may be moved around on the page. GraphicWriter also has a scrapbook where illustrations may be stored, ‘We noticed some bothersome idiosyn- crasies with GraphicWriter, however. As is characteristic with graphics-based programs, the more complicated a document, the more time it takes to refresh the Screen after any action. With GraphicWriter, this trait extends annoyingly to the insertion of text, ‘Text typed at the end of a document goes in smoothly, but typing text in the middle of a document causes the flicker mentioned previously, even when the color is set to black. Also, it takes so long for newly typed text to appear on screen that it is hard to type without making errors. Disappointingly, GraphicWriter does not support the cursor arrow keys. For those interested in producing camera- ready publications, GraphicWriter has a color-key feature that allows printing in sep- arate color registrations. A user can specify that all red items be printed on a separate page, blue items on another page and green items on another, With a separate page for each color, it's possible for a print shop to produce a multi- color final document from all-black Laser- Writer output. The Buyer's Choice What if you can't decide between these four word processors? What if you need the speed of MouseWrite, the thesaurus of Multiscribe GS, the cross-out capability of Writer's Choice Elite and the columnar for- matting of GraphicWriter? Well, you could ‘wait until someone introduces a word pro- cessing package with all those features or invest in more than one word processor. Ml — Gail Hodgkiss, contributing editor 14. Spring 1988 Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com Makin The Upatc hen Apple Computer, igned the Apple it didn't forget about its existing Apple owners. Before the IIGS was finalized, Apple engineers attempted to design an upgrade kit that would permit owners of the Apple Ile, IIc, IT — and even the Apple II and I+ — to upgrade their machines to IIGS-compatible computers. While technically possible, it turned out that the conversion would not be cost-effec- tive for most early Apples. For an early Apple II to be upgraded, the only parts that would remain the same would be the case and power supply, and the cost would be equivalent to the purchase of a new IGS. The engineers were, however, able to make an upgrade kit for the Apple Ie that is less expensive than purchasing a newlIGS. ‘All you have to do to upgrade your Apple Tle toa IIGS work-alike is purchase one of the IIGS upgrade kits from your local dealer. ‘The dealer will install the kit for you — pos- Any Apple He can be upgraded to an Apple IIGS, but does it pay to take the plunge? Read on. sibly while you wait — and you can carry home a computer that is the electrical equiv- alent of a brand-new Apple IGS. Inside The Kit ‘The upgrade kit consists of a new mother- board (the electronics that make up your Apple) and a new back panel for the case (to accommodate the new connectors). The kit uses your Ile's existing case, power supply, keyboard and accessories. The upgrade kit does not include the detachable keyboard, mouse or system disk, which contains the IIGS Finder and other utilities, but they can all be purchased separately. Because the IGS kit includes two serial ports, an 80-column display, mouse inter- face, clock, disk controller card and RGB (red, green, blue) video port, any existing hardware you may have already purchased will not be needed after the upgrade. Some accessories, including exotic inter- face cards (accelerator boards, multislot boards and cards that fit in a Te's AUX slot), are not compatible and won't work in your upgraded IIGS, either. As far as memory is concerned, the IIGS' 256K is the equivalent of a 128K Apple Ile. If you want more memory (highly desirable with most IIGS programs), you will have to purchase a IIGS-compatible memory expan- sion board. See the hardware section in the directory of this issue for suggestions. Other Ile accessories will work with the IGS — although some won't — as will accessories specifically designed for use on the IGS. You should be primarily concerned with how to use your existing monitor, disk drives and printers. The Apple IIGS Buyer's Guide 15 Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com UPGRADE Composite black-and-white monitors (monochrome) work fine with the IIGS. Most IIGS programs are designed to use color graphics, however. Composite color monitors also work fine, but they usually can't provide a good 80-column display or a combined display of graphics and text. If you have an RGB monitor on your Ile, it is probably an eight- or 16-color monitor, which won't display the IIGS' 4,096 colors. Although your monitor will probably work, it won't work as well as a standard IGS monitor. More On Drives Your current 5.25-inch drives will work with the IIGS' Smartport if they have the cor- rect connectors. The Smartport uses a DB-19 connector, standard on most recent Apple drives, including the DuoDrive and UniDisk 5.25, Earlier Apple drives, such as the Apple Disk II and most third-party drives, use cables with 20-pin connectors. If you have a UniDisk 3.5 on your Ile (the 3.5-inch drive in the white case), it will work fine on the IIGS with most programs. Some extremely technical programs — most notably, disk-cache techniques and some types of copy-protection schemes — will only work with the Apple 3.5 drive (also known as the IGS drive). Although the Uni- Disk 3.5 and Apple 3.5 drives look alike, they are electrically different. While both work with the IIGS' Smartport, you may encounter problems with some programs if you have a UniDisk 3.5. Your printer will cause the least problems, assuming you have an Apple printer. Most IIGS-specific programs are designed specifi- cally to use Apple ImageWriter or LaserWrit- er printers. If you already have an ImageWriter or ImageWriter-compatible printer (a printer that uses the ImageWriter's control codes and commands), it will work fine with the IGS. If not, you'll have to check to see if programs support your print- er before you buy them. Of the major IIGS paint programs, for example, only 816/Paint by Baudville sup- ports printers other than the ImageWriter. There will be one minor change you'll have to make to attach any printer to your IGS. The 1GS' built-in serial ports use the new sub-8 connectors, not the DB-25 con- nector your Ile's serial card probably uses. Problems getting monitors, disk drives and printers to work on an upgraded Apple Tle all have solutions, With a little bit of work and money, you can make all these devices compatible with the IIGS. Monitors . Monochrome and color composite moni- tors can be attached directly to the IIGS' video port. Some users prefer to use two monitors at a time on their IIGS computers: Is The Upgrade Cost-Effective? What will it cost to upgrade your Apple Ile to a IIGS? The cost will vary in every case, depending on how much hardware you have in your Ile, what hardware you have that's compatible with the IGS and what capabilities you want for your IGS. For the following upgrades, we'll assume you want at least the following minimum system: a IIGS with a 1 MB RAM card, one 3.5-inch drive, a 5.25-inch drive, a color RGB monitor and an ImageWriter printer. Desirable options would include an Apple Mouse and the Apple IIGS System Diskette. Assuming you purchased your Ile as a standard configuration with a 3.5-inch drive and an ImageWriter II printer, here's how the upgrade breaks down by cost (what UniDisk 3.5 drive with controller card Monitor (any monochrome monitor) ImageWriter II printer with an Apple Super Serial card Other possible accessories, which become redundant with the IGS upgrade, include a Ile mouse, clock, extended AUX slot, memo- ry board (Ramworks, MultiRAM Ile, Legend E card) and so forth. Other highly recommended upgrade com- ponents include the following (all prices are retail): Tle to IIGS upgrade kit (required) $499 Sub-8 to sub-8 cable (for ImageWriter IT) ImageWriter printer (the one from your Ile) 1 MB extended memory One 3.5-inch disk drive compatible with most programs Two 5.25-inch disk drives (DuoDrive) A few recommended extra options to purchase include: Apple ADB Mouse or Kensington Turbo Mouse $149 IIGS System Disk $30 Analog RGB monitor $300 Other options you may want to include; Apple 3.5 disk drive $399 Detachable keyboard $129 you have to purchase to make your $29.95 machine a reasonable IGS): Extended memory board with 1 MB RAM Naturally, your current Ile system may $300 (approx.) have more or less hardware than the items Your system before the upgrade: described above, and that will affect the Apple Ile with 128K (64K extended 80- At this point, your IIGS work-alike con- totals. In this case, depending on how many column card) sists of the following: extras you choose to purchase, your final DuoDrive (two 5.25-inch disk drives) Main unit cost for the upgrade will be between $800 with controller card Monochrome monitor and $1,700. (the one from your Ile) 16 Spring 1988 Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com UPGRADE a monochrome monitor for text work and a color composite monitor or television set for graphics. If you already have both monitors, this could be an inexpensive — though not ideal — solution, Some RGB monitors operate in two modes: digital (eight or 16 color) and ana- log (4,096 color). You may have purchased your RGB monitor — for use with a digital RGB board on your Ile — without realizing it's also an analog monitor that's compatible with the IGS. If that's the case, an inexpen- sive hookup cable will make your RGB monitor compatible with the IIGS. Most RGB monitors are digital only and, therefore, incompatible (or barely usable) with the IIGS. If you have one of these monitors, the best alternative is to purchase a IIGS-compatible analog RGB monitor. For- tunately, there are inexpensive (under $300) RGB monitors compatible with the IIGS available, The Cable Conversion If you have an early Disk II with a 20-pin connector, there's a simple solution for IGS compatibility. Most dealers sell accessory cables that convert a 5.25-inch drive's 20-pin cable to a 19-pin cable. These adapters, orig- inally intended for the Apple IIc, work fine with the IGS. You can only attach one 5.25-inch drive to the IIGS in this way, but that should be ade- quate for most purposes. That's what I have on my setup. In fact, this article was saved toa nine-year-old Disk II! If you have a UniDisk 3.5, throw away the controller card and attach the drive directly to the IIGS' Smartport. There are a couple programs and utilities that only work with the Apple 3.5 drive, of course, but such programs are rare, If a copy-protection scheme causes a problem, a polite phone call or letter to the In another case study, an Apple Ile setup consists of the following: An Apple Ie with an 80-column card and 1 MB of RAM A dual-port parallel serial card (such as the Videx PSIO) A 16-color RGB monitor ‘Two Disk II diskette drives An Epson MX-80 printer In this case, you will need the following to upgrade your Ile to a IGS: The IIGS upgrade kit Either a new parallel card for the Epson (because the PSIO card isn't compatible with the IIGS) or a new printer Atleast one Apple 3.5-inch disk drive An extended memory board compatible with the IGS Anew monitor, either monochrome or analog RGB An adapter cable for one of your Disk IT drives Left over from your Ile system after this upgrade would be your PSIO card, your RGB interface and monitor, your enhanced memory board with all its memory, one of the Disk II drives and your printer — as much as $1,000 or more in hardware that won't be used in your IIGS upgrade. Because most of your current Ile acces- sories aren't compatible with the IIGS, you will have plenty of extra accessories. More importantly, you will have to purchase replacements, In this rather unusual case, the upgrade will cost you at least as much as purchasing a complete IIGS system, because practically none of your current peripherals are com- patible with the IGS. If you happen to have this or a similar setup, you will proba- bly be better off purchasing a brand new IIGS. software publisher usually uncovers a solu- tion. It's likely the publisher, upon receiving complaints from other UniDisk 3.5 users, has revised the copy-protection scheme (or even removed it all together) to make the soft- ware compatible with the UniDisk 3.5. In any case, attach the UniDisk 3.5 (if you have one) directly to the IIGS' Smartport connector and attach 5.25-inch drives to the back of the UniDisk. Retooling The Printer A serial printer can be connected directly to the IIGS' printer port with the proper adapter cable, available from most dealers. If you have a parallel printer you want to use, simply take your Ile's original printer card and put it into slot one on the IIGS. Most parallel printer cards are compatible. An upgraded IGS work-alike will act like a IGS, and almost all IGS programs and accessories will work. You will, however, encounter certain incompatibilities that come with the Apple IIGS territory. About 5 per- cent of all Apple Ie/IIc software and hard- ware products are incompatible with the IGS for one reason or another. Some of these problems may be simple to solve (such as, you have to update the ver- sion of ProDOS on your programs to make the clock work properly). Others require upgrades to your software or new hardware accessories. Here Comes Cortland An upgraded Ile is often referred to as. a "Cortland" — one of the internal code names for the IGS when it was developed. Early software and hardware developers were seeded with IIGS motherboards that were placed into existing Ile computers. These kits were almost identical to present IGS upgrade kits. One major difference between your Cort- land and a real IIGS is the lack of a detached keyboard and numeric keypad. Your Cortland is compatible with the ADB (Apple Desktop Bus) keyboard designed for the IIGS and the enhanced ADB keyboards designed for the new Macintoshes, but they aren't necessary. A few products only work with an external keyboard, but most devel- opers make sure their products work across the Apple II family line. The Apple IIGS Buyer's Guide 17 Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com UPGRADE Your Cortland will be more than 99 per- cent compatible with a normal Apple IIGS. The rare incompatibilities can be attributed to the difference in the shape of the Ile and IIGS cases. For example, IIGS fans won't work, a computer stand for the IGS won't fit, etc, A few other hardware accessories, such as CheckMate's MemorySaver (see the Winter '87 issue of The Apple IGS Buyer's Guide for a review), won't fit in the Ile's case and, therefore, won't work with your Cortland. Must Buys Once you get your Cortland, should you purchase the mouse, detachable keyboard or system disk? The mouse, absolutely. Most programs designed specifically for the IIGS are designed around the IIGS! mouse. If you already have a mouse on your Ile, it will work on the IGS — but only for some programs, IIGS progran e designed to work with the ADB mouse, which plugs into the key- board. The question is not whether you should purchase a mouse, but which mouse? You can purchase the Apple ADB Mouse — the same mouse sold for the IGS, Macin- tosh SE and Mac II — or you can purchase a third-party optical mouse or trackball. Because you'll be purchasing the mouse (or other pointer) as your primary menu selec- tor, you should choose the device you're comfortable with. Should you also purchase the Apple Sys tem Disk’ y. Apple sells the disk and a program manual. None of the programs are absolutely necessary to operate your IIGS, however, The Apple System Disk includes a Mac Finder-like menu selection program, a fast copy utility and the utilities necessary to operate AppleTalk, fancy fonts for your printer and other system tools. Most pur- chased programs that require any of the above will come with all of these 18. Spring 1988 Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com r he Echo Ib speech synth ompatible with the Ap 11+ and the new Apple LIGS. It offers both text peech and al sound speech capabilities. Its unique text Apple y. The Echo IIb al features distinctive natural soundi a fe The fixed vocabulary of 720 words is supplied on disk and can easily be added to BASIC eech program gives the unlimited voeabul, peech in ale voice The Echo IIb. d Cricket like the Echo II, F s compatible with nu acational and special need ams from over 90 software m t Street for a li talking pre ers. Conta Reader Circle Number 3 utilities anyway. A better choice than purchasing the sys- tem disk would be to purchase a utility pro- gram that comes with all of Apple's system utilities. Should you buy the ADB detached key- board? Most people use detached keyboards because they like placing the keyboards in their laps while typing. If you like the idea of a detached keyboard, check out any of the enhanced Apple keyboards designed for the Macintosh SE and Mac II. From Personal Experience What do I use for my own personal sys- tem? I was able to inexpensively obtain an extra He computer. I used that for my IGS upgrade. By doing so, I was able to keep my Apple Ile for use as a second computer and for using programs and accessories that won't work on the IIGS, For my Ile-to-IIGS upgrade, I added the IIGS upgrade kit, along with a UniDisk 3.5 drive, my original Apple Disk II drive — with a IIc adapter cable — and a large extended memory board. Cables are attached from the Apple to my ImageWriter printer and my modem. An RGB monitor was purchased separately. It s an extra monitor for my video- order. ssette r I quickly found programs that required a mouse, so I decided to get a Turbo Mouse ADB from Kensington Microware Ltd, for about the same price as a regular mouse, By using extra parts from my junk box, used hardware from a variety of sources and by justifying the purchase of a monitor as "usable as a television set," I was able to keep the retail price of my new computer under $1,000. What You Get The IGS upgrade will give you many more capabilities than your current Apple Ile, including enhanced graphics and sound. You will be able to run more applications and use all the new programs that won't work on your Apple Ile. Your upgraded Ile will still look like a Ie on the outside, but it will have the power and capabilities of a IIGS under the hood. i — Philip Chien, contributing editor APPLEFEST Picture yourself at AppleFest: yourself in Boston for AppleFest - the biggest, most exciting Apple® gathering ever. Picture yourself among thousands of Apple enthusiasts, including educators, parents and people who have businesses at home. You'd be rubbing elbows with industry leaders, fea exchanging ideas, applications and experimenting with new products. learning about new Picture yourself at the giant Hynes Convention Center, witnessing the largest collection of Apple Il and MacIntosh” products ever. There'll be over 200 different companies. = showing new products plus demonstrations, handouts and even door YES! | can picture myself at AppleFest | Please send me more information about: prizes. Thousands of products will be offered at special low prices. CUAttending AppleFest A 5 . | Clexhibiting at AppleFest Imagine attending more than 50 hour long conferences ranging | Cattending special AppleWorks * Workshops during th the show. | | | in topics from desktop publishing to telecommunications to | ‘Name | | | | Hypercard® applications for schools and homes. Or listening to key- note speakers like Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Del Yocam, ‘Address CEO of Apple and Jonathan Rotenberg, founder of the Boston | ow State _Zip 3 Mail to: Cambridge Marketing Inc. Computer Society. One Forbes Road, Lexington, MA 02173 | AppleFest 1988 will take over the Hynes Convention Centerin - APPLE FEST | Boston from May 20-22. For more information about AppleFest, fill out ; | foivi (617-860-7100 in MA). 88 BOSTON | —— | Do it today,and we'll give you the complete picture. = JE eeeueuees! the coupon below or call ff ‘fopleFestisanindependent trade show, nt afl with pole Computer le. ApleFest Apple, Maclush.Hspercard AppleWorks andthe Apple lag ar registred trademarks ol Ale Computer nc. Some photos courtesy of pple Compater Inc Will oso, Potogaphet, Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com DESK ACCESSORIES The Apple IIGS' design opens a whole new market for desktop accessory suppliers. Here's a - look at the early contenders, Make Way For The DAS « pple II owners have by enviously while their counterparts with IBMs and of 's (DAs) — utility background while major applications are running, ready to pop up at a keystroke or mouse ciick and do useful jobs. Unlike competing computers, the Apple II offered no way to add calculators, calendars, phone dialers, notepads and other useful goodies to any and all programs. ‘There was one commercially ful DA program for the Apple, Pinpoint, but it had to be patched separately into selected programs with which it could work, mainly AppleWorks, Its accessories couldn't be summoned when using unpatched pro- grams. A few other software packages — includ- ing MouseWrite, MouseDesk and Multiscribe (Ie) — came with built-in pop-up acces- sories, but these only worked while running those particular programs. But Apple designed the IGS from the ground up to support two types of universal desk accessories: Classic Desk Accessories (CDAs), which can be run from almost any program by using a few keystrokes; and New Desk Accessories (NDAs), which can be aye summoned by a mouse click from programs that use the standard pull-down menu bar. Authors of public domain software and commercial publishers are starting to grind ‘out CDAs and NDAs for IIGS owners. One of the first and most comprehensive packages being planned is DeskWorks, soon to be released by StyleWare, Inc., maker of Multiscribe GS and Top Draw. Meanwhile, the folks at Pinpoint Publishing have adapted their program-spe- cific Pinpoint accessory package to the IGS. On Three, Inc., a company specializing i products for the defunct Apple III, ha jumped in with a IIGS desk sory prod- uct, The Desktop Manager, which is universal —like CDAs and NDAs — but departs from Apple's new standard and works a bit like Pinpoint. Here is a rundown on each of these packages. Pinpoint By Pinpoint Publishing Pinpoint, the venerable granddaddy of Apple II desk accessory programs, is mainly used to "patch" AppleWorks to provide pop- up accessories, A software patch is a routine, usually supplied on disk, that actually modi- fies the code of the original program so it takes on additional functions, 20 Summer 1988 Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com DESK ACCESSORIES Pinpoint hasn't been rewritten for the IIGS, but it was repackaged. A special bundling of three Pinpoint products, priced at $149, has been dubbed the "Pinpoint Starter Pak for the Apple IGS." The pro- gram, accessory and installation/tutorial files included i in the package have been placed .5-inch disks, along with the IIGS sys- A brief new guide that tells how to set the software up on a IIGS has been included. Though it carries the IGS label — and worked fine for us on our IIGS — Pinpoint installed once in the sy ProDOS 16 disk and een be used by any program on the disk or hard disk Instead, Pinpoint remains limited to whatever program you specially patch to use it. For most people, that means AppleWorks. Pinpoint is capable of being patched into a few other programs, including AppleWriter, the Ile version of WordPerfect and such Pinpoint Publishing products as Point-to- Point, ProFiler 3.0 and others. The majority of people use it with AppleWorks, however, and its manuals are written with that assumption in mind. We tested the IIGS-oriented package with AppleWorks. It performed well, but the results could differ when Pinpoint is used with other programs. Installation is can be done using two menu-driven utilities, both provided on the 3 ch disks, (By the way, the disks were apparently prepared before the advent of the latest IIGS system files. They don't include the Finder, but its predecessor, the Desktop.) Using Guided Installation, you create a new AppleWorks 3.5-inch program disk that contains Pinpoint accessories. With the slightly more cumbersome Custom Installation util Apple’ it resides: on a hard disk or in a special subdirectory. Custom Installation is required if you're installing Pinpoint into a program other than AppleWorks. Once installed, Pinpoint adds eight basic Pop’ up ace to AppleWorks that are jed ver- an appointment calendar, notepad, commu- nications program, calculator, phone dialer, Desk Accessories And The IIGS Apple has established standards for two types of universal desk accessories for the IIGS. One type, called New Desk Accessories (or NDAs), can be found in a menu under the colored Apple icon on the top menu bar of ProDOS 16 programs using the standard IIGS interface. You just pull down the Apple menu by clicking with the mouse and select the one you want, NDAs operate on the desktop ina Separate on-screen window. They can be kept open and ready for use while you con- tinue to work in another window on your main program application. ‘The second type can be invoked by near- ly all programs, whether they use the mouse- driven, pull-down menu system or not. For that reason, it's called a Classic Desk Accessory, or CDA. ‘To use CDAs, you just press three keys: Apple-Control-Escape, as you would to reach the IIGS' Control Panel. If you have CDAs residing in your system, pressing these keys doesn't merely produce the standard menu of Control Panel, Alternate Display Mode and Quit. In addition, you'll have a list of desk accessory choices you can activate with the arrow keys and Return key. Unlike NDAs, these CDAs usually take over your screen while operating and return you to the CDA menu — rather than directly to your program — when you quit them, ‘Their great virtue is that they can be used from almost any ProDOS program, including those written before the IIGS came out. The only catch is that, even if you only need ProDOS 8 to run your program, you must set up your disks to boot first into ProDOS 16, then into ProDOS 8, if you want CDAs available for use. As long as a disk boots into ProDOS 16 first, either to run a ProDOS 16 program (like Paintworks Plus) or a ProDOS 8 program (like AppleWorks), the IGS will look in a special subdirectory — called /SYSTEM/DESK.ACCS — and load into memory on bootup any desk accessories it finds there. These accessories can then be called up from RAM at any time by using specified keystrokes or mouse action. If you obtain public domain desk acces- sories or buy the commercial packages, you can just copy them into the DESK.ACCS sub- directory on any of your disks and they'll be loaded into memory, ready for use, on boot- up. Both NDAs and CDAs reside in this DESK.ACCS subdirectory on your IIGS disks, but they're different file types. ProDOS can tell them apart and put them in their proper place. All you have to do is copy whatever you like into the subdirectory. Apple IIGS owners can also make use of desk accessories that don't cling to these new Apple standards. Some packages that depend on patching particular programs (especially AppleWorks) and use their own commands and pop-up menus — such as Pinpoint and Beagle Brothers’ new TimeOut series — work on the IIGS as well as older Apple Ils. Then there is The Desktop Manager, which is for the IIGS only and is universal. It uses its own user interface and commands, These non-Apple-standard systems are often as powerful as standard DAs, but they can't be expanded by adding new acces- sories from other sources to the DESK.ACCS directory. IIGS owners can obtain public domain DAs and NDAs, free or at little cost, from user groups or on-line telecommunications services. They include simple clocks, calen- dars, notepads, utilities to save screens to disk and more. There are also in the public domain various programming aids, such as desk accessories, that show how much mem- ory is being used, tell what tool versions are on your disk or help convert keyboard char- acters into hexadecimal form. Commercial vendors offering desk accessory packages generally try to go well beyond what's available in the public domain. The Apple IIGS Buyer's Guide 21 Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com DESK ACCESSORIES envelope labeler, typewriter and a utility for merging pictures into an AppleWorks file There are two added accessories that Pinpoint Publishing normally sells as extra modules: a pop-up spelling checker and KeyPlayer, a macro program that permits common multiple commands — or frequent- ly used text or numbers — to be entered with a couple of keystrokes. To invoke these accessories, you press Option-P. A menu appears on screen, and you pick the option you want, You can set up Pinpoint to load the accessories into RAM on bootup, It can also load any data the accessories may need, such as dictionary and appointment files, If the accessories are in RAM, Pinpoint works very quickly. If they must be fetched from a disk, the program can appear quite slow, especially if the disk being accessed is not a hard drive. ‘The appointment calendar shows the cur- rent month in a large format and highlights the current date. It also presents the past month and the next two months in smaller type. For any date in the main window, a list of appointments can be summoned and/or printed. The calculator is simple and straightfor- ward, though its results can't be pasted into documents. The labeler permits you to highlight an address in a letter and then print it on an envelope. ‘The typewriter turns the IIGS into a line- by-line writing device. Each line entered is displayed on screen, then printed as an elec- tronic typewriter would by hitting Return. The dialer will find a phone number in any document and dial it via your modem. If you have a phone on the same line, you can lift the receiver and be connected. Notepad provides a pop-up mini word processor. One of the best features of Pinpoint is its pop-up communications program. It's basic and doesn't allow macros or fancy footwork, but it lets you transmit or receive files with- out leaving AppleWorks. Graphmerge permits the merging of pic- tures into AppleWorks documents. It is cum- bersome and only works with double high- resolution files — such as those produced by Ile/IIc paint programs like Dazzle Draw — not the new IIGS graphics programs. The Spelling Checker is handy, allowing you to check spelling without leaving Pinpoint enbances AppleWorks with an appointment calendar, notepad, communica- tions and more. AppleWorks. It can be slow on a long docu- ment, however, especially if its dictionary files aren't in RAM. This checker is best for checking individual words or paragraphs, not entire files. It can't compete with speedier stand- alone spell checkers, including Pinpoint Publishing's own separately sold Document Checker. KeyPlayer is a sophisticated macro pro- gram that has a menu-driven approach, which makes it easy for novices to write original macros that can speed up their work. One drawback, however, is that KeyPlayer — unlike competing AppleWorks macro packages — isn't perennially present as you work. KeyPlayer must be selected first from the Pinpoint menu. While it's in use, other Pinpoint functions can't be used (the same is true of the Spelling Checker). Pinpoint is still a first-rate program, and IIGS owners whose main use of their com- puters is AppleWorks may find it's all they'll ever need. The manuals and support are very good (though you must pay for the lat- ter after 30 days), and Pinpoint Publishing produces an interesting newsletter for regis- tered owners. Pinpoint faces tough competition in the TIGS era, however. Users may turn to desk accessory packages — such as the ones reviewed here — that can be used from many programs, including AppleWorks, without patching. Even in the AppleWorks- only market, Pinpoint is being challenged strongly by Beagle Brothers' impressive new TimeOut series of desk accessories, Still, the people at Pinpoint Publishing are flexible and innovative. They're bound to develop new twists that will benefit IIGS owners. DeskWorks By StyleWare By the time you read this — or soon thereafter — StyleWare should be marketing a $59.95 package of New Desk Accessories called DeskWorks. We reviewed a prerelease version of DeskWorks and found it impres- sive, DeskWorks includes a dozen desk accessories, available from any ProDOS 16 program (not just StyleWare products) featuring the standard IIGS pull-down menu interface. Unlike Pinpoint, this package is specifical- ly designed for the IIGS, Following Ap, new standards, it promises to be a sop! cated and powerful asset to IIGS owners. For starters, there's an accessory we hadn't seen before for the Apple II: a phone filer. This tool presents a scrollable stack of alphabetically arranged note cards, including names, addresses, phone numbers and notes on each person or business you care to list, Phone filer will search through the cards for any word or part of a word, Right out of the box, the phone filer func- tion can replace your Rolodex. With the addition of a piece of add-on hardware (called HyperDialer), which StyleWare is cur- rently planning to sell for about $15, the phone filer will eventually allow a IIGS to dial any phone number you select by click- ing the mouse. DeskWorks also includes a powerful, uni- versal macro accessory called KeyMac. StyleWare says KeyMac will permit users to create and use macros that will automate many popular ProDOS 16 programs. These macros can either allow the entry of com- mon phrases (such as your name and address) with a couple of keystrokes or allow the combination of common program commands in a two-stroke macro. Then there's an appointment calendar, which shows the current month or any month from 1935 through 2034. For any date ‘on which you click, an appointment list appears that you can fill out. Thereafter, days for which you've added appointments are boldfaced on the calendar display. The 22 Spring 1988 Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com DESK ACCESSORIES Comparison Chart DeskWorks Pinpoint The Desktop Manager No. of Accessories 12 10 8 ‘Type of Accessories NDA Non-standard Non-standard Supports Most Programs Y_ N N6 Requires Patching N Ne N Price $59.95 $149 $89.95" Calculator Y y: a6 Notepad ne ¥: x Calendar ae Xe Yi Appointments: ‘6 % Y Spelling Checker N ¥ N Communications N ry: # File Management N N td Typewriter N Yi N Merge Pictures 48 x N Clock Y N N Alarm Clock a6 N N Screen Blanker ye N N Game Y N N ASCII Chart N N Y: Macros ye Yi N Dialer N Ne N Phone File/Dialer’* Y N N Envelope Labeler N Y ue Supports Mouse 6 N N * Separate, extra-cost modules give The Desktop Manager added capabilities, Communications Manager costs $49.95 extra; Disk Manager $39.95 extra. ** Requires extra-cost hardware to dial phone calls. calendar does not beep or otherwise remind you of appointments you've entered. There's also Scrapbook, which makes it easy to collect and edit favorite "scraps" of text and graphics that can be called up from a special disk directory for pasting into doc- uments later via the IIGS' built-in clipboard (on applications that support the clipboard and the mixture of text and graphics). DeskWorks also features a scientific calcu- lator that will do normal arithmetic and a host of complex math functions, which will probably be beyond most users’ needs or abilities. The program will do equations with up to 14 nested sets of parentheses, can store separately up to 10 variables or small programs, can record formulas, use scientific notation, do logarithms, trigonometry, convert between radians and degrees, and more. Fortunately, it will also add up your latest series of parking fines or help balance your checkbook. Results of calculations can be pasted into documents in your main application. There's also a notepad that can contain up to eight separate and very brief notes, which is useful for quick reminders and the like. If you like clocks, you'll love DeskWorks. It sports three different timepieces. One is a standard time display similar to that avail- able in the public domain or bundled with many IIGS programs. There's also an alarm clock that gives off a piercing sound no mat- ter what you're doing. Finally, there's a menu clock that places a constant time dis- play on the top menu bar on programs using the standard IIGS screen interface. DeskWorks also features an accessory that blanks the monitor screen after a period of inactivity you can spe Then there are two fairly frivolous accessories: one that makes the Apple icon on your menu bar swirl around, and one that activates a game called Enigma. A really nice, unusual feature of DeskWorks is that many of its accessories can be shrunk to little icons and kept out on the desktop while you work on your main programs. The DeskWorks accessories are well designed and easy to use, featuring the stan- dard IIGS window setup with mouse control of scroll bars. Several allow users to cut and paste text among them, or between them and application programs, using the built-in IIGS system clipboard. The Apple IGS Buyer's Guide 23 Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com DESK ACCESSORIES Letter Scrap Book Total serops: 1 Wome (White. Spence Address (5432 Commonmeal th ave City, State abe a Phone — (413) 677-2332 ‘Wise, [President of lnasistics Sim a scroll bars. You can add as many or as few of these accessories as you like to ProDOS 16 pro- grams that use the standard interface by choosing which ones to copy into the DESK.ACCS subdirectory. Different ones can go on different disks. (One of the acces- sories, MENU CLOCK, goes in the SYSTEM SETUP subdirectory instead.) here is one important caveat about DeskWorks. Unlike the other programs we reviewed, this product was still in final development at the time of this writing. There were still a few bugs and incompati- bilities. For instance, the menu clock can block menu features in some programs or show up in pictures you save from some paint programs. Problems also occur using DeskWorks accessories in ProDOS 16 pro- grams after running a ProDOS 8 program selector. StyleWare is going through the nor- mal process of ferreting out these flaws and is expected to have a clean product by the time it's released. If these few glitches get cleaned up, DeskWorks promises to add real power and versatility to many IIGS programs. The Desktop Manager By On Three, Inc. While Pinpoint uses its own sy: only enhances AppleWorks and other pro- grams it patches (and DeskWorks uses Designed specifically for the Apple IIGS, DeskWorks includes a dozen desk accessories that all use windows, mouse control and Apple's system and will work on a wide variety of new IIGS software), The Desktop Manager (TDM) is sort of a hybrid. Like DeskWorks, it is designed to work on many different programs for the IIGS, as long as you first boot into ProDOS 16. But like Pinpoint, it uses its own system, deviat- ing from Apple's new standards. And also like Pinpoint, it is text based and can't share a IIGS graphics screen with activities in st dard windows. On Three, Inc., the company that devel- oped TDM, is a long-established maker of Apple II products that is trying to break into the Apple II market. The company adapted TDM from an Apple III desk accessory prod- uct it markets. In doing so, it deliberately decided to largely ignore Apple's two built- in methods for establishing desk accessories on the IIGS. TDM can be summoned from the CDA menu, but the program is intended to be invoked by using its own "hot keys" (Option-Escape are the defaults). Certain functions are lost if you treat it as a CDA. The program installs its own system for running accessories on your disks. You can have both TDM desk accessories and stan- dard accessories in your system, but TDM is really a parallel system — an alternative to Apple's standard. The TDM accessories are sophisticated and capable. But they have a Ile/IIc feel to them, even though they only run on the IGS. They are all text and — at least in the initial release we tested — didn't support the mouse (mouse support may be added). Editing commands don't follow IIGS conven- tion, though they borrow heavily from AppleWorks. In addition, the accessories must be loaded from disk, except for a 74K core of shared code. TDM was compatible with all major appli- cations we tried, But you can't use the IIGS control panel, hit Control-Reset or reboot with a PR command while it's active. And, in ProDOS 16 graphics-based programs, the TDM accessories can't share the desktop screen with application windows. They shift to their own screens to work. Because TDM follows its own not Apple's — you can't add TDM acces- sories by just copying CDAs and NDAs to the DESK.ACCS subdirectory. But the pro- gram installs itself quickly and smoothly. It places a special TDM loader file in the TEM.SETUP subdirectory and a TDM directo- ry on your disk to hold the accessories. The same Installer adds new accessories when you buy extras, You do not have to patch individual programs, as in Pinpoint. Each ProDOS 16 disk, or hard disk volume, need carry only one installation of TDM for it to be available from any application once the disk is booted. The $89.95 TDM starter package includes a calculator, appointment calendar, notepad, envelope labeler, printer manager, clipboard, 24 Spring 1988 Downloaded from www.Apple2Online.com DESK ACCESSORIES screen saver and dump, and ASCII chart, Some of these can be directly accessed with- out entering the menu. They are at least as powerful as any accessories we've seen. TDM's notepad isa full-featured miniature word processor, able to accommodate 245 notes of 59 lines each. The appointment cal- endar allows lengthy, detailed memos for each day. It will suddenly surface on screen no matter what you're doing to remind you of your appointments. ‘The printer manager lets you customize your printouts, The program will print or save images of text screens as disk files. Tt also saves graphics screens to disk, TDM's calculator, while also overly com- plex, can display a tape on screen or on a printer, With it, figures can be cut out and pasted into documents. The envelope labeler, like Pinpoint's, works adequately to snatch an address from a letter and print it on an envelope, There's 4 clipboard for cutting and pasting among applications, On Three has also thrown in an ASCII chart — an appendage of question- able use for all but techies. separately sold TDM communi- ‘sory that provides a pop-up telecommunications program ($49.95). Like Pinpoint's, in any compatible program. As is Pinpoint's communications program, it's a basic tool and doesn't allow macros. Another separate package is the TDM Disk Manager ($39.95), which permits users to do catalogs, copy files and disks, and do most other Filer-type operations without having to leave their main applications, The only problem here is that TDM uses an odd syntax for identifying slots and drives: $6,D1 becomes ".D61." Output to screen, normally referred to as "slot 3," becomes "CONSOLE." ‘To put these three TDM packages togeth- er would cost about $180. Using them effi- ciently would take some getting used to. But the main package delivers what it promises. For those who like TDM's style and don't fear deviating from the norm, TDM is worth a look. Summing Up Desk accessories are rapidly becoming an important part of any IGS owner's reper- toire. The three packages covered here all deliver value. Choosing between them large- ly depends on how much you use AppleWorks vs, other programs; how much you prefer the mouse-drive, scroll-bar, win- dow interface; and which mix of accessories you need. Ml — Walter $. Mossberg The author is a reporter in the Washington Bureau of The Wall Street Journal and a member of Washington Apple Pi Presenting Seven New Enhancements For Your Apple Ics... Ap