MacWorld 8607 July 1986

Moving into the Flndie i f Color Yourt Macy + How and When | to Hixpand Your Font Library + Add Graphics to Your Business Presentation + The Secrets of Spelling Checkers—Eight Programs Compared Borland’s SideKick and PhoneLink the world, and double your fi r $19.95. The ungrad is FREE ifyou purchased Sidel after 12/16/85. For more informs call (408) 438-8400. clear your desk, connect you to 4G Take my a compliments as productivity for only $99.95 avuser, When I see SideKick, I { know I want it. Jean-Louis Gassée, VP, Siaexic? The Macintosh” Office Prodi ee Manager,” gets rid of antiques like SideKick is tl desktop phone directories, calculators, 1s calendars, notepads, clocks, adding first product for machines, and similar clutter. Sweeps the Mac that all that off your desk and into your begins to make Maz. Yor now ¢ ao Cano DeIE ae eon real the promise organization, information manage- f 1 i ment, and telecommunications to OL an 61 nic your Mac and do alll that while desktop. ‘ Lawrence J. Magid, you're running other programs. TGR an. What PhoneLink" doesforyou bulletin board while using © Gives you a credit card file , b In true multitasking style, other applications. (You need that tracks entries, balances, PhoneLink automatically dials & Modem for this feature.) and limits. for you even while your Bi Lets you tap into a full- @ Arms you with a report modem is in use on some featured financial and generator that prints out your H_—Pushime SideKick and PhoneLink at other task, like sending or scientific calculator that will mailing lists, calendar, or 95 recelving a file. This one Jet you print out a paper tape phone directory. & cubic-inch plece of hardware — of your work. @ Tells you the time with a H To order by phone, plugs into your Mac’ssound = Offersyouaprint spooler sweep-hand analog clock. : or for a dealer nearest you, port and will dial all your that prints any text file while © Gives you instant on-line call (800) 255-8008 phone numbers by gee to you run other programs. “Help” with one mouse click. in CA call (800) 742-1133 can install your Phone Osh t : pe meets api epee at Beis ie i ey 5 Get both SideKick, The — Sieh Parental $88,958 pleasure in the fact that it ‘eet Macintosh Office Manager and Wit ea aes : month—which you can also Phonelink for only $99.95 a didn’t cost you anything print out. > By 700 Encased because tt came free with your Paminds you of important SideKick for the Mac is an Payment: VISA MC Bank Draft. Check new SideKick. electronic leap that projects Cre Card Exp Dale — dates/times/appointments yoy and your Mac into the What SideKick does for you with a “things-to-do” flle. real world. But you're getting ce {LL LtTtiti | A Gives you 8 full-screen © Alerts you to engegements much more than that. You're Sie editor and mini-word with a convenient alarm " SideKt a NOT COPY PROTECTED getting SideKick, you're 60-DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTE! processor that lets you jot system. . getting PhonelLink, and you're down notes, create and edit, @ Tells you what you're getting our legendary 60-day — Name: files, and/or be used in spending in telephone money-back guarantee.** Shipping Adress: conjunction with programs charges bycalculatingthe —guiexick is not copy- like MacWrite or MacPaint, cost of every call to whatever proteqted, Tt will clear your Ciy: e O Provides you with a, area, code or time zone. deak and do miracles for your Stale: Zp. telecommunications program Keeps you aware of productivity—and do all that bas that senda and receives date business and travel expenses. for oniy $09.05, Oy bata, tse US nate oye yo from any on-line network or cl rad or inerational Postal Maney Order. Sif within 60 days of purchase this product does no! pertorm in accordance with our clans, re call ow customer service department and we will BORLAND 4585 SCOITS WLLEY ORWE (SCOITS VALLEY, CA 95085 INTERNATIONAL (408) 438-8400 TELEX 172373 Ue bo pon suk ina rverackeant Pronalink na redemark of Brand Interest ne Te reer Mace (Cerna ne Mia ard MaoPan. ae publ by Ape Corpse, ne. Cras [08 Boa Ineraual BI Circle 381 on reader service card tb uatearic cern! wo aple Comey, re. Mace a trea Age Tor MACWORLD July 1986 Calor Your Mac On the Cover Make your Mac's out- put explode with color—see pages 65, 94, and 112. Getting Started 88 Putting Ona Good Face James Felici and Walter Omstead The multitude of laser fonts now available for the Mac offer welcome variety but also present a confusing tangle of choices. If you're building a font library, this buyer's guide and typography tutorial will help you pick the right faces out of the crowd. Review 94 The Kingpin of Presentation Graphics Prasad Kaipa and Adrian Mello Its number-crunching power, wide array of mathematical functions, color printing, and other impressive features are sending Cricket Graph to the top of the charts. A must-see for scientists, engineers—anyone with advanced charting requirements. 102 108 112 120 126 The Macintosh"Magazine Letter-Perfect Documents Walter C. Burns Checking out the checkers—a buying guide to eight Macintosh spelling checkers, including results of our performance tests. A New Angle on Integration Gordon McComb Executive Office combines a word processor, a spreadsheet, and a forms generator with an ingenious file manager, This new integrated package is easy to use, but does it have the power you need? Hands On Coming Out in Color Carol Johnson A primer on five of the Mac's new color printing programs, ColorPrint, ColorPress 1, Silicon Press, ColorMate, and MacPalette—because everything isn’t black and white. Mini and Mainframe Connections Bill Catchings A guided tour of the products and procedures you can use to link ¥ Macintosh with mini and mai computers. Going On-Line with Excel Danny Goodman Combine a communi create your own it that downloads, 15 23 35 43 65 133 Departments On the Fault Line David Bunnell Room for Improvement Steven Levy Note Pad David H, Bowen A software consultant sizes up the sad state of support services in the microcomputer market. Letters Macworld View The Mac in color, a preview of Microsoft Works, word processing news, a new user group network, an, other news for the Macintosh community. Get Info Lon Poole Macworld’s tutor answgfs questions about printing oversi, hone Automate your junications sessions with macros, «Fontographer Create logos, special characters, or entire fonts and print them on the LaserWriter. = Balance of Power Not your basic shoot-em-up, this serious game puts the fate of the world in your hands. = PictureBase Picture this: a database of artwork, cataloged by category and easily accessible, = Bulk Mailer Maintain a mailing list of up to 90,000 names and print labels in a variety of formats. 165 Open Window Edited by Jim Heid An exchange of Macintosh discoveries, including advice on using MacDraw’s Smooth command, a tip on disabling “call waiting” during telecommunica- tions, and insights into the workings of Microsoft Word's header and footer features. Macworld Direct Indexes 163 Products 164 Advertisers Photo/illustration credits Adobe Systems, Inc., 80-81; David Bishop, 112-113; Jobn Hersey, 101; Ed Kashi, 57, 63; Peter Miller, cover (back- ground); Will Mosgrove, cover (computer), Jeffery Newbury, 61, 95; Bob Sacha, 59; George Steinmetz, 11, 27, 69; Fred Stimson, 104-105, 119; David Suter, 19; Mark Ulrich, 35; Mick Wiggins, 125, 135, 144. Macworld = 3, MACWORLD David Bunnell Publisher J. Kelley Younger Executive Editor Jerry Borrell Editor Jacqueline Poitier Associate Publisher, Artand Design Editorial Managing Editor: Charles Barrett Associate Editors: Daniel Farber, Adrian Mello Technical Editor: David Ushijima Assistant Editors: J. E. Arcellana, Janet McCandless, Erfert Nielson Senior Copy Editor: Kathleen Christensen Copy Editors: Nancy E. Dunn, Joe Matazzoni Editorial Assistant: Heidi Mitchell Assistant to the Executive Editor: Gina Vanlue Editorial Secretary: Eileen Drapiza Contributing Editors: Danny Goodman, Jim Heid, Steven Levy, Gordon McComb, Lon Poole, Jeffrey S. Young Artand Design Acting Art Director: Christopher Burg Designer: Dennis McLeod Design Associates; Leslie Barton, Victoria Floyd Design Consultant: Spiegelman Design Associates, Inc. Production Director: Herbert Linden Senior Production Managers: Frances Mann, Lee R. Trevino Editorial Production Manager: Ellyn L. Hament Production Editor: James Felici Ad Traffic: Jayne Boyer Telecommunicators: Mark L.. Duran, Susan M. Ford, Virginia Weir Display Advertising Supervisor: Georgia George Assistant: Otto Waldorf 4 July1986 Research Associate Publisher/Director: Cheryl Woodard Manager: Gary 1.. Rocchio Research Analyst: Ralph Ames Assistant; Steven York Corporate Development Manager: Karen Wickre Special Projects: Jeffrey S. Glines Administrative Assistant: Gloria C. Sundin Marketing and Advertising Sales Associate Publisher/Director: James E, Martin Regional Advertising Manager! No. California (San Francisco), Texas: Penny Rigby (415/861-3861) No. California (San Jose), Northwest: Patricia Navone (415/861-3861) Midwest: Jeff Edman (312/827-4477) East; Linda Holbrook (617/879-0700) Southeast: Judy Sutter (404/394-0758) Southern California/Southwest: Michela O'Connor (213/201-5900) Directory/¥e-Page Ads: Niki Steanz Advertising Services Manager: Ray Petsche Assistant to the Director: Loretta Giglione Circulation Director: Penny Ertelt Single-Copy Sales Manager: George Clark Subscription Manager: Gail Egbert Newsstand Manager: Bill Cox Fulfillment Coordinator: Phil Semler Promotion Coordinator: Doug Norde Administration Director: Janet McGinnis Accounting: Pat Murphy Facilities: Joseph Wollenweber Personnel: Shelly Ginenthal Technical: Nancy Canning Assistant to the President: Christina W. Spence Corporate PC World Communications, Inc. David Bunnell Chairman Bartlett R. Rhoades President & CEO Herbert Linden Vice President James E. Martin Vice President Jacqueline Poitier Vice President Cheryl Woodard Vice President Andrew Fluegelman 1943-1985 Founding Editor —— July 1986 Volume 3, Number 7 Macworld™ (ISSN 07418647) is published monthly by PC World Communications, ne,, 55 De Haro St, San Francisco, CA 9107, Subscription rates are $30 for 12 issues, $50 for 24 issues, and $70 for 36 issues. Foreign orders must be prepaid in US. funds with adkditional postage. Add $6 per year from Canada and Mexico; add $12 per year for surfice mail or $80 per year for airmail from all other countries, For subscriber service questions call tal free 800/525. (0648 (in Colorado 303/447-9330) or write: Subscriber Services, PO. Box $4529, Boulder, CO 80322-4529. To place new orders, call 800/972-3100 Ain Nebraska 402/895-7264), Second-class postage paid at San Francisco, POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Macteorld, PO, Box 54529, Boulder, CO 80323-4529, Editorial and business offices: 555 De Haro St, San Francisco, CA 94107, 415/861-3861 Macworld isa publication of PC Work ‘Communications, toe, Macworld isan independent journal, not affiliated inany way with Apple Computer, Ine. Apple isa registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Macintosh is a trademark licensed t0 Apple ‘Computer, Ine, The following are trademarks of PC ‘World Communications, Inc: Note Pad, Macware Reviews, Open Window, Macworld Gallery, Macware ‘News, Macworld View Prinved in the United States of America. ‘Copyright D1986 PC World Communications, In. Al rights reserved. Waa READYSETGO Takes You Word Processing. Beyond At one time you were satisfied with your word processor's output. But now you want a lot more. Adding those Excel charts to your business plan would be nice. And your MacPaint™ creations are just begging to be included in your letters and memos. Sure, you can put graphics in MacWrite™ or Microsoft® Word. But it isn't easy. Neither program shows you how your page will look until you print it out. Adding simple graphics like lines or boxes is a big chore too. Not to mention the fact that neither MacWrite nor Word show text columns side by side. There is an easier way. Introducing Page Processing. Instead of merely manipulating single words, you could be working with the entire page. By processing whole pages of text and graphics at once, READYSETGO represents the next step in document generation, Now you can import graphics, Import your MacPain: Place them any- Graphics with our free where on a page — Art Grabbert cropped or scaled to any desired size. Text entry is just as easy. Built into READYSETGO is a word processor more powerful than MacWrite, With complete control over fonts and line ‘You can do a lot more besides newsletters — like this ad. spacing in point sizes of up to 99. And, unlike those ordinary word processors, READYSETGO's time-saving print preview eliminates the guesswork of laying out pages. Lines, ovals and boxes can be added quickly. And like the other elements in READYSETGO, accurately positioned to 1/10,000th of an inch. Yet because of the simplicity of its design, READYSETGO is extremely easy to use, You can even use laser type- faces in ImageWriter docu- ments with excellent results. In fact, with the prolifer- ation of LaserWriter output services, you can now have your cake and eat it too! A Complete Solution: DESK DESIGN. ™ With our new Desk DESIGN templates, you will save the long hours spent designing ads, brochures, factsheets, forms, newsletters, letter- heads, etc. Using preformatted templates, you just type in your text and presto! Nothing could be easier. Modifying templates is easy too. This ad was created using a Desk DESIGN template. Last but not least, the ultimate READYSETGO page processing solution retails for less than $265.* For a free full-color brochure, call or write: Manhattan Graphics 163 Varick Street New York, NY 10013 (212) 989-6442 ImageWriter™ Owners Need Not Despair. You may have been led to believe that the desktop publishing revolution applies only to LaserWriter™ owners. Let's quickly dispel that myth. You can produce beaztifiul documents with an ImageWriter and READYSETGO. ‘An Image Writer Desk Design template. Circle 2 on reader service card MacPaint, Mactrite, ImageWrlter,LaserWelter are trademarks of Apple Computer. Art Graber 4s a trademark of Macroblind. Ready SetGo and Desk Desiga are trademarks of Manhattan Graphics. the sugyested retail price of ReadySeiG0 is $195, Desk Design is $69.9: Cortland Computer Presents TopDesk” Small miracles for your Mac. @ No more waiting for the printer. Continue to work while printing high quality text or graphics, \ ®@ Assign your own Command ‘ keys to any menu selection. @= Mica? = Simplify applications with string macros. @ Preyent screen damage from image “burn-in.” w View up to eight MacWrite documents from within any application. '® Protect confidential files from prying eyes, w Transfer directly and quickly between applications. TopDesk — the different desk accessories. Enjoy superior performance from your Mac with TopDesk, seven innovative desk accessories you can add to virtually any Mac software. Now you can continue using your Mac while background printing high quality formatted MacWrite, MacDraw, MicroSoft Word and Excel documents. Display up to eight MacWrite and text files simultaneously for instant cut and paste. Reduce a long phrase to a few key- strokes, store up to 10,000 abbreviations. You can create, change or delete your own Command keys to any menu selection. Encrypt a 100K file in 5 seconds with your own secret password. Launch into new applications without using the finder. Even protect your screen from image burn-in for as long as your Mac stays on. TopDesk does it all. Mac+ compatible. “Unique and extremely useful...This DA can’t be beat for ease of use or usefulness. ..superb 26 page manual. It is simple and works flawlessly... This innovative set of desk accessories will make everyone's Mac an even friendlier computer.” 444 Mactiser Magazine “The Apple Should Have Included It as Standard Award goes to MenuKey, one of the items in Cortland Computer's TopDesk. aoe Magatine TopDesk. The pick to click. Only $59.95 Call to order today at (415) 845-1142 Cortland Computer, Inc. P.O. Box 9916 Berkeley, CA 94709 Circle 418 on reader service card 6 july 1986 Macworld is a member of the CW Communications/Inc. group, the world's largest publisher of com- puter-related information. The group publishes over 50 computer publications in more than 20 ma- jor countries. Nine million people reac one or more of the group's publications each month. Mem- bers of the group include Argen- tina: Computerworld/Argentina; Asia: Asian Computerworld; Aus- tralia: Computerworld Australia, Australian PC World, Macworld; Brazil: DataNews, PC Mundo; China: China Computerworld, China Computerworld Monthly; Denmark: Computerworld/Dan- mark, PC World, Run (Commo- dore); Finland: Mikro; France: Le Monde Informatique, Golden (Apple), OPC (IBM), Theoreme, Distributique; Germany: Com- puterwoche, Infowelt, PC Welt, Computer Business, Run; Italy: Computerworld Italia, PC Maga- zine; Japan: Computerworld Japan; Mexico: Computerworld! Mexico; Netherlands: Computer- world Netherlands, PC World; Norway: Computerworld Norge, PC Mikrodata; Spain: Computer- world/Espana, PC World, Com- modore World; Sweden: Com- puterSweden, MikroDatorn, Svenska PC World; United King- dom: Computer News, PC Busi- ness World, Computer Business; Venezuela: Computerworld Vene- Zuela; United States: Amiga World, Computerworld, inCider, InfoWorld, Macworld, Micro Marketworld, PC World, Run, 73 Magazine, 80 Micro, Focus Pub- ications, On Communications. APUBLICATION OF (CW COMMUNICATIONS ) ed-up expandability, and replaces your Mac's 8 MHz 68000 2 68000 processor. This effectively doubles the system’ speed because improvements are channeled to processing — rather than graphics. How about the increased speed that comes from storing frequently used programs in ROM? The Three to One Touch™ board provides that too. It can house 512KB of preprogrammed ROM—enough to store large programs permanently in your system! Memory. What would an additional 1.5 megabytes of con- tiguous memory in your Mac mean to you? It would give you the ability to load the operating system, Jazz or Excel anda RAM disk, and there's still space left in memory for processing a spreadsheet twice the size of what you can now do on your current Mac! Bring your Mac alive with the « Three to TOUCH’ BOARD Wonks a jon? The Th 3.5 megabytes of RAM as soon. A are available or additional memory can be the card cage. Compatibility. The Three to One Touch™ board can be installed in your Macintosh with Apple's old or new ROM. What's more, due to Its ability to revert to its original untouched operation, it can run all Mac software. Installation. Here's the catch, right? Wrong! The Three to One Touch™ board installs in minutes and doesn't require soldering or cutting traces. So, you can't do anything during installation that you couldn't readily undo, Human Touch Computer Products Corp. AO1 Rt. 70 East, Suite 200, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 For more information call (609) 429-6300 Macintosh is a trademark licensed to Apple Computer, Inc. Jazz is a trademark of Lotus Development Corporation. Excel is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Circle 434 on reader service card Microsoft Excel. For those who You may speak more softly now. formidable spreadsheet ever to run on a For we are delivering into the hands of personal computer. business, a very big stick. A spreadsheet which is in turn linked Microsoft” Excel for the Macintosh*A —_ with an extraordinary graphics program and financial analysis tool of unprecedented _a highly capable data filing application. power. These already consider- First and foremost able powers are magnified Microsoft Excel geometrically by Macros. is the most Which give Microsoft Excel appreciate the uses of power. the capacity to learn your most complex stration of the powers of Microsoft Excel. routines. And activate them with a single In the right hands, a potent weapon, keystroke. indeed, in the cause of commerce. Yet for all its ability, Microsoft Excel is We trust you will use it responsibly. simple to learn, simple to use. No complex commands to memorize. ay classes to take. The only thing complicated about y ft | Microsoft Excel is the problems it can solve. Microso Exce See your Microsoft dealer for a demon- The rest are history. ‘You can upgrade to Microsoft Excel from Microsoft Multiplan® (Macintosh version) for a suggested retail price of just $200. See any participating Microsoft dealer. For the name of the nearest one, call (800) 426-9400. In Washington State and Alaska, (206) 882-8088. In Canada, call (416) 6737638. ‘The upgrade offer is good only in the United States and expires on 8/31/86. Microsoft ed trademark of Micro mosh is a traderatk licensed vo Appl — — ee = Ss SSS Ss Dont be overwhelmed The good news is that virtually all of you who follow these things know that Microsoft® Word is by far the most capable word processor you can run on a Macintosh” The too bad news is that some of you think that means you're not qualified for Word. Well, you don't need to be writing a novel to appreciate the way Word accelerates all the repetitive activities of word processing. In fact, if you've ever needed to combine information from old files in a new one, or if you've ever had to shut down one file just to look at another—then you're ripe for Word. Leave the windows open. For people who've gotten used to the tedium of closing one job before they could open the next, Word's windows are a teal eye-opener. Because this feature—an exclusive, we must add—lets you display four different Word documents on screen at one time. And leap rapidly from one to another, cutting and pasting among them. A teal time saver, even if you're only composing a memo. If, say, you needed to combine material from your three previous memos into a fourth new one. The training wheels aren’t welded on, Some things are best done with mouse and menus. But once you've worked with a Macintosh for a while, you'll want the option to run commands from the keyboard as well. A faster way to order up everything from opening and closing files and starting a new file, to printing and saving, to changing font styles or page formats. It's an option only Word gives you. Avoid the risk of repeating yourself. For everyone who hates to type the same thing twice, the Glossary alone has been enough to convert them to Word. In the Glossary you can store letterheads, standard disclaimers, the party line. Or sy superiority. mumbo jumbo. All can be instantly retrieved with a keystroke. At the bottom of this ad you'll find trademark info and other legal niceties. Perfect examples of things to keep in your Glossary. Word won't hold you back. If you need to do professional quality word processing on the Macintosh, we're pleased to say your choices are limited. To Microsoft Word. A monopoly you will not mind, Because Word gives you every- thing your literate heart could desire. Noteworthy being unlimited manuscript length. Just keep writing 'till your disk runs out. Then put in another disk. Word also runs the most popular letter quality printers. As well as the Apple® LaserWriter. For astonishing results. In fact, you can astonish everyone you've ever known with Word's exclusive mail merge feature. Which lets you match form letters with address lists. Putting mass mailing in the reach of anyone who seeks a vast audience. THE NEW THESAURUS You'll pick up Word fast. We were smart enough to make Word supremely capable. We weren't going to be dumb and make it irl As the designers of more Macintosh applications than anyone else, we give Word the benefit of our unmatched experience. Along with a very comprehensive on-line Help feature. Making Word a very quick study. And if you should ever have a question you can't work out on your own, our telephone support people will walk you through it. So before you process ther paragraph, test scribe the program from Microsoft. And never be at a loss for Word. Microsoft Word The High Performance Software™ ‘or the name "Mlcovot dealer cal 600)" 426-9400, In Washi 00 (416) 6737638, Microsoft is regtred trademark and The High Performance Sof Mal ‘aberaory. band is used “wih er enptem perma y where no man has Microsoft is a registered trademark and The High Peefarmance Softw ark ef Microsoft Corporation. Macintosh is a trademark of the Melntosh Laboratory. Ine. and is used with its express permission On the new Microsoft® Flight Simulator for the Macintosh” Its a machine that was born to fly. So we've given the Mac its pilot’ license. And when you strap Flight Simulator into the Macintosh you'll find out what it means to earn your wings. From the flightline, take your pick of a Cessna 182, a LearJet. Or if you're looking for a fight, a WWI pursuit plane. Then customize the Wild Blue with a wide variety of flying conditions, terrain, airports, and flight plans. From New York Harbor to the San Francisco Bay. Too true. We hope you can deal with reality. Because everything on the Flight Simulator is absolutely authentic. From the regulation FAA instru- mentation to the aero- dynamic response. Rated pilots will tell you that it can throw out enough tough situations to put you in a very cold sweat. Engine failure. Instruments out at night. Airport fogged in. Out of airspeed. Out of altitude. And out of time. Conditions a lot more heart-stopping, in fact, than most pilots see in their entire flying careers. It's what made Microsoft Flight Simulator the top selling recreation program on lown before the PC. On the Macintosh, @ with its 3 dimensional graphics, digitized sound, and windowing capabilities, our simulation delivers even more stimulation. Drop by your dealer and test fly the new Microsoft Flight Simulator on the Macintosh. Its the most fun you can have with both feet on the ground. Microsoft’ Flight Simulator The High Performance Software™ For the name of your nearest Microsoft dealer, call (800) 426-9400. In Washington State and Alaska, (206) 882-8088. In Canada, call (416) 673-7638. WARP. A 20 megabyte hard drive that installs inside either a 512K or a Mac Plus. Like the Photon 20, the Warp 20 has its own cooling fan and power supply. Also, both WAR. are eP with an automatic head lifting/locking mechanism for safe and secure data storage wherever your Mac travels, The Warp 20 is carefully designed to be installed by any Mac owner, regardless of experience or technical expertise. Mac 512K Mac Plus Compare for Yourself and Save MoO ltn odin ABS “ao? _ Bhar Magis Capacity 21 21 20 20 21 20 20 Internal/External External External Exteral__ External_Internal Internal Internal HFS Compatible Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Mac Plus Compatible Yes Soon Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Data Transfer Rate, Mb 5.0 5.0 5.0 Lohs} 5.0 50 50 Avg. DriveSeekTime,ms 65 85 85 85 65 66-85 70 Price $795 $1495 $995 «$1499 $949 «$1699 $1695 FULL FACTORY WARRANTY All WARP NINE drives are covered by a 90 day factory warranty. A full one year warranty is also available. 30 DAYS TO LOVE IT We are so confident that you will like the WARP NINE drives that we will give you 30 days to use it. If at the end of that time you don't think it's a great buy, send it back for a full refund. Ss ee) IT’S EASY TO ORDER Simply call us today toll-free. We accept MasterCard, Visa, or C.0.D. orders. Don't delay, call WARP NINE today! ENGINEERING Inc. 1751 W. COUNTY ROAD B, SUITE 107, ROSEVILLE, MN 55113 ‘Warp Ning isa traciemark of Warp Nine Engineering Inc. / Macintosh and Hard Disk 20 are racemarks of the Apple Computer Corp, Hyperdtive isa trademark of Ganoral Gompuler Corp. MicahDrivo AT20 s atrademark of Micah Circle 439 on reader service card EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE PHOTON ZO Compact, yet powerful, the Photon 20 unleashes the true potential of the Mac Plus by allowing you to put all your data and software on one hard disk. And if that's not enough, the Photon 20 allows you to daisy chain up to seven devices. Mac 512K owners can get the same results by order- ing the Photon 20/512, an upgrade that adds an SCSI port to a Mac 512K, Mac Plus Photon 20/612 5.5*-FLOPPY DRIVE 9 6, @) Double your floppy drive capacity with the Phaser 800, a double sided disk drive compatible with the 128K, 512K, Mac Plus and HFS. The Phaser 800 can distinguish both 400K and 800K diskettes and will read/write to them accordingly. Designed to operate whisper-quiet day after day, the Phaser 800 also features an auto eject mechanism. No Mac owner should be without a Phaser. . especially at this great price. David Bunnell On the Fault Line Amid tremors and aftershocks, consumer discontent is rising on the software Richter scale Avast gap lies between the reality of what software does and how it’s promoted. “Unnecessarily unfriendly.” “Toll-free numbers are not always available—some are advertised but not in service.” “I very much dislike getting screen menus with commands that respond ‘not available in this version’ or ‘to be added in a future update.” “My biggest problem with software is that when I don’t use the package for a while, I have to spend a lot of time learning it again.’ “Customer support phone numbers are available for most software I use. Unfor- tunately, the companies do not provide enough staff. It is extremely difficult to get in touch with anyone. I end up having to solve my own problems.” These are just some of the comments we received from readers who responded to our recent PC World Communications “Software Education Questionnaire.” The purpose of the survey was to find out how people decide which new software to buy and how they learn to use it. Perhaps the most shocking revelation was how deeply dissatisfied most people are with the level of support software pub- lishers provide, The intensity of their complaints would register at least 5.2 on the Richter scale. What's the source of all these tremors on the personal computer fault line—and whose fault is it, anyway? My contention is that the software in- dustry puts a lot of obstacles in the way— in complexity, many people become couraged that they never grasp the full capability of the programs they have. In some ways the standard interface of the Macintosh gives it an advantage over the IBM PC, but there are as many prob- lems associated with mastering Mac soft- ware as there are with PC software. The problems relate to some of the is- sues our survey identifies—poor documen- tation, lack of telephone help lines, lack of knowledgeable support staff on existing help lines, lack of money-back warranties, and lack of adequate demo software so a customer can try a program out before buying it. Avast gap lies between the reality of what software does and how it's advertised and promoted, And software publishers seem unwilling to list their products’ re- quirements on the package. For example, a recent column of mine in PC World magazine (April 1986) chron- icled the misadventures of my writer-friend James, who had tried unsuccessfully to run the Volkswriter 3 word processing pro- gram on his Tandy 1000. After the issue hit the newsstands, I received a call from Life- tree Software's public relations director, She pointed out that Volkswriter 3 should not be used with the 256K version of the Model 1000. The reason she gave is that some of the Model 1000's RAM is dledi- cated to the computer's video display, so there isn’t enough working memory for Volkswriter to run successfully on that machine. She also noted that Volkswriter worked without a hitch on other 256K per- sonal computers. (continues on page 16) Macworld = 15 i I I I I I | I | I i i i | | | | j be How to Order Word Handler Put your MacWrite master disk in an envelope along with your check for $29.95 (California residents, please add 7% sales tax) made out to ALS. Or write or phone with your Visa, MasterCard or American Express card number, DO NOT send manual. You be the judge. If you don’t agree that Word Handler is better than MacWrite, just let us know within 30 days of shipment and we will replace your MacWrite disk for just postage and handling. Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. Please send this coupon, your disk, and your check far $29.95 to: ALS, 1283 Reamwood Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94089 Name Address City/State/Zip. Tel Card No./Expiration Date Check one: 0 Visa 1 MasterCard 1 American Express ee ee ee ee Circle 525 on reader service card 16 July 1986 ee ee David Bunnell (continued from page 15) I believe that's true, because I re- ceived a number of letters from readers who use Volkswriter with no apparent difficulty. However, I couldn't resist commenting to the Lifetree representative, “It doesn't say anywhere on your package not to use this program with the Model 1000 from Ra- dio Shack.” “It's up to Radio Shack to tell you that,” she replied That seems a little strange, because Lifetree actively markets its Volkswriter 3 package through Radio Shack stores. Where does the real responsibility for in- forming the user lie? My impression is that even if a pro- gram took up 255K of memory, software publishers would be tempted to say it worked on 256K machines. The only thing they'd neglect to tell you is that you'd have only 1K to work with. Who's kidding who! I strongly urge hardware companies to consider supporting the current legislation in California (Assemblywoman Gloria Mo- lina’s Assembly Bill 1507), which seeks to hold software publishers, manufacturers, and dealers accountable to consumers for their advertising materials and promises. The way it stands now, manufacturers can claim anything they want without being held accountable. This is a disgrace. In the long run, it's damaging to the software industry. And that's not the only group that will be hurt. If anyone should be outraged by this, it should be the hardware manufacturers, who will sell less hardware as customers have more and more trouble running or- nery software. For example, beginners might try out a word processor and find it very compli- cated to learn. They'll think the program is confusing and discover that it doesn’t do what was claimed. They'll end up thinking that computer software is difficult and slow and that it has a host of frustrating prob- lems associated with it. What happens then? These customers assume that the computer itself must be somehow to blame. Thus, the hardware is found guilty by association. (continues on page 18) Sign me up! YES! Please send me Macworld, the Macintosh magazine. O Payment enclosed O Bill me later © $24 for 1 year (12 monthly issues) SAVE EVEN MORE! (1 $46 for 2 years (24 issues) Address City, State, Zip Please allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery of your first issue, Offer good in US. only. Offer expires December 31, 1986. racy BUSINESS REPLY MAIL FIRSTCLASS PERMITNO. 1262 BOULDER, CO. POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE Macworld Subscription Department PO. Box 51666 Boulder, Colorado 80321-1666 Matbcetbcbbatballtbtbadbaliall NO POSTAGE NECESSARY IF MAILED IN UNITED STATES. -INTERLACE. THE MACINTOSH DA INTERLACE™ COMBINES RELATIONAL DATABASE POWER WITH THE EASE OF USE OF A FILE MANAGER Simple filing products though easy to use, lack the power to handle multiple-file applications and the calculations required to perform useful tasks. Most power databases require that you become a programmer before even the simplest task can be done. But now Interlace is here... Interlace is the only Program which allows you to visually define your database by drawing connections between files. Adam Green, InfoWorld: “...Really uses the visual strength of the Mac to produce a ‘database in tool.” Report design is freeform, place fields and pictures anywhere on the page. Choose your own fonts and styles. Reports can access multiple files and other reports using spreadsheet-style formulas to build practical applications. “InfoWorld Software Review, February 10, 1986: “Although Interlace is a powerful relational database, it uses a visual approach to information management that makes this power easy to manage.” . Glient Billing 2 Stock ortfolio Management mw Checkbook @ Parts Explosion @ 1040 Tax planning including Schedules A, B, and D. Esther Dyson, Release 1.0: “interlace is a stunningly wonderful application generator/dbms.” Visit your local dealer or purchase from Singular Software, Inc. at a suggested retail price of $139. When purchased directly from Singular Software, Inc., interlace is backed by a 60 day money back guarantee. A backup copy of Interlace may be purchased for ly Gea Call (800) 626-8392 or in CA, (800) 826-1585 SOFTWARE™ 1340 Saratoga-Sunnyvale Rd., Suite 201 San Jose, CA 95129. Send me Interlace for $139 (plus $4.00 shipping. Canada S10). Overseas add $25 and make payment by bank draft, payable in US dollars, drawn on a US bank COD's and Purchase Orders WILL Ni Name: T be accepted, Company. Phone: Address City: State: Zip: Gi Send me a backup copy of Interiace for an additional $10. O Visa © MasterCard Card #: Card Expiration Date: Signature: California residents add 7% sales tax. Interiace is a vademark of Singular Software, Inc. Macintosh isa trademark licensed to Apple Computer, Inc Circle 420 on reader service card David Bunnell (continued from page 16) I would venture to say that this state of affairs is the single biggest reason for the slowdown in the growth of the computer industry last year. Actually, hardware manufacturers are not immune from blame. For that matter, even computer magazines are guilty when we publish articles with jargon you can't understand unless you're a so-called power user. Hardware companies expect that you will somehow know how to change DIP switches on circuit boards and that you can connect your own jumper wires and figure out how to configure systems that weren't meant to be put together in the first place. This cavalier attitude is at the root of the number one problem facing the per- sonal computer business today. The poten- tial widespread use of personal computers hasn't been realized because they're too complicated; people have too many bad ex- periences, and the time commitment for learning programs is too long. Often, even after you take the time, you can't make full use of your computer without someone to give you advice and hold your hand. It’s almost impossible to learn everything you need to know just by reading the documentation or calling the help line. People come away feeling intimidated and helpless. 1 think this is an even bigger issue for manufacturers than problems like pricing or distribution or software piracy. Software and hardware companies need to focus on the problems of new cus- tomers and even seasoned users. Manufacturers must stop making as- sumptions about their customers’ levels of experience, Part of the problem is that many com- panies avoid their customers. For example, they don’t want to talk to ordinary custom- ers at computer shows like Comdex. In fact, they seem upset to see them there. Manufacturers would rather talk to dis- tributors and to each other, They still ex- pect computer stores to carry the burden of educating the user. Yet they must know by now that the average salesperson in a computer store doesn’t understand all the nuances of using a software package on dif- ferent systems. and is Available Now. Tired of your Mac waiting for the Imagewriter throughout the day? MacBufferis the solution that works. MacBuffer controls the printer leaving the Mac free to use. MacBuffer’s 256K, 512K, or 1 Megabyteofmemory, and asuper fast data transfer rate can improve your productivity up to 400%. MacBuffer comes with all cables, ready to install. Other features include: « Compatible with existing Macintosh software and Imagewriter I and II « Two Macs can share one MacBuffer and printer « Local Copy and Single Sheet Modes. Based on either price or performance, MacBuffer is unequalled, For more information see your local Apple dealer or contact Ergotron, Inc. ERGOTIROT 1 inc PO. Box 17013 © Mpls. MN 55417 © (612)854-9116 © 800/328-9839 Engnteon and MacBulfer are trademarks ofExpotron, Ine MacBufter The First Print Buffer System for the Macintosh that Really Works, Saves Time, Another factor, of course, is that the expense of supporting software is im- mense, and publishers have long avoided facing this. Often, they don't even factor that cost into their business plans. If you talk to Mitch Kapor of Lotus, Dave Winer of Living Videotext, or Bill Gates of Microsoft, they'll tell you they have huge banks of people who answer phones to support customers—and that they still can’t keep up with the calls. ‘Typically, callers are kept on hold for half an hour before reaching a help line. Even then they don't necessarily receive sat isfactory answers. In my opinion, the heart of the prob- lem is that the people who produce the software are so involved in technology for its own sake that they don’t see the chasm between themselves and the average cus- tomer, Many of them even seem to enjoy keeping things complicated and difficult because it gives them the mystique of being unapproachable tech-masters. Our survey—which I see as a kind of seismograph monitoring users’ attitudes: clearly shows that the pressure is mounting on the personal computer fault line We're due for a Big One soon. 0 acBuffe | 18 July 1986 Circle 83 on reader service card When is a two-year-old an antique? The computer industry moves fast. The program that was the star of the industry only two years ago is now the highlight of the history books. Introducing FULLPAINT™ from Ann Arbor Softworks, the only painting program you'll ever need for your Macintosh™. Starting where the classic left off, it adds a host of new features you wouldn’t expect. Now, you’ll find you can’t live without them. Features like full-screen painting. With palettes that don’t get in the way. Move them, hide them. Even paint under them. Open up to four documents at once. In windows that move and grow like you’re used to. With scroll bars. Windows that you can copy and paste between. Very, very quickly. Rulers that continually show your current position on the full page. In inches, picas, centimeters, points or pixels. A MouseSpot™ that displays the exact size of the object being drawn. And Mouse Craw1™, which lets you draw accurately even with a mouse. Plus reversed and transparent text. Custom font sizes. Editable brush shapes. A browsing Show Page dialog. Full document selections. Poster size and full-page, laser resolution printing. FatBits auto-scrolling. Skew, perspective, distort, and free rotate. In real time, as you watch, on the screen. All this and more for only $99.95. Ask your dealer for a demonstration. It’s more than you’re expecting. FULLPAINT The Professional Paint Program for the 512K Mac, Mac Plus, and Beyond. . . ANN ARBOR SOFTWORKS, INC. 3084S. State St. Ann Arbor, MI 48105 313-996-3838 Macintosh is a trademark licensed to Apple Computer, Inc. All others are trademarks of Ann Arbor Softworks, Inc Circle 204 on reader service card HyperDrive is far from the least expensive hard disk for the Macintosh. So you'd expect it to appeal to a relative handful of perfectionists who can afford to have high standards. Not so: More people have bought Hyper- Drives than any other hard disk for the Mac. This apparent violation of the laws of economics has a simple explanation: Any hard disk is an investment. And when it comes to choosing investments, cheaper isnt better Better is better. A line of reasoning that leads straight to HyperDrive. A FASTER DRIVE. AND A SMARTER DRIVE. Ours is the fastest hard disk available for the Mac. Period. It will let you launch Microsofts Excel, for example, two and a half times faster than one competitor And quit MacWrite over 40% faster than another. But besides being a faster drive, HyperDrive is also a smarter drive. Because it also comes with software that lets you make back-up copies of your data onto diskettes. A print spooler that lets you go on to other jobs while your printer is still turning out the one you just finished. And a security program that protects your files from unauthorized entry. THE WORLD'S FASTEST MACINTOSH. ; You can even buy additional software } °. a ~ (HyperNet) that lets you share HyperDrives 10 or 20 a megabytes of disk storage with other Macs on an AS Applelalk network. 4 HyperDrive is also designed with the realiza- tion that desk space is parcelled out to each of us in very finite quantities. It’s the first hard disk thats installed inside the Macintosh, taking up no more space than a Mac itself and preserving its portability. THE WORLD'S FASTESF-SELLING HARD DISK FOR THE MACINTOSH. COMMITMENTS & HAPPY MARRIAGES. Finally, since any hard disk represents a long-term commitment on the part of the buyer, we match it with a corresponding commitment of our own. HyperDrive is backed by over a thousand dealers nationwide. Besides our ninety-day limited warranty, additional warranty coverage (HyperCare) is available for up to three years or longer. (See an authorized General Computer dealer for complete details) And were committed to upgrading already installed HyperDrives as refine- ments are made in the future. All of which explains why /nfoWorld judged HyperDrive “unbeatable in the cur rent world of the Macintosh.’ And why Macworld NZ proclaimed it “the happiest marriage of the eo Macintosh and a hard disk.” GENERAL If that's the sort of relationship youve been — looking for, call General Computer at (800) 634-9737 In Illinois, (GOO) 854-9737* The leading edge starts here Circle 143 on reader service card NOW YOU CAN EXTEND THE BLESSINGS OF HYPERDRIVE TO LESS PRIVILEGED MACINTOSHES. rp This is good news for anyone who owns a Macintosh. Or a HyperDriven Macintosh. And an act of unprecedented gener- osity for those who own both. General Computer introduces HyperNet, software that gives other Macs access to HyperDrives vast 10 or 20 mega- bytes of hard disk storage, It means that, using the Applelalk network, you can link a HyperDriven Mac with other Macs in your office. Creating a net- pand, adding Macintoshes and/or your needs change. It means that you can us iny Mac in your network to call up files from your HyperDrive. Editing, transmitting and other- ive. Hypertio, The lead na ed wise managing the data they contain. (It also supports multi- user database software) And it means that you can not only multiply the amount of information your Macs can mani ut divide the cost of HyperDrive accordingly. Which could leave conomically viable alter native but to visit your authorized General ~ | x cite sce’ = GENERAL == COMPUTER (In Illinois, call (GOO) 854-9737)* The leading edge starts here. logo are vradorarks ol Gonora C u with no or ear Appia Circle 143 on reader service card Steven Levy Room for Improvement How MacTerminal'’s shortcomings helped make communications software a wide-open race The fellow who first taught me how to hook up computers to the phone lines is normally a man of supernal calm. The ex- ceptions to this rule were the times he en- countered a combination of computer, mo- dem, and communications software that refused to perform as a well-oiled ma- chine. At those times of dead phone lines, locked keyboards, and streams of on- screen gibberish, his face reddened and in- flated with rage. When he encountered files that, like terrified parachutists hang- ing back at the hatch, refused to take the electronic leap from computer to com- puter, he howled in primal discomfort. So naturally, I was thrilled to tell him how the Macintosh would solve all his tele- communications problems. It was early 1984, and I had just been given a peek at what looked like the raciest terminal pro- gram in computer history. The program's cocreator, Apple “software evangelist” Mike Boich, had put it through some paces, and I had seen how menu commands and dialog boxes cut through the layers of incompre- hensibility that previous machine-software combinations had presented. “And what is the name of this magic program?” my telecommunications guru asked mi “Ttis MacTerminal,” | said. “And when will it ship?” “Real soon now.” Hah. Fact is, Apple Computer did not ship MacTerminal until several months after the Macintosh was available. And when it did ship, many words could have been used to describe it, but none of the words was panacea. It did provide a zipless style of file transfer that pleased my on-line mentor. And it had some luxury features not found in previous communications programs-like a clever way of capturing text and saving it via the Note Pad. But it lacked some features that users had taken for granted: most notably, there were no built-in log-on procedures for people to au- tomatically dial the phone and begin a tele- communicating session on their favorite in- formation utility. And some things about it were just plain weird, like the fact that it often would spin the disk drives—in effect, temporarily freezing all action—according to its own inscrutable whims. Disk ac- cesses from outer space! (continues on page 26) Macworld = 23 @vel give yOu and.a*5 discount MACWORLD. < Expo ‘Our exhibitors list. (As of Aptil 1, 1986.) A who's who of people who design, develop and produce hardware, software and peripherals for Macintosh. A +/Ziff-Davis Publishing Co., Addison-Wesley Publishing, Adabe Systems, AMinity Microsystems, Lid. Aldus Cos. Altyé Corp. Ann Arbor Softworks, Inc. Apple Computes, Ine, Applied Logic Sytems, In. Avante, In. venue Sftwate, Inc., Blackhole Technology, Inc., Blyth Software, Boston Software Publishers, Inc. , Brainpower, Inc., Bridgeport Machines CMS, C. Itoh & Co.. Capilano Computing Systems Led... Caribbean Enterprises, Caady Co. Cauzin Systems, CompServCo, Compucove, Computertown, Conceptual instruments Co., Consulat Corp. Conus stems, Inc, Creighton Development Comp Cricket Software, DataSpace Corp., Dayna Communications, DCM Data Products, Digital, Etc., Educomp, Enterset, Erez Anzel, Ergotron, [nc., Esoft Enterprises, Experlelligence, Inc., Ferranti-Dege, Inc., First Byte, Ford LePage, Forethought, Inc. , General Computer Co.., Great Wave Sofeware, Greene, Johnson, Inc., GICO Corp, . Hayden Book Co. , Hayes Microcomputer Products, High Performance Systems, 1/0 Design, Inc., Infosphere, Inc., Innovative Daca Desiga, Inc., Innovative Technologies/ Communications, Kette Group, Inc. Layered, Inc., Les editions Ad lib, Inc., Levco Enterprises, Lotus Development Corp., Macl.ord Systems, Inc... MacMemoi MacPacks, Inc. MacPherson, Inc. Maclutor, MacUser Publications, MACWORLD, Manhattan Graphics, MassTech Development Labs, Ine. Si Microsoft Corp... MicroStore, Mindwork, Model Office Co... N2 Products, Inc., National Instruments, NEC Information Systems, pute Supplies, Northeast Daca Processing Supplies, Odesta Corp, ODS, Inc. Palani Sftwate, Panamax, Paradise Stems, In, Paragon Coursewae Pat Software, Peachtree Software, Peripheral Land, Peripheral Systems, [nc., Personal Computer Peripherals Inc tp... Prometheus Products, ProVUE Development Corp. , Rubicon Publishing, Satori Software, Scott, Foresman & Co., SGC Computer Goods, Sietra Information Systems, Silicon Beach Software, Inc., Small Business Computers of N.E.,, Softldea, SoftView, Softworks Limited, Springboard Software, Step-Lively Software, Inc., SuperMac Technology, Summagraphics, Target Software, T/Maker Graphics, TML Systems, TPS Electronics, Unicom, UP Time/ Viking Technologies, White Pine Software, Williams & Macias. And there ae more to come!’ MACWORLD Exposicion/ Boston is the original Macintosh computer show, It’s sponsored by MACWORLD, the Macintosh™ Magazine, a member of the CW Communications/ Inc. family. a free Mcintosh @ if you @ register for /Boston by Aug, 1. MACWORLD Expo/Boston comes to Bayside Exposition Center, August 14-16. How about them apples? This is the original computer show for both types of people in the world. Those who own a Macintosh™ And those who soon will In three days, under one roof, you'll discover tips, tricks, techniques, do's, dontts, how-to's and why-for's that would otherwise take weeks to collect. ‘@ Attend dynamic seminars and product workshops run by industry experts. ‘@ Visit hundreds of exhibits (see partial list), ‘@ Talk to the companies you hear so much about. ‘see, touch and test drive an extraordinary array of hardware, software and peripherals firsthand. ‘@ Fine-tune your Macintosh skills—on the spot. Do all this and more. And if you register before August 1, 1986, you can save $5 and get a free McIntosh—the apple. Theres something for everyone. Even you, Mac. It doesn't matter whether youre a power user or just about to take your first bite. After three days, you'll be chock full of information about Macintosh and what this remarkable computer can do to help you—in the office, at school or at home. Find out how you can connect your Macintosh to the IBM world. Learn the inner- most secrets of the industry's programming gurus. Master new ways to unlock the poten- tial of your Macintosh. There’ literally something for every Macintosh user. Including a special Desktop Publishing Program, Power User Seminars, and an Education Forum—guaranteed to interest teachers, students and administrators. All are exclusive to MACWORLD Expo/Boston, One Macintosh deserves another. Avoid long lines at the door. Register now for this exciting three-day conference. You'll save $5. And get a free McIntosh apple! Simply fill out the coupon and send it with your check for $30.00 (or supply credit card information) to the address listed before August 1, 1986. On-site conference admission is $35.00. And no credit cards or checks will be accepted at Bayside Exposition Center. This low $30 fee allows you to visit all exhibits and attend all seminars. If you just want to visit the exhibits, admission is $15, payable only at the door. ‘To register additional people, just copy this form and complete it for each attendee. For group and student rates, please call 617-329-7466 by July 18th. This form must be received by August Ist. After August Ist, you must register at the show. All registra- tions are non-refundable. Don't miss out on this opportunity to feast on Macintosh—the computer, not the apple. rom | Register by August 1. Save $5 and get a free | McIntosh apple. C1 Sure I want to pre-register for the MACWORLD Expo/Boston, August 14-16, 1986 at the Bayside Expo Center, I'll pick up my free Mcintosh at the door, But | please send my badge to: Nam Tith Company. oc City. State. Zip. Phone. | C1 Check enclosed (make payable to MACWORLD Exposition) CO MasterCard C1 Visa © American Express Account # Goer aT mutes) Expiration Date. Signatu (SgAatre nero for aeration we wall) ‘Send paymentand coupon to MACWORLD Expo, Mitch Hall Associates, PO. Box 155, Westwood, Massachusetts 02090. Coupon ‘must arrive atour offices no later than Friday, August 1, For further information, call Mitch Hall Associates at 617-329-7466, MACWORLD Exposition is produced by World Expo Co., and managed by Mitch Hall Associates. MACWORLD Exposition is a registered trademark of World Expo Co., Ine. Macintash is a trademark licensed to Apple Computer, inc MACWORLD ExposirioN —_—- BOSTON | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Shrink In A Box A detail psychotherapeutic game onadisk, Dr. Xes takes the form of y session. Lear more about artifical intelligence, psychotherapy, and yourself, Dr. Xes even talks. More fun than a padded room, great for parties, $49.95, Talking Word Processor Complete, easy to use word processing that talks, Great for the sight impaired, proofreading and learning to type. $49.95, introductory offer: Free Details Call collect to learn more about Dr. Xes and Talker, Or, ord five, your satisfaction is guarante: (714) 854-4434 All major credit cards accepted. Dealer inquiries invited. Watch for Seor Tutor the conversational Spanish teacher. ROSE TTA‘STON $ TWA TM Fe 4000 MacArthur Blvd. * Suite 3000 Newport Beach, California ® 9 Circle 528 on reader service card 26 July 1986 Steven Levy (continued from page 23) ‘Too little and late, MacTerminal was sort of a mess, But sometimes a mess can be beneficial in the long run. After all, the shortcomings almost write an invitation for someone to step in and fix things. If Mac- Terminal had been all things to all people, few would have risked marketing a com- petitor. Instead, Apple’s unintentional gaffe made the communications software ma ket for the Macintosh, compared to the market for other applications, particularly vibrant, competitive, and certainly varied. Most notably, while opposing philoso- phies of software distribution exist for all applications, the terminal applications are the only ones duking it out, not only for market share but for spiritual dominance as well. This is neatly significant, since communications programs are, by defini- tion, linked to ideas of sharing information. A Hot Tep The tone was set early on by the first pro- gram that allowed Mac users to connect to modems. Called MacTep (terminal emula- tion program), it did not come close to ful- filling the computer's potential, but it did get you up and running, and since there was nothing else (remember, MacTer- minal didn’t come out until the Macintosh had been out for months), that was plenty, Its author, Boston-area programmer Den- nis Brothers, had written the BASIC pro- gram just to get himself on line. But he won the gratitude of thousands, as well as a measure of fame, by putting the program into the public domain. Many first-time computer users be- came accustomed to the idea of having ter- minal software available from their user group or an on-line service like Compu- Serve. So when two midwestern program- mers named Buck Buchanan and Scott Wat- son decided to write a more ambitious program called Red Ryder, it seemed natu- ral to distribute the software by those channels. Using a concept known as share- ware, people are encouraged to accept free copies and even to distribute copies to their friends, But they are also put on notice: if they use the software and enjoy it, they are honor-bound to pay the modest fee of $40, which also entitles them to phone support and free upgrades thereafter. As the Mac market matured, other packages appeared that used more tradi- tional modes of distribution. These in- cluded MITE, Telescape, inTouch, and Ver- saterm. Particularly noteworthy was Hayes Microcomputer Products’ Smartcom I; at $149 it was more costly than its competi- tors, but at the time of its release it was the most sophisticated terminal program avail- able. The most recent of the heavyweight contenders is MicroPhone, claimed by its developer to set a new standard in Macin- tosh telecommunications software. Its price, $74.95, is right between Red Ryder and Smartcom II, and it’s sold almost ex- clusively by mail order. Its author? Dennis Brothers. What goes around comes around, Winning Hearts and Modems Producing good communications software is pretty tricky. When it’s done right, the user experiences nothing more compli- cated than making a phone hookup. Mean- while, the computer is racing madly to rec- oncile all sorts of potentially irreconcilable parameters. As with other kinds of soft- ware, adding features increases the risk of bringing the machine down in a hopeless tangle of system calls and subroutines, It’s not work for the squeamish. On the oth hand, competition among telecommuni tions software developers is not a zero- sum game but rather one of those healthy competitions that turn out to be good for everyone. Not all Mac owners think that using a modem is worth the expense—but if the software is inviting enough, they might be enticed to take the plunge. All players are rallying under their own banner, At Hayes the fervor comes from the synergy created by the combina- tion of Smeartcom H and the Hayes Smart- modem. After all, modems made the Atlanta-based Hayes Microcomputer Prod- n industry giant, and the Smart- modem—which works with almost all micros, particularly IBMs and compati- bles—has become an industry standard. So much so that Hayes released its Mac ver- sion of Smartcom I with an imperious di: regard for the fact that the software did not fully support the standard Apple Computer modem. Only modems 100-percent com- patible with the Smartmodem could take advantage of Smartcom I's numerous fea- tures, like the auto-dial log-on procedures. When I asked Hayes's VP of sales Gary Betty what went wrong there, he replied that nothing was wrong with the soft- ware—Apple was in the wrong by not fol- (continues on page 28) directly off the hard Tnehides cable and a MACBACK Series, : The fastest tape bactup system ever develo} perfect tape drive for the MACFAST series, Bac! Extend the capacity of your MACFAST hard Storagedevice : MACBACK2I Me Dra posh” | gc wold! acts gn aeee ee THe os own i vet een os et ood she . ake” Nor og oF hac dih ae nol NX S yurne™ or NpeNieS ce picture tragemarksof Apple Compute, ne Macintosh satrademarcicenseatoAppieCam- puter, ine. : aie Wy) areoneceonscenee 1 a(C ls See | GCL at pu PageMaker sa trademark of alaus Corzoraton Pictureaase Is a trademark of Symmetry ‘corporation Dealers Circle 527 on reader service card End users Circle 526 on reader service card 28 Steven Levy (continued from page 26) lowing the Hayes standard. Indeed, the current version of the Apple modem is a 100-percent Smartmodem act-alike. Hayes sells many copies of Smartcom H bundled with the modem (the two, along with a Mac-to-modem cable, list for $649). Some people I know respect Smartcom [but are impatient with its use of little animated routines that take you through the process of dialing, waiting while the phone rings, and making a con- nection; you can’t turn off the cartoon. I think Gary Betty tipped his hand when he confided that “communications aren't as big for Macintosh users—not as big as for the IBM AT.” Undoubtedly true, but would Hayes dare give the button-down AT users a picture of a frowning telephone each time the computer gets a busy signal? Still, Smartcom I is a comforting communications solution, available at most of the same computer dealers who sold you your Mac, In comparison, getting hold of Red Ryder is a walk on the wild side. This reflects the personality of Scott Wat- son, who became sole author when his partner Buck Buchanan died from injuries incurred in an accident. Upon the tragedy, Watson adopted Red Ryder (the meaning of the name is a secret, supposedly divina- ble from clues hidden in the software it- self) much as a widower might devote him- self to his suddenly motherless child. Like a doting parent, he cannot tolerate the child sitting around and reading a comic book— the child must always be improving itself. Asa result, Red Ryder, feature-for-feature, gives away nothing to its competitors. “The love of my life is the program, 1 work 22 hours a day on it,” says Watson. “I don’t view it as a product but as a subscrip- tion. When one version goes out the door, I immediately work on the next version.” He did six versions in 1985, each better than st. Version 8.0, the second one of shipping as I write this. My guess is that if you log on to CompuServe after you read this column, you will find version 10.0. Do not make the mistake of thinking that just because you can download Red Ryder for free, Scott is some hippie giving away software—it is a business for Scott. Though the exact number of registered users stays between him and the IRS, Wat- son claims to have more paid users than all other communications programs com- bined. Since his overhead is minimal, this makes him a yery rich obsessive, and he (continues on page 30) ow, for the first time, your Macintosh can share files, even peripherals with your IBM PC or compatible. So, for the first time, it's not necessary to have an all Mac or all PC office. TOPS is the only local area network that connects the Macintosh with PCs. And it’s the only one to pro- vide direct real time communications between these operating systems. TOPS in Compatibility TOPS is 100% AppleTalk™ compatible. For the first time, you can access and work on files stored on remote drives, exactly as if they were in your own com- puter. Regardless of operating system. For example, you can access your IBM Lotus 1-2-3™ files and modify them on your Macintosh under MicroSoft Excel.™ Then save them on your remote IBM hard disk! TOPS in Versatility TOPS is three networks in one: Mac to Mac, Mac to PC, PC to PC. TOPS is the only Mac to Mac distributed file server network. And TOPS works with all Macintosh hard disks. Plus TOPS is the only network to offer Mac users real record and file locking. Macintosh is trademark licensed to Apple Compton. BM is a registered taemark of the International Business Machines Corp. Appel is a rostered trademark of Apple Comptes, Inc. Lot a vademark ol totus Development Corp. Excel's a wade Corp TOPS is oaisteredtrademank of Conran Systema es, Ine. TOPS makes IBM PCs transparent to Macs and vice versa. Users never even know TOPS is there because it operates invisibly with no disruption in computer functions. No special pro- cedures are needed to access remote programs or files. And as a full function network, TOPS is the easiest to set up and use. TOPS in Price Performance TOPS eliminates the need for an ex- pensive file server. Any Mac or PC can be a file server or user at the same time. TOPS for the Macintosh consists of one piece of software for each Macintosh Network that teaches IBM" how to share. ‘on the network, and costs just $149. TOPS for the PC consists of software and a board for each PC, together priced at a low $389. Networks that don’t even come close in performance can cost three times as much. Whether you're using all Macs, all PCs or Macs and PCs, we're so con- vinced that TOPS is the best network you can buy that Centram is offering a special introductory 30-day money back guarantee. Don’t waste a minute. Call and order TOPS today. And get your IBM on speaking terms with your Macintosh. For inquiries, call 415/644-8244 or write Centram Systems West, 2372 Ellsworth Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704. Introductory 30-Day Money Back Guarantee For orders, call B00-227-3800 in California call 800-632-2122 HS Centram Ae west Steven Levy (continued from page 28) plans to keep up the pressure. “In the time my competitors ship one version, | can get three versions out.” One of those competitors is Software Ventures, publisher of MicroPhone. In terms of hype, MicroPhone takes second place to no one. Marketing director Howard Zack calls it a “dream telecom- ions program.” Months before the program's release, Software Ventures took out full-page advertisements boosting the software written by “guru” Dennis Broth- ers, who was pictured in loosened tie and shirtsleeves (a big joke to those who know Dennis mainly by his cowboy hat). Readers of the ad were prematurely invited to order the software by calling an 800 number that spelled out D-E-N-N-| Meanwhile, D-E-N-N-I-5 was busy try ing to finish the software. When I spoke io him in January, he told me it was ready for release and he intended to sleep for a month, But the next day he found another bug, and MicroPhone didn’t ship until mid- February. fe down, boot up and find yourself surrounded by the sights and sounds of the fairway — with MacGolf, the premier simulation golf game for Macintosh™ users. MacGolf challenges beginners and experts with 3-dimensional animated 30 July 1986 It turned out to be worth the wait—the easiest log-on procedures I've ever seen and nice touches everywhere, But just as ing is the way that Software Ven- marketing it. “We sell on a direct basis only,” Howard Zack. “So we can price it ag- gressively at $74.95.” Software Ventures, a company with but five employees, seems to try to com- bine Scott Watson's fanaticism with the pro- fessional tactics of a larger company like Hayes. They take out the ads and package the software in a flashy box with printed documentation—but in a Watsonesque move, they placated the customers who paid early by sending them, along with the tardy MicroPhone, a free disk of public do- main games. And a $5 bill says Apple Makes Out Obviously, freedom of choice abounds in terminal packages. And while Apple Com- puter is happy to see third parties thrive, it has not forgotten its own woebegotten child. It seems that since MacTerminal was favored mostly as a package that emu- lated VT100 or 3278 terminals (if you're in a big company, you probably know what those numbers mean), Apple decided to golfers and graphics, realistic (digi- tized) sound effects, and two 18 hole golf courses. Up to four people can play. MacGolf works ona 512K or Macintosh Plus and costs only $59.95. Get MacGolf at your nearest dealer go all the way and enhance those functions on the recently shipped version 2.0. “Mac- Terminal will never be MicroPhone,” says its product manager Rick Davis, but he promises that it will more than satisfy those who use Macs ina strictly corporate or networking environment. In addition, the new version no longer irrationally ac- cesses the disk drive, and it's 30 percent faster than its predecessor. Rick Davis appreciates the diversity of the communications software market for the Mac and thinks that Apple should do more to exploit it. After all, he admits, MacTep helped keep the Macintosh alive in the days when there was no alternative. “Apple has been remiss in telling that story,” he says, and he hopes that new users take the trouble to look over the mar- ketplace to choose a terminal program that’s right for their particular needs. “We see communications as the next great reason to use a computer,” he say “And communications on the Macintosh will be done by a combination of Apple and third-party solutions.” When an egg cracks, make scrambled eggs. Sometimes it beats a soufflé. 0 today. Or call Practica Computer Applications at (612) 427-4789. FOR THE BEST IN MAC GRAPHICS, ONE PRODUCT SCANS ALONE. “Best Peripheral Device MacUser The editors of Mac named ThunderScan the Best Peripheral Device of 1985. Here's what tl i “ThunderSean from Thunderware is an astonishing AG 7 clevice that transfers images to the Mac by scanning oa ‘ D, » them using a snap-in device that replaces the Image- es Product Writer ribbon, ,.Easy to hook up and use, relatively didnt fi 5 is inexpensive, this device should be owned by anyone ee b sis) ete, Duca this ase we who uses graphic images on the Mac.” lont object to second best. Of all the hardware products on the market, ThunderScan finished second only to the Mac 512 as the Year's Best Hardware Product. _ Best Graphics” ye To get the best graphics from the world’s most graphic perts and users agree: ThunderSean. Because only ThunderSean replaces ImageWriter’s ribbon cartridge, scans printed images and turns them into high-resolution MacPaint documents. Just $229 complete / including our powerful image enhancement software (no video camera required), Get yours today: Or contact us for more information 7 and sample ThunderScanned images. 21 Orinda Ihandensecnn, cessbipped, dsconpettibte couh the 125K 08 312 Macindost, IniageNstiter 1 cid Laser itler Compatbity teith the tod cru tage Lac We cantcd Mae Plas requires accessories. Contact rs direc retains to your compatible questfons snip ti Tunitersoine Tavera uly Mhunndereane dou ve regen imaderiarsny Tranter pac Navies tude ein Circle 519 on reader service card Thunderware} Inc. Sr ar MI IF MAILED IN UNITED STATES ee Ean a <a er BUSINESS REPLY MAIL ——S Es FIRST CLASS PERMIT NO, 1262 BOULDER, CO a <= POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE aia —aaass Macworld —= Subscription Department a PO. Box 51666 Boulder, Colorado 80321-1666 NO POSTAGE NECESSARY IF MAILED IN UNITED STATES BUSINESS REPLY MAIL FIRST CLASS PERMIT NO, 1262 BOULDER, CO POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE Macworld Subscription Department PO. Box 51666 Boulder, Colorado 80321-1666 Waal Dcsclbcatetecd bolted it Ud KUUW alu WE IT PIOllptly rerund the Cost OF your subscription for every unmailed issue. MACWORLD The Macintosh™Magazine i, 1D ANNOUNCING RAINSTOR The Mac Upgrade to End All Mac Upgrades. FOUR SIZES: 1/2/2.5/4 MEG BRAINSTORM™ consists of a main unit, which attaches to the Mac logic board, and a set of memory modules, which plug into the main unit. This open architecture means your Mac can be al, 2, 2.5, or 4 MEG, depending on what modules you install. And servicing or changing the memory size is easy--just exchange modules. 100% COMPATIBLE BRAINSTORM™ attaches to any 128K or 512K Macintosh. It provides CONTIGUOUS memory, not banked memory, making it 100% compatible with all Macintosh software. It requires no special startup disk, with either the old or new Apple ROMs. And because BRAINSTORM™ is both ultra-low-power and ultra-low-profile, it is 100% compatible with all Mac hardware, including the Apple 800K disk drive, HyperDrive, and the SCSI Port. POWERSAVER™ BRAINSTORM™ contains a custom PowerSaver™ chip which reduces the power to memory by over 50%. So the 1 MEG runs as cool as a 512K, and a 2 MEG with the new CMOS chips runs COOLER THAN THE ORIGINAL 128K. With PowerSaver™, your Mac runs safer--no overheating or power supply overloading--and without a noisy fan. Call for Pricing SCSI PORT $129 ‘The SCSI Expansion Port allows your machine to communicate with any high speed peripheral which understands the SCSI industry standard. 100% compatible with the Macintosh Plus SCSI Port. 512 K*:U PGRADE OUR AD MAY BE BLACK BUT AND WHITE OUR SOCKETS ARE Before you buy an upgrade from anyone with a fancy color ad, put them to the test: Ask them if they use sockets. ‘Then ask what kind. Are they tin or gold? Closed or open frame? With four contacts or one? ‘At Mac Doctor we use the best sockets money can buy, OPEN FRAME, FOUR- CONTACT, GOLD sockets. That means your memory chips will stay cool, stay in place, and stay in good electrical conta few features worth their weight in gol GOLD Mac DocTOR ELECTRONICS 1145 Terra Bella Ave, Mountain View, CA 94043 (415) 321-3358 Hobbyist's Kit $99. Exchange Kit available, Circle 395 on reader service card egal Bil ing, Pr ing a able at yt to your local authorized ART Satori Software 28 Set Seale, WA (21 ‘206/449-0765 gconuntans Willing {or S08 eiesiomt attic salts © Tor We, FRIES A “vin eo EW! pRarkss nC eB BI wckage yt ers, cle ts oF aDy. OF ‘time Bilt ent Wills ita (gaa Taking care of the customer would seem to make good business sense. Note Pad: David H. Bowen. Keeping the Customer Satisfied Customer support isn’t what it ought to be, and it’s up to consumers to get what we deserve An analyst facing a critical deadline crashes the program every time she tries to sorta database, and the program's maker, which discontinued its customer support depart- ment, can only suggest calling the dealer. Or an erratic typist buys a spelling checker only to find that its dictionary includes er- rors of its own—and the company that made it doesn’t respond to his complaints. We've all heard such horror stories. We bought these machines and programs in the first place because we thought they'd make our lives easier. Most of the time that is exactly what happens, and we're glad we joined the computer age. But when an irri- tating glitch recurs and we get the run- around from the company and the people who sold us the product, it is indeed maddening. Taking care of the customer would seem to make good business sense-it's the best marketing and public relations invest- ment a software company can make. Ven- dors may find it bothersome to deal with the many “spurious” calls from people who just can’t understand the instructions. But even those problems—which might have been avoided with better documenta- tion—are very real to the callers, and people are not likely to buy from a com- pany again if they think it means repeated frustration. The customers who call in for technical support are important to the ven- dor; they are opinion setters. They are more aggressive and assertive than the typ- ical user. Their friends and associates turn to them for advice and support. If vendors support such customers, the customers will sell and support the product on their own, The Sorry State of Affairs Often, support is the missing link in personal computer product offerings. I be- lieve that this reflects the immature stage of the industry today. In time, customers will assert their right to quality support, and wise vendors will stress the level of their support. In the meantime, the availability and quality of support are surprisingly incon- sistent and substandard. Typically, before the product goes to market, the developer fills the support role, installing the product in a handful of test sites and fixing any problems that surface. This is an exciting period in a product's life; the developer is thrilled to see the product in use and eager to diagnose and correct the problems the testers uncover. Adding to the relative ease of this honeymoon period of support, the archetypal test site u: are technically minded-often friends of the developer. A few months later the program goes out into the wide world, where it meets its true test in the hands of consumers. Soon the developer gets fed up with spending days on the phone answering customers’ routine questions. Rarely does a caller dis- cover a real bug at this stage. With most mature products, 90 percent of the calls are related to the documentation or the customer's attempt to do something with the product that is pushing the envelope. (continues on page 38) Macworld = 35 Nobody Drives Mirror Technologies. The At Mirror Technologies, we've become Macintosh experts by designing storage systems and devices only for the Macintosh. The result is a line of products advanced in concept, quality and reliability. You chose the Mac for its potential as well as its performance. By choosing Mirror Technologies products, you'll finally realize that potential and dramatically increase your performance. The Tape Drive Worth Waiting For. The Magnum Tape 20 will backup and restore data on practically any Mac-compatible hard disk. It’s quiet because there’s no need for a cooling fan. It’s compact because we designed it to fit on your desktop with the smallest possible footprint. It’s fast because it can backup or restore up to 20 megabytes in just four minutes. And it’s accurate because it simply has to be. Our software update policy allows you to keep up with our latest utilities. When we improve our Magnum Tape 20, you can improve yours... Free. Magnum Tape 20 How'd We Put 20 Meg Into Something This Small? It wasn’t easy. But when you use our MagNet 20X™ external 20 Meg hard drive, you'll agree it was worth the effort. We packed speed, portability and great software into. the most powerful single or multiuser hard drive around. Plug it straight into your Mac Plus SCSI port. Or get SCSI “Plus” performance from your 512K Mac with our FastPort option. The MagNet 20X bundled with MacServe™ features print spooling, disk cache, volume partitioning, full or incremental file backup and true multiuser/multitasking. There’s no question why we did it. The only question is how. MagNet 20 External The Money Saying 800K Drive When we first introduced our Magnum 800 Mac owners snapped it up. That's understandable. After all, it was not only the first 800K drive for the Mac, it was also very affordable. The Magnum 800 is fully compatible with your 128K, 512K or Mac Plus. It will recognize 400 or 800K formatted disks and write to them accordingly. And it’s priced far less than the comparable Apple drive. One Year Product Warranty We warranty our drives for one full year. That kind of buyer protection is usually available only as an extended warranty, costing as much as $300. It’s our standard warranty and it doesn’t cost you a thing. Naturally, we wouldn't do this Magwuta:s00 if we didn’t have complete confidence in everything we make. Well, we have i ...80 we do, Your Mac Harder Macintosh Storage Specialists Our MagNet 20. The Full Inside Story. The MagNet 20 internal offers you the capability to build your Mac into a powerhouse computer by internally mounting our drive. Imagine all the speed, portability and convenience of an internally mounted hard drive for considerably less than you would expect to pay the competition. The MagNet 20 also comes bundled with MacServe to give you the power to grow into. Hungry For Power? The MagNet 85 Meg and 172 Meg hard drives combine blistering speed and enormous capacity with tape backup and multiuser/multitasking software to make your Macintosh office an incredibly productive reality. Using voice coil technology, these high capacity drives are three times faster than standard hard drives. Now an entire office of Macs can share data and peripherals for maximum performance and efficiency. The MagNet 85 es and 172 can satisfy your hunger for power, no matter how big your appetite. MagNet 20 Internal Great Hard Drives Deserve Great Software. And so do their users. That's why all our hard drive products come with MacServe™ from InfoSphere™ at no extra cost. MacServe includes some great single user features but also allows multiuser access to your Mac. With our MagNet drives and their MacServe software, you'll have the kind of power and performance you and your Mac deserve. See your authorized Apple dealer for a convincing demonstration of Mirror MagNet 85/172 Technologies storage devices for the Macintosh. Nobody drives your Mac harder. The Macintosh Storage Specialists. Mirror TecHNoLocrs... \WOSEOE YECEMOT Qe 2209 Phelps Road Hugo, Minnesota 55038 612-426-3276 Circle 406 on reader service card Note Pad (continued from page 35) Atthe same time, our developer is un- dergoing coding withdrawal and is itching to build the next product. The manage- ment realizes that it’s time for a new re- ybe the OEMs and the large cor- porate accounts require some major new improvements. The salespeople want new features to sell, and the developer wants to return to coding. So who's going to handle support? Customarily, a junior developer, apprenticed to the original developer, fields the calls. Often, however, the junior developer lacks the maturity and the per- sonal skills to deal with the public. Support's stepchild status frequently contributes to its ongoing problems. The vendor rarely commits sufficient resources to guarantee quality support Dealers Get Into the Act You may have noticed the assumption that a customer's support comes from the vendor. Most computer stores provide no software support. If you have a problem, they tell you to call the vendor. This experi- ence has led me to purchase most of my software from discount mail-order firms or directly from the software vendors themsel In the last year, | have noticed a positive trend. A few select dealers have decided that they can make more money as value-added dealers (VADs) than as store- front resellers. In a few cases the vendor and the de: work together to provide a higher level of support than before. For ex- ample, Aldus trains dealers, who become authorized support dea for the Aldus products. Another approach is for inde- pendent consultants to work with users, helping them define requirements, selec and install a system, and troubleshoot after in place. ‘alue-added trend has been pro- pelled by the storefront discounters. For those who want to buy locally, at close to mail-order prices, a number of stores sell cut-rate merchandise. They sell commodity items, and they don't profess to understand what they are selling, but their prices are hard to beat. The VADs understand that businesspeople value their time and are willing to pay a premium for information and support. — VMLULULY LUMLEY Recently | decided to purchase a laser printer, and I shopped around a bit. My re- quirements were very specific, and my de- cision came down to software support. I decided to purchase my printer for 5 to 10 percent more from a VAD because the people there were knowledgeable about my particular application, and I felt that I would save enough time and energy to jus- tify the additional expense. I believe that in the long term, very simple products will be sold based on price. For such items, the customer doesn't require support and shouldn't pay a pre- mium for it. Atthe other extreme, for very complicated products, customers will eval- uate the sources of support. If they can find acredible VAD, they will purchase the product there, Otherwise they will buy based on price alone and get to know the endor’s phone support people. The qual- ity of vendor support will be critical to this purchase decision. (continues on page 41) LLY LY LLL LULU LL TLE Wittig, 38° July 1986 MULTE A YLUTLd Z Developed by Designers for Designers Z p f Mi ind Z McNet™ 512 schematic capture ine Z eace 0 | n Z — on rent eg 7 Echo's BRAND NEW protection 1 scheme Tet Matos, = Z for the Mac is simply unbeatable. 7 Z : : ; Z eel 2s,” sae 3 Hard Disk Install with or with KEY Z aah { Z DISK is nowa qe with no danger of Z mm | wrasie eae Aaa ui Z itional robl Z “aa : = cam ‘peak eee et wa Z Used by the Best Names in Softwarel! y ripper * ones : Meee Z And Priced at 35¢ a copy! Z 170 pin % % a <= 7 SOFTWARE DUPLICATION 7 | ie. 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Z Marsh Creek Corp Center Z (617) 475-8952 = : Z Lionville, Pennsylvania 19353 Z Circle 510 on reader service card Z % Circle 193 on reader service card The C for the Macintosh =er =¢ e ‘Library handling is very flexible...documentation is excelient the shell a pleasure to work in... blows away the competition for pure compile speed...an excellent effort,” Professionals choose Manx Aztec C develop- ment systems because they are the most power- ful, portable, and professional microcomputer C development systems available Professionals know that Manx Aztec C offers the features, dependability, and performance required for producing professional results. Applications implemented with Aztec C de- velopment systems range from real time control of robot arms used in manufacturing, to mes- sage switching systems, to games, languages, operating systems, and business systems. Much of the commercial software for the Apple Macintosh including top selling titles from software publishers Broderbund, Hayden Software, and Spinnaker is developed using Manx Azec C, Manx Aztec C68k for the Macintosh is avail- able as a line of three upgradable development systems: Manx Aztec C68k-p, Manx Aztec C68-d, and Manx Aztec C68k-c. Student, non- commercial, and small business discounts are available. Whatever your budget and require- ments, there is a Manx Aztec C68k develop- ment system that offers you the best value and performance for your investment. ‘The highly acclaimed, powerful, and profes- sional Manx Aztec SHELL development envi- ronment now includes a mouse interface. Devel- opers unfamiliar with UNIX or MS-DOS can work entirely with the mouse interface. Those interested in learning the advanced features of the SHELL can do so at their leisure. Devel- oper’ familiar with UNIX or MS-DOS can ig- nore the mouse, if they so choose, and work en- tirely in a familiar command driven environ- ment. Manx Aztec C Development Systems are available for the Apple Macintosh, Applelf, IBM PC, PC compatibles, CP/M-80 systems, Radio Shack Systems, and the Commodore 64/128. Manx Aztec C is also compatible with UNIX and UNIX ports. Manx curently is developing systems for the Amiga and other microcom- puter systems, No other C Development System for the Macintosh comes close to the portability of Manx Aztec C. In benchmark after benchmark, Manx Aztec C appears in column after column as the clear winner ‘The following sieve benchmark timings are reprinted with permissions of Computer Lan- guages, 131 Townsend Sr, San Francisco, Ca 94107 from a Macintosh review that appeared in the April, 1985 issue: compiler compilellink run size Manx Aztec 49 7 13,274 Megamax m4 7 13,816 Softworks 201 9 46,914 consulair 152 10 17,654 Hippo 2 102 13 30,648 ‘The following sieve benchmark timings are reprinted with permission of Macworld, 555 De Harro St,, San Francisco, CA 94107, from the ‘May, 1985 issue from “Mac Wins By a Length’ in the Open Window column, Language Run Time Aztec C 1,06C 655 McFORTH 2.0 20.01 Module-II 71.60 MBASIC 2.00 1170.00 Pascal 1270.00 Sieve timings for Manx Aztec C68k 1.06g: with register variables 3.37 sees 5,007 bytes without register variables 6.02 secs 5,140 bytes Manx Aztec C68k is bundled with a rich abundance of tools to help produce superior re- sults in reasonable time frames. The following is a list of features and facilities included in Aztec 68k, the Developers System, and Aztec C68kcc, the Commercial system. Items that are marked -c are unique Aztec C68k«c. Optimized C Mouse Enhanced SHELL UNIXlike SHELL Creates desk Accessories Macro Assembler Creates Clickable Applications ‘Smart Overlay Linker Phone Support C-PASCAL Interface PASCAL Interface Resource Compiler UNIX Library Functions Debuggers ‘Terminal Emulator (Source) ‘Object Librarian Easy Access to Mac Toolbox Mouse Editor unlimited code size IEEE floating point _ six register variables Inline assembly extensive sample programs 600 paye manual hard disk support no license fees PASCAL type strings Macirifulk support AppleTalk support code optimizer symbolic debugger (512k)-< MacRam Diske Uni Tools (ul, make grep, diff} Library Sourcee One Year Of Updatesc COMPUTER LANGUAGES, 4/85 Ifyou plan to program in C on the Macintosh or are currently doing so using a brand x C compiler, there is a Manx Aztec C68k system for you that offers the best value and the greatest degree of portability, power, and professional quality available. Look around, evaluate, and compare. The more you look, the more you compare, the more you will see that Manx Software Systems has succeeded in its objective to provide you with the best C development system available at the best possible price. Then, give us a call, and Join the 25,000 users who already know and enjoy the Manx Aztec C advantage. Aztec C68k-c Commercial System $499 Aztec C68k-d Developer's System $299 Aztec C68k-p Personal System $199 C-tree database (with source) $399 Lisa Kit $99 MS-DOS — Macintosh Cross $750 Discounts are available for professors, stu- dents, independent developers, hobbiests, and ‘small businesses. ‘To become an Aztec C user call 1-800-221- 0440 or call 1-800-832-9273 (800-TEC WARE). In NJ or outside the USA call 201-530-7997. Orders can be telexed to 4995812. Payment can be by check, COD, American Express, VISA, Master Card, or Net 30 to quali- fied customers. Orders can also be mailed to Manx Software Systems, Box 55, Shrewsbury NJ, 07701. ‘To get more information on Manx Aztec C and related products, call 1-800-221-0440 or 201-530-7997, or write to Manx Software Sys- tems. Manx has a 30 day return policy. Ifyou dont like your Manx Aztec C development system, return it within thirty days for a refund. Refunds do not include shipping costs, and might incur a small restocking charge. In the USA, Manx Software Systems is the sole and exclusive distributor of Aztec C. Any telephone or mail order sales other than through Manx are un- authorized. Aztec C is available from qualified retail outlets under license to Manx Software Systems, si Ns To order or for information call: 800-221-0440 QUALIMETRIC™ 3.5" MICRO FL 10% ERROR-FREE AND WARRANTED, Circle 21 on reader service card SL saith. | SS eS Note Pad LOOK (continued from page 38) a AT S IN | | Reasonable Expectations What should w product support? First and foremost, we should expect quality phone support from the vendor. That means we shouldn't rou- tinely be put on hold for extended periods of time. The support people should be both pleasant and knowledgeable. At least 90 percent of the time, we should get lution to our problem in one phone call, I refuse to buy any product if I know that its support fails to meet these standards. Anyone who has id experience with a product should inform the company esponsible and alert other users through u or her favorite magazine. spond to economic pressure. Second, the vendor should offer a 2 y, money-back guarantee. If the program doesn't work, I want my money back. [am willing to be much more experimental with products having guarantees. If they have no guarantees, I call up and confirm technical points before I buy. All software products should a guarantee. Third, it should be made very clear whether the retaile If 1 know in advance, I shouldn't complain when the sales n reminds me to call the vendor. If the dealer claims to provide support, the dealer must honor that com- mitment. If 1 base my purch dealer support, and that support do live up to my my disappointment known to the dea hould also let my friends and acquain- tances know of my experience. nificant pres- sure on software companies and value- high-quality cus- tomer support. \ support, but it making our s cost-effective. Be 2 upport needs and let s, both good and bad. You can make a difference. Now more than ever, there’s more for you when you buy BASF Qualimetric’ FlexyDisks: There's a special two-part game ticket that not only gives you 100 chances to win an Apple" llc Computer in our Apple-a-Day Sweepstakes, but is also an excit- ing scratch-off game with 14,110 chances to instantly win cash prizes up to $1,000. What else is in it for you? Only the best...the BASF FlexyDisk, certified 100% error-free and warranted forever. See your BASF dealer today and look for the specially-marked boxes of 5.25” and 3,5" BASF FlexyDisks. David H. Bowen is a software consultant based in San Jose, California. He spe- Ai: 2 planning, marketing, and gen- eral management. 0 41 Introducing System Saver Mac. Ever put your hand on top of your Macintosh™ after it’s been running a while? Pretty hot, isn’t it? And that’s a problem. High temperature conditions can affect your computer’s circuitry. Even shorten its lifespan. That's why we developed the System Saver Mac. System Saver Mac keeps your Macintosh cool. The System Saver Mac’s quiet fan draws a breath of fresh air in through the ventilation slots on the bottom left and right sides of the Mac, across the circuit board, over the power supply (the primary source of heat), and out the top ventilation slot (the one hidden under your Mac’s handle) at the rate of 17 cubic feet per minute. It leaves your Mac cool, calm and running at top speed System Saver Mac stops the scramble for power. No more reaching around to the back of your Macintosh to turn it on No more fumbling for spare outlets. System Saver Mac organizes all your power needs. It provides outlets for two peripherals (like your printer and modem), while replacing the Mac’s power cord. LOOK WHAT'S INIT Now more than ever, there's more for you when you buy BASF Qualimetric” FlexyDisks” There's a special two-part game ticket that not only gives you 100 chances to win an Apple" llc Computer in our Apple-a-Day Sweepstakes, but is also an excit- ing scratch-off game with 14,110 chances to instantly win cash prizes up to $1,000. What else is in it for you? Only the best...the BASF FlexyDisk, certified 100% error-free and warranted forever. See your BASF dealer today and look for the specially-marked boxes of 5.25" and 3.5" BASF FlexyDisks. (e)| BASF (continued from page 38) Reasonable Expectations What should we consumers expect of product support? First and foremost, we should expect quality phone support from the vendor. That means we shouldn't rou- y be put on hold for extended periods of time. The support people should be both pleasant and knowledgeable. At least 90 percent of the time, we should get a so- lution to our problem in one phone call. I refuse to buy any product if I know that its support fails to meet the: andards. yone who has a bad experience with a product should inform the company ponsible and alert other users through groups and a letter to the editor of his or he i azine. Vendors will re spond to economic pressure. Second, the vendor should offer day, money-back guarantee. If the program doesn’t work, I want my money back. 1am willing to be much more experimental with products having guarantees. If they have no guarantees, | call up and confirm technical points before I buy. All software products should have a guarantee. Third, it should be made very clear whether the retailer provides any support. If I know in advance, I shouldn’t complain when the salesperson reminds me to call the vendor. If the dealer claims to provide support, the de: mitment. If | base my purchas dealer support, and that support doe: live up to my expectations, I should make my disappointment known to the dealer. 1 should also let my friends and acqi know of m Consumers sure on software companie: added dealers to provide high-quality cus- tomer suppor II have to pa support, but it is an excellent investment in making our computers cost-effective. Be assertive about your support needs and let others know of your experiences, both good and bad. You can make a difference. David H. Bowen is a software consultant based in San Jose, California. He spe es in planning, marketing, and gen- management. Macworld 41 HOW TO EXPAND YOUR MEMORY WITHOUT LOSING YOUR MIND. If choosing a memory upgrade mac for your Macintosh is threat- ening your sanity, bring your problems to the silicon shrinks at Dove Computer. Our new MacSnap™ MacSnap 2™and Mac- Snap+" will give your Mac more RAM, and let you work up to 60% faster, without driving you or your machine crazy. All you dois give your local computer dealer ten minutes to literally “snap” our RAM expansion board into your Macintosh, No trace cutting. No soldering. In fact, you can even do it your- self with a MacSnap User Kit, also available from your dealer. Using all the extra speed and capability is a snap, too, because you get complete, easy-to-understand documentation and a quality upgrade designed to improve your productivity. MacSnap is fully compatible with all Macintosh system soft- ware, but it doesn't stop there. It comes with its own performance software package that includes Switcher, a user-configurable RAMdisk and a print spooler. With up to 60 percent more speed than a 512K Mae, MacSnap speeds up those normally cumbersome programs