peelings ii v4n7 1983

VOL. 4, NO. 7 Reelings || THE MAGAZINE OF APPLE BD rece AND HARDWARE EVALUATION == Sales Rate Increase jae September October November December SPREADSHEET REVIEWS: e THE SPREAD- SHEET 2.0 ° MAGICALC ° PLANSO ¢ DESKTOP/PLAN-II ¢ T/MAKER III ¢ THE INCREDIBLE JACK ¢ PERFECT CALC COMPUTER EDUCATION: ¢ A TEACHER’S VIEWPOINT ° PRISM READING 2 e ARCADEMIC SKILLS IN MATH e CAREER DIRECTIONS 7447012691 BEGINNER COLUMN: “The Anything Machine” CHAPTER SEVEN: “Graphics” The Solution to Applesoft... Now, from the programming experts of Southwestern Data Systems, an easy-to-use way of putting the POWER and SPEED of Machine Language routines in YOUR OWN Applesoft programs! ROUTINE MACHINE does all the work for you! No knowledge of machine language programming, whatsoever, is needed. Simply choose the function you want from an ever-growing library and Routine Machine puts just that routine in your program. Over two years in development, we've made it all completely transparent — no need to bother with BLOAD’S, HIMEM:, etc. — and it's COMPATIBLE WITH APPLE II AND APPLE lle! Each Library Package is so packed with useful routines that it’s impossible to do more here than just list the names! So get out your magnifying glass! Call or write for more information. Better yet, order now from your local dealer. All of our software is unconditionally guaranteed! Hires Characters Fast Bload Reset Run Reset Onerr Shape Table Converter Variable Swap Text Output String Search Bubble Sort (1D) Sound Effects Error Messages Calculated Gosub Data Element Select Memory Move Pointer Write The main ‘‘librarian’’ of the series, this package includes not only the Routine Machine itself, but all of these commonly needed routines: Print Using ($.00) Calculated Goto Turtle Graphics String Input Line # Data Restore Binary Address Read Array Search (1D) Hex/Dec Convert Reset Boot Tones Pointer Read Error Handling Routine $64.95* $49.95* Library Disk This package contains a Hi-Res chart graphics (plotting) library of routines that really helps with those custom graphics programs. Doing stock analysis, sales forecasts, scientific applications or even just plotting the monthly budget, & CHART makes the job much easier! Routines and func- tions include: Page/Mode Display “Work’’ Page Select Clipping Windows Full User Scaling Window Reverse Window Clear ‘Axes Generation Fast Hires Load Vertical Labels Horizontal Labels Grid Pattern Log Scaling Arc Generation Polar Charts Pie Charts Tic Mark Control Zoom/Unzoom FP Program Splitter 3D to 2D Transform Epson Screen Dump Median Filter Window Frame Area Fill Fast Hires Save D&A A $49.95* Library Disk This Library Package is dedicated to doing just about everything you ever thought possible (and some impossible) to an Applesoft array. With the tremendous number of routines in this package, you'll agree it's a bargain at twice the price. All routines work with two-dimensional arrays, many times with both string AND numeric data! In adaition, routines are provided to perform virtually any usual mathematical operation on an entire array in ONE statement! For example, you could multiply every element in an entire array by a factor in one statement. You could also define a given array as the product of two other arrays. Over a year in development, ths is a real bargain! Just some ofthe ‘many routines are Fast Disk Read ‘Array Rounding USR Function Library Fast Disk Write Matrix Identity Fast FP Run Search Matrix Transpose Fast Brun Sort Matrix Multiply Hex Poker Delimited Strings (1D) Matrix Inverse Keyboard Scan Rename ‘Array Randomize FP Onerr Fix Clear Array VAL RP Rnd Fix Redim (no data loss) ‘Array STRS FP Return Fix Row/Column Add Row/Column Delete Fast Garbage Routine $49.95* Library Disk An extraordinary collection of screen related routines, this disk is dedicated to text display and input for the Apple Il/lle. For starters, the Screen Generator /Screen Processor allows you to design an entire input or output screen format, and then have the entire screen executed as one or two statements. This is useful for reports, menus, data entry and more. In addi- tion to the Screen Processor, the following routines are also included: Input Using Speed Control Control Char Display Input With Editing Print Pause Lower Case Input 4 Way Scrolling Keyboard Click Special Line Scroller Musical Keyboard Printer Control Center /Justify Strings Screen Dump Print Repeat Clear Screen Memory Dump Memory Disassemble Cursor Mouse Routine Library Disk This disk is a collection of a wide variety of useful routines written by Peter Meyer, author of the Routine Machine, and other professional programmers. Number Input Catalog Modifications String Execute If-Then-Else Disk File Data Write Protect Sense Controlled Get Catalog to Array FP Program Erase Print Hex File Selector Speed Up Applesoft Print Binary String Character Strip String Left/Right Fill String Overlay Shellsort (1D) FP Disk RWTS Disk Sector Map Find Free Sector Mark Sector Disk R/W String Modified Chain Slot Drv Vol Select Disk Catalog Sort Push Button Read *Plus $3.00 Shipping. (California Residents Add 6% Sales Tax.) More to Come! In addition to all these Library Packages, even more are in development! The ROUTINE MACHINE and its Library Packages really WILL make the difference in your programming! Try out these programs and if you aren’t convinced that the ROUTINE MACHINE is one of the best programming innovations to come along in years, we'll gladly refund your purchase price within 30 days of purchase, with return of product. Ask your Local Apple Dealer or Ask Him to Contact: soutnwestern data systems” 10761 Woodside Avenue © Suite E © P.0. Box 582-P © Santee, California 92071 © (619) 562-3221 WHAT DO YOU GIVE THE APPLE THAT DOESN’T HAVE EVERYTHING? Begin by giving it PEELINGS II. Then you can equip it with the best software, hardware, and com- puter products that money can buy! / We are THE magazine of Apple software and hardware evaluation. That means we tell you the in- side story on major software packages in clear, readable and straightforward language. We rate software using standards that are updated and revised as tech- nology changes. We publish tutor- ials, glossaries and comparison charts. We explain HOW TO buy software and hard- ware. In short, PEELINGS II gives you the facts so you can avoid costly mistakes and make the right decisions. Give your Apple what it has always wanted and YOU’LL receive the benefits. Take advantage of our holiday special now. Subscribe toa year of PEELINGS II at $18 and save 33% off the newsstand price. e fai It couldn’t be easier. Fill out the CE postage-paid card found elsewhere THE MAGAZINE OF APPLE in this issue and drop it in the mail. SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE EVALUATION Apple is ark of Apple Computer, Inc PO. Box 188, Las Cruces, N.M. 88001 CUT TAXES e CONTROL EXPENSES e SAVE ON ACCOUNTING CHECKBOOK FINANCIAL SYSTEM For Apple® I, 11+, lle, Ill emulation, and Apple look-alikes - 48K DOS 3.3 526 SOLD ONLY 5 RETURNED! We were astounded! When we offered Money Street with a money back guarantee, we figured about 10% would be returned. That's normal. But our returns run less than one percent! What's more, customers write enthusiastic letters daily about Money Street. For example: © Glen Rodkin, president of Oklahoma City Apple Users Group: “Tremendous! It’s fast, reliable and covers all the contingencies a checkbook program should.” Chris Bayha, Portland, OR: “I use it for my rental properties and for my business. It performs beautifully and is a great value.”” Dan Thomas, Elgin, IL: ““The program has proved the hype of the Money Street as really too modest. How many programs are there that you can’t think of one thing you would do differ- ently?” One reason for this enthusiasm is that Money Street lets customers do their own books. Keeping records. has always been a bother, and an expensive one, especially for small one-person business or the independent professional. But Money Street solves the problem. Here’s what Weston Cotten of Highlands, Texas says: “| am an attorney with several business interests | run out of my office. | use nothing more complex than my checkbook to keep my financial records in shape for tax time. Your program has helped me to be a better record keeper and has allowed me to look forward to tax time with a better outlook.” $99 For a checkbook program? Money Street isn’t cheap, in fact it's one of the more costly checkbook programs. But with software, as with everything else, you get what you pay for: ‘© Money Street is fast! Example: 9 seconds from boot to data entry. Example: 5 seconds from the main menu to any sub-section. Example: 18 seconds start-up-to print time. Money Street is easy to use! There are no complex set-ups; no monthly cut off. Gary Rominger of Sacramento, CA wrote: “Your claim of 30 minutes to learn it is fully justified.”” Money Street saves income taxes! It tracks deductions, credits, and income. Michael Salesin of West Bloomfield, MI wrote: “When next year’s tax season rolls around my accountant will send love and kisses.” Saves money eight way: . Finds tax deductions and credits. . Saves CPA write-up fees. . Allows “before year-end” tax planning. Saves accounting time; provides input for journals, ledgers, and reports. The program also doubles as a mini-accounts receivable, inventory keeper, and job cost system. Saves interest expense by keeping exact balances. . Saves NSF charges. . Saves credit card interest charges. Changes your financial attitudes; puts you in control. RON 2 Pre Who can use it? Anyone using a checkbook: Lawyers, investors, doctors, general partners, professionals, small business, mini-corporations. It’s ideal for people with multiple sources of income, trustee accounts, pension and profit sharing plans, and owners of real estate. Take farmers, for example: they can treat each crop or herd as a separate profit center. Stan Vasa of Lincoln, NE, says: “I use Money Street to keep my farm records and find the program to be excellent.” Why not get the best? Sure, you can buy a cheap program just as you can buy a cheap clock. Buts it really worth it? Many customers report that “home accounting” programs are difficult to learn, clumsy to use, and obsessed with budgeting; that only Money Street gives the speed, the ease of use, and the many reports needed. Bill Sampler, Fairfax Station, VA puts it this way: “One way | judge a program's worth is how easy it is to use after you have been away from it for a couple of weeks. Money Street is no problem, it runs like a fine jeweled watch.” So, Money Street pleases customers just as a Porsche pleases drivers. Top quality costs more; that’s a fact of life. But isn’t quality always worth it? One of our customers, Buzz Buggerman of Orlando, FL said: “We use Money Street in our law office. We figure it’s not the cost of the program that’s important, but how much time it takes to set it up, learn it, and run it. Money Street's a breeze.” How it works. On your computer screen, you create a facsimile of your checkbook. You see 17 items per screen, and can scroll for more. As the computer balances your checking account, you give each check or deposit its own category code. PROGRAM FEATURES ‘© 100 user-defined accounts @ On screen chart of accounts © ‘Account sub totals, grand totals @ Handles unlimited checking ‘accounts @ Three minute year-end rollover @ Credit card accounting © Full eiting, even after entry @ Check search and scan screen @ Halp screen @ Wildcard eearches PROGRAM LIMITS ‘© 2400 checks per date disk @ 200 uncleared items @ Scan speed: 6 er second @ Amount limit: €999,999.99 @ 100 account categories DOES MANY Joss ‘© Finds tax deductions @ Single entry accounting @ Job costing-© Budgets and estimates © Mini accounts receivable @ Mini inventory © Tracks personal loane @ Real estate rentals @ Stock purchases! sales © Increases (CHECKING ACCOUNT MANAGER © Prints tril reconciliation @ Balances checkbook and statement © Creates cancelled check file © Prints detaliad aucit tral @ In- cludes chack register © Prints checkbook “history” © Captures monthly income © Easy to use 15 Ready-to-print reports! Press four keys and the program will print any of 15 different reports. Just select from the Report Menu, and the program does the rest. Start-up to print time is usually 20 seconds. Reports include: ‘© Monthly code totals © To-date code totals @ Sort by amount © List code dictionary @ Sort by payee © List depos ist Luncleared checks © List uncleared deposits © List all entries © Sort by date cleared @ Print check registry © Print selected month @ Print selected code @ List code totals @ List monthly totals Money Street..It’s totally new. If you own real estate, Money Street tracks rents, tallies repair costs, and helps establish “cost basis” for capital gain tax treatment. It's also ideal for trust accounting, retail stores, and home budgeting. Money back no matter what. Why not give us a try? If you aren't delighted, we'll give you a full refund on any mail order purchase from us. Includes tutorial, map, and reports. Money Street includes Program Map, complete documentation, on-screen demo, plus tutorial. For Apple® Il, I+, lle, Ill emulation, and Apple look- alikes. Requires 3.3 DOS, 48K. Money Street works with one drive, but two are preferred. It’s also okay without a printer, but you'll miss a few reports. Master Charge, Visa, COD okay. Add $2.50 on all orders for postage and packing. To order or get additional information: call 24 hours and leave your name with our answering machine. The program is copy protected. We sell back-up disks for $10. We also offer a special utility disk that makes two back-up copies, makes quick copies of data disks, and allows fast sorts of selected months or code categories. Price is $25. Computer Tax Service P.O. Box 7915 Incline Village, NV 89450 $ 99 95 (702) 832-1001 Money Street is a Trade Mark of Bullseye Software. Apple is a registered trade mark of Apple Computers, Inc. Dealer: Write or call for price list. THE MAGAZINE OF APPLE gsi)| SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE EVALUATION Reelin, Volume 4, Number 7, 1983 BEGINNER COLUMN: 9 The Anything Machine Chapter 7: GRAPHICS By Tom Little EDUCATION 15 18 24 27 36 31 33 36 37 Microcomputer Inservice: Educating the Educators By Sandy Abernathy Locating and Selecting Educational Software By Sandy Abernathy An Educational Challenge for Software By Elma Ewing Prism Reading 2 Published by The Psychological Corporation Wordrace Published by Don’t Ask Computer Software Arcademic Skill Builders In Math Published by Developmental Learning Materials Word Scrambler & Spelling Tutor Published by Avant-Garde Creations Juggles’ Rainbow Published by The Learning Co. Career Directions Published by Systems Design Associates, Inc. DATA BASE STANDARDS 39 39 Data Base Standards Update By John Mitchener Data Base Standards SPREADSHEETS 45 45 49 49 56 58 63 THE SPREADSHEET 2.0 Published by Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange MAGICALC Published by Artsci PLAN80 Published by Digital Marketing DESKTOP/PLAN-II Published by VisiCorp T/MAKER III Published by T/MAKER Company THE INCREDIBLE JACK Published by Business Solutions, Inc. Perfect Calc Published by Perfect Software, Inc. DEPARTMENTS 5 6 7 65 Authors Peelings Ratings Letters Software Index ADVERTISER INDEX Advertiser APPLE ORCHARD APPLIED ENGINEERING AVANT-GARDE CIRCADIAN SOFTWARE . COMPUTER TAX SERVICE CRAWFORD DATA SYSTEMS DAVID DATA.......- oer DOUGLAS ELECTRONICS .. EAST SIDE SOFTWARE EXEC-SOFTWARE GLOW SOFTWARE SYSTEMS . HAYDEN SOFTWARE ......... HAYES MICROCOMPUTER ... INTERACTIVE MICROWARE . LJK ENTERPRISES LUSTER SOFTWARE MICRO-ANALYST MICRO-SPARC PEELINGS Il....... SENSIBLE SOFTWARE SIERRA ON-LINE. SOF-TECH. iouwaGrenees . SOFTKEY PUBLISHING..........--.----+ wee 6 SOUTHWESTERN DATA SYSTEMS WILDCAT COMPUTING * NOTICE x Peelings II has acquired the services of a subscription service, nominally to serve our readers better. As usual, there have been a few minor problems in this transi- tion. If you are having any trouble whatsoever with your subscription service now, call toll free 1-800-345-8112 (1-800-662-2444 in PA) or write to: Peelings II, P.O. Box 625, Holmes, Pennsylvania 19043. To assist you in deciphering your address label, use the following table. Label Issue Expiration Number May 83 VANS Jul 83 VAN6 Sep 83 VAN7 Nov 83 VAN8 Dec 83 VAN9 Jan 84 V5N1 Feb 84 V5N2 Mar 84 V5N3 Apr 84 V5N4 THE AUTHORS Sandy Abernathy who taught elementary school for thirteen years, now teaches courses in microcomputer applications and management technology at New Mexico State University. In ad- dition, she presents workshops on educational applications of microcomputers for teachers and administrators and uses her Apple for word processing and consulting projects. She holds a B.S. in Biology, an M.A.T. in Elementary Education and a Ph.D. in Educational Management and Development. Her hobbies in- clude fishing, camping, swimming, reading, and using her Apple. Edward Burlbaw is staff scientist and the regional manager for Science and Technology Corporation. His background is in physics, electronics, and mathematics. He has a B.S. in physics, an M.S. in mathematics, an M.S. and a Ph.D. in physics. His other interests include snow skiing and electronics. Elma Ewing supervises the Resource Room for Special Educa- tion at MacArthur School in Las Cruces, N.M. She instructs teachers and students in the use of computers and beginning programming. She has a B.A. and M.A. in education from New Mexico State University. Elma’s hobbies are any kind of needlework, stamp collecting, camping, and oil painting. Tom Little has a B.S. in physics and computer science. He is currently pursuing his studies in physics at Oxford University. Tom’s hobbies are writing computer languages and writing science fiction. John Martellaro is an operations research analyst for TRASANA, White Sands Missle Range working in computer graphics and combat simulation models. He has a B.S. in astrophysics and a M.S. in physics. John enjoys computer chess, science fiction, astronomy and soaring John Mitchener is a Personnel Management Specialist at White Sands Missle Range. He is a former Electronics Warfare Analyst for the U.S. Army and has a B.S. in psychology. John’s hobbies are ballooning, cooking and ham radio. F.M. Remley is the Director of the Media Resources Center at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He actively participates on national and international committees on the standardiza- tion of video recording. He is also a member of several engineer- ing committees of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Larry Ross is an educational consultant and Director of Com- puter Input in Thousand Oaks, CA. He works with public and private schools, as well as individuals, setting up educational soft- ware packages and giving instruction on their use. Alan Shalette is president of Shalette & Company, Inc., a Chicago-based management consulting firm. The firm provides market, product, business and operational systems planning assistance for clients mainly in the finance industry. He holds a B.S. (ChE) and an M.B.A. Alan’s outside interests include astronomy, photography, camping and reading. Michael Weasner is a former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot/instructor with multiple FAA ratings. His most recent assignment was as Manager of the Computer Resources Division at the Air Force's Space Division in Los Angeles, where he worked with the Space Shuttle and other space related Program Offices. Upon leaving the Air Force, Mike joined Supersonic Express Corporation, a subsidiary of Earth Space Transport Systems Corporation. He holds a B.S. in Astrophysics and his interests include space ex- ploration, flying, computers, and science fiction. We Are Not PIRATES But We Can Show You How To UNLOCK LOCKED-UP SOFTWARE nple ogram lis by-s YOU CAN, TOO! IN-DEPTH COVERAGE if of Special Interest Subjects ¢ GRAPHICS * DATA BASES © UTILITIES ° GAMES For Hobbyists and Advanced Computists Published Quarterly hardcgre HARD FACTS on APPLE SOFTWARE An Unprecedented and Contro- versial disclosure of closely-held COMPUTER SECRETS How to: Back-Up Disks Customize Commercial Programs Undo Copy-Protection & More! Published 8 times yearly Zip: Payment must accompany order. Overseas, foreign countries: $47.00. U.S. funds only. No credit cards. $25.00 for 8 issues of HARDCORE COMPUTIST and 4 issues of CORE. Canada: $34.00 Mexico: $37.00 OW ~ “Wake checks and money orders payable to. PO. Box 44549G Tacoma, WA 98444 CORE /HARDCORE computist = 1 g 3 3 i £5 Ble 288 a8 18 ESS e€535 4 fss S523 Line 2260 al en eeeeessseeee PEELINGS RATINGS The Peelings Rating is a letter grade designed to indicate an overall impres- sion of the product. It is a measure of how well the publisher did the job he intended to do taking into considera- tion comparison to other similar pro- ducts, price to performance, ease of use, documentation, and sophistica- tion. We stress that you should not skip a review or disparage a program be- cause it receives a low rating. The rating alone can never tell the whole story. Only reading the entire review will give you all the information you need. For this reason, the rating should never be quoted alone without reference to text of the review. The Peelings II rating categories follow: some example criteria are given for the categories, but they are not meant to be all inclusive. AAA — Absolutely astounding soft- ware. We have seen two programs that fit this category. AA — Top notch, superb. These pro- grams generally use the most sophisticated programming techniques and have excellent documentation. A— Very good. Software in this class incorporates very good programming techniques and has clear and infor- mative documentation. B — Good. This software may have minor errors or be slightly flawed, it may be lacking in thorough doc- umentation, or it may just be unex- citing. C — Average. Software of a medi- ocre nature. There may be a lack of good programming concepts or poor error trapping. It may be a repeat of other work, or have a low perfor- mance/price ratio. D — Below Average. Software with a blatant disregard for the user in terms of programming design, unacceptable documentation or performance/price ratio. F — Unacceptable. Software of such poor quality or usability that it should not be marketed. Publisher Peelings II, Inc. Editor in Chief John Mitchener Managing Editor & Advertising Director Rebecca Winecup Senior Editor John Martellaro Associate Editor Edward Burlbaw Contributing Editors William Daugherty Tom Little Alan Shalette Michael Weasner Copy Editor Richard Bishop Editorial Assistants Jane Trego Jack Moran Ruth Moran Administrative Assistant Pamela Carmody Circulation Director Lorie Browne Design Consultant Georgette Evans Grey SUBSCRIPTION RATES 9 issues (1 year) $21.00 18 issues (2 years) $38.00 27 issues (3 years) $54.00 Sample Copy $ 4.00 Back Issues $ 4.00 Canada, Mexico, APO, FPO (First Class) 9 issues $36.00 Back issues $ 5.00 South America & Europe (Air Mail) 9 issues $48.00 Back issues $ 6.00 All Other Foreign (Air Mail) 9 issues $57.00 Back issues $ 6.00 All remittances must be in U.S. funds and drawn on U.S. bank. CREDITS Cover Art: Jud Wright Printing: Harte-Hanks Direct Marketing Albuquerque, NM. Typesetting (via modem), Layout, & Design: CrazyQuilt Graphics® , Las Cruces, NM Apple and Applesoft are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc Copyright 1983 by Peelings Il, Inc. All rights reserved Material in this publication may not be stored or reproduced in any form without permission. Requests for permission should be directed to Rights and Permissions Editor, Peelings Hl, P.O. Box 188, Las Cruces, NM 88004 1SSN:0744-2475. Peelings Il is published monthly except Feb., March, and July by Peelings Il, Inc., 2260 Oleander, Las Cruces, NM. Second class postage paid at Las Cruces, NM and additional mailing offices. Telephone: (505) 526:8364 The Source: TCT120 Postmaster: Send address changes to Peelings II, P.O. Box 188, Las Cruces, NM 88004. Correspondence: Send all regular mail to Peelings Il, P.O. Box 188, Las Cruces, NM 88004. U.P.S. Address: 2260 Oleander, Las Cruces, NM 88001. New product information and other editorial correspondence should be sent to the at- tention of Pamela Carmody. Dealer inquiries should be sent. to the attention of Lorie Browne. Change of address and all subscription correspondence should be addressed to Peel ings I, P.O. Box 625, Holmes, PA 19043. For address changes please include your old address as well as new and enclose, if possible, an address label from a recent issue. Volume 4, Number 7, 1983 LETTERS SOUTHWESTERN DATA SYSTEMS RESPONDS Here is the shorter version of the letter | recently sent in response to your review of Routine Machine. Although our product The Routine Machine received a favorable review (A+), there were a number of errors and misleading comments in the article. Specifically: 1) | think the reviewer was unusually harsh on the backup copy program included on The Routine Machine disk. It would have been nice if he’d mentioned the fact that we’re the only company that puts a backup copy program on its disks to give three backup copies, but that aside, his pro- blems were rather unique, and the reviewer himself noted that we were happy to replace the problem diskette. 2) The statement that Routine Machine is a “slave’’ to its copy protection technique is absurd. The system is vir- tually transparent to the user in that any file may be load- ed, listed or transferred from disk to disk; booting is not necessary for use either. In addition, Routine Machine is used only once to put a routine in a program. 3) As to the so-called problem of putting more routines on the disk, enough room remains on a disk that reaching the limit of 102 files per directory is much more likely than actually filling the disk. 4) The reviewer says that ‘‘mini-libraries” must be saved to library disks. This is simply not true and was obviously not tried, but rather assumed—a disappointing omission for a hopefully “professional” reviewer. 5) As to the manual not having enough information about writing your own routines, more than 25% (over 40 pages) of the manual discusses this subject, including an exten- sive bibliography of over 60 references to ampersand routines and techniques. 6) Most important of all, I’d like to also voice an opi- nion about the review in general. The Routine Machine and its associated libraries is a powerful new programm- ing tool that goes far beyond any single routine or menu function. Peelings has done a disservice to its readers by not devoting more of the review to the question of whether this package represents a valid new programming techni- que and is of value to the average and even advanced pro- grammer (I personally guarantee both!). Spending so much of the review on minor, not to mention erroneous, mat- ters misses the point of this remarkable new package. | hope this helps to clarify certain points regarding The Routine Machine. One can only speculate what rating the program would have received if the review had been more accurate. Maybe next time around? If either you or your readers desire further information regarding this package, please don’t hesitate to call me at (619) 562-3270. Sincerely, Roger Wagner President DR. ROGER ALTMAN RESPONDS Judging the usefulness of stock or commodity software depends upon applying the proper criteria. Your comments in the Business and Finance section called “Stock Over- view” (Peelings Il, V4N5, 1983) imply that the criteria used to evaluate software which give specific buy and sell signals are the same as those used to evaluate software which help keep records or produce an assortment of attractive graphs. This apparent misunderstanding on your part can be quite costly to software producers who are engaged in develop- ing trading systems which yield unequivocal buy and sell recommendations. Peelings I Most of the effort that has gone into developing the Stock Market Advance Decline Timing Program is invisible to the user, and, regrettably, to most reviewers. This is because the task of developing reliable buy and sell signals must be achieved long before a commercial trading program is ever written. Over a year and a half was spent in screen- ing models and particularly in developing a valid statistical testing procedure to optimize program performance. This feature is responsible for the accuracy of the buy/sell signals, but unfortunately, was not even mentioned in Mr. Daugherty’s review. Very truly yours, Roger Altman Letters 7 APPLIED ENGINEERING THE BEST PERIPHERALS FOR THE BEST COMPUTER The TIMEMASTER Finally a clock that does it ALL! © Designed in 1983 using I.C. technologies that simply did not exist when most other Apple clocks were designed ‘© Just plug it in and your programs can read the year, month, date, day, and time to 1 millisecond! The only clock with both year and ms. ‘© Powerful 2K ROM driver — No clock could be easier to use. © Full emulation of most other clocks, including Mountain Hardware’s Appleclock (but you'll like the TIMEMASTER mode better). © Basic, Machine Code, CP/M and Pascal software on 2 disks! © Eight software controlled interrupts so you can execute two programs at the same time. (Many examples are included) © On board timer lets you time any interval up to 48 days long down to the nearest millisecond. The TIMEMASTER includes 2 disks with some really fantastic time oriented programs (over 25) plus a DOS dater so it will automatically add the date when disk files are created or modified, This disk is over a $200.00 value alone — we give the software others sell, All software packages for business, data base management and communications are made to read the TIMEMASTER. Ifyou want the most powerful and the easiest to use clock for yourApple, you want a TIMEMASTER. PRICE $129.00 Super Music Synthesizer © Complete 16 voice music synthesizeron one card, Just plugitinto your Apple, connect the audio cable (supplied) to your stereo, boot the disk supplied and you are ready to input and play songs. It’s easy to program music with our compose software. You will start right away at inputting your favorite songs. The Hi-Res screen shows what you have entered in standard sheet music format. Now with new improved software for the easiest and fastest music input system available anywhere. We give you lots of software. In addition to Compose and Play programs, 2 disks are filled with over 30 songs ready to play. Easy to program in Basic to generate complex sound effects. Now your games can have explosions, phaser zaps, train whistles, death cries. You name it, this card can do it. Four white noise generators which are great for sound effects. Plays music in true stereo as well as true discrete quadraphonic, Full control of attack, volume, decay, sustain and release. Will play songs written for ALF synthesizer (ALF software will not take advantage of all the features of this board, Their software sounds the same in our synthesizer.) © Automatic shutoff on power-up or if reset is pushed. © Many many more features. PRICE $159.00 © TOTALLY compatible with ALL @ The only Z-80 card with a special 2K “CP/M detector” chit © Fully compatible with microsoft disks (no pre-boot required). @ All new 1983 design incorporates the latest in I.C. technologies. Z-80 PLUS! @ Red”CP/MWORKING" LED indicator, the Z-80 Plus does not interfere with non-CP/M programs. @ An on-card PROM eliminates many I.C.’s for a cooler, less power consuming board, (We use the Z-80A at a fast 4MHZ) @ Does EVERYTHING the other Z-80 boards do, plus Z-80 interrupts. Don’t confuse the Z-80 Plus with crude copies of the microsoft card. The Z-80 Plus employs a much more sophisticated and reliable design. With the Z-80 Plus you can access the largest body of software in existence. Two computers in one and the advantages of both, all at an unbelievably low price. PRICE $139.00 COMING SOON: The Z-80 Plus for the Apple III Viewmaster 80 There used to be about a dozen 80 column cards for the Apple, now there’s only ONE. @ TOTALLY Videx Compatible © 80 characters by 24 lines, with a sharp 7x9 dot matrix © On-board 40/80 soft video switch with manual 40 column override © Fully compatible with ALL Apple languages and software — there are NO exceptions Low power consumption through the use of CMOS devices @ All connections on the card are made with standard video connectors, no cables are soldered to the board © All new 1983 design (using a new Microprocessor based C.R.T. controller) JUST COMPARE! VIEWMASTER 169 YES YES YES YES YES Yes YES SUP'RTERM 375 NO YES NO NO NO ves YES WIZARD80 245 = NO-NO Yes YES NO yes ves VISIONBO «375 YES-—YES YES YES. NO NO NO OMNIVISION 295 NO YES NO NO NO yes YES VIEWMAXBO 219 =—YES_—_YES YES YES. NO NO YES SMARTERM 360 -YES_—_YES. YES NO-NO ves No VIDEOTERM 345 = NO NO NO YES YES NO YES ‘The VIEWMASTER 80 works with all 80 column applications including CP/M, Pascal, Wordstar, Format I, Easywriter, Apple Writer Il, Viscalc, and many others. The VIEW MASTER 80 is THE MOST compatible 80 column card you can buy at ANY price! PRICE $169.00 MemoryMaster Ile 128K RAM Card © Expands your Apple Ile to 192K memory @ Provides an 80 column text display © Compatible with all Apple Ile 80 column and extended 80 column card software (Same physical size as Apple's 64K card) © Available in 64K and 128K configurations © Bank select LED's for each 64K bank © Permits your Ile to use the new double high resolution graphics © Automatically expands Visicalc to 95K storage in 80 columns! The 64K configuration is all that’s needed, 128K can take you even higher. © Complete documentation included, we show you how to use all 128K. Ifyoualready have Apple's 64K card, just order the MEMORYMASTER with 64K and use the 64K from your old board to give youa full 128K. (The board is fully socketed so you simply plug in more chips.) MemoryMaster with 128K $249 Upgradeable MemoryMaster with 64K $169 Non-Upgradeable MemoryMaster with 64K $149 Ourboards are farsuperior to most of he consumer electronics made today. Alll.C.'sarein high quality sockets with mil-spec. components used throughout. P.C. boardsare slass-epoxy with gold contacts. Made in America to be the best in the world. All products work in APPLE Ie, Il, I+ and Franklin (except MemoryMasten Applied Engineering also manufactures a full line of data acquisition and control products for the Apple; A/D converters and digital /0 cards, etc Please call for more information. All our products are fully tested with complete documentation and available for immediate delivery. All products are guaranteed with a no hassle THREE YEAR WARRANTY. Send Check or Money Order to: APPLIED ENGINEERING Add 5% Sales P.O. Box 470301 Welcome Dallas, TX 75247 Call (214) 492-2027 7a.m, to 11p.m. 7 days a week MasterCard, Visa & C.O.D. Welcome All Orders Shipped Same Day. Texas Resident Tax. Add $10.00 If Outside U.S.A. Dealer Inqui THE ANYTHING MACHINE Chapter Seven: GRAPHICS by Tom Little Dramatic graphics are an expected feature of computers these days. Whether in the form of video games, scientific plots, or business diagrams, graphics have come to be part of a computer's ‘standard equipment’, and their quality forms a strong basis for evaluating a machine. One day soon we may see the teletype men- tality of most computers give way to a graphic, screen-oriented approach (a la Apple LISA). The sad thing is that there is no standard way of producing graphics. There are no graphics ‘‘languages’’ which standardize the production of video displays in the same way that BASIC and Pascal standardize the use of numerical and character-string data. The traditional wisdom has had it that graphics are too ‘machine dependent” to allow for a standard set of graphics commands. The result is that every dialect of BASIC has its own set of graphics commands pe- culiar to the computer it runs on. The situation is even worse with other languages, where a hodgepodge of additional software may be needed. A notable exception is UCSD Pascal, which uses a set of graphics com- mands called ‘‘Turtlegraphics’’ that is virtually the same on any system with graphics capability. Little pro- gress in the standardization of graph- ics can be hoped for until graphics become routinely built into the speci- fications of programming languages (such as the new proposed ANSI standard for BASIC). In spite of all the differences in commands and syntax, there are ba- sically only a few general techniques Peelings Il which are used in producing graph- ics. This column will attempt to cover these techniques, and show how the principles are realized by two Apple Il programming languages: Applesoft BASIC and Pascal. PIXELS AND VECTORS When you think of an artist pro- ducing a picture, the first image to come to mind is usually that of a line drawing executed with pencil or pen. This is especially true if you think of a draftsman or technical artist. It is not surprising, therefore, that most computer graphics systems have been based, in some sense or other, on the electronic display of line segments. An obvious way to make line segments is simply to draw them on the screen. Some display screens are made like an oscilloscope, with a coating of persistent phosphorescent materials. When a beam of electrons is focused and moved across the screen, it produces a glowing line, which eventually fades. This kind of terminal is sometimes known as a “vector graphics” terminal. (Here “vector” means a straight line seg- ment drawn in a certain direction on the screen.) The disadvantages of this type of terminal include difficulty in producing a large, solid area on the screen (if you've ever colored a large poster using only fine-point felt-tip pens, you will appreciate the pro- blem); some technical problems re- lating to how long the lines should continue to glow (if they glow for a long time, you can’t make the display The Anything Machine change quickly; if they glow for a very short time, they have to be con- stantly redrawn); and the consider- able expense of the better models. Another technique is called raster- scan graphics. This is the principle by which the TV set works. An electron beam rapidly scans the whole screen, one horizontal line at a time, from top to bottom. Each horizontal line is composed of a number of locations called pixels. Each pixel may be either on or off (on some ter- minals, they may be different colors or shades of grey). This kind of device uses as an input signal a steady stream of information which gives the status of each successive pixel. The pixels show up as dots or small smudges on the screen when lit. If a set of contiguous pixels are lit, the result will be a line of dots or a solid area, depending on the arrangement of the pixels. The fact that the scan- ning electron beam always moves in the same pattern, pixel by pixel, row after row, allows it to be moved automatically and very rapidly. The result is that an entire screen can be drawn and erased in much less time than a vector graphics terminal would take, carefully drawing its glowing lines under electronic control. The two methods are illustrated in figure 1. Raster-scan graphics are much more common than vector graphics because of their flexibility, speed, and reduced cost. This method of display has one glaring fault, however. Resolution is limited by the Vector Graphics Raster-Scan Graphics Ca =s————eaess> Nut -— —_ Figure 1. Vector and Raster-Scan Graphics pixel size. Unless the pixel size is very small, a line seg- ment will look like a string of dots. Everything tends to have a slightly ‘‘squared off’ look because the pixels are arranged in neat, rectangular rows and columns. Diagonal lines look like little stair steps. The Apple standard video display is this way. There are 192 rows, each with 280 pix- els lined up horizontally. THE MEMORY-MAPPED SCREEN If a computer program had to continuously feed the display terminal the status of each pixel, the result would be very slow graphics. We'd be back to vector graphics, but plotting points instead of line segments. Fortunately, the principle of raster-scan graphics allows for a nice short- cut which makes computer graphics as we know them possible. Since the screen is scanned one pixel at a time, always in the same sequence, it is possible to put the status of each pixel into successive memory locations in the com- puter. The computer hardware can then very rapidly con- vert the contents of the memory locations into a stream of pixel information for the display device, requiring no force-feeding from the program at all. To change the ap- pearance of the screen, the program can merely change the contents of the appropriate memory, and very, very soon the result of the changes will appear on the screen. Now at last we’re coming up out of the hardware. Most small computers do graphics in this way: The user types a graphics command. The programming language current- ly running interprets the command and modifies the pro- per memory locations. The hardware, which is constant- ly busy converting the contents of memory into a video signal, produces an image on the screen which shows the changes brought about by the user’s command (see figure 2). This process uses a lot of memory. Each pixel uses at least one bit (this is the simplest information that can be sent to the display screen: pixel on or pixel off). For ex- ample, the Apple screen has 192 X 280 = 53,760 pixels. Therefore it must require at least 53,760 bits = 6,720 bytes of memory to represent the graphics screen. Actually, the number is more than this, because the pixels can be dif- ferent colors. The actual figure is 8,192 bytes. The best newer computers have special memory, which is not part of the memory used to store programs and data, set aside for just this purpose. The Apple, however, was designed when memory was very expensive. As a result, this memory for the graphics screen is the same memory which is used by a large program. (For the curious, there is an Apple Il memory map in this column in the last issue.) A common problem using graphics on the Apple is the accidental ‘“‘clobbering’’ of part of a long program by the graphics commands when they are used. MAKING IT HAPPEN The pressing question, O patient readers, must now be this: What are these graphics commands? The complexity of using the graphics commands arises from the fact that it is necessary to tell the computer where to draw by typing, rather than by pointing (on a standard Apple being used under Applesoft or Pascal, that is. Refer to the ecstatic ravings on the Gibson Light Pen in previous issues of Peelings II (V3N7, 1982; V4N4, 1983) for an alter- native!) This problem is almost universally solved by the methods of analytical geometry. Each pixel on the screen is identified by its Cartesian coordinates (or row and col- umn numbers, if you prefer). In Applesoft, the command HPLOT 0,0 will plot a point in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. Screen |~———— Memory Applesoft ————>"' HPLOT X, Y input Video Display Hardware Figure 2, Execution of a Graphics Command 10 The Anything Machine Volume 4 Number 7 The point one column to the right is addressed as 1,0; the point one row down is 0,1. the lower right-hand corner is 279,191. Lines are drawn using the HPLOT TO com- mand: HPLOT 0,0 TO 279,191 draws a line from the upper left-hand corner to the lower right-hand corner, diagonally across the screen. A short- cut is the statement HPLOT TO 100,150. This causes Applesoft to plot a line from the last point plot- ted (wherever it was) to the pixel in column 100, row 150. The Pascal equivalent is MOVETO(100,150) except that in Pascal, the rows are numbered up from the bottom, instead of down from the top. COORDINATE SYSTEMS Applesoft uses absolute rectangular coordinates. They are absolute because each pixel is identified by two coor- dinates which never change. They are rectangular because the rows and columns form right angles with each other. Apple Pascal’s Turtlegraphics has a few commands which use absolute rectangular coordinates, such as MOVETO. For the most part, though, Turtlegraphics was designed to use relative polar coordinates. They are relative because the coordinates of the point to be addressed next depend on the coordinates of the point addressed last. They are polar because points are identified by direction and distance from the last point addressed, not by row and column. The Pascal user is encouraged to think of an invisible turtle which starts at the center of the screen, pointing right. The command MOVEQ(30) causes the turtle to move 30 pixels forward (which in this case is toward the right-hand side of the screen). We pic- ture the turtle dragging a ball-point pen with him, so in general a line is drawn whenever he moves. TURN(90) causes the turtle to rotate counterclockwise by 90 degrees. In our example, he is now facing toward the top of the screen. A subsequent MOVE(40) would cause him to move forward (now upward) 40 pix- els. All this is illustrated in figure 3. Peelings II w > Q 2 _\_ TURN(90) (40) MOVE(30) Figure 3. Turtlegraphics To gain an appreciation for the differences between these two coordinate systems, consider the following equivalent programs in Applesoft and Pascal. They both draw a square, 50 pixels on a side, in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. Applesoft Pascal PROGRAM SQUARE; USES TURTLEGRAPHICS; BEGIN INITTURTLE; (* INITIAL- IZE GRAPHICS *) PENCOLOR(NONE); (*DON’T DRAW LINES*) MOVETO(0,191); (* UPPER LEFT-HAND CORNER *) 10) HGR : REM INITIALIZE GRAPHICS 20 HCOLOR = 3: REM WHITE 30 HPLOT 0,0 TO 50,0 PENCOLOR(WHITE); MOVE(50); (* TURTLE IS POINTING RIGHT *) TURN(-90); (* CLOCKWISE 90 DEGREES*) 40 HPLOT TO 50,50 MOVE(G0); TURN(-90); 50 HPLOT TO 0,50 MOVE(S50); TURN(-90); 60 HPLOT TO 0,0 MOVE(S50); END. The Applesoft coordinate system is more typical than the Turtlegraphics one. SHAPES One of the advantages of raster-scan graphics, you will recall, is the ability to place solid areas of color on the screen, without using a bunch of lines to fill them. Yet the commands we have mentioned so far all seem designed more for vector graphics than for raster-scan. We need acommand for putting a design some place on the screen all at once, instead of drawing the design, one line at a time. The Anything Machine " Applesoft almost has such a command. It is called DRAW. The command DRAW 1 AT 100,70 will draw shape #1, all at once, starting at pixel 100,70 on the screen. But what is shape #1? This is the sad news: shape #1 means the first shape in a shape table, which you have personally constructed, in machine language, in the grand tedious style described in the Applesoft manual. An Applesoft shape is basically a sequence of numeric codes which you place somewhere in the com- puter’s memory. Applesoft interprets these codes as a se- quence of moves (much as in Turtlegraphics) to plot on the screen when the shape is DRAWN. The large-scale creation and use of shapes by the methods described in the Applesoft manual are quite beyond the limits of the average Apple user's patience and ability. The situation is improved quite a bit by buying a shape-builder program which does most of the dirty work. Yet there remains a flaw with Applesoft shapes. The shapes are coded as vectors, rather than pixels. So for a shape which is detailed or has large, solid areas, the Ap- plesoft shape scheme, which draws it using line segments, is rather inefficient. Graphics packages available commer- cially contain a large variety of superior shape-building and shape-drawing capabilities. However, life would certain- ly be much easier if these useful features had been pre- sent in Applesoft from the outset. The Pascal equivalent to DRAW is DRAWBLOCK. Pascal indeed keeps shape definitions in pixel format, rather than vector format. The shape definition is a two-dimensional Boolean array variable in the Pascal program (if you're bewildered by the terminology, relax: it shall pass). This is definitely a cut above Applesoft, but still requires a pro- hibitive amount of expertise for the average Apple user. The discouraging upshot of all this is that in order to make and use shapes easily, it is necessary to buy addi- tional software. Even then, the software you buy may limit the range of application of the shapes. COLOR The most straightforward way to do color graphics would be to let each pixel be plotted in any of the colors the computer can produce. This is, in fact, commonly done with some newer computers. Once again, the Ap- ple’s primordial origins have imposed limitations on its design. Why Your Apple Needs DAVID-DOS” Your Apple is easier to use and runs much faster with this new, licensed by Apple, DOS 3.3 update. DAVID-DOS (rhymes with moss), is rated AA, (top ofits class), by the highly respected software review magazine PEELINGS II. Novices and Pros DAVID-DOS is licensed by programmers for in- clusion in the software they sell. 30 out of 60 bought it on the spot when DAVID-DOS was demonstrated at the Original Apple Corps, UCLA. DAVID-DOS receives applause from Apple novices. That’s why you need DAVID-DOS. What's Going On Every Apple II/Ile boots up with DOS 3.3 soft- ware.* DOS 3.3 is right there on the first three tracks of all your program disks. Your Apple is supervised constantly by DOS 3.3. Easier and 5 Times Faster Our Installation Program goes in and makes spe- cific permanant improvements to DOS 3.3 onall your disks in a few seconds. (The programs on your disks are not touched). From then on your programs load up to 5 times faster. And you have new features that make your Apple easier to use. “Exceptions are Pascal & CPM Operating Systems. Apple Il and Applesoft are trademarks of Apple Computer inc. 12 100 Sectors in 7 Seconds Speed Load Applesoft, Integer & Binary 100 sector programs in 7 seconds. Tload Random and Sequential Text Files at the same speed with a simple command. Automatic Card Support Automatically supports an Integer or Applesoft Rom Card in Any slot (without configuring). Single key stroke Catalog and Catalog Abort. Shows Free Sectors Left on each Catalog. Nine New DOS Commands TLOAD speeds loads all Text Files. TLIST lists all Random/Sequential Text Files. DUMP Binary/Ascii to screen or printer. DISA dissembles Binary to screen/printer. AL prints program Address & Length. / Single keystroke, second Catalog command. HIDOS moves DOS to the Language Card. FIND hex group in 64K memory in 8 seconds. DATE prints out. Use with Mtn. clock card. Commands 8 & 9 in Hidos only. Se See ee The Anything Machine To Order: Send Check To 12021 WILSHIRE BLVD., SUITE 212E LOS ANGELES, CA 90025 10K More Memory These nine commands operate identical to exist- ing DOS commands. Use A or A$ for address and Lor L$ for length. Enter new commands on the Keyboard and use them in Basic programs with the familiar D$. Use HIDOS in Hello program for turnkey startup, adding 10K free memory. Variable Speed Scrolling TLIST, DUMP,-and DISA Features are: 1. Print with PR¢. 2. Key operated variable speed control. 8. Instant pause with Space Bar. 4, Exit anytime with Return Key. Compatible All DOS entry addresses have been preserved. DOS is Same length and compatible with most software. David-Dos is copyable and creates fully copyable updated disks. Init areas were used for David-Dos. Works with all Apple IIs including Te 80 Col. Requires 48K. Complete documen- tation for screen or printing and many utilities are on the disk. $39.95 Foreign add $2.00. California residents add 64% sales tax. (218) 478-7865 Volume 4 Number 7 Color requires memory. Just as resolution requires memory, because more pixels must be stored, so color requires memory, because more information must be stored for each pixel. To allow any pixel to be any of four colors (say black, white, red, or blue) would use two bits of memory per pixel, or 13,440 bytes for the Apple screen. Keeping this in mind, it is bordering on miraculous that the Apple can display six colors (black, white, green, violet, orange, and blue) nearly anywhere on the screen, and still use only 8,192 bytes! The strange restrictions on the use of color are discouraging to newcomers to Apple graphics. However, once understood, the restrictions do little to hinder the design of interesting and colorful screen displays. The most important restriction is that complementary colors cannot appear in the same column. By ‘com- plementary” | don’t mean what the artist means. In Ap- ple graphics, green and violet are complementary to one another, and so are orange and blue. Thus a green pixel cannot appear in the same column as a violet pixel. Violet and blue may appear in even-numbered columns, green and orange in odd-numbered columns. The other thing to remember is that two dots plotted in adjacent columns will look like one white dot. Conversely, a single white dot will appear the color appropriate to its column (rather than white), if pixels in the adjacent columns are not lit. For example, the white square drawn in the sample pro- grams above appears to have violet sides on the left and right, but white sides on the top and bottom. ANIMATION The basic idea behind animation is simple. To make a shape look as though it is moving, simply plot it, erase it, then plot it again in a new position. Here is a short, sim- ple program which does animation without using graphics at all! See if you can identify the plot-erase-plot cycle. (CHR$(8) is the backspace.) 5 HOME 10 A$ = “** PEELINGS II **’” 20 FOR I=1 TO LEN(A$) : PRINT CHR$(8); : NEXT 30 PRINT “ ;A$; 35 FOR l=1 TO 70: NEXT 40 GOTO 20 To do this on the graphics screen is easier in theory than in practice. This is because changing the images on the graphics screen generally requires a lot of time-consuming internal activities of the Applesoft interpreter, or whatever language is being used. The result is that the animation is slowed down. This is especially true if the program itself does anything time-consuming between plots, such as an elaborate calculation of a shape’s new position. Very good animation can be obtained simply by using Applesoft shapes carefully, and being mindful of speed when designing the program. But for the most sophisti- Peelings II cated arcade game programs, machine language is univer- sally used, eliminating the delays inherent in the Applesoft interpreter. Several software packages are now available that provide some of these fast machine language routines in a ready-to-use form. ALAS, LO-RES In the last few years, the low resolution (Lo-Res) Apple graphics mode has sunk into disuse and disrepute. It is a shame, because it does have some advantages over the Hi-Res mode. The Lo-Res screen is made up of blocks (they’re too big to be called pixels with a clear conscience) arranged in 48 rows of 40 columns each. Each block can be any of 16 colors. These colors are quite bright. The whole screen uses only 1,024 bytes of memory, which is ordinarily used for the text screen anyway, and is out of conflict with pro- gram memory. Animation can be done more easily in Lo- Res. When writing a program, some thought should be given as to whether the extra resolution is really needed. Lo-Res graphics provide a simple, colorful alternative. The column in the next issue will deal with using the computer to store, modify, and retrieve data. That's call- ed data base management, regardless of the amount of capital you invest in the software. VERSATILE DATA REDUCTION, DISPLAY AND PLOTTING SOFTWARE FOR YOUR APPLE* Il STRIPCHARTER — Turns your APPLE and Epson MX series printer into an economical 4-pen chart recorder. Prints and displays continuous 1 to 4-channel strip- charts of any length. Ideal for large data sets. Numerous user-selectable graphics options enhance output qual- ity. Includes 5 demos on disk with 37-page manual $100 VIDICHART — Proven too! for lab data management Fast plots of 4 data sets with scrolling in 4 directions, zoom scaling on X and ¥ axes. 2 types of graphic cursors and on-screen STATUS REPORT, even plots AND input while sampling. ADD, SUBTRACT, MULTI- PLY, DIVIDE, INTEGRATE, DIFFERENTIATE, AVER- AGE or NORMALIZE data sets with SIMPLE COM- MANDS. Ideal for spectra, chromatograms, rate curves, etc. Includes SAMPLE DATA on disk with 28-page manual $75 SCIENTIFIC PLOTTER — Draws professional-looking graphs of your data. You choose data format, length and position of axes, 20 symbols, error bars, iabels any- Where in 4 orientations. Includes 5 demos on disk plus 30-page manual $25 (For DIF file and Houston Instrument or H-P 74708 plotter adaptations, add $25 for each option selected.) CURVE FITTER — Select the best curve to fityour data. Scale, transform, average. smooth, interpolate (3 types), LEAST SQUARES fit (3 types). Evaluate un- knowns from fitted curve. includes 5 demos on disk with 33-page manual $35 SPECIAL: VIDICHART, SCIENTIFIC PLOTTER. — CURVE FITTER on 1 disk $120 ‘Add $1.50 shipping on all U.S. orders. VISA or MASTERCARD orders accepted. Trademark of Apple Computer. Ine INTERACTIVE MICROWARE, INC. P.O. Box 771, Dept. 5 State College, PA 16801 CALL (814) 238-8294 for IMMEDIATE ACTION The Anything Machine 13 yd: INTRODUCING WILDCARD PLUS. THE COPYCARD THAT'S MORE THAN A COPYCAT. Manufacturers protect their software. WILDCARD PLUS protects yours. You have invested a lot of money in software for your Apple® Wildcard Plus makes sure that this investment is protected by making invaluable archival copies. Rather than copying disks track by track, Wildcard Plus copies your total load programs right from the computer’s memory. This creates an accurate and undetectable copy of the original program. Now you can back up twice as much in half the time. Because Wildcard Plus doesn’t stop at 48K or even 64K, but copies all the way up to 128K on an Apple® Ile. And does it in less than 30 seconds. In addition, back ups can be quickly booted with or without Wildcard Plus and without messy packing or complicated parameter settings. No other card is faster, easier to use, or more powerful. | WILDCARD PLUS ’ unlocks the potential of your Apple. Wildcard Plus offers a unique system that combines ROM and RAM. ROM allows for fast, easy copies using a simple menu driven system. The RAM permits utility modules to be loaded onto the card. This extends Wildcard’s function far beyond that of a mere copycard. WILDCARD PLUS. A name that speaks for itself. Wildcard is the name that stands for uncompromising quality. Which is not surprising when you consider that Wildcard is the runaway leader in the field. Others compare themselves to the Wildcard, some even copy us. But other copycards can’t match the Wildcard’s capabilities and reputation. When you’re looking for a copycard you can rely on, look to Wildcard and Wildcard Plus. They are the back up cards that stack the deck in your favor. Wildcard Plus is available for $189.95. Wildcard for $139.95. Order by phone, (212) 355-2860 or complete the coupon below and send your check, money order, Visa or Mastercard No. to East Side Software Co., 344 E. 63 Street, Suite 14-A, New York City 10021. Dealer inquiries welcome. WILDCARD PLUS(S), $189.95 each. Total] Please send WILDCARD(S), $139.95 each. Total_____ Include $4.00 for shipping and handling. Outside continental U.S. add $10.00 for shipping and handling. New York State residents add applicable sales tax. Io Check enclosed (] Visa C) Master card | Gaane. Expires Name on Card Name | Address (UPS delivery) [Gy Siate | East Side Software Co. [344 E. 63 Street, Suite 14-A New York, NY 1002 Ce IMPORTANT NOTICE: The WILDCARD is offered for the purpose of enabling you to make archival copies only. Under the Copyright Law you, as the owner of a copy ‘ofa computer program, are entitled to make a new copy for archival purposes only and the WILDCARD will enable you to do so. The WILDCARD is offered for no other purpose and you are not permitted to utilize it for any other use, other than specified. Software is not copy protected. System requirements: Apple II, II Plus or Apple Ie and DOS 3.3. Franklin Ace also supported. Wildcard and Wildcard Plus are trademarks of East Side Software Co. (© 1983 East Sie Sofware Co, | | | | | | | | | | | | Microcomputer Inservice: Educating the Educators by Sandy Abernathy ANCIENT HISTORY The public has become fascinated by computer technology. Parents are demanding that schools provide their children with computer experiences so that they will be able to compete in the job market. In response, school districts, professional educa- tion organizations, and colleges and universities have scrambled to pre- sent information to educators about computers through district inservice days, local, regional, and national conferences, and college classes. Judging from the numbers who have flocked to these activities, educators are aware of their need to ‘‘catch up” in computer technology. Unfortunately, in the mad search to locate someone” (anyone!) who would ‘‘do something’ on com- puters, presentations sometimes resembled the old-time snake oil peddler’s spiel: ‘‘Ladieees and gentlemen! Don’t be afraid! Step right up and see the dazzling wonders of modern technology!” Under these circumstances, mem- bers of the audience often left with no more useful information or skills than when they arrived. At first, just the dazzle of the new technology was sufficient. But as educators became more conversant with mi- crocomputers, mere amazement was not enough. If educators will no longer accept “just anything” in the way of micro- Peelings Il computer inservice, then what should be offered? ONE INSERVICE MODEL As with other types of inservice, an overall district microcomputer inser- vice plan should be developed and goals set. District goals will vary depending on the amount of time already spent on: microcomputer study and inservice; the general knowledge level of district personnel; the perceived role of the computer in district curriculum and in ad- ministrative functions; and the availability of district resources such as equipment, materials, space, peo- ple, time, and funds. Inservice goals may be classified as awareness, general knowledge, or specialized knowledge. Awareness goals are usually thought of as the beginning level, general knowledge as the intermediate level, and specialized knowledge as the most advanced level. However, activities within specialized knowledge goals may provide information about new REN pn NES 5 7 INSERVICE Microcomputer Inservice: Educating the Educators GOALS =6 Ss 29 S~ KS we applications which, in turn, may foster new awareness goals. INSERVICE ACTIVITIES Goals will have an effect on the type of inservice presentations or ac- tivities planned by the district. For in- stance, the district just beginning to address the microcomputer issue may set as its goal, awareness of the role of computers in education. It may plan microcomputer activities as part of the regularly scheduled inser- vice. The purpose will be to in- troduce participants to educational computing and to make staff aware of the potential for microcomputer use in their own district. Awareness activities are usually short, and several may be schedul- ed during a single inservice day. Hands-on time may or may not be part of the activities. Experts may be invited to talk about computers in education and to demonstrate edu- cational applications. A computer fair may be set up where local ven- dors display hardware and software. When equipment is available, hands- on workshops may be offered to give participants time to explore comput- er operation and software packages. In addition to activities scheduled during regular inservice times, school staff may view materials purchased by the district or may meet to discuss possible applications. One effective way to involve district personnel at the awareness level would be to schedule visits to other schools where microcomputers have be- come a part of everyday activities. Observations of microcomputers in use and discussions with staff mem- bers may help visitors become more aware of capabilities and limitations of this equipment. Staff also may be encouraged to attend professional conferences which emphasize edu- cational computer applications. Shar- ing information gained through these experiences will be an important part of the overall inservice plan. As a result of such activities, a decision as to a future role for microcomputers in the district may be made. The district which has already decided on the microcomputer’s role, may set computer literacy (gen- eral knowledge) as its goal. If com- puter literacy is the goal, a very different set of activities will be plan- ned. Here the purpose will be to pro- vide as many district personnel as possible with the skills and knowl- edge necessary to use computers and to make intelligent decisions regard- ing them. An extended amount of time may be required for this type of inservice, and depending on the amount of equipment and expertise available, the inservice may be scheduled through the local Teacher Center, regional service center, or nearby college or university. Because this type of inservice requires hands- on time to be effective, the number of staff able to participate in a single section may be limited. Therefore, decisions must be made as to the topics to include, number of hours for a single inservice section, number of inservice sections to be offered, number of participants to be schedul- ed in each section, and method for selecting participants. Possible topics may include: Appropriate use of computer term- inology. 8 Operation of computers and com- puter software. & Exploration of programming con- cepts and software packages. a Factors to consider in the selection of hardware and software 5) Social and ethical issues pertinent to educational applications. 6) The role of the computer in district curriculum. a Noninstructional computer applica- tions. 8) Microcomputer information sources. Upon completion of an inservice sec- tion, participants should have an in- troductory knowledge about many aspects of computers and should be able to use computers for general ap- plications in the classroom or in their specialized area. Based on this knowledge, participants should be able to make realistic decisions as to Microcomputer Inservice: Educating the Educators the extent of their future involvement with microcomputers. If many of the staff are comfortable with microcomputers, the district may continue to provide computer literacy for its new staff but set specialized computer applications as its district goal. The purpose of this type of inservice would be to provide small groups with the opportunity to study one aspect of computers in depth. The amount of time for each type of specialized training would depend on the complexity of the task. Teachers would be selected because of their expertise with the specialized application and their ability to teach educators. Par- ticipants would be selected because of their interest in that application. Some may want to increase their pro- gramming skills or learn a new language such as Logo, Pascal, or Pilot so they can develop materials or work with students more effective- ly. Others may want to learn how to use particular software such as a grading program, word processing package, or student management system. Still others may be members of a committee charged with the task of evaluating and incorporating dis- trict-owned software into district cur- riculum guides and of locating addi- tional software, hardware, and ap- plications that will enhance specific areas. This level of microcomputer inservice may introduce staff to new microcomputer applications and lead to a new awareness-general knowledge-specialized knowledge cycle. TEN HELPFUL HINTS FOR A SUCCESSFUL INSERVICE WORKSHOP 1) Hands-on Time. Give participants time on microcomputers to become familiar with terminology and to to operate a computer. 2) Hands-on Time. Give participants time on microcomputers to help to reduce anxiety and fear of the machines and to build a positive at- titude toward computers. Volume 4 Number 7 3)Hands-on Time. Give participants time on microcomputers to explore the capabilities and limitations of the machine and the man-machine com- bination. ‘Playing’ with program- ming ideas and programs is one way to accomplish this. Programming ac- tivities may turn on_ participants because of the intensely creative aspects. These experiences may help participants make more realistic deci- sions as to their future involvement with microcomputers. 4) Hands-on Time. Give participants time on microcomputers to examine software packages in their area and discuss and use evaluation criteria. If basic programming concepts and design have been taught, participants should have an idea of what to ex- pect in good software. 5) Hands-on Time. Give participants time to have fun and become aware of computer possibilities. 6) Two on One. Although par- ticipants may grumble about sharing a computer, the pairing and sharing helps the learning process. The act of working with another person in order to mutually solve a problem fosters cooperative computer use. Watch that pairs are evenly match- ed with similar interests and_ skill levels. Make sure that the computer time is shared evenly. Three on a computer can work but doesn’t real- ly give anyone enough time, and one of the three may be inadvertently frozen out. One on a computer can produce a sense of isolation in a teaching situation. 7) Math Isn’t Everything. When de- veloping programs to use with new computer users, strike a balance be- tween math and non-math programs. Math may be a threatening topic and some teachers will feel more com- fortable with non-math applications. 8) Can You Relate? The presenter should be selected carefully. He (or preferably she because of the higher percentage of female teachers) should speak ‘‘educationese’’ rather than ‘““computerese”. Find someone who likes to teach, likes to work with computers, and can communicate these attitudes to participants. 9) Yes and No. Discuss the dif- ference between public domain, copyable, shareable software and commercial, copyrighted, shareable, purchaseable software. Use public domain software to teach programming and application con- cepts. non- 10) Tangibles. Give participants something tangible to take with them—a list of software sources, a disk with public domain programs, or a computer! Make your business presentations picture perfect with GRAPHICS DEPARTMENT" If you've ever made a business presentation, you know what a help a graphics depart- ment can be. Now with Sensible Software’s new graphics program, GRAPHICS DEPARTMENT, you can do all the graphics pizzazz yourself — faster than any graphics staff! And you'll get your point across with color and impact, whether to your boss, colleagues, customers or clients. Fours 4982 FORECAST. et 8YTE-but CHRRLESTON-charleston ITALICS ital tes NORMAND IA, — sis 1s 2B40D The GRAPHICS DEPARTMENT combines five major graphics tools into one friendly, easy-to-learn package. All visuals produced are HI-RES pictures suitable for printing or turning into slides. 1. The chart generator automatically creates colorful pie, bar, scatter and line graphs from your tabular data or Visicalc DIF files. Automatic labeling and direct loading from Visicalc help prevent errors and save you time on multiple charts. Each graph can include up to 99 data points. 2. The lettering kit includes 20 character fonts...from Old English to Bold Modern, from headlines and shadow effects to tiny text. You may letter anywhere on a HI-RES. picture with complete control over character size, color and direction. 3. The graphics tools module lets you “cut and paste” overlay, merge, flip, shrink, invert, mask, change colors or add patterns. You can use these graphic tools to edit and combine charts or even to create pictures from scratch. 4. The slide projector combines your graphics into a professional-looking presen- tation. You can move “slides” forward or backward with the game paddle or even automatically display them at preset intervals. It's a great way to beat “rush” presentation deadlines! 5. Editors are available in both the chart- ing kit and the slide projector to simplify your data entry. All these features are now combined into a single package for the first time. Now you can prepare your entire presentation with just one graphics program. Alll you need is the GRAPHICS DEPARTMENT, an Apple computer (I, le, or I), 48K and Applesoft. ‘SALES COMPARISON GRAPHICS DEPARTMENT ™ is available for only $124.95 at your local computer store or directly by mail (please add $1.25 for shipping). Visa, Mastercard, COD and checks welcome. To place your order, call or write us at: ©; Sensible® 6619 Perham Dr. West Bloomfield, Mil 48033 bSoftware, Inc, ers 00-8877 Apple, Applell. ie, and Applesoft areregisteredtrademarks of ‘Apple’ Compuier, Inc.; Visicalc is a registered trademark of Personal Software, Inc. Peelings 11 Microcomputer Inservice LOCATING AND SELECTING EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE by Sandy Abernathy For the past two years, | have been involved in planning and presenting microcomputer workshops for public school and postsecondary personnel. In addition, | have taught microcom- puter courses for the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and for the Department of Educational Management and Development at New Mexico State University. Par- ticipants in these classes and workshops have included teachers, aides, librarians, counselors, prin- cipals, graduate students, secretaries, professors, and central administra- tion personnel. Several questions invariably come up during the sessions. Two are, “Where can | find information about certain kinds of software?” and “How can | tell if it’s good software?” Participants have commented that ideas discussed in the sessions were helpful to them. The following two sections are based on these ideas. | hope they will be helpful to you as well. Before you begin your software search, you should conduct some type of needs assessment and decide on the purpose of the software, price range and microcomputer system that will be used to run it. As you gather information about the kind of software you are looking for, prior- itize the features you would like to have in your package. Some will be essential, some nice to have, and some optional. Your final selection will probably be a compromise in- volving price, features, and the com- ponents that make up your micro- computer system. LOCATING SOFTWARE Locating pertinent software may take some time since most towns don’t have computer software de- partment stores where people can browse through a comprehensive software library. However, there are several sources of information that may help you in your search. These include: 1. Friends. Talk to other computer users. Sometimes a friend has found just the package you are looking for. Usually, he or she will be very candid about the advan- tages and disadvantages of a package. Ask to try it out or see it used. You may obtain some- one else’s name, the name of an article, or the name of a software package through this avenue. 2. Local Computer Stores. Visit your local computer store. The dealer may have a package in stock that suits your needs, or he may be able to order software for you to ex- amine. 3. Computer Magazines and Professional Journals. Locating and Selecting Educational Software a. Read general articles about the kind of software you are looking for. These usually discuss the general capabilities and limitations and may give you a better idea of what to expect from the sort of package you are looking for. b. Read advertisements. You may find the description of a software package that appears to suit your purpose. c. Read software reviews. A good one will discuss the capabilities and limitations of a particular software package. Good reviews should give you enough information to select a particular package for examin- ation. Look at the information in the section where new products are listed. You may find something there. d. Write a letter to the editor asking for help in locating soft- ware. This may put you in con- tact with others who use com- puters for similar applications. 4. Resource Books and Directories. Directories attempt to catalog current software for the buyer. Some describe a limited number of software packages in detail while others attempt to list as much software as possible. Resource books may include articles of general interest and in- formation about organizations as Volume 4 Number 7 iOME DIRECTORIES AND tESOURCE BOOKS . Swift’s Educational Software Directory 1983-84, Apple II Edition. Sterling Swift Publishing Co., 7901 outh IH-35, Austin, TX 78744. 12-282-6840. $18.95. 478 pages. Software is categorized by subject. ‘he directory lists and describes :ducational software for the Apple. \pple //e compatibility is noted. ther sources of information regard- ag software packages may be in- luded. ) MasterCard & VISA Orders / Dealer Inquiries For Your Convenience Use This 24hr | Day Toll-Free Number 800-345-8 1 1 2 (In Pennsylvania: 800-662-2444) }. Van Love’s 1983 Apple II/III Soft- vare Directory, Volume II. Advanced Software Technology, nc. 7899 Mastin Dr. Overland Park, ‘S 66204. 913-648-4442. $24.95. App. 1,000 pages, 200 pages are :ducational software listings. Soft- vare is categorized by application. ‘he directory lists and describes soft- vare for the Apple II and III. i. The Book of Apple Software 1983. The Book Company, 11223 S. Hin- Iry Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90045. 113-410-9466. $19.95. 491 pages. Software is categorized by pplication. The directory lists, describes, and jrades software for the Apple. It in- ludes a 50-page section on educa- ional software. TO SUBSCRIBE or RENEW YOUR SUBSCRIPTION Please See Postage-Paid Subcription Cards Attached +. The Digest of Software Reviews: ducation. The Digest of Software Reviews: ducation, 1341 Bulldog Lane, Suite >, Fresno, CA 93701. $52.95 per ear for four issues. Fifty educational software vackages are summarized in each ssue. Each software summary in- ludes general information about the vackage, and excerpts from several eviews which have appeared in computer magazines. DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED i. PC Clearinghouse Software Direc- ory, 7th Edition. PC Clearinghouse, Inc. Publishers., 1781 Lee Jackson Highway, Fairfax, ‘irginia 22033. $29.95. 816 pages. Locating and Selecting Educational Software Software is categorized by applica- tion. The directory lists over 21,000 software packages for over 200 microcomputers from more than 2,900 vendors. Contains an educa- tional section and a specialized ap- plications section that may be of in- terest to educators. No descriptions are included in this very comprehen- sive listing of software. 6. LIST: The Software Resource Book for Personal Computer Users, Spring 1983. Redgate Publishing Company, 3407 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach, Florida 32960. $12.50. 400 pages. Contains articles of general interest and software listings. Some software listings include descriptions. Although most listings are for business and industry, it does have an education section. 7. Classroom Computer News 1983 Directory of Educational Computing Resources. 1983 Directory, 341 Mt. Auburn St., Watertown, MA 02172. $14.95. 199 pages. Although this directory does not list specific software, it does list and describe many resources which may help you in your search for informa- tion leading to specific software packages. Information includes names of associations, networks, periodicals, books, and_ regional laboratories, as well as a calendar of events for the year. EVALUATING SOFTWARE Once software has been located, it must be examined to see if it really does what you want. This can be determined by running the program several times to see if it accomplishes the intended purpose efficiently, ac- curately, easily, and quickly. The evaluation forms I’ve used in work- shops and classes are included at the end of this section. The single-page format, which participants liked, is a compromise between brevity and comprehensiveness. This section de- LOCATING AND SE EDUCATIONAL SO. by Sandy Abernathy For the past two years, | have been involved in planning and presenting microcomputer workshops for public school and postsecondary personnel. In addition, | have taught microcom- puter courses for the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and for the Department of Educational Management and Development at New Mexico State University. Par- ticipants in these classes and workshops have included teachers, aides, librarians, counselors, prin- cipals, graduate students, secretaries, professors, and central administra- tion personnel. Several questions invariably come up during the sessions. Two are, “Where can | find information about certain kinds of software?’ and “How can | tell if it’s good software?”’ Participants have commented that ideas discussed in the sessions were helpful to them. The following two sections are based on these ideas. | hope they will be helpful to you as well. Before you begin your software search, you should conduct some type of needs assessment and decide on the purpose of the software, price range and microcomputer system that will be used to run it. As you gather information about the kind of software you are looking for, prior- itize the features you would like to have in your package. Some will be essential, some nice to have, and some optional. Your final selection will probably be a compromise in- volving price, features, and the com- ponents that make up your micro- computer system. LOCATING SOFTWARE Locating pertinent software may take some time since most towns don’t have computer software de- partment stores where people can browse through a comprehensive software library. However, there are several sources of information that may help you in your search. These include: 1. Friends. Talk to other computer users. Sometimes a friend has found just the package you are looking for. Usually, he or she will be very candid about the advan- tages and disadvantages of a package. Ask to try it out or see it used. You may obtain some- one else’s name, the name of an article, or the name of a software package through this avenue. 2. Local Computer Stores. Visit your local computer store. The dealer may have a package in stock that suits your needs, or he may be able to order software for you to ex- amine. 3. Computer Magazines and Professional Journals. Locating and Selecting Educational Software (byb2-299-008 :e|UeA|AsuUed UI) CLI8S-SVE-008 sz 259 seo aah oma 8 Jaquiny 914-104 Aeq 14pz SIU] SP BDUaIUaAUOD ANO{ 104 | 43]88Q / S19P10 VSIA 9 Psejsa}seW payse}qy spse9 uoldisoqns pieg-23e}S0q 89S asea|q ( sauinbu NOILdIMISANS UNOA MIN3U 40 FMIYISANS OL well as information about soft- ware and hardware. These sources can be very helpful in getting a general idea of what is available as well as locating specific software. Some directories and resource books are listed at the end of this sec- tion. Although some are general and not designed primarily for education, they will contain in- formation about business soft- ware that can be used for ad- ministrative purposes and infor- mation about applications which may be useful in specific disciplines. 5. Publishers. Look in publishers’ catalogs. Some publishers have produced separate software catalogs while others include a software section in their regular catalog. You may find something in one of these. If you are searching for fairly complex, expensive software and have located a package that you would like to examine which your local vendor doesn’t carry, write or call the publisher. Ask if they have an on-approval purchasing policy or a demon- stration diskette. Demonstration diskettes may or may not have enough information on which to base a purchase decision. Ask the publisher for names of peo- ple in your area who have pur- chased the package. Call them. You may also want to find out what kinds of support and types of licensing agreements are available for the software. In ad- dition to information about the software, communication with the publisher may indicate the kind of support to expect. 6. Other Sources. Other sources of information are clearinghouses, networks, regional laboratories, state and county service centers, and col- leges and universities. Peelings Il SOME DIRECTORIES AND RESOURCE BOOKS 1. Swift’s Educational Software Directory 1983-84, Apple II Edition. Sterling Swift Publishing Co., 7901 South IH-35, Austin, TX 78744. 512-282-6840. $18.95. 478 pages. Software is categorized by subject. The directory lists and describes educational software for the Apple. Apple //e compatibility is noted. Other sources of information regard- ing software packages may be in- cluded. 2. Van Love’s 1983 Apple II/III Soft- ware Directory, Volume II. Advanced Software Technology, Inc. 7899 Mastin Dr. Overland Park, KS 66204. 913-648-4442. $24.95. App. 1,000 pages, 200 pages are educational software listings. Soft- ware is categorized by application. The directory lists and describes soft- ware for the Apple Il and III. 3. The Book of Apple Software 1983. The Book Company, 11223 S. Hin- dry Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90045. 213-410-9466. $19.95. 491 pages. Software is categorized by application. The directory lists, describes, and grades software for the Apple. It in- cludes a 50-page section on educa- tional software. 4. The Digest of Software Reviews: Education. The Digest of Software Reviews: Education, 1341 Bulldog Lane, Suite C, Fresno, CA 93701. $52.95 per year for four issues. Fifty educational software packages are summarized in each issue. Each software summary in- cludes general information about the package, and excerpts from several reviews which have appeared in computer magazines. 5. PC Clearinghouse Software Direc- tory, 7th Edition. PC Clearinghouse, Inc. Publishers., 11781 Lee Jackson Highway, Fairfax, Virginia 22033. $29.95. 816 pages. Locating and Selecting Educational Software Software is categorized by applica- tion. The directory lists over 21,000 software packages for over 200 microcomputers from more than 2,900 vendors. Contains an educa- tional section and a specialized ap- plications section that may be of in- terest to educators. No descriptions are included in this very comprehen- sive listing of software. 6. LIST: The Software Resource Book for Personal Computer Users, Spring 1983. Redgate Publishing Company, 3407 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach, Florida 32960. $12.50. 400 pages. Contains articles of general interest and software listings. Some software listings include descriptions. Although most listings are for business and industry, it does have an education section. 7. Classroom Computer News 1983 Directory of Educational Computing Resources. 1983 Directory, 341 Mt. Auburn St., Watertown, MA 02172. $14.95. 199 pages. Although this directory does not list specific software, it does list and describe many resources which may help you in your search for informa- tion leading to specific software packages. Information includes names of associations, networks, periodicals, books, and_ regional laboratories, as well as a calendar of events for the year. EVALUATING SOFTWARE Once software has been located, it must be examined to see if it really does what you want. This can be determined by running the program several times to see if it accomplishes the intended purpose efficiently, ac- curately, easily, and quickly. The evaluation forms I've used in work- shops and classes are included at the end of this section. The single-page format, which participants liked, is a compromise between brevity and comprehensiveness. This section de- in the back of the magazine. back issue sale! vious issues Look for the price list and our software and hardware dex of pre Take advantage of the PEELINGS II in scribes the procedure | use when evaluating software. 1. Package Familiarization. Look at the manual or whatever materials accompany the program to get an overall idea of how it has been organized and what the package is supposed to accomplish. The clarity of writing and overall organization may be an indication of the quality of the program. Read the tutorial if one has been included. If this is an administrative package, that is, one that is used by the educator rather than the student, the program may be more complicated to use, and the manual will contain more information. Is this information easy to find? Is there a reference sec- tion, quick-reference card, a com- prehensive index and useful table of contents? Tabbed chapters are very helpful when trying to locate a sec- tion quickly. If this is an instructional package, that is, one that students use, does it contain suggestions for using the package and incorporating it into the curriculum? Does it include activities to use before and after the program? Are there additional student materi- als, such as worksheets, which will extend the usefulness of the package. If there is extensive reading associ- ated with the package, is this produc- ed in hardcopy rather than displayed on the screen? 2. Program Familiarization. Run the program correctly as many times as is needed to become familiar with it and to answer these questions: Does it do what you want? Is it useful to you? Is it appropriate for your in- tended audience? Is it easy to use? Does it do something more efficiently and effectively than some other way? If the program stores and retrieves in- formation to and from disk, does it take a long time to search and locate information and/or does it access the disk frequently? Does the amount of time used for this activity seem ex- cessive? Are screen displays infor- mative, uncluttered, easy to read? Locating and Selecting Educational Software Are keystrokes kept to a minimum? Are program parts well organized? Is the program menu-driven, that is, is a list of choices displayed from which you choose your next step? If this is an instructional program, does it have educational value? Are concepts, content, reading level, character size, screen display, pac- ing, time required for a single lesson, graphics, color, sound or lack thereof appropriate for the students who will use it? Is the use of the entire package in keeping with the district’s microcomputer policy? 3. Check for Bugs. Run the program and deliberately press wrong keys. Does the program crash or continue when inappro- priate keys are pressed? Or does it ig- nore inappropriate key responses and continue only when appropriate keys have been pressed? 4. Check for Accuracy. Run all possible combinations of the program to check for accuracy and additional program bugs. If the program is at all complex, this will take time, since the program must be run over and over until all possible avenues have been explored. 5. Let the Intended User Try It Out. If possible, let those who will use the program try it out. Do they think it is easy to use and is useful? Do they like to use it? If you have questions about the package, do they have the same ones? 6. Check Against Reality. If this package will be useful to you, is it within the allocated budget? Can you use it with your existing system? Would another package which is more/less powerful or is more/less expensive serve you and the district better? When these questions are answered to your satisfaction, the purchasing decision should be made. Good hunting! Volume 4 Number 7 SOFTWARE EVALUATION FORM: INSTRUCTIONAL Name of package. Company. Price. Type of program. Subject/grade. Necessary peripherals DOCUMENTATION Clarity of writing Extra materials. Other comments PROGRAM Program bugs. Accuracy. Ease of use Time for: Single lesson. Package. Speed of presentation/difficulty level controlled by. Appropriate for grade level: Concepts. Content Time. Sound. Graphics. Color. Other comments. EVALUATION Educational value. Students like to use it. Best feature. Worst feature. Does something that can’t be done another way. Worth the cost. Recommend purchase Other comments Copyright 1983 ©, Volume 4 Number 7, Peelings Il Magazine, Peelings II, Inc., 2260 Oleander, Las Cruces, N.M. 88001 Peelings II Locating and Selecting Educational Software 21 SOFTWARE EVALUATION FORM: ADMINISTRATIVE Name of package. Company. Price. Purpose Necessary peripherals DOCUMENTATION Clarity of writing. Ease of use. Reference section/card Index. Tabbed chapters. Tutorial. Other comments PROGRAM Appropriate for. Menu-driven. Program bugs. Accuracy. Ease of use. Complexity. Keystroke sequences. Display format. Load/search _ time/frequency. Other comments. EVALUATION Usefulness. Like to use it. Best feature. Worst feature. Worth the cost. Recommend purchase. Other comments Copyright 1983 ©, Volume 4 Number 7, Peelings Il Magazine, Peelings II, Inc., 2260 Oleander, Las Cruces, N.M. 88001 22 Locating and Selecting Educational Software Volume 4 Number 7 Ange = (A << MICROSOFT Paws For The Wildest Discounts Anywhere! EDUCATION LEARNING COMPANY Retail Price 39.95 39.95 44.95 44.95 29.95 39.95 Bumble Games . Bumble Plot Gertrudes Puzzles Gertrudes Secrets Juggles Rainbow . Moptown Parade SPINNAKER Delta Drawing ..... KinderComp ...... In Search of the Most Amazing Thing Hey Diddle Diddle . Snooper Troops . 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Bomb Ailey ae Computer Ambush. Computer Bismarck Cosmic Balance 59.95 59.95 59.95 59.95 39.95 G) ° DOXieon ae ees EMS #5 DS DD SS box 27.00 & CONDITIONS COMMUNICATIONS SOUTHWESTERN DATA ASCII Express Pro P-Term Pro. . Z-TermPro.... MICRO COM Microterminal SOFTRONICS Softerm, HAYES Terminal Program . [ YS ELEPHANT MEMORY SYSTEMS EMS #1 SS SD SS Ox: et. 18.00 Retail Wildcat Price Price 129.95 97.46 129.95 97.46 149.95 113.46 64.95 63.71 8495 63.71 9900 74.25 DISKS C- EMS # 2 SS DD SS 20.00 at There is a $2.00 shipping fee on all software and a 2% fee on hardware and supplies with a $2. minimum. No overseas shipments. Texas residents add 5% on all products except software. Immediate shipment with money order, cashiers check or charge card. Allow 10 days for personal checks to clear. Exchange on defective merchandise only. Exchange made if returned within 10 days. Prices and availability subject to change without notice. Send for free catalog with complete listing of product line TERMS Wildcat Computing, Inc. 1830 Avenue K Plano, Texas 75074 (214) 424-3582 AN EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGE FOR SOFTWARE A Teacher’s Viewpoint by Elma Ewing Computers are a part of our future and not a fad to be neglected. In realization of this fact, educational in- stitutions all over the country are pur- chasing computer equipment, with the belief that it will not only help to educate the children, but that com- puter familiarity and use is a very im- portant skill which needs to be developed. Some are using school funds, others, without funds avail- able, are using Fund Raisers to pur- chase what is needed—but all are fin- ding some way to provide their students with access to a computer, even though in most cases, it is a very limited access. Purchasing a computer system is only the first step towards using com- puters in education. The most impor- tant step is the selection and pur- chase of sufficient good quality soft- ware with enough variety to be use- ful to as many students as possible. Educators must look for software which will support the curriculum of their particular school and will pro- mote learning for the intended group of users. Three general categories of educational software are now being offered. Among these are the Tu- torial Programs, which concentrate 24 on teaching the user new material. In another category are the Simula- tion Programs, which allow the user to change various conditions in the program, in order to see the effect different decisions have on the out- come. The third category contains the Reinforcing Programs, which simply provide drill and practice on material which has already been taught. The type of software a school decides to purchase will depend on the selected target area of each school. The school may be concen- trating on using the computer and their software selections for enriching the regular curriculum, for reinforc- ing skills which have already been taught, or possibly to help teach problem-solving techniques. The software must also serve a wide range of students in the best possible manner. The price of soft- ware today, combined with the lack of available funds for schools to pur- chase more than a few pieces of soft- ware, poses another problem. The amount of available software has not only increased tremendous- ly in the last year, but there is more educationally sound software than An Educational Challenge ever before. One of the problems, which has been disastrous to some extent, is the lack of an opportunity to preview software before purchas- ing. Up to this point, companies have concentrated on soliciting their par- ticular hardware, and have not over- ly concerned themselves with the promotion of acceptable software. This situation has led to a type of blind purchasing. Materials are need- ed and there has not been sufficient help in choosing the proper software. Some software purchased this way is extremely good quality, but the risk is great because other purchased software has no real educational value and is not suitable for the in- tended users. Some companies are now allowing schools to order on approval. Other companies are making preview disks available. This will help insure the schools are spending their money on g