through 18 of the user's manual explain the procedure completely. You simply take the printer off-line,. 16 BYTE • JANUARY 1988 then hold the ...
THE SMALL SYSTEMS JOURNAL
PRODUCT FOCUS
Database Software
REVIEWS Toshiba T3100/20 and T1000 PC Designs GV·386 GCC Personal Laserprinter @Liberty vs. Baler Microsoft's Bookshelf MGMStation CAD
IN DEPTH
New Ideas for Managing
ega ytes
JANUARY 1988 VOL.13, N0.1
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Contents
Toshiba's New Laptop/133
65 PRODUCTS IN PERSPECTIVE
67 What's New 97 Short Takes
MultiSpeed HD
GOfer
Translmage 1000
RuggedWriter 480
Velan-2V
Book One
Surpass
Reviews Ill SQL Database Management Systems
by Richard Finkelstein and Fabian Pascal A look at Informix-SQL , Ingres , Oracle. SQLBase. XDB II, and XQL. 121 BIX Product Focus: SQL-based Database Managers by Curtis Franklin Jr. BIX users comment on the most popular packages. 127 Cache in the Chips by Ed McNierney The PC Designs GV-386 combines high performance with full IBM PC AT compatibility. 133 The Toshiba T3100/20 by Curtis Franklin Jr. An AT-compatible laptop with impressive speed and portability.
141 The Symmetric 375 by Patrick Wood A look at Symmetric's portable Berkeley Unix sy tern .
151 High-Performance Graphics Boards by Bill Nicholls Two super-high-resolution PC graphic boards from Vermont Micro ystem and Verticom .
155 GCC's Personal Laserprinter by Donald Evan Crabb Low-cost laser printing for the Macintosh.
163 Allegro CommonLISP by Ernest R. Tello A complete Common LISP for the Macinto h .
167 Personal REXX by Namir Clement Shammas A powerful batch language for the IBM PC.
173 @Liberty and the Baler by Paul Schauble and Rick Cook The first generation of spread heet compiler .
176 Microsoft's Bookshelf by Ruse/ DeMaria A powerful reference library on your PC.
178 MGMStation CAD by Ruse/ DeMaria A CAD package for precision de ign work
on the Macintosh .
Columns 185 Computing at Chaos Manor: A Writer's Tools
by Jerry Pournelle Editors , pelling checkers, and CD-ROMs: searching for the perfect package from Microsoft , Symantec, Oasis, and others.
205 Applications Only: Real-World Answers by Ezra Shapiro Reflex Plus , PhoneNET , and a TOPS network solve some practical dilemmas.
2 BYTE · JA UARY 198
Cover art by Robert Tinney
JANUARY 1988
VOLUME 13 NUMBER I
In Depth/213
213 L 'DEPTH: Managing Megabytes
214 Introduction
215 A Better Way to Compress Images by Miclwel F. Barnsley and Alan D. Sloan A new technique can achieve compression ratios in excess of 10,000 to I.
225 Managing Immense Storage by Theodor H. Nelson The "xanalogical" model provides a radical new approach to mass storage.
243 Fast Data Access· by Jonathan Robie Using query optimizers for efficient handling of large databases .
255 Achieving Mainframe Performance
by Wink Saville Expanded memory in personal computers opens the door to programming techniques that speed performance significantly.
265 Managing Megabytes Resource Guide
269 FEATURES
271 Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar: The rCC180 Multitasking Controller Part I: The Hardware by Steve Ciarcia A small controller that is both fast and powerful.
285 Focus on Algorithms: Changing Reverse Polish to Infix by Dick Pountain Computers perfonn math using reverse Polish notation .
291 Using Financial Tools for Nonfinancial Simulations by James L. Conger Using spreadsheets as a fast way to simulate real-world problems.
Features/269
DEPARTMENTS
6 Editorial: Show Time 11 Microbytes 16 Letters and Review Feedback 33 Chaos Manor Mail 36 Ask BYTE 38 Circuit Cellar Feedback SI Book Reviews 339 Coming Up in BYTE
READER SERVICE
338 Editorial Index by Company
341 Alphabetical Index to Advenisers 343 Index to Advertisers by Product Category
Inquiry Reply Cards: after 344
PROGRA M L <.\Tl. GS
From BIX: see 282 From BYTEnet: call (617) 861 -9764 On disk or in print: see card after 32
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allow si.1 to c1Jh! 'WCCb for diclivc ry of tint iuuc. Pnn&cd in lhc: Unued Sg.tcJ of Americl. MdrtUediWritlconupondeflC'C lO. £clltor, BYTE. OM PbocnlA Miil l.aoc, Pl:tl:rbol'Dlllh, :NH OJ4SI . Unacupublt
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Tl'ldemarkOffl!Ct. WMrt ne<eu.iry. pcnnlnloa Is 1n.nttd tit]' tM- copyri1t11 CJliio'Mr IOr libraries and Olhc-tt tttitlt'nd wh" dK: CC0'ri1tu Clc.tt&tKc Cc·nc:r (CCC)'°~ art)' ..-tic:lc hcrc:.in fDrUllC nu&.: ofSt .5'0 pc:r c:opyofthr a.nidc.oc Ut)' pan chutol. Corruponcknc.e Pd pqmen1 W!uld IX U1\t directly '°!he. CCC. 29 COftj:rut SI . , Salem, MA 01970 Spcoc-if)' ISSN 0360-SllOfll. SI.'°. Cop;rinidoRC for oUKt than pcnonal or ictcm&I n:hn::oi;c tac w 1thou1 lhr: pc.rmit· ·kin of .\kG--H m loc. ·· 9"""·bor..i. ltoq<luU fol ·pccial pcnnluicln Of bulk Ot\1en "'°"Id bo oddmsa1 IO ill< pob
fabcr . BYTE r. ....ilablc in mkrolonn from Un1~il)' MK'ml\Jnn. lnll:l'Tl&tlOIW . JOO Nanh b.ir:b Rd_. Dep. PR. AM Arbor. Ml 41106 Qf U Bcd.ilrd llaw', [kpl. PR , landorl \lr't' I R 4£1 . EnJl.and.
SubKripcioa qundoru or probltrnj a.hould bt addrtHtd io; BYTE SubKn"bcr Scl"'·icC'. P.O Bo.1. 632 1. Pit.u~~ . ~J oa:&ll _
Section an by Tom Centola
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 3
E'1TE
THE SMALL SYSTEMS JOURNAL
EllECllTin EDITOR, BYTE Frederic S. Langa
PUBUSHEJllGROUP VICE PRESIDENT
J. Burt Totaro
ASSISTAHT llAHMllHO El>tTOA Glenn Hartwig
SEHIOll TECHNICAL EDIYORS Cathryn Baskin Fl8views. G. Ml.chael Vose In Oef)l)l. Gregg Williams F11atures
TECHNlCAI. EDITOll8 Oennls Allen, Curtis Franldln Jr., Richard Grehan, Ken Sheldon, George A. Stewart, Jane Morrill Tazelaar, Tom Thompson, Eva White, Stanley Wszola
ASSOCIATE TECHNICAL EllfTOR Martha Hicks
NEWS ANO TECHNOLOGY Gene Smarte Bureau Chiel. Costa MBS8. Jonathan Erickson Senior Technic81 E<itor. San Francisco. Rich Malloy Senior Technk:al Editor. NeN York. Nicholas Baran Asscdate TedlnicaJ Edi!or, San Franosco. Jeffrey Bertolucci Eddorr.!J Assist/Ill/. San Franasco
ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITORS
o. Barker Miet0/Jyres. Anne Ascher Lent What's New, Shon
Takes. Slan MlastkOW$kl Wha/'s New
CONSULTING EllfTOflS
Ste-..e Clarcia. Je<ry Pournelle, Ezra $h8jllro
CONTRllUTINO EOITOR8
Jonathan Amsterdam Programming Projecrs. Mark Oahmke
lildeo, OperaMg Systems, Mark H&M At Large, Rik
Jadrnicek CAD. Graphtcs. Spreadsl>ee!s. Robert T.
Kurosaka MathematicAI Reaeations, Ala.stair J. W. MB)'9r
Soltware, Alan R. Miller LBJJgusges and Engmeenng. Dick
Pounlaln Alf)Ofithrns. Aogar Powall Compute!S and Music.
Phllllp Robinson 56micon<Jvctors, Jon sn1e11 Hign.
Pertonnance Systems, Ernest Tello ArTtfioal 1n1en;gencs
COPY EOITOllS
Lauren Stickler Chief. Susan Colwell, Judy Connors·
Tenney, Jeff Edmonds, Nancy Hayes, Ca1hy Kingery,
Margaret A. Richard, Warren Wllll8/llSOn
EDITOlllAL AMISTAHTS
Peggy Dunham Office Ma.nager. L. Ryan McCombs, June
N. Sheldon
ART
Nancy Rice Orroctor. Joseph A. Gallagher Assistant Director, Jan Muller Ass15111nt, Alan Ell.Slon Dralnng
PllOOUCTION
David R. Anderson DirflClor. Oenise Chartrand. Michael J. loMky. Virginia Reardon
TYPOORAPNY
Sherry Aske S)'$1ems Mafl8get, Sefinda Chlquoine. DOnna Sweeney
ADYtlm9lllGIPllOOUCT10H 1111131124"6441 Lisa Wozmak Supervisor, L)<la Clark Senior Account Coon:linator, Karon Cilley. Brian Higgins. Linda Fluhr, Wal Chiu LI Oualiry Control Manager. Julie Murphree AdvertisingtPrtXJuefion Coordinator
~TION
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MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS Horace T. Howland Direelor, CIJ03102"342· Wilbur S. Watson Markebng Selllic8s Managflr. Lisa Jo Steiner Mark81ing Assis/ant. Stephan ie Warnesky Marketing Art DirealOI. Sheron Price Associate Art Direalor. Julie Perron Market Research Analyst
PLANHINO MIO llESEAllCH Michale Perron Director Fahh Klunlz Copynghls Coordrnat01, Cynthia Damalo Sands Reader Service Coordinalor
FINANCIAL 9EJMCU
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CIRCULATION
Dan Mclaughlin Orrecror
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Louisa Menegus Back Issues
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MICA08YTES DAILY
0 . Barker Coordinaror. Pet81borough . Gane Smane Burea.u Cruet, Costa ,MOOa , NIChOlas Baran San Fra!ICJSCO. Riek Cook Ph06rix. Jonathan Erickson San Francisco. Martha Hicka P81erborough, Anne Flacher Lani Peterborough, Larry Loeb Wsl#ngford. CT. Rich Malloy N(JW )1)rk. Brock N. Meeks La Mesa, CA. Jell Marron Pe1B1borough , Stan Miaatkowskl Pelerborough. Wayne Rash Jr. W..stwngton. DC. David Raed Le.>ongtori. KY
GAOUP MOOEAATORS
David Allen Applications. Frank Boosman Artificial
lnte/Ogence, Laroy Castortlne Other. Man: Greenfield
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Other. Jon Swanson Chips
'
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4 BYTE· JANUARY 1988
Circle 294 on Reader Service Card
EDITORIAL
ShowTime
Early winter is a great time for computer trade shows. Each year at this time, dur ing a span of 60 days , we make our travel agency very happy by sending a steady stream of BYTE editors to shows ranging from COMDEX in Las Vegas to Mac World Expo in San Francisco, with many smaller shows in between.
These shows yield a feast of new infor mation. At one show, a major hardware manufacturer privately demonstrated for us hand-assembled prototypes of a new line of killer machines that will be an nounced shortly.
The high end of this line ranks among the most technologically advanced per sonal computers I've seen. We will be re ceiving sample units from the first pro duction run, and we'll bring you full coverage, with detailed benchmarks, in an upcoming issue.
We also picked up a late-beta copy of Surpass, a powerful spreadsheet that en ters the fray-along with new spread sheets like Quattro, Win Excel, and Plan Perfect-against Lotus 1-2-3. Tum to this issue's Short Takes section for an early hands-on look at Surpass.
We've also seen a host of 80386 and 68020 hardware and software; tons of new equipment designed to work with or outperform- IBM ' s Micro Channel PS/2s; new Mac enhancers; and more.
Embarrassment of Riches
Some of these items will show up in print right away, in the sections of BYTE with the latest deadlines: Microbytes, Short Takes, and What's New . Other items will appear later as First Impression articles and full-blown reviews.
But we gather much more raw infor mation than we can possibly accommo date, even in a magazine the size of BYTE (e.g., our internal staff reports from COMDEX alone ran to almost 20 ,000 words) . How can we best supply you with all this information?
Let's, for the moment, ignore BIX. Our show coverage there, usually as part of the microbytes conference, features detailed information on major product announcements and conference events posted within minutes or hours of occur rence. If you want the most up-to-date microcomputer information you can get, there' s simply no better alternative.
But if you can't use BIX, what then? Senior Editor Rich Malloy had a sugges tion: a paper transcript of our show cov erage, mailed to interested readers right after a show .
To test the feasibility of this idea, we produced a trial transcript of our COM DEX coverage, and it went well: In a matter of just a few hours, Rich down loaded the BIX coverage, massaged the text, designed a print format , and laser printed the whole package. It went so well, in fact, that we ' ve forged ahead.
A New Publication
Starting immediately after the close of MacWorld Expo, we'll produce a paper transcript of our BIX coverage. We' ll be glad to send you a copy for just the price of the paper, printing, and postage. Just drop a note to MacWorld Show Report, BYTE, One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peter borough, NH 03458; please enclose a check or money order for $3, and be sure to include your name and mailing ad dress . These new Show Reports will fill a gap in our coverage of microcomputing.
Thus, we can now offer you three alter natives for show coverage: For the most timely coverage possible, there's BIX, with its essentially zero lead time and its interactive nature (via BIX, you can ask the BYTE staff questions about the show and our coverage) . Slightly slower, but fast-as fast or faster than most micro computer news weekJies, for instance are the new BYTE Show Reports. And fi nally, for thoroughgoing , in-depth analy sis and selective coverage of the most im portant new products and technologies , there's BYTE itself.
Other Changes
Does this attention to Show Reports and BIX imply that BYTE is changing? Not at all.
Except to get better. Our New Year's resolutions for BYTE include improving the quality of our writing · and editing while retaining or even enhancing the depth and authority that are BYTE's hall marks . BYTE' s technical nature guaran tees we'll never be a McGuffey's reader, but we can- and will- work harder to make even our most technically rigorous articles as readable as possible.
And as attractive as possible: Nancy Rice, our able art director, is already
hard at work looking at ways we can use new layouts, new line art, and new for mats for tables and graphs to make the great wealth of data found in BYTE more accessible.
Other resolutions include giving more space to the print version of Microbytes in BYTE. Microbytes is already one of the finest print sources for microcomputer technology news anywhere, and as such , it has become immensely popular. As a result, we're expanding it by 33 percent , starting with the February issue.
A less welcome change: This marks the last issue with which Phil Lemmons is associated with BYTE. Phil worked here for 5 years , starting as a freelance author and ending as editorial director. In the course of his tenure, Phil enjoyed and was largely responsible for-numer ous successes, including the growth of BYTE to its current all-time-high circula tion and the launching of BIX. Phil has left to pursue other career goals. We'll all miss him here, but no one more than I: Phil was, simply, the finest editor I have had the pleasure of working for. We wish him all the best.
The up side is that Phil has left BYTE marvelously positioned to continue bringing you the kind of solid , authorita tive, and in-depth information you need- and that you 've come to expect from BYTE. As the resolutions above indicate, we ' ll be building on those strengths to make BYTE even better.
We've made other resolutions-too many to talk about in this limited space so they'll have to wait for another issue. But they all strike a similar note: Through 1988, we'll be working harder than ever to keep BYTE your premier source for expert information on personal com puters. If a product or technology is at or near the cutting edge; if it's important and/or interesting; if it's aimed at sophis ticated users ; if it's genuinely useful or will become genuinely useful to you folks who do the hand-holding, not those who need their hands held; then we ' ll cover it in BYTE. And we plan to cover it in a way that's just as authoritative. but more readable, more accessible, and more attractive than ever before.
That's our promise to you . -FredLanga
Executive EdiWr (BIX name "flanga ")
6 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
When you want to talk computers..
ATARI COMPUTERS
65XE 64K Computer. ... .. .............94.99 130XE 132K Computer..... .. .. .. .. 129.00 520STFM Monochrme System ..489.00 520STFM Color System .. .......... 639.00 SF1224 Color Monitor. ..... ..... :... 289.00 SF124 Mono Monitor ... ....... ...... 139.00
COMMODORE COMPUTERS
MS/DOS SYSTEMS
AST Premium Computer .. ..... ...... ..Call
Compaq .. ..... .... .............. from 1699.00
IBM-PS-2 Model 30 ... ....... ....... ... ... Call
IBM-AT Enhanced ....... ....... .. ........ Call
Leading Edge .. .. .......... ..... from 999.00
PC-TOO 512K AT/Compal from 999.00
NEC Multispeed Computer ..... 1499.00
Atari 1040 Color System
Includes: 1040ST. 1 mb RAM with 31/2" drive built-in, 192K ROM with TOS, Basic, ST language and color monitor.
Access Leaderboard Golf... .... ..... ... .. ..... .24.99
Activision Music Studio ... .. ............. ...... .. .... 29.99
Atari First Word ................. ....... ......... . 16.95
Batteries Included Degas Elite ... ... .... .............. ... .. ...44.99
oss
Personal Pascal ........ ..... ... ... ... ... 49.99
Timeworks Wordwriter ST.. ..... ....... ...... ... ..... 48.99 VIP Professional (GEM) ... ............... 144.00
AMIGA SOFTWARE
Aegis Development Animator/Images .. ..... .... .... ... ...... 89 .99 Electronic Arts Deluxe Video ... ..... ...... ... .. ... .. ..... 69.99 Gold Disk Software Pagesetter wffext Ed ..... .. .......... 93.99 Micro Illusions Dynamic CAD .. ....... .... ..... .... .... 349.00 Micro Systems Software Scribble .... ...... ..... .... .. ... ..... ...... ..69.99 Word Perfect Corp. Word Perfect. .......... .. ... .... ...... ..219.00
Amiga 500 System
Includes: Amiga 500 CPU, 1 MB, 1080 RGB Mon itor , Amiga DOS, Mouse, Kaleidoscope Commodore 128 ...... .... ......... ... 259.00
Commodore 1280 ........ .. ....... ... 529.00
Commodore 64C ........ ..... .. ... .... 179.00
64C , 1541C, 1802C Package ....599.00 128, 1571 , 2002 Package ........ . 759.00 128D, 2002 Package ..... ..... ...... 829.00
HARD DRIVES CMS MacStack 20 ...... .............. .... .... 599.00
Logic Array Pro App 20S ... .......... ..... .. ...... ...699.00
Lo Down Low Down 20 .... ..... .. ... .......... ... 849.00
Mountain 20 MB Hard with SCSl. .. ........ ... 899.00
FLOPPY DRIVES Ehman Engineering BOOK External Floppy ....... .. ..... . 199.00
MONITORS Network Specialties Stretch Screen 20 " ..... ......... ... 1399.00
Radius Full Page Display ..... .. ...... ...... 1599.00 Sigma Designs Laser View Display System ... .. 1999.00 MEMORY BOARDS Dove Computer Mac Snap Plus 2 ... ... ........ ..... .. . 249.00
Mac Memory, Inc. Max Plus.. ........ ..... ...... .......... ... 319.00
SCANNERS AST Turbo Scan .. .... .... ....... ........... 1489.00
SOFTWARE Ashton-Tate D:Base Mac ..... ..... ... ... ....... ...... 319.00
Microsoft Word 3.1........... ...... ... ........ ... ...239.00
AST Six Pak Plus PC/XT.. ...... ...... .... 129.00
Hercules Color Card ........................ .. ..... 159.00
Graphics Card Plus ........ ..... ..... 199.00
Fifth Generation Logical Connection 256K ..... .... .299 .00
Quadram EGA Prosync .... ... .. ........ .... ...... 249 .00
Video 7 VEGA EGA Adapter... ...... ...... ...169.00
Zuckerboard Color Card w/Parallel ...... .... ... .... 89.99
MS/DOS SOFTWARE
Ashton-Tate d-Base Ill+ ..... ........ ........ ...... ... 399.00 5th Generation Fastback Utility ..... ..... ... .. ...... .... 89 .99 IMSI Optimouse w/Dr . Halo ... ...... ... ....99.99 Lotus Lotus 1-2-3...... ... ...... ... .... ... ..... .329.00 MicroPro Professional 4.0 w/GL Demo.... .239.00 Microstuf Crosstalk XVI ... ..... .... ... .. .. .......... 89.99 P.F.S. First Choice {Prem ium) ... ............ 99.99 Word Perfect Corp. Word Perfect 4.2 ..... .. .... .. ..... .... 209.00
COMPUTER MAIL ORDER
8 BYT E · JA NUARY 1988
........When you want to talk price.
DRIVES
MODEMS
PRINTERS
Atari AA3 14 DS/DD Disk (ST) ...... .... $199 .00 AA354 SS/DD Disk (ST) .. .. ....... . 119.00 SHD204 20 Mb ST Hard Drive ... 569 .00 Commodore Am iga 1020.. .... ....... ...... ........... 189.00 Am iga 1010 3112" ...................... 219 .00 1541C..... .... .... ......... ...... ........ .. 179.00 1571 ... ..... .......... ....... .... .......... .239 .00 1581 3112" External. ............. .. ... 229.00 Indus GT Disk Drive Atari XL/XE ..... ... 179.00 Raco re Jr. Expans ion Chassis ............ ..299 .00 Seagate 20 mb ST-225 Hard Drive Kit. ....339 .00 Supra 20 Meg Hard Drive (Amiga).... .. .749 .00 20 Meg Hard Drive (ST) .... ..... .. . 559 .00 Xebec 20 mb (Am iga) ..... ... ..... .......... ...899.00
MONITORS
Amdek Video 300 Amber Composite ... ..139.00 Commodore Commodore 2002 .......... ...... .....319.00 Am iga 1080 Hi-Res Color.. ..... ...299.00 Commodore 1802........... .......... 199.00
$169 Magnavox 8502
13"Composite
Magnavox 8505 AGB/Composite ... ........ .... 199.00 8562 RGB/Composite .. .. .... .... ... 249.00 NEC J C-1402P3A Multi-Sync .... ... ....... .. Ca ll Princeton Graphics MAX-1212 " AmberTIL .... ...... . 139.00 Taxan Model 124 12" Amber .... ... ..... ... 119.00 Thomson 4120 RGB/Composite ... .... ...... ..249.00 Zenith ZVM 1220/1230 Composite .(ea .) 99 .99
Anchor Vol ksmodem 1200.... ... .......... ... $89 .99 6480 C64/1281200 Baud ... ... ... .119.00 VM520 ST520/1040 1200 Baud .129.00 Atari SX212 (ST) .... .... .... ..... ............... 89.99 Best 1200 Baud External ............ ...... 119.00 Commodore Amiga 1680-1200 BPS.............. 169.00 CBM 1670 & C-128) .... ........ ... ... ..99.99 Everex Evercom 1200 Baud lnternal. .... ..99.99 Hayes
Atari 1020 XL/XE Plotter ... ........ ... ..... $31 .99 XDM121 Letter Qual ity ... ...... .... 159.00 XMM801 XL/XE Dot Matrix .. .. .. . 185 .00 XMM804ST Dot Matrix .. .. .... ..... 179 .00 Brother M-1109 100 cps, 9 pin ........ .. ..... 199 .00 M-1 409180 cps , 9 pin... .... ... ..... 319 .00 Citizen MSP-1 0 160 cps, 80-Column .. ... 279 .00 Premi er 35 cps Daisywheel. ..... .489.00 C.ltoh 315P 132 Column Prowri ter .... ..549.00
Smartmodem 300... ... .... .. .........139.99 Smartmodem 1200 External ..... 289 .00 Novation Parrot 1200 ... .. ............. .. ...... ......89 .99 Practical Peripherals Telecom Package .......... ....... ... 129.00 Supra MPP-1064 AD/AA C64 .... .... ........ 69 .99 2400AT 2400 Baud Atari. ......... . 169.00
Epson EX-1000 300 cps 132 col.
Epson
LX-800 150 cps , 80-column .. ... .... ..Call
FX-86E 240 cps, 80-col umn.......... .Call
FX286E 240 cps , 132-column ........ Call
LQ-1000 24 Wire , 300 cps ........ .559.00
LQ-850 330 cps , 80-column....... ... .Call
LQ-1050 330 cps , 132-column ....... Cal l
Hewlett Packard
Th inkjet .... ................. ..... ....... .. 379 .00
NEC
U.S. Robotics
Pinwriter 2200 24 Wire.. .. ......... .379.00
2400 Baud lnternal. ....... ........... 189.00 Pinwriter 660 24 Wire .... ... ..... ... 459.00
DISKETTES
Pinwriter 760 24 Wi re ... ........... . 679. 00 Okldata
Maxell
MD1-M SS/DD 51/4" ..................... 8.49
MD2-DM DS/DD 5V4 ".. ... .. .... .... ... .9.49
MF1-DDM SS/DD 3V2" ............... 12.49
MF2-DDM DS/DD 3112'' ... ..... ....... 18.49
Sony
MD1D SS/DD 5V4 " ..... .. ....... .... .....6.99
MD2D DS/DD 5V4 "...... ...... ....... .. .. 7.99
MFD-1DD SS/DD 3112'' .............. . 11 .99
MFD-200 OS/DD 3112'' .. ..... .. ...... 16.99
Okimate 20 Color Printer ... ..... .. 129.00 ML-182 120 cps , 80-column ..... .219.00 ML-192 + 200 cps , 80-column .. .329.00 ML-193 + 200cps, 132-column.479.00 Panasonic KX-1080i 144 cps, 80-column .... 179 .00 KX-109 1i 194cps, 80-column .... 189.00 KX-P3131 22 cps Daisywheel.. .. 289.00 Star Micronics NX-10120 cps, 80-col umn .... .. .. 169.00 NX-10C 120 cps , C64 lnterface . 189.00
Hewlett-Packard Calculators
NX-15 120 cps. 132-column ..... .319.00
28C Scient ific Pro .. ....... ....... .....199.99 Toshiba
18C Business Consultant... ...... .139.95 P-32 1 SL2 16 cps , 24-Pin ....... ... 539 .00
12C Slim Financial ... .... ......... ..... 74.99 P-351 11 300 cps , 24-Pin ...... .. .. .. 889 .00
In the U.S.A. and in Canada
Call toll-free: 1-800-233-8950
Outside the U.S.A. call 717-327-9575, Telex 5106017898, Fax 717-327-1217
Educational, Governmental and Corporate Organizations call toll-free 1-800-221-4283
CMO. 477 East Third Street, Dept. Al, Williamsport, PA 17701
ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED.
POLICY: Add 3% (m inimum $7.00) shipping and handling. Larger shipments may requ ire additional charges. Person al and company checks require 3 weeks to clear. For fas ter delivery use yo ur credit card or send cashier' s check or bank money order. Pennsylvania resi dents add 6% sales tax. All prices are U.S.A. prices and are subject to change and all items are subject to availability. Defective software will be replaced wi th the same item on ly. Hardware will be replaced or repaired at our discretion within the terms and limits of the manufacturer's warranty. We can not guarantee compati bility. All sales are final and returned ship ment s are subject to a restocking fee .
Circle 63 on Reader Service Card
JANUARY 1988 · BY TE 9
While the DAISYWHEEL shoots
blanks, the OKIDATA LASER
hits the mark.
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Your p:-ooant port!OliO 11 )6~ blun d!ip &tookn, ~ 1r. & :ir.tual tund 11wa~ed 1.n t.'.:-» Pac ltlc ~i:i am! t.la 'oo..l.M(:e 1:i µ-e!erred ctoekD (QIART t) . Value M of 6/10/frl , s100,ooo.
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REGISTERED TRADEMARKS: OKIDAI/\, Oki America, Inc., Marque depos~c de Oki Al11t!rica , Inc.; LaserJet and LaserJei Plus, Hcwlcn·Pack:lrd. loc. T RAD EMAR KS: LASERLINE, Oki Electric Industry Co.. [Jd. ; LascrControt. Insight De·"Clopmcm Corp.. PC M·g;uine " Editor's Choice'' No" 10. © 1987 Zilf Communkations Corp.
10 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
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Naturally, your Niu: arc great.er. However, so arc you.r r~.rds.. R~ ~ DlOre intctesc Ind appr«Utioo:(FIG.C) l"ll eaU iOOn (O rCYtcw )'OUJ pon:lolio 1n dc111l
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Circle 191 on Reader Service Card
MICROBYTES
Staffwritten highlights ofdevelopments
in technology and the microcomputer industry.
- .- ...
Price of Floppies Doesn't ~uarantee Quality, i
Testers Say
~
Nanobytes
Engineers at Chips & Technol
Despile wide variations in the cosl and another company's box were covered
ogies (San Jose, CA) " have be
quality of floppy disks, there's no appar with what looked like human hair.
come real fans " of IBM 's Micro
en1 relationship between the two, ac
Memory Control Technology ap
Channel Architecture, spokesper
cording to a company that has done a
plied 1wo standard ANSI recording tes1s
son Raj Jaswa told Microbytes
I'-
compara1ive study of 5 'A-inch floppy disks. Memory Control Technology
to the disks. Only seven companies BASF, JVC , Kodak, Memorex, Nashua,
Daily. "Our viewpoint is that the Micro Channel market will
Corp. (Omaha, NE) , which manufac
Sony, and 3M-had all their disks pass
really take off, " Jaswa said , pre
tures disk-testing equipment and per
the "missing bit" test. Only five
dicting significant shipments of
forms disk duplication services for
BASF, Goldstar, JVC, Memorex, and
PS/2s and compatibles in the latter
software publishers, analyzed 18 brands TDK-had all their disks pass the "extra
half of 1988. "With an average
of disks over lhe past few months . Ac
bit" lest . No company had more than
Lof three adapters per system, we
cording 10 Jerry Korth, president of the three disks fail the missing-bit test, but
see the market for adapters by
company, the study was underiaken
one company had 27 fail the exlra-bit
1990 as being in excess of 15 mil
.·
because of suspicions .of declining qual ity in 5 1A-inch floppies. Although many
test. Other tests involved amplitude,_ modulation, resolution, and wear resis
lion units. " . .. Lotus Develop ment Corp. (Cambridge, MA)
disks performed admirably , the resuils tance. According to Korth , all disks per
just says no to Windows/386.
of the s1udy proved those suspicions of formed outstandingly in these tests.
While Microsoft's Windows/386
a decline in disk quality to be true .
The final test involved formatting
has been hailed as a break
The company bought IO boxes of 10 the disks on an.IBM PC under optimal
through for users wanting multi
disks each al various locations through conditions . Of the 18 companies, 13
tasking and a graphical interface
oul the country to ensure that it was
had 100 percent of their disks format
on 80386 machines, Lotus has no
using a representative sample of each
without any bad sectors. Korth men
plans to support it with 1-2-3 .
brand . Prices varied tremendously ,
tioned that this percentage is probably
"Trying to shoehorn 1-2-3 into
sometimes by almost 300 percenl for the higher than what many people have ex
Windows will give sluggish per
same brand . For example, Dysan disks perienced , because the PC used for the
formance ," said Lotus spokesper
were sold for both $23.90 and $8.40 for test was optimized for the lowest fail
son Greg Jarboe. Lotus users
a box of 10 disks. The lowest price.was ure rate possible . 'The 13 companies
can get a graphical interface with
$4.40 for Xidex-Precision disks.
whose disks passed this test were
the version of 1-2-3 that will
Visual quality control also varied
BASF, Fuji, Goldstar, JVC, Kodak,
run under OS/2 ... . Jim Harris ,
1-
considerably. Disks from four manufac Maxell, Memorex, Nashua, Polaroid,
president of Hercules (Berkeley .
1urers (Fuji , Kodak, Memorex , and
Sentinel, Sony, Verbatim, and Xidex .
CA , said the graphics-card
TDK) bad no visual defects . The re
Korth said that predatory pricing
maker expects to have a graphics
maining companies had disks with
policies of some disk manufacturers are
board for the Mac II by next
such defects as frayed and visible liners, having a deleterious effect on disk
summer. The company recently
jacket deformities, and contamination. quality. Despite the fact that his com
said it would incorporate a
One company's disks had three major
pany purchases many disks each year,
TOPS interface to AppleTalk
defects: One disk jacket enclosed two
Korth would prefer prices 10 be higher in
networks in a new version of its
disks , and two other disk jackets en
the hope that quality would be, more
Graphics Card Plus . . .. Rock
closed hard-sectored disks. Disks in
tightly controlled.
well (Newport Beach, CA) says
its R9696DP 9600-bps modem
Optical Coprocessor ~onverts Raster to ASCli t
board will enable modem devel opers to implement the full CCITT V.32 standard. The
t
While it was the hand-held optical scanner that can recognize typeset fonts
PC, are custom gate arrays that attend to tasks such as character processing and
company claims the board, which is being sold to OEMs, repre
that brought attention to Translmage
classification. Character processing is
sents a big step in full-duplex ,
Corp. (Sunnyvale, CA) , the company 's accomplished in a chip called the Table
dial-up modem technology. "We
announcement that it will make its
Processor that uses proprietary micro
expect this product to lead to a
68000-based optical-character-recogni coded "thinning" algorithms to essen
new generation of high-speed
tion (OCR) coprocessor board avail
tially "peel away" the features of the
stand-alone and PC-card
able to OEMs may have a bigger effect on image-processing applications .
character until an identifiable shape can be extracted. Two other chips take care
modems, " said Bill Baker1 a Rockwell vice president. Until
At the heart of the board, which is
of transforming the bit-level image data
continued
currently an add-in card for the IBM
continut!d
JANUARY1988 · B' YTE II' :
[Irf. ii'~"·'".T.~.'"." . -'
·-
n I -
MICROBYTES
into table image data. Translmage
on adding new symbols to the table
now , mass-market 9600-bps
chairman and architect Jim Faulkerson chjps in the near future .
modems, such as those from
said that prototypes of these and four
What may be significant to image
Hayes and USRobotics, have
other custom chips required fourteen 1 processing developers is that virtually
onJy emulated a true 9600-bps
by 10-inch VME boards in a VAX de
any raster image stored on disk can be
transfer rate .... Tired of hitting
velopment system, and it took 300 sec converted to ASCII data by " running"
keys-or moving mice? Very Vivid
onds to identify a single character.
the image through the OCR card .
(wTiothroanntoa1ltOernntaatriivoe)
has come up interface for
With the custom gate arrays and algo rithms the Translmage system can rec
Those raster images can be generated by scanning a document or by creating the
Commodore's Amiga that con
ognize"40 characters per second.
images with a drawing program like
sists of an Amiga ~000, a tele
When analyzing a character, the co
MacPaint, PC Paintbrush, and others.
vision camera, a digitizer board,
processor board operates at an image-ac Developers, of course, would have to
and software. The camera is
quisition rate of 8192 pixels every
write the software to the conversion,
aimed at the user, and the system
l / lOOth second at a resolution of 1000 which should include operations such as
displays a two-color image of the
lines per inch. Faulkerson mjnimized
character scale.
user superimposed over a set of
the effect on performance of more
Although the initial coprocessor
I
icons. The user chooses an icon
powerful microprocessors, ike the
board is configured to work with the PC
I, I
by moving his or her image over
Motorola 68020 or the Texas Instru
bus, a custom 8-bit bidjrectional sys
(
that icon. The Midivision software ments TMS 4010, stating that the rec tem interface chip on the board can be
is available now for $295 ....
ognition-intensive tasks are handJed by replaced by a chip to interface with
The next frontier for E-mail devel
the custom gate arrays. Certainly the
other bus architectures-Micro Channel,
opers, according to a speaker at
current high costs of other chips would SCSI, and so on. The board is current
a recent confab on electronic messaging, will be in the area of
not justify the performance improve ments. Instead, Translmage will focus
ly available to OEMs at the single-quan tity price of$1200 per unit.
, I
directories. ' Standard directories
I
will emerge so that you will know who is out there and how to
l
~
route mail to them, " said Peter
E-Mail Growing; Users Sending Millions
i" I
Westwood of Sydney Develop ment Corp. (Vancouver B.C.).
of Messages Monthly
Westwood also said that problems
Use of electronic mail systems shows
(desktop) publishing, and video con
of interconnection are not so
no signs of tapering of{, said an industry ferencing . He added that installation of
problematic anymore. "Eighty
analyst at a recent EJectronic Mail As
local area networks (LANs) has aided
five percent of all systems can
sociation conference. According to
in the proliferation of E-maiJ systems.
now be connected, and the islands
Walter Ulrich, a partner m Coopers & Ulrich said that the current 150,000
of communications have disap
Lybrand's technology consulting firm
LAN sites (with 3 million nodes) is ex
peared." ... The souping up of
(Houston, TX), more than 150 million pected to increase to over 3 million sites
microcomputers has caused a
electronic messages aresent every
by 1990 and that E-mail will be the major
quandary for developers of turn
month by more than 5 million E-mail
application used in those networks.
key CAD systems whose prod
users in the U.S. alone. Ulrich said 74
The predominant trend in the future ,
ucts are dependent on a particular
percent o£the major corporations in
Ulrich said, will be the linking of multi
hardware system, says Ken
the country currently have E-mail sys
national companies with their overseas
Ledeen , president of CAD soft
tems in place (and another 14 percent
affiliates. "We need to interconnect
ware house Sigma Design (En
plan on installing them within the next worldwide and focus on the interna
glewood, CO). Customers want to
12 months); 80 percent of the profes
tional market," he said. Interconnection
first choose the software they
sional staff of those companies use E
across competing public electronic sys
need and then buy the hardware,
mail on a daily basis, he said .
tems remains one of the critical issues
he said. 'Turnkey CAD develop
' E-mail usage is greater than ex
facing E-mail vendors, he cautioned,
ers are in a difficult situation be
pected,., " Ulrich said , "and with the net acknowledging that users will pay a pre
' cause hardware is changing so I rapidJy and dramatically " Ledeen said . . . . Practical computer
work infrastructurealready in place and the cost per message declining, E-mail should continue to proliferate." Ulrich
mium for sending messages across sys tems. He predicted that by 1991 , the total E-mail business will be worth
aided software engineering
claimed that E-mail is the primary appli nearly $3 bilJion, and "if that isn 't in
CASE) tools might be a few
..,~ - ' ' years away. but some members of the industry are warning now
cation large companies plan on adopt
centive for interconnecting, I don 't
ing, outdistancing voice mail, electronic know what is."
r
~
that companies had better start in
vesting in those tools if they
want to be competitive. "If you consider that in about 10 years we' Ube conversing with our com
"'C'
How Do You Clone a PS/ 2? Very Carefully
Although it has announced board-level avoid legal entanglements with IBM
products that can emulate the logic chips over copyrights, trade secrets, or patents
I'
I·..
puters, think about the enormous software development that wiU be
J: :_
required," Scott McNealy, pres ident of Sun Microsystems
·n the IBM PS/2 Models 50 and 60, Western Digital (Irvine, CA) is proceed ing very cautiously in its cloning of PS/2 systems. According to Ed
related to the PS/2 series. Western Digital used three sets of
engineers to design gate-array chips that emulate the IBM systems. A "forward
..;;;
..
continued Marinaro, chief operating officer at the engineering" group was given a set of
r
company, it is being very careful to
continued
12 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
__twe have here to coismamfa.iulumr·ecate.
Until now.
Ven:fel would like to congrautlate all IBM PS/2'"users.
Now let's talk. Because a complete commrn1ications system
for the IBM PS/2 has arrived.
Introducing the Ven:fel 24/2'"Internal
Modem for IBM PS/2 models 50, 60 and 80.
This 2400 bps modem is fully Micro Channel'~
and OS/2"'compatible.It's automatically
configured by the system, so no option
switches are needed. And, as an option,
you can buy the 24/2 bundled with
CrosstalkXVI"' software.
Like all Ven:Yel 2400 & UOO bps modems,
quality and reliability are guaranteed by a free five-year
warranty.
The new Ven:fel 24/2 Internal Modem is in stock now. For the name of your nearest Ven:fel dealer or distributor, call 1-800-538-5121.
And start corruntui.icating.
Ven::rel
Modems
Micro Chann el, l'S/2 ;1nd OS/ 2 arc registered rrademarks of IBM Corporation. Crossralk XV I is a registered 1.r.1demark of DCA.
Circle 282 on Reader Service Card
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 13
MICROBYTES
-,P - -_JP
.
(Mountain View, CA) , told a
specifications and asked to design a
they can talk with the managers; all
system that would meet them. The other communications must be in writing and
press conference at which Sun in
troduced its Network Software
two groups reverse-engineered the
time-stamped .
IBM systems. The results of each group
Western Digital says it is spending
Environment. Sun cofounder Bill
were closely compared with each
$10 million on the development of PS/2
Joy was a little more aggressive
other. The final design, however, most compatible systems. Although it has
in his exhortations. "It's time to
closely resembles the efforts of the for announced chips that can emulate almost
recapitalize software develop
ward-engineering group. According to all the functions of the PS/2 Models 50
ment, throw out those minicom
Bill Frank, a senior vice president at
and 60, the company says it will not an
puters, and give [programmers]
Western Digital , the system has a much nounce a compatible BIOS until some
reasonable computers and new de
different architecture than IBM 's and
time next year.
velopment tools, " Joy said . . . .
uses 63 additional devices .
Western Digital's Paradise Systems
Joy also took a swipe at closed ar
As for the patents that IBM re
division says it was able to get a head
chitectures. " When the next
portedly has fur its Micro Channel
start on building a VGA-<:ompatible
good idea comes along, you won 't
Architecture, Western Digital says it is chip by watching certain market events.
be able to use it in a closed oper
addressing this issue by engaging in a
For example, IBM's large purchase
ating system, " he said. He pre
patent exchange with IBM .
last year of 31 .5-kilohertz monitors
dicted that Unix will grab half
For the job of emulating IBM's
from a Japanese company gave some
the market for operating systems
BIOS chips Western Digital is taking a idea as to the features of the new graph
on desktop computers. Develop
slightly different approach. Here, the
ics protocol Big Blue would use. But
ers who scoff at Unix wiU regret it, he said. " It's Like all those de velopers who ignored the Macin
1 company has two sets of developers , one ' a group of analysts and specification
writers and the other a group of code de
Western Digital 's Faraday division had no such hints about the features of the PS/2s; company officials say they had to
tosh. Now that it's starting to
velopers, called " virgins. " Both
wait until they could buy a machine,
sell well, all they can do is stand
groups are separated by a group of man which they did at 12:01 in the morning
on the sidelines and watch. "
agers. The developer groups cannot di of the first day the computers becaine
rectly communicate with each other, but available.
C&T Chip Could Mean Cheaper Controllers
A new 3270 protocol c.ont:roller chip from Chips & Technologies (San Jose, CA) could drastically lower the end user price of 3270 emulation cards used in personal computers for micro-to mainframe connections.
Microcomputer add-in boards that are designed around the integrated CHIPSLinlc 82C570 microprocessor can be built with as few as seven chips, said C&T pi;oduct manager Pat Chiu miento. Thai's far fewer than the num ber of chips that are on boards like the
DCA IRMA card, which has approxi mately 45 components.
Chiumiento showed Microbytes Daily a seven-<:hip working card built by
C&T as a development tool. He specu lated that street prices fur such a card will probably be in the range of $200 to $250, which is much lower than the cur rent retail price of nearly $1200 for IRMA cards.
The C&T chip itself could be con sidered a microprocessor, since it has an on-chip sequence controller and arith
metic and logic unit enabling it to run at 4. 7 million instructions per second . On one end, the 82C570 is compatible with both IRMA and IBM hardware
and software environments; on the other end, it is compatible with the PC XT/AT bus. When it is used in conjunc tion with a companion chip, the 82C574, the 82C570 is also Micro Channel-compatible. The chip can be customized via external microcode for special applications or product differentiation .
I Borland Says New Debugger Signals "A New Generation"
I I Borland International (Scotts Valley ,
"Source-level data debugging is
CA) will soon release a debugger for its completely different from anything
windows . "These are the sort of tools that
Turbo C compiler that the company
else," he said. "The concept of look
came from our internal needs ," lnter
says will be the first of " a new genera
ing at the data types is really unique ."
simone explained. "We analyzed what
tion of debuggers. " What makes the
Other debugger features , said Inter
tools we need and what we do when
·-
upcoming package different from cur rent debuggers, according to spokes
simone, include record-and-playback capabilities and a "log" that records
developing products , and we built these tools into the debugger. "
person David Intersimone, is that it will what changes were made to a listing,
The initial implementations of the
combine the properties of source code when those changes were made, and
debugger will support Borland's Turbo
and data debuggers, allowing program who made them . The ~ebugger will also C package, but Intersimone indicated
mers to see the actual data itself, not
provide contact-sensitive help and
that future versions will support Turbo
just pointers to the data.
overlapping, multiple-source file
Pascal and Turbo Basic.
TECHNOLOGY NEWS WANTED. The news staffat BYTE is always interested in hearing abow new technological and scientific developments that might have an impact on microcompwers and the people who use them. We also want to keep track
ofinnovative uses ofthat technology. Ifyou know ofadvances or projects that involve research relevant to microcomputing and
want to share that infomuuion , please contact us. Call the Microbytes staffat (603) 924-9281 , send mail on BIX to Microbytes , or write to us at One Phoenix Mill l.Ane, Peterborough , NH 03458.
14 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
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Circle 202 on Reader Service Card
JANUARY 1988 · B Y T E 15
LETTERS
and Review Feedback
On the Epson GQ-3500 In response to the review " Laser Printer Times Four" by Wayne Rash Jr. (October 1987), I would like to clarify some incor rectly stated features regarding the Epson GQ-3500 laser printer.
Mr. Rash states, " Without emulation cards, you're stuck with Epson LQ emu lation, and not all software supports it." In fact, the GQ-3500 comes with built-in code sets for the Epson Page Printer and Epson LQ printers, as well as line-printer emulation.
In addition to the built-in code sets, there are optional emulation cards for the Diablo 630 and the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet Plus. The Epson GQ-3500 is supported by leading software packages, including Framework 11 under either the Epson Page Printer or LQ emulation.
Mr. Rash further states, "Many printer functions must be set by software. This includes normal printer operations, plus those operations unique to laser printers, such as printing multiple cop ies." The fact is that, through the use of the GQ-3500's SelecType control panel, the user can select paper size, number of copies, print orientation, font, interna tional character sets, character pitch, line pitch, and weight.
Dave Thompson Marketing Support Engineer
Epson America Inc. Torrance. CA
Epson may well be correct in staling that rhe GQ-3500 is now supported by a num ber of widely available software pack ages. That was not the case when the printer was provided to me, and the com pany was also nor able to provide the em ulaJion modules that are now standard with the machine. Because these capabil ities were not available, they could not be rested as part ofthe benchmarks.
-Wayne Rash Jr.
Wayne Rash Jr. 's review of the Hewleu Packard LaserJet Series 11 states that "the manual fails to mention that you have to turn the printer off and back on again for the [function and font) choices to take ef fect." What the manual does mention is that you must reset the printer. Pages 2 through 18 of the user's manual explain the procedure completely.
You simply take the printer off-line,
then hold the Continue/Reset key down until Reset appears on the LCD panel. This also works when the printer gets confused by either software or operator problems.
John W. Sawyer Allentown , PA
Predefined vs. Customized Formats I read with interest Jonathan Robie's Oc tober 1987 review entitled "Three C Lan guage Screen-Utility Packages for PCs" and must congratulate him on a job well done. But there is a point that some read ers may overlook or find confusing.
Mr. Robie points out the limitations that arise from predefined formats and other vendor assumptions about the user interface. He then goes on to suggest that Vitamin C is limiting because it avoids predefined a~sumptions by allowing pro grammer-supplied routines to be inserted in key places for customized operation . He criticizes both flexibility and inflexi bility, and in doing so he presents a con tradiction that may leave some readers confused.
Realizing that it is virtually impossible to please all the programmers all the time, we designed Vitamin C with vari ous standard options, behaviors, and data types . This allows typical applications to rely upon these predefined elements and be developed quickly. We also created a mechanism whereby programmer supplied routines can be installed to cus tomize Vitamin C for virtually any appli cation need. This adds the flexibility to create a customized interface.
For the record, a generic version of Vi tamin C is also available for Unix and Xenix environments. It will run on virtu ally any host machine and is not limited to XTsandATs.
Jeff Betts President, Creative Programming
Consultants Inc. Carrollton, TX
It is important to let users extend or mod ify the data-entry procedures. Very gen eral routines offer this flexibility but re quire more work from the programmer than routines designed for more specific tasks. All three packages reviewed, in cluding Vitamin C, have a robust sel of general routines and use these as the basis for more specific routines. This
makes it possible to have a large number of very specific routines without limiting the programmer who has special needs.
- Jonathan Robie
Just in Time Thank you for the In Depth articles on workstations (November 1987). I work in purchasing for the New York state gov ernment, and the professors and students at our numerous state universities have been clamoring for a workstation con tract. Your side-by-side comparisons and history of this field could not have been more timely.
Lynn Ellsworth Albany, NY
Calculating Points
In reply to Jean-Fran9ois Colonna (Let
ters, August 1987, page 16), I, too, won
dered about the effect of truncating num
bers in Peter B. Schroeder's " Plotting the
Mandelbrot Set. " I have written ma
chine-code arithmetic for speed using 40 bit fixed-point numbers , which produces
results comparable to those from other
computers and programs.
The choice of pixel spacing has a much greater effect. I find it truly remarkable that although a pixel is a square of one unit side, the calculation is performed for a point of zero area situated at one comer . It is possible to calculate a greatly magni fied picture that , if suitably chosen, is full of fine detail. When the same area is calculat.ed with a coarser pixel spacing, the general form of the picture is the same even though the points of calculation fall more or less randomly against the pat tern . I believe this is due to the connected nature of the set, along with the charac teristic that points adjacent to the set have
continued
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and legible. Because BYTE receives hundreds ofleuers
each monrh , not all ofthem can be published. Leners cannot be rerumed ro authors. Gener ally , it takes four months from the time BYTE receives a leuer until it is published.
16 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
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Byte 1/88
LETTERS
large escape times that decrease steadily as the point is moved away. A point may miss the set, but its value will reflect the proximity or other features of the set.
I also wrote a program to run on a Z80 that can be used to calculate a single point at any level of precision up to 250 decimal digits in floating-point fonnat. At a clock frequency of 6 MHz , it does 5 divides, or 6 products per second , at maximum pre cision , so it' s definitely not for display work.
J. Keith Wood liverpool , U. K.
Satisfying the Skeptic The heuristic algorithm Peter Wayner de scribes in his article "Zero-Knowledge . Proofs " (October 1987) is designed to satisfy a skeptic of the identity of the prover without revealing secret knowl edge to the skeptic. This condition is much stronger than that required by most of the applications where Mr. Wayner suggests it might profitably be used . For example, a program verifying the identity of a user can know the password ; this in fonnation must be concealed only from all witnesses to the exchange.
For this lesser purpose, it is not neces sary to use a one-way function , just an in teractive exchange. A simple algorithm would have the skeptical program display four random digits and invite the prover to reply with a single digit. The correct response would be the result of a simple computation: the sum, difference, prod uct, and/or quotient of some of the digits displayed . This exchange could be re peated until the skeptic was satisfied.
Often in programming we must choose between implementing certain logic in data or in code. This technique is the code analog of a password: The password is a simple expression like "the product of the first and third digits mod IO" or "twice the fourth digit less the third . " Since no witness would see the same four digits when he or she tried to sign on dis honestly , knowing the response to any single set of four digits would be of no help .
Peter Cyrus New York, NY
I read Peter Wayner ' s "Zero-Knowledge Proofs" with interest. Another approach to this problem is to use encryption. Sup pose the user and the computer agree upon an encryption standard and pass word. Then when the user tries to log in, the computer can present him or her with a random list of words, and the user can encrypt them using the agreed algorithm . So , for example, the computer says DOC and the user encrypts it and replies with
continued
--l-Wll/.CE.~-
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JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 19
Cirr:le 164 on Reader Service Card
LETTERS
XER, the computer says CAT, and the com
puter repLies XYJ, and so on. An eaves
dropper will not be helped by hearing this
exchange, since on the next attempt to log
in , the computer may present the word
WHEELBARROW for encryption .
D BUSINESS 1 EZ-FORMS business form ge<1erarion. completion and printing program.
I
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This approach is fundamentally the same as that discussed by Mr. Wayner, but I think it helps to make some of the
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I considered the same idea for a pass
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I
D GAMES 3-Blaekjaek with cusiomlzable rules ,
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the encryption process. In zero-knowl edge proofs, the prover never lets the skeptic know what is being proven-in
0 GAMES 4-Star Trek. Iha Casde adventure
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D ORGANIZER 1 -0eskTearn. a Sidokiek clone,
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and lhe Judy personal calendar program.
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Listing 1: WINDOW.BAS.
DEFINT A-Z CLS : SCREEN 2 DIM A(600),B(600) FOR H=300 TO 600 STEP 10:
LINE (H, 0) - (H, 199 ): NE XT FOR V- 20 TO 180 STEP 10:
LlNE(300, V) - ( 600,V): NEXT LINE (l 00,100 )-(2 10 , 112 ),, BF LINE(l00.112)-{210,184),,B GET ( l 00,100)-(210, 184 ),A START: LOCATE l,l:PRINT SPC(25) LOCATE l,l:INPUT ;"p ress return. __ ",A$ STARTONE! ·T IMER 1=320 GET(I,I/4)-(!+110,I/4+84),B PUT(I,I/4),A,PSET ENDONE! · TIMER LOCATE l ,l: INPUT; "p ress return again ... '' ,AS STARTTWO! =TlMER PUT(l , I /4), B, PSET ENDTWO! =TIMER LOCATE 2,1 PRINT "Opening window took" ENDONE! - STARTONE! "seconds " PRINT "Clos ing window took " ENDT WO! -S TARTTWO! " seconds " GOTO START
statemenlS about windowing in BASIC require correction. Mr . Ross does his windows for BASIC in assembly lan guage, claiming that windows cannot be done in BASIC itself, since they are "ex cruciatingly slow " in the interpreted ver ion of the language-and that compiling "doesn't help much ."
To prove the opposite, I wrote a very short BASIC program (see listing I) named WlNDOW .BAS . The program opens and closes a window in the graphic mode. It also times itself: My results for a CGA were about 0.11 seconds on an IBM PC-class machine and about 0.05 sec onds on a PC AT (80286) type of com puter. I don 't think this can be considered slow. The program was compiled using Microsoft QuickBASIC version 3.0.
Maciej Zgorzelsk i Flint, Ml
In Search of True Resolution The most misused tenn related to printers is " resolution." If in the data sheet of a worldwide-known company you read that its 24-pin impact dot-matrix printer has a " resolution of up to 360 by 360" (i.e., better than the LaserWriter, which has 300 by 300 dolS per inch) then this is not true and can never be. ln the same data sheet , you can also read that the " pin di ameter is 0.2 millimeters." Try to divide 25.4 rrun (l inch) by 0 .2 rrun, and you will find that the result is 127_
This is not even the real resolution , be cause in the typographical industry the line resolution of 10 lines per mm means that in a I-mm space you have IO positive (black) lines and 10 negative (white) lines
between them , both of the same width . The term "resolution " signifies that you must be able to distinguish between the printed (black) lines.
" Page Printers " by Rick Cook (Sep tember 1987) contains an explanatory ex ample of this true resolution in figure B on page 193- an enlargement of a 300 dpi test pattern . In the above example of 360-dpi resolution on an impact dot-ma trix printer, the authors are in reality speaking of graphic point density of 360 dots per line- their printer can pack 350 overlapping dots into one inch .
So far, I have been unable to find in any literature an exact definition of reso lution in terms of dpi that is valid for dot matrix and other printers. It is deplordble that the manufacturers do not care. Only the lack of a real standard makes such a misleading declaration a in the above mentioned example possible and can con fuse all of us if we wish to compare the real resolution.
The September BYTE contained many extremely well written and useful articles
con1inued
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LETTERS
dedicated to printer technologies. How ever, "resolution" was not always cor rectly explained.
For example, Lars Jansson' s article en titled "Print Quality" states, "We find
If this statement regarding diameter of dots is right, then such a laser printer has only about a 127-dpi resolution . For a real 300-dpi resolution, the dot diameter has to be 0.00166 inch (0.042 mm) at
As for impact dot-matrix printers, the best ones with a wire (pin) diameter of 0.2 mm have a true resolution (theoreti cally) of63.5 dpi, and the more common 0.3-mm wire ones have a resolution of
this in laser printers with a resolution of most.
only 42.3 dpi.
300 by 300 dots per inch and a dot size of Compare this with the proper wording
Jaromir Smejc
about 0.1 mm." Here a wrong word is in Julio Guardado 's article "Color Ther
Prague, Czechoslovakia
used. This is not a true resolution in typo mal-Transfer Printing": "The Color
graphic industry terms. If we wish to Master design places up to 200 dots per Calling All Macros
compare a resolution of a photo printer linear inch, each dot with a 0.005-inch The members of our group are avid users
(for example, Linotronic) and a laser diameter." This is exactly right, because of macros to aid our word-processing
printer, we have to use the terms "line" the author uses the word "places." Here tasks . We define macros as prerecorded
and "dot" in the same sense .
the resolution would be 100 dpi .
keystrokes that are fed into a program one
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Ada's Not Complete I have read many extreme statements about Ada , both pro and con, but never have I read a claim as far out as Mark Fowler's (Letters, October 1987, page 22): "Ada is complete ; substitutions are not needed. "
Ada is seriously deficient in character handling. It lacks variable-length strings, not to mention string scanning facilities. Compare Ada's string handling to PL/I , and it looks seriously incomplete; com pare Ada's string handling to SNOBOL 4, SL/5, or ICON, and it looks ludicrous.
Ada is missing several important con trol structures. It has no mechanism for backtracking, no coroutines, and no deci sion tables.
Ada does not allow the programmer to define new operators, only to overload existing ones. Again , not only is some thing mjssing from Ada, but something is missing that another language (ALGOL 68) has.
· Oata UO IS a Regl·ared irod&martc of Oll1..a llO CorpOJatlon. +Somo llmitadons may appty.
Ada is not only incomplete, it is not
conrin11ed
24 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
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LETTERS
even orthogonal. If I can have entry (task) Ada are reasonable , given its restricted program in (but it ' s still not perfect , or
arrays , why can't I have procedure domain , I might buy that. But to claim even "complete") .
arrays?
that it has no limitations is dishonest, not
Seymour J. Metz
Of course, you could say that all these to say absurd.
Annandale. VA
missing features. and many others, could I think that Ada is a dammed good
be simulated. But the same claim could start. I just don 't think it is a fini shed Random Point Distribution
be made for any other programming lan product yet . What's worse , with the De Dick Pountain 's article " Spraying and
guage . ln fact, attempting to simulate partment of Defense's opposition to ex Smudging" (November 1987) i an inter
missing features in a language is likely to tentions, I doubt Ada will ever be allowed esting introduction to some graphic
lead to a long string of unpleasant sur to grow into a real general-purpose lan techniques, but a couple of point seem
prises, and any claim that, say, RPG is guage. That's a shame, because after worth making .
complete, would be specious, as is the some experimenting with extensions, I First, concerning the random points in
claim for Ada.
think that it would be possible to define the Euclidean plane generated by choos
If you tell me that the limitations of an "Ada 89" that would be a pleasure to ing a uniform [0,360] angle and a uni
form [O,R] random radius: Contrary to
Pountain 's assertion , the resulting distri
bution is not uniform over the circle of ra
dius R. For any r, 0 < r < R, the random
points falling on a circle of this radius will
be uniformly distributed over its 2 x 'Ir x
r circumference. Thus , for example , the
probability density of random points at
radius r = RJ2 will be twice that at radius
r = R.
Second , concerning the random points
generated by choosing x and y coordi
nate.s, within the circle of radius R , from
a triangular density : The resulting den
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The colored sleeves and neckllno vividly complement the full-color design .
And don"I mislako lhls for a rubbery
patch lhal cracks and peels off aher a few washings. This is rrue four color process: tho permanonl inks are silk-screened lnlo Iha fabric, res ulllng In a beau1iful, full-color image tha1 lasls!
You'll also appreciate the shin i1self: a heavyweight cotton/ polyester blend which combines tough washablllty wilh the cool, softcomfonofcoHon. Each Byte T-shirt Is priced al only s12 .50 (St 1.50eachfor3ormore) . Be sureto Include shirt size : C-(chlfd 10· 12). S (34·36}. M- (38·40) , l - (42·44 ). and
Xl-(46-48). Most orders shipped
wl1hin a week.
sity is not constant on circles . In fact , this density is constant on contours of the form
lxl + IYI = r,
which are diamond-shaped . Incidentall y, the normal distribution for x and y that was first considered does produce a den sity over the circle that i con tant on cir cular contours.
Richard V. Fuller Marietta , GA
Dye-Sublimation Printing The Printer Technologies theme (Sep
tember 1987) appears to have an incredi
ble omission- dye-sublimation printing.
While similar to thermal-transfer print
ing, it is also somewhat different. The
thermal head transfers dye only to the re
ceiver-no binder, no wax . Further, by
continuously varying the heating pulse a
variable amount of colorant is transferred
so that individual pixels can have gray
scale. For comparison, thermal-wax
r-----------------------------1
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transfer and ink-jet printers must use a group of pixels to produce a half-tone image. Even photomechanical print ing uses dots of va rious sizes to produce gray scale with the printing density (mass/ area) of colorant always fixed . Thermal-dye transfer is not just a revo lutionary computer printing process for color; it is a novel printing process with photographic quality. Just o. it is tar
geted to be the printing technology for digital photography . The revolutionary
continu ed
26 BYTE · JA UA RY 1988
NETWORK
Every Month, We Save Our Members Millions of Dollars
HARD DRIVES, DRIVE CARDS, & TAPE BACKUP
THE.. !ma-llllltlff ............................... 'Ill.Ill'
THE" - - 11111 tiff .............................. 1141.111'
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... 111 E . Zllnt 40llll W.'51211 .............................. l.115.00' 27 90
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tllllAll 21111 en IR Cll. ............................... 411.1111 ' 9.94
lllllAll tm 2411 en IO Cll. ................................ 141.1111" 6.99
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... T Al'3lil Mlllel I Zl8 CPI l82 C11. .................. MO.OO · 1720
I
LASER PRINTERS
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CALL TOLL FREE
l MATH co-PROCESSORS 1·800-621-S·A·V-E
(Ord&rs- Memberahlp end Advice!)
THE" ..... ....._. ......................................... ...00' ' 1.10 ... llf!B. 11887-2 Miiii ~ ............................ '14l.OG '
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ACCESSORIES
llA&:llAVll:lllU ...................................................... . .111· 7.30
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2.56 7.38
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MODEMS
'250 2.50
2.50
2.50
In llllnols call (312) 280-0002
- Your Membership Validation Number: 51 18
You e>n V>llOate your membersh p f\Umbe· and. 11you wish
llll!P
place your 111>1 money·s.iv111Q order O've· lhe phone by uSlllQ
your VISA. MASTERCARD or AMERICAll EXPRESS card
'2.50
2.50
f'TJ PERSONAL COMPUTER NEnYORK · 320 West Ohio Street
Chicago, llllnola 60610
2.50 Call now.. .Joln .... PC NETWORK · nd . ..n uvtng lodayl
·--------------- 1------- - - ----------' 250
22..5500
Cullomer Service Ind Order S..lu1 (312) 280-1587
1.00
1.00
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1.50
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MULTIFUNCTION CARDS
2.50
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Circle 199 on Remkr Service Card
Ifyou dollt buy you'll miss
Hyou're looking for a good way to judge per
sonal computers, a simple question will do: "Whats in it for me?"
In the case of the IBM Personal System/2 family the simple answer is, "a great dear
For openers, each model offers higher perform ance levels thanks to a "balanced system" approach
for malcing things work together. Components were
designed not just to coexist but to bring out the best in each other. So, for example, many of the programs you're using now and a wide range of other DOS
applications will run up to 1500/o faster on the IBM
Personal System/2 than on previous IBM PCs, de pending on the model, of course.
Things that are optional on other PCs are
standard on the Personal System/2-like advanced graphics, parallel and serial ports and more. And advanced IBM technology brings new levels of reliability and data protection.
80 Of the Personal System /2 family. Technically it's
called parallel bus architecture. We call it Micro Channel. But you can think of it simply as a super highway with lots of fast lanes and bypasses. It allows data to flow faster and more efficiently, re ducing the chance of information bottlenecks in the system.
What's more, the Micro Channel architecture not only makes it easier to speed information throughout the system, it also makes it easier to install peripherals and expansion cards in the system. There are no more DIP switches to set. Its all done electronically and automatically and, therefore, a great deal more reliably and easily.
Feature cards in your system can even trans fer data directly to memory, via Micro Channel, leaving the microprocessor free to do other things.
The design of the Micro Channel also pro vides a faste1; more efficient way to connect your
It'll do what you're doing now. Only better.
At the heart of many of these advances is a
unique design shared by the Models 50, 60 and
system to other IBM Personal Systems, local area frame. And with a future edition of OS/2, you'll be
networks, minicomputers and mainframes.
able to share all this information with others on a
It'll do what you want to do tomorrow. Only better.
local network or over mega-distances. Vast memory and host processor resources will be more acces sible. And software will do more things more easily.
Micro Channel architecture also gives the IBM
So catch the Micro Channel bus and you're on
Personal System/2 something else that's surprisingly the fast track to higher performance, exceptional
rare in personal computing: the ability to improve expandability and greater reliability tomorrow, as
with age.
weJl as today.
One of the main reasons the architecture was
fur more data about the IBM Personal
created, after all, was to get the most out of IBM's
System/2, call your IBM Marketing Representative
new operating system, OS/2. And together they'll
"AU abo(IJr;...
or visit an IBM Authorized
unleash the power of the 286 chip in the Personal
Advanced Products Dealer.
System/2 Models 50 and 60 and the 386 chip in the
fur the dealer nearest you
Model80.
call 1-800-447-4700.
With IBM Operating System/2 you don't have
l o bea " power user"to run severa1programs at once. You can prepare a presentation while your system recalculates a spreadsheet and gets data from a main
-=_--=_---~ .:.--:.-:_-:.--·,--:-_:e
IBM Is a registered trademark and Personal System/2. PS/2, Operaring Sysrem/2. OS/2 and Micro Channel a1e trademarks ot IBMCorporallon. ~ IBM 1987.
LETTERS
step is just that this process makes "soft" dots, and printed pixels may be in 1-to- I correspondence with color video moni tor/storage systems. Companies with prototypes or products already on the market include Hitachi, Sony, Fuji, and Kodak, and we can probably expect full page (8 Vi - by I I-inch) printers about a year from now. Smaller-format (4- by 6 inch) printers are available now . You haven't appreciated a high-resolution screen dump in color until you have seen it in this media.
L. M. Marks Mississauga , Ontario, Canada
False Claim Roman A. Dyba (Letters, October 1987 , page 12) says that a claim in my and Brian Wichmann's article "Building a Ran dom-Number Generator" (March 1987) is untrue. Specifically, Mr. Dyba says that ifxl and x2 are independent and uni formly distributed over the range (0, I) , then the combination of x l and x2 will also be uniformly distributed over (0, l) . He is wrong.
We are well aware that the sum of xl and x2 is not uniformJy distributed, but we had defined "the combination" to mean the fractional part of the sum , not
the sum itself. Of this, the statement is true.
David Hill Harrow, Middlesex, U.K.
AI Limits I read with interest George Beinhom's book review of Intelligence: The Eye , the Brain, and the Computer by Martin A. Fischler and Oscar Firschein (August 1987). One question Mr. Beinhom posed interests me: "What are the inherent lim itations of artificial intelligence?" Obvi ously, we should not waste our efforts at tempting to do the impossible . It is unfortunate that the field of Al seems so unaware of the fact that this question has been given thorough treatment in the past by writers from other disciplines.
The subject of human intelligence and how it relates to nonhuman entities is treated thoroughly in a book called The
Difference of Man and the Difference It Makes by Mortimer J. Adler. Written in
1967 , the book clearly explains intelli gence and how it is qualitatively different between humans and animals. Adler also addresses the subject of machine intelli gence, and he issues specific challenges to the field of Al. People working with Al should read this book to understand the
problems they are confronting and learn about what a machine can and cannot do.
Marin David Condie Parsippany, NJ
Thanks for the Accelerators Thank you for " 80286 Accelerators " by Raymond GA Cote (November 1987). I have tried , without success, to talk with accelerator manufacturers about their products- do they work, how do they work, when do they not work, and with what are they compatible or incompati ble? AJJ I could get out of them was the promise that if it didn 't work, I would get my money back.
Now I'm glad I didn ' t do anything at all . The secret was to hold out for a faster system, not to junk up my existing one. If I really do need more speed , I ought to be able to justify it. Ifl cannot, then I should not try to justify a chancy second-best.
Sid Phillips LaGrange, GA
Acer vs. Compaq DOS
I am writing in response to Ed McNier
ney's review of the Acer 1100 80386
clone ("Acer 1100 and Micro I 386 +,"
November 1987) . I have an 1100 at work .
co11ti11111:d
. market over
municat1ons
e te\ecom
f the vo\um
. the future o
interested in
10:
A.\\ µersons the neY.t decade.
· t· GlJ\S Sub1ec .
. . Fax products
gram. . \J erYeasY to pro
Data·.
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comP:~~d:sciad\ulseesfoirn
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30 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
Circle 102 on &ader Service Can/
M aking the right connections. The decision is yours. Now that most companies have multiple levels of computing power, you need more than just a short-term answer to your net working demands.
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And now, LANLink,.,. comes with its own network operat ing system ... PC-MOS/386"'." So you're no longer dependent on a system designed for single users and stand-alone computers.
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It lets you expand as your office networking needs grow. Each user gets multi-tasking capabilities, and you can network different types of computers. If desired, you can have multiple servers. And with the terminal support upgrade, you're able to use terminals, or PCs, as satellites in multi-user "work groups'.'
DOS Program Compatibility.. .Complete Connectivity. dBASE III, WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3, and Symphony, are among the thousands of DOS-programs that are LANLink'" compatible. The network enables security-cleared users to access and share everything from programs and data bases to high-speed laser printers and large-capacity hard disks. R-LAN!" or Remote-LAN, gives you the ability to access the LANLink"' system, via modem, whether you're across the street or across the country.
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PORTABLES
LETTERS
The hardware seems solid , but the ver sion of DOS provided with it (3 .20) has some serious bugs . Most notably, certain programs that redirect LPTI to COM I fail miserably unless you slow the ma chine down to 4. 77 MHz. These prob lems don't occur if you boot the machine with Compaq DOS version 3. 1.
Additionally , Microsoft Windows/386 will not run whatsoever under Acer' s DOS. The machine blurts out Error: Unsupported Intel 80386 CPU version or Error: Incorrect DOS version . Yet, again, if you boot off a Compaq DOS (version 3.1) floppy disk, Windows/386 comes up and runs just fine (on the ma chine that gave the Incorrec t DOS ve r sion error- the machine that gave the Unsupported Intel 80J86 CPU vers ion error still would not run Windows/386) .
John Roberts Portland, OR
Reader Request
I normally work in a Unix environment , but I use an IBM PC under MS-DOS 2 .x frequently enough to wa.rrant pursuing the following task: Is it possible to have the shell (via a batch file) read an ASCII file and return the contents on one line of 1hat file in the context of $1 , $2 , $3 , and
so on, so that I can branch to different parts of the .BAT file depending on the state of some routine?
One application could be to determine if the communications port is configured for printer x or printer y. The only way I can think of to aulOmate this feature in a .BAT file is IO be able to pass the infonna tion from an ASCII file to the shell in some way. Can that be done without cod ing in assembly language? Perhaps through Turbo C? Do readers have any suggestions?
Jacques Cazier Houston, TX
FIXES
and 4 megabytes of RAM (upgradable to
16 megabytes) .
How Much Is That Pup?
SK Data alerted us to a pricing error in
the announcement of its Golden Retriever
Pup on page 18 of our Fall 1987 Inside
the IBM PCs issue. The Pup sells for $5,
and Golden Retriever sells for $99.
VCR Technology Tape Backup
On page 70 in the November 1987 What 's
New section, we incorrectly stated the
name of the company that makes the
VAST device. It should be Emerald Sys
tems Corp. The item also states that the
VAST device will back up data from a
CD-ROM . It will not .
HYPERchannel Fix
Pricing Error
We would like to clarify a statement in
In the Items Discussed box for Comput
"A Look at Apple's Cray Simulation En
ing at Chaos Manor for September 1987,
gine" (Microbytes, September 1987) .
we incorrectly reported the price of De
HYPERchannel is not the I/O channel on
finicon' s 68020 boards for the IBM PC.
the Cray supercomputer but is a separate
Prices for the boards begin at $I 094 for a
piece of hardware sold by Network Sys
12 .5-MHz board with 1 megabyte of
tems Corp. for networking computers of
RAM (not upgradable). Models with
various manufacturers. HYPERchannel
faster CPUs and more RAM are also
is the registered trademark of Network
available, such as the DSI-785/4, which
Systems Corp. for use with Network Sys
costs $6610 and includes a 25-MHz CPU
tems' network adapters. ·
32 BYT E · JANUARY 1988
Circle 33 on Reader Service Card
Create Powerful
CHAOS MANOR MAIL
Programs with
Blaise TOOLS
Jerry Pournelle answers questions about his column and related computer topics.
-------· -------
Wheih er you 're a n expert or a novice, you can benefil from using special tools to enhance yo ur
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Still Speedy After All These Years
Dear Jerry,
design
and
concept ,
but
little
apprecia agdravma nmtiangge eonfvtihroenmMeicnrtos.soAfLtI
and Borland pro langu age support
tion for the small things that help market packages include fully commented source code,
I was very interested in your August col
a system. I wish him well; he 's done a lot complete comprehensive manuals and sample
umn about benchmarking two BASIC
for the computer revolution.- Jerry
p rog ram s.
compilers- so interested , in fact, that I
C TOOLS PLUS/ 5.0
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dug out my dusty old Sinclair QL and
fi shed around for my copy of the Super
BASIC compiler Supercharge.
After entering the benchmark test and compiling , I was rather pleased with the
How to Publish?
Dear Jerry ,
This letter is a request for advice . If you
are not in an advisory mood , please feel
free to use file 13 . My ego won 't survive ,
Full spectrum of general service utility funct ions including; windo ws: me nus: me mo ry residenl applications: interrupt service routines; interven tion code : and direct video access fo r fast screen handl ing. Specifica Uy designed for Microsoft C 5.0 and QuickC.
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est configuration of the 68008 QL (some Back in the dark ages , as a graduate Windows and menus: ISRs; intervention code:
RAM expansions increase speed by more than 50 percent) , using a very old version of a now much-enhanced compiler, com piling a very powerful version of BASIC (more so than QuickBASIC , at least, and I have used both extensively) . The times I- or rather the computer, since I used its clock for accuracy-got were:
student , I developed a set of FORTRAN II multivariate statistical programs for use on my research project. In the ensu ing years , every time I used one of the programs, I promised myself that I really would get busy and develop them as a co herent system. Twenty years ago they actually did get translated to the new ,
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Time Code size Data size Slow 3:58 8006 bytes 51 ,200 bytes Fast 2:52 9796 bytes 51 ,200 bytes
The fast version of the benchmark used the compiler in-line code option-hence the larger code size. These results raise some questions. What would the results
superpowerful FORTRAN IV . Two years ago , several things hap
pened nearly simultaneously. First, I in voluntarily became a former geologist. Second, Albert the Compaq home steaded my dining room. And third , I fell in love with C.
To while away the time between nonex istent interviews, I began work on my sys
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have been with the latest compiler and a tem , which consists of factor analysis, fast RAM expansion? We could easily ex stepwise multiple regression , distance pect times in the I-minute range for the based cluster analysis with dendrogram ,
ASYNCH MANAGER
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Fast benchmark- and not an 80286, multigroup discriminant analysis, multi 80287 , 80386 , or 80387 in sight! What group canonical analysis , and a standard rubs in the point even more is that the data-file construction program- all with
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benchmarks were, of course, running under QDOS and were therefore multi tasking with BASIC (which is more than MS-DOS can do) .
Perhaps more people should pay atten tion to this long-forgotten machine. And its price in England? The QL is £99 , the
dynamic dimensioning. Much to my surprise and the relief of
my friends , the Theleme system is now complete. During my thrashing about with translation and development , I dis covered that there is no publication on number crunching in C ; if mentioned at
"Super-batc h" program. Crea te batch files which
can invoke programs and provide input to them:
run any program unattended: create demonstra·
tio n programs: analyze keyboard usage.
PASCAL TOOLS/ TOOLS 2 $175.00
Expa nded string and screen ha nd li ng; graphics
routines; memo ry management; general program
control : DOS fil e support and more. For MS·
compiler £80 (for the new , faster, more all , it is discussed as an afterthought. Pascal.
powerful program called Turbo) .
Also , source code for multivariate statis EXEC
$95.00
Danny Ross tics, in any language, does not exist at a NEW VERSION ! Program chain ing executi ve.
Basingstoke, Hampshire , U.K. price below absurd.
Now for my request. I believe there is a
Fascinating. I knew the 68000 chip was market for my system as a book. Numeri
good, but that's little short ofamazing. cal procedures in C would be illustrated
The Sinclair was one of the most frus by the source code statistical system. This
trating machines ever constructed. The
continued
basic computer engineering was excel
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lent , but the user interface and video Jerry Poumelle holds a doctorate in psy TO ORDER CALL TOLL FREE
were clair
just took
plain horrible. Sir the trouble to show
Clive me his
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- - + - - "notebook " machine a fe w months be ing about computers present and future.
fore it came out, and it seemed to me to have the same pattern: really excellent
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JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 33
Circle 285 on Reader Service Card
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CHAOS MA OR MAIL
will, I hope , be possi ble a1 a price even poor starving students can afford_ I am electing the book route because practi tioners of any art balk at invariable canned products . In addition , a book would be more u eful as a reference than a disk would be .
My experience in publi shing is limited to company reports. where the manu cript i handed to the secretary and the author heads for the field until the furor abates . I also have some experience with journal publication , where the manu sc ript is mailed off a nd th e author cowers in a corner under the slings and arrows of outraged referees . I have no idea how publication is accompli hed in the ··real world. "
Any advice you may care to offer will be gratefully received.
P.S. T ha nks fo r Footfall. Because most of my recreational reading is pure escape, l thorough.ly enjoy a good blood and-thunder space opera unencumbered with an intrusive moral or philosophy. By the way. what relationship does the biker in Footfall bear to a similar charac ter in Lucifer 's Hammer? They read like the same character with different names .
Fred E. Fisher Kary. TX
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The best advice I can give you is to join the writers conference on BIX; a number of professional writers give advice to 11ewcomers.
The long answer is, you haunt book stores un til you find a company that pub lishes books like yours- Addison-Wesley , Que, John Wiley and Sons. and Osbome/ Mc Graw-Hill come to mind. Decide which ofthose appeals to you, and write a good letter of i11quiry. If you ha ve the manuscript completed, send ir: if not. send i.11 at least one good sample chapter and a11 outline of what the book will contain .
The cover letter shouldn 't try to tell the publisher its busi11ess , which is market ing books. Bur it won't hurt at all to in clude your thoughts on the target marker. A cover letter isn't strictly required, but it ca11 help a lot. It can also hurt; ifit is ar rnga11t, ignorant . or both , your manu script is not likely to be read, or at least it won 'r be read soon. A good cover letter (and your leuer to me indicates that you can write one) can get the editor eager to
look at what it covers. If you find a pub
lisher. have someone send me a review copy.
As to Footfall : A writer I much admire told me that you can put all the morals and philosophy you like in a book as long as the characters don 't know it. Harry Reddington, a.k.a. Mark Czescu, never knew what he illustrated. - Jerry ·
34 BYT E · JANUARY 1988
Circle 220 on Reader Service Card
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ASK BYTE
Steve Ciarcia answers your questions on microcomputing.
A Simple Problem
a card connected to the cable, so you lose I can assure you that a speedup card
Dear Steve,
one slot in each. In some designs the cir won 't work, simply because the longer
All three expansion slots in my Tandy cuitry is on the expansion chassis board. bus won 't tolerate any higher speeds.
. IOOO are full. I have seen expansion chas Such designs don 'r need a separate card Given the rather low prices for AT
sis for additional slots and a power supply · in that box, but they still use a card slot in clones, it may be worth your while to in
1hat cost from about $500 to $1200. the computer.
vest in a bigger, better, faster, more ex
These prices seem too high for what ap Obviously, a double-buffered expan pensive system that will almost certainly
pears to be a simple add-on . Is there an sion bus is a better way to do things. Bui work when you take it out ofthe box. One
easy way to build an expansion chassis here's the caJch: There 's no way to tell in problem with trying to exceed the de
with, say, four to six slots?
which direction tlwse new drivers must signer's specs is that you 're likely to wind
I would like to add a hard disk drive, a send the signals. For example, suppose up with a pile of hardware that doesn 't
memory board (above 640K bytes) , and a you have a video card in the expansion quite work anymore. - Steve
speedup board (if one exists for the box and a hard disk controller in the orig
Tandy 1000) . Since I have three slots inal system. When the processor reads Get in Touch
filled, I would nee.d four more slots, as data from the disk, the buffers in the ex Dear Steve,
suming the expansion unit requires a slot pansion box should be inactive to avoid I am trying to locate a place to purchase
in the main unit.
conflicts with the disk card. A read from some conductive, lransmissive Mylar
Am I wishing for the impossible? the video card requires that the buffers that is used to make touch-screen inpul
After all, for between $500 and $1200, I drive data from the expansion box onto · systems. It is similar to the indium-/tin-/
could buy a faster IBM PC AT clone or the original bus. But you can 't tell which oxide-coated glass used in capacitive
equivalent unit. (My wife wouldn't balk is which by any logic based on the bus touch-oven controllers . I have called
at "add-ons, " but I think I'd have a prob signals alone.
some of the thin-fiJm deposition compa
lem buying an entire computer.)
A similar problem comes up with 110 nies, but I haven 't received any of the
Chris Bonney ports and control lines. It turns out that promised literature. Do you know a
St. Louis, MO the true-blue IBM expansion box, which source for this product?
was recently discontinued, used a bizarre Also, what is the preferred method to
The prices for expansion boxes do seem a scheme: It waited to see which bus was connect to th.is material? Several years
lit1le extravagant, but they also show no active, then turned on the drivers to send ago I had a sheet of this material , and I
sign of coming down (which is a bad data in the other direction. Perforce, it used zebra strips and edge connectors.
sign). Ir turns our that those boxes have also added a wait state or two to all data
Mike Kerr
some interesting design problems, and transfers to cover the indecision. Ugly ,
Johnson City, TN
there are no simple answers.
but it worked fairly well.
When you sit down to design a bus, you Another problem is radio-frequency I don 't know about any conductive
need to know how many circuits will con interference (RF/). The cable between Mylar, but I have tinkered with some
nect to each line. Thar gives you the max the two units contains a large number of Kynar film . It has some amazing proper
imum steady-stare current the bus drivers lines all switching at the same time, and it ties : It 's piezoelectric, pyroe/ecuic,
will have to supply. Next, you.figure out is just about the right length to serve as transparent (with the right electrodes).
the capacitance on the bus, which deter an antenna. You wind up with a very nice and durable. It's made by Kynar Piezo
mines the transient current. The more loads or the greater the capacitance, the bigger the drivers you need to do the job. Remember that those drivers are on each card, not just the system board.
You can add an expansion box in one of
TV and radioJammer.
continued
What dering,
to do? Ifyou 're
you might want
up to
for try
athliettblerusotel sINulAtaSmK BaYnTdEe,lSetcetvreonCiicasrceian,gainceoemr.puatnesrwcoenrs
force approach . Get a PC system board questions on any area of microcomputing.
(from the back pages of BYTE) without The most representative questions will be an
any components at all. Use some ribbon swered and published. Send your inquiry to
two ways: by direct wiring or adding cable to connect it directly to your Tandy
Ask BYTE
buffers. The former is simply a set of 1000 and see if it works. I'd suggest wir clo Steve Ciarcia
wires that runs between the original sys ing the cable with ground lines alternat P.O. Box582
tem board and the expansion board, so ing with signals to keep the RF! down and
Glastonbury, CT06033
the bus drivers have to handle the added making it a foot or so long to keep the loads and capacitance. Ifyou add buffers capacitance down. to drive the expansion board, the original You 'II need to add a power supply for
Due to the high \IO/ume of inquiries. we cannot guarantee a personal reply. All le11ers and photographs become the property of Steve Ciarcia and cannot be returned.
drivers don 't have to contend with an ad the expansion board, bur do not connect
The Ask BYTE staff includes manager
ditional load (the buffers are located on a the power supply lines between the two Har" Weiner and researchers Eric Albert ,
card that plugs into the original bus, just systems (only the ground lines-two sup Tom Cantrell. Bill Curlew. Ken Davidson.
as you expected).
plies connected together don 't work at
In fact, buffered designs have bus all). Filling the thing into a case should
drivers at each end, so neither bus is con be straightforward, but you 'II wind up
nected directly to the cable. Each bus has with a rather funny-looking 1000.
Jeanne/le Dojan, Jon Elson , Frank Kuech mann , Tim McDonough, Edward Nisley , Dick Sawyer, Robert Stek, and Mark Voorhees.
36 BYTE· JANUARY 1988
Qualitychamp
captures lowpricetitlewith$745
data acquisition board.
By: Joe Zimmerman, Sports Staff Marlboro, MA
Faster than you could say "what hit me?" the fight was over.
With speed (20 kHz), multiple I/O combinations (16 AID, 2DIA,16 DIO), and a below-the-belt price, Data Translation brawled its way to the low price data acquisition championship.
Asked after the fight about the loser's slow speed and high price, Fred Molinari said, "Was he fightin' in slow motion, or what? I can't believe anyone would pay him more."
Indeed, this reporter can't believe it either. The DT2811 is agreat value - even without the FREE OT/Gallery Software that Data Translation ships with it. And optional industry standard software packages are available at incredibly low prices.
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To learn more , see us in
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Modol DT2811
Input Channels
Analog Inputs
Resolution (bits)
Throughput
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Output Channels
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Resolution !bitsl
ThroughptJt
2
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Sc rew Termina l P3nels
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World Headquarters: Data Translation. Inc.. JOO Locke Drove, MartDOIO, MA 0 1752-1192, (617) 481-3700 Tix 951646 European Headquarters: Data Translation Lid., The Mulberry Business Park , Wokingham Berkshire, RGll 2QJ, England, 734-793838 Tix 851849862 International Sales Offices: Australia (2) 662-4255: Belgium (2) 735-2135; Canada (4 161625-1907; Chile (2) 25-3689; China (408) 727-8 222, (8) 721-4017 : Denmark (2) 274511: England 734 -793838: Finland (90) 372-144: France(!) 69280173. (!) 69077802: Greece951-4944 . (03) 152· 7039, Ul 361-4300: Hong Kong (3) 7718585: India (22123-1040: Israel (3) 32-4298: Italy (2) Bl-821; Japan (3) 502-5550. (3) 375-1 551, (3) 355-llll ; Korea 778-072115: Morocco (9) 30-4181: Nethe~ands (70) 99 -6360: New Zealand C9l 504 ·759: Norway <02J 55 90 50, Peru (14) 31·8060: Portugal (I) 545313: Singapore 7797621: South Afr ica (12) 46-9221 ; Philippines 8 18·DI03: Spain (I) 455-8112: Sweden (8) 761-7 820; Switzerland (I) 723-1410:
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Data Translation i& a regostered trade mark of Data Translation, Inc.
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JA UARY 1988 · B Y T E 37
Circlt! 56 on Readt!r Servict! Card 8
CIARCIA FEEDBACK
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l'OOtl oo n .,, n 0 11 ~ nno·,o, mm a:> .-.:~...
Parallel port
., Signal
strobe
Pin#
dataO 2
data 1 3
data2 4
data3 5
data4 6
dataS 7
data6 8
data? 9
BUSY 11
Speech chip
Pin#
Signal
20
ALO
18
A1
17
A2
16
A3
15
A4
14
AS
13
A6
No connection
No connection
9
LRO
Figure I: Diagram for connecting an Atari 1040ST's parallel port to an SP0256 speech-symhesis chip. You should also wire the parallel port's growzd (pins 18 to 25) to the ground of whatever circuit board the SP0256 is on.
Film Group, Pennwalt Corp.. 900 First Ave., King of Prussia, PA 19406, (2 15) 337-6710. The company was selling a $45 experimenter's kit a while ago. The film had aluminum electrodes, so it wasn't transparent. Pennwalt makes it with transparent electrodes, but that costs more.
The nice thing about Kynar is that it generates a voltage when you touch it. A few suggested circuits let you pin down where the touch occurred. You can either zebra or pattern the connections right in the film .
If you 're- buying the stuff by the acre,
the company will do anything you want. In sample sizes, y9u 're stuck with what ever they've got. Depending on your ap plication, Pennwalt may have some stan dard film that will be close enough. - Steve
Little Orphan Softcard Dear Steve, After recently purchasing an Apple IIGS computer, I was disappointed to learn from Microsoft that my Softcard (which I used previously on my Apple II Plus) is incompatible with the IIGS . I have heard conflicting reasons for this incompatibil ity . Some ay all I need is a software up grade, while others- including Micro soft- say the situation is hopeless . Can you tell me the cause for this incompati bility and how I can go about solving thi s problem?
Steven Park Baltimore, MD
One ofthe unfortunate happenings in the microcomputer industry is the occasional creation ofan orphan imerface that is w1 able to follow along when a major equip
ment upgrade is performed. If your 280
board is the original Microsoft Softcard. it has indeed been orphaned because of uncorrectable (sans hardware changes)
timing problems. If you have the newer
Softcard 11 (with 64K byres of on-board
RAM), a software update is available from Microsoft that accommodates the differences between the II Plus and the IJGS.
Ifyou have the older card, it looks like
your only option is to get a newer Z80 card with appropriate software for the new compwer.- Steve
Parallel Talk Dear Steve, I am building a speech synthesizer for my Atari 1040ST. The circuit is based on a diagram I found for Commodore 64 and Radio Shack computers, and it uses an SP0256-AL2 chip. How do I connect the chip to my Atari 's serial or parallel port?
Kairi Yousi f El Cajon , CA
The SP0256 speech-synthesis chip you are trying to imerface was designed to be driven easily from a Centronics-compat ible parallel primer port. The Atari I040ST parallel port meets that re quirement .
Look at the pin connection diagram in figure I. You 'II also need a low-pass fil ter and audio amplifier stage, but I as sume those are shown 0 11 the schemaric from which you are working. - Steve
CIRCUIT CELLAR FEEDBACK
More Talk
Dea r Steve,
Recently, I came across your article on
ADPCM (adaptive differential pulse
code modulation) for speech synthesis
(June 1983 Circuit Cellar) .
I am starting a small project on the sta· ti stical analysis of speech at 1he allophone level. Do you know of any source that could supply a set of the allophones in a digitized form? It would be of great help
continued
38 BYT E · JAN UARY 1988
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To develop useful applications with most database management software, you're forced to learn a pro gramming language.
But with every rule, there's an exception.
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"THE ONLY GOOD THING I GOT FROM dBASE WAS MY MONEY BACK!'
Botnick saw an ad for dBASE III PLUS;" believed its claim that you can develop appijcations without having to program, and bought it.
40 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
As soon as he attempted to develop applications with it, like custom reports, he ran into trouble.
When he called Ashton-Tute with questions, he was politely told that he would have to learn the dBASE programming language.
To which Botnick politely replied, 'Tm damned if
rm going to spend three months learning a program
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JANUARY 1988 · BYT E 41
42 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
CIARCIA FEEDBACK
in getting my project started . A PCM coded set readable on an IBM PC would be easiest to use.
Lawrence M. Policzer Engineering Technology Dept. Youngstown State University, OH
One of the problems facing anybody building speech-recognition hardware or software is that there's no standard speech against which to measure the re sults. This allows anyone to define a test set that makes the answers come our very well for whatever 's just been developed, bur ii tends to breed suspicion in the users, who find that it doesn't work well in real life.
Since you 're not developing a commer cial system, you might be able to pry some samples out of manufacturers who build such hardware. There might be some strings arrached, but they'd surely be Less onerous than having to do the sampling yourself.
The IEEE Acoustics, Speech, and Sig nal Processing Society may also have contacts that can help. I recall that there were some tapes avail.able with digitized speech samples, but my memory fails after that point. Get in touch wi1h 1he IEEE, perhaps through your campus chapter, and see what they've got. - Steve
Home Control
Dear Steve, I would like to put a system for control ling a hi-fi and perhaps other things from any of several locations (upstairs and downstairs) in my two-story home. I'm not ready to design and build the system, but because of some remodeling projects, it is an ideal time to string cables through the walls. Hence , my question: What kind of cables? If they have lots of wires, they will be expensive but will permit rel atively cheap and dumb terminals . On the other hand, if I am willing to build sever al smarter terminals, then perhaps very simple cables will suffice. What do you recommend?
Benjamin G. Cooper Minneapolis , MN
You 're fortunate to have the opportunity to lay your own wire. Most people ha ve no option b111 to resort to AC power car riers like the X-10 system.
As for the type of wire you should use, the best trade-off between cost, flexibil ity, and performance is probably shield ed dual twisted pair, which is just a more expensive variant of phone wire. As ap parent from the name, it combines four wires with a shield connection that you can use for ground.
Four wires give you l01s of options:
full-duplex RS-232C plus RTS and CTS handshaking: RS-422, single-ended or differential; and so on. RS-232C is the best bet for keeping costs down; nearly every gadget you might want to hook up will adapt to an RS-232C.
Wiring topology is a110ther issue. Bus, star, and ring networks have their own advantages and disadvantages. A bus to pology is probably best, but it needs fan cy software and chips. A ring is good. but it requires active nodes (i.e. , every thing 011-line for any communication ro take place) unless you bypass unused nodes with a switch. A star is simple, but it needs lots ofwire and a central control ler. Check our a book on local-area net works (LANs) and see which one is best for you.
The shielding really helps protect your data from noise spikes. Though it might be convenient , I wouldn 't route the data cable next to the AC power lines and out 1ets-better be safe than sorry. Of course, it goes without saying that you have to make sure your setup meets all building codes. Safety first. -Steve
Just the Facts
Dear Steve, I have a few questions for you . First what is a real-time operating system? Second , is MS-DOS a real-time operating system? Finally, how are Unix and Xenix related?
Hugh Roth New York, NY
MS-DOS was originally designed to han dle just one task at a time. When a pro gram is loaded, DOS gives it all avail able memory with no restrictions on its accessing that memory. DOS was also written with nonreentrant code, which means that trying to run two or more pro grams concurrently is more difficult than it has to be.
You usually find real-time operating systems in scientific and process-control environments. For example, a computer may be comrolling an industrial process where, for the most part, very fill le raw computing power is needed. The com puter monitors temperatures , pressures, valve openings and closings, and so on. However, in an emergency, it may be vi tal that the compurer shut down processes quickly.
The computer must assess certain in formation-sa y, that a critical tempera ture or pressure has been reached. It may be thar if a high pressure isn't relieved immediately, some damage may occur. Suppose also that as a result of this high pressure, a critically high temperature has been created elsewhere. The com puter must analyze chis information and
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CIARCIA FEEDBACK
enable equipment ro relieve th e crirical remperatures and pressures. This sce nario demands a real-time operating sys rem , one that can respond ro independent and possibly simultaneous evenrs and do so wirhout the complller 's losing track of whar it is working 011 at the rim e.
DOS is nor the operating system for handling environments as described above. Some attempts ar providing multi· tasking for DOS are available: Digital Research 's Concurrent PC DOS, DESQ· view by Quarrerdeck Systems, Windows by Microsoft , and The Software link 's PC-MOS are a few examples. These so fll · rions use some form of time-slicing algo rithm. They intercept th e system-clock in rerrupr. suspend th e curre111ly executing program and srore its operaring sta!lls. and pass control to another process. Usu · ally, the operating system gives each pro gram equal slices of execution time . as signed in round-robin fashion. In our process-cont rot example . this task assignment technique may be unaccept able , since it could be a relatively long time before a critical task is given its exe cution tim e slice.
Real-time operating systems can give variable amounts of execution time to processes. They can also assign priorities to processes, thus enabling the computer to recognize emergencies and de vote more time to an importalll program. (I have used a pmcess-comrol application as an example. but the control of scien tific experimems can be similar.) While Unix is a multiuser, multitasking operm ing system, its design is such rhat , like MS-DOS, it is not suitable f or real-time operations.
Unix is a rrademark of AT&T. Other vendors, such as Microsofr , license Unix from AT&T but are prohibited from ad verrising it as Unix. They adapt it ro vari· ous machines and marker it under th eir own names (Xenix is Microsoft 's Unix offering). Thus, anyone who is fami liar with Unix on a minicomplller will find ir almost identical to Xenix on an IBM PC. -Steve
I Miss the Megabytes Dear Steve, I recently acquired an NEC MultiSpeed laptop computer ; I've owned a Compaq " luggable'' for everal years. I got the NEC because I needed a lightweight computer that I could carry from office 10 office . Now, although I enjoy the speed of my laptop, its two 720K-byte floppy disk drives still seem small after my Compaq's 30-megabyte hard disk drive.
I know that at least one manufacturer makes hard disk drives for the NEC (1 saw an NEC with a hard di sk drive at
co111i1111ed
44 B Y T E · JA UARY 1988
Circle 42 on Reader Service Card
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spring COMDEX), but I have lost infor mation on the company .
Also, I have been thinking about build ing a battery-backed RAM disk with stor age capabilities on the order of 10 mega bytes . I would like it to be able to plug
into the slot vacated by one of the disk drives and include a connector for an ex ternal power supply for when I change its battery . Can you give me any pointers about its construction?
Finally , I am considering changing ome boards in my Compaq and replac ing them with some of the newer multi function cards. I am pretty sure that all of the slots in my Compaq are IBM-compat ible, but I would like to be assured of this. I recently replaced the machine's key board (through my local dealer) and ended up paying considerably for the re placement, since the Compaq' s keyboard requires 12 volts instead of the 5 V that most other keyboards require . I've sent Compaq a letter concerning slot compati bility, but the company has not answered so far.
David Ferguson Winter Haven, FL
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Premier Technologies (1890 McGaw Ave., Irvine, CA 92714, (714) 261 -1184) and Axoni.x Corp. (417 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108. (801) 365-9521) both offer a IO-megabyte hard disk drive for the NEC MultiSpeed.
Ir may be technically possible ro build a JO-megabyte RAM disk drive for your NEC, but ir may nor make sense when you take everything into consideration. For example , if you were to use 1-megabir chips, you would need 90 of them for a JO-megabyte RAM disk.
Ninety chips rake up a fair amoum of space and produce a fair amount ofheat. Even ar bargain prices of $25 each . that would be $2250 for the chips alone. Power requirements would probably mean either a permanelll AC adapter (limiting portability) or an additional barrery pack to lug around. All in all, one of the above hard disk drives would be a better choice.
Compaq makes some nice computers, but it has fallen short in technical support for the end user, refusing ro answer even simple questions. The company requires that the end user be serviced by a dealer and does not make its technical manuals available. Since 1have not had much ac cess ro Compaq's computers, I can't comment on the keyboard question.
As far as replacing some boards, they should be compatible, but you should either try out the board before you buy it or make a prior arrangement with the
vendor for a refund ifit doesn 'r work.
- Steve·
46 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
Circle 229 on Reader Service Card
How do you make a great deal even better? By adding a full 20 megabytes more storage to our Quantus X/T- and pricing it at only $100 more. The new $895 Quantus X/T 40. Leave it to Quantus to give you more bytes for your buck.
Specifications and prices subject to change.
Circ~ 306 on Reader Service Card
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The Quantus 1\Jlbo XT · Monochrome monitor · Half-height 20Mb hard drive · 8088 running at 4.77-8MHz · 640KRAM · 8 expansion slots · Text/graphics card · Speaker · 360K floppy drive · 84-key keyboard · 150 watt power supply · 2 year limited warranty
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For product literature and your nearest distributor, call Mitsubishi today at 1-800-556-1234 Ext. 54. In California call l-800-441-2345 Ext. 54. Mitsubishi Electronics A merica, Inc., Computer Peripherals Division, 991 Knox Street, Torrance, CA 90502.
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IBM i a regisrered rradema rk of lmerna<iono l Business Mach ines Co rp., © 1987 Mitsubishi Electronics A merica, Inc.
BOOK REVIEWS
PROFICIENT C Augie Hansen Microsoft Press Redmond, WA: 1987 ISBN 1-55615-007-5 512pages, $22. 95
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO MIDI SOFTWARE Howard Massey and the staffofPASS Amsco Publications New York: 1987 ISBN 0-8256-/088-5 252 pages, $19. 95
A LITTLE SMALLTALK Timothy Budd Addison-Wesley Reading . MA : 1987 ISBN 0-201-10698-1 280pages, $25.95
PROFICIENT C Reviewed by Alex Lane
A ugie Hansen wrote Profi cient C for DOS pro grammers who are interested in applying structured pro gramming techniques to de velop libraries of reusable, professional routines. Along the way , he presents a number of interesting and useful utility programs.
Hansen assumes that the reader has a " modest" level of experience with some high-level language or assembly language and a working knowledge of C . With nearly 8000 lines of source code in the book, I would amend the latter to a "good " working knowledge . And since the software uses DOS 2 .0 or higher and Microsoft C version 4.0, it wouldn't hurt to be familiar with the product, including support tools like MAKE . In one of the appendixes, Hansen comments briefly on the comparison of Microsoft C to C86 , the Mark Wil liams C Programming System, and Lattice C . The author devel oped and tested all the programs and routines on both an AT&T 6300 computer running MS-DOS and an IBM PC AT running PC-DOS .
If you shudder at the prospect of keying in several thousand lines of source code or are interested only in the executable files, two companion disks-one with source code and MAKE files, the other with stand-alone, executable programs and pre compiled function libraries-are available from the publisher for under $20 each.
The book is divided into four major sections and a group of appendixes . Section I contains three chapters describing the
workings of the Microsoft C compiler (along with a quick rundown on memory models and support tools like the Microsoft L I NK, LIB, and MAKE programs) , thoughts on program development, and a discussion of the interaction between C and the DOS en vironment.
Hansen's kickoff cliscussion of program development has a tendency to dissolve into ge neric bromides like "The con sistent and careful application of structured design and the incremental development of both programs and the docu ments that describe them are critical factors in the success of programming projects." Fortu nately , the tone soon improves as attention turns to nuts-and bolts C programming.
Standard Libraries Section II describes standard libraries, the user interface , and automatic program con figuration . In addressing the subject of portability, Hansen strives to avoid what he calls the " religious debate" sur rounding this issue. Since the software being developed here is intended for use in a DOS environment, Hansen concen trates on building code that can be moved among various implementations of MS-DOS and PC-DOS . The chapter on libraries is by no means comprehen sive; it does little more than provide a quick survey of exception handling, time, and file and character I/O functions. Although I don't know how the author could have done a bet ter job, I couldn 't help wondering why he selected these particu lar functions for discussion . On the other hand, the ensuing dis cussion of the operating system interface lays a solid foundation of both facts and source code for subsequent programming. All of this is brought somewhat loudly together in a demonstration program designed to let the user control the appearance of the screen cursor. This choice of sample program takes some of the bite out of the author's laudable intent not to "waste any time solving Fibonacci series or calculating factorial s." While I was impressed with the techniques that were used to construct the program, I found the program disappointing. The text quickly gets back on track with a discussion of com mand-line processing. Here , Hansen drops a gem of a C func tion in the reader' s lap: getopt( ), which scans the command
continued
lllustrdtion by Lynne Buschman
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 51
Clrr:le 255 on &ader Service Card
Expansion Chassis/Tape Back-up
BOOK REVIEWS
line and extracts option flags and arguments (Microsoft C ap parently has no facility to do this) . He puts the function to good use in a sample program called Timer. which perfonns a num ber of timing and sound functions inside the IBM PC . Starting with the Timer program , Hansen puts his programming meth odology into practice by providing both pseudocode descrip tions and manual pages for his programs.
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File-oriented Utilities Many concepts and much of the code developed in the first two sections find application in Section 111 , which is devoted to a set of file-oriented programs , including several Unix-like file and directory utilities . Although some of the programs duplicate functions provided by DOS , they generally exhibit some added features. The LS utility , for example, is a general-purpose direc tory lister that outperforms the DIR command by affording a number of output options. The subsequent chapter extends the programming technique developed thus far to the methodical development of PR, a Unix-like program designed to display or print the contents of text files either with or without formatting options. Between the author's clear explanations and the pro gram ' s intrinsic usefulness, this chapter is pure gold.
Display Functions
In Section IV , the author turns his attention to screen-oriented programs, starting with brief discussions about determining the display system type and methods of updating displays. He de velops a synchronized block-copy routine to address the latter problem and extends it in the following chapter into a set of functions that interact with a screen buffer.
Hansen begins a separate chapter on the ANSI .SYS device driver with the basics of what it is, how it"s used, and the pros and cons of using it in the IBM PC environment. Having laid the groundwork, he then presents the source code for an ANSI in· terface package and uses it to implement a program that control: screen attributes.
ln what is effectively the final chapter in the book , the autho1 presents a file-viewing utility and discusses its construction The appendixes in Section V cover, among other things, over· views of various C implementations and a summary of the rou tines presented in the book.
One gauge of the usefulness of a technical book , especially one that presents a series of working examples to the reader, is the value of the examples in relation to the cover price . For ex ample, I have bought books that were hardly worth the trouble to read , despite a plethora of nattily formatted source code. Others have provided one or two gems that made buying the book a break-even proposition . On rare occasion , l run across a book from which you get your money 's worth and more ; Pro ficient C is such a book.
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Alex Lane (1873 Bartram Rd., Jacksonville, Fl 32207) is a reg is1ered professional engineer wi1h a strong in1eres1 in artificial imelligence. The moderator of1he prolog co11fere11ce 011 BIX, he can be contac1ed 1here as "a. Lane. .,
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO MIDI SOFTWARE Reviewed by Donald Swearingen
A ny book that claims to be the complete guide to any subject even loosely related to computer software must inevitably fall short of that claim. In a field where progrclmmers are often hard at work on a program's next revision even as the current release is being shipped, it is practically impossible to provide a truly up-lo-date compendium of available software.
co111in11ed
52 BYT E · JA UARY 1988 Cirr:le 246 on Reader Service Card
More than two years ago. we introduced the leading low-cost (under $1000) CAO system. ProOesign II. It was priced at $299 . Since that time. more than 1000 enhancements have been added to the software. making ProOesign II the price performance leader in CAD.
Now. Pro Design 11 has been renamed DesignCAD and packaged with more than $400 worth of supplementary software. including symbol libraries. file transfer ut1ht1es. and materials list programs. We added more than 100 enhancements to the software. making OesignCAO an extremely powerful CAO system at any
W e were at a loss. however. whe n it came time to set the price. We considered pricing Des1gnCAO at $999. W e thought about reducing the price to a low $599 . W e talked to industry experts. We met with marketing consultants. We perlormed calculations on the finest spreadsheets money can buy. Then. in the great American tradition. we said .. Aw . .. What the Heck! " OesignCAO is priced at $299 1
New Features:
· Compatibi lity with most ot her CAD systems large and small IDXF and IGES. Input and Output included at no extra charge).
· Co mpatibility with virtually all desktop publishing systems is included at no extra charge.
· Expanded Memory Support is now provided to utilize the full power of your PC/AT.
· Several new character fonts are now provided at no extra charge. · More than l 00 new drawing features are now provid ed at no ext ra charg e. · Symbol libra ries with more than 500 symbols are included at no extra charge. · A Bill of Materials utility is provided at no extra charge . · Des1gnCAD provides comple te support for the IBM System/2.
Same Quality:
· OesignCAO has all the features and capabilities of ProOesign II - normally found only on CAO systems costing thousands of dolla rs.
· DesognCAD. like Pr0Des1gn II. has unparalleled ease of use. · OesignCAO. like ProOesign II, has unprecedented dot matrix pront quality. · OesignCAO supports more than 200 pr inters. 80 plotters. and virtually any
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Circle 15 on Reader Service Card
BOOK REVIEWS
Quaid Analyzer
the tool
that created
CopyWrite
Now you can debug your own programs with a professional quality debugger the one that unraveled every form of copy-protection used on the PC.
With the Quaid Analyzer, you can:
D See occurrences of any interrupt. with its meaning shown on the screen.
D View memory as text or instructions. scrolling as easily as you do with an editor.
D Run until a memory location or 1/ 0 port is changed .
D Protect your hard disk from accidental destruction.
D Analyze software without the source, even when it uses countermeasures to thwart trac ing.
D See all stages of the boot load.
We kept the Quaid Analyzer off the market to avoid helping publishers with copy-protection. Now that copy protection is gone, we can sell it to you.
The Quaid An alyzer is a software tool occupying 100K bytes. It runs on any IBM PC and most MS-DOS systems without hard ware modification.
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Not unpredictably , The Complete Guide to MIDI Sofnvare, written by Howard Massey and the staff of New York 's Public Access Synthesizer Studio (PASS), provides something less than a complete overview of this new and rapidly expanding area of soft ware development. What it does provide. according to its authors, is an unbiased survey of some 60 musica l instrument digital in terface (MIDI) software packages ava ilable at the time of the book 's publication. As you shall see, even this more circum scribed objective proves difficult to fut fill.
Real-World Perspective
PASS , which has been reorgani zed as the Center for Electronic Music. is a nonprofit organization devoted to making available state-of-the-an faci lities for audio production and synthesis, along with various related se rvices . including work hops , semi nars, and individual instruction . I>. uch , the member. of PASS are in the position of having had hands-on experience with all the software described. This reservoir of expertise gives the book its stronge t voice: the comments and observations reflect a real-world per pective rather than the detached or tendentious attitudes that are often present in critical reviews .
However. while a great deal of specific and quite useful infor mation is communicated wi thin its pages , the book fails to de fine any ge ne ral criteria by which readers might objectively compare one program with others of its class.
Only 8 of the book's 250 pages are devoted to introductory and backgrou nd materia l . The re maining pages consist of actual reviews of 'individual MIDI oftware pac kages. The author skimp on more general information that might have been most useful to a reade r attempting to get hi or her bearing in a n often confusing world of hype and promotion.
The author uggest that you "buy the hardware to run the software. ·· While this may represent a good ba ic trategy. it fails to address a broader context where functional overlap, the relative price-to-pe rformance ratio. life expectancy (will the manufacturer even be in business in 2 years?) . and usability for other tasks often cloud the picture , making choices far Jes clear-cu(than such a simple approach might suggest.
The allocatio.n of a short descriptive paragraph to each of the computers for which MIDI software is reviewed simply does not provide sufficient enlightenment for making informed choices. Also missing is a discussion of available MIDI interfaces and their prices for each computer. an important factor in the deci sion of which computer to buy.
The MIDI software reviews constitute the bulk of the book. They are organized into seven sections, each covering MIDI software for a particular computer. Included are the IBM PC and compatibles, the Apple Macintosh . the Apple II , the Atari ST, the Commodore 64 , and, with a single entry for each, the Commodore 128 and the Texas Instrume nts 99/4A. Amiga owners will be disappointed to find no entries for their com puter, even though a number of MIDI applications are now available for the Amiga . Even for the computers covered , there are a number of puzzling omissions. For example, the Steinberg Pro-24 sequencer for the Atari ST has been available since the fall of 1986, but it somehow failed to make the book , despite its 1987 publication date . Once again, however, any software book call ing itself "complete " must have an omniscient viewpoint and almost no lead time .
r~ r==il Quaid Software Limited
Ask about Disk Explorer the program that lakes over where Quaid Analyzer leaves off.
Review Format
A standard format is applied to the review of each MIDI pro
gram surveyed. Each review begins with a "box score" describ
ing the program name , function , author, MIDI interface re
quirements , price , and a list of the program's special features
and limitations. This is followed by a " guided tour" d.iscussion
conti1111ed
54 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
Order Status, Technical & Other Info. (602) 246-2222 FAX # (602) 246-7805
Call for programs not listed
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Purchase over $100 and receive one of these disks abso lutely FREE! Purchases over $250 get tw o free disks, over $400 get three, or get all four disks when your purchase is over $500! 1) MIXED BAG A great assortment of utilities and games all packed on one disk. 2) PC-WRITE Try this famous feature packed w o rd processor. It's a w inner! 3) FONT-SET Lets you set popular fonts like bold,
underline. etc. on most late model printers from Citizen. Epsc , NEC. Okidata, Panasonic, Star, Toshiba , etc. You can even use your printer like a typewriter! 4) ABC-LIST - Great mailing list program! So rt on any field, do qualified searches, print reports and mailing
labels. and more!
- SOFTWARE
ACCOUNTING Cyma ...... . .. . . . .. .. ca11 Dae Easy Acct. . · . . . . . . $54 ·Dae Easy Payroll . . . · . . . 39 Dollars & $ense .. . .. . .. 94 In House Acct. . . . . . . . . . 39 Managing Your
Money 3.0 . .. .. . .. . . 117
COMMUNICATION
PROGRAMS Carbon Copy Plus . .. . 115 Crosstalk XVI . . · .. . · . . · 89 Crosstalk MK4 ... . ... . 110 Remote . . . .. . .. .. . .... 89 Smartcom II , .. ·...·... 79
DATABASE MANAGERS Clipper . ··.·. . .·· . ··.· 379 Condor 3 . . . . . . · . . . . . . 325 DBase 111 Plus . ·...· . . Call DB-XL . . .. . ..... ... . .. 82 Fox Base P.lus .. ... ... 195 Genifer . . ..... . ... ·. . . 194 Paradox 2.0 · . ... .. . .. . 398 PFS: Pro File · ' ·. · . . .. Call Powerbase . . . . .. · .. . · 169 Q&A .. . .. . . . .. . .· : . .. 190 Quicksilver . .. . ... . .. · 295 Revelation . .. . .. . . . ... 464
R Base System v ... ... ca11
Reflex . · .. .· . .. .. ·· . ... 81 Relate & Report .. .. .. . 112 VPlnfo . . . · . . . . . ·· . . · · . 48
DESKTOP
PUBLISHING Pagemaker . · ...... .. . 479 PFS: First Publisher · · . . 59 Ventura Publisher . ..· . 455
GRAPHICS Chartmaster · .... . . .. . Call Diagram Master . ... .. . Call Easy Cad . . ... .. . ... . . 109 Energraphics 2.01 .. . . . 294 Generic Cad . . . . . . . . . . · S9 In-A-Vision ·.. . . . ... .. 27S Microsoft Chart 3.0 .. . · 229 Newsroom Pro . . . . · · . · · 65 Printshop ..... . .. . ..... 33 Prodesign 2 . . . . . . . . . . 148
INTEGRATED Ability . .. .. . . . . . . . .. ... 56 Ability Pills ... . . . . ... . Call Enable ·. . · . · .. . . · ·... Call Framework II . .· . ·.... Call Smart System .... . . .. . 429 Symphony . ... ... .... CaJI
LANGUAGES Lattice C Compiler .. .. 242 Microsoft C Compiler · · 249 Microsol1 For1ran . . .. . 255
Microsoft Macro Assembler . . . $84
Microsol1 Pascal . .. . .. 166 Microsol1 Quick Basic . . SS Microsoft Quick C . . . . . . 55 Ryan McFarlan
For1ran . · . . ·.· . .. .· . 342 Ryan McFarlan
Cobol .... .......... 549 Turbo Basic , . . .. . .. .. . 5S Turbo C ...... . ....... . 55 Turbo Pascal .......· . . SS Turbo Prolog · . .. . .. ... 55
MULT I - USER
SOFTWARE Fox Base . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299 Word Per1ect ·.... .. ·. 310 Word Per1ect
Modules .. . .... · . .· ea 75 Microsoft Word .. . . . .. Call
PROJECT MANAGER
Microsoft Project . . . ... 219 Super Project Plus .... Call Timeline 2.0 .. .. ..... . 270 Total Havard Man. 2 · · . Call
SPREADSHEET Hal .. .. · . . .. .. ....... 11S Lotus 1-2-3 . .... . . . ... call Silk , . .· .... .. . .. .. .. . 149 Spreadsheet Auditor .· .. 82 Supercalc 4 . .. . .. .. .. . Call VP Planner . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
UTILITIES Copy II PC . .. . ..... . .· 19 Copywrite . . . . . . . . · . . · . 39 Cubit . . .... . ... . . · .. .. 30 Deskview 2.0 . . . . . .. . . . 72 Direct Access . . . . · . . . · · 49 Eureka . . ...... . ... . . . . 95 Fastback . ............. 85 Formtools . · . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Graph in the Box 2 · . . . . 55 Mace . . . . ...... . . ..... 55 Microsoft Windows . . . . . 55 Norton Advanced . . . . . . 75 Norton Utilities ·. . .. .. .. 48 PC Tools ... . ... . .. . ... 19 Prokey 4.0 ... ..... . .... 70 Q DOS ...... . ........ . 49 Rightwriter .. · . . . . . . . .. 75 Sidekick · · · . . .. . · · . .. .. 55 Sideways .. .. .. . .. .. · . . 39 Sqz . .. .. . . .. . .. .. . ... Call Superkey .. .. .. .. . . · .. · SS Turbo Lightning . . . · . . . 55 XTree . . .. ..... . ... ... . 3S
WORD PROCESSING
Microsoft Word 4.0 ..·. 195 Mullimate
Advantage II . ... . ... call Volkswriter 3 .··· . ·. ... 139 Webster Spellcheck · . . . 37 Word Per1ect ..·.. . ... 195
Word Perfect Executive . . . . . .. . .. $109
Word Perfect Library . . . S9 Wordstar Pro ........ . 233 Wordstar 2000+ .... . . . 206
-HAROWARE
ACCESSORIES Brooklyn Bridge . . . . . . . 72 Copy II PC Bd. . . . . . . . . . 75 Curtis Ruby . . . . . .. .... 59 Mach Ill Joystick . . .. ... 36 Masterpiece . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Masterpiece + . . . . . . . . · . 99 150 Watt
Power Supply . . . . . . . . 69
BOARDS AST Advantage Premiurr 422 Sixpac Premium ..... . Call Sixpac . . .... .. ... .. .. 14S HERCULES Color Card . .. .. .... .. 145 In Color Card ..... .... 302 Graphics Plus · . . ..... . 182 INTEL Above PC 64K · . . . .. .. 22S Above 286 .. . . .. . .. ... 319 Orchid Tiny Turbo ... . 389 SUNTEK 10 XT . ..... . ..... .. . . . 65 IOAT .. . .. ... . ...... . . 65 TALLTREE J Ram 3 ATP .. .. .. ... Cell
COMPUT ERS
AZ386 80386-16 Micro Processor, 1 MB of Ram. Teac 1.2 MB disk drive, 220 watt power supply, 6 layer mother board. RT keyboard ...... $2995
AZ TURBO AT 51 2K. 6 & 10 MHZ. keyboa rd. 200 watt power supply, one 1.2 teac dri ve, Phoenix Bios . ... $975
AZ TURBO XT 135 watt power supp ly. One 360K drive. 640K. keyboard . .... .. $519
AZ 10 150 watt power supply, dual 360K drive. 1OMHZ mother board. 640K. keyboard .. ...... $670
AST286 PREMIUM COMPUTER 512K. expandable to 2MB on the system boa rd. RT enhanced style keyboard. paral lel. serial and clock. 1.2 MB floppy disk drive. 7 expansion slots. two 32 bi t fas tram slots. DOS 3.1 & Basic 1 year warranty ........ Call
EGA BOARDS ATI Ega Wonders . . ... 195 Nee GBI ......... .. .. Call Paradise Auto480 . . .. . 155 Quad EGA Plus . . . . . . . 295 Vega Deluxe . . . . . .. · . . 236
EGA MONITORS AMDEK 722 . . . . . . .. .. 455 Casper .. .... . ... . . . .. 410 Mitsubishi Diamond
Scan ... ..... .... .. . 509 NEC Multisync . .. . . . .. . . .. . SS9 Mullisync Plus . . . . . . . · Call
HARD CARDS AZ20 MB . .......... . 425 AZ30 MB .... .... .... 499 AZ 40 MB . ... . . ... .. . 625 Plus 20 MB .. . . .. .. ... Call Plus 40 MB ........ .. . Call
HARD DRIVES Seagate 20 MB · .. ..... 269 Seagate 30 MB . .... . .. 299 Seagate 30 MB AT .... Call
MODEMS AZ 300/ 1200 .. . . . . . . . . . 75 Everex 300/1200 ..... .. 89 Hayes 1200 . . .. . · ..... call Hayes 1200B ... . .. . . . Call Hayes 2400 . . .. ... . .. . can U.S. Robotics 2400 . . · . 335
MICE Genius . .. .... . . . ...... 59 Logitech ............ . ca11 Microsoft Bus
W/Paintbrush . . . . . . . . 92 Microsoft Serial . .. . ... 119 Optimouse w/Dr Halo . . 89 Optimouse w/DPE .. .. 185
MONITORS AMO EK 410 Amber .... . . .... $145 Magnovox RGB .. . . .. . Call PRI NCETON Max 12 . . . . .......... . 138 HX 12E .· ... . . .. . . . .. . 460 SAMSUNG TIL Amber w/tilt ..... ·· 7S Color w/ tllt ... . .... . .. 249
PRINTERS CITIZEN MSP 10 .. . ........ . . . 249 MSP 15 . . . .... ....... 315 MSP20 .. .. .. . .. .. ... 285 120 D ...... . ....... . . 142 Premiere 35 . . . . . .. .. . 471 Tribute 224 ..... .... .. 639 EPSON - Call on all models NEC P5XLP . ... . . . . .. · . .. · 840 P7 Parallel ... . ...... . . 619 8850 ... . ... . ... ... .. 1059 P6 Parallel .. . ... .. .. .. 439 P960XL . .. .. . .... . .. 1035 OKIOATA
Call on all models PANASONIC 1080-l/M2 . . ..... ... . . 169 1090-l/M2 ... .. .. ... .. 199 1092-1 . . .. ... .. . . . . ... 306 1524 . . " ... ... ....... S72 1592 . ...· . · . .. ·.·... . 392 1595 .... .... . .... .. .. 439 3131 .. .. .. . . ... . . " . . 259 3151 .. . . ....... " . .. . 407 STAR MICRONICS NB24-10 ....... .. .... 456 NB24-1 5 ............. 610 ND10 .. .. .. ........ .. 275 NP10 .... .. . ....... . . 139 NX10 . ·. ... .. . . . .. · ·. 160 NX15 .......... ...... 306 TOSHIBA 321 SL ... ..... .... . .. S10 341 SL .. .. .... .... . .. can 351 Modelll . .. .... . .. 910
RAM 64K 150NS ........ . . 16.50 256K 150NS .. . .. . .. ... 33
TlRM~ Stuppmg on mos! souware ls SS 00 AZ orders .f] 7'.6.sales tax Person a I check I company check · allow lour1een (t~) days lo clear Weaccep1e>u1chasc ()(ders from authorize-cl ins111u11on.s fo1 3 5'1', more lhan cash price. All re lurn.s are subjecl lo ou1 ap oroval lbere w1t1bea20% rcs1ock ltt Minimum phOI')! orctr S50 All prir:es are suDjec11(1 change. Gue rocopyriighl laws we cannot take back a_n.,. O!)en soltware
TOLL-FREE ORDER LINE 1-800-421-3135
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JANUARY 1988 · B YTE 55
·DON'T
AMERICAN
Design CAD 3.0-··-······- $1811.00 ANSA Paradox (C i )------··········$3411.00 Paradox (2,0)-................$409.00
ASHTON-TATE D Base lll+......................$3811.00 FrameWorl< IL.-............ $3911.00
Multimate Advantage 11 - ...SCALL Rapjdfile ......................... $244.00
BOEING Bovlng Cate ...........- ....- $239.00
Boeing Graph ................. $189.00
. 11
'''
10MHz ~ Swan X 10
Complete System
with (2) 360K Drives & Monographic Monitor
Assembled & Tested
With MSDOS 3.3
$629
Add $69.95
Standard Features
·
~ SwanAT12
CompleteSystem
with 1.2MB Drive
s 9 9 9
& Monographic Monitor Assembled & Tested With MSDOS 3.3 Add $69.95
Standard Features
· 80286 12/10 MHz (Keyboard Switchable) 13.3 Norton S.l .Rating
· 640K of RAM on 1MB Motherboard · 200W Power Supply · Ports: (1) Serial , (1) Parallel , (1) Game · Dual Floppy/Dual Hard Drive Controller · 8 Expansion Slot · 101 Enhanced "AT " Touch & Click
Style Keyboard
BORLAND
Ouatro ..................... $119.00
Eureka ............................ $104.95
Reflex ...............................$89.95
Reflex Wor1<Shop .. .·.......... $44 .95
S1doK1cK(u nprotected) .·.·.·· $54 ,95
Traveling Side kick Buna1e $79.95
Superl<ey ·......·......... .........· $59.95
Sprml ..... ...·.. ..................... $CA LL
Travelling Sidekick ....·..·.·· $44.95
Turbo C ............... ............. $75.95
Turbo Oalabase Toolbox .. $44 .95
Turbo Gameworks ...... .··.·· $44 .95
.oo
Turbo Graphix Too lbox ..... $31
Turbo Jumbo PacK ......... $184.95
Turbo Lightnirig ...... .......... $59.95
Tutbo Pascal .................... $62.95
Tu1bo Pascal N . Methods .$62.95
Tutbo Prolog .. ........ .........$64 .95
Turbo Prolog Toolbox ...... .$62.95
Turbo Tulor ........ ............... $26.95
· 1014.77 MHz 8088-1CPU · (1) Game Port
· 640K RAM.
·Clock Calendar
· 150W Power Supply
w/Battery Backup
· (1) Serial Port
· 101 Key Enhanced
· (1) Parallel Port
"Ar Touch & Click
· Hercules Compatible
Video Card (720 x 348)
Style Keyboard
· Quality HI-Resolution Amber Monitor w/Tllt & Swivel
· Clock Calendar wlBattery Backup · Hercules Compatible Video Card
(720 x 348) w/Parallel Port (2nd)
· Quality Hi-Resolution Amber Monitor
w/Tilt & Swivel
Mono System w/40MB
Min.I~~~~~~-~?.~~~:.~ . $1395.00*
WE CARRY QUALITY
PRODUCTS FROM THESE
FINE MANUFACTURERS
Mono System w/20MB Seagate HD ··· $849.00 * Mono System w/30MB Miniscribe HD . $879.00* Base Unit wlo Monitor or Video Card ·· $459.00 *
'Single 360K Floppy Drive
Option Upgrades for XT10 & AT12:
Mono System w/40MB
Se~~~~~ .~?.~~:.1····· $1495.00*
Base Unit w/o Monitor
or ~!~~?. :.~r·d··· · ···· ··$899.00*
PRINTERS
~CITIZEN"
1200 ---··---·-···- ··-·$174.00 MSP-10 ········-······· -··-$2711.00 MSP-15 ......................._.$3711.00 Premier 35 ·-·--··-.....$459.00 Tn"bula 224 - ........- ..- SCALL
Hercules to CGAwlth CGA Card and RGB Monitor Add ···..··········.···.·······$170.00 Hercules to EGA with EGA Card (operates in CGA, MDA, or
HGA modes)and Packard Bell EGA Monitor Add ..................................$399.00
Panasonic
10801D ......................$159.00
1091ID.............- .......$189.00
10921H·....··.·............·$299.00
30 DAY SA TISFACT/ON GUARANTEE Your complete satisfaction is our top priorty. Any
* Swan system may be returned within 30 days from
the date of sh ipment for a full refund .
FOR YOUR PROTECTION WE GO THE EXTRA YEAR A full 1 year warranty is included. wi1h a 2nd year SEW (Swan Extended Warranty) available. Call or wri1e for details.
FAST DELIVERY ... We ship within 24 hours.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT Our support statt is on ca ll 9-5 Mon -Fri to answer all of your questions and make sure that you get the most from your systems.
YOUR COMPUTER INVESTMENT IS HASSLE FREE!!!
j ·. swAN ~VIDEO , & fl/O" CARDS
Monographics half card (720 x 348) Hercules Compatible wtparallel port ........ $69.95
Color half card (640 x 200)
CGA Compatible .··...·.·.·...·...·.·........·..··.... $69.95
Monographics. Hercules Compatible,
2 Floppy Control/er, Parallel, Serial, Gameport,
Clock & Calender w/Battery Backup ...... $119.95
Same board as above,except with CGA
output instead ....·.·..··..·...·....·..·.·...·.···....$109.95
*Items returned musr be as-new. without modification or damage. All warranty cards, manuals and packaging musr be included. Return shipping must be prepaid and insvrad, bearing a RAC (Rerurn Authorization Code) on the shipping label.
1592 ······-·····-······-- - ·-· $3811.00 1595 ······-······-·--·-··-$439.00 3131 ........................- .....$259.00 3151 ........................- .....$399.00
Laser Printer ................_..$CALL
NP-10 .............................$134.QS NX-10 ...........- .......- .......$157.95 NX-15 .............................$3411.00 ND-10 -··---···-·--·· $2811.00 N0-15 -···-·-··-··-····-$4211.00 NR-15 ............................. $41111.00 N824-10 ···--····-······--· $4119.00 N824-15 -·--··-·---- $6311.00
tcg _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ OPEN: 8:00AM·9:00PM Mon-Fri; 10:0DAM-6:00PM Sat, 12:00PM-8:00PMSun EAST COAST TIME TUSSEY COMPUTER PRODUCTS ~T~T~~~r~~~f PA 16804
SETTLE FOR LESS ··· tcp SHIPS IT
SOFTWARE
BRODERBUND -~,~-=
Graphics Ubraiy Disks ···_$24.95 Nemroom Pro-......--$611.95 Print ShOp···············--······ $311.95
Or= Print ShOp Companion -S32.00
T9Y S .......- .......·-······ $42.95
COPY II PC ......................$27.00
Option Board ......- ·.- ........ $711.95
PC Tools ...........................$27.00
CHANG LABS ~s To R~__tt,-........- .$289.00 DAC SOFTWARE Dae Easy Accounting ..._, $60.95 OQC Easy Acd. Tutor.....- $111.95 Dae Easy PayroM...........- $311.95
Dae E~ P !Qff TJ!!Or -~4.115
SDilAk Y_,.B...R...E...A...K................... .95
FIFTH GENERATION Fastback - ........- ...........- ..$89.00
FUNK
Sldiiways ..........................$37.95
GENERIC SOl':'.fW:AllE Generic CAOD 3.0-- -$69.95 Generic CADO w/Oot IOI $89.95 LIFETREE Volks Wri1er - - -··---S157.00 Words & F!gure ...._,_,.,···$137.00
Microsoft·
PC Excel.............. $319.00
Access ........................ $159.00
6ookshell ...................... $CALL
c Compiler .................. $249.00
Chan 3.0 ..................... $249.00 Flight Simulator ............. $32.95
Fonran ........................ $267.00
Macro Assembler .......... $87.00
MS·DOS & GW 6asic .. .SCALL Mouse ......................... $109.00
Pascal ......................... $167 .00
PC Works .....................$CALL Project ........................$329.00 Quick 6aslc ................... S57.00
Windows 2.02 ............... $79.00
WindowSl386 .............. $149.00
Word Versi on 4.0 ........ $299.00
LIVING VIDEOTIQQ"
Ready! ......- ...........- ........$52.95
Think Tank ··-···...- ...........$97.95
LOTUS 123 ................................. $307.00 HAL ................................$119.00
Symphony .......................$439.00
MJCROSTUFF_ _~~
CroSSUltk xv1 ...·-·--~,~ m.QQ
NORTON PRODUC'l'S
No11on commander ..........$39.95
Nor1on Utllltles _,.............$49.95
Nor1on Advanced Utlitles .$84.00
SOf'fWAR.£ PUBI.ISHCNG First Put>lisher .............. $64.95
Harvard Total PM II .... $349.00
Harvard Graph ics .......$229.00
PFS Firsl Choice .......... $94 .00
Professional File ......... $139.00
Prolessional Plan .......... $CALL
Professional Write ...... $109.00
PC HA RD DRIVES - - -
MiniScribe
30MB XT Drive w/controller ·. $339.00
30MB Hard Card ...................$429.00
30MB AT Hard Card .............. $479.00
40MB AT Drive ......................$379.00
&? ~agate
·
ST-225 20MB w/controller ..... $289.00 ST-238 30MB w/controller ..... $359.00 AT Hard Drives:ST-4038 ......$549.00
ST-251 ........ $469.00
WESTERN D,G,TAL
File Card 20.......................... $429.00
Fiie Card 30 .........................$479.00
AT FD/HD Controller .............$159.00
Swan Technologies 40MB Tape Backup..............$339.00
PC LAPlOP COMPUTERS
181 .........~ ................ $1,595.00
183 .....................·...$2,395.00
NEC
Multispeed...·.·........... $CALL
MAGNAVOX
7613 TTL (Green) ............... $89.00
7623 TTL (Amber) ...............$89.00
8515 RGB ......................... $249.00
8083 EGA ......................... $319.00
8873 Multimode ................ $479.00
PC ADD ON BOARDS
AST
Advant8')e(1281l) ............$319.00
Rampage AT ·-·····-----'419.00 Rampage PC 6 P8k+(64k)......................SCALL l/O Mini II ........................$159.00
ATI
Graplilc Solution .............$189.00 EGA Won<Wr ....._ .·..·- $274.00
BOCA RESEARCH
EGAICG~IYAIMCA -- $149.ilil
BOCARAM XTw/OK ....... $139.00 BOCARAM ATw/OK,_,_$169.00 Bocatams Bril lnt11I Above Board compatib18 BOCA l/O AT ..............._,··$79.115 BOCA l/O XT ...............- ...$79.115
Gameport Adapter tor l/O .$19.115
HERCUJ, ES Graphk:a Plus ··-··-···-·-S179.00 In.COior Card -···-········-·$2911.00 Olh91' tt.rculn bo1mts In stock.. C·ll for fl'IC.
MQJJfil; I MS! PC mouse w/Dr. Ha lo II $89.00
F.GA NEC Mullisync R............. $CALL Packard Bell
EGAICGA/TTL Auto ..... $419.00
Goldstar EGA ..... ............ SCALL
Amdek 722 ...................S4n.oo
Thomson Ullrascan ...... $499.00
Zenhh 1470 EGA .......... $219 .00
CUtTIS
~::tl82RW
CURTIS PRODUCTS
Software orders over $50.00 & Acces
sories/Peripherals under 8 pounds wlll
be shipped FEDERAL EXPRESS(Ye..ven
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wlll be ·hipped out same dtiy. " part of your order Is back·
ordered the remainder will be sh
UPS Ground for FREE!
SEC URITY
· Your Crii'il Card Is not chargid until your
order is shipped. · We Insure your order at no extra cost to you. · Tussey is a financially strong and wen
estabhsb_ed company.
- - - -- .:11. CUSTOMER SUPPORT
· After sa es support. · Knowledgeable stall, all graduates of
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shipped out accurately & on time.
· Our IBM 5360 allows lnstan order and Jnveotorv tatus.
TMo:NOtrd2ewr MbVkms raolrl:pweresoanccael l&>IC~Cn!llelPy8"YOl'CClehre, cckeantllolecc:l1ec1h1e.Schkl,lipllelnrsgo:nSa4l.0c:0hetodrt.
software and llCCftSOltell S10.00 for Prtnttrs and color moilftoril Sll.00 for
C3C · cltk drives and other molilorsl Add $3.00 per box lllippecl COO. C811 lor
other lhlDllina chargq. Addlllonal shipping recpied on APO, FPO, AK, HI.
TCAtnSnHa:DAISLCLOPURNICTE, ASDRDEFUL'E!IC. T
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BOOK REVIEWS
Imake it the calculator on your PC.
Lascaux Graphics 3220 Steuben Ave Bronx. NY 1045112121654-142'J
of the program 's use from . ta rt-up to shutdown , usually encom passing several pages and providing a good feel for the program 's basic operations. The book makes extensive use of screen images, reproduced poorly but legibly , to illustrate each program's lay out and use . Each review ends with a short " final word" section that summarizes the program's general characteristics.
Based as they are on the personal experiences of the PASS staff, the guided tours represent by far the most extensive and useful material in the book . But the format also reveals the sub tle personal biases and presumptions each of the reviewers in evitably brings to the task at hand. Also, the "forms" are not filled in consistently. One review for an IBM PC program states that the program requires an expansion slot for the MIDI inter face . But this is not listed as a requirement for the other PC pro grams, even though all of them will require a MIDI interface and an associated slot.
In a review of a MIDI sequencer program, the ability to record real-time MIDI notes and events is listed as a special fea ture when this is what a sequencer is supposed to do in the first place, a fact readers would have been aware of with better intro ductory material. One of the " limitations" listed for a MIDI voice librarian on the Macintosh is that "Mac Plus users must have a separately powered MIDI interface. " This is , of course , a limitation of the Macintosh and the MIDI interface rather than of the MIDI software. It seems that the review standards, what ever they may be, are not applied evenly and that the reviewers don't want to say anythlng too negative about any of the programs .
Take Your Chances
This is not the "complete" guide to MIDI software that it claims to be . Can you st ill gain something from this treatise . incom plete as it is? I think so . though it will cost you $20 to find out if you agree. Even with all its shortcomings, you just may find within its pages that one tidbit of information that will galvanize your decision as to which MIDI softwa re package is best for you. And if you make the right deci sion , the book will have been worth its price .
Donald Swearingen (2261 Market St., Box 289, San Francisco. CA 941I4) is a freelance programmer, musician, and author.
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A LITTLE SMALLTALK Reviewed by Joel West
T hree years ago, Timothy Budd was faced with the challenge of teaching object-oriented prognimming to students at the University of Arizona. Budd took the resources available-a group of 12 graduate students and a Unix-based time-sharing system-to develop a version of Smalltalk for his teaching. The result was Little Smalltalk.
A liule Smalltalk is geared to two types of readers: the intro ductory student learning the language, and the more advanced student modifying the system . The book is a readable teaching text for a one-semester introductory course and a concise com panion to hands-on exercises using the Little Smalltalk system.
The System
Little Smalltalk is written in C and runs under Unix systems. The
author, now at Oregon State University, distributes the public do
main source code for the system as a nine-track Unix tape image .
Little Smalltalk is a dialect of Smalltalk and nearly a proper subset of Smalltalk-80, which was developed at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) and documented by the original Smalltalk books. Although the dialects are different-Small talk-80 is the original and seminal dialect-Little Smalltalk is
cominued
58 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
Circle 271 on Reader Service Card
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JANUARY 1988 ' B YTE 59
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BOOK REVIEWS
Smalltalk: It treats everything as an object, including numbers. It includes the unary , binary, and keyword messages of Small talk , with single-path method inheritance . The differences be tween Little Smalltalk and Smalltalk-80 are clearly spelled out in an appendix .
Given its nature as a simple implementation of Smalltalk, it should not be surpri sing that Little Smalltalk does not emulate the Smalltalk-80 programming environment. Little Smalltalk requires only line-oriented terminals to develop and run pro grams , but it also supports the cursor character graphics system of 4 . 1 BSD (Berkeley Standard Distribution) Unix , as well as the specialized Unix plot libraries for terminals such as the Tek tronix 4014.
The Book
Inevitably , A little Smalltalk will be compared to the three-vol ume PARC series also published by Addison-Wesley , particu larly Smalltalk-80: The Language and !rs lmplememation. The three volumes are a comprehensive specification of Smalltalk 80, and , in their depth and style. they are most suitable for ad vanced readers. They have also been used as textbooks for courses on learning Smalltalk. In contrast, A little Smalltalk is an intermediate-level text that attempts to cover the breadth of the language quickly . It is not a step-by-step tutorial. In the space of the first 40 pages, it attempts to give the reader the fundamental concepts and syntax of the language .
The remainder of the first section of the book is devoted to reinforcing language principles and introducing language sub tleties th rough four topics: simulation, generators, graphics, and processes. The examples in this section were well chosen for teaching (rather than the author's amusement), and many include the output, a boon for those who don ' t have the soft ware. Budd solves several classic problems using Little Small talk . including those of the eight queens and the dining philoso phers . The end of each chapter includes a series of student exercises and references to further reading.
The final third of the book covers the internals of the Little Smalltalk implementation . It seems to be a good road map for modifying the system , although the feasibility of such modifica tions depends heavily on the style (or lack thereof) in the actual source code, which is not included . Still , this section offers in sight into implementation considerations in moderate doses .
The book 's bibliography is eclectic and a bit arcane. It in cludes a few obvious references , notably PARC's three Small talk-80 books. It also includes references that , while important , are inacce sible to the average reader, such as internal PARC reports and Alan Kay ' s Ph.D. thesis. It also includes items that are a bit tangential to the main thrust of the book. such as refer e nces to the Alphard . CLU. Act 1. Snobol. and GPSS program ming languages.
A Little Is a Lot
Budd seems to have fulfilled the goals he set out to achieve; as a companion to the software , A little Smalltalk is ideally suited to a one-term course on object-oriented programming , and it would be my first choice if I were offering such a class.
For those readers who are not in a classroom , the exercises at the end of each chapter are somewhat frustrating. As someone learning from a book rather than a class, I would like to have the answers to the exercises avai lable.
Overall , A Lillie Smalltalk is clearly written and edited and is an inexpensive way to learn Smalltalk . ·
Joel West (P.0 . Box 2733. Vista. CA 92083) is president of Western Software Technology. He recemly completed th e design ofan object-oriemed language for discrete simulation based 011 Modula-2 .
60 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
Circle 78 on Reader Service Card
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You don't have to give up your old software. Microsoft Excel lets you load and save Lotus,., 1-2-3,., files. Convert old macros. Record new ones.
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Money-back guarantee good on purchases made through March 31. 1988 and valid only in the U.S. and Canada. Some restric tions apply.
Microsoft a nd the Microsoft logo are reg istered trademarks and T he soul of the new machines is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Lotus and I·2·3 :uc reg iste red trJdcmarks of Lotus Developmenl Corporation.
The output shown here was created using Microsoft Exce l wit h Hewlett -Packard. Lase rJe t Plus and LaserJe t 2000 printe rs equipped wi th the Mlcrow ft Z fon t cartridge.
Company names and da ta used in the oulpu l are fi ctit iou .
Circle 169 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 170)
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 63
E'1TE
Products in
Perspective
67 What's New 97 Short Takes
MultiSpeed HD GO fer Translmage l000 RuggedWriter 480 Velan-2V Book One Surpass Reviews 111 SQL Database Management Systems 121 BIX Product Focus: SQL-based Database Managers 127 PC Designs' GV-386 133 The Toshiba T3100/20 141 The Symmetric 375 151 High-Performance Graphics Boards 155 GCC's Personal Laserprinter 163 Allegro CommonLISP 167 Personal REXX 173 @Liberty and the Baler 176 Microsoft's Bookshelf 178 MGMStation CAD 185 Computing at Chaos Manor by Jerry Poumelle 205 Applications Only by Ezra Shapiro
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 65
IT'S TIME TO DO SOME
SERIOUS 386 BUGBUSTINGI
PROBE's menu ----~
bar and pull
down menus sel a
new standard for
debugger
interfaces.
-----7 PROBE has
source-level debugging to let you "C" your program.
This is an out-of-range memory-ovuwriJe bug. Since it is interrupt related, it only appears in real time.
W elcome to your nightmare. Your company has bet the farm on your product. Your demonstration wowed the operating committee, and beta ship ments were out on time. Then wham!
All your beta customers seemed to call on the same day. " Your software is doing some really bizarre things:' they say. Your credibility is at stake. Your profits are at stake. Your sanity is at stake.
THIS BUG'S FOR YOU
You rack your brain, trying to figure something out. Is it a random memory overwrite? Or worse, an overwrite to a stack based local variable? Is it sequence dependent? Or worse, randomly caused by interrupts? Overwritten code? Undocu mented "features" in the software you're linking to? And to top it off, your program is too big. The software debugger, your program and it's symbol table can't fit into memory at the same time. Opening a bicycle shop suddenly isn't such a bad idea.
THIS DEBUGGER'S FOR YOU
Announcing the 386 PROBErn Bugbuster,*from Atron. Nine of the top-ten software developers sleep better at night because of Atron hardware-a5sisted debuggers. Because they can set real-time breakpoints which instantly detect memory reads and writes.
Now, with the 386 PROBE, you have the capability to set a qualified breakpoint, so the breakpoint triggers only if the events are coming from the wrong procedures. So you don't have to be halted by breakpoints from legitimate areas. You can even detect obscure, sequence-dependent problems by stopping a breakpoint only after a specific chain of events has occurred in a specific order.
Then, so you can look at the cause of the problem , the 386 PROBE automatically stores the last 2K cycles of program
execution. Although other debuggers may try to do the same thing, Atron js the onJ y company in the world to dequeue the
pipelined trace data so you can easily understand it. ' finally, 386 PROBE's megabyte of hidden, write-protected
memory stores your symbol table and debugger. So youl:'-bug can't roach the debugger. Anc~ so you have room enough to debug a really big program.
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WHAT'S NEW
Hi-Res TARGA System
T he Personal Hardcopy System from Lasergraph ics is a complete graphics system chat lets yo u produce high-quality TARGA-format images on slide film , paper, and overhead transparencies. The system consists of the Rascal II controller board for the IBM PC and compatibles, the PFR (Personal Film Re corder), and PPS (Personal Printi ng System) .
Using the Rascol ll , the Personal Hardcopy System can generate color hard copy and slides of prerasterized images at any resolution produced by a variety of methods , including screen dumps and image cap ture. Maximum resolution of the PFR is 4096 by 2731 pixels by 24 colors. ·
The PPS printer is a ther mal-transfer primer with
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olution. It produces color or black-and-white images with 64 levels of gray for each of the three primary colors.
The system works best with graphics packages that use TARGA-format files . It can also produce lower-resolution graphics from standard PC compatible graphics software such as AutoCAD, Lotus 1-2-3 , and Freelance Plus . Price: $9995. Contact: Lasergraphics, 17671 Cowan Ave . , Irvine, CA 92714, (714) 660-9497.
Inquiry 751.
Unique-Looking Laptop from Amstrad
L ondon-based Amstrad (with a U .S . subsidiary in Irving, Texas) has introduced its PPC 640 and PPC 512 PC compatible portables. Unlike most of the curre nt laptops, where the screen pivots up from the keyboard , the Am-
The Personal Hardcopy System creates hi-res images on film .
strads are long and thin , with a full -size 101 -key keyboard that folds down from the sys tem unit. The supertwist liq uid-crystal screen-which has a true " television-style " aspect ratio- then pops up from in side the system unit.
Weighing 11 '.!4 pounds, the PPC 640 and PPC 512 are both based on an 8086 running at 8 MHz. As their names imply,
they're shipped with 640K bytes and 5l2K bytes of RAM , respectively . The PPC 640
also has a built-in 2400-bit-per second Hayes-compatible modem and comes with either single or dual 3 ~-inch 720K byte floppy disk drives. Soft ware shipped with the system includes MS-DOS 3 .3 and SoftKlone ' s Mirror II tele communications package. The PPC 512 comes with a single drive , MS-DOS 3.3, and no modem.
Both models have five power options. They'll run on AC , a car cigarette lighter, a rechargeable battery pac k, or
even on 10 standard C -cell flashlight batteries. Serial , parallel , and RGB video ports are standard. Price: PPC 640 with single drive, $999; with dual drives , $1099; PPC 512, $799. Contact: Arnstrad Inc., 1915 Westridge Dr., Irving, TX 75038, (214) 518-0668.
Inquiry 752.
Traveling Software Links Peripherals
Desk-Link, a high-speed serial-transfer program, lets you share disk drives and printers between IBM PCs and compatibles, including lap tops and networked computers.
With ordinar y se rial ports and up to 100 feet of RJ-11 wire , the company reports transfer speeds of up 10 115,000 bps. The program comes with universal cable for the IBM PC and compatibles and 25 feet of RJ- 11 wire.
To install Desk-Link, you
SEND US YOUR NEW PRODUCT RELEASE We 'd like to consider your product for publication. Send us full in formmion about ir , including irs price. ship dare , and an address and telephone number where readers can get furth er information . Send to New Products &litor, BYTE, One Phoenix Mill Lane , Peterborough, NH 03458. lnfonnarion contained in these items is based on manufacturers ' written statements and/or telephone inter views with BYTE reporters. BYTE.does not represent itselfas hav ing formally reviewed each product mentioned.
run an install program on both computers and connect the cable. A pop-up menu lists the auxiliary devices including local or remote hard disks , floppies, and printers. You can select or change the de vices by popping up a menu and pressing a key . Talk Box is a feature that you can pop up when you want to use another computer 's printer or disk. Price: $169 .95 . Contact: Traveling Software lnc ., North Creek Corporate Center , 19310 North Creek Pa.rkway, Bothell , WA 98011 , (206) 483-8088.
Inquiry 753.
Extra Control
Delta Technology 's mem ory manager Extra gives you control over your mem ory-resident programs by let ting you set up a menu and access up to 26 programs while using the RAM of only one . It operates by transferring each terminate-and -stay-resident (TSR) program from memory to disk. The program orga nizes your TSRs in a menu that you can define.
The program is menu driven and offers hot-key oper ation , mouse support , and customizable screens.
Extra runs on the IBM PC , XT, AT, and compatibles , in cluding the PS /2s. You ' ll need at least 256K bytes of RAM , a hard disk drive, either a 3 ~- or 5 1.4 -inch floppy disk drive , and DOS 2 .0 or higher. Extra runs with a color or monochrome monitor and is not copy-protected. Price: $99. Contact: Delta Technology International , 162 l Westgate Rd ., Eau Claire, WI 54703 , (800) 242-6368 ; in Wisconsin , (715) 832-7575. Inquiry 754.
continued
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 67
WHAT'S NEW
Lotus Agenda
A genda, a personal in fonnation manager from Lotus, lets you enter a series of thoughts or items, which you can then c.ategorize and view in various ways. Agenda also automatically categorizes items. It will run on the IBM PC and compatibles and on the PS/2 family of computers , with versions for both DOS andOS/2.
Lotus calls Agenda an " item/category database. " It allows you to type in a free form series of items . Each item can be up to 350 characters long; you can attach "notes" up to IOK bytes long to each item . After you enter an item, you have the option of placing it in one or more categories.
An interesting thing about Agenda is that it can match category names with the con tents of an item . If it finds a match, Agenda can automati cally group that item under a matching category .
You can control how tight the match must be, and you can designate synonyms for cate gory names. You can also enter rules pertaining to the categorization .
You can check the items you ' ve entered by using a fea ture called a "view," which is analogous to a report in a standard database. You can construct a view by arranging the items and categories into a row-and-column format. You can set up a view showing each item you've entered, along with each company category (if any) that you' ve assigned to that category. You can also set up another view showing each company name, with all the associated items below it. Price: $395 . Contact: Lotus Development Corp., 55 Cambridge Parkway , Cambridge, MA 02142, (61 7) 577-8500. Inquiry 755.
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,. urbtf....t.erlds · Si.t [···l ·N ......l Uo lalt c:I_.. I· tM c:u.t.r.::t ; ..... , wtU. . . "
ics International 's Nova CG! ,
and GSS' DGIS and CGI in
terfaces . EGA emulation is
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Price: $2995.
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A Nonemmissive Monitor
Lotus' personal infonnation manager.
Hardware-Compatible VGA Board
Everex Systems says its EVGA graphics adapter for the IBM PC and compat ibles- using a custom applica tion-specific integrated cir cuit-is fully compatible with all 17 VGA modes at the hardware-register level, not just at the BIOS level. The board hooks up to any PS/2 compatible analog monitor.
The EVGA will also sup port EGA, RGB , and mono chrome monitors and their re spective software drivers . The board comes with both 9-pin (digital) and 15-pin (analog) monitor connectors. Price: $399. Contact: Everex , 4843 l Mil mont Dr., Fremont, CA 94538, (800) 821-0806; in California, (800) 821-0807. Inquiry 756.
Microsoft's Pagevlew
P ageview, from Micro soft, is a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) page-preview and graph ics-integration program that runs with Word in a windows environment. To use Page view's graphics capabilities, you need Windows 2 .0 or Windows/386. You can insert graphics from other applica tions programs and move, re size, and preview them on screen.
Pageview runs on the IBM
PC and compatibles and on the
PS/2s. You need 512K bytes
of RAM (640K bytes is recom
mended) , DOS 3.0 or higher,
and Word 3.0 or higher.
Price: $49.95 .
Contact: Microsoft Corp.,
16011 Northeast 36th Way,
P.O . Box 97017, Redmond ,
WA 98073-9717, (206) S82 8080.
Inquiry 757.
Ultra-Res Graphics from Texas
The Genesis 1280 is the latest incarnation of Na tional Design's ultra-high resolution graphics board. It uses Texas Instruments' high powered TMS34010 graphics processor, handles resolu tions of up to 1280 by 1024 pixels by 8 colors, and fits into a full-length slot in any PC AT or compatible.
Fully compatible with the Genesis 1024 graphics card , you can program the Genesis 1280 for virtually any analog RGB monitor up to the moni tor's maximum resolution . The 1280 comes with 4 megabytes of on-board RAM (expandable to 32 megabytes on the card).
Graphics interfaces avail able for the board include the Texas Instruments Develop ment Toolkit, Metagraphics' MetaWindows, Nova Graph
For those who still have doubts about the long-term safety of standard personal computer monitors, even with lead-impregnated glass fil ters, a company named ASK LCD has a new liquid-crystal flat-screen monitor.
Because it uses a blue supertwist LCD, the Flat Screen doesn't emit any radi ation. The screen measures 12 inches diagonally. Its low weight (3 pounds) and low vol ume (5 percent of a standard monitor) are additional advantages.
The CGA-compatible Flat Screen comes mounted on an " ergo-ann," a flexible ann that mounts the screen above your desk and lets you swivel the Flat-Screen up to 180 de grees and tilt it up to 120 de grees. An optional wall-mount ing bracket is also available.
ASK LCD says that besides its lack of radiation , the screen is much easier on the eyes than standard monitors. For se curity-conscious organiza tions, its display can't be picked up by sophisticated RF surveillance devices.
The Flat-Screen comes in two different configurations: one for the IBM PC and com patibles , and another that works with several laptops in cluding the Toshiba Tl 100 Plus , Olivetti M 15, and Ze nith Z-181. Price: IBM PC- compatible version, $1150; portable com puter version, $1050. Contact: ASK LCD Inc. , 5
Dunwoody Park, Suite 116. Atlanta, GA 30338 , (404) 399 -5208 . Inquiry 759.
continued
68 BYT E · JANUARY 1988
I '-I <
r =-1.-cir ~. -~
I I '/_. ' ; ! ,, ) -:
\Ourpad orours?
If you perform ~111111[11···········..._ text anywhere to
calculations, the answer
support your work,
is obvious.
and see and record
MathCAD 2.0.
every step. You can
It 's everything
try an unlimited
you appreciate about
number of what-ifs.
working on ascratch
And print your
pad - simple, free-form
entire calculation as
math-and more. More
an integrated docu
speed. More accuracy.
ment that anyone
More nexibility.
can understand.
Just define your
Plus, MathCAD
variables and enter your
is loaded with powerful
formulas anywhere on the screen. MathCAD built-in features. In addition to the usual trig
formats your equations as they're typed.
onometric and exponential functions, it
Instantly calculates the results. And displays
includes built-in statistical functions, cubic
them exactly as you're used to seeing them- splines, Fourier transforms, and more. It also
in real math notation, as numbers, tables
handles complex numbers and unit conver·
or graphs.
sions in a completely transparent way.
MathCAD is more than an equation
Yet, MathCAD is so easy to learn, you'll
solver. Like a scratchpad, it allows you to add be using its full power an hour after you begin.
re· Require.s IBM orcompatible, 512KB RAM,graphics card.
IBMPC" lnlt111>1ion.ll Bluin<U M.lchi°" Colponlloo. MaihCAD" M.rhSo.ft, hx.
©I Hl~hSolt,loc.
Circle 154 on Reader Service Card
What more could you ask for?How about the exciting new features we've just added to MathCAD 2.0...
· Built-in equation solver · F'ull matrix operations · 1\vo to four times increase in
calculating speed · Easier full-page text processing · Auto-scaled plots · Memory enhancements · Additional printer and plotter
support · And more. If you're tired of doing calculations by hand or writing and debugging programs, come on over to our pad. MathCAD. The Electronic Scratchpad.
Call for adetailed spec sheet and the
name of aMathCAD dealer near you.
1-800-MatbCAD (In MA: 617-577-1017).
Math CAO®
M1tbSoft, Inc., One Kendall Sq ., Cambridge, MA 62139
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 69
WHAT'S NEW
Low-Cost Multiuser System
The Kowin Three is a multiuser, multitasking computer system that runs Unil': V.3 and comes complete with most of the software needed for a small business to get started in computeriza tion. The combination host computer/workstation is based on a 68020 processor, with dual 68000 processors providing peripheral process ing. It has a 12-inch mono chrome display and an inte grated telephone handset and built-in modem .
Internally, there's a 40 megabyte hard disk, a 1.2 megabyte 5 1A-inch floppy disk drive , 4.5 megabytes of RAM , a network controller, four network ports , three RS 232C ports , and an ST-506 port.
Because the system is de signed for business users with limited computer expertise , the Unix V.3 system is hidden by an interface shell. There are four template levels for the 15 function keys on the 101 key keyboard , giving a total of 60 preprogrammed function keys . Applications software shipped with the system in cludes voice/data communica tions, electronic mail , word processing, networking, fonns management , graphics , cal endar/scheduling, a calculator, a notepad, and a phone directory/dialer.
Each host/workstation can accommodate up to 32 work stations. Each workstation in cludes a 12-inch monochrome monitor, a telephone with au todialer, 64K bytes of display memory, a network port, and two RS-232C ports. Price: Hostlworkstation, $11,990; workstation, $1190. Contact: Kowin Computer Corp., Kowin Bldg., 830 North Wilcox , Montebe!Jo, CA 90640, (800) 445-6946; in California, (800) 225-6946. Inquiry 760.
The Kowin Three uses a 68020 and dual 68000s.
Zenith Upgrades Laptop
Z enith Data Systems now has a 20-megabyte hard disk version of its popular laptop. And !he twist in this model has nothing to do with !he supertwist LCD display . Zenilh is using a new CMOS based hard disk controller along with run-length-limited (RLL) encoding on the hard disk.
The low-power consump tion of !he CMOS controller (70 percent less than a stan dard NMOS-based board) , coupled with the efficient coding of RLL has resulted in , according to Zenith, the lon gest battery life for a hard disk laptop in !he industry . Zenith is claiming the Z-183 will run up to 3 hours with the stan dard 2.5-ampere-hour re chargeable battery. An op tional 4-ampere-hour battery ($129) extends the running time to 5 hours, according to Zenith .
The running times are based on the company·s own benchmark with a 20 percent disk-access frequency , and with both continuous back lighting and hard disk power on. You can extend the run ning time even further by turn ing the backJighting off, and you can set the hard disk to automatically power down after from I second to 5 min utes of non-use.
At the same time it intro duced the 20-megabyte -ver sion, Zenith reduced the list price of the IO-megabyte ver sion of the Z-183 from $3499 to $3 199. (The I0-megabyte version uses neither the CMOS controller nor RLL en coding.) Zenith will also offer an upgrade kit that will upgrade current IO-megabyte Z- l 83s to 20 megabytes with the new controller. A com pany spokesperson says a price on the upgrade hasn't been set yet. Price: $3599. Contact: Zenith Data Sys tems, 1000 Milwaukee Ave ., Glenview, IL 60025 , (800) 842-9000. Inquiry 761.
Animation Program for AutoCAD
AutoFlex, an animation program from Autodesk, generates animation se quences of AutoCAD drawings and AutoShade renderings. The program will be available in the first quarter of 1988 and will be priced at under $500, according to Autodesk.
AutoFlex generates a series of user-defined "camera posi tions" into a set of frames. which can be replayed as an an imated movie. You can define
camera positions , focal points, and other geometric proper ties of the viewing orientation.
You can also create kinetic animation with AutoFlex , which allows you to represent the motion of a moving ma chine part, for example. However, you cannot specify the number of frames per sec ond . AutoFlex compiles the frame sequence into a com pressed file structure , using only about 5 percent of the original file space of each stored frame . The initial re lease of AutoFlex will support only the EGA graphics standard . Price: Under $500. Contact: Autodesk, 2320 Marinship Way , Sausalito, CA 94965, (415) 332-2344. Inquiry 762.
Mlte-E.Mall
Mite-E .Mail , a data com munications program that allows access to Telex, elec tronic mail , and on-line sys tems, runs with EIT's Fax modem . The program uses EIT's graphics windows soft ware environment, automati cally dialing asynchronous modems. The program in cludes auto-log-on and com mand sequences to a variety of services . It also includes a tenninal mode for direct , inter active transmissions .
Mite-E.Mail supports Mite, XMODEM , YMODEM , and Kennit file-transfer pro tocols. It includes a command line operating mode and a programming language that automates common commu nications procedures.
The program runs on the IBM PC , XT , AT, and compat ibles with a 300-. 1200-, or 2400-bps asynchronous modem ; an EIT Fax modem ; and a graphics display adapter. It requires 640K bytes of RAM and DOS 3.0 or higher . Price: $179. Contact: Electronic Informa tion Technology , 25 Just Rd .. Fairfield , NJ 07006, (201 ) 227-1447. Inquiry 763.
continued
70 BYTE ·JANUARY 1988
A GEM ofa Deal
Free Software from Genoa! For a limited time only, every SuperEGA HiRes+"' card comes with a FREE copy of GEM GraphTM-the popular business graphics package that normally retails for $249!
What a combination-a quick, easy way to turn your spreadsheets and database files into stunning graphs, and SuperEGA HiRes-+; the only Multisync-compatible 16-color EGA card with 800 x 600 resolution!
What can you do with the graphics card that brings you a full-page, readable display for Desktop Publishing? Run your spreadsheets in
132 x 60 columns. Run most VGA applications.
Run Ventura:" Pagemaker,"' AutoCAD,TM Windows;M and more-all in dazzling 800 x 600 resolution!
Get in on Genoa's GEM of a deal! For the dealer nearest you, contact: Genoa Systems Corpora tion, 73 E. Trimble Road, San Jose, CA 95131 FAX: 408-434-0997 Telex: 172319 Telephone: 408-432-9090
I ,ATF.ST FXPORTS
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SuperEOA HiRe$ 11odSupcr ECiA H1 R(':5 + an: tfO'derntirk)oofCicno;1. Sys.t11.·m~ Corpor.u km.
GEM Graph is , trndcm01irk of Olgh:il Rit:K'31"C'h. Inc'. iul li:sync"- NEC Home Ek<1ronks:
Vc.nl ura-Xcry· Corpor.ll ion ; r .· s·m ak<r- AldusCo"'°"''"'" ' AuloCA t>- Au loD<sk. Inc. ; \\'mi.lows- 4tcruwh Curporul 1u11 .
-.
Circle 101 on Reader Service Card
WHAT'S NEW
Presentation Graphics Package for Windows 2.0
Pixie is a low-cost presen tation graphics program from Zenographics that runs under Windows 2.0. The pack age features interactive edit ing of graph values and attri butes directly on the graph. Worldng with a bar graph, for example, you can change a value on either axis, and the graph is automatically re scaled . You can also alter the size of a bar or curve using the mouse; the new value of the curve is displayed in a win dow in the corner of the screen .
Another interesting feature of Pixie is the use of "mode less" dialog boxes, which re flect object selections in the dialog box simultaneously on the graph. Pixie also uses the Windows 2.0 clipboard, let ting you cut and paste images that confonn to data struc tures supported by Windows 2.0. Thfa means that you can use Pixie to dress up clip art or to add text and charts to other graphic images. Pixie includes a built-in text processor and font library and a standard pal ette of 98 colors (user-<lefin able colors of up to 16 million).
Pixie will ship this month . It represents the low end of Zenographics' line of presen tation-quality business graphics software, according to the company. The program is com patible with Mirage .IMA files and supports a device driver for sending data to slide-making service bureaus. Price: $195. Contact: Zenographics, 19752 MacArthur Blvd ., Suite 250, Irvine, CA 92715-9976, (714) 851-6352. Inquiry 764.
A Faster Clipper
C lipper Summer '87, a new version of the dBASE compiler, is significantly faster in compilation and exe cution times than the original and contains many new com mands and functions along with entirely rewritten documentation.
Pixie running under Windows 2.0.
The new version also in cludes low-level file access, ex panded string-handling capa bilities, a rewritten debugger, and new utilities. It can use the DOS 3 .3 capability to open 250 files per process. Clipper Summer '87 runs on the IBM PC , XT, AT, and compat ibles with 256K bytes of RAM , a hard disk drive or dual floppy disk drives, and DOS 2.2 or higher.
Price: $695.
Contact: Nantucket Corp.,
12555 West Jefferson Blvd .,
Suite 300 , Los Angeles, CA
90066, (213) 390-7923 .
Inquiry 765.
68000-based Slngle Board Computer
The MS68K Single Board Computer is a complete 68000-based system on a 5 'A by 8-inch board . Besides its 8-MHz processor, the system has 256K bytes of RAM (ex pandable to 512K bytes) , and up to 128K bytes ofEPROM . There are also two serial ports, a parallel port, and a floppy disk controller.
Also on the board is a socket for a SCSI protocol con troller, as well as an expan sion bus. The MS68K requires
only +5 VDC power, and it
comes with ROM-based moni tor software that contains a
line assembler, disassembler,
and a debugger.
Price: $249.95 .
Contact: Marion Systems
Corp., 1317 Fifth St., Suite
301, Santa Monica, CA
90401. (213) 451-8910.
Inquiry 766.
Mac II Data Acquisition
GW Instruments has a new line of hardware and software to handle all aspects of data acquisition, data analy sis , and external control ap plications on the Macintosh IJ. The MacADIOS Il (which stands for Macintosh analog/ digital input/output system) is a I0-board set that connects the Mac II to the outside world through a number of analog and digital channels.
The master MacADIOS II card can sample 12-bit data through one channel at 142,000 samples per second.
Conversion time is 5 micro
seconds with + /- 0.02 per cent accuracy . The software progranunable instrumentation amplifier has three gain set tings : I, 10, and IOOV/V. The AM9513A counter/timer chip bas five 16-bit event counters .
You can attach nine daughterboards, which provide a variety ofl/O functions, to the master board . Available software includes MacADIOS Manager II for nonpro
grammers . If you're a more
experienced bit jockey, you can
program MacADIOS through
any of half a dozen program
ming languages.
Price: $1500 to $10,000.
Contact: GW Instruments
Inc ., P .O. Box 2145, Cam
bridge, MA02141, (617)
625-4096.
Inquiry 767.
Multlfeature Laser
The price of midrange laser printers , usually packed with standard fea tures , continues to fall. A case in point is Kyocera Unison's F-1 OOOA printer. This 10 page-per-minute printer has 79 resident fonts, including 8 foreign-language character sets.
Included with the printer are 512K bytes of RAM (ex pandable to 1.5 megabytes) and both parallel and serial ports. The F-lOOOA emulates seven printers, including the Diablo 630, Qume Sprint 11 , NEC Spinwriter, IBM Graph ics Printer, Epson FX-80, Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 11, and a generic line printer.
The printer has two card slots that accept customized IC cards , each of which store personalized logos, business fonns, and even signatures. If you want to prepare cards, you ' ll need the optional Font/ Logo Master software ($300) and the IC Card Burner Kit ($500) . Blank IC cards are $55 each.
Like other Kyocera laser printers, the F-IOOOA includes the Prescribe printer-com mand language, which accepts commands in straight ASCII . The printer has a 250-sheet feed cassette. Price: $2895. Contact: Kyocera Unison Inc.. 3165 Adeline St., Berke ley , CA 94703 , (415) 848 6680. Inquiry 768.
continued
72 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
0 LOGITECH Modula-:!
$99
V 3 .0CompilerPack
Compiler 1n overlay and fully hnked form.
Linkable Library. Posr Morrero Debugger.
Poinl &litor
0 LOGITECH Modula·'.!
V 3.0Toolkil Ubrar-y sOltl'Ces, Linker, Run Time Oebug· gcr. MAKE.Decoder. Version. XRef.
$249 Formarrcr
0 LOGITECH Modula-2 V. 3.0 Dc\elopment System
FREE Compiler Pock plu~Toolki1
0 Turbo Pascal to
Modula- 2"'D'ansla1or
s49 With Compiler Pack or Dcvclopnl<lnl Sy$!em
D Window Package
Build true windowing into your
Modula·2 code.
D Upgrnde Pack~
Call LOGITECH for information or to receive an order form.
Add $6,50 fM ~hipping ·nd h1ndlln11- Cahfonu· ,.,,;<kn~
odd ·pplicablc ulcs ru . p,..,., ··lid
in U.S. nnly,
Torol EnulosedS _ _ __
0 VISA 0 MasterCard 0 Check Enclosed
CardNum};er
Add~
City
State
Wrong.
It's not the name on the tip of your tongue. But it's the name that soon will be: Logitech. In our short history, we've manufactured over 750,000 mice. More than any
other company in the world. And we've supplied more mouse hardware, software and firmware to more major
OEM's than anyone else. And along the way, we've earned a reputation for our technological know-how
in all facets of mouse production. That's because we design and manufacture our mice ourselves. We even publish our own software.
The result: A better, less expensive mouse. Which, when combined with our very affordable software, provides a complete solution for almost any graphics need.
But our achievements of tre past are only a stepping stone for the future. Which is why we've designed the new LOGITECH Series 2 Mouse. It's 100% compatible with the
latest IBM Personal System 2~ And it plugs right into the mouse port, freeing the serial port for laser printers and
J j
·
t0G1rtcHsER1ES 2MousEwithP1us Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S99 Our new mouie is 700% compatible with IBM . Plus Sofrware includes driver, programmable pqp-up
~~~~:h~t~'"o·u~':a~:11~c!Ji~:/.1 f0r1-l-J.·and
other peripherals. The LOGITECH Series 2 Mouse also offers superior
hardware, and an ergonomic 2-button design which feels great to the hand. Plus it incorporates opto-mechanical technology, providing long-term reliability and excellent reSOI UtiOn.
And like all Logitech products, the new LOGITECH
Series 2 Mouse is an excellent value for the dollar. Especially since it comes with our
Plus Software, which makes our mouse even easier to use. If you want more information about our products or the name of the dealer
nearest you, call 800-231-7717 (800-552-8885 in California) or write: Logitech, Inc.,
r:::m lJQGITECH 6505 Kaiser Drive, Fremont, CA 94555. In Europe, call 41-21-869-9656.
Now, once again, who do you think of as the world's largest manufacturer of mice? Right!
~
I LOGlf1\!NfSET
lOGITECH MOUSE with Plus Software . . . SH9
Consistently the r.-iewen'favorites. our Sus and
Serial mouse products come complete wilh our Plus
Software, which includes driver. Logimenu pr& LOGITECH 'S COMPLETE
lOGITECH'S COMPLETE PAINT
grammable pop-up menu system, Point ond Click
PUBLISHING SOLUTION . .. . S179
SOLUTION .. .. .. .. ... . $149
Shell for Lows 1-2-J: and Point. rhe mouse-based
Mouse. Plus Software and PUBLISHER
Wirh Mouse. Plus Software and
r~r edllor.
software. Produces high-impac r, pr& lOGIPAINT. Creates files that
fessionol looking documenrs. Design
move easily into bath lOGICADD
templates make page layout .asy. For
and Publisher documenrs.
Circle 149 on Reader Service Card
beginner and advanced.
(DEALERS: 150)
LOGITECH'S COMPL£TE CADD
SOLUTION .
. . . S789
For beginner to advanced, irl a
complete solution for dimensioned
line drawing and CADD. Package
includes Mouse, Plus Software. and
lOG/CAOO.
WHAT'S NEW
GRID Adds High-Powered Laptops
GRiD Systems has broad ened its product line with laptops based on the 80286 and 80386 processors. The GRiDCase 1500 Series com puters weigh about 12 pounds apiece. GRiD claims that the units are the only battery powered 286 and 386 laptops.
Standard feature.s of the AT-compatible 1500 series in clude a 10-inch diagonal supertwist backlit LCD screen, I megabyte of RAM (expand able to 8 megabytes). two I .44 megabyte 3 'h -inch internal floppy d.isk drives, and up to 512K-byte ROM packs.
Options for the 1500 series include two different gas plasma displays , 10- , 20-. or 40-megabyte internal hard drives, a math coprocessor, an internal modem, and a re chargeable battery pack.
The Model 1520 uses an 80C286 processor running at 10 MHz, while the Model 1530 has an 80C386 processor running at 12 .5 MHz. Price: 1520, $3495; 1530, $4695. Contact: GRiD Systems Corp., 47211 Lakeview Blvd ., Fremont, CA 94538, (415) 656-4700 . Inquiry 769.
PS/2 External 525 Drive
Delkin Devices' 525 Extra is a compact, low-cost ex ternal 5 'A-inch floppy disk drive for all models of the lBM PS/2 series. The drive simply plugs into an existing connector inside the PS/2; it gets its power from the computer.
Measuring 9 by 6 by 2 1.4 inches, the 525 Extra installs in about 5 minutes with a standard screwdriver. It allows the PS/2 mach.ines to read , write, and format standard 360K-byte floppy disks. Price: $325 . Contact: Delkin Devices U .S .A ., 4655 Cass St., Suite 306, San Diego, CA 92109, (619) 273-8086. Inquiry 770.
The GRiDCase 1500 comes with an 80286 or an 80386.
Datavue has 386 Transportable
A nd yet another entry in the growing list of 80386 based transportable systems comes from Datavue. Adding to its extensive line of laptop , portable, and transportable computers , its power-user system-called the Smoke386-will be available in both a 16-MHz system with a 40-megabyte hard disk drive and a 20-MHz version with a 100-megabyte hard disk drive. A company spokes person says both will be avail able by the end of March .
The Smoke386 will run on AC power only. The unit ' s ap pearance is similar to the Datavue 25- the company's first portable. It has a vertical configuration and an appear ance that some have com pared with an electric toaster. Departing from screen types of previous Datavue portables , the unit uses a back.lit twisted nematic LCD display with a I to- I aspect ratio and a black on-white (or inverse) VGA type display featuring a resolution of 640 by 480 pixels.
The Smoke386 will come standard with 2 megabytes of RAM, expandable to 8 mega bytes. Besides the hard disk drives mentioned above, sev eral different floppy disk drive configurations are available, including sif!gle or dual 1.44
megabyte 3 1/i-inch floppy disk drives, as well a 1.2 megabyte 5 'A -inch floppy disk drive.
Weighing about 16 pounds, the Smoke386 can handle two full-size IBM PC or AT ex pansion cards with an optional expansion chassis that mounts on the bottom of the unit. The box does add to the size, but the computer remains easily tran sportable . Price: 16-MHz version, $4995; 20-MHz version , price not yet available. Contact: Datavue, One Meca Way , Norcross, GA 30093 2919, (404) 564-5555 . Inquiry 771.
Operating System for PS/2s
Q uantum has a version of its QNX operating system for the IBM PS/2 family . The program provides 150 concur rent tasks in a protectedmode environment and 64 tasks in real mode. Quantum re ports that QNX perfonns 3800 task switches per second in real mode and 2816 in pro tected mode on the Model 50.
The operating system pro vides up to 32 serial ports and can handle files up to l tera byte (a trillion bytes), accord ing to Quantum . Running Quantum's DOS-emulator pro gram, QDOS Il, provides DOS compatibility. Price: $450. Contact: Quantum Software
Systems Ltd . , l75 Terrence Matthews Crescent , Kanata South Business Park, Kanata , Ontario , Canada K2M IW8 , (613) 591 -0931. Inquiry 772.
NEC MultlSync in Monochrome
NEC Home Electronics, whose MultiSync color monitors started a minor rev olution in color graphics, has introduced a monochrome version . The " GS " in Multi Sync GS stands for gray scale, and that ' s how it d isplays colors-in up to 64 shades of gray. It ' s available in green , amber, and paper-white phosphor models.
The MultiSync GS has a 13-inch diagonal screen and is NEC 's first monochrome monitor. The unit works with all IBM PC-compatible graphics adapters, and the monitor ' s input is switchable between analog and digital . MDA and Hercules inputs are displayed as 3 levels of gray , CGA as 13 levels, EGA and EGA-plus as 64 levels, and MCGA and VGA depend on the mode.
The monitor's maximum resolution is 720 by 480 pixels. The scan rate, which auto matically adjusts to the graph ics adapter bei ng used , is 15 .7 to 31 .5 KHz horizontal and 49.6 to 70 KHz vertical. Its screen is nonglare , with a flat CRT and square corne rs .
Why a monochrome Multi Sync? An NEC spokesperson says the company 's market research showed a need for MultiSync features in many business environments, but the cost of the color monitors coupled with often-right bud gets meant that workers who needed MultiSync features often didn ' t get them . Price: $279. Contact: NEC Home Elec tronics U .S .A., Computer Products Division, 1255 Michael Dr., Wood Dale, IL 60191 , (312) 860-9500 . Inquiry 773.
co11ti1111ed
76 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
DTELL
·.-··------·······
Introducing The Complete Personal Communications"' family: hand scanner, fax and personal voice mail for your PC.
FAX IT ·······
Now you can have voice mail and
For only $499 you can forget
the dedicated phone line and
long w.i.lk to the fax room .
Introducing your personal
facsimile machine: The
Complete FAX T· board .
With CGA, EGA or
Hcrculcs-compatiblc graphics,
you can instantly view
incoming faxes on your PC's
screen. Then save them to disk
or print them on most dot
I I
matrix or laser printers. Create faxes with your
favorite word processor and
computer graphics program.
~ SCAN IT lllt~
Smaecnhditnheemin
to any Group Ill fax the world. And you
~------- bow and tell. They
were the first
s communications skills
you used. Isn't it time to get
more from your personal
computer than word
processing, spreadsheets and
databases? Now you can put
on a SHOW with The
Complete Hand ScannerTM
accessory.
Desktop publishing will
never be the same. For only
$249 you can capture logos,
signatures and photographs into
popular graphics programs. The
Soft Stationery '" program
can scan in your signature with
included with the scanner lets l11e Complete Hand Scanner.
you merge text and graphics as
Background CFAX ' "
easy as point-and-click.
software is always ready to send
Scan a 2Yz inch wide image and receive faxes without
at a resolution of 200 dots per imerrupting the other PC
inch. Merge it. Crop it. Rotate programs you're using. You can
it. Insert it. Scale it. Color it.
even schedule outgoing faxes to
Then print it with your dot
take advantage of lower late
matrix or laser printer. You can night phone rates for
even .. .
transmission to distribution lists all over the world. And CFAX is so smart, it can share the same phone line when you . . .
TURN YOUR PC
INTO THE WORLD'S SMARTEST
ANSWERING MACHINE
The SHOW wouldn't be complete without the TELL We started the whole personal communications revol ution with our $349 best-selling Complete Answering Machine '" (CAM '" ) personal voice mail system.
Why irritate people by making them talk to a dumb answering machine? Give frequent callers their own voice mailboxes. Tell callers your computer will transfer them to another extension or track you down to deliver their messages. Because it runs in background, CAM won't disturb anything else you 're doing on your PC . And the business possibilities for CAMs are endless. With up to four phone lines and CAM boards, you can tum a dedicated PC into your most dedicated employee.
e·
I
Use our new ProCAM TM development system to create order entry, catalog inquiry, customer service or other voice rcsponsc applications.
Teach your PC to show and tell, call (800)634-5558 for the name of the dealer nearest you.*
Tl-1l=<:C>M PLl:TEPC
More f rom your perso11al computer
521 Cottonwood Drive · Milpitas, California 95035 (800)634-5558 · (408)434-0145 · FAX (408)434-1048
"ll>c Compld., PC producrs ·~ ··'llilable at MicroAgt Compu"'r Stott< and Olbtr quality .....utts. To ordor by pbon·, call R + R Dlttcl al (800)654-7587.
Copyrighl (") 1987 by The Complc"' PC. Inc. The Complct< PC. Complete l\:ri;onal Communicarions. CPC. l'h< Compl<rc FAX . CFAX. The Complclc Hand Scanner. Sofr Stalioncry. The Compkl< Answering
M:achlnc, CAM ilJ1d ProCAM .ltt lradcmarks of'The Complcic PC. 1llt': 01he.r companies mentioned own no mcrou5 n:gi.;.tctcd lrad<:marks.
TRUA
Circle 58 on Reader Service Card
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 77
WHAT'S NEW
PageMaker 3.0
A mong other features, PageMaker 3.0 will pro-
vide automatic text flow throughout a document, automatic text wraparound of irregularly shaped graphics, support for color, image controls for scanned photographs and bit-mapped illustrations, user-definable style sheets, and 20 page-design templates.
The image-comrol feature lets you control brightness , adjust contrast between an object and its background, define the angle and density of an image's lines and dots to create special effects, and easily modify images.
With version 3 .0 , new pages are automatically created for text overflow, and a Snap to Rulers command for precise alignment has been added. You can also import tagged formats from wordprocessing, database, and spreadsheet applications.
The new version of PageMaker will require a Windowscompatible PC AT or PS/2 that has at least a l 0-megabyte hard disk drive. Price: $795. Contact: Aldus Corp., 411 First Ave. S, Suite 200, Seattie, WA 98104, (206) 6282375 . Inquiry 774.
80386 Computer Kit
I n one or two evenings of simple assembly work, you can build yourself a highpowered computer system with Heath's H-386 kit. Based on an 80386 processor running at 16 MHz, the standard H-386 kit also includes a 1.2-megabyte 5 1.4-inch floppy d.isk drive, a combination floppy/ hard disk controller, serial and parallel ports, ROM-based diagnostics, and a 101-key keyboard.
The Heath Z-449 video board that comes with it is EGA-, CGA- , and MDAcompatible. Software includes Zenith's MS-DOS 3.2+ and
Integrated 7 + , an integrated
software package that ineludes a spreadsheet, word
processor, database manager, graphics, and communications.
You don't nee.d any special tools or skills to put the H-386 together. No soldering is required, and the completed systern has five full-length open slots. Options include hard disk drives, additional floppy disk drives, and monochrome or color monitors. Price: $3349.95 . Contact: To obtain kit, write to the Heath Company. Dept. 350-010, Hilltop Rd . , Benton Harbor, MI 49022. Inquiry 775.
Lotus 1·2·3 Add-on
wRelational Database indjanuner Software believes that its product, NexView, is the first relational spreadsheet program. The Lotus 1-2-3 add-on gives you access to data in spreadsheets without having to write any special formulas. You can consolidate a number of spreadsheets into one and work on up to 10 windows simultaneously. The program formats reports and lets you bring entries from one spreadsheet to another.
NexView runs on the IBM PC XT and compatibles with 640K bytes of RAM, a monochrome or color monitor, and a hard disk drive. Price: $595. Contact: Windjammer Software Inc., 567 Park Ave., Scotch Plains, NJ 07076, (201) 322-6363. Inquiry 776.
Transportable Widecarriage Printer
Diconix , a subsidiary of Eastman Kodak, now has a wide-carriage version of its transportable printer. The Diconix 300W takes paper up to 14.8 inches wide, measures 3 by 9 by 19 inches, and weighs just 12 pounds.
The printer uses ink-jet technology and has a rated noise level of only 48 decibels. Draft print speeds are
310 cps (elite) and 258 cps (pica); near-letter-quality mode prints at 73 cps (elite) and 61 cps (pica); and letter-quality mode prints at 48 cps (elite) and 40 cps (pica) . A condensed draft-quality mode is also available, and the printer can print full-size graphics at 192 by 192 dots per inch.
Emulating the IBM Proprinter, IBM Quietwriter, and the Epson FX-85/100 printers, the Diconix 300W is available in both parallel and serial models. Price: $749. Contact: Diconix Inc. , 3100 Research Blvd., Dayton , OH 45420, (800) 342-6649. Inquiry 777.
Skok Announces CAD
sPrograms kok Systems began shipping four new drawi.ng programs in December. The first, Drawbase HLR, is a hidden line-removal program that works with other Drawbase software.
Drawbase 2000 is a twodimensional program that ineludes construction geometry, interrupt command structure, and DXF import/export capability. Drawbase 3000 is a two- and three-dimensional program that features twoand three-point views, as well as orthographic and wireframe views. The last program in the series, Drawbase 4000, includes a database package and the program Space Accounting, which tracks area and perimeter values of any graphic object.
Skok reports that all the Drawbase programs are integrated, enabling you to move drawings back and forth between them without a translation procedure. None of the announced products is copyprotected. Price: Drawbase HLR, $495; Drawbase 2000, $1995; Drawbase 3000, $2995; [)rawbase 4000, $3995 . Contact: Skok Systems Inc ., 222 Third St. , Cambridge, MA 02142, (617) 868-6003 . Inquiry 778.
Forget-Me-Not
T he programmable message system Forget-Me
Not tells your system to exe cute batch-file applications unattended and can be used for sending and receiving elec tronic mail in a LAN environment.
The program reads SideKick calendar programs as well as six other files you create. You can pop up a message window using the SideKick notepad , EDLIN, WordStar, or other ASCD text editors. You can program the window 10 ap pear at a certain time or place, and the message can contain multiple windows.
Forget-Me-Not is filedri:ven and written in assembly language. It requires 25K bytes of RAM , one disk drive, and MS-DOS or PC-DOS 2.0 or higher. Price: $59. Contact: Sterling Castle Software, 702 Washington St.. Suite 174, Marina del Rey , CA 90292 , (800) 722-7853; in California, (800) 323-6406. Inquiry 779.
FORTRAN Compiler with GEM Documentation
p rospero Software's program development envi-
ronment, Prospero FOR TRAN for GEM, runs on the Atari ST and the IBM PC . An enhanced version of Pro FORTRAN-77, the new compiler offers a four-window source editor, a development envi ronment, a symbolic debugger, and an improved linker.
The package is a complete validated ANSI-standard FORTRAN-77-level compiler, Prospero reports. The IBM PC version lets ST programmers recompile source programs to run on the PC and compat ibles under GEM. Price: $199. Contact: Prospero Software
Inc., lOOCommercialSt.,
Suite 306, Portland , ME
04101, (800) 327-6730.
Inquiry 780.
continued
78 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
persoif' ·
Perfect matches to DEC user needs. Hip. Hip. And Hooray.
One-size-fits-all is an attribute best reserved for inexpensive socks. In the realm of PC-based emulation and communications software for DEC mainframe users. it's important to match specific user needs with specific product attributes. We have.
Smatrerm® 240 features exact four-color emulation of a DEC~ VT24 I terminal. AJong with delivering full-screen ReGIS®and Tektronix®4010/4014 graphics. Smafferm 240 offers preci~e VT220. VTI02 .VTIOO. and VT52 text emulation.
For non-graphics applications. Smatrerm®220 duplicates virtually every Smatrerm 240 text. communication. and ease-of-use feature. Three error-free file transfer protocols. including Kermit and Xmodem. are provided. Downloading minimizes on-line time requirements to boost overall system efficiency. And an optional network package allows direct LAN access to shared modems. printers. as well as host mainframes.
As Smafferm 240 and 220 focus on graphics and text. new SmartMOVE® makes PC-to-the-rest-of-the-World communications sharper than ever. Speed connect. auto redial. and background file transfer features make this VTlOO emulator a loud and clear choice for advanced communications requirements.
Graphics.text and communications. If you're looking for a perfect fit. seek the
software sized and priced to match your needs. Persoft has it. Period.
See us at DEXPO West Booth 1024. visit your dealer. phone us at 608-273-6000.or use inquiry code 50.
:~l~a':~~~~~~~~~c:;:~:; i~~=~~~~~~""d=~~~~{~r!::softloc DEC.vtand
WHAT'S NEW
Mainframe Runs MS-DOS
T he Centaur II Mainframe is an MS-DOS-compat ible, multiuser, multiprocess ing system that runs under the Novell NetWare operating system. It can be expanded lo hand.le up to 100 simulta neous terminal users or up to 500 occasional switched ter minal users. Each user's termi nal is connected to a circuit card that incorporates an NEC V40 processor running at 8 MHz, 786K bytes of RAM (640K bytes is user-accessi ble) , and two COM ports: one for attaching the terminal, the other for a printer or modem.
The main file processor for the mainframe is either 80286 or 80386-based and includes 2 megabytes of RAM (expand able up to 16 megabytes). The peripheral controller in cluded can handle up to six floppy/hard disk systems and a tape backup unit.
The Mainframe itself con sists of a standard 19-inch com puter cabinet and from one to six rack-mounted Centaur II chassis. Each chassis houses from 1 to 14 application proces
sors. A full range of storage
peripherals is available. Cen taur II supports most ASCII terminals, including DEC VT lOOs and compatibles, as well
The Centaur !I is MS-DOS compatible.
SYSTEMS
as standard PC-type terminals
such as those available from
DVSC, Link, Kimtron, Tele
Video, and WYSE.
Price: Starting at $50,000
(30 to 40 users).
Contact: Data/Voice Solu
tions Corp. , One Newport
Place, Mail Stop 800, New
port Beach, CA 92660, (714)
752-8181.
Inquiry 781.
Toshiba's 386 Portable
T oshiba's T51~ portable computer gets 1ts power from a 16-MHz 80386 (switchable to 8 MHz). There's also a socket for an 80387 co processor. Other standard in ternals of the portable are 2 megabytes of RAM (expand able to 4 megabytes), a single 1.44-megabyte 3 ~-inch floppy disk drive that Toshiba says is fully compatible with IBM PS/2 drives, and a 40-mega byte hard disk drive with an average access time of 29 mil liseconds. The T5100 requires AC; it wilJ not operate on bat tery power.
On the outside, the T5100 measures 12 'A inches wide by 14 IA inches deep by 3 ~ inches high. Like other Toshiba portables , the screen flips up. Like the Toshiba T3IOO, the screen has a gas plasma display . With a resolu tion of 640 by 400 pixels (equal to the EGA standard) , it displays graphics using four shades of gray. There's also a port for an external EGA compatible monitor.
The unit has an RS-232C serial port, a parallel port, a port for connecting an exter nal 5 IA-inch floppy d.isk drive , and a Toshiba standard inter nal expansion slot. Software in cludes MS-DOS 3.2 and Lotus Metro; the memory-resi dent desktop manager from the l-2-3 mavens .
Options for the TS I00 in clude a 2-megabyte memory expansion board (price not
Toshiba's new portable is 80386-powered.
yet announced) . There's also an internal 1200-bps modem ($399), an external 5 \.4 -inch floppy disk drive ($499) , and Floppy Link, a $199 package that lets you connect the T5100 to a desktop PC. A carrying case is also optional . Price: $6499. Contact: Toshiba America Inc., Information Systems Division, 9740 Irvine Blvd. , Irvine, CA 92718, (800) 457 7777 . Inquiry 782.
Pagelink Merges Text and Graphics
Q ume' s PageLink is a self-contained hardware/ software system that merges text and graphics ~om existing word-processing and spread sheet programs to produce typeset-quality documents . It's available in two versions: PageLink has 1.2 megabytes of internal memory to combine text with partial-page graph ics. PageLink Plus has 2 mega bytes of memory, enough to combine text with full-page bit-
mapped graphks. The PageLink system has
111 built-in fonts , and software enhancers allow automatic kerning, optim.ized character spacing, and true typesetting functions such as italics. You can create page frames, shades, and patterns. You can also integrate scanned images into documents .
PageLink operates in two basic modes. In the PageLink mode , the controller outputs video directly into the imaging unit of your laser printer. In native mode, PageLiok acts only as a buffering multi plexer to the standard laser printer controller. The system lets you connect up to n.ine microcomputers to a single laser printer, and it operates with pop-up software. Price: $3795; PageLink Plus, $3995. Contact: Qume, 2350 Qume Dr. , San Jose, CA 95131 1893, (408) 432-4000. Inquiry 783.
cominued
80 BYTE· JANUARY 1988
/
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l_ UNDERSTANDING COMPUTERS by TIME-LIFE BOOKS is exactly that. on expert system on the subject of 7computers.
It's not softwore based, so it can't crash. And since it's not machine-specific, it won't become outdated easily. which means you'll find it on invaluable, lo ng-lived reference whether you hove o n IBM®PC, on Apple lie®, a multimillion dollar Croy®, o r no
computer a·t all right now.
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UNDERSTA~N-D-I~ N~G-C--O-M-P-U-- TERS
Introducing the two
on earth
The new COMPAQ DESKPRO 386/20'"
The world now has two new benchmarksfrointheleader in high-performance personal computing. The new 20-MHz COMPAQ DESKPRO 386/20 and the 20-lb., 20-MHz COMPAQ PORTABLE 386 deliver system performance that can rival
minicoinputers'. Plus they intro duce advanced capabilities without sacrificing compatibil ity with the software and hard ware you already own.
Both employ an industry standard Intel· 80386 micropro cessor and sophisticated 32-bit architecture. Our newest porta ble is up to 25% faster and our desktop is actually up to 50% faster than 16-MHz 386 PC's. But we did much more than simply increase the clock speed.
For instance, the COMPAQ DESKPRO 386/20 uses a cache memory controller. It comple
ments the speed of the micropro
cessor, providing an increase in system performance up to 25% over other 20-MHz 386 PC's. It 's also the first PC to offer an op tional Weitek"' Coprocessor Board, which can give it the performance of a dedicated engineering work station at a fraction of the cost.
They both provide the most storage and memory within their classes. Up to 300 MB of storage in our latest desktop and up to 100 MB in our new portable.
It simply works better.
most powerful PC's
and off.
6 % JI
and the new 20-MHz COMPAQ PORTABLE 386T"
Both use disk caching to inject more speed into disk-intensive applications and both will run MS' OS/2.
A5 for memory, get up to 16 MB of high-speed 32-bit RAM with the COMPAQ DESKPRO 386/20 and up to 10 MB with the COMPAQ PORTABLE 386. Both computers feature the COMPAQ' Expanded Memory Manager, which supports the Lotus'/Inter!Microsoft' Ex panded Memory Specification
to break the 640-Kbyte barrier imposed by DOS.
With these new computers plus the original COMPAQ DESKPRO 386"': we now offer the broadest line of high performance 386 solutions. They all let you run software being written to take advantage of 386 technology, including Microsoft, Windows/386 Presen tation Manager. It provides multitasking capabilities with
today's DOS applications to make you considerably more productive. But that's just the beginning. For more informa tion, call 1-800-231-0900, Operator 43 . In Canada, call 416-733-7876, Operator 43.
Intel, Lotus, Microsoft, and Weitek are trademarks of their respective companies. © 1987 Compaq Computer Corporation. All rights reserved .
romPAtr
WHAT'S NEW
PERIPHERALS
Citizen Speeds Low End
Citizen America now has a raster version of its pop uJar low-cost 120D printer. The I 80D is, as its name im plies, a 180-cps (draft) dot matrix printer. It also has three additional modes: data pro cessing al 150 cps, high-speed NLQ at 31 cps, and NLQ at 29 cps.
The 1800 uses a nine-wire print head and is compatible with both Epson and IBM printers. You can also print graphics in seven resolutions up 10 240 dots per inch. The unit can generate over 200 type styles, including com pressed and expanded characters.
You can feed paper into the 1800 through either the rear or the bottom of the unit. A par allel interfu.ce is standard; a serial interface is optional. Price: $259. Conta<;t: Citizen America, 2401 Colorado Ave, Suite 190, Santa Monica, CA 90404, (213) 453-0614. Inquiry 784.
Hlgh·Speed AT
Hard Disk
Micro Systems Group has a new series of hard disk drives for the IBM PC AT and compatibles that feature ultra-fu.st access times and are designed to take advantage of the 16-bit bus and faster clock speeds of 80286-based computers. The fastest of the lot is the MSG-HS40, a 40 megabyte unit with an aver age access time of 8.2 milliseconds.
The drives are also avail able in capacities of 82 , 120, and 150 megabytes, each with an average access time of 16 ms . All models are full height 5 1.4-inch drives and come complete with an ESDI controller with proprietary firmware for maximum data transfer. Price: From $3495 to $5495. Contact: Micro Systems
Group Inc., 2117 Stonington, Hoffman Estates, IL 60195, (312) 882-5666. Inquiry 785.
Low-Cost Modems
A new series of modems for the IBM PC and com patibles from Advanced Computer Technology has four different models. The Expert 24E is a 2400-bps external modem; the 241 is a 2400-bps internal modem. Likewise, the Expert 12E and 121 are 1200 bps external and internal models, respectively.
All use the industry-stan dard AT command set and are compatible with most com munications software. Each has a two-year warranty and includes auto-dialing, on screen help menus, multiple number storage, automatic speed adjustment for noisy lines, and extensive self-testing and diagnostics. A built-in speaker and dual telephone jacks are also standard. Price: 24E and 24I, $199; 12E and 121, $109. Contact: Advanced Com puter Technology, Worcester Providence Turnpike, Sut ton, MA01527, (800)654 6464; in Massachusetts, (617) 865-3304. Inquiry 786.
High-Speed Modem for Normal Lines
Ven-Tel's EC18K-34 is a very high-speed 18,000 bps asynchronous modem with integral data compression that the company claims can boost throughput up to 19,200 bps, even on poor lines.
The modem automatically corrects errors using 16-bit CRC in high-speed mode and MNP error correction at 1200 bps and 2400 bps. It can also dynamically adjust itself to changing phone-line condi tions . Unlike many competing high-speed modems, the
ECI8K-34 can fall back in speed by 100-bps increments if the line degrades.
At high speed, the modem uses PEP (Packetized Ensem ble Protocol) multicarrier modulation. Al lower speeds, it is Hayes-compatible and automatically adjusts itself to the highest speed supported by the modem on the other end. The EC18K-34 has ad vanced self-testing and can be configured via telephone line from a remote location. Price: $1300. Contact: Ven-Tel Inc., 2121 Zanker Rd., San Jose, CA 95131, (408)436-7400. Inquiry 811.
Fast Mac II Drive
With a data transfer rate that's faster than the transfer rate of the Macintosh II, the PRO 140 Il/i is a 140 megabyte internal hard disk drive that's designed especially for Apple's top-of-the-line model.
The disk has an average access time of 26 ms and fea tures automatic head parking. There's also a dynamic brake lock system that protects sensitive areas of the disk while it's being transported. The PRO 140 D/i comes with the CMS SCSI Utilities pro gram that helps you formal, initialize, and install the drive. Price: $2695. Contact: CMS Enhance ments Inc., 1372 Valencia Ave., Tustin, CA 92684, (714) 259-9555 .
Inquiry 787.
Fingerprint Your Computer
T humbScan is a "bio metric identification sys tem" that analyzes finger prints to make sure that only authorized users get access to a computer equipped with the unit. The system consists of a small fingerprint-scanning de vice that connects to your sys-
tern, as well as software. The software initiaJizes
your fingerprint by requesting that you place a thumb or fin ger on the scanner's image area. The ThumbScan then digitizes and encrypts the fin gerprint. Later on, it will compare your fingerprint with the encrypted image. If it matches, you can access the
system. It takes about 5 min
utes to initialize a user, and thereafter about 5 seconds to check if the user is authorized.
ThumbScan is compatible with MS-DOS systems, as well as DEC VAXes and IBM mainframes, which require ad ditional software. Price: $995 . Contact: ThumbScan Inc., Two Mid-America Plaza, Suite 800, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181, (312) 954-2336. Inquiry 788.
Heavy-Duty Laser
With a target volume of 10,000 pages per month and a rated print-engine life of 600,000 pages, the Facit P7080-A laser printer is de signed for heavy use in a busy environment. The printer comes with six fonts in two sizes; plug-in cartridges are available to provide additional fonts , PostScript and HPGL emulation, and bar-code printing.
Rated at 8 pages per min ute, the P7080-A emulates. the Diablo 630, Hewlett-Packard LaserJet Plus, and Epson FX printers. It has both parallel and serial interfaces, and it comes standard with 512K bytes of RAM, expandable to 2 megabytes. The feeder and output trays both handle 250 pages, and the output is col lated face-down . Price: $5895. Contact: Facit Inc., 9 Execu tive Dr., Merrimack, NH 03054, (603) 424-8000. Inquiry 789.
continued
84 8 YT E · JANUARY 1988
lrn51 Universal Data Systems lWliJ ® MOJ"OlfO&.A
--. --
RS
CS
QM
CO
RO
TO
Full duplex 9600 bps commun ication
The unit also features auto dial, auto
over dial-up telephone lines becomes
answer, call progress detection and
more cost-effective than ever, as UDS adaptive line equalization . If degraded
announces a 36% price cut for the
line quality prevents 9600 bps commu
popu lar V.32 modem.
nication, a 4800 bps fall back mode is
A unique echo cancellation technique available.
(patent pending) perm its reliable per
If modem cost is the reason you
formance over all types of surface and haven't upgraded your dial-up system
satellite links. Set-up and operation are to V.32, the rules have just changed.
greatly simplified by a 3-key
·,
For detailed specifications
system of responses to menu
and quantity prices, contact
prompts on an integral LCD
Universal Data Systems, 5000
screen . The same screen dis .._.
--- . ,._
--
--
--
-
plays results from the modem's
Bradford Drive, Huntsville, AL 35805. Telephone 800 -451 ·
extensive self-test regime. New Quantity One Price 2369; Telex 752602 UDS HTV.
Circle 279 on Reader Service Card
Universal Data Systems
® MOTOACX.A INC.
-
Sl'*'N Gto..f>
Created by Dayner/Hall, Inc., Winter Park, Florida
WHAT'S NEW
ADD - INS
High-Speed EGA/VGA
A head Systems has two new video cards for the IBM PC and compatibles that feature both EGA and BIOS level VGA compatibility. The EGA Wizard and EGA Wizard Deluxe have maximum reso lutions of 640 by 480 pixels and 800 by 600 pixels, respectively .
Both cards display CGA and EGA colors as 16 shades of gray on monochrome moni tors and support 132-column modes . Both also have a pro prietary turbo mode, which the company claims improves video display speed by up to 300 percent by reducing the number of wait states to less than half that of standard EGA cards.
The cards are shipped with a number of custom software drivers for such popular ap plications as Lotus 1-2-3, AutoCAD , PageMaker, Ven tura Publisher, Generic CAD, Dr. HALO Ill , Framework, and FastCAD. Both also sup port extensive PC-to-main frame and PC-to-minicomputer communications with emula tion support for the IBM 327813279, S3G, VT-100/ VT-220, HP , and Tektronix 400514010/4015. Price: Wizard, $249; Wizard Deluxe, $349. Contact: Ahead Systems Inc ., 1977 O'Toole Ave., Suite Bl05, San Jose, CA 95131. (408) 435-0707. Inquiry 790.
Cebleless 386 Upgrade
I f you want to upgrade your AT or compatible to an 80386, the Master 386 from Aox lets you do it easily, without removing chips or in staJling cables . Installation is a simple matter of plugging in the board and installing soft ware. The Master 386 is available in both 16-MHi: and 20-MHz versions , with high speed cache memory and a socket for an optional 80387 coprocessor.
The EGA Wizard series is VGA-BIOS-level-compatible.
The Master 386 includes special circuitry that the com pany claims wiJl prevent problems caused by th e recent ly announced bug in the 80386. The company claims the Master 386 will run flaw lessly in protected mode with an 80387 as required by Unix, PC-MOS/386, and Windows/386 .
Using its on-board connec tors, you can equip the Master 386 with true 32-bit memory using Aox's optional memory expansion board. A 2-mega byte card (expandable to 10 megabytes) is $1250 ; a 4 megabyte card (expandable to 16 megabytes) is $1995 . Price: 16-MHz version, $1595; 20-MHz version, $2195. Contact: Aox Inc., 486 Totten Pond Rd ., Waltham , MA 02154, (617) 890-4402. Inquiry 791.
SCSI for the PS/2
T he MCS-350 SCSI host adapter from Future Do main is an add-in for the IBM PS /2 Models 50, 60, and 80 . It interfaces the computers with any of the wide variety of SCSI peripheral s.
The MCS-350 's transfer rate is 1.67 megabytes per sec
ond, and it offers full Micro
Channel compatibility with an
IBM -assigned ID number. It
also has all the features you
need to run advanced operat
ing systems such as OS/2,
Xenix , and Novell.
Price: $390.
Contact: Future Domain
Corp., 1582 Parkway Loop ,
Suite A , Tustin , CA 92680 ,
(7 14) 259-0400. Inquiry 792.
Acquire Data for the PS/2 50, 60, and 80
T he MDL- 16 is a reaJ time and event-based data acquisition system for the PS /2 Models 50, 60, and 80 . It includes a multifunction Micro Channel data acq uisition board with both RS-232C and RS -422 /485 comunications ports.
The system comes with the TransParent Interface , a reaJ time background data collec tion program . Its features in clude interfaces for Borland 's Turbo Pascal, Turbo Basic , and Turbo C, as well as Micro soft's GWBASIC and C . Lan guage variables are updated in real time and directly inter faced with analog and digital inputs and outputs .
Hardware features include 16 13-bit analog inputs , 16 TTL-level digital inputs, 16
TTL-level digital outputs, 96 alanns, a battery-backed real-time clock, and stand alone data logging with time and date stamping . Options in clude a 1200-bps modem , a temperature sensor board. 1/0 rack adapter cards, and isola tion modules . Price: $499. Contact: The Automation Group Inc ., 848-R Nandino Blvd. , Lexington , KY 40511 , (606) 254-6916 . Inquiry 793.
Your Computer Speaks
T he Heath HV-2000 is an expans ion card for the IBM PC and compatibles that gives your computer a wide variety of voices. It's a ha! f size plug-in card that , accord ing to the company, translates ASCn data as well as high- or low-level languages into intel ligible speech.
This add-in consists of a speech synthesizer on a c.ircuit board, an audio amplifier, and an external speaker. A Speak utility program lets you add vocal prompts to batch files. It will also read ASCII text files. as well as ASCII data recei ved through a serial port . The board has XON / XOFF handshaking and a 60K-byte buffer. There's also terminal-emulator software that adds speech to modem communications .
The HV-2000 uses 64 pho nemes to create word s, phrases , and sentences . Other attributes include four dura tions , 16 rates, 4096 inflec tion levels, 32 transition level s. eight transition rates , eight articulation rates , and 49 musi cal notes. The audio output has 16 amplitude senings. Price: $89.95 . Contact: To obtain kit, write to the Heath Company, Dept. 350-020, Hilltop Rd ., Benton Harbor. Ml 49022 . Inquiry 794.
co 11ri11u ed
86 BYTE · JANUARY t988
Nope
DEC. HP. Sun . etc.
PCs
All .
286 & 386
PC Jr. too PCs
MS/ DOS <640K
>640K
programs_ programs
0 2
Ask A.~hton · Yes.
Tate
first day
Multiuser Primitive Mainframe quali ty
Networking PC Nets o nl y
PC. mini & ma inlram e
Fault Tolenmt
You must CPU & Di'k be kiddin g Recovery
s
O
racle Corporation, the world's
fastest growing software company,' bas just climbed past Ash ton:fate to become the world's largest su pplier of databa.'le man· agement software and services.'
Why?
· Because ORACLE© runs on PCs. plus mainframes and minicom puters from IBM, DEC. DG, HP. Prime, Wang, Apollo, Sun, etc. virtually every computer you have now or ever will have. Ashton-Tate's dBASE runs only on PCs.
· Because ORACLE is a true dis tributed DBMS that connects all your computers - PCs. minicom puters and mainframes - into a single. unified computing and infor mation resource. dBA.SE supports only primitive PC networking.
· Because Oracle has supported the industry standard SQL language
since 1979. Ashton-late promises
to put SQL into dBASE sometim e in th e indefinite future.
· Because ORACLE takes advan tage of modern 2861386 PCs by letting you build larger-than -640K PC applications on MS / DOS today. and run them unchanged on 05 / 2.
once osn is available. dBASE treats
toclav's 286/ 386 PCs aml PS/2s like the now obsolete. originnl PC.
Don'! go down in names. Bail out frnm dBASE. Call 1-800-0RACLF.1 and ortler you r $1'1'1-PC copy of
ORACLE' tod ay. Or ju st ask and we'll send vou inform<1tion on ORA.G.E. the number one se lling DBMS on minicomputers and mainframes.
C>RACLE®
COMPAT l8 1LITY · PORTABI LITY · CONNEC TAB ILI TY
Call 1-800-0RACLE1.
ext. 149 today.
Dear Oracle,
I PC ORDER PROCESSING Oracle Co rp orat1on
I 20 Davis Dr ive · Be lmont. CA 9~002
I want ORACLE to b~ THE l_AST DBMS
I =for mv 2116 / 386 PC. F.nclosecl is my Check or 0 VlSA 0 MC C A~ff.X credit card authurizal ion for S199
(Ca lifornia residen ts add 7% sa le> lax).
I
I undcrsland th is copy is for PC dewlop
ment only. O ffer valid on l\' in the US
and Canada .
I '""':w"' I r""
I
Corn1Mn~
:\Ht-<': (f'O Box nllmf>.tin no: iKC~plabflf')
I C"d" C>«l :·omb<·
C.n <1 f y r1 rM 1M'I L).u ...
WHAT'S NEW
S O FT WAR E · PROGRAMMING LANG U AGES AND AIDS
Programmer's Calculator
The XACT-16C is a RAM-resident calculator lhat emulates lhe Hewlett Packard 16-C. It has decimal, hexadecimal, binary, octal, and floating-point modes with words from 2 to 64 bits . If you wish , you can run the cal culator as a stand-alone DOS program. The XACT-16C also has advanced algebraic, logi cal, base-conversion, and bit marupuJation functions .
The calculator is program mable , wilh up to 203 program lines. It has a simulated paper-tape feature, and you can print the tape, save it to disk , or stamp it with messages . It also includes a built-in ASCII table.
To run XACT-16C , you need an IBM PC or compatible with at least I 28K bytes of RAM, one floppy disk drive, and PC-DOS or MS-DOS 2 .0 or higher. Price: $49.95. Contact: CalcTech Inc ., 13629 Bellevue-Redmond Rd., Suite 202, Bellevue, WA 98005 , (206) 643- 1682. Inquiry 795.
Language Combines Prolog, Pascal, and dBASE
Complete Logic Systems calls it th e first commer cially available logic pro gramming language based on constraints. As the name sug gests, Trilogy has three levels of programming within the framework of predicate logic: procedural, database, and logic.
The company reports that the blind backtracking of Pro log is replaced with con straint satisfaction , resulting in faster logic solutions. The Pascal-like notation makes use of data constructors and de structors. But the file system, unlike P"dscal, offers variable size records and records with arbitrary values. You can in
------
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I > Zf 3 ( u 51. u 7 7
H '.B u·:l·l E rn: Rt·h T c-:i Yli" I ~
)';ICT ·1'C Prt~r
' . II ·
. ., , 0 t
··1 I ~/S S\ :1 I ; 1 r
c m I OCH J l I 2 L l
II
tor K
~·If
I HO l llU
" ~ , CM;
The XACT-16C RAM-resident programmable calculator.
sert , delete, and modify records in the middle of a file, and you can query them like predicates.
Trilogy has its own en vironment that includes an edi tor, a module library , an in teractive compiler that produces native 8086 and 8087 code, an on-line linker, a loader, and help screens. The four modules (Math, Strings . Files, and Windows) export routines for transcendental functions , string/date/time manipulation, file access , and windowing functions .
The language runs on the IBM PC, XT, AT , and compat ibles with MS-DOS or PC DOS 2.0 or higher and 5 12K bytes of RAM. It is not copy protected . Price: $99.95. Contact: Complete Logic Systems Inc ., 741 Blueridge Ave., North Vancouver, B.C ., Canada V7R 2J5, (604) 986-3234 . Inq uiry 796.
386 FORTRAN Compiler
NDP Fortran-386 is a globally optimizing com piler that generates native 386 code that runs in protected mode under MS-DOS or Unix V. With NDP and MicroWay 's mWl 167 nu meric coprocessor board , the
company reports speed ih creases of up to 60 times the speed of an IBM PC . NDP ' s FORTRAN is a full implemen tation ofFORTRAN-77 and includes FORTRAN-66 and other extensions.
Coprocessors supported by NOP include the in-line tran scendentals of the 80387 and the full mW 1167 instruction set. Output is assembly lan guage, which is assembled and linked by Unix V tools or Phar Lap tools for MS-DOS .
The addressable memory available in the linear address mode is 4 gigabytes. Price: $595; mWI 167 copro cessor board , $1495 . Contact: MicroWay , P.O. Box 79, Kingston, MA 02364, (617) 746-7341. Inquiry 797 .
Cross-Development Kit for Macs
Memocom·s cross-devel opment kit for the Macin tosh includes a table-driven cross assembler and a Memula tor II or Memulator 16 in circuit EPROM emulator. Memocom reports that you can assemble and test source pro grams for almost any micro processor/controller with a maximum of24 address bits.
Instead of burni ng
EPROMs during an applica tion's development cycle, you can download the output of your assembler or compiler directly into the target EPROM socket via the Mac's modem port. The Memulators II and 16 emulate the JEDEC stan dard 2716- through 27256-type devices and have an access time of 150 nanoseconds.
The cross assembler and Memulators Il and 16 support standard Intel hexadecimal , Motorola S-record , and straight binary formats, which are compatible with most serial EPROM programmers . Price: $725 with a Memula tor II; $1275 with a Memulator 16 . Contact: Memocom , 1920 Arbor Creek Dr., Carrollton , TX 75010, (214) 446-9906. Inquiry 798.
Pop-Up Pal
Pop up XO-Shell to do cross-referencing without leaving the editor; view any file and transfer sections of it to you r editor or printer; view, copy , and erase files from a di rectory display ; retrieve, edit, and re-execute DOS com mands; and insert graphics characters into your source code. The memory-resident program also lets you insert ex tended ASCII characters and input them into your applica tions programs.
Wyte Corp. says that XO Shell works with most editors, incl uding Turbo Pascal . Turbo C, Turbo Basic, and QuickBASIC . It also works with most applications soft ware , such as Lotus 1-2-3 . To run the shell, you need an IBM PC , XT , AT , or compatible, or a PS/2. It takes up about 88K bytes of RAM and re quires MS-DOS or PC-DOS 2 .0 or higher.
Price: $49 .
Contact: Wyte Corp ., 701
Concord Ave. , Cambridge ,
MA 02138. (617) 868-7704 .
Inq uiry 799.
continued
88 BYT E · JANUARY 1988
4 Meg AT ZIP Board
· EMS emulation soltw01 e included
· Fully p:>pulated and tested with 4 MB of Micron memory on a smgle PC boa.rd !
· Designed to work with 80286 and 80386 based systems
· Com patible with OS/ 2. DOS. UNIX and XEN IX
· Operating speeds up to 8 MHz zer o wait-state and 12 MHz with one wait-state
· Backfills conventional memory
· Switch selectable on 4 MB bound aries at l MB or 2 MB stmting address
· RAM diagnostics. RAM dlsk and p rint sp:>oler softw01e included
· All boards me tested under a wide range of environmental conditions to insure high reliability and quality
· Wmranted !or 2 y ecas to registered users
· Made m the USA
Operating Speeds Order Number
Upto 6 MHz
w / no wait-s ate
Up to 10 MHz
w/ l wait-state ..
S!<mdard Board with Board 384 KB Offset"
ME-46- 1Z MB-46-32
Upto8 M Hz w/ no went-state
Up to 12 MHz w / 1 wait-state .. _
MB-48-1Z MB-48-3Z
·Fo t systems wn.h o l MB Ot 2 MB motl"ler b:xDCI
2/4 Meg AT DIP Board
· EMS emulation sottw01e included · Purchase 2 MB mothercard and 2
MB daughterc01d separatel y or together to fit in a single slot!
· Designed to work with 80286 and 80386 based systems
· Compatible with OS/ 2. OOS. UNIX and XENIX
· Operating speeds up to 8 MHz zero wait-state and 12 MHz with one wait-state
· Backfills conventional m emory · Switch selectable on 1/2 MB bound
aries stmting at 1024K or 1408K
· RAM diagnostics. RAM dlsk and print sp:>oler software included
· All boards are tested under a wide range of environmen tal conditions to insure high reliability and quality
· Warrcmted for 2 yecas to registered users
· Made in the USA
Operating Speeds Order Number
Up to 6 MHz
w / n o went-state Up to 10 MHz w / 1 wait-slate .
2MB MB-26--D
Dcru~htercard for MB- 6-D .
MB-26-DD
Up to 8 MHz
w / no wait-state Up to 12 MHz w / l w ait-state ... ..
ME-28-D
Dcru~htercard for
MB- 8 -D
. . . - . MB-28- DD
4MB MB-46-D
MB-48-D
16 Meg AT DIP Board
· EMS emulation software included
· Purchase 6 MB mothercard and 2. 4. 6 o r 10 M B daughtercard sepa
rately or together to fit in a single
slot!
· Fully p:>pulated and tested with Micron's own l megabit CM OS Dynamic RAMs
· Designed to work with 80286 and 80386 based systems
· Compatible with OS/ 2. DOS. UNIX
and XENIX
· Operating speeds up to 8 MHz with zero wait-state and 12 MHz with one wait-state
· Backfills conventional memory
· Switch selectable on 128KB bound aries
· RAM diagnostics. RAM dlsk and
print spooler software included
· All boards are tested under a w ide range of environmental conditions to insure hig h reliability and quality
I Warranted !or 2 years to registered users
· Made in the USA
M emory Capacity Order Number
I OMHz""
6MB . ... . .. . . BMB __.
M B-66 -D MB-86-D
lOMB ... - · . ..... - MB-106-D
12MB. - . . .. .
MB-126-D
l6MB . . .
MB- 166-D
12M'.Hz"""
M B-68-D MB-88-D MB- 108-D MB-128 -D MB-16 8-D
' "Up to6 MH1. w / M ""''Cilt·SIOlc u p 10 10 MHz w /l '"'cnr-stmr:
'''Up to to MHz w /r:.o ....·mt-state p :o 12 MHi w / l \<.·a:J:·stcno
Micron Technology. Inc. Systems Group 2805 East Columbia RCXld Boise. Idaho 83706 1-800-642-766 1 (208) 386-3800
UNIX .s a tradem:o£. of 8oll l..a00t tonos-XENIX ~ o uadcma:k c l ~J'Jctoscn cor;:omnon-IBM PC. XT A.T and OSJ 2 ru e u odomrnk.s o1 lBM Corp:imbon
Circle 165 on Reader Service Card
JANUA RY 1988 · B YT E 89
Tuu ready
Best Reasons for
FORCOMMENT:
123 ~r. i!.x
Di.<tplay nwr data with ·iw loss
ofspeed; pcrp up graph. on same screen
a · 1;p;- ad~heel.
Wcrrdstar 2000 Pl11s Ver. s
Display suh/.<t1tpers<'ripls, italics, bold/ace, strikcthmugh.
Micmwifr M11/1ipla11
Fbr Comment
Display more text with no lo - of speed.
I · 11 · ·>rnphnn.r
I"
WordMARC
Diftplay Jo-reign characters at text
m.ode 1rpeeds.
Mi.crosoft MW,tiplan
Display more data witJi no lo · ·
ofspeed.
S?rmplwny
Di<.·p/ay mor dall.I witJ1 no lo.· ·
ofspeed.
o~Here's
It's hard to find a business application that can't run better with RamFont:"
Spreadsheets show nearly twice the data. Word processors dis play foreign, technical and other special
characters. All with no loss of scrollingspeed -in fact, it often improves.
Now for a real look at what RamFont does, there's Write On! This unique Ram Font word processor from
Hercules displays several type styles and sizes at text-mode speeds, complete with headlinesize type, custom and foreign characters, underscore and true boldface. See them on-screen like they'll appear in print, brightening memos, overheads and prompt cards.
!le1·wl is rt regi:tered trademark of Herc1des Compul£r 1echMlogy, Inc . f(timFont and /nC()lor ar· trademarks of Hercules Compuler Technology, Inc.
Other produc/s CLre trademarks of theii· respective holders.
90 BYT E · JANUARY 1988
Brief
Display more Uxt with rw loss of speed.
Frarneworlc II
Display nwre data, with no loss
of.~peed; display bold/ace and ·italics
in the word processor.
Microsoft.Y\brd
Flow Charting II
Display special symbols al text
mode speeds.
I.1 tlll ~JHJJl!S<'l'i]ll
NotaBenf!
Microsoft Word 4.0
Display for eign character sets a.t
ScroU muchfcister tJwn in yraphics
text mode speeds.
mode, retaining all on-screen fonts
One More~·~
Mmmscript
Disp/,ay .~ublsuperscripL~. 1:talics,
boldface and strikethrough.
Create new documents with For a limited time, you
There have never been so
Write On! or import any ASCII get a.free copy of Write On! many reasons for RamFont.
text file. You get full editing with every Hercules Graphics But as any software publisher
functions plus pull-down menus Card Plus or Hercules
will tell you, there will soon
and mouse support for easy InC,olor Card·
be a whole lot more.
Hercules.
font changes.You'll turn plain
text files created with other word processors into dazzling
Both are at your Hercules dealer, complete with our exclusive RamFont mode that
communications in seconds! makes it all possible.
R.amFont, by Hercules.
"/jyoii.already own a lferculeii Gra]lhics Card Pl-u qr lnColor Gard. call us toll-free at 800-.'i.92-0600. Wc'U tell you how lo yet yo1~r cop11 oj H'i·ite On!
Exclu.sively in the Graphics Card Plus
and InColor Card.
Circle 109 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 110)
JANUARY 1988 · BYT E 91
WHAT'S NEW
CAD/CAM on the Mac
T he Professional System from Douglas Electronics now supports the Macintosh II as well as color and un 1imited layers. The program is made up of three parts Schematic Capture, a layout program , and an Autorouter.
To run the program, you need at least 512K bytes of
RAM on a Mac or a Mac II.
Input is via a mouse; you will need no additional hardware . You begin by designing a sche matic with the Schematic Capture program; then you draw an outline with the lay out software. Using the Parts Placement facility , you posi tion the components on the grid . The Autorouter com pletes the process by automati cally routing the circuit connections.
The Schematic Capture module features interactive cir cuit logic simulation that you define; and large ITL, CMOS , and discrete parts libraries. You can use symbols from the library or design your own .
The layout system features board designs of up to 32 by 32 inches, an unlimited number of layers, and 50 levels of mag nification . You can view the layers separately or all at once. and, choosing from eight colors, you can assign a color to eac h layer.
The routing parameters are controlled via a command file , which provides options for grids, line widths, and maxi mum trace length . Douglas reports that the router is based on a maze router algorithm . A text file lists unroutable con nections and shows them on the layout as rat's-nest lines .
Output options include dot matrix , LaserWriter, pen plots , and Gerber files . Douglas will also provide you with artwork or finished circuit boards if you send the layout files via modem or mail. Price: Professional Layout , $1500; Schematic Capture , $700; Autorouter, $700.
Douglas Electronics' Professional System offers schematic capture, a layout program, and an aurorourer.
Contact: Douglas Electron
ics, 718 Marina Blvd., San
Leandro, CA 94577. (415)
483-8770 .
Inquiry 800.
CAMSmlth
C AMSmith. based on the Graphics Entity and Oper ation Unification theory (GEOU) technology , offers advanced CAD and manufac turing capabilities. These in clude drafted walls, variable drafted walls , compound planes , intersection of any combinalion or arbitrary and regular surfaces , and interac tive viewing of cutter path with dynamic scaling, rotation , and translation .
GEOU is based on re search being conducted at 30 Science Laboratories . The company explains that in a typical CAD system, if you have 11 curve/shape types and m possible operations to per form between curves, then you must code 11 x 11 x m proce dures. The resulting program is large, so GEO U unifies all possible shapes into one,
reducing the number and variety of operations you would need to perform . GEOU's implementation in CAMSrnith simplifies the user interface.
CAMSmith is a menu driven system that lets you create three-dimensional sur faces and three-axis simulta neous NC code to cut the sur face. You can view bolh the surface and the three-dimen sional tool path graphically . The program is compatible with CAD systems and two dimensional CAM systems , and it supports file formats such as IGES.
CAMSmith runs on the IBM PC AT or compatibles with at least 640K bytes of RAM, a math coprocessor, a hard disk dri ve. and an EGA card . Price: 30 machining system with 3D graphics will sell for about $8750; the machining system plus 2D CAD/CAM with 30 graphics will se ll for about $9350; and the 3D CAD system will seU for between
$600 and $3500.
Contact: 3D Science Labora
tories , 3090 Avon St. , Bur
bank, CA 91504 , (818) 841 212 1.
Inquiry 801.
Compute Air and Water Vapor in Four Units
Psychrometry is a pro gram for use in engineer ing, physics, and meteo rology. You can compute 10 properties of air and water vapor mixtures in four-unit systems including MKS, SI, English, and English (grains).
The program 's algorithms are based on thermophysical properties: specific heat, spe cifie hea t of air , heat of vaporization , and vapo r pres sure of water vapor.
You begin by selecting two properties followed by input ting the magnitudes. The pro gram computes the remaining eight and tabulates dry bulb temperature, adiabatic satura tion temperature , dew-point temperature , relative humidity , humidity ratio, enthalpy , en tropy, density, humidity ratio al adiabatic saturation, and enthalpy at dew point. You can repeat the process 12 times , or you can opt to transfer a specified property over some or all repetitions .
The temperature range of
lhe program is - l05 ° C to 255 ° C ( - 157 ° F to 491 ° F).
You can run the program at standard pressure , standard pressure corrected for eleva tion , or at any pressure from a few hundredths of an atmo sphere to a maxi mum of 10 atmospheres of partial press ure.
Psychrometry runs on the IBM PC with DOS 2.0 or higher and on the Mac with at least 512K bytes of RAM . Price: $37 .60. Contact: Jim Lang, P.O. Box 307, Oneida, WI 54155, (414) 869-2691. Inquiry 802.
CO flli1111ed
92 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
Turn N.Y.
on its head!
You don·r need !he power or a mainframe to turn N.Y. on its head - jusr your own creorivity and DynoPerspective'" trom Dynowore. Pertecr tor conceptual design, visual analysis and presenlolions, DynoPerspeclive·· lets you easily zoom in and oul, change the declination. elevollon, compass direction. and rorore your model lhrough 360 ° for a lull wolk·around ettecr. Advanced hldden·surtoce functions tree you from lhe lime-consuming line deletion lypicol ot wlre·trome line drawings. This powerful sottware package also gives you lull sur1ace color and lighl·source shading tor unsurpassed solid surface modelling.
DynoPerspecllve·· does away with computerese. user·trlendly screen Icons and pull·down menus eliminale lhe need for remembering compllcored commands. And DynoPerspecrive·· Is tost as well os powerful. Atter lnlllol compllolion, even major changes ore retlecred in rhe model In seconds. A variery ot powerful rime-saving tealures have also been lncorporared. such as a large parrs library file tor trequenlly used componenls Conceplual design and visual analysis hove never been easier. Whether you're on orchllecr. graphic orllsl. urban designer, or one ot lhe new wave al multldlscipllnary professionals, DynoPerspeclive·· will save you voluoble lime and make your job easier.
DynoPerspecllve · also allows you lo network, since ii con communicare wilh orher DXF compollble PC CAD sysrems No wonder ll's been ca lled lhe mosr powerful user·lriendly 3·D solid modeling design sottwore ever creared tor a personal computer.
Already available for the IBM 0 PC. AT and compollbles. Dynawore will soon release versions tor !he HP·9DDO'" and Macintosh 11··. Far your added convenienc e we hove established a brand new headquarters In Son Francisco to handle oil Inquiries.
A powertul 1001 that lets you maxi mize your lime. DynaPerspective'" is priced al only S975. Toke lhe opporrunlly ro rum NY. on ifs head. ond have the city or your teer ...
Try a new perspeclive - o DynaPerspecrive··
· System Requirements Computers: IBM®PC. AT
and compatibles
(Minimum 640K RAM) Hord disk recommended but not required . Graphic cord lnpur: Tablet or mouse Output: Planer or printer
$975 suggested Reloll Price
--------------------------, DYN/\P5RSPSCTIV:. 30 Modeling Design ana Presen1atton Sohware
Please send me more Informati on.
Nome _ _ _ __
_ Compurer
All dress
Clfy _
Slate
Zip
---------------------------
DYN/\WAR5M
© 1987 Oynoware Corp. TI63 Chess Drive, Suite J, Faster City, CA 94404
TEL (415)·349·5700 FAX (415)-349·5879
IBM PC ana Al ore "'OllSlered rraoemoitts of lntomonono1 Bu:llnes> Mocn1nes Corp.
Moc1n1osh I< a rraaemar1< at Apple Computer, Inc. HP-9000 Is a rll<Jlslorll<l tmd&
Circle 86 on Reader Service Card
mort< al HowleM·POckara Corp.
oo~~~~~00010M x 768~~~~boo~-----~~~---------J~~'----------------------------
WHAT'S NEW
SOFTWA R E · BUS I E S S
Sllverado
Expert Tax Advice
C omputer Associates de scribes Silverado as a database that operate as a window inside a spreadsheet. It lets you import multiple data bases for analysis and reporting and to link databases IOgether. You can import and analyze Lotus J-2-3, Super
Calc4 , dBASE m, and ASCTI
text files. " Hotlinks" connect information between the data base and the spreadsheet , with database changes automat ically transferred to the spreadsheet.
Silverado operates with 1-2-3- and SuperCalc-style commands and reads 1-2-3 and SuperCalc4 file formats . You can sort and resort data with no limit on the number of sort fields. Totals and subtotals are available at any level , and you can analyze data from most views.
The program utilizes back ground processing, shortening the time required for report generation .
Database outlining is an other one of SiJverado ' s fea tures. It enabl es you IO view infom1ation at any level of sub totaling or detail.
You also have a choice of several ways to view informa tion, including the Spread sheet View , Form View, Crosstab View , and Report View .
Silverado also features vir tual data memory that automat ically accesses available memory devices . SmaJI files use the avai lable standard memory and will use expanded memory if it is present. Files that exceed the memory capac ity are swapped to disk .
The program runs on the IBM PC , XT. AT , and compat ibles with two floppy disk drives or one floppy drive and one hard disk drive. At least
5 l2K bytes of RAM is re
quired, as well as MS-DOS or PC-DOS 2.0 or higher, and Lotus 1-2-3 version 2.0 or higher or SuperCak4_ Price: $1 49 . Contact: Computer Asso ciates International Inc., 2195
Silverado operates as a window inside a spreadsheet.
Fortune Dr. , San Jose, CA 95131-1820, (408) 432- 1727 . Inquiry 803.
Finance Manager II
F inance Manager II con sists of general ledger, ac count-reconciliation , fi nan cial-utilities, accounts receivable, and accounts pay able modules. You can pur chase the modules separately or run them as an integrdted system .
The general ledger module lets you set budgets, compare expenses, keep trnck of tax deductions, record all transac tions, and calculate your net worth . You can produce gen eral-journal , income-state ment, accounts-listing, bal ance-sheet, and budget-listing repo rts by month, quarter, year, or year-to-date. You can store up to l999 accou nts and up to 30,000 transaction per year.
The account-reconciliation module runs with the general ledger module and enables you to balance bank state ments , keep lrdck of out standing checks, verify chargc card transactions, and produce automatic balance statements.
The financial-utilities module helps you make caJcu-
lations , create a depreciation schedule for your assets , and calculate loan payments . You can produce loan amortization chedules and calculate pres ent and future values of annuities .
With the accounts receiv able module you can calculate finance charges, print cus tomer lists and mailing labels , and produce cash flow fore casts. Reports provided include an accounts receivable jour nal , balance-forward state ments , customer invoices, and a schedule of receivables.
The accounts payable mod ule lets you maintain a pe rma nent record of purchases and print checks , vendor lists , and mailing labels.
Finance Manager U mod
ules run on the IBM PC, XT, AT, and compatibles with MS-DOS or PC-DOS 2 .0 or higher, 256K bytes of RAM , and two floppy disk drives or one floppy di sk drive and a hard disk drive . All modul es can run independently except the account-reconciliation module, which requires the general ledger. Price: General ledger , $40 ; account reconciliation , $ l 5; financial utilities , $20; accounts receivable, $30; accounts payable, $30 . Contact: Hooper Intema ional , P.O. Box 08430, Fort Myers , FL , 33908-8430 , (8 13) 466-0050. Inquiry 804.
A sk Dan About Your Taxes is a rule-based tax preparation program that gives you a personalized analy sis of your taxes, taking the most recent tax-law changes into accou nt, and carries re sults to on-line tax forms.
Using an expert system , Ask Dan runs you through in dividually tailored question and-answer sessions, automati cally completing relevant tal\ forms or lines in the process. Legal Knowledge Systems re ports that you can override the exper t at any time , change your answers, and let Dan re
compute your tax fonm . The
progrnm asks yes/no , multiple choice, and fill-in-the-blank questions. It also offers a cus tomized checklist that de scribes deductions, income items, credits, and additional tax debts you may have .
The program can assist you on IRAs , filing status , exemp tions , alimony , medical de ductions, taxes paid , charitable deductions, interest and divi dend income, capital gains , sale of a home , child care credit , and moving expenses.
With each answer , your tax form is recomputed spread sheet-style on-screen . The program contai ns Forni 1040, schedules A through F, R . SE, and about 20 others. You can print the form s on any printer , the company reports. and they are suitable for sub mission to the IRS .
The program runs on the IBM PC and compa tibles wit11 at least 5 l 2K bytes of RAM and a hard disk drive or two floppy disk drives_ The com pany reports that Ask Dan will ship in mid-January . Price: $69. 95 . Contact: Legal Knowledge Systems Inc. , J95 Maplewood St. , Wate rtown , MA 021 72 , (617) 923-2322 . Inquiry 805.
continued
94 BY TE · JANUARY 1988
Now you can develop
picture-perfect
applications
at lightning speed.
It's easy with CLARION.
Picture this: Envision the convenience and versatility ofall the development tools you need, combined with a powerful new language that's easy to learn and even easier to use. The result is CLARION.
Instant development: From prototyping to source code in a flash. C screens and reportsn,earnadtecompile and test the complete range ofPC applications-many times faster than you do now!
CLARION runs on any IBM PC, PS/2, or true compatible with 320kb ofmemory and a hard disk dn've.
The results are worth framing: CLARION gives you the power and time to create better, richer applications for single users or networks. Without run-time cost. }bu can even create .EXE programs with the optional 11"anslator. If you can picture it in your mind, CLARION can make it a reality.
Get the CLARION advantage: Give CLARION a nm for the money. Priced atjust $395 plus shipping, it's easy to switch to our picture-perfect development tool If you're not completely amazed by the results you get, simply return ii within 45 days for a full, unconditional refund. MasterCard, American Express and VIS4 accepted.
7b order CLARION or to receive a sample program, ..-;~~
simply call toll-free: J-8001354-5444
(JS~1BJQ~;Ms. uvc.
150 East Sample Road
Pompano Beach, Florida 33064-3597
3051785-4555 FAX: 1-3051946-1650
CLARION 15 a r<!JIS/mxl tmdemaric of Barrinytrm Systems. Inc. © Ccp!Jrighl 1987 BarrinytQn SJµlems CLA RION is NUT <OP!J prol«tM and <Om<$ with f'REE fllll ·llmo lkrnsiny. (8.·I is a "915lertd tmdcmori< ofInternational Bu.smess .'fachU..S C""'°'al.,,,. - a lSgs/"""2 i< a tmdemark ol lnt<rnational Business Machmes (;o,poration.
Circle 30 on Reathr Strvict Card
WHAT'S NEW
SOFTWARE· BUSIN E SS AND OTHER
Networking Reports
T he Snow Report Writer network version merges data from multiple sources such as Lotus 1-2-3 , dBASE, and over 55 others, including languages.
You can create columnar reports. forms , mailing lists, labels, fonn letters , and busi ness graphics . Windowing and help is provided throughout the program. It also has record locking and file protection.
The Snow Report Writer runs on the IBM PC and com patibles with at least 384K bytes of RAM. A hard disk drive is recommended . The program supports Novell, PC NET, Token Ring, and 3Com networks. Price: $995 for eight workstation s . Contact: Snow Software, 2360 Congress Ave. , Clear water, FL 3462 J· (813) 7848899. lnquiry 806.
Wavefo rm Editing
W ith Sound Designer Universal you can edit the waveforms and digital sig nals of musical samples on the Macintosh. The Universal edition of the program supports a variety of MIDI samplers. You can display up to three waveforms on the Mac screen and edit each sound with up to 1150,000-second accuracy , according to Digidesign.
Looping is done with a special loop window and a flexible cross-fade looping function . You can digitally rnfa , merge, equalize, and compress sounds, as well as perform complex freque.n<.,'Y analysis using the program's three-d imensional fast Fourier-transfonn display .
You can also use Sound Designer Unjversal to transfer sounds between samplers. The Universal edition of Sound Designer does not contain the
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front-panel editing and Kar plus-Strong digital synthesis capabilities .
To .run Sound Designer, you need a 512K-byte Macin tosh or a Mac n. Price: $395 . Contact: Digidesign Inc. , 1360 Willow Rd , Suite IOI , Menlo Park, CA 94025 , (415) 327-8811. Inquiry 807.
Graphic Design and Technical Report Wr i t i n g
Word-CAD combines the function s of a word pro cessor with those of a CAD program.
With Word-CAD , you can place lines , rectangles, ellip ses, and polygons in engi neering units of your choice on scalable grids. The program also has zoom and scaling , move and delete , rotation, perspective, and dimensioning . The program includes a line generator that lets you draw ir regular shapes djrectly into memory . You can save draw ings as symbols and call them into a drawing for placement at any point.
The word-processing por tion of the program is called Word-Edit. It lets you enter copy . move. change, and cut
and-paste operations . You
also have bold , compressed ,
expanded , italic, underline, and subscript and superscript text at your disposal . Up to three fonts are resident in RAM at any time, along with bit-mapped text. You also have the ability to fom1at headlines and subheads and to flow col umns of text around graphics.
Word-CAD supports ASCn text. II requires an IBM PC with at least 5 l 2K bytes of RAM; one floppy disk drive; and a CGA. EGA, or Hercules monochrome adapter. It is designed for use with a dot-matrix printer , enabling it to produce drawings up to 13 1/2 inches wide and up to 30 feet long. Price: $99. Contact: lam , P.O . Box 2545 , Fair Oaks , CA 95628 , (916) 961-8082 . Inquiry 808.
Fix That Database
Hilco Software has com bined two of its database utilities , added some fea tures , and named it Quick Fix-2 . The MS-DOS program repairs dBASE Il and In files, as well as files from Clipper, FoxBASE , and WordTech data bases , by performjng combi nations of the following func-
tions: resetting the record counter in the header. repl ac ing corrupted headers, re aligning data witrun the data base, replacing high bits and control characters , and remov ing invalid end-of-file markers.
QuickFix-2 has no limit to file size . The vendor ays the program will recover any data in the DOS directory . The soft ware also has context-sensi tive help, the ability to view database records, and a fea ture that lists records contain ing bad bytes.
The program requires MS DOS 2.0 or higher and l92K bytes of RAM. Price: $29. Contact: Hilco Software, 11266 Barnell Valley Rd ., Sebastopol. CA 95472-9555. (707) 829-5011. Inquiry 809.
AP Stylebook on Disk
T he Key otes AP Style book works with your word-processing progran1 . When you need access to AP style or reference informa tion , you press a hot key, which opens a menu of en tries in the stylebook . Or, you can use the automatic search mode.
The Stylebook offe rs you information on capitalization, abbreviation , punctuation , spelling, and numbers and their usage . It also gives you guidelines on sports and busi ness writing, and there are in dividual guides to punctuation and computer terms .
The program is avaHable for the IBM PC with PC-DOS or MS-DOS 2.0 or higher: another version is available for Macs with at least l 28K bytes of RAM . Price: $49 .95 . Contact: Digital Learning Systems, 4 Century Dr. , Par sippany , NJ 07054 (201 ) 538-6640. Inquiry 810.
96 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
MAGIC PC:
A REvOLUflON IN POWER,. PrucE
& PROGRAMMING SPEED.
Y ou know how database applications are created - by haddng out line after line of tlme-<:onsuming code. Moo DBMS' and 4GL's give you some programming power. But when it comes to serious applica tions, they keep you bolted to your seat writing mountains of tedious code. And rewriting It all over again with every design change.
Imagine how much faster you'd be If you could replace the painful coding phase with an innovative visual techoology which takes only a fraction of the time: Introducing Magic PC- the revolutionary Visual Database Language from Aker Corporation;
High -Speed Programming:
With Magic PC's visual design language )'OU quickly describe your programs in non -procedural Execution Tables. 'lney contain compact progr.mmling operJtions wllid1 are executed by M:igic PC's nmtime engine. Yoo fill-in the ubles using a visual interface dri1-en bywindows
and point-and-shoot menus. One table with 50 operations eliminates l'.Titing more than 500 traditional lines of code. Yet with . laglc PC you don't sacrifice an. power or flexibility.
$199 - With A Money -Back Guarantee! for a limited time. )'OU can g~1 Magic PC for onl)· Si9'J. And el'en at tl11s low price, Magic PC
LI risk-free. If you're not completely satisfled. simpll' return ii within 30 days and we'll buy it
back (less $19.95 restocking fee). And if you'd Ii ·ea pl'e'1ew. Magic re· Tumrial Demo is
av-Jilable for just $19.95. llut you'd beuer hurry - Magic PC's 5pccial $199 pncc won't last long'
Maximum Power AND Slmpliclly: With Magic PC, you can generate robust DBMS applications includ
ing scn.'Cns, windo"~. menus. reports, fo mis. import/export, and much mor.! Plus. Magic PC has one of the friendliest user intetfaces )'OU'l'e C\'Cr seen. Using 1agic PC you can look-up and transfer daia through a po"'~rful Zoom Window S}~ten1. Magic PC even lets )'OU petfom1 command-free queries. Btrieve Performance:
Magic PC Incorporates Btnei'C. the high · performance file manager £rom SoftCr.tft This gil'el you e.xccptiooal access peed, e>1. ended data dictionary capabilities. and automatic file reco1-ery! Virtually Maintenance-Free:
Wi tl1Magic PC )'OU cm modify yoor application design "on the fl)" witl1ou1 any manual maintenanre. Magic PC automaticallyupdates )'OllT progr.uns :md data flies on-line! 1nis also makes Magic PC an ideal to0I for prototyping complete applications in hours instead of da)~FREE Networking:
Magic PC comes complete with lAN features. Develop multi- user
applications for yrur lAN with Magic's me and record- locking
security lel'els.
Stand-Alone Runtime:
Distribute your applicatiOtlS and protect )'OUr design with Magic PC's
low ro;i runtime engine.
All For Only $199:
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Join The Magic PC Revolution
To unleash your llRMS design power. order your $19') copy of Magic PC right now by calling toU·free or returning the coupon below.
ORDER NOW: CALL (800) 345-MAGIC
In CA (714) 250-1718
"Magic PC's dll/a ba;e engine deUvers pou'f!Tj11/ applU:atiQn.r i11 a f r/JC/ion of the lime. .. lhl're is /roly 110 <'(Jm{Jel1iiw prod11f/.·'
Victor Wright - PC Tech Journal
Also recommended hy. PC Magazi11e, l'C lr!orld. PC Week. Co111p11ter la11g1mge. Dilla &ise AdvlS()r, and many olher publications worldwide.
MAGIC PC
Th e w,,,JDat;ibasc Lang uage
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: 0 1%11 n~ my oopy ol Magic l'C at lhc
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0 Ruil1 me a cop)' ol Magic l'C 'l\Jlomll Demo at $1 995 (add $\ ' P&JI. :uid 1;1.~ 111 CA lnltl113tional ordm add SIS)
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JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 96\-VC-1
WHAT'S NEW
REGIONAL SECTION
PACIFIC COAST
Touch, See, and Hear with AVM Board
T he AudioiVideo/Mouse Board fits into a half-slot in your IBM PC , XT, AT , or compatible and provides either monochrome or color graphics with a 640- by 200 pixel resolution from a single video port.
The AVM Board features a Microsoft-compatible mouse port and dual-channel music/ voice synthesizers. You can program the synthesizers to provide voice commands and sound effects and to play digi tized music. Each synthesizer provides three channels of audio signal with a frequency response of up to 30 KHz .
You can use up to four AVM Boards in one computer. with different program infor mation presented by each card .
The AVM Board combines graphics, sound, and a mouse port.
Price: $395 . Contact: Electro Design Inc . , 690 Rancheros Dr., San
Marcos , CA 92069 , (619)
471-0680.
Inquiry 867.
Send Data at Speed of (Infrared) Light
Hewlett-Packard 's HP82242A infrared printer-interface module plugs into any of the HP-41 calculator's I/O ports. It transmits data via an infrared light beam at a rate of 78 characters per second to Hew lett-Packard 's HP82240A in frared printer. Your calculator can be up to 18 inches away from the printer. Price: $65 . Contact: Inquiries Manager , Hewlett-Packard Co. , 1000 Northeast Circle Blvd ., Cor vallis , OR 97330 ; for telephone inquiries, call (800) 752 0900, Dept. 772A, for the .lo cation of your nearest Hewlett-Packard dealer . Inquiry 868.
continued
Computers For The Blind
Talking computers give blind and visually impaired people access to electronic information. The question is how and how much?
The answers can be found in "The Second Beginner's Guide to Personal Computers for the Blind and Visually Impaired" published by the National Braille Press. This comprehensive book contains a Buyer's Guide to talking microcomputers and large print display processors. More importantly it includes reviews, written by blind users, of software that works with speech.
This invaluable resource book offers details on training programs in computer applications for the blind, and other useful information on how to buy and use special equipment.
Send orders to:
Natio nal Braille Press Inc.
88 St. Stephen Street
Boston, MA 02 11 5
(617) 266-6 160
,
$ 12.95 for braille or cassette, $ 14-95 for prinL ($3 excra for UPS shipping)
NBP is a nonprofit braille printing and publishing house.
96WC-2 B Y T E · JANUARY 1988
Now You Have A Friend
In The Computer Business
Authorized Autocad and Novell Dealer 6 Good Reasons To Buy
COMPAQ 286-12
640K, 1.2 floppy, 40 MB HD mo nochrome syscem
$2895
IN STOCK 386 / 20 mhz
AST PREMIUM 286
5llK RAM , 1.2 Floppy, 40 Mil Fast HD. hi-res mono card, mono monitor, DOS 3.2, G\YI Basic
WYSE 286 System
Sl2K RA M, 1.2 floppy, 40MB HD full monochrome system
Call for all AST products!
IN SlOCK! WYSE 386 / WYSE Term inals
LAPTOP SPECIALS
ACER 910/286 SYSTEM
NEW TOSHIBA
T-1000
$879
NEC Mulrispced EL $1695
NEW! ZENITH 181 / 183-20 $1649 / 2590
JOOS Full HD Mono System
$1195
SOOS 286 Processor
Call for Best Prices
(Formerly Mul titech) 512K memory. 20 MB HD. 6/ 10 0 wail stale fu11 mono sysrem
$1195
I~ INSTOCK!
Acer 386 machine
We carry a full line of HP, IBM, Intel, Diconix products at best prices in town.
SOFIWARE SPECIAL
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JA NUARY 1988 · BYT E 96WC-3
WHAT'S NEW
Merge Text and Graphics with The Complete Fax
T he Complete Fax is a $499 facsimile board that plugs into a full slot in you r IBM PC. XT, AT. or compat ible. You can receive and send facsimile in the back ground at up to 4800 bits per second.
The board lets you send facsimiles at a predetermined time. You can also send fac similes to multiple recipients in a single session, poll with password protection, and log incoming facsimiles with time stamps.
With The Complete Fax you can send ASCII word-pro cessing documents . You can also merge text and graphics . It supports CGA, EGA , and Hercules cards, as well as Dr. HALO II. PC Paintbrush, and Microsoft Windows programs .
The Complete Fax runs on the IBM PC. XT, AT. and compatibles running MS DOS or PC-DOS 2 . 1 or high er. It requires 384K bytes of RAM, a hard disk drive, a standard telephone line with an RJ- 11 or RJ-14 connector. and a Touch-Tone telephone . Price: $499. Contact: The Complete PC, 521 Cottonwood Dr., Milpitas, CA 95035, (408) 434-0145. Inquiry 869.
3-D Hellcopter Simulator
T his simulation puts you in the pilot' s seat of either the " Sierra Helicopter" or an Apache attack helicopter. You can fly alone or with an op ponent or partner via modem .
The 3-D Helicopter Simu lator features views ofthree dimensional objects in 16 colors and 360-degree views of
the landscape. It provides flight, target practice. si ngle player combat, and dual -play er combat modes . You can fly backward or sideways, take off vertically, and watch your self fly from a ground, satel lite, or tracking-camera perspective.
3-D Helicopter Simulator comes with eight scenery files. It runs on the IBM PC and compatibles with MS-DOS or PC-DOS 2 .0 or higher and 256K bytes of RAM . It sup ports Hercules monochrome, InColor, CGA , EGA , Tandy 1000, and PCjr color cards, Hayes-compatible modems, and joysticks.
The program comes on both 3 1/z- and 5 1A-inch floppy disks . Price: $49.95 . Contact: Sierra On-Line Inc ., P.O . Box 485. Coarse gold, CA 93614 , (209) 683 6858. Inquiry 870.
Hyundal80286
The heart of the Super 286C computer is an 80286 microprocessor run ning at either 8 or 10 MHz. It includes 640K bytes of RAM (expandable to I megabyte) four 16-bit and two 8-bit ex pansion slots, an EGA video card , a clock/calendar, two serial ports , one parallel port. and one floppy disk drive.
The Super-286C also in
cludes a 10 I-key keyboard and
a monochrome monitor. Electric Desk software th at comes bundled with the com puter includes database man agement, word processing. a spreadsheet, and a communica tions program . Price: $1499. Contact: Hyundai Electron ics America , 4401 Great America Parkway, 3rd Floor, Santa Clara , CA 95054, (408) 986-9800. Inquiry 871.
100% IBM Compatible
30 Day Money Back Guarantee
- --· One Year Warranty On Parts
Base Systems Include:
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Elite 88-$399
XT Compatible Base System
640K Motherboard (256K installed) 8088 Micro-Processor 1/2 Height 360K Drive & Controller 150 Watt Heavy Duty Power Supply
*AT Keyboard *Surge protector
I *Floppy & Controller *Software
Elite 88 Options: Elite 286 Options:
640K
S80
640 K
$30
Turbo
$20
10 M~ (0/1 W) $49
Second drive $95
12Mhz (0/1 W) $99
Elite 286-$899
AT Compatible Base System
1 Meg Motherboard (512K installed) 10 Mhz (Norton SI 9.8) I.2 Meg Drive & Controller 200 Watt Heavy Duty Power Supply
Monitors
Composite Monochrome $90
lTL Monochrome
S90
Color RGB
$275
Color EGA
$435
Video Cards
Color graphics (640 X 200) S60 Color graphics/printer $70 Monographics/printer $70 EGA color (640 X 350) $135
Hard Drives & Contr.
20 Meg 1/2 Ht 68 mSec $345 30 Meg 1/2 Ht 68 mSec $399 40 Meg 1/2 Ht 38 mSec $560
Printers
Ci tize n 120D $199 Citizen MSP-10 S299 Citizen MSP-15 S399 Citizen MSP-20 $359
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Shipping & insurance 3% · Satisfaction Guaranteed · Systems in stock for immediate shipping· VISNMC No Surcharge · AMEX ADD 4%
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96WC-4 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
Circle 480 011 Reader Service Card
EQUITY II TURBO
· 360K floppy · 20 Mog Hard Disk · 640K Ram
· Serial/Parallel · CIC · Monochiome Moni1or
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· 360K FIOPllY · 20 Meg Hard Disk · 640K Ram · Serial/Parallel Pon · Monochrome Card · Monochrome Monr101 · MS DOS · GW Basic
S1295
EQUITY Ill+
· 80286 CPU 6-8 10 MHZ · 12 MEG FIOPllY · 30 MEG Hard Disk · DOS 3.2 Mono Monitor
& Graphic Card
s2595
LO
PRICE
L 'ADER
ramPAa
Desk Pro 20 meg . .. .. .... .. .
1495
286 30 meg .. . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . '' .2875
386 40 rneg .. .. . ... .. .. .. .. . ... .. 4335
386 60 meg/20 MHz ' ' . ..... .. 56 50
Portable Ill 40 meg/20 MHz .. . .. . .. . 5450
CARD & MON ITOR EXTRA
I
---------------------------·--
PS/2 model 30/20 meg ...... ... . . ' . 1695
PS/2 model 50/20 meg . . . .. .. . .... . 2595
PS/2 model 60/40 meg . ... . .. . . . . .. 3825
PS/2 model 60171 meg .
... 4595
PS/2 model 80/4 0 rneg '' . .. . .. ... . ' 5100
MONITOR EXTRA
LEADING EDGE.A
MODEL "D"TM
ALL Configurations In Stock!
NEW IMS Bernoulli Dual Speed MODE L " D" IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK
OF LEADING EDGE PRODUCTS , INC. Authorized Dealer Serv·ce Genier
LAP-TOP ,_
Toshiba 3100-20 . ...... .... . Call
Toshiba 1000 . .. . .... . . ' .. .Call
NEC Multispeed
. . .. . . . . ' 1395
NEC Multispeed EL . . .. . .. .. ····· . 1695
WE STOCK
CITIZEN OK IDATA
TOSHIBA NEC
PRINCETON GRAPHICS SONY
AMDEK HAYES
PC MOUSE MICROSOFT MICE
IRWIN & ARCHIVE TAPE BACK
HARD DISK
Seagate 20 meg . .. .. . .. . ... .. . . . .305 Seagate 30 meg ...· . ... . . . . .. . . . .365 Seagate 4038 . . .. ... ..·. . . . . . .. . . .495 Seagate 251 ....... .. . . . ... . ... . . .465
SOFTWARE
Microsoft Word ... . . .. . . ... . . . .. . . .215 Word Perfect 4.2 .. . . . . .... . . . . . . . .215 Lotus 1-2-3 .. . ........ . . .. . ..... . .325 dBase Ill + ...... . .... .. ..... . .385 Microsoft Works . . ... . . . .. . . . . ..... 135
AND MAN Y, MAN Y MOR E!
~
NOVELL
Authorized Dealer Netware
AST
AST 286 model 80 .. . ... . . . .1495 AST 286 model 120 . ... . .. . .2350 AST 286 model 140 . . . . ..... 2650
CARD & MONITOR EXTRA
EPSON ~
PRINTERS
Epson FX86E ... . .. . .. .. . .... .315 Epson 286E . . .. .. . .. . . ... .. . .448 Epson EX800 . ....... . .. .. . . . .425 Epson EX1000 ... . . . . . . . . . . ... 499 Epson LX800 . . .. . . . . ..·. . .. . .210 Epson L0800 . . .. .. . .. . .. . . . .405 Epson L01000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 549 G03500 . . . . . . . . · . . . . . . . . . . 1295 Epson L0850 . .. . ...... . . · . . .. 550 Epson L01050 . . . ·. . . · .. . .... .725 HP LASER II ... .. . .. . .. . . .. . 1750
I
WE ACCE PT LC, CASHI ER CHECKS, MONEY ORDERS, VISA , MC, AmEx
3% charge on VISA, MC & American Express
COMPUTER LANE
HOURS: M-S 10 6
CORPORATE ACCOUNTS WELCOME CALL FOR VOLUME DISCOUNTS
Circle 477 on Reader Service Card
(818) 884-8644 22107 ROSCOE BLVD. CANOGA PARK V2 BLOCK W. OF TOPANGA
Prices subject to change without notice
Compaq is a Registered Trademark of Compaq IBM is a Registered Trad emark of International Business Machines
JANUARY 1988 · B YT E 96WC-5
SUR AH a computer company...Where Quality Counts
WHOLESALE outlet dlfect from factory
LOCATED m the Silicon Valley SERVES thousands of Satisfied Cutomers
·-:~ -
286 AT
IBM AT Compatible
6 I 10 MHz 16 Bits
512 K RAM on 1024K Mother Board
360K Flopp &20 Mb HARD DRI VE w1lh Controller
Monograph1c Video Card with Printer Porl Til & Swivel TTL Monitor Amber or Green AT style Keyboard , Tur bo/ Reset Push Buttons
SURAH 786 IBM XT Compatible
4.77 18 MHz 8 Bits
256K RAM on 640K 4 layer Mother Board
360 K Floppy &20Mb HARD DRIVE with Controllers
Monograph1c Video Card with Printer Pon Tilt & Swivel TTL Monitor Amber or Green
AT Style Keyboard and Baby AT Case
with40Mb Hard Drive
s1429
with30Mb Hard Drive
s799
OTHER OPTIONS :
ADD :
XT 10MHzTurbo Mother Board . ....... , .. $ 30
AT 384K RAM Upgrade to640K ... ... . ' ' ' . $ 55
AT 512KRAM Upgradeto1024K . ... . ..... $ 78
Addi tion al 1.2M b Floppy Drive . . . .. . ... . . $ 95
Add i tiona l 360Kb Floppy Dr ive . . ........ . $ 70
Enhanced Keyboard with 12 Function Keys . $ 29
In/output Multi function Card
...... $ 61
RGB Color Conversion .......... ..... .. $300
EGA Color Conver sion .......... . .... .. $555
Printer your choice tor LOW LOW prices, CALL
Full Software
Compatibility
RUN Lotus 1·2·3. PageMaker, Ventura , autoCAD. dBASElll . PTREE and all o ther si m ilar programs.
·
FULL WARRANTY
DEALERS-OEM-GOVERNMENT
SCHOOLS & UNIVERSITIES
INQUIRES WELCOME
~OT respon<iDJe !or typoqrapno<: errois Snipping & Handling extra
OlhBr Famous Brand
PRINTERS. MONITORS . PERIPHERALS
AOD-ON·CAROS and SOFTWARE
also available
IBM PS2. XT AT AST Premium. HP LaserJet. Como:io Aop:e. MACll . Plus. SE . t IGS are reg1S1ered lrndemarks o: respec
the 386 orignale'
16 MHz 32 bits
1Mb RAM on 2Mb board . expandable up to 16Mb 1.2Mb Floppy & floppy/Hard disk Controller 2 Serial & 2 Parallel Ports olf Mother Board
EGA· on System Board. Supporls YGa , 640x480 Graphic. CGA , MDA & Hercules emulation AT Style Keyboard . 1· Mon1101 01 1nclude<il
$1998
511.JFICIH lllC.
45461 Fremont Blvd. , Suite #9, Fremont, CA 94538 Telex 51060172 47 (ab) SURAH UQ
OPEN MON.· FRI. 9A/11 · 6PM SATURDAY 11 AM · 4 PM
8Z
PHONE ;~~~ 800·543-1001
NOW IN Cahlornoa 1415) 651·5101
96WC~ BY TE · JA UARY 1988
Circle 484 orr Reader Service Card
--··-- -·· -
TCS 7000
6, 8, 10, 12MHZ
COLOR MONITOR MONO MONITOR
MODEL RES.
MODEL RES.
· CM 1322N · CM 1370A · CM 1380F · CM 1495
640 x 200 720 x 400
640 x 350 800 x 600
MM 1222 MM 1422 MM 1295
800 x 350
800 x 350
800 x 600
Circle 485 on Reader Sen ·ice Card
TERMINAL
ET - 10 SERIES
t.P'i\ TATUNG 408-435-0140 ~ s VARDITRIBUTORS,OEM
INQUIRIES ARE WELCOME
11-' I
780 CHARCOT AVE . SAN JOSE CA. 95131
MICROMINT'S Gold Standard in Single Board
· f' Computers & Controllers
SB180FX--S409.00
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To order call
1..soo- 6 3 5 - 3 3 5 5
for technical inforrnalion 1-(203)-871~110
Inc~~~ TELEX: 643331
Micromint,
4 Park Street
~~
Vern on, CT 06066
~
~ } - - - - - -
·EXCLUSIVE COMPUilRS H QUARTERS
· TEK COMPUTER
\
THE VALUE LEADER IN COMPUTERS
SELECTION: We stock and sell products made by the world 's
largest and most trusted names in Computers, Printers and Software Manufacturers.
VOLUME:
Since we have multiple locations and our overhead is low, we buy and sell an incredible volume.
EXPERTISE: Since we deal exclusively with EPSON , TOSHIBA,
COMPAQ, IBM, we get special factory training giving us the know how nobody else has.
ATTENTION: Our job is not fin ished unless you are satisifed. You must be happy.
· Free Radio Watch $19.95 Value ·
Buy 2 boxes of Janus diskettes at $14.95
and get a d igital watch and rad io free
(§[ PREMIUM/286
· 80286 Processor · 1.2 MB Disk Drive · 40 MB HD · Enhanced Keyboard · Monochrome System
12249
S MACINTOSHTM
·MAC SE 2 Drives . . ... . .'2149
·MAC SE
1 Floppy 20 MB .2799
· MAC PLUS . . . . .1549
· Apple Laser Writer .. In
Stock
NOW HERE-IN
STOCK
l'DmPAQ3as
20 MHz SYSTEM
Lmt. Quanties Available
MONTHLY LAPTOP SPECIALS
NEC Multispeed EL/20 MB .. . ... . . . ... .. .. . ... '1599/2450
Toshiba 1000/1200/3120 W/2 MB HD . . .... . '875/2450/3199
MONTHLY PRINTER SPECIALS
IBM PROPRINTERS
TOSHIBA
X241Xl24 . . .... . . . . .'599/840 321 /341SL ... . .. . .'4991785
Boards
IBM Mono Adapter . . .. . ...... .... '99
AST Six Pack 64K + Sidekick . ... .. 149
AST Advantage Expansion Board for AT
w/128K . ... . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . .. . .349
Vega Board by Video 7 Deluxe . ..... 275
Hercules Graphics Plus . . . .... . .. .190
Hayes 1200/2400B w/SW . . . .. .349/399
NEC EGA . . . . . ....... . . . .... . ..430
Migent Pocket Modem . . ... .... . .. 159
Everex Evercom 1/2 card 1200B .. ...90
Everex Evercom Ill 2400B . .. .. . ... 200
Hard Cards
Plus Development Card 20/40 .. '5991899 Iomega Bernoulli Box IMS Disk Avallable
Hard Disks
20MB/30MB/40MB . . .. . . .'2591369/599
40/BOMB Hard Disk for AT .... 699/1099
20MB/60MB Tape Back-Up . .. .. 5991799
120MB Hard Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .2600
Computers
IBM AT 339K ...... .. . ... . . .. . . .13399
IBM Sys 2 Model 25 ... . . . .... 945/1190
IBM Sys 2 Model 30 .. . . .... 1275/CALL
IBM Sys 2 Model 50 10 MHz, 20 MB 2624
IBM Sys 2 Model 60 10 MHz, 44 MB 3499
IBM Sys 2 Model 80 40/70 . . ..... CALL
COMPAQ Port 2 Dr .. . ... . . . ..... 1545
COMPAQ Port 111 Dr/20 MB . .. . . .2899
COMPAQ Port 11140/20 . . . ..... .. CALL
COMPAQ 286 Desk Pro 12 MHz . .. 1949
COMPAQ 386 Mod 40/70 .... 4499/5499
AST Premium
All Models Ava ilable ... . . . .. Best Price
Software
Lotus 1-2-3/Hal/Metro . ... . .1309/120185
Symphony . .. .. ... . . . . . .. .. . . .. . .410
Framework 2 ..... . . . . ... . . .. . .. .. 365
D Base 111+ ..... . . .. .. .. .. . . ..... 395
WordPerlect 4.2 . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . ... 219
Microsoft Windows . . . . . .... . . . . . . . .69
Xerox Ventura Publisher . . . . . . . . . . .499
Aldus Pagemaker . .... . . . . ·.... . 465
Multimate Advantage II. . . . . ·. . . .. .440
Ability/Enrich by Migent . .. . . .. .. .LOW
Printers
Okldata 292/293 . .. . . . . . . . .. .'425/599
Epson 850/1050 . . . ... . . . . . . .. 5451745
Epson LQS00/1000 .. . .. . . . . . .4691649
Epson L..X86/FX85 .. . . . .. . . . .. 199/349
Epson EX800/1000 . .. ...·. . . .4981649
Epson LQ2500 ... ... . .. . . .. . .... 1099
Epson FX86E/FX286E . . . . . .. .359 /475
IBM Proprinter II . . . . . . . ... . . ... . . .399
IBM Quietwriter 111 ..... ..· · ... .. .1299
NEC Laser Printer . .. . . .. . . .. . ... 3895
HP Laser Jetll ..... . . . . . . .. .. ... 1699
onitors
IBM Color Monitor 8513 PS/2 .... . .'512
IBM Mono Monitor8503 PS/2 . . .. . .200
IBM Color Monitor 8512/8519 .. 485/1196
Princeton SR12P . .. .. . . .. .. . . . .CALL
NEC Mullisync II .. . .·.. . . . .. .. . ... 575
Sony Multiscan . .... . ... . . .. . . .. .. 629
Amdek 41 OA/422 . ..... . . · . ... 159/489
Samsung RGB/EGA . .... . . . ... 2991369
1740 ll C·mino Rul
Santa Clara, CA 95051
(408) 296-0455
FAX
(408) 986-1883
139 Kearney (and Market) San Frandsco, Ca 94108
(415). 362-6870
·All Good While Ouenn11es Last · Prices Subject To Change · Cash Prices
Circle 486 011 Reader Senoice Card
JA UARY 1988 · B Y T E 96WC-9
-------------------------------------
MO<lel J0.2 drr·e
' 13S9
MO<lel 30-20M8
' 1799
Model 50-20 MB MO<lel 6().4J MB
'2768
·40n
Model 70-70 MB
'4847
IBM PC AT 339 JO MB '3S20
IBM PS12 14" Color t85121 '5114
18 PSl2 12 · Cotor (8513) '548
ISM PSl2 14 · COIOr 1851~ : '1192
~Seagate s1225
25g* $ 20MB w/controller
orv s Cash Price Installation Available
I.;.,,,,,.,.,e
C. 011e ti
IJ// A1 '/'
'YO""
ra/.:,Ij.'i..'.I.
HEWLETT PACKARD
LAS RJETS 'I
' 1695
HP PLOnE All MODELS
HP SCAN JE ' 1225
HP OUIEr JE 'BEST
Fons Ira available
Toner
'83
Legal tray
'62
Memory Exp/ ~812MB '398/783
HARD DRIVES
Seaga e ST225 20 MB w/Ct .'259
Seaoa e ST238 JO MB wlCt '299
Seagate ST 4038 AT
'499
Seagate S 25 I
·429
Mm1scnbe 6053 44MB 26MS '599
Miniscribe 6085 71MB 28MS ·799
Atas13046 39MB
'399
Maxtor 1140 140MB
'1995
l'DmPAQ
386 Model 40 MB 386 Model 70 MB JtJ6 Model 1JO MB Portable 111 20 MB Ponable Ill 40 MB 268 Model 1 12 MHz OeskPro Model 2 2Dr
·45n
'5320 '6790 '3999 '4699 '1995 '1079
EPSON.
LX-800 9 Pm-Narr ow EX-1000 9 Pin-Narrow FX 286E 9 Pm.WK! EX·OOO 9 Pin· arrow EX-1000 9 Pin- V1de L0·800 24 Pin-Narrow LO·1000 24 Pin-Wide L0-2500 24 Pm-Wide G0 3500 Epson laser Tractor & Cu Slleet
Feeder
'189 '339 '449 '399 '565 .'479 ·665 · 0899 '1499
Available
AST COMPUTERS
ASI Pren·um 286 AT ~ e1
80
·1~
r1st Pre 1um 286 AT lo<lel
120
'2395
Ast Premium 286 AT Model
140
'2695
As Pic 1um 26fj AT Model
170
'3195
INTEL
80387-16 80287-10 80287-8
Intel 286 (512K) Intel tnbOaro
'489 ' 299 .' 245 '387 ' 1203
FLOPPY ORIVES
TOS111ba 3·h.
·108
Fu1ttsu J60t<
.'69
FUJllSU l 2 MB
.'98
SOFTWARE
Lotus 1-2-3
'302
Xerox Ventura
.' 449
IBM DOS 3 3
.'97
PRINTERS
IBM P<oPnnter
' 382
CITIZEN
120 D..
'169
MSP-10
...'257
MSP-15 . .. .. ... · . . . .'325
PO LICI ES :
; ~ l ·bel 0< ~lext ()ay Offiery Allatlabte
· Len1<> or Cr!Ol1 ~ C«oora1e Actounis
i«<:'?'.J!CI
· we. ace~ C!ttiflt<l Cr.eck3_CaslWef Cf\e(jtS,
'Mred turds
· Al O<detS °'~' ssoo""" Ile p..a Dy uW<clleck
· f.hntn-.,im order $100
· A.low 1 week 1cw personal & compill r,
checks (,,,.,,mum ilTWnl·SSOO!
'°' · Prrpaoa onJers [j<I 1% <iscounl
:m · AOcl
V...n.las:er Cvd Pu'thase>
· Plt1H one -'< fO< stWiri
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On d mum mmhindse
MSP-25
.'392
Premium 35
'415
Tnbute 224 . . . .
'565
s C111en Pruners All MO<lets BH 1
HARD DISKS
Mlnlocrlbe
3425 20 MB w/cont .
'289
3650 40MB
'342
6053 44MB . . . . .
.'599
6085 72MB . ·
'789
WO I003-WA2 Har & FIOppy
Conttof:er
1 129
Watson Vooce Rec01dmg Sys .'472
MISC
Wyse Terminals Plus Card 20MB
SHI S . '615
l.Al'TOP COMPUTERS
NEC Mutlispeed
.'1299
Zenrth 181 2 Dr . . ..... .'1675
Zenilll 183-92 ilOMBI '2460
TAPE BACKUP DRIVES
Irwin 110 10MB
' 219
llW!O t 20 20M8
'375
ll'Am 145 40MB
'405
(New) Archive 40M8
'32'.l
Talltree JL.aser Still a Great Value
The onginal HP Laseqe1 (and similar lasers built on the Canon engine) are sunwidely used
But the Oesk1op PObllsh·nQ per formance with 300 OJll graphics is i1Yo1ul.
We suggest the r.tttree JLaser interface combined with the Tantree JRAM memory card I i.s lookS to your computer hke an EMS RAM caro. out transters data dtrect to the pnnter"s laser
head. Speed improvemen1 >
t5 x
The melTlOfy c.a1d with 1 MSyte RAM (expandable to 2 MByte).
the Jll99ybac taser interface. and the HP style cable (automaticatty s·Mtches between Jlaser and
conventional se 1al oM). package
pnce S475
This
Month's
Special
FREE Desktop Publishing Software.
For limited time only from Quality Mtcro w/ purchase of Logitech Mouse List Pnce $299
$149 Our Cost
QUALITY MICRO
VISA'.,
(213) 474-3764
L ~ 800-553·3339 in CA orders only t_ ~
1-800-MICRO 86 (642-7686) in U.S.
west Coast Office 10551 W. Pico Blvd.. Los Angeles. CA 900>4
East Coast Office 313 Post Ave. Westbury, NY 11590 51&-338--4949 For Technical Service Call Watson Line (213) 470-8073
See you a1 @ CGmDEHlfall W
No. . 2-6. 1987. Las Ve<Jas. NV Booth R8101
Al pnces suotect to Ctiinoe 'MlhOu'I noiice
\'men yOu need C1l~tltll-e IJOC<S. prllfTCJl stlVl« & complete SUPl>Qrt. cal us
96WC-10 B YT E · JA UARY 1988
Circle 481 on Reader Service Card
You are looking at the complete picture printing solution from camera to page. When you add Publisher's ImageMaker exclusive halftone technology to your work station, you get B/W Video Camera. Stand, Lens, 9" Monitor, LaserPort, (a laser printer controller for AT c.ompatible personal computers), with PicturePlus software (for cropping, scaling and placement of pictures) and QuickCapture software (for capturing images, modifying contrast and brightness, rubber-band box and rotation for cropping and printing various size images with screen density choices).
Now you can print your photos in 64 shades of gray. preserve detail as small as 1/300 of an inch, choose 70, 85 and 100 line screens. No more costly bills from a photographer or photo lab for sizing, cropping and screening.
Add Publisher's lrnageMaker. the simple inexpensive way to compose and print your own full pages, complete with offset-quality photo reproductions. Call or write for free information today.
'IP-rt.:f<:_,1nc.
(316) 269-3068 245 N. Hydraulic, Wichita, Kansas 67214
v..... ......... ha~el V....... ~l..c.
Circle 419 on Reader Service Card
One Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words!
Step up to state-of-the-art in EGA graphics generation technology. Our 2005 version is notjust
another paint program or another version of the "same old thing~' EGA PAINT 2005 is a
complete restructuring of our 2001 program (itself the recipient of the PC TECH JOURNAL
award for excellence in program design). We believe the end-user comes first and instead of
merely patching on more features (as all the others do) we went to a whole new (much easier and
faster) way to create truly startling business presentations & EGA color illustrations. Take
another look at some of our features (some of which are available only on programs costing
hundreds more) and decide for yourself.
All this and more for just:
Al o ava ilabl e from ll!X :
$99.00
EGA SCREEN ENHANCER
This easy to install device enables older EGA cards to utilize
EGA PAINT 2005 in 640x480 & 752x4IO resolution modes.
Our ESE comes complete with a special test pattern diskette for only $49.95 (+ $5 .00 for shipping and handling).
ORDER NOW!
in CA - (800) 233-5983 out CA (800) 345-9059
-=-=--=----=-=~---
='==== RIX SoftWorks, Inc.
185 52 MacArthur Bl. Suite 375 , Irvine. CA 92 71 5
96WC-12 BYTE · JA UARY 1988
Circle 482 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 483)
SHORT TAKES
BYTE editors offer hands-on views ofnew products.
NEC MultiSpeed HD: A Best-Seller Gets a Big New Feature
T he. EC Mult iSpccd certainly ranks as one of the most popular IBM PC- compatible laptop computers. The dual processor speeds, twin 720K-byte floppy disk drives, super twist LCD screen, and full-size keyboard of the original have been upgraded twice , first with an electroluminescent screen (the MultiSpeed EL) and now with a 20-mcgabyte internal hard disk drive.
I had a chance to look at a preproduction sample of the MultiSpeed HD , and I found that the sum of the parts is a fast , highly usable. very portable computer. The hard disk drive is , of co urse, the most notable component in this version. According to the CORETEST. the 20-megabyte hard disk drive has an ave rage seek tim e of 75 .6 milliseconds and a data transter rate of260.3K bits per second . I'm a dedicated fan of hard disk drives , and I found tbis o ne to be fast enough to be well worth the cost in battery lite .
According to NEC, the nickel-cadmium battery in the MultiSpeed HD should power the mac hine for 4 to 6 hours if the screen back.lighting and hard disk drive are not used; 2 to 4 hours if the backlighting and hard disk drive are used occasionally (or if the backlighting is adjusted to a low intensity); and I to 2 hours if the backlighting is at full bright and the hard disk drive is accessed frequently. A full recharge of the battery (from a fully di sc harged state) takes 8 hours. According to NEC, you can operate the computer from AC powe;:r without the battery in place.
There will be slight cosmetic changes between the com puter that I saw (and we photographed) and the final version shipped to purchasers .
The MultiSpeed HD is bundled with MS-DOS version 3 .2 and the NEC set of memory-resident programs . The pop-up software includes a telecommunications program ; notepad. filer, outliner, dialer, and setup software; and on-line help screens. You can disable the memory-resident software by using the KiJlpop program supplied with the computer.
Thi s promises to be a solid laptop com puter, offering most of the functionality of a desktop turbo XT computer in a package that can be carried easily and used without an AC umbilical
The Facts: NEC MultiSpeed HD $3695
Software included: MS-DOS version 3.2; NEC pop-up software.
NEC Home Electronics (U .S.A. ) Inc.
I 255 Michael Dr.
Wood Dale. IL 60191-1094
(312) 910-1776 lnquir)' 852.
cord . Ifl were planning to carry this computer a lot, I would definitely buy the optional carrying case ($99). The MultiSpeed HD does have a built-in handle, but the rather bulky AC ad.apter and numerous holes and slots in the plastic case of the computer cry out for a case to corral and protect the machine.
-Curt Franklin
GOfer: RAM-Resident Text Searcher
F requentl y, I've got to find a block of text fast. Deadlines are approaching, and I have nothing for clues but a couple of key words. This is when GOfer, a pop-up text finder from Microlytics for MS-DOS machines, comes in very handy.
After loading the program (it normally occupies 79K bytes of RAM. but you can load it to use more or less , or you can use it as a stand-alone package) , I loaded XyWrite III Plus and called up GOfer. The search process starts at a window wherein you specify the text you want found by filling in one to eight blanks. each of which can take 20 characters.
You don ' t have to remember the exact word (o r words) you ' re hunting for; you just have to be close (case and spelling don ' t have to match precisely). With the capability to fine tune these searches , you can be very specific or you can play the old "sounds like " charades game. I sent GOfer after words I was su re were buried in some text fil e and after word s that were sim ilar. Each time , it came back wit11 a hit. Search strategies can also be based on logical relationships.
Before the program goes looking for text, you tell it where to look by specifying drives, paths, or subdirectories. If you 're
continued
JA NUARY 1988 · BYTE 97
SHORT TAKES
not sure where you want it to look, you can tell it to look at all the files on the disk. I sent GOfer into the jungle of my hard disk to see if, as Microlytics claims, there 's no limit to the number of files the program can search.
The onJy times I ran into problems were when I missed a step in the procedure. It does take a few minutes to tell GOfer what you want it to look for and where you want it to look , but the program then whips through files in its search for text .
When the program finds the word , it flashes the chunk of surrounding text on the screen, with the first letter of the searched word highlighted . (At the top of the screen are the name and the location of the file .) GOfer will then send the found text to a printer, to a disk file, or to another program. I was able to easily export snippets of text from my hard disk to XyWrite documents .
I've also use<! GOfer to jump out of XyWrite and browse through disk files , which saved me from having to shut down the file I was in , calling up a suspect, and then storing it and calling back the document I was in.
If you 're curse<! with tons of text files but not blessed with great powers of recall , GOfer can save you from spending lots of time wandering in the wilds of your hard disk in search of that certain word .
-D. Barku
The Facts: GO fer $79.95
Requirements: IBM PC or compatible with 256K bytes of RAM , MS-DOS 2.0 or higher , and one disk drive.
Microlytics 300 Main St . East Rochester, NY 14445 (716) 377-0130 Inquiry 853.
The Translmage 1000: Versatile OCR in a Low-Cost Package
The Facts: The Translmage I 000 $2495
Requirements: IBM PC , XT, AT, or compatible; MS-DOS 2.0 or higher.
Translmage Corp . 910 Benicia Ave . Sunnyvale , CA 94086-2887 (408) 733-4111 Inquiry 851.
The Translmage 1000 is a product that relieves you of the burden of deciding between high functionality and low cost. The package contains three components: the Transimage scanner, the Transimage controller board, and software to make it all work . The controlJer board gives the scanner its power. It is centered on a Motorola 68000 processor and a series of custom logic chips.
The custom chips contain the heart of the Translmage's topological-recognition scheme. By using a topological recognition algorithm, instead of the template-matching algorithm used by most low-cost optical-character-recognition scanners, the Translmage scanner is able to recognize a much broader range of typefaces, including typeset , italic , and kerned fonts, than most scanners available for less than
$10,000. The scanner itself must have been designed with ergo
nomics in mind , as the scanning unit fit into my hand quite well. Six programmable keys on the top of the scanner, if programme<! judiciously , can substantially re<luce the number of times you must move between the scanner and the com
puter keyboard during input. An important design feature of the scanner is the set of
broad rollers on the bottom of the unit. These rollers help keep the scanner moving in a straight line while scanning, increas ing the accuracy of the scanning process .
The software of the Translmage includes stand-a.lone and memory-resident programs. The stand-alone program lets you set exposure levels, prnctice with the scanner, and train the scanner to recognize new or confusing characters. The program is menu-driven , with rudimentary on-line help available. The memory-resident portion lets you choose among driver files that interface with applications programs. Interface files for a number of popular programs (including
Lotu s 1-2-3, WordStar, WordPerfect, and dBASE ID come
with the scanner, and you can program interface programs for many other applications.
I found the Translmage easy to use, although there was a marked increase in scanning accuracy as I became more prac ticed in centering the scanner on a line and moving it smoothly and evenly across the page . In my tests, I was able to scan pages from BYTE and Fortune , several press releases and advertising brochures , and a tabloid newspaper.
The Translmage was quite accurate, although it had trouble with multiple white spaces and very small , closely spaced type (Translmage recommends scanning text that is set between 8 and 14 points). I was impressed with its versatility and accuracy , especially compared to low-cost scanners that work only with typewritten , monospaced typefaces.
-Curt Franklin
continued
98 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
What the PC did for
computing, GoldWorks'M
now does for
expert system building.
Remember computing
before the PC?
Climate-controlled rooms behind "Restricted Area" signs. DP gurus speaking a language nobody else knew. Myst ified end-users. Then technology evolved, the PC emerged and serious desktop computing became affordable. The economics of computing changed fort:ver.
Now, GoldWorks uses PCs
to transform the
economics of expert
system building.
On your 286-
ro levercige ,,
or 386based
·'...cd/01rs us tboHSlillds of
!.ti~·tctoiolifeil'dl>
pCs..·
c.- Lybr{ll1rt
PC,
._l)r·. J)al'itl S1Jp11berg,
Gold Works offers the functionality and power of high-end expert system tools, plus the ease of use and low cost of PC shells. With GoldWorks, you can deve[l)p and deliver serious expert systems cost-effectiuely
GoldWorks i.S the: mo:-t powerful l'Xpcn r.'.'lll'nl mol J\-;ti l.1blr un PC).
With GoldWorks, you don't GoldWorks lets you
have to compromise.
integrate with existing
Easy-co-use shells run on PCs, but lack
real functiona lity. Powerful high-end tools
ecPxaC1n·s'aut·pinnpgtlet.-gr.a. .it.fe. aw·p1itmehrit·eSr\1·.1t1eIlYcIoame1b·.eI.,l1olap..tmioerlnt
can·ons or deliver
0 (>.\
un< /
J~iu/ - u·se1. s·11,1,1/JOl·'Df . -eJJrucc .\1· c rris. .-1rt11111 ·
Litrk.
w
.
expert systems
on PCs. Gold\Vorks combines the best
features of both .
It's as easy to use as
PC programs.
You can integrate expert systems with dBASE Ill. Lotus 1-2-3 and C. ..plus build and deliver expert systems in network environmems.
See this powerful,
flexible tool for yourself.
Order the GoldWorks
Demonstration Kit.
You'll get an 18-minute videotape.
a shell...
showcasing many GoldWorks features in a
The Menu Jnrerface lets you prototype sample application. You'll also receive a
and build expert system applications
copy of the actual 282-page Experc System
fast . without knowing the underlying programming environment. On-line help
·An)'
f<0
·tune toOO 1 aiotl ca n
eas
i.~y
User's Guide that comes
and tutorials make you productive quickly.
...and as function-rich
ocrogsat1-]-~WI1''~1l1l1tul.lf·r}R'e·i:tet/rJ.·i~s11mr1o11ocl:,ro
uP
We'
with GoldWorks ll credit your
.
as a high-end tool.
549 to your GoldWorks purchase.
GoldWorks offers frames , rules.
object programming and powerful control
mechanisms. just like the
high-end
co mparable
For more information , or to order, call toll-free:
1-800-242-54 77.
tools. And " ..poirer.KfE ..:·
GoldWorks to AJ<T Ot .~e ukw11. rr1r.
·
-Ke1111ellJLe1·111 ,
runs on
In Mass.. call (617) 492-2071.
GoldWorks from Gold Hill.
advanced PCs, so expert systems you build The expert in AI on PCs.
can be delivered cost-effectively ro
end-usef!i.
~ Gold Hill Computers. Inc.
16~ Harvard Screec
.......====~=-- "'
Cambridge, MA 02 1.)9 GOLD HI LL
Copy riFh1 JlJlf" . (J t>ltl lhl l <.omputrrs. lnr . Gulth.:n Cu1111~mn l.l ~P i :i rl-gi ~~ernJ lr.tdl'ma rk ;ind Co_ld\\in ks '" ~ trJdt·m:uk ni<;_tilcl Hill (11 r~1p111t·r~. ,Inc I.musb :1rr;:.isirn:d 1r.uJrm:.1rk :unJ 1-2· 5b :l lr.ltkin:uk lJi l.o[ u ~ Dn·c:lopmrm <.orpor:u iun JIH SEb ;1 tr:i demlrk ol A ~ h 1 on·' l':m.: . KF.1: 1~ :i 1r.ukm:1rk of lntdhl.'orp. ART 1:, :1trad<.·m:J rk ul lnfrrr ncl· Cnrpor:rn on
Circle 103 on Reader Service Card
JANUARY 1988 · B Y T E 99
SHORT TAKES
The only software tool for FAM/COM
RuggedWriter 480: Hewlett Packard's Fast 24-pin Printer
FMC Adaptor-II
This is the key to debug the custom CPU FMC· 2A03 of the FAMILY COMPUTER (Nintendo). All you need is this unit ! Then, you can debug and develop your sohware for the FAMICOM without much knowledge on hardware of the FAM ICOM .
Th is clever adaptor can evaluate the famous SOUND SUPPORT!
Th ink FMC Adapto r-II if you are touch ing to FAMICOM 1
CONTACT US TODAY !
NP S 1NC.
Arrt·n · l':iul K1 r:1ob. S:i[,., m:in:ig~· r
l\! ;1111 Bid!( .. hibuv,1, ,-.10. Udagaw,Hho. Tn kn1. I50 J :ipon l'lun1<· (03HM· ~ 100 bx. (03H66 ~~22 l"t·lcx· )2-H>! NP )1\P1\ C\
hibuva-ku,
The Facts: RuggedWriter 480 $1695
Hewlett-Packard 3000 Hanover St. Palo Alto , CA 94304 (415) 857-1501 Inquiry 854.
Options: Serial/HP-IB interface , $200; optional automatic sheet feeder , $250; optional font cartridge, $150.
Hewlett-Packard's new RuggedWriter 480 dot-matrix printer has the highest throughput of the 16 24-pin printers BYTE has tested during the past year. On the five -page test document (described in the April 1987 BYTE on page 203), the $1695 unit achieved a draft throughput rate of 189 characters per second and a near-letter-quality (NLQ) throughput of 143 cps .
The closest competitors among units BYTE has tested are the C. Itoh C-815 Supra at 187 cps draft throughput and the Nissho NP-2410 at 104 cps NLQ throughput. Graphics throughput of the RuggedWriter was 726 cps; only two 24-pin units had a higher rating, the Fujitsu America DL 2600 (933 cps) and the Nissho NP-2410 (833 cps).
The subjective NLQ print quality of the unit was supe rior-comparable to the best of the 24-pin units BYTE has tested- but the draft-quality rating was only average. Graphics quality was second only to JDL 's 850 EWS printer. The noise level of the printer was in the lower half of the group. For ex.ample , the NLQ noise level was 72 decibels. The other 24-pin units tested ranged from 68 dB to 78 dB (four were quieter , six were louder , and five had the same rating).
The RuggedWriter is a wide-carriage printer and handles up to four-part forms. The unit has two paper-handling sys tems built in: hand feed and fanfold tractor feed . An auto matic cut-sheet feed tray is available for $250. A control panel makes it easy to switch between the three paper paths.
If you select automatic sheet feed or hand feed while forms are loaded , the printer automatically retracts the fanfold paper from the platen without completely releasing it ; when you re select the fanfold path , the unit returns the fanfold paper to the platen area. Another important feature for office use is the
co111 i 11ue d
100 BYT E · JANUARY 1988 Circle 189 on Reader Service Cord
I
QUICK5IIYER
\\n'ITI~ "'t'l"i,n.i'>
I f you can't wait for a new version of dBASE to come out, you don't have to. Because now, there's the Quicksilverrn Diamond Release. A com piler that gives the dBASE world what it's been waiting so long for.
The next generation of the dBASE language. Which shouldn't be too surprising. After all, WordTech Systems has long been the leader in bringing improve ments to dBASE. With features like the first true windowing. VALID. User De fin ed Functions. And true native code compiling, for blazing speed. Now, with the Quicksilver Diamond Release, dBASE has been expanded Like never before. New capabilities include a long List of extend ed language features. Like a new GRAPH FORM command that lets you create graphs and charts from your data. Plus the ability to export graphs and data to a format that works directly with desk
top publishing packages like Xerox
Ventura Publisher:" 111ere are
multi-dimensional arrays,for easier,
more sophisticated memory
variable management. And ON
EVENT/SET EVENT commands
for communications multitasking,
like sorting a database while you
receive a modem transmission.
What about networking?
With WordTech's all new
Networker Plus"', you can run
Quicksilver compiled programs
and dBASE III Plusr"on the same
network, at the same time.
That's not all. Quicksilver lets
network users know who has data locked, and lets
them send a message requesting its release. In
fact, users can send any message, including exact
copies of screens, to anyone on the network. If
data has been changed, edit sensing lets you
know-it even tells you who changed it. And with
Quicksilver's distributed processing feature you
can send projects off to unused workstations.
The Quicksilver Dian10nd Release runs on
DOS 3.1, and compatible networks. And it runs
around $599. Your software store or computer
dealer has more information. Or give us a call.
And see why this is the one dBASE upgrade
- - - :.5ILVEK you'll be glad you waited for.
----_-_-----_ ----
---- --- - ---- ··---- - . .. ~ ·,-_.,...,.,,.
..,, __ J', __
.
WOROTECH SYSTEMS
Worc!Tech Systems. Inc. P.O. Box 1747, Orinda, CA 94563 (415) 254-0900 Fax: (415) 254-0288 Telex: 503599
Not copy protec1ecl. N<-twork cr Plus is a trademark of WordTech Systems. Inc. Quic ksilver is a trademark of Quicksilver Software. Inc. licensed lo WordTech S)'slcms. Inc. dBASE and dBi\SE 111 l~ u s are trademarks of Ashton-Tate. X rox Ventura Publisher is a trademark of Xerox Corporation.
Circle 197 on Reader Sen·ice Card
JANUARY 198 · BYT E 101
Circle 162 on Reader Service Card
~ ~~\
Keyboard Protector
Finally! A Keyboard Protector That:
·PROTECTS CONTINUOUSLY-24 HOURS A DAY Againsl computer downtime due to liquid spills, dust, ashes, staples, paper clips and other environmenlal hazards.
· REMAINS IN PLACE during the operation of your keyboard. SafeSkin is precision molded to fit each key- like a "second skin."
· EXCELLENT FEEL - The unique design eliminates any in terference between adjacent keys, allowing smooth natural operation of your keyboard.
· SafeSkin IS VIRTUALLV TRANSPARENT - Keytops and side markings are clearly visible . In fact, SafeSkin is so clear, sometimes you may not know it's there!
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SaleSkin is available for most popular PC's and portables including: I.BM, APPLE, AT&T, COMPAQ, DEC, EPSON, KEY· TRONICS, NEC, TANDY, TOSHIBA, WANG, WYSE, ZENITH. Specify computer make and model. Send $29.95, Check or M.0., VISA & MC include exp. date. Dealer inquiries invited. Free brochure available.
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24 Hrs.!7 Days/Wk.
102 B YT E · JANUARY 1988 Circle 258 on Reader SeMJice Card
SHORT TAKES
ability to tear off a form and resume printing at the top of the next form .
Other front-panel controls include selection of NLQ . draft , and compressed typefaces. When an optional font cartridge ($150) is installed, the front-panel button also allows selection of four additional fonts or a downloaded font. The RuggedWriter comes with a 2K-byte input buffer ; the font cartridge adds 16K bytes of additional buffer space .
For software control, the RuggedWriter emu.lates an Epson LQ-1000; it also recognizes Hewlett-Packard's printer control language. The standard printer comes with a parallel and serial interface . An optional serial/Hewlett-Packard Interface Bus (HP-IB) interface costs $200.
-George A. Stewart
Velan-2V: Video-Port Expander
T he Velan-2V video-port expander lets you connect two analog monitors to one analog video port. It works with the IBM PS/2 computers and VGA-compatible video cards.
Setup and operation are easy. Simply disconnect the monitor from the video port. Connect the video port to the input port of the Velan-2V . (This cable is included with the unit.) Then plug the two analog monitors into the output I and output2 analog ports of the Velan-2V . Flip on the power switch on the front panel , and both monitors can display the same picture .
The unit contains active amplifiers for the red, blue, and green analog signals, with a 100-MHz bandwidth for no Joss in resolution . This boost in video signal permits positioning the monitors up to 25 feet from the computer, using a standard cable, or up to 50 feet from the computer, using the optional low-loss video cables.
I tested the unit on an IBM PS/2 Model 80 and on an IBM PC using a Sigma Designs Sigma VGA card . I used the IBM 8513 and NEC MuJtiSync XL color monitors for the tests .
On the Model 80, the unit performed flawlessly . Both monitors displayed the same screen with good color and resolution. It is possible to simultaneously use both a monochrome and a color monitor on a PS/2 computer with the Velan-2V . The Model 80 reads the ID bits of the monitor (lines 4, 11, and 12 on the video cable) and configures the output of the VGA pore for that particular monitor. Network Technologies recommends that you attach the monitor with the lowest functionality to the outputl port. Both monitors will then operate at the lowest common mode.
When I ran the test on the Sigma VGA card, again both monitors operated correctly. The NEC MultiSync monitor had the advantage of adjusting itself to whatever mode the Sigma VGA card was in. The IBM 8513 monitor could operate only in its standard mode of 640 by 480 pixels.
The Velan-2V is ideal for situations where a group of people need to see the output from one computer.
-Stan Ws.wla
The Facts: Velan-2V $279
Network Technologies Inc . 19145 Elizabeth St. Aurora, OH 44202 (800) 742-8324 Inquiry 855.
Option s : Low-loss video-extension cables: 25 feet, $70 ; 35 feet , $80 ; 50 feet , $90.
cominued
How to process documents
instead ofwords.
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Ho hum . your word processor enables you to process words. But today, when you' re creating a wide range of business documents you often have to process much more. Graphics, columns, tables, equations, etc.
Lotus 1anuscript® is acomplete docu ment creation system that can handle anything froma one-page memo to an 800-page manual. Manuscript can mix
text and graphics on the same page, graphics from Lotus® 1 -2-3~ Symphonl,' Freelance® Plus and Graphwriter ll~ It can also import spreadsheets and charts,
plus diagrams and scanned images. With our lntegrated Outliner you can
collapse a document to navigate the out line, or move any size section with just a few keystrokes.
You can globally fonmt an entire Man
uscript document, or format by sections.
.1 1Vith o11r_Docnmen;··
Pn"IJlell'Jeotnr you " .L..·:._.;;;......_..;_-=-_, urn see hu11·m1y page will look IJ!!for
it.'s primed. Zoom capal1ilily leis yuu take a c/oser /uok at gmphics and el/Mlions .
Manuscript's Docw11ent Compare fea tur highlights changes between revisions fo r foolproof proof-reading_
Our powerful Print Formatter gives you control over the look ofyour document, from position and size ofgraphics, to fonts, point sizes and more.
Manuscript also takes full advantage
of today's printing r.echnology. from clot matrix to laser, including PostSc ript~ printers.
Manuscript is design d to workon most IBM~ PCs and compatibles~ It
familiar 1-2-3interface makes it easv w
use. And our Manuscript evaluation kit makes it easy to try. F'or .SI 0.00, you'LI get a presentation disk, working soft ware, and a tutorial manual . 'lo get you reval uation kit, call 1-800-345-1043 and askfordemo kit YB-1450.
Lot11s Manuscript
© 19 l.J;:)tu:,. [)(·\'\."lupnti.:nl Cvrpflmtioo. All n..,ihts r.::scrvc-d. lfAUS. lhltUS Mlm npt. I ·2-3. . ymp y. rf'.....lan and Grapnwru..r II art: l'l~~l l'f,,;rj t rad~rnarks or l/JilUS t>-:-\'("lopm...nt C'orf)(1~l!On
fu:;u.cnpt lS a re ·tstered tradmrark of 1\ dobt: Sy~ll'IH!io. 1 rn~ m~1 ~ .11\.' Liiti'rt'(l lradt<IUaT . of lnt~rn:u.ion3l !~m ~l achU)(."$ I ~li.mu.cript and ~l anu5<'npt ~:\11.l uatY_tl\ Kit rrqotrt~ :1 1:!~: iittd 11 h~ud dl)k
Circle 133 on Reader Service Card
SHORT TAKES
KADAK's engineers bring years of practical real-time experience to this mature
MULTl-TASKING SYSTEM
(version 2.0)
for the IBM® PC, PC/XT and PC/AT
· No royalties · IBM PC DOS support · C language support · Preemptive scheduler
· Time slicing available
· Source code of the C interface and device drivers is included
· Intertask message passing
· Dynam ic operations: - task create/delete - task priorities - memory al location
· Event Manager
· Semaphore Manager
AMX86'0 oparatas on any 8086188, 80186188, 80286 system.
Demo package Manual only AM X86 system
$25 us $75 us $2195 us
Also available /or 8080. ZBO. 58000
KADAK Products Ltd.
206-1847 W Broadway
Vancouver, B.C., Canada
::l~lf
V6J1Y5
Telephone : (604)
734-2796
~ Telex: 04-55670
Laptop &IBM PS/2 Users:
The solution to bridge the gap between your 5Y. &
3~ inch drives.
" It's a steal. It allows you to use you r favo rite DOS shell lor selective lile lransfer and it eve n lets you use your PC's peripherals fro myour laptop . . . In short: An exce ptionally fast and functional transfer utility ... The Brooklyn Bridge is th e perfect solution for people who use a laptop almost exclusively as a portable machine that travels from PC to PC. It's
te rri fic !" - Howard Marks, PC Ma azine Ju l 1987"
Rated as one of the best of the best utilities
by John Dvorak. "This is one of those rare programs that you enjoy the minute you take it out of the box , especially when
you discover that a cable is included . . . Excelle nt product." -PC Magazine, June 23, 1987'''
WHlll CRAN! I YI TIM I ·104·394·3119 Su11e 151 6889 Peachtree Ind . Boulevard Norcross. Georgia
End users are "sold on Brooklyn Bridge ... Dvorak is certa inly correct in describin~ Wh ite Crane Systems' Brooklyn Bridge as 'Fabulous ... and I love it." - G. Schochet Letter to the Editor PC Magazine. ~19-g
PS/2 users: The Brooklyn Bridge allows da ta transfer and drive access in either direclio n so you may also transfer your data back to your 5!-i inch PC.
Priced at $129.95, call White Crane Systems to order or for more information.
1 R~p n n 1i:-d lrom PC M arazin~ . coov111h1 1981 Zoff Commun hons Compar1y
30092
Book One: Interactive Authoring
B ook One helps you create interactive presentations by combining color pictures, sound, text , and animation using the model of a book to organize your work. You place elements on a page, combine these pages into chapters, and the chapters into a book. Book One currently works only on the EGA and CGA. It also can use either the keyboard or a Microsoft-compatible mouse.
More than 40 fonts are supplied , as well as a font editor for creating your own. There are four graphics modes: A , B, E, and P. If you have a CGA, you can use modes A, B, and P. Modes A and B are the low-resolution 4-color and high resolution monochrome modes of the CGA. Mode P displays the top or bottom of a page, using a 400- by 200-pixel resolution. If you have an EGA, you can use mode E, which is the 16-color, 640- by 350-pixel resolution of the EGA.
The graphics elements consist of circles, boxes , sketches, fill patterns, and graphics fonts. You can also pull in digitized pictures .
The program's animation features let you manually move objects by specifying the steps for drawing , removing. and drawing the object again in another position , or you can have Book One animate the object by specifying a starting and an ending position . With sketch animation, given two sketches, each with the same number of dots, Book One will animate the transformation of one into the other. Font animation takes a series of small predefined pictures that can be displayed at high speed to create the illusion of motion. Sound elements are entered as a four-element string consisting of the note , the octave, note lengths, and rests. Book One provides com mands for controlling the flow of the program and waiting for
user input. You need not be a programmer to use Book One , but it was
difficult to navigate through its features . The user interface consists of 55 icons divided over three menus , and submenus are associated with many of these icons. In theory, you must memorize 11 symbols from which the icons are constructed . However, I found the sheer number of icons overwhelming , and often it was not obvious how they worked together.
The documentation , which consists of an introductory guide, an advanced guide, and a reference manual, is not well organized. In the introductory guide, the directions for using the fill command neglect to say that you must choose a border color to stop the fill in graphics modes A and E. Otherwise , the fill covers the whole screen . The reference guide contained this infonnation.
I found the demonstrations included with Book One slow and unexciting , and the sound effects accompanying them were annoying . In all fairness, I think the performance is limited
by the hardware it's running on. (I used a Compaq 386 with an
EGA .) But if you want build animated presentations on an IBM PC , XT , or AT , Book One is certainly easier to use than
a general programming language . -Eva While
The Facts:
Book One $295
Paralax Software Publishers 2550 Ninth St. Berkeley, CA 94710 (415) 848-9898 Inquiry 856.
Requirements:
IBM PC, XT, or AT with 5I2K bytes of RAM , an EGA or CGA , and a high-density floppy disk drive and a hard disk drive or two high-density floppy disk drives.
co111i1111ed
104 B YT E · JANUARY 1988 Circle 290 on Reader Service Card
V..i.QAUBRODU'ATTAANYAouLmYighZt bIeNspGreading your
l 1
't\.l.tl. spreadsheet a little too thin. Or
maybe you're starting from scratch. But if you're serious
about data analysis, you're ready for SPSS/Pc+·· - a full
software family that brings you eight high-powered ways
to complete any data analysis task.
Enter it. SPSS Data Entry 11- is a fully integrated data
entry, cleaning and editing tool.
Analyze it. The SPSS/PC+ base package provides a
powerlul array of statistical and reporting procedures.
Picture it. SPSS/PC+ Graph-in-the-Box- featuring New
England Software's Graph-in-the-Box- offers full color
"snapshot" graphics.
Examine it. SPSS/PC+ Advanced Statistics- lets you
get more serious with your data.
Predict it. SPSS/PC+ Trends--our latest option-is the
complete time series analysis/forecasting tool.
Table it. SPSS/PC+ Tables- produces presentation
ready tables instantly.
Chart it. SPSS/PC+ Graphics- featuring Microsoft· Chart creates sh01N-stopping graphs and charts.
Map it. SPSS/PC+ Mapping - featuring MAP-MASTER'" creates maps where vast amounts of data can be sum marized and presented in one, simple picture.
SPSS/PC+ products are being put to productive use by serious fact finders in business. government and edu cation. For countless purposes such as market research. Wage and salary studies. Survey analysis. And quality control. Plus each product is superbly documented and supported by SPSS Inc., a leader in statistical software for nearly 20 years. While specially tailored customer support is available through the VALUE Plus- plan. And SPSS now offers a SPSS/PC+ version for Novell LANs.
So if you're serious about data analysis, step up to SPSS/PC+. For details, contact our Marketing
Department. CALL 1/312/329-3315
SI ~ ·1·1:.iiw,;..'-S::P::ss'.:':1nc~.~.444:'.:'.:':No:rth:":M:lch:ig:an:"A:ve:n~ue:.-':.su~ite~3000=~-~C:hicago=.~1:mno1·s:':':606:'!11_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
II"~
" " " In Europe: SPSS Europe BY.· P.O. Box 115 · 4200 AC Gorinchem. The Netherlands· Telephone: 31183036711 ·TWX: 21019
SPSS/PC+ runs on IBM PC/XTIAT$ with hard disk. Con!acl SPSS Inc. for compalillle microcompulOIS, sPSS/PC+. SPSS Da!a Emy II, SPSS/PC Graph-ir>-th&-Box. SPSS/PC+ Advanood Slati:rtlcs.
°' SPSSIPC·· Trends. SPSSl?C·· Tables. SPSSIPC+ Graphics and SPSS/PC+ Mapping are tra1emarlc; ol SPSS Inc. VAWE PWS is a bademarl< cl SPSS Inc. Chart and Micrusolt are trademar1<s o1
Microsol1 Corporation. MAP-MASTER Is a lrademal1< Ash"1l-Tale. Graph-in-lh&-Box is a -
ol Now England Softv,Qro , Inc.
C) 1987, SPSS Inc.
Circle Z57 on Reader Service Card
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 105
Circle 64 on Reader Service Card
SHORT TAKES
I :I·l'ifl 3;{ill~ Q!Ifi
UNINTERRUPTIBLE SUPPLY
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$299 · 360/ 1.2 MB control card (No drive & no monitor
TURBO 10 MH t XT
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.... ; ·· ,·:
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#3. 810 Peace Portal. Blaine, Wa 98230
Phone; (206) 332-5081
IN CANADA: 343 Railway. Vancouver . B .C . V6A 1A4
Phone: (604) 684-2368 IAdd 16% for C1111edlan orderal
Surpass: 1·2·3 Superset
S urpass is a powerful new program that 's a worthy competitor to Quattro, Excel, Plan.Perfect, and similar spreadsheets that challenge the dominance of Lotu. 1-2-3.
Instead of being a clone, Surpass is a functional superset of 1·2·3. Thus , all your current Lotus worksheets, macros, and
learned keystroke sequences should work with Surpass . CV"e
tested a late beta version and found no incompatibilities.) The added commands and fun ctions are what really make
Surpass stand out. For example , you can have up to 32 different spreadsheets open and at least partially in view at any time (via overlapping windows) . Of course, onJy the three or four windows "on top" will be large enough and visible enough to work on . But you can access other open spreadsheet windows with as few as four keystrokes . (The total number of spreadsheets you actually can open depends on the size of the spreadsheets and available memory . Surpass requires at least 5l 2K bytes of RAM and can use up to 8 megabytes of Lotus/ Intel/Microsoft Expanded Memory Specification [LIM/EMS) memory .)
Having multiple spreadsheets on-screen makes it easy to use Surpass ' s slick "hot link" feature : You can link any cell or range of cells to any others simply by opening the appropriate spreadsheet window and using familiar, Lotus-like commands. (You can also link to nonopened spreadsheets.) Once linked, changes in one spreadsheet automatically force recalculations of au other spreadsheets in the linked chain.
Fortunately , Surpass is intelligent about recalculations: You can choose to have them proceed in the background , or you can select ''dependency recalc, " in which onJy the cells affected by the new data are recalcu.lated .
If you've ever struggled with 1-2-3's column-width settings, you 'll like Surpass 's automatic column-width sizing: With this option, the columns automatically adjust themselves to fit your largest numbers.
Surpass has a built-in macro recorder , and you can sto re macros in "libraries" accessible from any worksheet. Its Undo command works just as you'd expect it to . Surpass supports Lotus-style graphics, but with the extra eye appeal of a third dimension (the third dimension does not convey infonnation. but just gives a more polished look).
Surpass also has a "find " feature that makes it easy to locate any numeric or alphabetic string in any worksheet. Al so , it comes with a point-and-shoot " visual file manager" that lets you select file s from anywhere on your disk without having to type long path names.
Surpass has something else going for it : Seymour Rubenstein. His name may not be a household word , but you have heard of the last major product he was associated with: WordStar. It 's too soon to say whether or not Surpass will become the "WordStar of spreadsheets ," but if yo u need a spreadsheet program that offers enhancements over 1-2-3 without sacrifici ng compatibility, Surpass is worth a look .
-Fred Lo.nga
The Facts: Surpass $495
Surpass Software Systems 14 Commercial Blvd. Suite 131 Novato , CA 94949 (4 15) 382-8840
Inquiry 857.
Requirements: IBM PC, XT , AT , or PS/2 with a 1.5-megabyte hard disk drive , 5 I2K bytes of
RAM , and DOS 2. 1 or higher. Supports all current graphics standards and a math coprocessor.
Hlfi BYTE · JANUARY 1988 Circle 95 on Reader Service Card
Howtotellthe difference between DESQviewTM2.0 and
anyotherenvironment.
Selecting DESQview, the environment of
or compati ble computer wi thou.t
choice, can give you the
DESQview ''-- Info
productivity and powe r
Worlu , 1ichael Miller.
you crave, without the
· ~ coloss us among
loss of your old pro
windowing environ
grams and hardware.
m ents''. .. "wi ll r nn
If you like your existing
almost anything''-- PC
programs, want to use
Week , Marvin Bryan .
them together, transfer
" Wi nd.ow s, prmn
data between them,
ises, but DESQview
print, sort, communi
deliver s''-- MlCRO
cate with or process
TIMES, Birell Walsh .
in-background, yet still
o other environ
have the need to keep
me nt has consistently
in place your favorite
pioneered features,open
PC(8088, 8086, 80286
ness, and productivity.
or 80386), DESQview
See for yourself. Send in
is the "proven true"
the coupon. The possi
multitasking, multi windowing environ-
One picture is worth a thousand promises.
bi lities are endless with DESQv iew 2.0.
ment for you. Best of all, DESQview 2.0 is he re now,
Attention Programmers: For more information
with all the money saving, time saving, and productiv about Quarterdeck 's API, and future 386 program
ity features that others can only promise for the all
extensions call us today.
too-distant future. And with DESQview's new graphics enhancements
for Hercules, CGA , EGA, and VGA , Version 2.0 still offers the same award winning and pioneering fea tures for programs that earned DESQview its leader ship, only now you can also run desktop publi hing programs, CAD programs, even GEM -TMTopview-1;' and Microsoft Windows-"' specific programs. ln some cases you'll add as little as 10-40K to your system overhead.
YSTEM REQ U lllEM ENTS 1m 1 Personal Computer and !00 % compntlbles ( with 808G, 8088. 8028G or 80~8G processors) with monoch rome or color d isplay; tDM J"erson~ll ~"'ten 2 · ).lemory : 6i10K
recommended ; for DESQvlcw Itself 0· 14 5K · l::xpnnded Memory (Op tl onnl): expanded
me mory l>oards com 1wt ible with the Intel Above Doarc.1 : enhanced expanded memory
boards compnt lblc w ith the A ST RAMpnge · Disk : 'l\vo diskette drl\·c s or one di.skc u c dri ve ;md a h ard disk · Graphics Card (Optional): Herc ules, IBM Color l Gr.·ph k s (CGA ), IBM Enhnnced Graphics (EG A ). IB~I Per son al Syst cm/ 2 Ad vanced Graphics ( VGA )' Mouse (Opt ional ): ~·louse Sy tems, ~l krosoft and compatible ·· Mod em for Auto· Dialer
(Optional): Ha_\'es or Compatible · Operntlng Syst em : PC· DOS 2.0·3.3: MS-0052.0 -3.2 · Software : Mo t r '- DO ' and M · DO appl k ation p rogr:11ns:: prog.ra m specifi c to 'lb pVi cw 1.1. G ~; M I.I and ~llcrosoft. Windows I.Oa · Med ia: DE:S<.M cw 2.0 is nvnllnblc
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Now you can have multi -tasking, multi-windowing,
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INFO
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"Product ofthe ~ar" by reade rs
vote in InfoWorld. "Best PC Environment" by popu
lar vote at Comdex Fall in PC Tech
DESQview 2.0
~
Journal's "System Builder" Conte ·t.
~ - -1
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Circle 319 on Reader Service Card
JA UARY 1988 · BYTE 107
This ad is for people who don't know where to find Smalltalk.
Or why.
Today, the single most important emerging software technology
is OOPS,object-oriented programming.It's destined to dramatically
change the way you use your personal computer.
You'll find it doing things you never expected.
And by people you never suspected.
At the UCLA Medical
Center, it sees
patients before the
doctor does.
In an emergency room in
Mike McCoy, M.D. , at the UCLA Medical
Vancouver, it's saving lives through animation.
What if a medical textbook could come to life? What
z/ it could show the effects emergency treatment might
have 011 patients? And do it all through moving pie· tu res? These thoughts I.et/ RJ/kstone Design, Edge
'71-aining & Consulting, and !11f01111 Software in
Vanaiuver, B.C., to create tlw first animated, inter· active textbook for em.ergency room technicians and in-training paramedics. Th.ey found Smalltalk/ V
could easily facilitate a combination of text, color
graphics and animation lo illustrate vanous
Center.found that he amid easily inter/ace Smalltalk! V with dBASEm and Post
s cript. His application, now in use at
the Clinic, turns a functional status questionnaire on each new patient into a laser pn·nted, advismy analysis for
the doctor to review prior to seeing the
patient. A pmgram like this would normally take a specialist months to
f>mduce. ft took D1:McOJY less than
LOO hours with
Smalltalk/ V.
physical processes and the results of
medical inten;ention.
It's working on
Florida's freeways.
R1111ni11g on IB1W's new PS/2, a Smalltalk/ V application dei-eloped by Greiner Engineering's Mike Rice, lets high way engineers create highly sophislu:uted graphic analyses of any proposed reconstruction. Sa nom instead of having to deal with a f[n:dlock of Federal and Slate re![ulations,
engineering sf;ecifications and endless C(l/culations, 1111 engineer can quickly explore altemative design strategies
using a mouse, windows and VGA color graphics.
You can find it in space.
On a pmject rommissioned lJy NA SA,D1: Christine Mitchell at the Geargia Institute of Tedmology. chose to use Smalltalk/ Vas an integral part ofa new man-machine interface. Tlze ap/;lication, written in Smalltalk, continually monitors the rommands of the Satellite Netum-k Operato1; the state-ofthe-network and the overall mission plans.
To NASA, Smalltalk/ V means real-time. Real OOPS. Real results.
It's tracking white-tail deer on the Barrier Islands
of Georgia.
Dr. Lee Graham, a National Park Seroice ecologist chose Smalltalk/ V to unite an appli cation to help manage the white-tail deer popu
lation. 011 the Bairier Islands of Georgia. Dr. Graham found Iha! Smalltalk/ V. with its visual i11teiface and class stmclure, is a /:>e1fect tool to graphically simulate
the complex, ecological interactions of natural systems.
It's making headlines in Arizona.
When Digital Ccmposition Systems sat down to build rm elechvnic typesetting system, they had three major requirements. ft had to have the most advanced user interface. ft had to be fast. And, it had to be able totum u.11tmined personnel into high quality typographers. Ofall the languages in the world, they chose Small
talk/ VThe result is the Signature Series, recognized and reviewed lJy The Seybold Report. It's now marketed lJy Digital Ccmposition
Systems and one of the largest digital typesetting [inns in the world, Varityper AM flllernational.
What thousands of people have found is OOPS. Object-Oriented Programming (OOPS) is programming by defining objects, their inter-relationship and their behavi01: Objects can represent both real-world entities like people, places, or things. They can also represent useful abstractions such as stacks, sets and rectangles.
OOPS models the way you think and the way things really are. It lets you solve problems by breaking them down into easily handled sub-problems and their inter-relationships. The solutions you come up with can be re-used to solve new problems. Ultimately, OOPS makes program.ming a simple, logical proces of building on the work of others.
Why thousands more
are finding their way to
Smalltalk/V. First of all, Smalltalk/ V makes OOPS easy
It's also fast ln fact, it's the fastest OOPS programming available on a PC.
And it's easy to learn. It comes complete with a tutorial that's the best introduction to OOPS available.
Smalltalk/V also has a few other features worth noting. Like a user
extendable, open ended environment Sow-ce code with browser windows
for easy access and modification. A huge toolkit of classes and objects for building a vaiiety of applications. A sophisticated source-level debugger.
Object-oriented Prolog integrated with the Smalltalk environment And bit-mapped graphics with bit and form editors, just to name a few.
Then, there's its unbelievable price of only $99.95.(Optional appli
cation packs at $49.95 include Communications, EGA/ VGA Color and Goodies.)
And it has a 60 day, money-back guarantee.
With all this to offer, it probably won't come as a surprise to you that more people are solving more problems with Sma11ta1k/ V than any other OOPS.
See your nearest dealer today for your own Small talk/Y. Or, order it direct with MasterCard or Vi a at (800) 922-8255.
Or, w1ite to Digitalk,Inc., 9841 Airpo1t Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045.Then discover all the great things you can do with your PC and Smalltalk/V
Smalltalk/V
digitalk inc.
Circle 80 on Reader Service Card
'Now that vou've found us. write us. Tell us some of the real Lhings you're doing with malltalk/ V ' bu could be in our next ad .
Introducing UniLab 8620 analyzer-emulator with InSight.
· ·n1c rc·s 1101hing like lnSight.1 :\ fcalllrc of tile ne11·86LO that lets you actu;tlly watch ynnr prngr:1111 go through its paces. So yo u can debug faster. And speed up microprocessor development. For demanding applicationslike the automot ivc cont rolle r shown.
· An exciting industry first. lnSight blends
analyzn/ cmulator tech niq ues to gi1·eyou
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· lnSight is made poss ible by the86lO"s
adrancecl bus stale analyzer. its 2 30-bus-cycle !race buffer. and a new high-speed parallel intcrfac that eliminates RS- 2.12 bottlenecks.
· Tht' fast interface also speeds data
throughp ut. from your hard dril'C, you c111 load a6-i Kprogram into emulation mcmm")'
in fire. cconds.
· On 1op of that. vou get a new. cr y. ta I con trolled Iµsecclock for super precise event timing.
Circle 195 on Reader Service Card
· Computer in tegrated instruments fro m Orion 1iro1·c' debuggi ngneedn't he costly or
tedious. For more th an 1·o processo rs. I.ikc all
our analyzer-emulators. the 8620 debugs hy symptom. \'ia advanced tru th table triggeri ng. Always incluclccl is enough hrcakpoi111ing and ·ingle 'tcppi ng (no\\' faster than ever) to assu re opti111u111 cfficicn(.~'. \\'c even provide astimulus generator and bu ilt-in EPIWM programm er to help finish the job.
· Ge t serious about price/performance. Save hig on design, test,and support costs. Linilah 8620 analy·zer-emulator.
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· 1 1 L'\i~ht b a t r.1de m~1 rh n fOr ~1n l1btnmw11t. lnr
GROUP REVIEW
D
SQL Database
Management Systems
Richard Finkelstein and Fabian Pascal
Everybody seems to be talking about SQL (Structured Query
A look at the six
4GL 1.0 ($995). Its purpose is to provide an application devel
Language) for relational data packages for the IBM PC or PC AT oper with a fully functional de
base management systems
velopment tool that can access
(RDBMSes). But even though most major database suppliers
that now use SOL
databases using SQL Develop ers can retrieve, update , and in
have announced future support
sert sets of rows with SQL.
of SQL in their products, only a half
The interactive portion of the package You can also use SQL to provide so
dozen database software packages for the lets you enter an SQL query , store it, re phisticated, yet concise, editing logic . ln
IBM PC or PC AT currently claim to use trieve a previously stored query, and exe formix-4GL contains a full complement
SQL: Informix-SQL, Ingres for PCs, Or cute a query. Results are displayed on the of statistical functions, string-manipula
acle, SQLBase, XDB n, and XQL.
screen , and you can then scroll forward tion commands, and array-handling ca
The major strength of SQL is that it through them . Options to change data pabilities. It also contains basic assign
deals with sets of data . In fact, SQL is de bases , create tables , execute queries, and ment and looping constructs.
fined by relational mathematics-the so forth are displayed at the top of the Informix-4GL doesn't have a screen
very base of relational databases . It there screen.
painter , which could be a time-saver dur
fore needs no new constructs to solve any Perform lets you develop screens to ing the screen-design process. Informix
database management problem . More maintain the tables in the database . It is 4GL is portable to a wide variety of plat
over , the nature of SQL lets you simply composed of nonprocedural commands forms , including many Unix machines
tell the RDBMS "what" you want done that describe the screen, specify editing and DEC's VMS operating system.
without having to tell it "how." Also, criteria for the fields, and permit some lnformix-SQL 2.1 and Informix-4GL
SQL offers a standard (as defined by basic assignment and arithmetic com I . I, which feature improved perfor
ANSI and IBM) method to query very mands to manipulate screen data.
mance characteristics, are now available.
large databases and exchange data with Ace has a similar architecture, com
lnformix offers two types of network
mainframes.
posed of nonprocedural commands that architectures. It can support local-area
The problem is that SQL has created a describe the report layout and the data networks (LANs) (e .g. , Novell , PC Net
lot of confusion. At the heart of this con items that appear on the report.
work, and IBM's Token-Ring) by having
fusion is the standards issue. Based on Unfortunately , Perform and Ace do lnformix software at each workstation ac
IBM's Database 2 (082) mainframe not use SQL. To compensate for this, In cess a database residing on a file server.
product, ANSI defined two levels of formix Software developed lnformix
If a system can use a Unix system as a
SQL: Level I , which is a rudimentary
database server , Informix offers an alter
definition, and Level 2, which is more
native requester/server network called
comprehensive. All implementations but XQL come
lnformix-SQL
StarLAN, which places one copy of the lnformix database manager on a central
close to matching Level 2 and then go be
Unix node . Applications built using In
yond that by offering several enhance ments. Also, the way in which the query
Ingres for PCs
formix-SQL or Informix-4GL access all database information through this central
optimizer is implemented can greatly af
cominued
fect the performance of the database. [Editor's note: See "Fast Data Access"
Oracle
Richard Finkelstein is a senior consultant
by Jonathan Robie on page 243.]
with Codd and Date Consulting Group
lnformix-SQL
SQLBase
(25 East Washington St. , Suite 1500, Chi cago, JL 60602) and author ofthe upcom
Informix-SQL 2.0 ($795) from Informix
ing book Using SQL on the PC, to be
Software has three major components: an interactive SQL capability , an applica
XDBll
published by Howard W. Sams. Fabian Pascal (2950 Van Ness St. NW,
tion development tool (Perform), and a
#524, Washington, DC 20008) is an inde
report writer (Ace). It requires an IBM PC , PC AT, or compatible with a hard
XQL
pendent consultant specializing in SQL DBMSes. He has published a report con
disk drive, 640K bytes of RAM , and
cerning optimizers and perfonnance for
DOS 2. I or higher.
SQL PC database products.
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 111
SQL DATABASE MANAGEMENT
Because Oracle 5. 1
mimics mainframe
versions, it requires
1 megabyte of extended
memory.
node , while executing their program logic on the local IBM PC workstations . This type of system provides better recov ery, locking, and security than a file server approach, while reducing network traffic for increased performance.
RecentJy, Infonnix introduced a high pe rforma nce database server called Turbo. Besides increasing performance even further, Turbo has better concur rency control and recovery than did its predecessors .
lnfonnix offers several other tools for the IBM PC. One of them is the lnfonnix Datasheet Add-In ($199 .95) , which merges a Lotus 1-2-3 worksheet with an lnfonnix database . Informix also gives programmers the capability of writing programs in procedural languages with embedded SQL using an embedded-lan guage interface. While lnfonnix provides C , Ada, and COBOL embedded-lan guage capabilities in its Unix versions, the IBM PC version currently has only a C interface available (ESQL/C for $595) .
Ingres for PCs Ingres for PCs 5.0 ($950) from Relation
al Technology has its roots in the mini computer world, as do lnformix-SQL and Oracle. It requires an IBM PC, PC AT, or compatible with two floppy disk drives, 640K bytes of RAM, and DOS 2.1 or higher. Ingres was originally de veloped at the University of California at Berkeley and was one of the first RDBMSes.
The commercial implementation of Ingres for mainframes (a public domain version also exists) has the largest in staJled base among DEC VAX users. The IBM PC version maintains the same front end as the mainframe version of Ingres , but it was rewritten to take full advantage of the PC architecture.
Ingres has always been known for its strong internal architecture. It has sophis ticated optimizer algorithms that greatJy enhance performance. The basic product supports both SQL and Ingres ' s propri etary relational language called QUEL. Even though QUEL is very powerful, Re lational Technology has chosen to also support SQL to maintain the industry standard.
You can access Ingres's databases with command-language statements or with a query-by-example facility . (This facility, which is forms-oriented, lets you manip ulate data in designated fields in a fill-in the-blank way .) The command-language interface allows queries to be stored and retrieved . You can scroll the results up , down, left, and right.
The Query-By-Forms (QBF) tool cre ates default screens for tables, views, or JoinDefs. Views store logical table defi nitions and let you access those defined tables just as any other table . JoinDefs are defined joins of two tables . You can update tables through JoinDefs but not through SQL views. End users can enter queries using QBF in a query-by-example mode by simply entering values and Boolean operations in the screen fields. Results are retrieved, and users can browse through them a screen at a time .
For more sophisticated applications , Relational Technology offers Ingres 4GL ($500) . Ingres 4GL is powerful in that it handles complex entry and update appli cations, like those that require multiple tables per screen, and it is well integrated with QBF, SQL, and the Ingres report writer. It can also access programs writ ten in Ingres's C interface. The screen painter that comes with Ingres 4GL is easy to use, and it lets a developer build and change screens quickly and easily .
Ingres's report writer is also nice, but it is missing the Report-By-Forms (RBF) interface supplied on the mainframe ver sions of Ingres . RBF allows reports to be designed on a screen. The company says RBF will be available early in 1988.
Relational Technology recently an nounced several gateway products that let users access non-Ingres databases . On the PC, Ingres now offers a gateway to dBASE ill files.
Oracle
Oracle 5. 1 ($1295), recently released by Oracle Corp . , is a direct port of Oracle's minicomputer and mainframe counter parts. Because version 5.1 includes many new capabilities and mimics Oracle's mainframe versions, it requires a mini mum of 1 megabyte of extended memory on an otherwise standard IBM PC AT with a hard disk drive and DOS 3. 1 or higher.
While this is a nonstandard hardware environment, it does provide more room than the other programs for application code by leaving most of the 640K bytes of main memory free. Also , it increases performance with sophisticated data buffer management. Oracle will run on 100 percent IBM compatibles like the Compaq, but it may have problems run ning on other clones because of ROM
BIOS sensitivity . The company main tains a list of manufacturers it supports.
You can enter, edit , and save SQL queries using SQL·Plus. Multiple rows of retrieved data are displayed a screen at a time . When the screen becomes full , the user is asked if more rows should be displayed . Unfortunately , no scrolling is supported .
An earlier version of Oracle , 4. I, sup ported an end-user query tool called Easy·SQL . This package prompted users with questions and built SQL commands automatically . Casual users , therefore, did not have to know SQL to use Oracle. Easy·SQL is currently not available for version 5.1, but it is due out in 1988. Oracle has also a1U1ounced Oracle QMX for 1988. This is a query-by-example in teractive interface similar to IBM 's QMF mainframe product.
SQL·Forms is Oracle 's nonprocedural application development tool. It has a nice window interface and also contains a screen painter for screen design and "triggers," which execute SQL proce dures at specific points on the forms (e .g., on entry or on exit from fields and on exit from a form). Procedures consist of SQL commands and other types of in structions (e.g., assignment and string manipulation operations) .
Packages like Ingres , lnformix-SQL, and XDB 11 combine explicit statements like IF .·. THEN .·. ELSE statements with SQL to control the program logic. In Oracle, this is done implicitly with trig gers , which execute SQL statements and can activate other triggers depending on whether a return condition is true or false. Both of these environments are very powerful and much easier to work with than procedural languages. For those who need procedural languages, C and FORTRAN interfaces for Oracle are included, and a COBOL interface is available for $395 .
SQL·Reports is a capable tool , but it is limited in that it cannot handle heavily formatted reports. However , Oracle is promising a highly functional report writer in early 1988. In the meantime, you can purchase SQR ($295) from SQ Software (2000 Lee Rd. , Cleveland, OH 44118 , (216) 397-0551) . This package , which is also available for SQLBase, greatly enhances Oracle's report-writing capabilities by letting you generate com plex reports.
Oracle bundles an add-in module with the package that you may find helpful . SQL·Calc is an integrated spreadsheet that can access Oracle databases. Oracle has also announced a Lotus 1-2-3 inter face for users who need to interfac.e di rectly with 1-2-3 worksheets.
If you want to run Oracle in a network,
112 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
SQL DATABASE MANAGEMENT
Networkstatjon Oracle provides a link be tween an Oracle application running on a PC with an Oracle database residing on a minicomputer.
Oracle also offers a distributed data base product, SQL·Star. While this has limited optimization-it cannot decide whether a distributed database join, for example, should be done on the main frame or the IBM PC-and does not inelude distributed update capabilities, it does let you transparently access Oracle databases at remote sites.
Oracle has also announced a database server that will be able to run on the IBM PC AT under the Xenix operating system. According to the company. this product should now be available.
SQLBase SQLBase from Gupta Technologies was the first DBMS to implement a requester/ server architecture on a LAN using a PC AT at the server node. SQLBase 3.2.2 ($995, single-user; $1995, multiuser) was specifically designed to work in a re quester/server environment and can man age its own multitasking under DOS . It requires a PC AT or compatible with a hard disk drive , 640K bytes of RAM, and DOS 3. I or higher. (Gupta should be shipping version 3.3 by the time you read this .)
At the time of this review , several other SQL vendors , including Oracle, Reta tional Technology. and Software Systems Technology, had announced database servers for the PC AT, but Gupta Tech nologies is the only company to imple ment an SQL server under DOS.
Database servers can centrally control database Jocking, recovery , and security . All this is done automatically by the data base server, relieving the programmer from the problems of transaction and re covery management.
Under typical networked database con figurations, each workstation includes its own copy of the RDBMS. Each time an application requests rows of information from tables , the RDBMS goes to the file server to retrieve all the rows from all the tables that are part of the request . The RDBMS then selects particular rows from the tables at the workstation .
In a requester/server environment, all database processing is performed by the server. Only those rows that are specifi cally needed are sent back to the re quester (workstation), reducing network traffic and increasing performance. All database transaction and recovery man agement (locking, commit, rollback, se curity, and so forth) are centrally con trolled by the server, providing a stable network environment. The workstation
continued
Table 1: The basic list ofSQL commands. A " Yes" indicates the package includes a particular command; a "No ·' indicates it does not. All packages except for XQL meet at least the ANSI Level I SQL implementation.
SOL Command
lnformlx 2.0
($795)
Ingres 5.0
($950)
Oracle SQLBaae XDB
5.1
3.2.2
II
($1295) ($995) ($395)
XQL 1.0 ($795)
DML SELECT
COLUMNS EXPRESSIONS DI STINCT FROM \/HERE GROUP BY HAVING ORDER BY SUBQUERIES
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes6
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
UPDATE SET \/HERE SUBQUER I ES
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
INSERT INTO SUBQUERY
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
DELETE FROM
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
SUBQUERY
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes "
UNION
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
CORRELATED QUERIES Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
DML Predicates
BETllEEN
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
LIK E
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes No '
I S NULL
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
EXISTS
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
ALL
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
ANY
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
SOME
No
No
No
No
No
No
[NOT]
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
DML Functions AVG COUNT(*) COUNT MAX MIN SUM
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes Yes
DDL
ALTER TABLE
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
CREATE TABLE
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
NOT NULL
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
CREATE INDEX
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
CREATE UNIQUE I NDEX Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes No2
CREATE VIE\/
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
DROP TABLE
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
DROP INDEX
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
DCL GRANT REVOKE
No3
No·
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No3
No·
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Other COMMIT I/ORK ROLLBACK \/ORK
Yes
Nc5
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Nc5
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
1 XQL supports CONTAINS. which is a subset ofLIKE.
2 XOL supports UNIQUE indexes with field attributes in the CREATE INDEX statement.
3 lnformix supports GRANT and REVOKE on its multiuser versions.
· Ingres supports GRANT and REVOKE on its multiuser versions.
s Ingres supports COMMIT WORK and ROLLBACK WORK on its multiuser versions.
s Ingres subqueries cannot include built·in functions .
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 113
SQL DATABASE MANAGEMENT
still executes the program logic but is re lieved of all DBMS activity .
SQLBase can manage several servers on a network, and the program on a given PC can connect to any database on any server . The SQLBase catalog keeps track
of which server contains which database . This capability implements a form of dis tributed database processing . Program mers must still manage their own commit logic (in SQL terms , all modifications are tentative until they are made firm [com-
Table 2: Extensions that vendors have implemented. While each company may nor explicitly implement the extension in the same way, similar functions are grouped under the same command. You should refer to a vendor's documentation for the exact definition and SQL command for the indicated function .
SQL Extension
Informix Ingres Oracle SQLBase XDBll XQL
DML
Outer join
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
No
Update statistics
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
Select into temp
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
Recursive select
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Edit masks
No
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
Update set Subquery
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
Functions
Stati stical Arit hmetic String functions Date and time
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
DDL
Create table
wi th check option
No
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
Create table as select
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
No
Create synonym
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Rename table
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Modify columns
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Ye s
Table 3: We conducted the following nine rests on each package. Descriptions accompany the SQL queries.
1. Load 1000 records.
2. Create a unique index on sequence number (SEQNO).
3. Create an index on ZIP.
4. SELEC T* FROMPERSONS \JHERE ZIP = ' 60606' AND SEQNO< '999 '
(Tests the ability of the optimizer to choose the correct index. In this case. performance is
increased by using the indexZIP.)
* z 5 . SELECT FROMPERSONS \JH.ERE I P = I 60606 ' OR SEQNO = I 999 '
(Tests the ability ot the optimizer to use indexes in OR logic. In this case. using both in·
dexes reduces the query to select just those rows that meet the ZIP-code or sequence·
number criteria, but simply scanning the full table takes a great dea.1of time. Note that if
the query was SEQNO< '999' , the index should not be used.)
6 . SELECT* FROM PERSONS \JHERE SEQNO > '980' ORDERBY ZIP
(Tests the ability of the optimizer to use the ZIP index so that the query does not req ui re an external sort.)
7. SELECTSUM(SALARY ) FROMPERSONS
(Tests the aggregate [mathematical) functions.)
8. SELECT ZIP FROM PERSONS GROUP BY ZIP HAVING COUNT(* ) > 5 (Grouping requires a sort with the additional grouping functions. Packages with efficient sorts will fare best on this test.)
9 . SELECT A. SEQNO, B. SALARY FROMPERSONS A, PERSONS B
I/HERE A.SEQNO =B .SEQNO AND A.ZIP LIKE 1 606% I (Tests sell·join with LIKE selection algorithms. There are several ways of executing this query. For example, the rows that contain ' 606% ' can be chosen first and then joined. or the optimizer can join all rows fi rst and select onlythose with a ZI P of ' 606% ' .)
mined] or erased [rolled back]) when up dating across multiple servers.
Gupta Technologies now offers a com panion product called SQLNet, which costs $20,000 per mainframe and $1995 per PC gateway . This provides an APPC (advanced program-to-program commu nication) link to mainframe relational databases like DB2. Essentially , this lets the program on the PC interact with a mainframe database in the same way that it interacts with any other database on the network. The APPC link will send SQL re.quests to DB2 and receive back any rows returned by DB2 .
SQLBase's end-user and development tools consist of an interactive SQL capa bility and a C interface that contains em bedded SQL statements. According to the company, SQLWindows , a top layer to SQL that provides 4GL capabilities, should be available in the first quarter of 1988. Developers who need to create re ports can use SQ Software 's SQR report writer , which is available from Gupta Technologies for $295.
XDBll
What distinguishes Software Systems Technology's XDB Il ($395) from its competitors are its friendly end-user in terface and application development tool set. It requires an IBM PC, PC AT, or compatible with two double-sided floppy disk drives (a hard disk drive is recom mended) , 5 l2K bytes of RAM , and DOS 2.0 or higher. The company clearly understands the types of tools re.quired on the PC and has built them so that they can be quickly learned by novice users .
Upon entering XDB , you are presented with a menu listing all the options . The first option lets you create or alter tables using a table-definition screen. You can also use the SQL command language, but you will probably find the ease of the table-creation facility more to your liking .
Another option gives you update or query capabilities on single tables using XDB 's Edit program. Edit creates a de fault screen for a table and lets you enter new rows, update existing rows , and de lete rows in a table. If you want to browse through the table , you can enter search criteria in the fields , and XDB will re trieve all rows that meet the criteria. If more than one row is retrieved , you can use the PageUp and PageDown keys 10 browse through the rows .
XDB's interactive SQL lets you store queries and retrieve them for later use . The queries can be stored with a com ment to assist you in recalling the correct query. Resulls of queries are displayed on the screen multiple rows at a time. You
cominued
114 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
dBASE Users!
lndeoendent Reviewers Sav:
Nabadv Beats The Fax
...Nabadv's E11en Clase
..~"~' FoxBASE+/386
~~
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Quicksilver
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Clipper
'\~
\,<t><
dBASE III PLUS
FoxBASE+ Quicksilver Clipper dBASE III PLUS
Data Based Advisor
BYTE Magazine
FoxBASE+ Fastest Bv Far
BYTE * benchmarks show that FoxBASE+ take only 14 minutes to do what dBASE lII PLlJS needs an hour to do. The others are even . lower. Clipper n ed an hour and 17 minutes. Quicksilver needs an hour and 40 minutes.
Nobody beat FoxBASE + in even one of the 'Z1 BYTE benchmarks.
FoxBASE + zipped through the exhaustive Data Ba ed Advisor** benchmarks in just 15.5 minutes. ew FoxBASE+ /386 nrn them in only 7 minutes! By contrast Clippe r took 53
minutes, Quicksilver took 59 minutes, and dBASE III PLUS took an hour and 18 minutes.
Whv Waste Your Time?
BYTE ·s data shows FoxBASE + is up to 7 times faster. DBA ' s benchmarks show FoxBASE + is ove r 5 times fa ter.
You ca n run with Fox ... or you can crawl with the m.
FoxBASE+ Delivers Now . .. The Others Onlv Promise
We' re totally committed to insuring that FoxBASE + will always be faste st . . . now and in the future. You can 't buy a /'aster product .
But that' s not all ...
Fox BASE+ offers other great features like : true co mpatibility . .. familiar interactive commands like BROWSE and EDIT ... ·'clot-prompt·· progrdm ming ... major la nguage ex tensions .. . ideal development environment . . . <1nd a money-back guarantee.
So call us for the details. After all . . .
foxBA E. FoxBA E - . <md foxBA E+ / 386 are lradt!marks of Fox Software.
dl3ASE III PLUS is a l rnd emark of Ashton-Tate. Clipper is a trademark of Nantucket.
Qui c k ~il ,·e r is a tradenlilrk of Wordlech Sy terns.
·Using the bench mark timings published in BYTE . September 1987.
· · U ing the suite of benchmarks published in Data Based Advisor. March 1987.
Circle 96 on Reader Sen·ice Card
Fox Software 118 W. South Boundary. Perr sbu rg. Ohio 4355 1 (419) 874 -0162 Telex: 6503040827 FOX FAX: (419) 74- 67
JAN UARY 1988 · BYT E 115
SQL DATABASE MANAGEM ENT
can scroll right, left , up, and down to re view the results of a query. Query results can be printed immediately or formatted with the interactive report writer.
The report writer is accessed directly from the interactive SQL facility . Once loaded, the report writer can format a re port by moving columns to different posi tions on a line or to different lines. You can add titles, perform calculations, change column names, assign report breaks, and define the physical-report format page and margin sizes .
Throughout this process , you can see the effects of each command immediately on the screen. When the report is com pleted, you can print it out or save the commands in a special report file. The commands can then be executed again wilh anolher interactive SQL query, or they can be run in a batch mode.
The application development tools of XDB include the optional Forms genera tion package ($295), which lets you paint a screen, define edit logic, and use SQL for inserts, updates, and deletes . The sys tem is window-oriented and easy to use. Forms can also be run in a batch mode and can be used to create complex reports beyond the scope of XDB 's report writer .
XDB also includes a simple-to-use menu generator that is used to integrate a set of report~ , forms , .BAT files , DOS commands, or other menus into an appli cation . You can purchase an optional graphics package for $69. Other options include C and COBOL interfaces for $295 and $395, respectively. These in terfaces let you embed SQL commands into your programs.
XQL XQL 1.0 ($795) comes from Novell De
velopment Products Division, formerly SoftCraft, the developers of the well known and highly regarded Btrieve. XQL
requires an IBM PC, PC AT , or compat ible with a hard disk drive, 512K bytes of RAM, and DOS 2. 1 or higher. Btrieve 4. 10, necessary but sold separately
($245 , single-user; $595 , multiuser), provides a sophisticated file management system that application developers can in clude in BASIC, Pascal, and C programs .
XQL is an attempt to place a relational database layer on top of the Btrieve sys tem. However, XQL does not conform to any SQL standard . Unfortunately , Novell touts it as being an SQL product, which only clouds lhe otherwise good improve ments to Btrieve that XQL delivers.
XQL has its own syntax that does not match any SQL database mentioned in this review . SQL users will be frustrated with this unique implementation. XQL is missing many important SQL operations , including subquery capabilities, from
which SQL derives its name (lhe "struc tured" in "structured query language" comes from its subquery functions). Re fer to table 1 for more details on XQL 's syntax limitations .
XQL also has an awkward optimizer. All tables require at least one index , and the secondary-table column in a join must be indexed. The optimizer is very crude and frequently disrupts the query . For instance , if you restrict a SELECT command (by using a WHERE clause), the XQL optimizer will attempt to use an in dex to increase performance .
On the other hand , if the conunand in cludes an ORDER BY, it will override the optimization . A developer is therefore forced to make a decision between opti mization and sorting. Other peculiarities of the XQL optimizer are conscientiously discussed in the documentation .
Despite these serious limitations, XQL does provide an interactive retrieval capa bility . Only forward scrolling is sup ported, but results can be output to any device. XQL queries can be stored or re trieved for future use.
The XQL query language can be em bedded into BASIC , Pascal, and C pro grams . XQL lets programmers manipu late both application-defined tables and system-catalog tables . Table and field definitions can be interrogated and modi fied , and security can be maintained from within a program.
Novell offers a network database server called Btrieve/N, which imple ments the database server/requester ar chitecture. It has fairly good locking and recovery facilities, lhough not on a par with SQLBase, in that it does not provide precise record and page locking.
There is much merit in what Novell has attempted , but we strongly disagree with labeling this language SQL. The com pany recognizes the limitations of XQL and says it is in the process of developing a full SQL implementation . In the mean-
time, Btrieve users will probably appreci ate the XQL interface. but they should not confuse it with SQL.
Standard SQL Features Table I lists standard SQL DML (data
manipulation language), DDL (data-defi nition language). and DCL (data-control language) conunands. These are found in the ANSI and IBM standards . The DML contains the basic SELECT, UPDATE, IN SERT, and DELETE commands.
All conunands should have subquery capabilities. The EXISTS predicate is par ticularly important, since it is required for the relational division operation. I S NULL supports null values, and the UNION command supports the relational union operation .
The DDL is used to define tables, in dexes, and views. All packages support these commands, but each differs on the data types supported. ANSI Level 2 also requires a PRIMARY KEY specification , which all the packages are missing.
COMMIT WORK and ROLLBACK WORK are transaction-management commands that let you physically commit or roll back database modifications . All the packages that implement this command can be
com inued
Table 4: A description of the PERSONS table created by the perfonnance tests.
SEQNO CHAR ( 4 ) NAME CHAR(JO) TITLE CHAR(JO ) COMPANY CHAR(JO) DEP ARTMENT CHAR(JO) ADDRESS CHAR(JO ) ADDRESS2 CHAR(JO } CITY CHAR(20) STATE CHAR(2) ZIP CHAR( lO ) SALARY MONEY
Table 5: Perfonnance rest results. All times are in seconds.
Query No. lnformlx Ingres Oracle SOLBase XDBll
XQL
1
23
29
76
35
64
316 1
2
43
30
21
46
16
3
78
22
24
48
18
23
4
39
6
5
2
1
4
5
20
13
5
23
9
29
6
10
21
24
22
7
6
7
26
9
8
17
9
44
8
124
41
15
9
30
37
9
19
33
24
46
40
12
, XOL requires that a u nique index exist when the table is initially defi ned . The results of test 1 include the time required for test 2. The XOLU TIL uti lity was used . which load s a table with a series of SOL inserts Loading may be faster using the Btrieve load utility.
116 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
ADVANCE TO THE
NEXT LEVEL
Professional Image Board 512 x 256
Just plug the PIB board int o your IBM PC / XT /AT or co m pat ibl e which allows an ordi nary home video cam er a (co lor o r BIW ) or home VCR to be plugged into your syslem . Now. live. fas t ac tion images can be instant ly
captured and frozen (1 / 30 second) in a full 32.768 colors . The frozen
picture is as c lose to television quality as can be. digitized by th e so ftw are package we bund le with PIB boa rd . T his software pac kage HALOVISION Wrillen by M ED IA CYB ERNE TI CS INC. al lows you to edit. cut, paste, copy, rotate. brush. zoom . sca le. add tex t (21 text lon ts ) free tiand draw. pr int, ere . The PIB is also compatible w ilh the new IBM PS/2 Model 30 and the image can be displayed on IB M's new ana log colo r mon itor. O r you can conve rt the image to EGA display mo de. The image ca n be stored on floppy or hard disk and trans mitted to any remo1e location in the world vi a modem.
Professio nal Image Board Plus 512 x 5 12
Same fea tures as the PIB 512 x 256 w it h resolutio n enhanced to 512 x 512 p ixels .
AT I-8/ 16:MHz System Board
Th is sys tem board runs at 16MHz. 1 wail state Norton 3.0 rating is 19.7 (Co mpaq deskp ro 386 and th e new IBM PS/2 Mode l 80 rat in g is 18 00 to t8.7) . With a fraction ol th e cost ol 386 systems, you can upgrade you r 286 system o 386 sys tem performance by replacing your existing 286 system board . Almos all ex isti ng add-on cards st ill work with this system board .
Th is system boards standard fea ture is a lMB high speed memory also
switchable to 8M Hz by ke yb oard when necessary.
AT l -6/ 12 System 286
The ATl-6/ 12 SYSTEM 286 runs at an amazing speed of 12MHz . That's 20% laster tha n new IB M PS/ 2 model 50 and 60 To protect your exis ting
software invest men t. we build- in a normal speed 6M Hz, a simple
combina ti on of ke ystrokes wil l cha nge the speed of the system al any tim e whe n necessary. 6/ 8M H z. 6/ tOMHz zero wait stale and 1 w ai t state systems
also available. Runs all ex isting soft w are written for IBM PC/ XT /AT. Including new OS/ 2 development software.
ATronics
International Inc.
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"IOM . PC / XT A T PS / 2 , OS/ 2. 1$ a lrl'tCle m ar k O! 1n lc 1na t1onHI Bus1ntJSS MH chmos. Inc
COMPAQ OESK PR0:38G 1:!: a lraC:cmar\.: of Comp.3Q Inc ATRO N ICS 1s a cradem:lr k 01 Atr on1cs tn 1ern;i1 1io n111 I n~
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Circle 187 on Reader Service Card 118 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
SQL DATABASE MANAGEMENT
Company Information
Gupta Technologies Inc . 1020 Marsh RcL , Suite 210 Menlo Park , CA 94025 (415) 321-9500 Inquiry 942.
Relational Technology 1080 Marina Village Parkway Alameda , CA 94501 (800) 446-4737 Inquiry 945.
lnfom1ix Software Inc. 4100 Bohan.non Dr.
Menlo Park , CA 94025 (4 15) 322-4100 Inquiry 943.
Novell Development Products Division 6034 West Courtyard Dr. , Suite 220 Austin, TX 78730 (512) 346-8380 Inquiry 946.
Oracle Corp . 20 Davis Dr. Belmont, CA 94002 (800) 672-2531 Inquiry 944.
Software Systems Technology 7309 Baltimore Ave., Suite 2 19 College Park, MD 20740 (301 ) 779-5486 Inquiry 947.
used interactively . The commands in table 2 are nonstan
dard and are meant to increase the func tionality and usability of SQL. The OUTER JOIN query is important when a row in one table does not have a matching value in the secondary joined table . The outer join ensures that all rows are returned in a query. Packages that do not have an outer join can simulate the command by using UNION.
The UPDATE STATISTICS command is used to update the system catalog with statistical information that the optimizer can use . The recursive SELECT is useful for bill -of-material explosion-type problems .
Three packages (see table 2) let you create tables using a SELECT statement. When used with a CREATE statement , the tables will be permanent. Informix-SQL is the only product that allows the cre ation of temporary tables. Of course, all packages let you drop tables or indexes (this is not part of either ANSI level) when they are no longer needed . All the systems also let you modify column defi nitions after a table is created . (IBM' s SQL only lets you add new columns .)
Performance Tests
The perfonnance tests we ran were de signed to exercise the SQL optimizer and test conformance of the SQL syntax. Keep in mind that the performance you experience is relative to the given envi ronment and application you work with . An application that relies heavily on up dates may not require tables to be joined . Some applications may require several tables to be joined . while others may con sist primarily of two table joins. In look ing over the test results, be advised to ex -
ami ne your own application needs . We conducted our SQL queries on an
8-MHz IBM PC AT with 640K bytes of main memory and 1 megabyte of ex tended memory. The table that we used contained 1000 rows , and each row contained about 150 bytes of information. with a maximum length of 325 bytes. In formation was derived from a real mail ing list. Table 3 is a list of the nine test that were executed . Table 4 is a descrip tion of the table created . Table 5 co ntain s the test results .
All the products were able to execute the SQL queries without modification, with two exceptions. Ingres uses an aster isk instead of a percent sign with its LIKE predicate . XQL requires double paren theses around the join expression in test 9 . Also , XQL uses a BEGINS \./ITH or CONTAINS pred icate in stead of LIKE . LIKE is slightly more powerful, since wild cards can be intermixed within the character string .
XQL is also ve ry unforgi ving . It re quires a blank space preceding and di rectly after an equal sign. It also requires all field names to be unique in a database . While creating the test table (PERSONS) in XQL, we received several duplicate field error messages tha t did not indicate where the problems were. After listing the director y, we managed to define unique fie ld names.
Each product has strength and weak nesses depending on the type of query . In some cases, it may be possible to address these problems by fine-tuning the quer y to make better use of the optimizer. Gen erally , products that make better use of indexes perform best. Overall , the opti mizers did well -even though most of the SQL products are fa irly new to the PC . ·
·
-1
-c .
,======:J · .
11111111111111111111 111 11111111 1111111 ..... ~ .... ~~~ ··~~ ' '1. 1"""~ "*
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JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 119
HIGH OCTANE PERFORMANCE
FOR YOUR LASER PRINTER.
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120 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
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BIX PRODUCT FOCUS
Curtis Franklin Jr.
SQL-based Database Managers
Microcomputer databases with mainframe tools
D ealing with complex data sets requires small-system programmers and users to depend on powerful tools . For many database applications , this means using a database manager based on IBM 's SQL. The consultants, pro gramme rs, and end users on BlX discussed three of the most popular SQL-based packages for microcomputers: Informix SQL, Oracle, and Ingres. They also mentioned Btrieve, which has an SQL-based version, Btrieve-XQL.
Most love the power and flexibility that these complex packages offer, but there are also some concerns about trade offs in speed and ease of use.
The BIX Product Focus presents a variety of informal , diverse opinions from users of a selected class of products. (For more information on the terms and technologies discussed , see the preceding Group Review.) Messages selected for publication may be edited for length or clarity . The views expressed here are those of each message's author, and they do not necessarily reflect those of BYTE or BYTE's revi e wers .
INFORMIX-SQL
dbms/app_builder 11194, from wsm ilh (William Smith).
I purchased Informix-SQL because versions are available for Xenix machines, MS-DOS machines, and most minicomputers. llhen pur chase d with File- i t, an I nfomix - compatible file manager , s i mple e.pplice.t i ons remain s i mple t o i mplement. It took only about 10 minutes to s e t up and enter data into an address database. The system can manipulate str i ngs of up to J2,000 characte r s, but the data- entr y program Pe r form is awkward to use for strings of greater than 80 characters. There is no full screen report writer, but the system comes wi th i ts own report programming language, Ace , whict1makes it very easy to output rec ords consecutively . If you t ake the time to learn a few trick s , Ace will even l et you output differ ent recor ds on the same ine, a feat that is surprisingly difficult for most databases.
dbms/app_builder #196, from rbrenner (Rick Brenner).
\le spent a month convert ing menus and many programs from C to Infomix . lie were astonished; simple menu selections that happened instantaneously under BTr ee t ook up t o 40 seconds. I'm not talking about searching files; I'm talking about Just opening up files and ge tting set to be able to do some thlng . lie paid appr oximately $2000 for the package and the phone support and another $J OOO in progr amm1.ng time, only to finally t r ash the whole effort after about JO days and go back once again to our supe r fast BTr ee.
dbms/app_ builder 11271, from schin (Sam Chin).
I agree that Informix is very powerful, but l ts SQL and Ace run tl.mes give me te r rible error mes sages like "Syntax Error" without telling me 'Jhere t he error occurred. I still use 1t, though, because there doesn't seem to be anything bette r and it is totally flexible.
dbms/other 11136, from schin.
I use Informix - SQL and Informix- ESQL/C on a Unix machine and on a Novell networ k. ESQL/C is an implementation of an embedded SQL for C. You can actually embed SQL statements in C by prefac i ng them with a$. You define var iables t hat are s he.red be tween ESQL and C so tha t you can extract de.ta through ESQL and massage it w1th C. Aprepr oc ess or converts the ESQL and C code mix to pu r e C code after checking the SQL for syntax, and you then compile it with your f avor i te Ccompiler ( ESQL/C librar i es on the PC use the Microsoft CCompiler version J. 0) . Informix also provi des versions tha t do automatic file and r ecord locking on Unix, Xenix, and any network that conforms to the MS-NET standard for file and record locking (such as JCom' s J+, IBM ' s Token - Ring, and Net\/are 2. 0). Other Inform ix products are ESQL/COBOL; C-ISAM, a file manager (bullt into Inform ix ); and Informix -4 GL, an i ntegrated fourth - generation language based on SQL.
ORACLE
dbms/other 11115, from wseeley (Bill Seeley).
The main problem with SQL is that it pr ovides only a dat a defini tion and data-manipulation language (DDL/DML) and has not been fleshed out by IBM with a full set of integrated fourt h generation tool s, such as screen painters, report generators, and a de.ta dictionary. It ls also not available on anything but IBM mainframes ( 1t is c alled SQL in the VM/CMS environment and 062 ln the MVS environment). Oracle has a complete set of fourth - generation tool s and runs on PCs, a wide variety of minicomputer s (both under Unix and propr ietary oper at i ng systems), and IBM ma i nfr ames under both VM/CMS and MVS. It also has a bull t - in microcomputer- to-mainframe link and an opt i onal spreadsheet called SQL*Ce.lc . The mlcroc omputer version has an optiona l end-user inte r f ac e called Easy·SQL.
I ·ve Just spent the le.st couple of weeks doing a hands - on evaluation of these pr oduc t s, and i n general t hey seem pretty good. The one problem Orac le seems to have is keeping all the versions for a 1 the various machines in sync . Some of the subsystems ar e not yet availab l e unde r all versions. Another pr oblem with Oracle is that it is a superset of SQL and thus
continued
JANUARY 1988 · B Y T E 121
The new HP PaintJet color graphics printer.
Great color is only 1/2 the story
F/,O'I HEWLETT
~~ PACKARD
BIX PROD UCT FOC US
d es . ' t guarantee poi·te.bility of code or data to other S L systems (Le . , it isonlydownward-compatiblewi hSQL , and it can 't read/,.ri te 3M SQL databases).
focus i s a proprietary product developed by Information Builde r s and is a mature pr·oduct that has been around a number of years . Th e DDL/D L is no q - te as e l egan as S L, b t it has a l'ich feat re set. It has a nice system for tabl e generation and query (Filetalk and Tabletalk ) that enables end users to easi y c reate relational tab es and extract data from them. It also has a nice screen pa. nter and e quasiprocedurel lan6Uage for control ing data entry and validation . foc us is al so available for PCs, selected minicomputer s (not as many as Oree el, and 13'1 mainframes, and it has a bu1 t - 1n mi crocomputer- to mainJrame link. Focus evo_ve d out of the Information Center e:w ironment, and one of its major strengths is i ts nbllity to interface ··i t h a llide variety of othe r mainframe DBMSes (e.g., Cullinet' s IDMS/R , 18 I's SQL and VSAM, and Computer Corporati on o f America's Mode l 204) . I've also had an opportunity t o do a hands -on eva uation of focus, and it seems a bit easier to use than Orac e and more consistent acros s the microcomputer- to mainframe ver~ions .
IN GRES
dbms/other #270, from jrobie (Jonathan Robie).
I just received t wo copies of Ingres l ast week. he basic design ls al.~.ost ldentice. l t o that of t he minicomputer i mplemen tati on . Docu e ntation is also quit e similar-the Ingres Quickd emo section is incorrect for he PC vers ion, but i i s correct for the VMS version!
played ··l th 1 t a 11 ttle, and I really like the user interface. · hes · ea l SQ" a..d Q EL , is ca._lable from C, and has a good forms
ed i or an repo rt ·Ti er . his is a rea l re ! eti o a l etaba se , and the ini compute r version was voted database prod ct of t . .e yea r in Digi tBl Revi ew. My initial impress i ons a:·e favorable . ! does have probler.is 1.1ith memory management, though . I hope i gets e little mo r e soHd · ith !me.
dbms/dbwars 11 141 , from jrob ie.
:n res, Orac l e , and Inform ix ··ill all run on a ·.oi de variety o f ma chi nes, al l suppor t so e . orm of distribu ed database, and a l a l o·· externa l pr ograms to make calls to t heir ut il ities. I · you can afford them ( they a.re expensive), these migh be logicel choic es. Tl ey me.ke great demands on your co, .puter sys terns, t hough .
dbms/dbwars #182, from jrobie.
i..gres ·s a very nice re l etl onel database th tis r:lu ch :r.o:-c po.,e r fu than dB ASE, R: base , Condo r, and the ike . t has bo r. SQ and QUEL- a superior query language the t did not become the standa r d. It has good query optimization ( very i por ant f or l arge data sets ) and runs on any machine you 1g t be consideri ng , It is expensive, eats RAM, and takes a lot of disk space. This is not the best solution for someone -.·ho .eeds a s ir.tp e fi ing system .
BTRIEVE
dbms/callable #13, from pmahoney (Peter Mahoney).
Btrieve is ve r y good and very fast . - he multilanguage interface is nice a l s o . C-tree is a l so a good product. faircom, its
122 BYT E · JANUA RY 1988
Circle 112 on Reader Service Card
HP PAtMlJET PRlMlER
for_ business use .
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gra?h"·cs
µrioter
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330
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HP vectra pc'
arencY fi 1m
Med·1a ll" µaper or
transl>
B 1/2" x
P$1ri,3c9es us "st for a Pai ntJet-Pack,
call
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It can also print a page of text in 30 seconds flat.
F//;'I HEWLETT
a:~ PACKARD
BIX PRODUCT FOCUS
© 1987 Hewlett·Pacl< 81d Co
developer, is good with suppor t and upgrades. It is also as portable as they c l aim . I developed an application under DOS and then ported it to RSX- 11 using C- t r ee under RSX- 11. No small task, but possible. C-tree is for Conly, though.
possibilities, such as purchasing a run - time library for a DBMS and writing your own TSR routine. The run-time library would still provide you with the management functions .
dbms/callable #22 , from jcoombs (James J . Coombs).
"Memory- resident DBMS" sounds a lot like Btrieve. I don't use it, but a lot of people speak highly of Btrieve . I do kno;i that it runs resident and can optionally be evicted upon termination of the application. I tried a share;iare file cataloger that used the program and left the DBMS in RAM . I don't recall how much RAM was being consumed , but I ··ould guess that it ;ias around lOOK. I ;iould call them up for more definl te information. Also, peop l e on the BOSS BBS use Bt rieve . rn fact, I think the BBS itself uses Bt rleve . The author 1 Dan Doman , would probab y be happy to discuss its merits with you (BOSS at (201) 568- 7293- C language conference [reg i stration required); PCSI [Doman' s home board] at (212) 529- 0498).
My impr ession ls that if you don't need sou r ce code and can live ·.'i thin Btrieve' s lim 1tat ions (e . g. 1 max i mum record length), then Btri eve is the best cho i ce . If its limitations ar e a problem, you ;iould be ;iell-advised to negotiate a solution before purchasing Btrieve; I have heard complaints from at least one pe r son who was having trouble working out an arrangement for customization or purchasing source code . If you need source code for porting or customizing, then C-tree is the bes t choice ( assuming you are coding in C) . Oh, yes, report generation is hand ed through a separate program- Rtrieve-and there is another called Xtrieve. The company is SoftCr aft, and they advertise regularly. There might be some other
dbms/callable #29, from abender (Andrew L. Bender).
Btrieve is ve r y good i n terms of securl ty. The pre imaging files protect the user against data corruption quite ;iell. As t o security in terms of intrusion, a user code ;iil scrambl e the file beyond recognition so that one \o'Ould have to be quite a hacker to figure ou t what 1t says.
dbms/other 11 186, from abender.
If you really ;iant to get an application up to maximum speed once you get it going i n an interpretive language like Revelation, KMan, or even dBASE II I Plus, I suggest that you give serious thought to getting a.way from that kind of database adm i nistration and go i ng 1.1 i t h a different approach. I transferred an entire KMan system (six floppies) to Lattice C using Btr ieve/N as my file hand l er and Vi tam in Casa screen handler . There is no comparison in speed, and Btrieve's excellent recovery and pre i maging ma.ke for an almost brealcproof system. You can do any kind of field validation in Vitamin C. I stayed away f rom Clippe r and such th i ngs because that kind of compi er is tied so tightly to the dBASE III procedural language that I found it very inflex ible ;ii thout considera ble "own code" stuff . ·
Curtis Franklin Jr. is a technical editor for BITE. He can be contacted at BYTE, One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough , NH 03458, or on BIX as "curt/ "
JA NUARY 1988 · BYTE 123
y. pro
orpeoRew o
~ Nobody ever said programming
know to program in your
PCs was supposed to be easy. But does it have to be tedi
~ favorite language.
-----------~
ous and time-constuning, too?
Not any more. Not since the arrival of the remarkable new prograrn in the lower right-hand comer. Which is designed to save you most of the time you're ,currently spending searching tlu·ough the books and manuals on the shelf above. The Norton On-Line Pro gramn1er's Guides are a quar tet of pop-up reference packages that do the same things in four different
ln ,;t;mt :\n:ess Proi.:ram · Me mory-reside nt -uses just 71K · Full-sc rc<:n or mov<.:ablc: half-screen
vi<: w. wit h pull -down ll1< '1111s. · J\uto lookup <Jnc.1 s<:arl'hin.~ . · 'lools for compili ng your own databa sl'>'.
A SSE1\1HLY (6001( uf data) · DOS Scrvitl' C.11ls: All INT2 llt "crvin'"·
interrupt s,c:rror code. , FCB and !'SI' fi elcl s,standan l h;mdl1·s an d 1110rP. · ROM 1310 ' Calls: All ROM rails µlus low RAM usage. · Instruction Se t: All 80 8/86 instruct ions. addressi11g 111odes.!lags. by tes pl'r instruction.clock cvdes and more. · MAS:'vl: Ps udo-op; and ass('mbkr d ircc t iv c·s . · 'fobl ·s: A.'C lIt.:llilrt. li nc-d rawi ng cha rt -. key board scan codes and more.
B ASIC (270K ead 1cbtabase) · !UM BA ·1 AMkro ·oft Qu ic-kBASIC
and TurboBJ\S!C. · State men ts and Funi: tion s: l k;:cribe ~ all
statements and bui lt-in library fun ctions.
· 'fabl !!s: Line-drawing <:hara cti: rs.A. Cl! chart. keyboa rd cod<'s.crror codl:s. op e rator s. et c .
C (600K each d a tabiL~e) · Micrn:ofl and Turbo C: Desc ribes
languag .inc!uding stall'lll nts. opt"raiors.da ta ty pes and structur""· · Lib rarv h11Kt ions: !Jl'lail ·cl dc,;niiJtions of all f11n c1io11s. irm11 abort () lo wril··· (). · PreproC'cssor Directives: Desc ribes commands. usag- and sv ma x. · 'fabl e~: ASC ll cha n .line- drawing clian11·tl'rs. keyboard r<1de" L'tTor collt·;:.
np P rator ~ . e l c.
PASC.'\ L-Tu rbo n 60K of data) · Lang-uilgt': !Je> cribes s1a11.:m1.:nts.
sy nlax.opcraturs.rla ta types and rec ord s . · 1.ihrar v: De:cribt·s the librarv
pr redu res and func tions. ·
· lllbk ·:!\SCI! (' ha rt. !in -drawing characters.kcvboard code. .<"JT1ir c<1des. n'scrvcrl words.etc.
languages.
Each package consists of
two parts: A memory-resident instant
(If you don't believe us,you tnight want
access program. And a comprehensive, to take a moment or two to examine the
cross-referenced database cramrned
data box you just passed.)
with just about everything you need to
You can, of course, find most of this
124 B YT E · JA UARY 1988
·
information in the books and manuals
on our shelf
But Peter Notion-who's written a
few books hitnself-figured you'd rather
have it on your screen. In seconds. In either full-screen or moveable half-
A (;uidt·s reft·rem.:e s ummarv scr en (shown in blu..) pop~ 111) on
lop of the pro)'.!ram you'r work i n~ <'ll (~hown in gret'n).
Summary dat.a expands on
command in to t~ Xtt-osive detail.
And you can ·cl ct from a w ide
varit·ty (>f informa litm.
screen mode. Popping up right next to your work
Right where you need it
This, you're probably thinking, is pre cisely the kind of thinking that pro duced the classic Norton Utilities.
And you're right
But even Peter Norton can't think of
everything. Which is why there's a built-in com
piler for creating databases of your own. And why all Guides databases are
compatible with the instant access pro gran1 in your original package.
Soyou canadd morelanguageswithout spending a lot more money.
To get more informa tion, call your dealer.Or call Peter Norton at
1-800-451 0303 Ext40.
And ask for some guidance.
th.·3ler~. 11r tlirect 1ro 11 1l't'fl' r Norton Com put in[~, In (,' , :J.:tlO \\' il~ hin· Blvd. if 1S6. Santa Monic:i. CA ~0·10:3. 21:~.453.2:35 1. J-·ax 2 l 3 - ·LZ}3-6~~9S, MCI Mail · PNCI '(·, Hl8 7 J>f·kr No11on Cumµulins.:
Circle 320 011 Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 321)
JAl UARY 1988 · BY TE 125
"The [time ] sa,·ings we gained with R&R were remarkable."
Info World, 5/25/87
"The consummate dBASE report writer."
PC World, 3/87
··... a powerful tool that's executed beautifully...."
PC Magazine, I/13/87
''Constructing a report layout with R& R is easy and quick...."
Business Software, 2/87
··... run. don't walk. to the nearest phone and place your order...." PC Week, II/11/86
SIMPLE REPORTS
\.. ..
~Ix::·::···~·: ·,,,;:.
:;?-~ V:::~--
-~.~;;~,}; ~;?:.~. ·:~~~ ORDERS .DBF
,.,. ,., :- ·
. .-.1. . .
PRICES . DBF
l:·uI l·l··-·t =L"H .1
~t -.. 1 ~ ; ·.c; Tfl 1"'"'·
ACCTREC . DBF
·C(l..,1.,.,,·
11,, n · "V ' ~o,' ')..., J:.:,, '"
COMPLEX REPORTS
A pro,·en timesaver.
R&R users say they can create reports in half the time or less, com pared with programming in dBASE. So can you.
More flexibility than you11 ever need.
Relate and report from up to 10 files at once using one-to-one and one-to many relations. Place free-form text and fields anywhere. Calculate new fields using more than 70 functions.
Eight sort levels. Eight levels of record grouping . Page and group headers and footers. Totals, subtotals. Memo field support including query. Use bold. underline. italics. combinations. and different fonts. Hundreds of other features.
The ease of use for fast results.
Lotus -like commands. Plain English query. Automatic trim. Standard field formats such as currency. commas, and word-wrap.
c;.,,11· l hr
~~~t~ ·~;:,~~f';_ ,,
But what you really want is results. Fast. And R&R quickly delivers reports like those shown here. Complex reports such as multi-page invoices. Simple reports such as employee list ings. (Actually the "simple report" shown here is not so simple without R&R.) Even form letters are just reports created with R&R's relational merge feature .
Relate and Report. then rest and relax -with R&R.
Only $149!*
Satisfaction guaranteed.
Try R&R. If you aren't satisfied for any reason , return it within 30 days for a full refund (if purchased directly from Concentric or a Concentric Authorized Reseller) .
For the name of your nearest dealer. or to order, call :
800-325-9035
In Mass.. call 617-366-1122.
Major credit cards. checks , COD, and POs (from major corporations and institutions) accepted. Add $3 shipping , $2 if COD. 5% tax in Mass.
R&R works with dBASE Ill . 111 PLUS . Quicksilver'", and other dBASE-file-compatible products. Clipper' " and FoxBASE+'" Module $49.95' additional. Runtime included with unlimited use license.
Another timesaving tool from the authors of 1-2-3 Report Writer'".
Concentric Data Systems. Inc. 18 Lyman Street. PO Box 4063
Westboro, MA 01581-4063
·on 5.25" diskettes. With 5.25" AND 3.5"
disk ettes. $165 for R&R and $55 for Module.
126 BY T E · JA NUARY 1988
Trademarks d8AS E. d8ASE 111. d8ASE 11 1 PLUS by Ashton -Tote Lotus. t · 2· 3 RePort w111er by Lotus ~otopmon t CorPoratoon Ou1 Ck$ilVCr by WordToch Systems , Inc FoxBASE · by Fox Software. Clipper by Nantu cket Corporation R&R Re lati onal Report Wnter by Concentric 0Ml8. Sys1erns, lnc
Circle 68 on Reader Service Card
SYSTEM REVIEW
Cache in the Chips
Ed McNiemey
The PC Designs GV-386 is an other hybrid entry into a grow ing field of 16 - megahenz 80386 computer. that use the speed and performance of the 80386 CPU while still retaining full fBM PC AT compatibility . Although it runs at the same clock speed as most other 80386 ystems . it uses clever design components to squeeze as much performance as possi ble out of the sys tem. The result is a high-powered PC AT-com patible computer.
As reviewed, the GV-386 came with 4 megabytes of RAM , a Priam 40-megabyte hard disk drive. and a Toshiba 1.2-megabytc 5 \t.\-inch floppy disk drive. The computer has eight expansion slots , two 8-bit and six 16-bit. The two 8-bit slots were filled with a half length Everex EGA-compatible display card and a haJf-length Everex serial / parallel card . One 16-bit slot contained the full-length combination floppy disk/hard disk controller card .
An 80287 math coprocessor running at 6 , 8. or 10 MHz is supported, and the re view system was equipped with a 10 MHz version . The system unit also fea tures a keylock on the front panel and a co nvenient Reset switch next to the power, disk-access, and Turbo (16- MHz) indicator LEDs. The power supply is rated at 200 watts and is switchable from 115 volts AC to 220 volts . An NEC MultiSync monitor was included with the review system.
The system comes with a one-year warranty for parts and labor and a 30-day money-back guarantee of IBM compati bility. The li st price for the entire pack age is $522 1.
Software Features The GV-386 uses the Americ.an Mega trends 386-BIOS. This BIOS , composed
The PC Designs GV-386 offers more speed
and less wait
of four 27256 ROMs, lets you interrupt and cancel tJ1e power-on RAM test by pressing the Escape key . Since the unit can be configured with a lot of RAM , this shortcut is a real convenience, especially if you do software development that may require frequent use of the Reset switch . After the self-test, you can press the De lete key to enter the ROM -based Setup utility; no separate disk is required . Con figuration CMOS RAM is powered by four AA batteries.
The Quarterdeck Expanded Memory Manager 386 (QEMM) and DESQview 2.0 are bundled with the system, as are MS-DOS 3.2 and GWBASIC 3.2. The QEMM software lets you use the ex tended memory in the system as Expand ed Memory Specification (EMS) expand ed memory; when used in conjunction with DESQview 2.0, it provides a power
ful multitasking environment . You can run muhiple DOS ap plications in separate windows at the same time.
Fast RAM The PC Designs motherboard is unusual in that it can hold up to 4 megabytes of RAM. Other 386-based systems, such as the Compaq Deskpro 386, use a separate 32-bit memory board and slot. All RAM on the GV 386 motherboard is accessed by the processor through a 32-bit wide data path, so the RAM sockets must be fully populated for the system to operate prop erly . The board is designed to accept 64K-bit, 256K-bit , or ! megabit RAM chips; the 36 sockets provide 256K bytes., 1 megabyte, or 4 megabytes of parity-checked RAM.
The memory consists of 120 nan oseco nd dynamic RAM (DRAM ): this type of RAM re quires the insertion of two wait tates for processor access . Al though this is normally a severe performance penalty , 120-ns DRAM is relatively inexpensive and readily avail able , so upgrading a base I-megabyte system to 4 megabytes is affordable . PC Designs has enhanced the performance of this DRAM system with a 64K-byte cache of 45-ns static RAM (SRAM) that can run with zero wait states, allowing full processor access to memory without delay. The SRAM cache has access to all 16 megabytes of the machine's address able memory. so memory added on an expansion board i cached just as effec tively as system board memory . The use of cache memory is not free,
c:on1i1uu-d
Ed McNiemey is a principal engineer at Lotus Developme121 Corp . He can be reached at 54 Pleasa111 St. . Groton , MA 01450, or on B/Xas "meed. "
JAN UARY 1988 · BYTE 127
REVIEW: CACHE IN THE CHIPS
PC Designs GV-388
Company
PC Designs Inc.
2500 North Hemlock Circle
Broken Arrow. OK 74012
(800) 322-4872 (91 8) 251-5550 in Oklahoma
Size
21 Va by 17V:i by 64/s inches: 45 pounds
Components Processor: Intel 80386 running at 16 MHz with zero wait states or at 8 MHz; 6·, 8·, or 10-MHz Intel 80287 Memory: 1 megabyte of zero-wait-state DRAM on motherboard (system maximum of 16 megabytes); 64K bytes of 45-ns static cache RAM Mass storage: One half·height 1.2 megabyte 5%-inch floppy disk drive; one 40-megabyte hard disk drive Display: Everex EGA-compatible display adapter with an NEC MultiSync monitor Keyboard: 101 ·key modified AT-style enhanced keyboard
110 interfaces: One parallel port (DB·
25): two serial ports (one DB·9, one DB 25): six 16-blt PC AT-compatible ' expansi on slots; two 8-bit PC-compatible expansion slots
Sof tware Quarterdeck Expanded Memory Manager 386; ROM-based Setup utility
Options Hard disk drives (from 20 to 230
megabytes): $475 to $2495 Tape backup units: $589 to $759 Graphics cards: $75 to $285 Display monitors: $95 to $599 Internal modems: $109 to $199 EGA graphics cards: $159 to $350 10-MHz 80287-10 math coprocessor:
$355 MS-DOS 3.2 with GWBASIC 3.2: $99 3-megabyte expansion RAM on
motherboard (total of 4 megabytes of RAM): $885 NEC MultiSync monitor: $599 MS·DOS version 3 .2: $99
Documentatio n User's Guide and Operations Manual; DESQview and QEMM user documentation
Price Base system (1 megabyte of RAM ,
40-megabyte hard disk drive, 1.2-megabyte floppy disk drive): $3124 System as revie'NEld: $5221
Inq uiry 885.
WRITE
DISK ACCESS IN BASIC (IN SECONDS)
READ
SIEVE
BASIC PERFORMANCE (IN SECONDS)
CALCULATIONS
SYSTEM UTILITIES (IN SECONDS)
40K FORMAT/DISK COPY
10
JO
40
so
40K FILE COPY
0
5
10
15
20
NIA
NIA NIA NIA
[1 111
2'5
1
LOAD
SPREADSHEET (IN SECONDS)
RECALCULATE
-· IBM PS/2 MODEL 80 ·
- PC DESIGNS GV-386
COMPAQ DESKPRO 386
IBM PC AT (8 MHZ)
Test
GV-388 10-MHz 80287
Model 80 16-MHz 80387
Compaq 386 8-MHz 802 87
Compaq 386 16-MHz 80387
IBM PC AT 8-MHz 80287
Dhrystone' Fibonacci Float Savage Sieve Sort
4356 48.55 5.80 18.05 5.07 6 .29
3626 57 .26 1.62
9.49 6.45 7.74
· Higher numbers denote faster perlotm ance.
3748 53 . 12 6.80 21 .53 5.99 5.58
3748 53 .11 1.43 8.95 5.98 5.58
1590 126.22 10.98
37 .3 0 24.60 43 .17
The Disk Access benchmarks write and then read a 64K·byte sequential text file to a hard disk. Sieve runs one iteration of the Sieve of Eratosthenes. Calculations performs 10,000 multiplication and division operations. The 40K FormaUDisk Copy benchmark is not performed on computers with only one floppy disk drive. The 40K File Copy benchmark copies a 40K·byte file on the hard disk. The Spreadsheet tests load and recalculate a 100-row by 25-column Multiplan (1. 06) spreadsheet. All BASIC benchmark programs were run with MS·DOS 3.20 and GWBASIC 3.20 on the PC Designs GV-386; PC-DOS 3.3 and BASICA 3 .3 on the Model 80 and PC AT; and Compaq DOS 3.1 and Compaq BASIC 3 .11 on the Deskpro. The table contains the results of C language benchmarks (see "A Closer Look" by Richard Grehan in the September 1987 BYTE). All times are in seconds, except for the Dhrystone, wh ich is in Dhrystones per second.
128 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
REVIEW: CACHE IN THE CHIPS
however. When data is written to mem ory, it must be written to both the cache RAM and the standard DRAM. As a re sult, data writes do not benefit from the cache ; they run at the two-wait-state speed expected from the 120-ns DRAM. Also , if the processor needs to access data that is not currently stored in the cache, the system must perfonn a read from the DRAM as well as update the cache memory with the new data . This delay slows down reads from noncached memory to three wait states.
Of course , the entire principle of cache memory relies on the fact Lhat software retains a certain frequency of reference; that is, memory Lhat has been read re cently is likely to be read again . Although such redundant data read may not be common in well -des igned so ftwa re. caching applies to instruction fetches as well and can greatly improve Lhe perfor mance of tight programming loops.
The cache memory system in the GV 386 is tested as part of the ystem' s power on self-te t. If the cache is found to be faulty, the system disables it and displays an error message; the system can still be operated nonnally . The cache can also be selectively enabled or di sabled from the keyboard. This feature is designed to pro vide maximum compatibility wilh copy protected or timing- ensitive software . All the tested software operated properly with Lhe cache enabled .
The resu lt of PC Des igns· perfor mance efforts is significant. Designing a cache me mory system that real ly boo t execution speed of real-world applica tions is not easy. but PC Designs has suc ceeded. By using a rather large cache size. the GV -386 ensures a high ratio of cache hit and therefore a measurable benefit to the user. The BYTE Dhrystone benchmark rates the GV -386 at 4356 Dhrystones per second when the cache is enabled , a perfonnance level that is 15 percent higher Lhan Lhe Compaq Deskpro 386 and 20 percent hjghcr than the IBM PS/2 Model 80.
The value of the cache syste m is fur ther demon trated by the fact that the GV 386's Dhrystone performance drops to 3259 Dhrystones per second, well below the Compaq and PS/2 machines, whe n the cache memory system is disabled . The BASIC benchmarks also show an in crease in perfonnance with the cache en abled on the GV-386 as compared to the Compaq 386. All benchmark re ult s shown on page 128 were produced with Lhe 64K -byte cache enabled .
The hard disk was set up as two 20-mega byte DOS partitions Lhrough the use of the Priam disk driver software . The hard di sk drive has an access time of 27.4 mil 1iseconds and a data-transfer rate of 238.8K byte per second (as measured by the CORETEST utility). The dj k also showed a remarkably low track-to-track seek time of 4 . 1 ms. The Priam hard di sk dri ve is a full-height drive and fill s the entire left disk bay . The right disk bay has space for three half-height devices, all ac cessible from the front of the computer.
PC Designs GV-3 86 offers a keyboard or DIP switch- selectable clock speed of 16 MHz o r 8 MHz . When the clock speed is set at 8 MHz , the cache can still be enabled or disabled . but it makes no measurable difference in performance. The standard system RAM is fast enough to keep up wilh Lhe 8-MHz speed .
Because di sk-based copy-protection schemes are sensitive to clock speed , most olher 80386 systems automatically slow the proce sor down _to 8 MHz when ever the floppy di sk drive is being ac cessed . The slowdown in system speed is unnoticeable since Lhe floppy disk drive is the real limitfog factor. and the com patibility gained is worth the trade-off. Unfortunately , the GV-386 slows down the processor for only the operations re quired by the DOS FORMAT and DISK COPY programs, not for all floppy disk accesses . As a result, Lotus 1-2-3 Re lease 2 would start up only if Lhe proces sor was lowed down to 8 MHz. Once the program started , however, the speed could be brought back up to 16 MHz.
The keyboard is a Maxj-Switch 10 I key unit that uses a modified enhanced AT keyboard layout. Except for Lhe L shaped Enter key and backslash key to the left of the Backspace key , the keyboard i identical to the enhanced layout. The MaxiSwitch keyboard has a sw itch o n the underside that lets you wap the positions of the Caps Lock and left Control keys. The GV-386 documentation claims that the Escape key can be moved but it gives no instructions for accomplishing thi s. The keyboard feel i oft and quiet.
The system unit contains eight full le ngth expansion slots. To maintain com patibility with the majority of PC add-on cards , Lhe 1/0 connectors are run at a clock speed of8 MHz, independent of the processo r speed . Since most add-on board are not designed to run any faster than 8 MHz , this feature let you pur chase new hardware without worrying about compatibility .
Hardware Features
The disk ystem on the reviewed mac hine con isted of a 1.2-megabyte floppy disk drive and a 40-megabyte hard disk drive.
Documentation The User 's Guide and Operations Man ual supplied with the GY-386 is very in
Circle 8 on Reader Service Card
The fastest
Modula-2
Extremel~ltSiiigl&iJ8.!!p1..,,le'T,Tr
Amiga ~rkbench, support for documented func
tions (Intuition. Exec, Graphics, etc.), double-precision
numeric types, Including FFP. produces optimised
machine code, links in just a few seconds! The com
prehensive development system contains an editor,
compiler. linker, library modules (Standard &Amiga lib
raries), manual and introductory Modula-2 book.
Minimum c figuration: 512K, 1 drive.
$5
$ 99 PCSUHll &compatibles
lop )Uur Modula-2 programs Ina environment, where all the tools are d and efficiency:
ltor piler-much faster than aconventlo-
· calcu lator 1Wtli6lirvn.ided in source form
8087 maths co-processor, REAL
to 15 digits accuracy and easy MS-OOS/PC-OOS/Coneu11ent-OOS
eni Programs and data may use up
piemory. No other software de· ~as many tools and toolboxes as
REVIEW: CACHE IN THE CHIPS
teresting; it's unlike any comparable written. It appears to be written for the are included for the Priam hard disk drive
manual. Nearly 200 pages of information technically competent owner who is like and the serial/paraJlel card.
are presented in a somewhat disorganized ly to buy a stripped-down machine and Interspersed with this technical infor
manner. The preface covers the compati who feels comfortable adding disk drives, mation are chapters that go into great de
bility guarantee and warranty informa memory, and 1/0 boards. The manual in tail describing keyboard commands in
tion. The first chapter of the manual is cludes a potpourri of technical informa BASIC (a topic covered much better in
devoted to a well-written overview of the tion, supplying 1/0 address maps, tables the supplied GWBASIC manual) and a
technical features of the 80386 processor. of hard disk drive parameters, system useful but slightly condescending tutorial
Although a note indicates that the chapter board switch settings, system error mes for new users that is laid out in a question
is of interest only to programmers, it is sages, and programming information. A and-answer format. Perhaps the best indi
still a bit daunting to have the first page of comprehensive set of troubleshooting cation of the tone of the entire documen
chapter l contain such terms as "barrel suggestions is provided to assist the user tation set comes from the first page of the
shifter" and "prefetch queue. "
with most of the common setup and in chapter entitled "For New Users." Al
The manual is clearly and concisely stallation problems. Separate booklets though it states that "This chapter is writ
----------------------------~ ten specifically for the person who has
never used a personal computer," the
first step in the orientation process is to
BACK ISSUES FOR SALE
remove the cover of the system unit so that you can look inside.
Jan.
Feb. March
April
May
June July Aug. Sept.
Oct.
Nov. Dec.
1985 $4.25 $4.25 $4.25 $4.25 $4.25 $4 .25
$4.25 $4.25 $4.25 $4 .25 $4.25
1986 .$4.25
$4.25 $4.25 $4.25 $4.25 $4.25
$4.25
1987
$4.25 $4.25 $4.25 $4.25 $4.25 $4.25 $4.25 $4.25 $4.25 $4.25 $4.25
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Compatibility The GV·386 demonstrated excellent com patibility with the PC AT and with 80386 specific software. Lotus 1-2-3 version 2.01 , Microsoft Word 3.0, the Microsoft Bus Mouse, Microsoft Windows version 1.03, and SideKick version J.56A all ran correctly, except that Lotus 1-2-3 had to be started at 8 MHz or installed onto the hard disk. I also used Borland's Turbo C to test compatibility and system perfor mance. The sample MicroCalc spread sheet program supplied with Turbo C (7700 lines of C code) compiled in only 25 seconds, as opposed to 71 seconds re quired by the Compaq Deskpro 386.
The 80386 control software and oper ating systems I tested included Digital Research Concurrent DOS 386, PC MOS/386, DESQview 2.0, Microsoft Windows/386, and a prerelease version of Microsoft OS/2 version 1.0 . All worked without any problems.
Final Judgment
The system requires little technical skill
to set up and use. In addition to the excel
lent warranty , PC Designs offers a toll
free help line to registered owners, so
buyers can get ready assistance and in
formation .
The PC Designs GV-386 is a compat· ible, high-speed personal computer. It is well-suited for any application that re quires an 80386 processor or high pro cessing speeds, ranking at or near the top of the 80386 range in all the benchmarks and tests . Its cache memory system is well-designed and produces a measurable increase in system throughput when com· pared to other 80386 systems. The GV 386 is a solid, robust machine; its design ers paid attention to features and detail. Given the trend toward software with large memory requirements, the GV· 386's ability to hold 4 megabytes of RAM on the motherboard is a valuable asset . ·
130 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
Advancing the
state of the art
in raster graphics.
With TV-quality resolution. pixel depths.
Presenting the AT&T True
TARGA 8 ($1 ,595) : 256
vision~ Advanc ed Raster
levels of grey
Graphics Adapter (TARGA,,,.)
TARGA MB ($1,995): 256
series. Five separate models levels of grey or 256 colors
address the spectrum of your from a palette of over 16 million
continuous-tone imaging needs. TARGA 16 ($2,995): 32 ,76B
Each single-slot TARGA
colors plus overlay
dig itizes and displays elec
TARGA 24 ($3,995):
tronic photographs with your
16,777 ,216 colors
AT&T- or IBM-compatible PC.
TARGA 32 ($4 ,995) :
TARGA captures images in 16, 777 ,216 colors plus overlay
real time from standard video and 12B levels of mixing for
sources. And because the im sophistrcated blending of live
ages are digitized files of in
video and stored images.
formation, you can store and retrieve them . Display them with striking clarity _And ma nipulate lhem with incredible subtlety.
And with elegant engineering.
TARGA is elegantly en gineered for performance, efficiency, and reliability. Its
At varying pixel depths.
powerful gen-lock capability
TARGA provides up to 512 X 482 pixel resolution at different
lets you grab from VCRs and videodisc players as well as
video cameras. Our propri etary video controller limits memory contention to less than two percent.
And TARGA incorporates a number of sophisticated hard ware features, including 2X. 4X, and BX zoom. Smooth, independent horizontal and vertic al panning. Bit plane masking . And a wide range of programmable options p ro vides unlimited flexibility in working with continuous-tone im a g e s .
And elegant applications.
TARGA C language program ming utilities and Halo drivers enable you to create your own applications . Or you can use one of the many software packages developed for TARGA by AT&T and others.
Our Truevision Image Proc essing (TIPS, $1,250), for example, provides powerful paint, text . and image manipu lation functions.
Advance the state of your art.
If you have an idea for an ap plication , talk to us. We'll pro vide the technical support to help you advance the state of your art. With Truevision . We're changing the way personal computers see things.
For additional information or to locate a Truevision dealer, please write or call: AT&T, Electronic Photography and Imaging Center. 7351 Shadeland Station , Suite 100, Indianapolis. IN 46256-3921 .
1-800-858-TRUE.
,....
ATaT
The right choice.
Trueyis1on ·&a <eg1s1ered 1rade_mar1< of AT&T IBM is a ' fJ.9is1cred trademark or 1~rorna119na1 Business Machines Corpo<aflon Compaq is a <eg.slered kademark of Compaq _ Cornpuler Company RALO I:; a registered trademark of Media Cybemellcs Truevision Des.gn and development by- RADAKAKACACCCEJHDHJHBHDJCMGM BPLRASTSJSBSJW
Q 1987 AT&T
Circle 275 on Reader Service Card
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 131
FUJITSU'S DX2000 SERI ES PRINTERS
Switchit)gfrom computer p~er
to letterheadis as simple as1...2...3.
InstructiooS:
1. Push
Push a button. Pull a lever Push abutton.
Its tl1at eas) to switch fi·om computer paper to letterhead
u.ing a Fujitsu DX2000 Series 9-wire dot matrixprinter Theres no wrestling wirl1 continuous forms or optional tractors. No wasting time loading and unloading paper: And automatic feeding of cut heet paper is faster with the optional, sir gle-bin sheet feeder:
More Efficient, lore Productive. Now you can choose from four printers that can
produce bet\veen ill and 135 Ii nes ofcopy per minute. Or an average-size memo indraft quality in justll seconds.
Print speed range from 44-54 character per second in near-letter quality mode, to 220-324 cps in draft qua!it), depending on which modelyou choose.
Each printer can create letter preaclsheets de c!·ip tive charts and professional gnphs. For bril liant 7-color printing you can get an easy-to-install optionalcolor kil
Quiet, Reliable,Compatible. Listen. The DX2000 printers arequiet. What's more theycan give youyear of trouble-free
printing without taking time off. And thats not all. Each printer i. compatiblewith the
most popuhr software 1r:tckages, using Epson FX80,JX80,
IBM®Graphics Printer.. or fBM Proprinter)L commands. For pricing, more information and a cl 111011 tration
of the DX2000 .eries or an) ofour complete Iine of daisywheel dot matrix band or laser printers, calI.
800-626-46 6.
Make theeasy S\~~tch to Fujitsu printers.
A COMPANY WITH CH ARACTER AND DRIV E
FUJITSU
FUJITSU AMERICA
Computer Products Group
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE DX2000 SERIES PRINTERS, CALL 800-626-4686
·9.87 ~u~ 1~ Amerie.,'1 _Inc EpSOfi FXBO and E.l)SOfl JX80 are tC'g· S.ltlf cd 1rad(!mtuk$ 01~\.;O Eoson COfO()tA1iOn IBM. Gr.3phlC$ Pnnler l!llt.l Proprml.Ur illU IC\jl!ilUH.'. ll lrudl'..·marks. ol l nlermmr;mal ausin.eu M.3CJ"li n.f!JSC0rl)Or.'tlt0n
132 B Y T E · JA UARY 1988
Circle 98 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 99)
SYSTEM REVIEW
The Toshiba T3100/20
Curtis Franklin Jr.
If an AT-class machine is part of your normal working envi
This laptop strikes
tions include an IBM PC- com pat ible five-slot expansion
ronment , the To hiba T3100/20 ($4699) can let you work with
a balance between portability
chassi ($999) and a 5 1.4 -inch ex ternal floppy disk drive
your usual tools when you are traveling . The T3100/20 is bui lt
and power
($499). See page 134 for a com plete list of options with prices.
around an Intel 80286 micro
proces ·or ruoning with one
T he Power
wait state at 8 MHz , switchable
When compa red with oth er
to 4 MHz. It comes standard
popular laptop computers, the
with 640K bytes of 120-nano
Toshiba is at least twice as fast
second RAM. wh ich al lows it to
as most that operate at 4.77
run software that run on desk
MHz and is about 20 percent
top AT . Ma torage for the
faster than the NEC MultiSpeed
T3100/20 consist of a 720K
operating at 9.54 MHz. [Edi
byte 3 1h -inch floppy disk drive
tor ' s note: See " Th e NEC Mul
and a 20-megabyte hard disk
tiSpeed " by David Satz in the
drive with a run-length-limited
September J987 BYTE. ] You
(RU ..) cont rol ler. The size of
can easily switch the speed of
the hard disk drive and the fact
the T3 l00120 ·s processor from
that it u es RLL encoding are
the keyboard by using a three
the only differences between
key combination .
the T3 l 00/ 20 and the older
In addition to the advantage
T3 l00 with a 10-megabyte hard
in ca lcula ti on speed, the
disk drive.
3 100/20' s internal hard disk
A highly readable gas-plasma
drive gives it an obvious advan
display top the system . The
tage in disk access over floppy
di play swings up to reveal a
disk drive- based portables . For
full -size 81-key keyboard with
example, the spreadsheet used
l 0 function keys running across
in the BYTE benchmarks took
the top . A template (a blank is provided wani a laptop 1har does no1need an elec approximately 7 seconds to load from the
with the computer) can sit in a shall ow trical umbilical cord..me the text box MultiSpeed's flo ppy disk drive. The
well above the function keys . Above the " The Toshiba 1000" OJI page 135.J
spreadsheet loaded from the 3100/20 's
template , the T3 l00120 sport even All these AT-class featu res are packed hard disk drive in just over l second. In
LED indicators fo r Power/Speed disk into a compact 15-pound box , measuring compari son to the PC AT's hard di k
use , external monitor. and keylocks . approximately 12 by 3 by 14 inche , drive , the Toshiba 's hard disk drive !Urns
With RGB , para ll el , and 9-pin seria l which comes standa rd with a padded in a slightly better performance . The
ports lined up across the rear of the com nylon carrying case. The unjt also comes CORETEST gives Lhe data transfer rate
puter, the !/O of the T3 l00/20 is com with MS-DOS 3.2 and Lotus Metro a of the T3100/20's hard disk drive as
plete, especially for a laptop computer. desk accessory that provides a notepad, 107.4K bytes per second , and the average
The power supply i witchable between an appointment book , and a clipboard eek time as 77 .7 milliseconds. ·
I I5 and 230 volt .
among other feature ).
The To ·hiba lands out most not in cal
To hiba doe not provide a battery The unjt I reviewed had an optional culation peed which i impressive . but
pack for the T3 l00/20; the company ha. RAM upgrade ($1699), providing 2 in clarity of di. play, which is amazing. Its
designed the system to operate from an megabytes of Expanded Memory Specifi resolution is 640 by 400 pixe ls, giving a
AC power outlet. While this limits the _use cation (EMS)- compatible RAM for pro
co111i11ued
of the computer to times when an electri grams that can make use of it, and an op
cal out let is handy , the convenience of a tional 1200-bit-per- second in ternal Curtis Franklin Jr. is a BYTE technical
hard disk drive and an easily readable Haye -compatible modem ($399). As re editor. He can be reached at One Phoe
screen may be more important in some viewed , with added memory and modem . nix Mill Lane , Pererborough, NH 03458,
situations. [Editor' note: For th ose who the system retails for $6797. Other op- or 0 11 BIX as "curtf "
JA NUARY 1988 · BYTE 133
REVIEW : THE TOSHIBA T3100120
Toshiba T3100/20
Company Tosh iba America Inc. Information Systems Division 9740 Irvine Blvd. Irvine . CA 92718 (714) 538-3000
Size 121A by 3 by 14'A inches: 15 pounds
Components Processor: 16-bit 80286 running at 4 or 8MHz Memory: 640K bytes of RAM . expandable to 2.6 megabytes internally Mass storage: One 720K-byte 3 112-inch floppy disk drive and one 20-megabyte hard disk drive Display: Red -orange 53/·· by 7V2·inch flat gas-plasma with 25·1ine by 80-column text and 640· by 400-pixel monochrome graphics: also emulates IBM CGA graphics Keyboard : 81 keys ; 10 function keys: separate cu rsor keys; LED indicators for Caps Lock. Num Lock. and Scroll Lock keys
110 Interfaces: RS·232C 9·pin male
connector; 25-pin female parallel
connector: RGB video 9-pin female
connector
Software MS-DOS verS1on 3.2: Lotus Metro
Options Internal 1200-bps modem : $399 5 Y· ·1nch external floppy disk drive:
$499 Floppy link fi le-transfer board/cable:
$199 15-key numeric keypad: $99 IBM PC-compatible five-slot expansion
chassis: $999 Interface card for expansion chassis:
$199 2-megabyte RAM upgrade: $1699
Documentation 168-page Toshiba T3100 Portable Personal Computer User 's Manual
Price
$4699
Inquiry 887.
DISK ACCESS IN BASIC (IN SECONDS)
WRITE
RE AD
~.~11 i I r kr·LI I r
SIEVE
BASIC PERFORMANCE (IN SECONDS)
CALCULATION S
SYSTEM UTILITIES (IN SECONDS)
40K FORMAT/DISK COPY
40K FILE COPY
LOAD
~..,.,,r ..r
SPREADSHEET ON SECOND~
RECALCULATE
r r r ~: ! r.. r
11
· TOSHIBA T3 100120 TOSHIBA T1000 - IBM PC AT (8 MHZ) - IBM PC
The Disk Access benchmarks write and then read a 64K-byte sequential teX1 tile to a hard disk. Sieve runs one iteration of the Sieve of Eratosthenes. Calculations performs 10,000 multiplication and division operations. The 40K Format/Disk Copy benchmark is not p erformed on computers with only one floppy disk drive. The 40K File Copy benchmark copies a 40K·byte file on the hard disk. The Spreadsheet tests toad and recalculate a 25· by 25-cell Multiplan (1 .06) spreadsheet. GWBASIC 2.1 was used for the disk access and basic performance tests. On the T3100/20 and the IBM PC AT. the disk access. file copy, and spreadsheet tests were performed from the hard disk drive ; on the Tl 000 and the IBM PC. the disk access, file copy, and spreadsheet tests were performed from the floppy d isk drives.
full 25 lines by 80 columns. The red orange gas-plasma display is a large part of the T3100/20's appeal and usefulness, and there is no question that it is far more readable than even the best LCD screens. The character set of most LCDs is blocky at best . The characters on the Toshiba are sharp and easy to read, due in part to the screen 's I-to- I aspect ratio . In addition ,
LCD displays tend to "ghost " as informa tion scrolls down the screen , mak ing it difficult to read information from the MS-DOS TYPE command, or from a bul letin board or on-line information service at 1200 bps. The T3100120 's sc reen showed no lag or ghosting and no flicker under fluorescent lights.
For all its virtues , however , the To
shiba ' s display has a serious drawback : The surface of the screen is smooth and highly reflective . In my office, the fluo
rescent lights overhead caused consider· able glare . The screen reflected light from the overhead fixtures , the image of my clothing , and anyone who happened to walk into my office. All this activity in front of the characters on the screen was
134 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
REVIEW: THE TOSHIBA T3100/20
Toshiba T1 000
Company Toshiba America Inc. Information Systems Division 9740 Irvine Blvd Irvine. CA 927 8 (714) 538·3000
Size 12'/s by 2 by 11 inches: 6V2 pounds
Components Processor: 8·b1t 80C88 running at 4.77 MHz Memory: 5 12K bytes of RAM. expandable to 1.2 megabytes internally Mass storage: One 720K-byte 3'/z-inch ·1o ppy disk drive Display: Supertw1st LCD with 25-li ne by 80-column text and 640· by 200-pixel monochrome graphics Keyboard : 82 keys: 10 function keys: separate cursor keys 1/0 interfaces: RS-232C 9-pin male connector; 25-pin female parallel connector: RGB video 9-pin female connector: RCA-type composite monochrome connector
Software MS-DOS version 2.11 (in ROM): Borland SideKick
Options Intern al 1200-bps modem· $399 Internal 768K-byte memory card: $549 External 5'/· ·inch floppy disk drive:
$499 Automobile power adapter: $59 17·key numeric keypad: $99 Flop py Li nk: $199 Universal AC adapter (100 V to 264 V
AC) :$ 5 9 Carrying case: $59 MS-DOS 3 .2 (on floppy disks): $75
Documentation 116-page Toshiba T1000 Portable Personal Computer User 's Manual
Price $1199
lnquky888.
The Toshiba TlOOO
T he Toshiba TIOOO (S 1199) presents a nearl y complete contrast to it bigger brother. the T3 I00/20. Where the T3100/20 trades elements of porta bility for power. the TIOOO 's scales are tipped in favor of portable convenience . In fact , the TIOOO is the first laptop I've seen that's better than the vene rable Tand y model 100 for the type of work (writing on the road) for which I need a portable.
The TI 000 (see photo A) is a ful1IBM PC-compatible computer in a compact 6 1/i -pound package . In it standard con figuration , the TIOOO comes with an 80C88 running at 4 . 77 MHz , 512K bytes of 100-ns RAM , MS-DOS version 2 . 11 in ROM , a si ngle 720K-byte 3 1/z inch floppy disk drive , a 25-li ne by 80 column supertwist LCD screen with a resolution of 640 by 200 pixels. a full size 82-key keyboard, and video (RGB and composite). parallel. and se rial ports.
The machine that I reviewed had the optional 1200-bps internal modem ($399). It also had a memory-expansion board with 768K bytes of 100-ns RAM ($549) that could be configured as a nonvolatile RAM disk . Like th e T3 I00/20, the TI 000 is covered by a o ne -year warranty. with an extended two-year warranty avail a ble at ex tra cost. For a complete list of the available options and their prices , see the box at left.
Without the RAM disk. the TlOOO harks back to the olden days of personal computing, when disk space was pre cious and users often had to spend a con siderable amount of time swapping disks with files back and forth in laborious "housecleani ng . " With the RAM disk in place, the T 1000 become the most portable IBM PC - compatible computer I' ve ever used, free not only from the power cord but also from the extra bag gage of numerous floppy disks.
After setting up the RAM disk (a one time , I-minute procedure) . I installed the XyWrite III Plus word processor. the
Photo A: The Toshiba Tl()()() is a 6!1 -pound BOCBB-based laptop that operaces from rechargeable baueries.
communications program PC-Talk, and Lotu 1-2-3 on the RAM disk . There was still plenty of room left over for files that I needed to work on, and working comple tely from the RAM disk was both
much fa ·ter and less of a battery drain
than working from the floppy di k drive.
As with any battery-powered device , battery life is an important issue for the TIOOO. The nickel-cadmium battery on the computer lasted from 3 to 5 hour before the low-battery indicato r was ac tivated ; the exact time depended on how much disk activity had taken place. Ac cordi ng to Toshiba, the nonvolatile RAM is safe as long as any charge re mains in the battery . One user's RAM disk wa still intact 2 days after the low power light came on : however , I would recommend that you recharge the bat tery as soon as possible after the light appears.
Of course. the T 1000 is no match for the T3100/20 in computing speed, but then. a PC is no match for an AT . Life is filled with decisions and compromises . In th is case , the TI 000 trades bulk , ex pandability , and · peed for functional it and tremendou~ portability at a rea son able price.
more than a little distracting . The screen angle is adjustable across a wide range , but no angle (al least. no angle that left the screen visible from my chair) could eliminate the glare. In fairness, my office lighting is tough on displays , and the . parse incandescent lighting found in most hotel rooms is perfect for the gas plasma di play . The problem with glare
also turns up with the screen on the Com paq Portable HI , which ha a gas-plasma screen that is very imilar to the Toshiba T3100/20's.
Using the Power
I ran a number of programs o n th e T3100/20 , including Lotus 1-2-3 Relea e 2, XyWrite Ill Plus. WordStar 4.0, Pib
term 3.2.5 , PC-Talk III , GWBASIC 2 . 1. and Refl ex version I. All ran quite well. The only problems arose when CGA graphics were di played on the gas-plas ma screen in such a way that the " colors " were indistinguishable from one another .
A mentioned earlier. the computer comes packaged with MS-DOS version
conti1111('(/
JA UARY 198 · 8 YT E 135
REVIEW: THE TOSHIBA T3!00/20
3.2 and Lotus Metro . As a longtime user
of SideKick, I was impressed by Metro ·s
ease of use and the flexibil ity and power of the various desk accessories .
The T3100/20' s keyboard is a solid, middle-of-the road affair. It does not of fer the tactile feedback of the IBM key boards or an audible key click, but it is far superior to some of the mushy keyboards sold with clones. The lack of a separate numeric keypad may be important to some users, but I found the layout easy to use and work with. An optional numeric keypad is available for $99 for those who need one.
The Toshiba T3100 Portable Personal Computer User 's Manual, included with the system , is thorough, clearly written , and well organized. A one-year warranty is standard on aJI components; a two-year warranty on all components is available at additional cost.
The Beauty and the Blemishes The T3100120' s predecessor, the T3 l 00.
achieved the rank of status symbol among many of America's regular business trav elers . A major factor in the status of the T3100, and of the T3100/20 as well, is the laptops ' appearance. These ma chines, with their angular, sleek, matte gray plastic cases , conjure Eurotech visions of an elegant office. The only part of the T3 I 00/20 that seems out of place is its handle.
It's not that the handle is useless; it makes a dandy stand to bring the machine and its keyboard to the proper angle for typing. The problem is that the handle might suggest that the computer can be carried around without its case . From desk to desk in an office, this is OK , but venturing outside with a bare T3100/20 would be a major mistake. For one thing, there's no place to put the power cable. For another, the case has holes in it. There are cooling slots in the back of the display panel and an opening for the cool ing fan in the rear of the computer, thus affording lots of opportunities for water and assorted detritus to get in and wreak havoc on this beautiful and rather expen sive machine .
Another drawback of the T3 l00/20 is its cooling fan . Obviously , in a computer based on the components used by this ma chine , forced-air cooling is a must. Un fortunately, the fan in the Toshiba makes a sound at a pitch and volume optimal for making my teeth itch. The noise is made worse by an apparent interaction with the hard disk drive: Disk activity causes a definite change in the noise pitch of the fan, in addition to the normal sounds of
disk access. The third problem has to do with the
power consumption of the T3 I00/20 ,
which is high enough to require connec tion to an AC power outlet. I didn't think the power requirements would be a severe handicap; I simply planned my work for places where I could expect to find an electrical outlet. I didn't reckon on the security forces at LaGuardia Airport . Their hand-check of a computer is sim
ple: Tum it on , and if the screen does
computer-like stuff, it's a computer. We searched the X-ray machine for an outlet while the passengers for the 6:00 shuttle stacked up behind me. This episode aside , I found that a portable computer is most useful when it can be used in a car , on a plane, or in an airport waiting area. All this is sacrificed with the Toshiba T3100/20.
A Stiff Competitor The Toshiba T3 l00/20 is certainly at or
near the top of the portable computer field in both price and performance. I ex pect it to compete directly with two other computers on the market : the NEC MultiSpeed , which runs faster than the crowd of 8088-based portables, and the Compaq Portable III, which uses an 80286 CPU clocked at 12 MHz . The T3 l 00/20's hard disk drive speeds opera tions and reduces the number of floppy disks in your carrying case. In sheer screen readability, the Toshiba comes out well on top . On the other hand , the Multi Speed frees you from dependence on an AC power supply-and does it for $2195 , a considerably lower price than that of the T3100/20.
The Compaq Portable III shares many features with the Toshiba T3 l 00/20. They both have 80286 CPUs , internal hard disk drives, and gas-plasma dis plays. The price of a Portable III with a 20-megabyte hard disk drive is $4999 , which is about the same as that of the T3100/20, and it too has to be plugged into an electrical outlet.
The Compaq 's advantages include its capability (through a piggyback unit) to use full -size AT add-in boards , and its speed, from a 12-MHz system clock . The Toshiba gets the nod for pure portability: The Compaq is 5 pounds heavier, and its lunch-box configuration is more cumber some than the Toshiba's flat shape. Last ly , the Toshiba is a simply a better-look ing computer than the Portable III . This didn't make my spreadsheets recalculate faster or replace the AC power cord , but it did please my sense of aesthetics. [Edi tor's note: For more information on the Compaq Portable Ill, see the review "Compaq 's new Carry-on " by John Unger in the May 1987 BYTE.]
The Toshiba T3100/20 is expensive , but for the money you get 80286 power and greater portability than any other AT
compatible. You can buy computers that are more portable, and you can buy faster computers , each for less money than the Toshiba . But if you need speed and porta bil ity in one package, the Toshiba T3 I00/20 should be at the top of your list. ·
VIEWS FROM BIX : T3100/20 and T1 000
laptops/reviews #4 , from Tom Moran.
I do s of t ware deve l opment and must occasionally v1s1 t distant customer s. I 've t aken t he TJ 100/20 to Eur ope an d As i a . \11th the he.rd disk, I can take along essent i al ly a duplicat e softwar e deve l opmen t envi ronment and make any changes, or s howany demonstr ations , on the spot . The dis k can a l so be a "data briefc ase" for taki ng l arge files to and f r o . My customers and my hote l s a l ways have electr i city, and the pl ane or ai rport between customers i s the last place I need t o us e the compute r . The TJl00/20 oft en dr aws admir ing and cur i ous cro.,ds . I th i nk that has had a posit i ve effect on my meeti ngs .
laptops/reviews #5 , from Richard Berry.
I amusing e. TJ100/20. The fan pi t ch i s actually a high-voltage leak f r om the pol.'er supply , as ne ar as I can te ll. I had a prev ious TJl OO that s ound ed 11.ke na ils on a che.licboard. I t app ears t hat the s tronger the powe r draw, the quie te r the noise is. To demons t rate this, cl ose your s creen 111t h t he machine on . I t shoul d be qui te strong at that point . I simpl y t ook my machine back and had it r epl aced . My pr esent mach i ne has no noi s e a t al l . Since Tosh i ba offer s an exc ellen t se r vice poli cy , you may wi sh t o s end i t back to be re paired . My only experi ence "ith service has been wi th the 20-meg upgrade through the DYNs ervice network , but I l.'as extreme ly impre ssed , sendi ng in my mach i ne Monday night and receiving the upgraded machine llednesday mor ning . As I said, t he sc r eech i ng i s not unkno\IJI among the TJlOOs , but 1t isn 't a necessity to operati ng the mach ine .
laptops/reviews #6, lrom Jean U. Thoma.
I f the Toshi ba TlOOO had a seat for an 8087 copr oc essor (wh i ch could take t he physical s pace of t he modem) , it would r each a vast mar ket 1n uni ver s it ies . ll ithout it, engineer in g s of tware runs J times s l ower or not at a ll , so I am unab l e to recommend it to students . I lik e the TlOOO for portabili ty and memor y , but I sor ely miss t he coproc ess or . I use on l y l aptops , at home and on or off campus, and do not ne ed bat ter i e s s i nce I al ways find an electric outl et.
136 B Y T E · JANUARY l 988
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JA UARY 1988 · BYTE 137
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138 BY TE · JA ARY 1988
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SYSTEM REVIEW
The Symmetric 375
Patrick Wood
The Symmetric 375 computer i a mall , portable Berkeley
Symmetric 's new
ta ndard Seventh Edition ver ion. The line-printer spoole r
Standa rd Distribution (BSD) 4 .2 Unix ystem loaded with
system brings Berkeley Unix
worked fine (wi th a erial printer), and none of the system
many u ·eful features . Its small ·ize (about that of a Compaq
to a portable box
util itie I used showed any de parture from a tandard BSD
Portable II ) a nd weight (22
·ystem .
pounds) make it the only porta
I ported evcral thousand
ble BSD Uni x system I know of.
line ofC code from a variety of
The list price of the system re
sources designed to run o n
viewed here (which include a
Berkeley Unix , and all of it
bundled terminal and printer) is
com pil ed and ran wi th ou t
$8995 , but Sy mmetric di s
change, except for a problem
counts the price to $8,095 if it is
with floating-point numbe rs
prepaid .
(discussed below). Some code
de igned to run on Sy tern V
System Hardware
and Xe nix V ported over, but
The Symmetric uses a ational
ome of these programs simpl y
Semiconductor S32016 pro
wou ldn ' t run at a ll. This i.
cessor running at I I megahertz
hardly su rprising, given the dif
with no wait states and a 64-bit
fe rences between the e ve r ion
NS3208 I floating-po int pro
of Unix. Symmetric says that ,
cessor. The reviewed syste m
by the time you read th is a new
<:a me with 2 megabytes of 150
version of the operati ng system
nanosecond dynamic RAM (ex
will be available that upports
pandable to 8 megabytes) and
both BSD 4.3 and the System V
an 85-megabyte (unformatted
Interface Definition (SVID),
ize) hard disk drive . Due to a
the standard by which Unix ys
shortage of the 60-megabyte sta nd a rd SCSI cassette tape
tems are compared to AT&T's
System v .
drives , the review system came equipped on a 360K-byte floppy disk) with no trou
The Symmetric 375 i shipped wit11
with a I-megabyte floppy disk drive .
ble . The system comes with two com eight tandard language : C , FOR
The Symmetric has several ports on mand s for ha ndling MS - DOS disk s: TRA -77, Pa cal, BASIC , APL assem
the back, including four serial ports that msdir and msget . .I was able to copy the bly language, LISP , and !CO . Of these.
can be set from SO bits per second to BYTE benchmark fil es from MS- DOS I evaluated onl y the C compiler. The re
38 .4K bps, a Centronics parallel port , a forma ned floppy di sks with no problems. view system also <:ame loaded with op
I0- megab it " thick" Eth e rnet port a The inside of the Symmetric is rather tional software , including TEX Ingres ,
SCSI po rt with an asy nchronous transfer unexciting: There are no slots for expan EMACS , SPICE , TOP , GOB , Q-CALC ,
rate of l megabyte per second, an ST506 sion cards, and most of the circuitry is on the Symmctrix Kernel Configuration
hard disk drive port, and a floppy disk the main board, with a few cables leading Package, and a window manager fo r
drive port. The system also has a Reset off to peripheral s and a power suppl y.
co mi1111 ed
button and an LED dig ital display located
in the back. The digital display shows the System Software
Patrick Wood (Pipeline Associate Inc.,
current interrupt level. and you know the The Symmetric runs a " plain vanilla " 49 Manito Ave.. Lake Hiawarha. NJ
system has hung if the number doesn' t Berkeley 4.2 BSD Unix. It supports de 07034) is th e coawhor oj four books 011
change.
mand paging to disk with a 16-megabyte Unix and C and is consulting edi1or for
The hard disk drive is fairly fast , with a virtual memory address space for each the Sams Unix System Library. He is also
28-milli econd average access time . The process. The standard Berkeley features, vice preside111 of Pipeline Associate
fl oppy disk drive can read both 40- and such as job control and the new terminal Inc.. a company specializing in Unix and
80-track floppy disks in a number of con driver , performed flawlessl y . as did vi C training and con.mltin . He can he
fi guratio ns· it read a Xe nix tar di k (made and the C shell . T he Bourne shell was the contacted on BIX as "patwood. "
JA UARY 1988 · B YT E 141
REVIEW: THE SYMMETRIC 375
Symmetric 375
Type Por table 4.2/4.3 BSD Unix system
Company Symmetric Computer Systems 40487 Encyclopedia Circle Fremont. CA 94538 (415) 651'6090
Size
14 by 6 by 12 inches: 22 pounds
Component.s
Processor: 11 -MHz National
Semiconductor 32-/16-bit NS32016, with
NS32081 floating -pcint unit and
NS32082 memory management unit
Memory: 2 megabytes of zero-wait-state
RAM. expandable to 8 megabytes: SK·
byte ROM start-up program
Mass storage: 85-megabyte
(unformatted size) Internal hard disk
drive: internal 60-megabyte SCSI
cassette tape drive
Ports: Four serial RS-232C ports,
configured as DCE and speed-selectable
from 50 bps through 38.4K bps:
Centronics-compatible parallel port: 10·
megabit Ethernet with TCP/IP support:
external Shugart-style floppy disk
interlace; external SCSI interface;
external ST506 hard disk interlace
Other: DEC VT-52-NT·100-NT-220 compatible Esprit Opus 220 term inal with
amber screen, detached keyboard,
Epson-compatible printer. and
clock/calendar with battery backup
Software
Berkeley Unix 4 2. FORTRAN -77 .
assembly language. Pascal , LISP. ICON .
BASIC, APL. and C
Options
8 megabytes of RAM : $2200
170-megabyte hard disk drive: $1900
380-megabyte hard disk drive: $3200
760-megabyte hard disk drive: $4500
Q-CALC: $750
University Ingres: $20
EMACS: $20
SPICE : $15
TOP: $15
GOB: $20
Ke rnel Configuration Package: $100
TEX: Contact company for availability
Documentation
The 375 Owner's Manual. 232 pages
Price Symmetric 375 with terminal and
printer: $8995 ($8095 prepaid) Symmetric 375 low-end system with 50·
megabyte hard disk drive. 1·megabyte 5 1/4 -i nch floppy disk drive and without SCSI port and Ethernet port : $5550 ($4995 prepaid)
Inquiry 886.
142 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
Apple Macintosh computers. Of these , I tested TEX . EMACS , Q-CALC and GDB. All performed well. In all , 30 megabytes of software was supplied with the system , some of it in source code form . With the exception ofQ-CALC and the Kernel Configuration Package. the optional software is available on floppy disks for a copying fee of either $15 or $20 per program. Software distribution on 50-megabyte TEAC cassette tapes is available at $15.50 per tape .
The C compiler on the Symmetric seems slow because it spends a lot of its Lime in the optimization phase and pro duces tight code. Symmetric claims that its C compiler is "highly compatible with Berkeley VAX C" and that "all data types except float and double are bitwise identjcal to VAX convention . " The float and double data types follow the IEEE 754 standard floating-point for mat, to support the NS3208 l math chip. However, the compiler's floating-point ·compatibility leaves much to be desired . For example, the code
struct obj ( float x; float y;
) obj;
test (pl, p2)
struct obj *pl, *p2;
( float y;
y = p2->y;
y = y * (p2 - >y - pl->y); I* dies on this line */
produces this error message:
"test.c", line 12 : comp i ler error: expression causes compiler loop: try simplifying
This code compiles properly on a VAX running BSD 4.3, Xenix V, and Bor land's Turbo C compiler. It also com piles properly on the Symmetric if the structure elements are anything but float or double, or if the pointers pl and p2 are static.
GDB, a symbolic source-code debug ger, was supplied with this system. I used it to debug a couple of programs that I had difficulty porting. I was able to find sim ple bugs with GDB's extensive on-line help facilities.
The Symmetrix Kernel Configuration Package allows the system admirustrator to customize the configuration of the op erating system. It lets you add or remove device drivers , thus changing the amount of memory required by the kernel.
The Symmetric comes with a stripped
version of Donald Knuth' s TEX text formacting system (the full font package is around 300 megabytes). It doesn't in clude all the TEX font file s, but it does include all the files for 300-dot-per-inch printers in sizes from 5 10 12 points, as well as 10-point fonts for printers of other resolutions. This represents an in telligent compromise : 300-dpi la ser printers abound , and they are good de vices for getting reasonable-looking out put from TEX .
Communications Software
The Symmetric is shipped with a couple
of networking packages : UUCP the
standard Unix networking software , and
TCP/IP, the standard BSD Ethernet soft
ware , which includes commands for
copying files to and from remote systems,
remote command execution , and remote
log-in . It also comes with SL/IP, a serial
networking package.
The Berkeley version of UUCP that
comes with the system had some prob
lems communicating with my Xenix sys
tem at 9600 bps . I could send data from
the Symmetric to my Xenix system (an
AT&T PC 6300 running Xenix V)
without any problems; however, data sent
the other way caused UUCP's communi
cations program uc i eo to fail. At 9600
bps, some files did make it through , but
the effective transmission rate was around
400 bytes per second (probably due to the
number of packet retries).
Communicating with other systems
over the modem worked properly . The
program tip, used to connect to the
modem for logging into remote systems,
worked well, and the uueico program
transferred and received files with no
problems . The only drawback of this sys
tem is that it has trouble dropping the
DTR line, causing the modem to remain
connected to some systems. Although
there may be a way to fix this . I couldn't
determine how from the documentation
provided .
,
I didn 't test the TCP/IP or SL/IP soft
ware because I didn ' t have access to an
Ethernet network or another system that
could run SL/IP; however, the l ocal
host command (used to test the local part
of TCP/IP via cooperating processes)
worked fine .
Terminal, Printer,
and Documentation
The Symmetric 375 is bundled with a
VT-220-compatible Esprit Opus 220 ter
minal with a detached keyboard and an
amber screen. The keyboard contains the
full ASCII character set, an 18-key nu
meric keypad on the right, 18 program
mable function keys across the top , and
<' omi1111ed
~ I
We're Making A Small Case For The Hard Disk.
The industry said it couldn't be done. You can't put a more ports than the California coastline. One for every
hard disk in a portable PC, make it powerful, and keep thing including parallel, serial, RGB and monochrome
it under 11 lbs.
monitors, 51,4" floppy disk drive and numeric keypad
Well, with that challenge in mind, we immediately
The Tl200 is easy to face, too. With its new super
went to work to prove them wrong. Presenting the
twist LCD screen and a full-size keyboard. But better
results. The new Tl200.
still, thanks to its removable, rechargeable battery,you
With afootprint ofonly one square ~!!li!!i!!i!iilll!!!!!I····
can keep computing wherever you go.
foot, it comes with a20:MB hard disk,
Just call 1-800-457-7777 for your
one 720KB 31/z" diskette drive, lMB
nearest Toshiba dealer and ask him to
ofRAM, MS.DOS® 3.2, and Borland
showyou thenewT1200.
SidekickTM software. So you get
Before they all get canied away.
desktop PCfe.atures, with the perfor mance ofa powerful PC-compatible 80C86 processor, running at
In Touch with Tomorrow
TOSHIBA
9.54MHz.
Tos hiha .-\ml' r1 t.a, Int., l11f111111;1[1 n11 ~-~h:· m " l11·.·131r;n
But that's not all Take a look around back. There you'll find
1~m~~a~rk~~<";ll~\s1Ntt~T1!IW~~'l.fr~(~M;r:>~i~1:~rin~.!:i~rS1ir.flir:Y~~.i~4~"-k'1~1{1
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.
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REVIEW : THE SYMMETRIC 375
Table 1: Unix benchmarks. User time is time spent executing nonprivileged instructions. System time is time spent executing privileged (kernel) commands (i.e., system calls) plus system-level overhead (e.g .. context switching between processes). Real time is elapsed time, and it is often not rhe sum ofrhe user and system rimes; the difference is the time spent waiting for 110 operations to complete, waiting for a signal from another process, "sleeping, " or being swapped into memory or out to disk. Pipe measures how long ir rakes to set up a pipe and pass 0.5 megabytes ofdata through it. System Call queries the operating system 25,000 times concerning its process identity with the getpid() system call. Function Call runs two programs: One uses a function call ro accomplish a goal, and one doesn 't use the function call for the same goal. The user time ofthe program not using the function is subtracted from the user time ofthe program using the function; the difference is function-call overhead, shown in the table as Delta user. Sieve runs one iteration of the Sieve ofEratosthenes. Write and Read test the random-access disk implementation. Write creates, opens, and writes a 256- by 512-bytefile. Read reads this file and then removes it. The Shell rests invoke background processes. The shell statement wait causes the shell script in multi. sh to pause until all the requested background processes have terminated. The background process ts t . sh invokes several commonly used Unix commands and exercises disk access with them. Loop tests long-integer arithmetic and is mostly processor-bound. All times are in seconds.
Unix benchmarks
Machine
Unix version
Real
Pipe User
System
Rea l
System Call
User
System
Function CBll Delta user
Symmetric 375
4.2 BSD
13.53
0.01
IBM PCXT
PC/IX
16.6
0.1
AT&T PC6300
Xenix V
11 .70
0.07
AT&T Unix PC
SystemV
4.2
0.0
Sun·3/160
4.2BSD
2.73
0.00
VAX8600
4.3 BSD
0.67
0.00
6.75
6.98
1.13
7.6
39 .8
2.9
3.62
15.32
1.10
1.6
8.1
0.2
1.90
2.75
0.48
0.28
0.77
0.05
5.70 35 .6 14 .05
7.5 2.13 0.55
0.90 4.7 1.52 0.7 0.20 0.12
Sieve
Write Read
Shell
Loop
Real User System Real Real Real User System Real User System
Symmetric 375 IBM PC XT AT&TPC6300 AT&T Unix PC Sun-3/160 VAX8600
2.73 2.58 8.2 7.8 4.42 3.85 2.4 2.1 0.73 0.62 0.32 0.28
0.06 0.3 0.40 0 .0 0.00 0.00
2.25 11 .6
7.23 3.9 1.33 0.32
5.38 20.7 17.35 11 .6
1.00 0.13
4.66 8.5 12.38 5.1 2.78 1.07
0.26 1. 1 0.43 0.2 0.08 0.00
1.96 3.2 3 .98 1.2 0.77 0.15
8.18 8.01 0.08 32.2 31 .5 0.3 16.62 15.8 0.37
6.8 6.2 0.1 2.00 1.80 0.02 0.73 0.60 0.00
Multitasking Unix benchmark (reel time):
Machine
Unix version
Number of concurrent processes
2
3
4
5
6
Symmetric 375 IBM PCXT AT&T PC6300 AT&T Unix PC Sun-3/160 VAX8600
4.2 BSD PC/IX Xenix V SystemV 4.2 BSD 4.3 BSD
4.65 10.6 12.52 6 .3
2.63 1.17
6.42 23.4 16.38
8.7 3. 14 1.51
8.15 42.8 22 .97 12.7
369 1.83
9.80 74 . 1 28.33 19.2
4.25 2.17
, 1.61
84 .2 35 .78 22 .8
4.85 2.53
13.29 130.7 43 .33 29 .8
5.51 2. 83
Table 2: The BYTE C language benchmarks. (For more information, see "A Closer Look" by Richard Crehan in the
September 1987 BYTE.) All times are in seconds. except for the Dhrystone, which is in Dhrystones per second. The Dhrystone version is J. I, using no registers, for 50,000 iterations.
Test
Symmetric IBM PC AT
Model80
AT&T
AT&T
Sun-31160
VAX8600
11-MHz
8-MHz
16-MHz
PC6300
Unix PC
16-MHz
32081 FPU
80287
80387
NoFPU
NoFPU
68881
Dhrystone' Fibqnacci Float Savage Sieve Sort
793 206 .16
4.57 103.39 46.19
47 .08
1590 126 .22 10.98 37 .30 24 .60 43 . 17
3626
57 .26 1.62
9.49 6.45 7.74
5615
356.45 764 .50
6607 .00 59.03 105.42
980 185.4
39.1 1009.0
41.0 51 .9
3333 44 .13 14 .67
205.30 11 .23 12.07
8888 .67 33 .40 0.40 5.35 4.55 4.27
· Higher figures denote faster performance.
144 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
REVIEW : THE SYMMETRIC 375
l l cursor keys. It consumes under 50 wat1S of power .
I'm used to an IBM PC keyboard lay out , and I found the layout of this key
board almost unusable. For example, the Shift Lock key is on the left-hand side be tween the A and the Control key ; the > and < symbols are on a special key on the left-hand side , to the left of the Shift
key ; and the I symbol is on a special key
to the right of the Return key . These keys are used extensively on Unix systems, so I had trouble getting used to the layout. Since the Opus 220 lists for $675 , I would suggest getting a terminal you're com fortable with and asking Symmetric for a credit.
The printer was unavailable for review. However , considering the low cost of to day ' s printers and the fact that many peo ple already have one or two , it seems odd to bundle one in with this system. Again , I see no reason to get the printer with the system and suggest that you ask Symmet ric for a credit for it or that you settle for the low-end version of the system , which doesn't include the printer or the
tenninal. No printed documentation was avail
able when the system was first sent to me. Symmetric explained that the documen
tation was being revised and reprinted . However , the standard Berkeley Unix manual pages were on the computer, so I was able to navigate my way through the system . A few weeks later, I received The 375 Owner 's Manual which includes schematics of the CPU board but lacks an index and is very light on introductory material.
Performance and Problems I ran the BYTE Unix benchmarks (see " Benchmarking Unix Systems" by David F. Hinnant in the August 1984 BYTE) and the BYTE 32-bit C benchmarks (see " A Closer Look" by Richard Grehan in the September 1987 BYTE) on the Sym metric 375, an IBM PC XT running PC/lX, an AT&T PC 6300 running Xenix V, an AT&T Unix PC running System V, a Sun-3/160 running Sun BSD Unix 4.2 release 3.2, and a VAX 8600 running BSD 4.3 (see tables 1 and 2) .
As the Unix benchmarks show the Symmetric 's performance is roughly three times that of the PC 6300 and is about the same as the Unix PC's , except for the disk I/O and the multitasking benchmark (the Unix PC was tested with l megabyte of memory and a slower disk drive) . The C benchmarks show that the
Symmetric teste<l slightly slower than the AT&T Unix PC, except in the floating point benchmarks , where the Symme tric's floating-point unit (FPU) gave it an advantage. The Symmetric has Jess raw processing power than an 8-MHz IBM PC AT and isn 't nearly as fast as the Sun . Ken McDonell's Monash benchmarks, which are more extensive workload based Unix benchmarks, show the Sym metric running about 40 percent slower than a DEC MicroVAX II and a Sun-3/50 and about 60 percent slower than a Sun-3/1 60.
The Centronics port failed to work with my Okimate 20 printer with a paral lel -port PC personality module. Al though I tried a number of tests , technical support was unable to help me get the printer to work with the system. [Editor 's note : We attempted to use a Citizen Model 120D printer and experienced the same problem . We contacted Symmetric 's tech nical support, and after we conducted several tests, technical suppon conclud ed that something had gone wrong with the. handshake electronics to the printer port for the review system.]
Under normal use, the system didn't crash. However, it did crash when I dis
co111in11ed
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JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 145
Circle 260 on Reader Senice Card
REVIEW : THE SYMMETRIC 375
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connected the cables while troubleshoot ing the Centronic printer connection . T he system also crashed when J tipped the unit 45 degrees forward and caused the disk tO mi strack. The fourth time I did thi . , the y. tern era. hed and refused to boot properly. A call to technical support informed me that tipping the unit had af fected the alignment of the di. k ' s read/ write head and subsequently had dam aged a boot file. Technical suppor t was able to talk me through booting from the floppy disk drive check ing the hard disk drive, restoring the damaged files, and getting the system operational again .
The per on I dealt with from Symmet ric' s technical support wa s qu ite knowl edgeable. Also, Lo my surpri se, I wasn't bounced around to several people to find one who could fix my problem ; instead , the first person I spoke with in technical support helped me with both th e disk and printer problems.
Portable BSD Unix, But at a Price
The Symmetric 375 is a nice system for people wh o need a portable Unix system . Its portability is hampered. however, by the fact that you need a separate terminal 10 use it (unlike, say , a Compaq Porta ble). The many languages provided with t.he system make it ideal for program de velopment for Berkeley Unix . It per fo rmed well, bu! the di k can ' t be ' ub jected to much stress while running . T he y tern is fast, but not as fa st as the cur ren t generation of 802 86/ 80386 PC clones . Its lack of high-resolut ion bit mapped graphics puts it at a disadvantage with respect to Suns and VAXslatioas.
The reaJ question for the pro pective buyer of thi system is whether its fea tures j ustify its price compared to oth er small Unix systems . For about the same price , you can get a similarly configu red Sun-3/ 50 or VAXstation 2000 running Berkeley Unix with an Ethernet port. For around $5000, you can get a imilarly configured 80386-based PC clone , without an Ethernet port, that run s Xenix V or Unix System V Relea e 3 and can easily outperform the Symmetric. The PC clone can also run multiple MS-DOS programs as processes under Un ix. ote that all the se oth er sys tem s have bit mapped displays , while the Symmetric uses an ASCH terminal .
If you ' re looking for a portable Berke ley Unix system, thi s is it. If you ' re look ing for a portable software development system w ith a wide choice of program ming languages, the Symmetric looks good. However, if you' re looking for j ust a portable Unix system, you may want to
look at the Compaq Portable m or one of
the. small 80386-based portables starting to come out now. ·
146 BYT E · JA UARY 1988
Circle 89 on Reader Sen·ice Card
..
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Tooay'snew generation of personal comput·
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Now the bad news. Your diskette media Is
stretched to the limit every lime It'staken for
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so does the chance of failure.
That's why Kao (pronounced oow) Corpo
ration re-thought the diskette. And applied
Its 100 years of expertise In surface science
t~hnology to developing the first diskettes
designed for today's high performance
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.
Kao diskettes employ patented, wear·
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Circle 134 on Reader S ervice Card
JANUA RY J988 · BYTE 147
I
9-pin pnn thead prints black and white only
MARKET SHARE BY COLOR
Top speed 200 cps for drafts, 40 cp s for le tter quality text.
I
·t . °""'llitl'" A· U~· cn·r " o...· "''"·..· · r·o ..... ti\· .,,.. ... ,. ntoo·· l ··11 tno
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Suggested retail price: $549.
Control panel with 3 selections.
A "Pro" doesn't stand a chance next to the new ALPS ALQ200'."4
Because the ALQ200 has more of what it takes to get more done.
Take speed, for instance. With its 18- or 24-pin printhead, the ALQ200 prints excellent letter quality text twice as fast.
And the same is true for high
resolution graphics. Where, as you can see, we also have a distinct color advantage.
The ALQ200 even has what it takes to make people faster. Like auto matic paper loading. A full-function, push-button control panel. And com patibility with all the leading PCs and software.
Speci.hcanon.s and pnce:s hued on respecti ve ma.nu_facture(s published hteratu1e. Sub1ect to change without notice.
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150 B Y TE · JANUARY 1988
Circle 138 on Reader Service Card
HARDWARE REVIEWS
High-Performance
Graphics Boards
Bill Nicholls
m
~
We can no longer expect lhe main system processor to ade
Separate graphics
the VMI could operate in dua.l monitor fashion with an exist
quately handle ever-more-com plex applications and, at the
processors provide high-speed,
ing display (i .e., you can use a
standard graphics adapter-
same time, maintain high-per formance graphics on displays
high-resolution displays
CGA, EGA, or Hercules-with the VMI in the same system
with more and more pixels. To
simultaneously) .
relieve the graphics bottleneck,
The VMI' s CGA emulation
two new high-performance
is top-notch . It uses a custom
graphics boards for IBM PC. AT . and compatible systems are now available: Vermont Micro systems' Image Manager 640 (VMI 640) and the Verticom 2Page Display (VTP) system.
-,-.
I-
< 'C .
. - ·- -
.' .
1\·
..;
·.
- - ·.--:- _ : ·_. : ~ , .. II
VLSI chip to perform the emu lation, and the CGA character set takes advantage of the dis
play's 400 scan lines to replace the 8- by 8-pixel CGA font with
an 8- by 16-pixel one. This is a
The VMI 640 uses the TI 34010
CGA that you could work with
graphks processor chip, while
all day without getting eye
the VTP incorporates the Intel
strain. The VMI's CGA-emula
82786 graphics processor chip
tion speed is faster than the IBM
(see the text box " Graphics Co
CGA board and is compatible
processors" on page 154).
with all the software I tested.
Both boards emulate the
(The YMI even ran in my Sanyo
CGA and provide their own
885 ; that and the IBM CGA
high- resolution modes and cus
board were the only ones that
tom drivers for a number of
would .)
software products (see the box
The VMI 640 also has a well
on page 152 for details) . They
designed PGL (Professional
also differ radically from each
Graphics Language) software
other in several ways. The VMI
package and can emulate the
640 is a medium-high-resolu tion (640 by 480 by 256 pixels) color board for MultiSync-type
The Image Manager 640 (top)
and Verricom 2Page (bottom) graphics boards.
IBM Professional Graphics Controller (PGC). This pack age includes a language manual
displays (an EGA monitor does
and reference card, a special
not have the required bandwidth), partic The VTP board has 512K bytes of RAM MS-DOS program that you can use to in
ularly useful for CAD applications . The for the display and 8K bytes of ROM .
teractively write commands that are im
VTP is a high-resolution (1280 by 960
mediately executed on the screen, and C
pixels) monochrome board , with a 19- VMI640
language bindings for professional soft
inch monitor included.
My VMI 640 full -length board arrived ware development.
To give you an idea of how these well protected with a 2-inch three-ring The high-resolution performance of
boards differ from current display con binde r. The documentation is well orga the VMI under Microsoft Windows
trollers, let's compare a CGA display nized and clear, has plenty of diagrams , varied from slow to glacial. Scroll times
controller with the new designs . The first makes no assumptions about what you were two to three and a halftimes that in
thing that jumps out at you (besides the know, and has a competent table of con the CGA mode, and the delay increased
prices-$1695 for the VMI 640 and tents and index. It describes the installa
continued
$1295 for the VTP) is the amount of tion process and gives detailed instruc
f11emory included on the new boards. The t ions . The board requires very few Bill Nicholls r;eceived his B.S. in physics
display on a CGA board has only 32K jumper adjustments, and I had no prob from Notre Dame University and is the
bytes of RAM. The VMI 640 board has lem installing the VMI 640, which re owner of BGW Systems Inc. He can be
l28K bytes of ROM (twice that of an AT) , quires a long expansion slot in an IBM cofltacted ar BGW Systems Inc. , 16714
l40K bytes of RAM for the processor, PC, XT, AT , or compatible computer. I Meridian S, Suite 200, Puyallup , WA
and 300K bytes of RAM for the display . was particularly happy to discover that 98373. oron B/Xas "bil/n . "
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE ISi
REVIEW : HIGH-PERFORMANCE GRAPHICS BOARDS
Image Manager 640
Company Vermont Microsystems Inc. 11 TiganSt. P.O. Box236 Winooski, VT 05404 (802) 655·2860
Size Standard XT full-length expansion card: 13V3 by 4 inches
Features 640· by 480· by 256-color resolution; screen refresh is 60 hertz noninterlaced, 30.48 kilohertz horizontal: 16-million· color palette; 300K·by1e on-board graphics RAM arranged in 8 bit planes; uses the Tl 34010 graphics processor running at 6 MHz with 128K by1es of processor ROM and 140K bytes of processor RAM ; supports the complete set of PGL commands: emulates CGA, IBM PGC. VMI VM·8820. and Image Manager 1024. Support for applications software includes: Ansys, Anvil· 1000MD. AutoCAD. CADKEY, CADvance, DataCAD 2 and 3, Design Board Professional, GM 1000, Personal Designer. Pro-Series, Redliner. TGRAF· 05 and -07, Uniras Series. and VersaCAD. Board consumes 5 volts DC at 2 amps typical.
Hardware Required IBM PC, XT, AT, RT, or true compatible
Software Required MS·DOS 2.1 or higher
Documentation Three-ring binder with two SV2· by 8V2· inch typset manuals: Installation and Usage Guide, 65 pages plus introduction, appendix. and index; and Professional Graphics Language Version 2.0, 170 pages plus appendix and index
Price $1695
Inquiry 889.
with the speed of the system. The low performance was clearly linked to the be ginning of each page, where a pause of almost a second occurred. A call to the company revealed that Windows places a
" >>" character at the beginning of each
page and that the symbol is not in the character set (Helvetica) that the board uses as a default. The company said that because of Windows' driver limitations, each time this symbol appears, the cur rent character set is cleared, the set with this symbol is downloaded, the symbol is displayed, and the whole process is done again to reload the correct character set to
Vertlcom 2Page Dlsplay System
Company Verticom 545 Weddell Dr. Sunnyvale. CA 94089 (800) 433-5760 (408) 747-1222 in California
Size
Standard XT expansion card: 4'.4 by
13V3 inches
Features Monochrome display with 1280· by 960-pixel resolution ; screen refresh is 64 Hz noninterlaced. with 63.65 KHz horizontal; 512K by1es of on-board graphics RAM: incorporates a 20-MHz Intel 82786 graphics coprocessor with SK by1es of processor ROM : provides CGA emulation and a Microsoft lnPort Device Interface. Support for applications software includes Microsoft Windows. GEM . AutoCAD ADI , Aldus PageMaker, and Ventura Publisher. Controller consumes 5 volts at 3 amps maximum.
Hardware Required IBM PC, XT, AT, or compatible
Software Required MS-DOS 2.1 or higher
Options Programmer 's Guide and System Toolkit, free if requested with purchase of VTP system; $20 if purchased separately
Documentation Two SV2· by 8112-inch spiral-bound manuals: Operations Guide. 61 pages plus appendix; Programmers' Guide, 107 pages plus appendix
Price 2Page controller: $1295 With Verticom 2Page monochrome
monitor: $2395 Verticom 2Page monochrome monitor
alone: $1395
Inquiry 890.
continue the display process. I let them know I thought they had a serious perfor mance bug, and they promised to look for a solution.
I made several calls to the support peo ple. While I couldn't permanently dis guise the fact that I was a reviewer, the response was prompt and competent for simple as well as technical questions.
VTP The VTP board and display arrived in two boxes. The board appears well made; it is fully packed with circuits and has no jumper wires visible . The 19-inch mono
chrome display was packaged face-down in a large, heavy cardboard box with molded plastic cushions on all sides . Ac cording to the documentation, the VTP is compatible with the IBM PC, XT, and AT, the Compaq Deskpro 286 and 386, and the Hewlett-Packard Vectra.
The documentation for this massive package consists of a slim spiral-bound book entitled Operations Guide , with scattered installation instructions and some README files on the driver disk. The 51h- by 81h-inch manual has a table of contents buried 9 pages deep, has no index, and was run off on a letter-quality printer with right-margin justification, which makes it difficult to read. The pages have large margins, few diagrams , and less than 80 worthwhile pages. Be cause of the manual ' s shortcomings , you 'II need some technical knowledge to install this board .
The VTP has a number of annoying in stallation restrictions : You cannot use it with an EGA in the same system or with a Compaq monochrome/CGA board. The board creates an address restriction for software access (in the AOOOO-A03FF hexadecimal range), so if you try to ac cess this area, the system will hang . You also have to set a few jumpers; fortu nately , there is a clear jumper diagram in appendix A.
The manual's discussion of interrupts is confusing, mixing XT and AT inter rupt structures and the mouse and CGA interrupts almost at random . The manual presents no clear solution for resolving conflicts between the interrupts and ad dress ranges that the board requires and the interrupts and address ranges re quired by other system components. You cannot reconfigure the VTP to use other memory addresses. This is especially an noying because the Intel 82786 chip has the ability to locate those addresses anywhere in the bottom 4 megabytes of address space.
Another unnecessary restriction is the VTP's lack of support for monitors other than the VTP display (actually a Phillips model Ml9P114B monitor) . You can program the Intel 82786 chip for a wide variety of monitors; this is an opportunity that Verticom missed.
A second slim volume, entitled Pro gramm£r 's Guide, is an optional docu ment for those who'd like to try program ming the display directly . Only the hardiest programmers should apply. In addition to the guide and the system tools disk, you need the full Intel documenta tion on the 82786, an assembler and linker, some experience with assembly language and with graphics, and a lot of patience to put a working program to gether . A Toolkit disk provided with the
152 8 YT E · JANUARY 1988
REVIEW: HIGH-PERFORMANCE GRAPHICS BOARDS
manual includes one example in assem bly language that consists of almost noth ing but Verticom-supplied macros and one-line comments. You get neither bind ings nor information on how to drive the display from a higher-level language such as P'ascal or C.
If you execute software that drives the screen in reverse video (black on white), the old scrolling method of blanking the screen wilJ strobe arwoying horizontal black bars about 112 inch in height on the display. This is not primarily a fault of the VTP , but the nature of the display makes the problem very obvious.
I tested Aldus P'ageMaker under Win dows and found that the tutorial displayed very nicely . On closer inspection, I found that the fit-in-window display option made the type unreadable, but the actual size choice exceeded the screen size for the two facing pages (even though the type was legible at close range). DESQ view 2.0, however, would not boot up with the VTP display installed as the only display. The system froze, and I had to tum the power off and back on to get it to reboot.
In high resolution, the VTP display shows mixed CAD performance against the base CGA speed. Using the version 1.2 Windows driver supplied by Verti com, l achieved some interesting results . The speed was not impressive, running about one-half to one-third that of raw CGA. However, 9.6 times as many pixels were being updated on the screen, and the font legibility was very good .
A couple of service calls to Verticom gave me the impression that the general support level is good, but below that of VMI. A couple of times the support line was busy; when I finally got through, the person answering took my number and said that a support person would call back. The callbacks were delayed by vari ous amounts of time , one taking more than a day . Based on the available docu mentation, it is likely that this support service wilJ be busier than it should be.
Performance I encountered a dilemma when I con sidered benchmarking the VTP and VMI graphics boards. Before this review, there was no set of benchmarks, standard or otherwise, for graphics displays. While I do not expect complete agreement on the benchmarks I developed, they are at least a starting point.
There are a number of reasons for the lack of graphics benchmarks. Until re cently there have been only two classes of graphics controllers: too dumb (such as CGA), and too expensive (such as PGC) . Since the great majority of us use only the former, benchmark results are dependent
Table I: The benchmarks were run on (a) a 16-MHz 80386 system and (b) an 8-MHz 80286 system. The real-world benchmarks (c) were also run on the VMI and VTP boards in high-resolution modes. All rimes are in seconds.
(a) 80388 at 18 MHz
Test
IBMCGA EGACGA VMICGA VTPCGA
Simple Complex Windows AutoCAD
Softwest Test
(b) 80286 at 8 MHz
16.48 35 .83 29
76 37
16.2 38 .62 39
76 37
15.82 33 .3 28
71 34
16.14 35 .42 28 .5
78 37
Test
IBMCGA EGACGA VMICGA VTPCGA
Simple
Complex Windows AutoCAD
Softwest Te st
26.34 51.91 52.5
124 59
(c) High-resolution mode
26.58 54 .87 54
126 60
26 .8 48 .89 51
123 58
26.44 52.18 52
125 59
Test
8038616 MHz
VMl640 VTP
VMI 640
802868 MHz VTP
Windows AutoCAD
Softwest Test
107
100
127
136
78
91
138
143
36
50
61
78
on the host processor and whatever meth od of writing to the controller's memory the benchmark uses . In addition, the ear lier (pre-single-chip) technology for graphics processors generated large and expensive display subsystems, restricting their use to a few critical applications.
After considerable head scratching, I decided on a matrix of tests that would cover multiple dimensions of the use of graphics . Since no end user buys a graph ics processor except as part of a function ing system, the relevant point is how these boards work in a system. I decided that I should cover host processor dependence, resolution dependence, simple drawing tests, complex drawing tests, and real world application tests.
To examine host processor depen dence, I tested a variety of display con trollers (CGA, EGA emulation of CGA, the VMI, and the VTP) in systems of dif ferent speeds. I ran the tests on a 16 megahertz ALR Access 386 with 512K bytes of 32-bit memory, 512K bytes of 16-bit extended memory, a 30-megabyte hard disk drive, and a 1.2-megabyte flop py disk drive (see table la). Then I ran them on an 8-MHz ALR Dart 286 with I megabyte of memory, a 40-megabyte hard disk drive, and a 1.2-megabyte flop
py disk drive (see table lb). Simple drawing tests are those requir
ing a minimum of calculation to draw graphics shapes on the screen. These tests show the maximum sensitivity to graphics performance, as opposed to host computational speed. (These tests folJow a set suggested by Jim Omura on BIX.)
Complex drawing tests are designed to reproduce real use of graphics devices, including windowing and complex shapes. The complex function tests use a modified version of Borland's Turbo Graphix Toolbox demo program.
Real-world application tests use soft ware that places large demands on the graphics capability of the system. For this series of benchmarks, I tested Microsoft Windows version 1.03 and AutoCAD version 2 .6 in typical use that demands graphics performance.
I executed the Windows test in Win dows Write by scrolling an SOK-byte file from top to bottom. After Write displayed the first page, I began timing when I pressed the PageDown key, and l stopped when Write beeped at the end of the file . I used AutoCAD to display two fairly com plex drawings: Softwest, a complete printed-circuit-board drawing (201K
conrinued
JANUARY 1988 · B Y T E 153
REVIEW: HIGH-PERFORMANCE GRAPHICS BOARDS
Graphics Coprocessors
T he Tl 34010 chip i a general purpose 32-bit microprocessor with special graphics support instruc tions (see "The TMS34010 Graphics System Processor" by Carrell R. Kille brew Jr . in the December 1986 BYTE). Its strengths are its great flexibili ty, customization via software, large mem ory-address range and its ability to act as host as well as graphics processor. Its weaknesses are the requirement for minimum programming to drive the di play, a fair! y complex in tructjon set (with a long learning curve), and, as a result , the probability that each manu
facturer 's board will have a different software interface.
The Intel chip is a hardware copro cessor design with built -in graphics drawing capability that can be driven by call with ets of parameters (see my " Inside the 82786 Graphics Chip'' in the August 1987 BYTE) . Its strengths in clude a simpler standard incerface, built in support for most basic graphics oper ations, and a flexible display-support capability. It weaknesse are the re quirements for host proce or upport and programming where the built-in funccions cannoc meet specific needs .
byte file) , and Te t, a simpler image (167K-byte file) with a lot of curves (a rainbow of colors drawn as a series of arcs). I began ciming when I pressed lhe Return key after the filename and stopped after the drawing (inished when AutoCAD prompted with Command on the bouom lefl of the display. I also ran these real-world tests on both boards in high-
re olution mode . See lable Jc for the
results. Operations in high resolution (com
pare tables I a and I b with table le) were anywhere from slightly to dramaticaJly slower than the equivalenc CGA opera tions . Thi s wa a significant disappoint ment to me , a I had expected that the graphics processors would more than
make up for the work of updating extra pixels.
On reflection, I concluded that the re sponsibility for the lack of performance cannot be laid entirely at the board manu facturer's door. The essentiaJ cause of the performance problem is the lack of a well-defined and generally used graphic. interface- other than , possibly , Micro soft Windows. Unfortunately , Microsoft designed Windows before graphics pro cessors were available , and the results indicate that the interface defined by Win dows drivers does not lend itself to efficient operation with graphics processors.
Thus, these graphics boards deliver on the higher resolution and flexibility that their processors can give, but they can't deliver on their performance promise with most current software . (Those pro grams whose designers have specifically incorporated code to make use of the pro cessor's advanced features are the excep
tions.) Future software based on a device
independent interface between the host processor and the graphics processor could dramatically improve both the graphics display and the system's perfor mance . This could be especially true of a multitasking operating system that takes advantage of the support and memory
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Circle 197 011 Reader Senice Card
REVIEW: GCC'S PERSONAL LASERPRINTER
that the graphics processor provides. [Editor's note; In evaluating the boards
for this article, the author ran many more resrs rhan we can show here. For the com· plete set of benchmark results. see the BIX conference graphic.displreview.J
GCC 's Personal
Laserprinter
Assets and Liabilities
The VMI 640 board comes from a manu facturer with a history of providing high resolution graphics boards and software support for the CAD user. The experi ence shows. Tills board is well suited for CAD, CAE, or perhaps business and sci entific graphics. It also perfonns well in a mi,:ed-task environment because of the
superior CGA emulation. With the exception of the problem in
the current Windows driver, the board's perfonnance and the manufacturer's sup port are about all you could ask for . I'm particularly impressed with the board's ability to run in so many dual-monitor configurations. The only thing left to wish for is a lower price; $1695 will re strict the sales of this board .
When the full Windows screen opens up in front of you the first time you use the VTP, the impact is considerable. I
have to commend Verticom for supplying a very readable Windows font.
The VTP display is well suited to page layout; if you spend a significant amount of time at this, the VTP should provide sufficient productivity enhancement to justify the cost ($2395) . If you already have a large screen that can be driven by the controller, the cost of the controller alone ($1295) is much easier to bear.
However, for the price Verticom is asking , the very least you should expect is comprehensive, carefully indexed, and accurate docwnentation. Verticom should also add the ability to configure the board for addresses other than AOOOO . Finally, Verticom should broaden the base of compatible software (to include DESQ view, for example), improve the CGA emulation, and expand the number of
supported monitors. · [Editor's note; Source code (nonexe
cutable) listings of SIMPLCGA and CMPLXCGA. the simple and complex drawing benchmarks, respectively, are avai/nble on BEX, on BYTEnel, on disk, and in the Quarterly Listings Supple ment. See "Program Listings" in the table of contents. Porzions of CMPLXCGA based on Borlan.d 's Turbo Graphix Toolbox are used by pennission from Borland lntemational. To "find " source code in the Listings areas on BIX and BYTEnet, search by article title, au thor name, or issue date. Some archived files may contain numerous listings for a single article. A description of the file also accompanies each entry. ]
Donald Evan Crabb
The PersonaJ Laserprinter from GeneraJ Computer Corp . (GCC) is designed to compete with the Apple LaserWriter Plus in single-user desktop publishing. While some companies (e .g ., QMS and Data products) are trying to beat Apple with laser printers that offer greater perfor mance yet are priced somewhat lower than the LaserWriter Plus ($4000 and up) , GCC hopes to beat Apple mostly with its price: Where the LaserWriter Plus lists for a hefty $5799 , the GCC Per sonal Laserprinter comes in at a trim $2599.
Features and Description
The differences between the LaserWriter Plus and the Personal Laserprinter (PLP) are significant. The LaserWriter Plus is designed as a shared device to be ac cessed over an AppleTalk network. The PLP is a single-user device dedicated to a single Macintosh.
The LaserWriter Plus contains its own MC68000 CPU, RAM , and ROM, and a complete implementation of Postscript. The PLP has no CPU or memory and doesn 't speak PostScript. It prints by ac cepting a compressed QuickDraw image sent to it by the Macintosh, while the LaserWriter Plus composes its own print image.
Communications between a Macintosh and a PLP take place through a SCSI con nection . The actual imaging is by a semi conductor laser, similar to the one used in the LaserWriter Plus . The PLP's en gine, produced by Ricoh, gives a resolu tion of 300 by 300 dots per inch and is rated at 6 pages per minute.
Like the Canon engine in the Laser Writer Plus , the Ricoh engine is a "write black" design: Toner sticks to the imag ing drum in places charged by the laser . Unlike the Canon engine, however, the PLP's Ricoh engine does not use a single printing cartridge that combines the toner and the im,aging drum. Instead, it uses two separate snap-in cartridges for the drum and the toner.
The toner cartridge lasts about 1500 pages, while the imaging drum (OPC in PLP/Ricoh parlance) must be replaced about every 20,000 pages. The OPC drum's cleaning assembly must be re placed separately every 10,000 pages. These figures compare to a rated life of about 3000 pages for a Canon Laser Writer Plus cartridge.
The toner cartridges list for $29 , and the OPC cartridges cost $199. The OPC cleaning assemblies cost $99. A Canon LaserWriter Plus cartridge lists for about $120, but it can be recharged with toner several times; the Ricoh toner cartridges cannot be recharged. In the long run, then, the PLP/Ricoh system costs more to use than a LaserWriter Plus/Canon sys tem, given current costs for the different supplies.
The Ricoh engine has a theoretical du rability advantage over the Canon engine; 180,000 lifetime pages versus 100,000. In practice, the LaserWriter Plus has proved to be a rock-solid printer that will last far beyond 100,000 images before re quiring a major overhaul or replacement of the imaging system. The monthly rated duty cycle of both printers is 3000 pages ; these figures can be safely exceeded, however .
Because of the printi ng method of the PLP , a hard disk drive is required to store the compressed QuickDraw files it will print. The PLP is also a memory-inten sive device ; it needs at least I megabyte of RAM for its printer-support software to spool the compressed QuickDraw files properly.
Bitstream Fonts
The PLP comes with two sets of Bit stream fonts that mimic the Postscript fonts used by the LaserWriter Plus. These fonts are mathematically defined in out
cominued
JANUARY 1988 · B Y T E ISS
REVIEW: GCC'S PERSONAL LASERPRINTER
Personal Laserprlnter
Type Laser printer
Company
General Computer Corp.
580 Winter St.
Waltham, MA 02154
(617) 890-0880
Size 9 by 16 by 16V2 inches (without paper tray); 38 pounds
Features Ricoh print engine. rated at 6 ppm; 300 by 300-dpi resolution; set of six Bitstream font families ; Personal Laserprinter Print Manager and system resource: high-quality and draft printing modes; SCSI address preset to 3, externally switchable; power requirements: 120 V or 240 V AC
Hardware Required Macintosh Plus, SE, or II with at least 1 megabyte of RAM and a hard disk drive; SCSI cable and terminator
Software Required Personal Laserprinter printing resource file and font disks
Optlona SCSI cable: $49 SCSI terminator: $30 Set of seven additional Bitstream font
families: $299
Documentation 96-page spiral-bound manual: two addenda ; on-line documentation (minimal) in Personal Laserprinter Print Manager
Price $2599 (includes one OPC and toner
cartridge; does not include SCSI cable or terminator)
Inquiry 891.
ONE PAGE MACWRITE TEXT
0
60
90
·20
·50
180
210
240
270
JOO
179 88
3B JO i - 22
1
ONE FULL PAGE MACDRAW GRAPHICS
ONE FULL PAGE OF MIXED TEXT AND GRAPHICS
g:.;·O
30
GO
1
90
120
I I oro
180
I
150
210
240
270
I I I 1!:
JOO
I
30 PAGES MACWRITE TEXT
600
900
1500
1800
2 100
2700
2320
~ 40
1090
1~2 1
81? 789
c::i PERSONAL LASERPRINTER ·
c::i LASERWRITER PLUS
-
-
MACINTOSH SE 2·MB MACINTOSH SE W/LEVCO PRODIGY 5-MB MACINTOSH II
All benchmarks were run with no RAM cache , System 4.1. Finder 5.5, MacWrite version 4.6, MacDraw version 1.9.5, and Courier font .
line form, like the Postscript fonts, so that they offer the same high-quality 300 dpi resolution, regardless of their point size .
Unlike the PostScript fonts that are stored in the LaserWriter Plus , the Bit stream fonts must be stored on your Mac's hard disk (because the PLP has no ROM or RAM), where they occupy about l megabyte of storage. The Bit stream fonts supplied with the PLP look like the LaserWriter Pius ' s Courier, Hel vetica, Times, Symbol, Palatine , and Helvetica Narrow fonts. GCC offers a $299 set of seven additional Bitstream font families.
The PLP connects to the Macintosh
Plus, the Macintosh SE, or the Macintosh Il through the SCSI port . The SCSI ad dress is preset to 3 at the factory , but an easy-to-set external push button allows a quick change . Setup took about 30 min utes , from opening the box to printing my first test page .
The complete PLP package includes the printer, one toner cartridge, one OPC assembly, three disks, the spiral-bound manual, two manual addenda , a warranty card, and a power cord. The printer lacks the needed SCSI cable and terminator , which are available from GCC for $49 and $30, respectively . GCC provides the usual 90-day warranty , but it does not of fer any extended warranty coverage-a
disadvantage, since Apple offers the AppleCare extended warranty for the LaserWriter Plus.
Printing Software
The PLP includes its own printer soft ware : the Personal Laserprinter Print Manager, the Personal Laserprinter I.0 system resource, and the Bitstream fonts . You can install the Print Manager anywhere you like; I put mine in a special hard disk directory to keep track of all my PLP files. The Personal Laserprinter 1.0 system resource must be copied into the System Folder, so that the System and Chooser can access it . I also put all the
continued
156 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
·
Microsoft ~
Quick BASIC 4.0 is no longer your basic BASIC. Now, because of a revolutionary break through, you can run, test, debug, then continue running your program and see the results. Instantly. Which is why we call it 'i nstant programming~'
Other compilers make you wait while they compile your program at an unimpressive rate of 12,000 lines per minute. But Microsoft QuickBASIC 4.0 translates your program into executable code at a breathtaking 150,000 lines per minute. You get all the speed you can possibly use right when you need it. While you 're developing your program.
And for the first time in BASIC, you'll find the most sophisticated debugging tools around. Like the freedom to change a run ning program on the fly. Without restarting. And you also get instant syntax checking, watch expressions, even runtime type checking.
Besides all these advances in the environ ment, Microsoft QuickBASIC 4.0 gives you a sophisticated collection of language extensions: records recursion, huge arrays and true functions. There's even interlanguage calling that lets you call subroutines from other Microsoft languages. And if you think all this means you might have to give up phenomenal execution speed , think again. Microsoft QuickBASIC 4.0 &>ives high performance executable code that's the fastest anywhere. About the only thing that isn't more advanced in Microsoft QuickBASIC 4.0 is the price. It's still just 599. And it's stiJI backed with a 30-day money back guarantee. Microsoft QuickBASIC 4.0.
Tb make a quantum leap in your pro
gramm ing, you need a quantum leap in your language.
Microsoft.~QuickBASIC 4.0
For tile name o f yo ur nearest Microsoft d akr. c all (800l 5-IH~6 J. D~p 1. A'13.
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Circle 171 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: J72)
REVIEW: GCC'S PERSONAL LASERPRINTER
The Mac /l's processing
speed helped close the
gap on the LaserWriter
Pius's advantage, but it
wasn't enough to make
up for the lack of a CPU
and RAM in the PLP.
Bitstream fonts into my PLP directory . If you already have LaserWriter Plus
fonts installed, the DA/Font Mover will replace some of those fonts with PLP fonts that have the same name. This is in convenient if you want to alternate be tween a PLP and a LaserWriter Plus, since you' II always get the Bitstream screen version of those fonts when you are editing a file. Of course, during print ing, the LaserWriter Plus will print with its own built-in PostScript fonts , so the inconvenience is not a serious one.
Because GCC had to provide a prinl management utility for the PLP, the com pany decided to add some options that you don't find in the Apple LaserWriter Plus print dialog boxes. These additional options include the ability to spool files to disk for later printing (not a true print spooler that returns control to your Mac
intosh earlier than straight-through print
ing); a limited letter-kerning capability; draft printing (similar to the ugly Image writer draft mode); the ability to process bit-map images with smoothing; and a preview option.
Print previewing is by far the most use ful option. By building a print-spool file, the print manager's previewer lets you see the final Macintosh page in as close an approximation to WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) as your Mac screen allows. I only wish I could add this preview feature to Apple's standard LaserWriter Plus print dialog box.
Like many other GCC products, the PLP comes with very good documenta tion. Its 96 pages are broken up into four chapters on setting up the printer, install ing software and printing, using the printer, and maintenance and trouble shooting. Each section is well written, but the opening chapter on installation and setup suffers from poor illustrations.
Two addenda update the changes made in
the PLP software since its beta release.
Pe.rformance There is no getting around it-the PLP is a slow printer. To test performance, I
compared the times the two printers took to print four different documents : a one page MacWrite 4. 6 file, consisting of the string "The Quick Brown Fox Jumped Over The Lazy Dog" repeated; a one page MacDraw 1.9.5 file (four images of a custom-designed business card); a 30 page MacWrite 4.6 file (30 pages of the one-page MacWrite example); and a page combining text and graphics.
For each printer, I ran the four tests on three systems: a I-megabyte Macintosh SE, a 2-megabyte Mac SE with a Levco Prodigy SE accelerator board installed, and a 5-megabyte Mac II (see the graph on page 156).
Even with the 5-megabyte Macintosh II, the PLP's times were slower than the slowest LaserWriter Plus/Macintosh combination, except for the time required to print a full page of MacDraw graphics . The processing speed of the Mac II helped close the gap dramatically on the LaserWriter Pius's advantage, but it wasn't enough to make up for the lack of a CPU and RAM in the PLP. In short, the ways in which GCC has chosen to cut costs in the PLP made an obvious differ ence in printing speed in the tests I conducted.
Software Compatibility
ace provides an extensive list of soft
ware that will not work with the PLP: Great Plains Accounting 4. 10, Layered's Insight 1.02, Software Ventures' Micro phone 1.0, OverVUE 2. la from ProVue, Aldus PageMaker 2.0 (although Aldus offers a free upgrade, 2.0a, that will print on the PLP), Apple's AppleLink 2.0, Red Ryder 10.0, Maitreya Design's mini WRITER, and VersaTenn-PRO.
GCC also provides a list of software that works with the PLP, although with some problems: Telos' Business File vision; Cricket Draw; Odesta's Double Helix; Microsoft's Chart, Excel, File, Filemaker Plus, Word 3.01, Works , and PowerPoint; Ann Arbor Softwork's Full Paint; Apple's ·HyperCard, MacPaint, MPW, and MacWrite; Lotus's Jazz; Think Technologies' Lightspeed C and Pascal; MindWork Software's Mind Write; Living Videotext's More; Blyth Software's Omnis 3 Plus; Broderbund's Print Shop; and Silicon Beach Software's SuperPaint.
The release notes with the printer de tail the problems with printing and the processes required to make each of these packages print with the PLP. I tried all the workarounds and found that they act just as GCC says they do.
In addition to these programs, there are programs that will work with the PLP but, because they rely heavily on the abilities of Postscript. will produce
Imagewriter-quality results at best. These packages include Cricket Draw, Adobe Illustrator, and Quark XPress.
By compa.rison, GCC's list of software that works without problems is smaller: Acius's 4th Dimension , Symmetry's Acta , Cricket Graph, Ashton-Tate's dBASE Mac , Apple's MacDraw , Mac Terminal , and MacProject, Paragon Courseware's QUED/M, Orange Micro's Ragtime, Letraset's Ready-Set Go , Data Tailor's Trapeze, and T/Maker's WriteNow.
When a software package and the PLP work together, either seamlessly or through a special workaround, the output quality is generally high. It is at least as good as any LaserWriter Plus output of the same document, and in many cases , the PLP graphics looks slightly crisper and the text a bit blacker. Because of dif ferences in the positioning of Quick Draw- versus Postscript-generated graphics, most PLP output is not aligned quite the same as equivalent LaserWriter Plus output.
Recommendations The PLP is not the universal answer to Macintosh owners who need a high-qual ity laser page printer but who don't want to part with more than $4000.
Freelance writers or text-oriented con sultants, for example, may find that the PLP is a big win . The output of the PLP is about equivalent to the LaserWriter Plus or to the other 300-dpi Macintosh laser printers on the market. If you can get by without Postscript (many users can't) , and if you already own a faster Macintosh (accelerated Mac Plus, Mac SE , or Mac II), then you're likely to find that the PLP is a wonderful printer at an affordable price.
On the other hand, if you are heavily dependent on accurate PostScript output, like many desktop publishing users, graphics designers , engineers, and others, then the Bitstream fonts and QuickDraw graphics of the PLP do not provide the flexibility and quality of Post Script (although , for some applicatfons, they are close).
The PLP is also not a good laser-prim ing solution for offices that want to share printers, since it is a SCSI device that must be assigned to a single Mac. Its lack of AppleTalk support is a major limita tion for those users who need to share computer resources within work groups.
Finally, this is one very slow printer. Because (unlike the LaserWriter Plus) it has no CPU or RAM to speed page pro cessing, its printing speed is largely de pendent on the computing bottlenecks of the Mac that drives it. The speed problem is compounded by the printer' s memory
158 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
REVIEW: GCC'S PERSONAL LASERPRI TER
needs. Although the machine can work with a I-megabyte Mac Plus, I often got Out of Memory messages when I tried to prim long documents containing text and graphics.
In fact , when I tried to print a si ngle copy of this review in its unedited form (a 12-page Microsoft Word 3.01 file) on a
5-megabyte Mac n, the PLP print man
ager ran out of memory because I had set a 3-megabyte RAM cache. I ran into thi out-of-memory problem most often with Microsoft Word 3.01 and Excel I .03.
For the small business owner, consul tant. or manager in a larger corporation who needs an inexpensive laser printer for his or her Macintosh, the PLP can be very attractive. For my own needs , I can't afford to give up 100 percent Postscript compatibility or wa ·te time dealing with software workarounds when printing , so I' ll pass on the PLP. ·
Donald Evan Crabb (Department of Computer Science , University of Chi cago, Ryerson Hall 260,1100 East 58th St ., Chicago IL 60637) is the director of instructional laboratories for the com puter science department of the Univer sity of Chicago and is a lecturer in the department and the college.
VIEWS FROM BIX: Postscript vs. Non-Postscript Printers
macintosh/reviews 1125, fro m Tom Hedges.
fl general commen on non - PostScrip t l aser pri ters: I thin k his is e bad mistake, on the part of bot h CCC and others (even Ap ple , according to persis t ent rumors). Granted , Adobe may be charging too much f or i t s impl ementa tions , but the coming clones should inject some needed competl t ion to t hat arket . The advent of Pos tScript has given the persona computer indus try 11 very powerful, resolution- independent way t o output te xt , line graphics and even h igh-quali ty scanned gr ay-scale images (on the phototypesette rs ) . The lase r llriter provides a very accurate proofing device for professional desktop pub ishing and e f i na l output device for many others .
The prob l emt hat comes from the release of significant numbers of non- Postscript pri ters is hat software deve opers wil l be forced back to the Apple QuickDraw standard i n order to be compat ib le and · 111 ot be able o take full advantage of the superior ebi " i ti es of he PostScript
outpu devices . his is particular ly t r e in t he grey- scale scanned- i mage - output area, 1.·here etreset and my firm , Fractal So ftware, elon vit hothers, are just no1.· starting to provi de goods pport f or grey- scale i mage ou tpu . 111 t· the price of he R . hard .,1a re com i ng quickly own and the roye ties for Postsc r i pt u de r competit ive press ur e, t se ems a very shortsighted move to "expand" the aser prin ter market for the Mac in the direction of the IBM-compatible world , name ly toward "dumb" l aser prin ters.
macintosh/reviews 1128, from Chris Crawford .
Tom Hedges made a strong case agains t
the dumb l aser printers, a d in general r
tend to be sympathetic to such arguments . But the cost difference bct··een the PostScript pr inters and the PLP is gigantic ; we' re talking a factor of two he re! I simply cou l d not have afforded a laser printer et the prices thet the Postsc r i pt pri nters no·· sell for . And while a Postscript printer is fester end can do more things than the PLP, I find that the PLP does everything that ·;ant it to do, quite well. I especially like the notion that addi ional fonts ove in o
he system grace fu lly .
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JAN UARY 1988 · BYT E 159
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SOFTWARE REVIEWS
D
Allegro CommonLISP
Ernest R. Tello
Allegro CommonLISP version 1.0 ($600) is an interactive pro
A complete
User's Manual is devoted to -documenting how to customize
gramming environment for the Apple Macintosh based on the
microcomputer implementation
the editor. Because of the scarcity of
Common LISP standard as de fined in Guy L. Steele 's book
of Common LISP
auxiliary keys on the standard Mac keyboard , it is not easy to
Common LISP: The language.
i mple~enr an EMACS-style
Allegro CL was produced jointly by items give you access to the editor, the editor on this machine. Allegro CL han
Coral Software Corp. of Cambridge , compiler, the debugger, and other tools. dles the problem by using the Option key
Massachusetts, and Franz Inc. of Berke The Windows menu option lets you easily as a Meta key and the Clover key and
ley , California. It is a complete Common cycle through the windows open on the Shift-Clover key for Control and Com
LISP running on a mjcrocomputer, and screen.
mand , respectively . The editor also sup
for this reason it should be a good deliv
The Listener is a special window on ports more recent Mac keyboards that in
ery environment for Common LISP pro the screen through which you type com clude a separate Control key . In admtion,
grams from larger machines.
mands and get responses . The Listener the Macintosh Clipboard has been inte
The implementation consists of an in behaves exactly like an interpreter, al grated with the EMACS kill-ring. Any
cremental compiler, an EMACS-style though in this case it is based on incre time text is moved to the Clipboard , it is
editor, a debugger, an object-oriented mental compilation. Allegro CL auto also automatically moved to the top of the
programming system called Object LISP , matically compiles any new funct ion kill-ring, and vice versa.
and Macintosh interface tools for creating definitions . (You can tum offthjs feature The Tools menu has options for debug
windows, menus, and dialog boxes. Al by setting the *compile-defini tions* ging , such as a window-based inspector,
legro CL has a pseudomultitasking sys variable to nil.)
backtrace, stepper , and trace facility .
tem that lets you edit code while pro
The Eval menu has options for evaluat The Inspector lets you browse about in
grams are compiling or executing in the ing either a selected expression or the en data structures, examining and modify
background. The garbage collector is a tire editing buffer. The Eval menu also ing them . Allegro CL implements the in
mark/compact/forward collector that im includes an option that lets you save com spector as a window-oriented utility that
plements virtual memory by loading piled code in a file by specifying the can be invoked in three ways . First, you
functions into memory only as they are names of the source file and the destina can select the I nspect option on the
needed . The garbage collector is invoked tion file for the compiled code.
Tools menu . Second, when within the
automatically when either the Macintosh Two modes are available for the evalu FRED editor, you can use the key com
operating system or LISP needs more ation of LISP expressions: one that con mand Control-X Control-I; this causes
memory .
forms exactly to the Common LISP stan the current LISP expression to be in
Allegro CL comes on two double dard , and one that is faster but does not spected. The third way of invoking the in
sided SOOK-byte floppy rusks. The mini support the debugging functions eval spector is directly from the LISP listener
mal hardware required to run the system hook and applyhook. You select the lat by calling the i nspect function and sup
is a Macintosh Plus, SE, or IT with 1 ter by setting the *fast-eval * variable to plying it with an argument. So, for exam
megabyte of RAM and 1.6 megabytes of true .
ple, (inspect *infer enc e-engine* )
disk storage; it can support up to 8 mega
The full-screen window-oriented edi would open an inspector window on the
bytes of RAM. The manual recommends tor in Allegro CL is called FRED, an ac inference-engine class.
2 megabytes of memory and a hard disk ronym for " FRED Resembles EMACS Allegro CL also supports a typical
drive. This is good advice; I found that Deliberately . " FRED is an EMACS LISP backtrace facility as a dialogue win
the system does not run very well with style editor that allows multiple win dow . The back.trace window pops open
only I megabyte of memory .
dows and the use of a mouse . The advan whenever the listener enters a break
tage of using an EMACS-style editor is loop. This can happen either when an
Good Environment
that you can customize it to suit your error occurs or when a programmer calls
Allegro CL provides an interactive menu needs . For example, you can add macros
com inued
system that lets you edit and debug for commonly executed key sequences as
without leaving the LISP environment . commands to the Edit menu. Each indi Ernest R. Tello (1518 West Cliff Dr. ,
The main menu bar in Allegro CL has the vidual erutor window can have a separate Santa Cruz. CA 95060) is director of
following command options: File, Edit, package or Common LISP name space research and de velopment at Integral
Eval, Tools, and Windows. These menu associated with it . One chapter of the Systems.
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 163
REVIEW: ALLEGRO COMMONLISP
Allegro CommonLISP 1.0
Type
Common LISP programming language
Companies
Coral Software Corp.
P.O. Box307 Cambridge. MA 02142 (6 17) 54 7-2662
Franz Inc. 1995 University Ave. Berkeley. CA 94704 (415) 548-3600
Format Two SOOK -byte 3 V2-inch floppy disks
Language
LI SP
Computer Macintosh Plus. SE. or II with 1 megabyte of RAM and 1.6 megabytes of disk storage; 2 megabytes of RAM and a hard disk dri ve are recommended
Software Required Macintosh system version 2.1 and Finder 5.5 or higher
Documentation
Common LISP: The Language: Common LISP: The Index; 200-page User's Manual describing im plementation details
Price $600
Inquiry 883.
a break deliberately (for example, by se lecting the Backtrace option on the Tools menu) . Two tables appear in the backtrace dialogue window. The table at the top displays the functions on the stack awaiting return values . Preceding the name of each function is the address of the funct.ion's stack frame in hexadeci mal . The lower table displays the values of the functions listed above . Currently , the backtrace does not show the names of lexical values .
The compiler uses tail recursion to minimize stack space. Tail recursion is an optimization used when an iterative process is described recursively. This means that only the most recent iteration of a loop appears in the stack history of a backtrace window. When debugging, you will want to tum off this optimization by setting the *nx-ta ilcalls* variable to nil; then there will be no tail-recursion optimization, and all the function calls will be found in the backtrace ca ll history .
A trace function is implemented in ac cordance with the Common LISP stan dard and also extends to the Object LISP system. You attach the trace function to a particular function so that tracing occurs for each call to that function . In the case of method functions that are defined for different classes, you can trace each of the versions of the function separately by sending the trace message to a specific object and telling it which method to trace .
Allegro CL implements a form of pseudomultitasking that allows editing and various other operations to be done wh ile LISP programs are compiling or executing. For this reason , the Macintosh watch cursor is not used in this environ ment. However, some tasks in Allegro CL (e.g ., garbage collection and event processing such as menu selection) are noninterruptible. This means that during these tasks other operations, such as LISP evaluation, are halted .
Object LISP Object LISP is an interesting and full im plementation of object-oriented program ming for Common LISP, but it suffers from two handicaps : There is little expe rience in its use and the Common LISP community is standardizing on the CLOS (Common LISP Object System) stan dard . (The manufacturers say they will replace Object LISP with CLOS when the specification of CLOS is complete.) While CLOS incorporates some features of Object LISP, it is closer to the ap proaches taken by Xerox CommonLoops and Symbolics New Flavors.
However, Object LISP is an interesting way to implement objects in Common LISP . I particularly like the way it places classes and instances on the same level. It has always seemed artificial to be able to create objects only as instances of already existing classes . In Object LISP , you create instances the same way you create classes , so it is perfectly legal to create an object that is neither a class nor an in stance of a class. This is ideal for applica tions where the problem is to detennine what something is, such as a disease or a malfunction . Once it is determined, the object can be assigned to the class , and further processing can be driven by the methods and variables it has now inherited .
Another good feature of Object LISP is that objects can be modified "on the fly , " while programs are running . I would like Object LISP to be included with Allegro CL even when CLOS be comes available .
Unfortunately , while making the switch from Object LISP to CLOS won 't be difficult , it won't be transparent , either. Also the manual cautions the pro
grammer that portions of code that need to run efficiently should not be written in Object LISP. It is unfortunate that the de velopers never got around to optimizing their implementation of Object LISP.
Interface Tools Allegro CL provides interface tools for building Macintosh menus, windows , and dialog boxes. Menus and windows in the current implementation of Allegro CL are implemented on top of Object LISP by means of the menu and window classes. A window is a subclass of the stream class . Every menu item in a menu object has five characteristics: the title , the keyboard equivalent (if any), the font style , check mark or no check mark , and enabled or disabled . An entire menu bar for an application in Allegro CL is simply a list of menu objects. The menu bar func tion returns a list of the menus currently active in the menu bar. You can easily change the menu bar at any time by using the set-menubar function , which can be assigned to any LISP expression that re turns a list or sublist.
Different types of windows are imple mented not as different subclasses of the window class, but as different alterna tives to the :window-t ype option of the window class itself. There are seven dif ferent window types: document , docu ment-with-grow , document-with-zoom , double-edge-box , single-edge-box , shadow-edge-box. and tool.
A dialog box is a special kind of win dow that contains various messages and options that are sensitive to mouse clicks. Both the dialogs themselves and the items they contain, such as buttons , check boxes , radio buttons, static text , editable text, and tables, are created as instances of their own object classes. Since the dia log class inherits from the window class , dialogs can do anything ordinary win dows can do .
Event Handling and Graphics Allegro CL typically handles events initi ated by a user automatically as a back ground task . For applications that need to handle user events explicit!y, a variety of event-hand.Jing methods are available to programmers . For example, you can specify the response of window objects to certain types of events or to all events di rected at them ; you can specify a hook procedure that gets the first chance to process any event ; or you can disable all background processing of events and han dle them with a special event loop . Typi cally , programming languages on the Macintosh support only the last and most difficult type of event handling . With a system like Allegro CL, however , the first type often suffices.
164 BY TE · JANUARY 1988
REV IEW : ALLEGRO COMMONLISP
Allegro CL Benchmarks
Jean-Denis Muys-Vasovic
I ra n the Gabriel benchmarks on a Macintosh II with 5 megabytes of RAM, a 68881 float jng-point copro cessor, and an Apple 20SC hard disk drive . Table A shows the results, along with the values for the VAX 750-CL and the Symbolics 3600 from Richard P. Gabriel's book Performance and Evalu ation ofUSP Systems (Cambridge , MA : MIT Press, 1985). Every benchmark ran without any modification , with the exception of the Puzzle benchmark . Puzzle has a variable named *d*. Since Allegro has a system variable with the same name, I renamed *d* to *dd* in Puzzle.
Conunon LISP has a declare state ment that gives compile-time informa tion to the compiler. A declare state ment can be associated with every block of code: the scope of a function, of a loop, of a lambda expression, and so on . Allegro CL has two flavors of the de clare statement : type declarations and optimizing declarations.
Type declarations tell the compiler that one or more variables will hold a known type of data-for example, a nu meric index. This allows the compiler to generate specialized and more efficient code. Recall that variables in LISP can hold any value: numerical , symbolic , string, and so on .
With optimizing declarations, you can then tell the compiler to optimize the compiled code for sa fety , space, or speed. You write something like : (de clare (optimize (safety n1) (space n2) (speed nJ))). where nl , n2 , and 113 are integers between 0 and 3. The in teger 0 indicates not to optimize in a par ti cular way, and the integer 3 means to optimize as much as possible in that di rection. Safety controls the ability to handle errors and interrupt the code, space controls the memory used , and speed controls how fast the code runs.
The first column in table A shows the times for the benchmarks without opti mization. The second column shows the times with the optimization statement (d ec l are (optimize (sa fe ty 0) (space 0) (speed J) ) ) added to each definition. I did not include any type declaration because lhis would have in volved some semi-intelligent process of code and would not have been a fair comparison. In columns where two values
Table A: The first column gives the times for th e Gabriel benchmarks run under normal conditions. The second column gives rimes for these same tests optimized for speed. Values for the VAX 750-CL and Symbolics 3600 are those published in Richard P. Gabriel 's book Performance and Evaluation of LISP Systems. A detailed description of the benchmarks can also be found i11 this book.
Test
Tak Stak Ctak Ta ki Takr Boye r Browse Dest ructive Traverse·init Traverse Deriv Dderiv Div2-1ter D1v2-rec Fft Puzzle Triangle Fprint Fread Tprinl Frpoly2rxyz1 Frpoly2r2 Frpoly2r3 Frpoly5rxyz1 Frpoly5r2 Frpo ly5r3 Frpoly 1Orxyz1 Frpoly 10 r2 Frpoly10r3 Frpoly15rxyz 1 Frpoly 15r2 Frpoly15r3
Allegro CL (n o rmal)
1.40 16.05
4.40 15 .03
1.47 35 . 15 62 .06/3 . 17
8.93 35 .35 131.08 27 .22/3.25 27 .00/2 .98
5.22 5.27 61 .22/2 .95 72 .62 899 .85 9. 17 2.93 30 .02 0.02 0.02 0.02 0. 17 0.25 0.2 1.57 2.67 1.92 10.22 20.55 12 .22
Allegro CL (o pt i m i z ed )
VA X 750-CL
Symbolics 3600
0.70 14.97
3.433 6.65 0 .92 22 .083 51 .58/3.25 7.600 18.57 49 .08 26. 16/3. 12 26 . 10/3 .00 3.267 2.617 60 .00/2 .97 64 .85 826.37 8.983 3 .167 29 .25 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.13 0 .25 0. 17 1. 17 2.27 1.50 7.57 17.97 9.63
0.61 6.21 13.86 12.35 4.39 69.3 8/79 .30 195 . 111164 .05 11.30 35.44 217 .2 1 24 .50/49.63 32.90/4 5.80 14.32/24 .85 9.07 131 .59/101 .84 23 1.79 1021 .35 6.08 11 .21 4 . 11 0.06 0.06 0.06 0.37 0. 16 0.48 3 .38 7.25 4.69 21 .51 57.00/5 1.82 31 .05/26.80
2.69 2.58 7 .65 6.44 0.06 11 .99 30 .80 3.03 8.62 49 .95 5. 12 5.24 1.85 2.89 4.75 13.89 151 .70 260 4.60 4.89 0.00 0.00 0.00 005 019 0.05 0.49 2.89 0.54 3.45 22 .35 3.84
are separated by a slash, adding the two numbers gives the total lime; the second number indicates how much of that total lime was spent in garbage collection.
On the whole, Allegro is very fast. Its only weak point is the speed of the text display Tprim . This is a drnwback of the graphics-only aspect of the Macintosh . Allegro CL is nearly always faster, and sometimes much faster , than the VAX 750-CL. It is slower than the Symbolics 3600, but seldom by a facto r of more than 2.
[Editor's note: Source code (nonexe cutable) listings for the Gabriel bench
marks are available on BJX, 0 11 BYTE net , on disk. and in th e Quarterly Listings Supplement. See " Program Listings" in th e table of contents. To ''find " source code in the Listings areas on BJX and BYTEnet . search by articl~· title . author. or issue date. Some ar chived files may contain numerous list ings for a single article. A description of the file also accompanies each emry.]
Jean-Denis Muys-Vasovic can be con racted at 6 Semier Valetre, F-95100 Argenteuil, Fran ce, or 0 11 BIX a s ''jedivasovic. ..
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 165
REVIEW: ALLEGRO COMMONLISP
Allegro CL impleme.nts graphics sup legro CL graphics routines over the com the current pen position, and its appear
port through a set of functions that pro parable Pascal QuickDraw functions de ance is determined by the window 's cur
vide an interface to the Macintosh Quick scribed in Inside Macintosh is that rent font, size , and mode.
Draw package. So far, the routines Allegro CL's routines are written to take
completely support only Macs with the full advancage of the optional argument Low-Level ROM Access
64K-byte ROMs . To use more recent capability of Common LISP. This means Most programmers will be able to do
QuickDraw features, you must write low that, in cases where operations have to be everything they need with Allegro 's high
level trap routines. Allegro CL currently performed for all the objects on the level Macintosh routines. However, Al
provides two basic kinds of graphics screen at a given time, functions can sim legro CL provides a means for making di
functions: those that must be performed ply be applied to the list that keeps track rect calls to the Macintosh ROM . The
within some window object , and those of all current screen objects.
main purpose of this low-level access is
that can be used globally without refer You can have text drawn in a window for using traps not provided in the higher
ence to the window system .
by designating the window as an output level interface and, if necessary , for opti
One important advantage of the Al- stream. The text is displayed starting at mizing those that are provided. Low-level
-----------------------------~ traps that can be called from Allegro CL
include both those that handle arguments
on the stack and those that handle them
using registers. This low-level interface
SUBSCRIPTION PROBLEMS?
must be used with care, since it is very easy to crash the system while using it. Making low-level calls requires an un
derstanding of how memory is parti
tioned in Allegro CL. The basic djvision
is between the two rypes of data, Macin
tosh resource data and LISP structure
data . These two rypes of data are stored in
the Application heap and the LISP heap,
to
respectively . The Mac Application heap is needed in this context primarily for
storing data used for communicating with
help!
the Mac ROM . Before any data can be passed to the ROM , it first has to be put in the fonnat used either by the Application
heap or the stack.
Allegro CL also provides a set of func
tions and macros that let LISP programs
manipulate data stored in Pascal record
formats- the main fonnat used by the
Macintosh Operating System. You can
If:..ou have a problem with your BYTE subscription, write us with the details.
We'll do our best to set it right. But we mu.st
use these functions to access and manipu late Macintosh resources and data struc tures created at run time, such as window setups and text-edit records . The func tions supported include defrecord,
have the name, address, and zip of the
subscription (new and old address, if it's a change of address). If the problem involves a payment, be
sure to include copies of the credit card statement,
which defines new record rypes, make record , which creates new records, and dispose-record, which deallocates records. Various other functions access , copy, and manipulate'record data.
For documentation of generic Com
or front and back of cancelled checks. Include a
"business hours" phone number if possible.
mon LISP functions and variables, the standard texts Common USP: The Lan guage by Guy L. Steele and Common
USP: The Index by Rosemary Simpson
are also shipped with the product. Imple
mentation specifics are covered in a
13'1TE MAGAZINE
User's Manual that consists of about 200 pages of text divided into 13 chapters and four appendixes. Programmers are ex
SUBSCRIBER SERVICE
P.O. Box 6821
pected to refer to the standard texts for documentation of portable Common LISP behavior and functions.
PISCATAWAY, NJ 08854
Benchmarks
Although the manufacturers claim that
Allegro CL will run on a Macintosh with
just l megabyte and no hard disk drive, I
166 B Y T E · JANUARY 1988
REVIEW: PERSONAL REXX
don 't think anyone should consider using that configuration. The reason stems partly from the sheer size of Common LISP and partly from the fact that AJ legro CL uses a virtual-memory archi tecture, which results in a lot of disk activity .
I tried running the Gabriel benchmarks on a Macintosh SE with 1 megabyte of RAM . Although it ran, garbage collec tions and disk accesses were so frequent that it was clear why the manufacturers recommend using a 2-megabyte machine . Most users doing serious artificial intelli gence work with this system wilJ want to run it on a Macintosh II with 2 megabytes or more of RAM .
Because I was running so close to the memory limits, I did not think it fair to benchmark Allegro CL on my machine. However , Jean-Denis Muys-Vasovic ran the suite of Gabriel benchmarks on a Macintosh II with 5 megabytes of mem ory (see the text box "Allegro CL Bench marks " by Jean-Denis Muys-Vasovic) .
What's Missing? Unlike many state-of-the-art LISP sys tems today, Allegro CL does not provide complete on-line documentation . There is no on-line tutoriaJ here, either. The written documentation , though excellent in many respects, lacks an index of topics and a concise summary of functions pres ent in the system that are not part of Com mon LISP. To look up a given function, you have to go to the chapter it should be in and hunt for it.
Also missing is a way of packaging ap plications for stand-alone delivery . Ac cording to the company, a stand-aJone application generator, as well as a for eign-language interface to C, Pctscal , and assembly language, are in the works .
Allegro CL is a very well crafted pro gramming system, but I regret that the CLOS system standard , the object-ori ented extension to Common LISP, has not yet been finalized. The object-ori ented aspect of this implementation is ex tremely important, since the user envi ronment is built on it.
The definitive implementation of the Allegro CL environment wiJI be present when CLOS replaces Object LISP as the object-oriented extension and when the application generator and the foreign-lan guage interface are included. However, since Allegro CL adheres to the Common LISP standard , the base of Common LISP programs can be migrated from minicomputers to the microcomputer world. Also, the benchmarks show that, when used with a machine like the Mac
intosh Il , Allegro CL is clearly a system
on which substantial development efforts
can be conducted. ·
Personal REXX
Namir Clement Shammas
Personal REXX 1.6 ($125) from Mans field Software Group implements a sub set of VM/CMS REXX on the IBM PC , with some extensions to tap into DOS. REXX is an interpretive, mainframe pro granuning language similar to PL/I but easier to learn. Personal REXX also con tains additionaJ functions specifically for the IBM PC . (The original REXX was created by Michael Cowlishaw of IBM ' s United Kingdom Scientific Center.)
As a progranuning language, Personal REXX supports structured coding, an ex ternal stack, and global variables, and it provides various clauses, constructs, and looping features. It lacks the math func tions and working memory necessary to be a useful general-purpose language, but its parsing and environmental-interfacing capabilities make it a powerful language for batch programming. For a summary of its capabilities, see table l .
Personal REXX requires an IBM PC, XT , AT, PS/2 , or compatible with at least 256K bytes of RAM and one disk drive, running MS-DOS or PC-DOS 2.0 or higher. It occupies from l 15K to l40K bytes of memory, depending on the size of the internal-storage area (ISA), which may range from !OK to 40K bytes. The default ISA size is 30K bytes; you can change it with the corrunand SET RXISA= mm . PersonaJ REXX also supports the Ex panded Memory Specification (EMS) . I tested Personal REXX on a 6-megahertz IBM PC AT running under PC-DOS 3. 1 with 512K bytes of RAM, 1.5 megabytes on an AST Advantage! card, and a 6 MHz 80287 coprocessor chip.
The language comes on one 5 \4-inch floppy disk that contains sample pro grams, several utilities, the interrupt manager, and the interpreter. The inter rupt manager is memory-resident and must be loaded before you invoke the in terpreter. REXX.EXE contains the Per sonal REXX interpreter, which is loaded into memory from DOS at the REXX com mand; appending the /R command direc tive makes most of the interpreter mem ory-resident. RX .EXE invokes the memory-resident version of the lan guage . Adding the /U option to the RX command will unload REXX .EXE from memory while it invokes RX.EXE.
Data Types and Variables REXX supports various structured coding facilities while keeping data typ
ing simple. It uses characters to support two basic data types-strings and num bers- and makes no explicit distinction between integers and reals . Variable names are not case-sensitive and don't have fixed data types associated with them . Thus, a variable that stores a nu meric value one time may be reused to store a string of characters another time, and vice versa.
There are three classes of variables: simple symbols, compound symbols, and stems. Simple symbols are synonymous with simple variables . Compound sym bols are similar to arrays and use a period in the identifier's name . Stems are identi fiers that end with a period and are con sidered the " parents" of compound variables.
For example, Tozal. is a stem, while Total.Sum and Total. SumSquares are compound symbols that stem from Total. This is not merely an aesthetic relation ship; REXX lets you write the clause Total. = 0 to assign zeros to all those compound symbols that start with Total. Thus, you can collectively initialize com pound symbols without using an explicit loop . Compound symbols may contain more than one stem. For example, Cel/.l.J is a two-dimensionaJ compound symbol ; Cell is one stem, I the other.
REXX supports a string-based, indi rect-access scheme with compound sym bols not commonly available in other lan guages . For example ,
X ="Sum" Total.Sum = JO; Total.Sum2 = Total.X
The first statement assigns the string con stant "Sum " to the scalar X; the second assigns 10 to the compound symbol Total.Sum . In the third statement, REXX first interprets Total.X as Total. Sum, since X has been assigned the value " Sum. " Consequently, REXX assigns the value 10 to the compound symbol Total.Sum2.
Stacks and Global Variables REXX uses an extemaJ stack, or queue, onto which its programs can put data items. The words stack and queue refer to the same structure; the difference be tween the two lies in how the structure is used . The PUSH instruction sends data
continued
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 167
REVIEW: PERSONAL REXX
onto a last-in first-out (LIFO) stack, while the QUEUE instruction sends data onto a
FIFO queue. The PULL instruction serves to read data from the stack or queue.
In other words , you have one "pile" of data items. If you PUSH data, it goes on the top of the pile; in this case, the pile is called a stack. If you QUEUE data, it goes on the bottom of the pile; in this case, the
pile is called a queue. In either case, when you access the data with PULL, it comes off the top. There is no way to ac cess data from the bottom of the pile.
In Personal REXX, you must install the stack and specify its size (between I K and 62K bytes) using the stack-manager utility that comes with it. The external
stack also lets you increase the size of the type-ahead buffer from the standard 15 keystrokes to a maximum of 159.
A REXX utility also maintains exter nal global variables that are static and ac
cessible to different programs. These global variables divide into three classes, based on their lifetimes: Simple global variables remain in memory until you power down or reboot the system; session global variables are retained for the life of a session, which can span several re boots; and permanent global variables are available permanently . Session and permanent global variables are stored in the DOS files SESSION .GLV and LASTfNG.GLV (always located at the root directory of the current drive), re
spectively. To start a new session, you must erase the SESSION.GLV file. REXX provides commands to transfer data among the various global variables and both local variables and the external stack.
The GLOBALV SET var_name value command defines a simple global vari able and assigns it a value. Similarly, the GLOBALV SETS and GLOBALV SETP com mands set session and permanent global variables, respectively . The GLOBALV PUT and GLOBALV GET commands provide du plication of the global variables and their contents between REXX programs and the memory area for global variables. You can also group global variables.
Clauses, Constructs, and Loops REXX programs consist of various kinds of clauses: null clauses, labels (used to define procedures, functions, and error trapping code), assignments, instruc tions, and commands. You may place multiple clauses on one line, but they must be delimited by semicolons.
REXX provides a collection of math, string, comparative, and logical opera tors. It supports the four basic numerical operations plus raising to a power, integer division, and remainder. Double bars are use<l to concatenate strings. The logical AND , OR, XOR , and NITT operators are also available. There are two sets of com parative operators: one for normal com parisons (in which strings may be padded
with trailing blanks), and the other for strict comparisons (in which strings must be exactly the same) . For example, a nor mal comparison of ( ' ' =") yields a 1, for true, but a strict comparison, (' '=="), returns a 0, for false.
A number of instructions exist to con trol numeric accuracy and display for mat. For example, the NUMERIC FORM [SCIENTIFIC I ENGINEERING] specifies scientific or engineering format for dis played numbers. Also , NUMERIC DIGITS expr specifies the arithmetic precision to expr significant digits. You can assign the number of digits you want to ignore dur ing a numeric comparison with the in struction NUMERIC FUZZ expr.
There are two decision-making con structs: the I F... THEN ... ELSE and SELECT statements. If you put the THEN and ELSE clauses on the same line, you must precede the ELSE keyword with a semicolon. If the THEN and ELSE clauses contain multiple statements, you must en close them in a DO ··. END block. While this resembles Pascal's BEGIN ... END, it is actually a single-iteration DO loop in REXX. You can't have ELSE-IF compo nents in an IF statement , although nested IF statements are supported. However, you can obtain the effect of one or more ELSEI Fs with the SELECT statement .
The SELECT construct doesn't contain a switch expression with its accompany
ing case 1ists. Rather , the SELECT
Table 1: A list ofthe capabilities and functionalities ofPersonal REXX.
Interpreter Support visual environment Built-in editor Data types Need to declare scalar variables Need to declare nonscalar variables Support external stack Support external static global variables
Yes
No
No Numeric and string
No No Yes Yes
Decision-making constructs
IF statements
IF ... THEN
Yes
IF . .· THEN · . . ELSE
Yes
Multiline IF ..· THEN ... EIBE
Yes
ELSEIF
No
SELECT
Yes
Use switch variable
No
OTHERll!SE clause
Yes
ooloops
One-iteration loop
Yes
Fixed iteration loop with no control variable
Yes
Open loop
Yes
Fixed iteration loop with a control variable
Yes
Step option
Yes
FOR fixed number of times
Yes
\IHILE test
Yes
UNTIL test
Yes
Cycle in a loop
Yes
Exit a loop
Yes
Multiline user-defi ned routines
Functions
Yes
Procedures
Yes
Recursive
Yes
Predefined functions Basic string manipulation Extended character-based word manipulation Math functions Data-representation conversion Date/time functions PC hardware-information query functions DOS access functions PC hardware-access functions Windo'NS
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes (library)
Text-file l/O
Sequential, variable-length line 1/0
Yes
Sequential character 1/0
Yes
Random-access. variable-length line 110
No
Random-access character 1/0
Yes
Error trapping
Yes
Resume execution of offending lines after error
No
Tracing capabilities
Yes
Interactive tracing
Yes
168 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
REVIEW: PERSONAL REXX
keyword is followed directly with one or input characters to uppercase. In addi
more \/HEN clauses, each containing a tion, PARSE can store input in several
complete logical expression. The THEN variables with or without an input tem
keyword separates the logical expression plate. For example, PARSE PULL hours
from the outcome statement (with multi 11 : 11 minutes ":" seconds takes a string
ple statements enclosed in the single-iter from the keyboard inpu t , such as
ation DO ... END loop here also) . SELECT 12:22 :50, and assigns 12 to hours, 22 to
also has an optional OTHERWISE clause minutes, and 50 to seconds .
that acts as a catch-all . For example,
PARSE is not limited to keyboard input,
however. It can work with other program
SELECT WHEN x a 1 THEN
components, such as variables, the pro gram's arguments, source code Iines, and
DO
input-file lines . Thi instruction can
statements END WHEN x > 1 THEN DO statements END OTHERWISE DO
parse the contents of a variable (using a data template), extract information, and store it in other variables. For example, if the variable name contains the string "Ada Augusta Byron ," then the state ment PARSE VAR name first 4 middle 12 last assigns "Ada" to first, "Augusta"
statements
to middle, and "Byron" to last.
END END /* SELECT */
One highlight of this language is its ability to interact with its envirorunent.
Typically, the environment for Personal
REXX supports three forms of the DO REXX is DOS. However, in place of
loop: single-iteration (DO statements DOS, you can invoke the language from
END), repetitive, and conditional. The re Mansfield Software's editor, KEDIT,
petitive loop may indicate the specific and make it REXX's environment.
number of iterations, the keyword FOR
The interface between REXX and its
EVER (to loop continuously), or a loop environment is not at all casual. The en
control variable, var = first TO last vironment is such an integral part of the
[BY step) [FOR count). The conditional language that any program instruction the
loop contains either \/HILE logical ex interpreter doesn't recognize is consid
pression or UNTIL logical expres ered to be a command and is passed to the
sion. Repetitive and conditional clauses environment. To avoid being limited to its
can coexist in a single DO loop.
"parent" environment, REXX supports
DO loops end with the END keyword and the ADDRESS instruction, which Jets you
an optional end-of-loop name. The ITER direct commands to other environments.
ATE instruction is used to cycle the inner
REXX also has an INTERPRET instruc
most DO loop . ITERATE has an unusual tion that enables the interpreter to read a
ability: You can skip the remaining por character string as instruction code dur
tion of one or more inner DO loops and ing run time. This is a very powerful
cycle back to an outer DO loop, so that any mechanism for user-modified or self
intervening inner loops are bypassed . modifying programs.
You specify an end-of-loop name on the
ITERATE instruction to cycle to the END Functions and Procedures
statement of the outer loop (which also Function and procedure declarations be
contains the end-of-loop name); then the gin with a label name (which ends with a
outer loop continues if it has more itera colon), followed by the PROCEDURE
tions to perfonn. To my knowledge, the keyword. If the function or procedure
only other progranuning language with this needs to access global variables , an
ability is Ada. You can also exit a DO loop EXPOSE variable_list clause follows
altogether with the LEAVE instruction.
the keyword. The called routine can alter
the values of exposed variables; any pa
Environmental Issues
rameters are declared on the line follow
Console 1/0 in REXX is simple but flexi
ing the PROCEDURE line.
ble. The SAY instruction displays items on
Procedures are CALLed with their op
the screen; you can list multiple items de
tional parameters delimited by spaces;
limited by spaces after the SAY keyword ,
they issue a RETURN to the calling routine
which always issues a carriage return .
without any returned value. Functions ,
For keyboard input, you can follow the
on the other hand , are CALLed with their
PULL instruction with a list of input vari
optional parameters enclosed in paren
ables, and you can use PULL with the
theses; they issue a RETURN expression
PARSE instruction.
to the calling routine, with a value in the
The combined PARSE PULL command predefined variable, RESULT .
lets you control input assignment. For ex
In a REXX program, functions and
ample, PARSE UPPER PULL translates the procedures follow the main program
Personal REXX 1.60
Type
Interpretive programming language
Company
Mansfield Software Group Inc.
P.O. Box532 Storrs, CT 06268 (203) 429·8402
Format One 51/· ·inch floppy disk
Language C language
Hardware Required IBM PC . XT. AT, PS/2. or compati ble with at least 256K bytes of memory (640K bytes recomme nded) and one disk drive
Software Required MS·DOS or PC-DOS 2.0 or higher
Documentation 210-page Personal REXX User 's Guide : The REXX Language: A Practical Approach to Programming by Michael Cowlishaw (Prentice-Hall , 1985)
Price $125
Inquiry 884 .
body, which must end with an EXIT state ment . Like procedures and functions, the main program can define a list of param eters (REXX calls them arguments) de limited by spaces. However, these argu ments receive their values from the input typed at the DOS conunand level. If more arguments are supplied than are declared in the main program or routine, the last declared argument inherits any extras. REXX's predefined string-manipulation functions let you detect and extract each of the extra arguments.
The language also provides a collec tion of built-in functions, most of which fall into the following categories: string manipulations, conversions among dif ferent numeric representations, file 1/0, time and date queries, and queries about arguments. Notably absent, however, are math functions, such as logarithms, trigonometric functions, and square-root calculations.
The most impressive functions are the ones for string manipulation. They re semble those of BASIC or Pascal, but they pay special attention to character based words . Spaces in a character string are considered to be word delimiters . The word-related functions deal with word
cominued
JANUARY 1988 · B Y T E 169
REVIEW: PERSONAL REXX
position and word count, as opposed to character position and character count. You can ex.tract words from a string, count the words in a string, and obtain the position of a word in a string.
For example, to ext.ract the third word
in the string Name, you would use the
function WORD(Narne,J) . Similarly, to de lete four words from the string Days starting with the second word, you would use the function DELWORD(Days,2,4) . In other words, you don't have to know the exact character position of the word or the length of the extracted or deleted strings. The REXX functions do the work.
Personal REXX also provides func tions for tapping into the hardware and the operating system . The hardware infonnation routines return data such as the genre of the IBM PC (including the new PS/2 models), the number of serial and parallel ports, the date of the in stalled ROM, the amount of RAM, and the number of floppy disk drives.
The DOS function group performs op erations such as changing directory or drive, returning the current directory path, getting a directory of files, return ing the volume label, creating or deleting a directory , and returning the value of a DOS environment parameter.
The hardware-access group conta.ins routines that manipulate the screen cur sor, the screen, and the display attributes. Other routines in this group perform PEEKs and POKES and port 1/0.
A fourth group includes miscellaneous routines that perform data conversion, re turn the amount of EMS memory avail able, convert a string to uppercase or lowercase, and return the stack status. The RXWlNDOW library contains a set of window functions that let you open and close a window, display the borders, per form 1/0, define .or remove an input field, and set the attributes of an entire window or portions of it.
REXX supports file 1/0 using text lines or characters. The CHARS(file n8Jl!e) and LINES(filename) functions return a 1 (i.e., true) if there are more characters or lines, respectively, to be read from the file . Thus, REXX provides two forms of the logical EOF( ) function common in BASIC and Pascal.
The functions CHAROUT and LINEOUT write characters and lines, respectively, out to file. Likewise, you can use CHARIN and LINEIN to read characters and lines, respectively. REXX automatically opens files the first time you attempt to read from or write to them.
Personal REXX deviates from the mainframe version by not supporting ran dom access of variable-length lines, since PC-DOS does not support such a file access scheme. However, while perform
ing character 1/0, you can specify the
quential text file, while Personal REXX
starting location of the 1/0 task. This is
needed 90 seconds. I can't find any rea
REXX's mechanism for supporting ran
son for this difference in performance.
dom character access.
Performance on the Floating Point
benchmark (performing 10,000 itera
Tracing and Trapping
tions of a double-precision multiplication
REXX also offers flexible tracing capa
and division test) also varied considera
bilities . Using tracing directives, you can
bly : 176 seconds for Personal REXX and
trace all clauses (A), commands (C) ,
only 79 seconds for BASICA. This differ
errors (E), failures (F), results (R), inter
ence is more easily explained: Personal
mediate results (I), and labels (L). Per
REXX doesn ' t use the 80287 to enhance
sonal REXX can also redirect the trace
its slower interpreter.
output to the printer.
I was unable to run the Sieve bench
Personal REXX also supports interac mark because I ran out of ISA memory.
tive tracing, during which the interpreter The Sieve contains a very large array, and
executes a clause and then pauses to wait Personal REXX's 40K-byte maximum
for your command . You can respond by for both program and variables was not
pressing Enter, to resume execution, or enough.
by typing =to re-execute the last clause;
[Editor's note : FLOATPT. REX,
any other response goes to the interpreter WRITE. REX, and READ. REX contain
for immediate execution. While tracing, the code used for the benchmarks.
REXX displays various symbols at the ROOT. REX is a REXX program that
beginning of each line to indicate the na solves for the root of a nonlinear equa
ture of the item shown on that line (e .g. , tion . It provides an example of the
result, intennediate result, or label).
INTERPRET instruction and lets you key in
The language provides two general the function's expression (as well as a
error-trapping mechanisms via the SIG guess at the root) at run rime. These four
NAL instruction . In the first, SIGNAL di programs are available in Personal
rects the program flow to a label that is REXX 1.6 source code for the IBM PC
either a string constant or an expression and compatibles on B!X, on BYTEnet, on
(whose value specifies the target label) . disk, and in the Quarterly listings °Sup
The predefined variable SIGL returns the plement. See "Program Listings" in the
offending line of source code.
table of contents. To ''find" source code
The second mechanism tackles pre in the listings areas on BIX and BITE
defined types of fatal errors by using net, search by article title, author, or
SIGNAL [ON I OFF] condition . Some issue do.re. Some archived files may con
error examples are SYNTAX, which occurs tain numerous listings for a single arti
when REXX detects a syntax error; NO cle. A description ofthe file also accom
VALUE, which occurs when an uninitial panies each entry. ]
ized variable is used to evaluate an ex
pression; and FAILURE, which occurs Capability-Oriented
when a command passed by REXX to its As a general-purpose language, Personal
environment fails.
REXX is limited by the size of its 40K
Error trapping doesn't contain any byte working memory and the absence of
program-resumption mechanism, so you math functions . It is also a fairly slow in
can't simply resume executing a troubled terpreter overall. However, its strength
program . This is acceptable since most lies in its capabilities, not its speed. Its
REXX programs are batch programs , DOS interface, hardware-access func
and a malfunctioning batch file can cause tions, and ability to address various envi
unexpected damage.
ronments, along with its parsing, word
manipulation, and string-manipulation
Testing Personal REXX
functions, make Personal REXX a very
I generated Personal REXX programs to powerful batch language. ·
run the BYTE Floating Point, Disk Write, and Disk Read benchmarks on my system. I loaded the REXX programs and interpreter from a RAM disk. For com parison, I also ran the same tests in BASICA 3 . 10 on the same machine.
The Disk Write benchmark timings were almost identical (47 seconds for
BIBLIOGRAPHY Cowlishaw, M. The REXX Language: A
Practical Approach to Programming. En
glewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1985. O ' Hara, R. , and D. Gomberg. Modern
Programming Using REXX. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1985.
Personal REXX and 46 seconds for
BASICA to write a 64K-byte sequential Namir Clement Shammas (4814 Mill
text file to a blank, fonnatted floppy Park Court, Glen Allen, VA 23060) is a
disk) . However, the Disk Read timings freelance writer and columnist for sever
differed significantly: BASICA required al microcomputing magazines. He can be
only 23 seconds to read a 64K-byte se reached on BIX as "nsluunmas. "
170 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
REVIEW : PERSO AL REXX
Circle 71 0 11 Reader Service Card
VIEWS FROM BIX:
PERSONAL REXX
oth er.langs/reviews 11 4, from Paul Hoffman.
There are over 100,000 PCs connected to IBM meinfre.mes, end probably at least 75, 000 are running CMS (Conversational Moni or System) . The feet that Personal REXX is so close to REXX under CMS means het hese users ca now control their PCs in a fashion al os identical to ho·· hey control their ma infra.mes . i.1i th more end more eop e using CMS, learning about ho·.r to use a very basic CMS tool like REXX · s very ve uab e. Personal REXX is an e xcellent 1;ay to do so . It also l ets you "rite scripts/macros/batch f es on one me.chine and easily convert hem to run on the other.
other.langs/reviews 117, from Salvatore
Ricciard i.
·
The revic·· fails to men t on tha REXX is IBM's SAA (Systems Application Architecture ) coll'.m1 ted command interpreter . Cer ain y this merits a note. he me in advantage of Personal RE XX is i s use es a repl acement for Batch end es a programmatic 1 terrace to KEDIT . I don't belleve 1t is meant to be e replecemen for BASIC . While the language features are there, perhaps it should be eviewed in the context of a command 1 terpreter tha has a good set of l anguage features.
other.langs/reviews 111 2 , from Mark Guzdial.
The product doesn't impress me from this review. i have more cepab ili ty fromthe Unix She ll or the public domain she lls for the PC , so the language descrip ion makes the product sound rather weak. But I can unders and the argumen that his is e greet enviro ent for devel oping scripts to use on CMS . That · ould impress me more and g ve me an idea of the real value of he product .
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other.langs/reviews 111 3, from Cheyenne Wi lls .
Frome language viewpoint, REX.Xis a very nice command language (if you are from the Un ix world , reed "shell language") . It · st so ..appens the t you can use the same language for yo r ed 1tor macros , or any h ing else hat has been s et up to interface ··ith it . Having REX.X on the PC mean s that I can replace a l my . BAT ' iles · 1th a "rea " language . ( BM also markets a subset of REXX for the PC . t is included w1th the VM BOND product. ) By the way, wha t I use REXX for mostly is not commend scripts, but editor macros.
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APPLICATION REVIEWS
D
@Liberty and the Baler
Paul Schauble and Rick Cook
A spreadsheet compiler lets a programmer tum a spreadsheet
These spreadsheet
the Lotus 1-2-3 version 1A for mat. It claims to process
into a tamperproof, stand-alone program. It automatkally pro
compilers are among the first
spreadsheets from Lotus 1-2-3 version 2, as long as they do not
duces a compiled version of the spreadsheet that runs faster and
of their kind
use commands unique to ver sion 2.
takes less memory than the in
The biggest weakness of
terpret.ed version, whHe producing exact the run-time manual for executing com @Liberty is its minimalist approach to
ly the same results.
piled spreadsheets. Under the program's spreadsheet progranuning . The run-time
The first generation of spreadsheet license , you cannot copy any pa.rt of the package does not support a number of
compilers makes a bold claim- that you package, so distributing the compiled Lotus 1-2-3 commands, including
can take a Lotus l-2-3 spreadsheet and spreadsheets requires buying one copy of RANGE, COPY, MOVE, DATA, and most of
speed up its execution while hiding for @Liberty for each 10 users.
the Worksheet submenu. The documen
mula information from users. You can let The typeset manual adequately covers tation claims these commands are used
other people benefit from your work the features of @Liberty, and it is easy to only for designing a spreadsheet. Unfor
without giving away your secrets.
understand. The preparer's manual is tunately, this isn't quite true; these com
The two Lotus 1-2-3 compilers we written at a fairly high level and assumes mands are often used in macros .
tested, @Liberty-pronounced "At Lib the reader is quite familiar with both To alleviate this problem, @Liberty
erty" -($99.95) from SoftLogic Solu Lotus and general computer-operating provides many additional macro
tions and the Baler version 3.27 ($495) techniques.
commands (e.g., BORDERS ON/OFF ,
from Brubaker Software , only partially The run-time manual (packaged sepa BEEP, and HOME ON/OFF). This helps, but
meet these goals . While spreadsheets rately) lacks installation instructions, and these commands are not supported by
compiled with these products give the so cannot stand alone. This is unfortu Lotus . This makes it impossible to move
same computational results as a Lotus nate, since it could have been written for a spreadsheet directly from Lotus to the
1-2-3 spreadsheet, neither of them is a less-experienced operator.
compiler. Rather than creating and test
really Lotus command set-compatible. Because of these documentation limits, ing a spreadsheet in Lotus and then com
Many spreadsheets will have to be re the compiled spreadsheets need to be op piling it, you end up using Lotus as a spe
written before compiling with either of erated by a knowledgeable person. You cialized text editor.
these products . Neither compiler is suit can't simply put one on a disk , mail it out @Liberty doesn't always tell you when
able for the casual Lotus user; both as to all your field offices , and expect un a spreadsheet will not run because of
sume that the programmer is thoroughly trained users to get it up and running.
missing commands. Some spreadsheets
familiar with MS-DOS and Lotus 1-2-3.
We tested a version of @Liberty identi compile nicely, but they bomb on exe
fied only as the "initial version." @Lib cution.
The Tests
erty consists of a separate compiler and These limitations showed up in our
We tested each of the compilers on six
run-time modules. It requires an IBM tests. Two of our sample spreadsheets
different spreadsheets. Three of these
PC-compatible machine using PC-DOS compiled without error, but failed to run.
Savage, Recalc , and Scroll-are used fre
or MS-DOS 2.0 or higher with a mono It is possible to rewrite the macros using
quently in BYTE. The other three were
chrome. CGA , EGA, VGA, or Hercules @Liberty ' s extra commands, but this re
selected from our previous projects.
video card and display . The graphing fea quires major changes. It generally is not
We ran the tests on a Multitech 900 , an tures will not operate on a standard possible to make a version of one of these
80286-based AT clone running MS-DOS monochrome monitor .
con1i11ued
3.2 with a 6-MHz clock speed and no @Liberty automatically senses and
floating-point unit (FPU). ln addition , uses an 80x87 FPU when present. Mem Paul Schauble is a computer consultant
the compiled programs were run on a ory requirements depend on the spread doing business as The Second Ring. He
standard IBM PC with and without an sheet being processed . The compiler can be reached ar 5316 West Port au
8087 FPU. We used Lotus 1-2-3 version operates on any machine with 384K bytes Prince , Glendale, AZ 85306 , or on BJX
I A for all comparisons.
of RAM, enough to support Lotus itself. as "pis. "Rick Cook is a freelance writer
The run-time module executes most mod specializing in computers and high tech
@Liberty
erate-size (1000- to 2000-cell) spread nology. He can be reached at 3820 West
@Liberty comes with one manual for the sheets on a 384K-byte machine.
Flynn, Phoenix , AZ 85019, or on BJX as
spreadsheet programmer and l 0 copies of @Liberty processes spreadsheets in "rcook. "
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 173
REVIEW: @LIBERTY AND THE BALER
Table I: The timings (in seconds) for the spreadsheet rests using @Liberty
and the Baler. File sizes are in bytes.
Savage
Recalc
Scroll Savage error
Lotus
AT clone PC w/08087 PC w/8087"
®Liberty Compile time Compile size AT clone PCw/08087 PCw/8087
Baler version 3.27 Compile time Compile size AT clone PC wlo8087 PC wl8087
39 127 127
16 33 ,391
47 166
12
656 42,661
17 163
9.3
2 5.6 5.6
33 75 ,787
2 2.3 2
520 63 ,573
1 10.8 4
39
-2.0e-08
121
121
33 75 ,787
81
282 NIA
-1 .00e-06
520 63 ,573
16 173 NIA
- 3 .5 6 e - 0 9
NIA = Not applicable: an 8087 does not affect scroll operations. · =Lotus 1·2·3 version 1A does not support an FPU .
spreadsheets that works in both Lotus and @Liberty . We did not convert these spreadsheets for this review.
The Savage, Recak, and Scroll spread sheets converted and executed without error, but none contained any macros. On Savage and Recalc, the precision of the calculations was very good. In all three cases, the final results from @Lib erty matched those from Lotus.
Although a compiled program usually executes faster than an interpreted one, @Liberty's spreadsheets were consider ably slower than the Lotus originals (see table I). Execution times without an FPU were about 20 percent to 30 percent longer than the spreadsheets run with Lo tus. However , the compiled spreadsheets were about 15 percent smaller than their Lotus counterparts. [Editor's note: Soft Logic Solutions claims that it is possible to create @liberty spreadsheets that run faster, slower, or the same as their Lotus counterparts. The individual operations in @Liberty are slightly slower than Lo tus; but where Lotus recalculates alt cells in a spreadsheet, @liberty recalculates only those cells whose values are afJeered by a previous calculation. ]
One feature of @Liberty, notably ab sent in Lotus, is control over screen colors. The @Liberty run-time package has conunands to separately change fore ground and background colors for the data and command areas on the screen; however , the commands are present only in the run-time package, so the program mer cannot select colors . Once set, colors will not be saved with the spread sheet and must be reset manually each time you load the spreadsheet.
The Baler
The Baler comes on three floppy disks in an IBM-size three-ring vinyl binder and cardboard slipcase. There is only one copy of the program and manual in the package, but the license agreement lets you make unlimited copies of the run time software, and the compiled spread sheets may be distributed without royalty or limitations. Unfortunately, this privi lege does not extend to the manual, so the progranuner has no documentation to in clude with the compiled spreadsheets. Brubaker Software would do well to pro duce a separate, copyable manual for the run-time package.
The manual assumes the reader is ex perienced with both Lotus and MS-DOS. Even so, it leaves too much unsaid . While the Baler's commands are much closer to Lotus's than @Liberty's, there are stiJJ important differences; for example, the Baler does not support deleting rows and columns from a spreadsheet. These dif ferences are not adequately explained, particularly for the file-handling com mands, and the sparse index makes it dif ficult to find information.
We reviewed the Baler version 3.27 . It requires a 512K-byte IBM PC or full compatible running MS-DOS version 2.0 or higher. The Baler does not support any form of graphics and operates only in text mode on any monitor. The memory requirement for the compiled program depends on the size of the spreadsheet. A small spreadsheet (less than 500 cells) executes on a 384K-byte machine. A hard disk drive is a practical requirement: You need to have on-line the spreadsheet, the Baler itself, QuickBASIC, the Baler run
time library. the QuickBASIC run-time library, the linker, and Lotus. You could run from floppy disks, but an edit/com pile/test cycle would have you changing disks four times.
The company says the compiler pro cesses spreadsheets from Lotus 1-2-3 versions IA, 2, and 2 .01 . It also claims the compiler can process spreadsheet files from Symphony and VP-Planner, provided that they do not use features unique to those programs .
The Baler supports an 80x87 FPU if selected on compilation. If a spreadsheet is compiled without an FPU switch, it will not use an FPU. even if one is present. If a spreadsheet is compiled for an FPU, it will use the FPU if present and emulate it if absent. However, to use an FPU, the spreadsheet must be compiled on a machine with an FPU .
Unlike @Liberty, the Baler is not complete as delivered. It generates BASIC code for Microsoft QuickBASIC version 3.0 and requires that Quick BASIC be installed with it. The Baler's installation instructions do not cover QuickBASIC.
We discovered it is possible to have QuickBASIC installed and working but not usable with the Baler. The problem is that when the Baler does its translation, it creates a batch file that has QuickBASIC calls in it and then executes this file . For this to work, QuickBASIC has to be in the same directory as the Baler or it has to be findable via the "path" variable. When we first tested the Baler, we had Quick BASIC in a directory by itself so the Baler couJdn 't find it. This requirement is not seated in the Baler documentation, but an experienced progranuner should be able to resolve these problems quickly .
The BASIC code is specific to the Baler and probably could not be adapted to other uses. Spreadsheet execution uses the QuickBASIC run-time library and follows those conventions.
One convention the Baler does nor fol low is the MS-DOS convention for han dling path names . Under MS-DOS, a filename by itself is assumed to refer to a file in the current directory. Thus, bale filen8llle would compile the spreadsheet in the current directory.
But the Baler doesn 't work that way. Instead, it remembers the path name from its last invocation and uses that path. This may help the novice user, but it is guaranteed to confuse anyone familiar with MS-DOS conventions.
Like @Liberty. the Baler also has a set color feature . A configuration file that is used by both the compiler and compiled spreadsheets determines screen colors. The configuration file is distributed with the compiled spreadsheet. so the pro
174 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
REVIEW: @LIBERTY AND THE BALER
grammer has control over colors on the screen.
Running @Liberty simply compiles a spreadsheet, whereas running the Baler brings up a configuration menu that allows removal of Lotus error checking, overriding formulas, adding fonnat com mands, specifying Range Protect, in voking the Data commands, and using the data-imerchange fonnat (DIF) facil ity. Removing these features makes the compiled spreadsheet smaller and per haps more secure. Brubaker Software claims that removing Lotus error check ing also reduces run times , but we found no significant differences .
The Baler has a menu-activated audit feature that produces reports that cross reference and document the spreadsheet. While not a substitute for testing, it helps locate problems in a large spreadsheet and serves as a permanent reference .
The Baler's execution speed was excel lent. Run times averaged about half that of Lotus and down to 40 percent of the run times from @Liberty. The price for this speed is very slow compile times. Compiling a spreadsheet with the Baler (our tests left Lotus error checking on) takes from 15 to 40 times longer than @Liberty: Most of the time was spent in the Baler itself; the QuickBASIC compile and link times were relatively insignifi cant-I minute out of a IO-minute com pile cycle.
The Baler implements much more of the Lotus command set than @Liberty ; for example, it implements the COPY, MOVE, and RANGE functions, but @Liber ty does not. The only major omission is the graphics facility. In keeping with the style of the manual , the only mention of this omission is buried in an appendix. Unique commands are also provided , mostly for additional display formats that do not affect spreadsheet operation. The compiled spreadsheet has the format corrunands , Range Protect and Unpro tect, the Data menu, and the ability to read OIF files. Despite thfa, there were stm problems with our test spreadsheets.
Of the test spreadsheets, Savage and Recalc compiled and executed without error. Precision of calculation was excel lent; the results matched Lotus to more than seven significant digits.
But error checking was a problem. We used the Savage spreadsheet to test error handling on all three products. With Lotus and @Liberty, specifying an in valid starting value resulted in a spread sheet full of error values, as first the in valid value and then the error propagated through the chain of formulas.
We ran this test through the Baler both with and without Lotus error checking enabled. With error checking, the first
@Liberty
Baler ver91on 3.27
Type
Spreadsheet compiler
Spreadsheet compiler
Company
Softlogic Solutions 1 Perimeter Rd. Manchester, NH 03101 (603) 627-9900
Brubaker Software 8825 North County Line Rd. E Lafayette. IN 47905 (317) 564-2584
Format
One 5'14·inch floppy disk
Three 51/4·lnch floppy disks
Computer
IBM PC or compatible with 384K bytes of RAM and MS·DOS
2.0 or higher with monochrome,
CGA. EGA VGA. or Hercules
video card and display
IBM PC or compatible with 512K bytes of RAM: MS-DOS 2.0 or higher and OuickBASIC 3.0
Documentation 100-page programmer's reference and ten 36-page user's manuals
A single 1.30-page manual for both programmer and user
Price
$99.95
$495 including QuickBASIC
Inquiry 892.
Inquiry 893.
formula using the incorrect value was not recalculated and kept its value. The rest
of the formulas in the chain used this value in their calculations. Without error checking, the first formula returned a completely erroneous value that was then used by all the other formulas . The result was a spreadsheet filled with incorrect values with no indication of an error. Al
though no similar problems were seen in the other tests, this did not inspire our confidence in the product.
One of our test spreadsheets failed to compile. One of the cells contained the formula @NPV(B 122,069 ... 069). The compiler converted the range 069 ... 069 to a single-cell reference 069; then it complained that the @NPV function required a range specification. This is obviously a bug rather than a de liberate design decision.
Our second test spreadsheet compiled and executed with only minor changes to
its macros. The Baler normally saves spreadsheet data in a different file than the spreadsheet itself. The macros that automatically saved 1be spreadsheet needed to have the embedded filenames changed. Although we did not do so, we could have changed the macros to execute either in Lotus or in the Baler.
Another test spreadsheet required the same change of filenames but then crashed. This spreadsheet used the Lorus / FILE COMBINE COPY NAMED command to extract data from a disk file. The Baler was unable to locate the named range;
again, this is a bug rather than a de liberate design feature.
The Savage, Recalc, and Scroll spread sheets from both compilers were exe cuted on an IBM PC with and without an 80x87 FPU .
The First of Their Kind These spreadsheet compilers are among the first of their kind . As might be ex pected of first-generation products, they have serious problems. Neither ®Liberty nor the Baler can be expected to reason ably compile a spreadsheet of any com plexity. In most cases, the spreadsheet will have to be redone for the Limitations of the chosen compiler, and the result will not run in Lotus or in the other compiler. Thfa makes it difficult to con struct and debug a spreadsheet with Lotus and then compile and distribute it. The changes required demand a new test cycle.
Unless you really need to distribute a spreadsheet in a form that keeps users from fiddling with the formulas, you are probably better off distributing uncom piJed Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets or waiting for a more developed spreadsheet compiler.
A good second-generation spreadsheet compiler should completely duplicate the command set and execution characteris tics of the spreadsheet program, except for the minimum necessary changes a compiler requires. Ideally, the spread
cominued
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 175
REVIEW: MICROSOFT'S BOOKSHELF
sheet program would have a development mode that would exactly duplicate the ef fects of the compiler.
With this combination, a spreadsheet that has been developed and tested with the interactive spreadsheet program could be compiled and distributed without modifications or the need for re testing. Not only would the compiler have most of the characteristics of the interac tive program , but the interactive program would have some of the characteristics of
the compiler. Experience with other lan guages indicates this happens only when the compiler and interpreter come from the same company.
In the meantime, it is important to use @Liberty and the Baler cautiously when you need to hide the information contained in a spreadsheet. A user can run the compiled spreadsheet but can neither modify it nor see the hidden for mulas or tables. A compiled spreadsheet can produce a publicly available result
with a secret mechanism. Another advantage is cost. You can
distribute compiled spreadsheets without having to purchase a copy of Lotus for each user. Even when you are limited to 10 spreadsheets per copy of the program , as with @Liberty, this adds up to a con siderable savings.
However , unless a present need is overwhelming, we recommend waiting for the next generation of spreadsheet compilers to appear. ·
Microsoft's
Bookshelf
Rusel DeMaria
We may be on the threshold of an era when such things become commonplace, but for now, a reference source like
Microsoft's Bookshelf represents a re markable advance in computer informa tion technology. Bookshelf is arguably the first general-purpose application for CD-ROM . Bookshelrs CD-ROM con tains the complete text of 10 major refer ence works, as well as a sophisticated memory-resident user interface designed to locate and retrieve information.
The references on the Bookshelf CD ROM (I tested version 1.00) are: The American Heritage Dictionary, The World Almanac and Book ofFacts 1987, Bartle11 's Familiar Quotations, The Chicago Manual of Style, Roget's II : Electronic Thesaurus, U.S. ZJP Code Di rectory; Houghton-Mifflin Spelling Veri fier and Corrector, Forms and Letters, Houghton-Mifflin Usage Alert, and Business Infonnation Sources (compiled by the Regents of the University of California).
Since most of its resources are avail able in book form, you might well wonder what makes Bookshelf such a superior reference source. For starters, Bookshelfs fast search features and its ability to cut and paste directly from CD ROM to various personal-computer word processors reduce research time dramati cally. For example, The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1987 is nearly 1000 pages of tightly compressed text. Imagine searching such a book for every reference to the city of San Francisco; the task could easily take days. With Bookshelf, you can locate, read, and even transfer passages in a matter of minutes; it took
me about 20 minutes to locate and read every reference to San Francisco in The World Almanac and Book ofFacts 1987.
You can execute Bookshelf either as a stand-alone application or as a terminate and-stay-resident (TSR) program. When operating Bookshelf as a TSR, you can call it up from within other applications.
Bookshelf fully supports several major word processors, including Microsoft Word (I tested version 3.1), PC-Write version 2.71, WordPerfect 4.2, Multi Mate Advantage (version I), IBM Dis playWrite III , Volkswriter 3, XyWrite III and III Plus, and WordStar 4. It also rec ognizes Lotus 1-2-3 and Multiplan, but it does not perform automatic lookup and replacement or paste into these applica tions . Other word processors and text edi tors may allow a limited interface. For instance, in tests with programs not specifically supported (a beta copy of Borland 's Sprint and Broderbund 's MemoryMate), I found that lookup and cut-and-paste functions worked very well, but automatic text replacement was disabled in the spelling corrector and thesaurus.
lnstatung and Learning To use Bookshelf, you need an IBM PC--<:ompatible computer, MS-DOS or PC-DOS 3.1 or higher, a CD-ROM drive, and the MS-DOS CD-ROM exten sions (device drivers generally supplied with the CD-ROM drive that allow your PC to operate the CD-ROM drive as though it were a single, large disk drive). I tested Bookshelf on an 8-MHz AT with 640K bytes of memory, a 30-megabyte hard disk drive, a 1.2-megabyte floppy
disk drive , a 360K-byte floppy disk drive, and an Amdek LaserDrive 1.
Before installing Bookshelf, you must instaJI the CD-ROM drive and its driver software. You then execute the Setup program, which presents questions about your equipment and uses your responses to complete installation of the software and modification of the AU10EXEC .BAT file on your floppy disk or hard disk (whichever you boot from) . The full set of programs uses about 600K bytes of disk space . To load Bookshelf as a TSR, simply enter books from the PC-DOS prompt; to run the program in stand alone mode, enter books /s.
Once instaJled, the CD-ROM drivers add about 13K bytes to your system's en vironment space used by the CON FIG.SYS file . Microsoft's CD-ROM ex tension driver adds another 28K bytes , and the Books program uses another 135K bytes when residing in memory ; thus , Bookshelf requires at least l 76K bytes of free RAM . Ifyou want to run any worthwhile applications with Bookshelf installed as a TSR, you 'IJ probably need a 512K-byte machine. Although Bookshelf is tolerant of some other TSR programs (e.g ., you can use it with SuperKey if you folJow instructions given in a READ.ME file on the Bookshelf CD), Microsoft recommends using Bookshelf without other TSRs . If you discover a conflict while running Bookshelf in TSR mode, you can remove the program from mem ory using the Unload command.
The documentation consists of a short reference and installation guide and a quick-reference pamphlet to commands. The Learn program on the CD takes you through an excellent guided tour of the program and its capabilities. Finally, there is on-line help available through either context-sensitive help screens or a help index .
Using Bookshelf
Bookshelf uses the type of interface pop ularized by Apple's Macintosh: pull down menus and dialog boxes with but tons and text entry fields. Bookshelf
176 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
REVlEW : MICROSOFT'S BOOKSHELF
works with the Microsoft Mouse as well as the PC Mouse from Mouse Systems, but you can also use the program from the keyboard.
When running Bookshelf as a TSR, you call it up by pressing AJt- Left Shift, which causes the Bookshelf menu bar to appear at the top of the screen. At this point, you can hit the first letter of any menu item (e.g., Tforthesaurus), or you can use the Alt key in combination with a letter key to implement a search or open a particular dialog box.
For example, if you press Alt- Left Shift, then immediately press AJt-T, the thesaurus opens and searches for syn onyms of any word at the current cursor location (the cursor can be either inside the word or just past it) . This allows you to type a word and then immediately check its spelling or look for synonyms or a definition.
Moving around within dialog boxes, which are common to most references, is awkward if you ' re using the keyboard . The Tab key moves from one text entry field or button to the next. The space bar executes the current button , but the Re turn key executes the default selection (the default selection's button is sur rounded by a double bar) . I often found myself pressing the Return key out of habit when I should have pressed the space bar. (You don't have these prob lems if you use a mouse.)
Bookshelf also uses Macintosh-like scrdl bars to handle tables that are longer or wider than a single screen. AJthough the keyboard works well for scrolling up and down a long table (using the PageUp and PageDown keys), it is sluggish when you scroll across a table wider than one screen. However , you can quickly hide individuaJ columns of any table to bring off-screen columns into view. Addition aJly, you can lock titles on long tables so that column header information is always displayed as you scroll through the data. (This feature works automatically unJess you tum it off from the Options menu.)
The zoom fearures make Bookshelfop erate a little like a hypertext document. [Editor's Note: For a description of hy pertext, see William Hershey 's review of Guide in the October 1987 BYTE.] If you find a reference to a subject in an index or a table of contents, zooming lets you go to the chapter, subheading, or paragraph levels, or directly to the text of that entry . Some searches reveal onJy the chapter, the subhead, or the fi.rst lines of particu lar results, and you can go to the full text by pressing Return, or you can use Zoom In to move down one level. Some entries contain cross-references ; others contain footnotes. Special commands under the Options menu let you view these supple
mentary texts and, in the case of cross referenced material, to return to the origi nal text immediately .
You can copy up to 50 lines of text at a time into Bookshelf's clipboard; for long passages, you can copy the first 50 lines , then append to the clipboard for as much data as you need . Finally, you can paste the entire contents of the clipboard into your word processor.
Whenever you discover an important passage, table, or other text that you ' ll want to refer to again, Bookshelf lets you create bookmarks. You add a descriptive title to each bookmark, and later, when you want to return to that point, you sim ply choose View Bookmark (AJt-0) from the Options menu and select the particu lar bookmark's name. Since Bookshelf stores bookmarks on your hard disk or floppy disk, the number of bookmarks you can create is limited by the amount of free disk space you have .
The References Using Bookshelf's thesaurus , you can lo cate synonyms for a word in text or a word that you enter into the thesaurus's dialog box. You can also perform multi ple searches and cross-reference the re sults of a search (i.e.· search for a syn onym to a synonym) . If you 're using a Bookshelf-compatible word processor, you can automatically replace the origi naJ word on your screen with the selected synonym.
Bookshelf's American Heritage Dic tionary contains the definitions and ori gins of over 200,000 words. Its limited phonetic spelling checker is usefuJ on occasion, but I would not rely on it in place of Bookshelf's separate spelling verifier. On the other hand, the wealth of words and their definitions makes this an extremely useful dictionary . For exam ple, "rise" has 35 distinct definitions, many with sample sentences, as well as a set of synonyms and their definitions .
The dictionary ' s search capabilities are impressive. I searched for all defini tions that contained both the words "scientific " and "mathematical , " and within about 10 seconds , the program presented four entries: "engineering," "index," "operations research," and "parameter." In contrast, a search for definitions containing either "scientific" or "mathematicaJ" took about 27 sec onds but located 210 entries.
The dictionary also features a biogra phy and geography section. Each entry is brief; for example, the biographical entry for Nikola Tesla reads: "Tesla, Nikola . 1856- 1943 . Croatian-born Amer. elec trical engineer, physicist , and inventor."
The Houghton-Mifflin Spelling Veri fier and Corrector can check the spelling
Bookshelf version 1.00
Type Multifaceted reference and lookup tool onCO·ROM
Company Microsoft Corp. 16011 Northeast 36th Way P.O. Box 97017 Redmond. WA 98073·9717 (206) 882-8080
Format
One CD-ROM (High Sierra format)
Hardware Required
IBM PC or compatible; if Bookshelf is
used as a TSR . it requires a minimum of
512K bytes of memory for a hard disk
drive system (640K bytes for floppy disk
drive systems and 256K bytes if used
stand.alone); Microsoft Mouse or PC
Mouse recommended
Software Required
MS·DOS or PC-DOS 3 .1 or higher: CD·
ROM drive with MS-DOS CD-ROM
extensions; compatible word processor
(recommended). CD·ROM drive
supported by Microsoft CD-ROM
extension software; dri ves supported
include Hitachi 1502S/1503S, Sony
CDU -100, and Amdek LaserDrive· 1.
Documentation
Short reference and install ation guide:
quick·reference pamphlet; on·disk tutorial
program Learn: help screens
Price
Disk alone: $295
Bundled with Amdek LaserDrive , MS
DOS CD·ROM extensions. and controller
card: $1285
Inquiry 894.
of an individual word or an entire screen of text . If it finds a word it doesn't recog nize, it offers you the opportunity to search for alternative spelHngs, Jook up another word or speUing, add the word to a user dictionary (so that it can be identi fied in the future) , ignore the word, re place it, or cancel the search. (It does not bypass additional occurrences of ignored words encountered during the same search, however.)
The spelling verifier is phonetically based (e.g ., it will find "psychotic " from "sikotic"), but it isn't perfect. I asked it to look up the misspelled word "cronic" ; it found "ironic." When I instructed it to seek more alternatives, it found "conic" and finally, on the third try, " chronic ." By contrast, Microsoft Word 3. 1 on the
conrinued
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 177
REVIEW: MGMSTATION CAD
Macintosh found "chronic" the first time but failed the "sikotic-psychotic" test.
Bookshelfs Usage Alert tool checks the proper usage of words and phrases. For instance, you may be unsure whether you should use "effect" or "affect" in a particular sentence. Usage Alert deter mines whether an individual word (or an entire screen of text) has usage rules associated with it. The usage rules dis played are brief definitions. (For exam ple, principle is defined as "rule, law" and principal as "chief, money.") You also can suppress certain words or phrases so that they will not be flagged during a Usage Alert scan.
The Chicago Manual ofStyle is a well known reference for English language usage . As a Bookshelf reference , it offers almost instantaneous access to the rules governing good writing. For elWllple, if you have a question regarding punctua tion within parentheses, you can search for entries containing "punctuation" and "parentheses." You might want to nar row the search to only paragraphs that contain references to "punctuation" and "parentheses," or further narrow it to refer to " question marks" and " parenthe ses. " Searches of this type usually yield results in less than 10 seconds.
The World Almanac and Book ofFacts 1987 is a massive compendium of infor mation ranging from who won the 1985 Academy Awards to a complete list of U.S. senators , imports and exports from each state , and many other interesting facts and statistics. With the Almanac, the capabilities of Bookshelf make the search possibilities virtually endless.
Not all words can be the target of search operations. You cannot search for numbers other than four-digit years (e.g ., 1987); nor can you use wild cards, so you have to design searches exactly. The good news is that you can put several search criteria on one line (for OR operations; the string to request a search for Califor nia or Michigan might read California, CA, Michigan, Ml), and you can have up to three levels of AND operators. If you want to search for infonnation containing references to California and cotton, you would place "California" on one text entry line of the dialog box and "cotton" on another.
With over 22,500 quotations in Bart
lett's Familiar Quotations , you should never be at a loss for someone else's words . You can search by author or by subject mauer and construct complex searches on multiple criteria. A search for entries containing references to "crime" or "money" and "politics" came up with one entry from Aristotle and another from Will Rogers .
The Business Information Sources ref
erence contains a compendium of busi ness resources, including periodicals and books, government agencies, specific market-oriented groups , and other infor mation for business users. A search for references to " advertising" and "televi sion" revealed seven entries, which in cluded books about television advertising as well as statistical articles.
You use the ZIP code locater to look up five-digit ZIP codes for standard postal addresses. You can either enter addresses into the ZIP code locater' s dialog box or place the cursor after the state in a stan dard two-line address so that when you call up Bookshelf, it reads the address di rectly from your word-processing docu ment. (It also will paste the complete ad dress back into your document when it has located the ZIP code.)
Although the ZIP code locater even supports post office boxes, it isn't fool proof. In one test, it failed to recognize an address as valid , and in another it re turned the wrong ZIP code for a post of fice box in New York City. The problem in both these cases was that the official U.S. ZIP Code Directory contains more than one listing for these addresses, but the program did not rerurn a message to that effect. In all 0th.er tests, however, ii returned the proper ZIP codes in under 5 seconds .
If you've ever wondered how to phrase a difficult· letter or set up a financial fonn, then you should appreciate Book shelfs Forms and Letters reference. Di vided into four categories (Business Forms, Business Letters, Business Out 1ines and Checklists , and Personal Forms), the Forms and Letters reference is full of useful information and practical templates . There are financial forms
(e.g. , financial statements , cash dis bursements, and expense tracking); busi ness letters of all kinds (with helpful hints); special outlines for marketing plans, pricing, and other business appli cations; and several personal finance forms as well . The Fonns and Letters' Transfer Forms option will transfer an entire form directly to a fully supported word processor. Even if you're using an application that Bookshelf does not sup port, copy and paste procedures often work. As a last resort, you can copy the form to the clipboard, then save the clip boa1d to an ASCII file .
Let Your Fingers Do the Walking Bookshelf's few flaws do not detract from its overall value as a reference . About the only thing missing is an en cyclopedia .
There is no question that Bookshelf puts at your fingertips a library of infor mation that won't simply sit on the shelf. It's so easy to find and extract what you want that Bookshelf invites usage in ways that ordinary books do not.
One of the greatest pleasures Book shelf offers is the opportunity to browse through reference works any time the mood strikes. Finding useful information is aided by powerful search features , but it is also aided by the convenience of a computer interface that can often lead to serendipitous discoveries. For profes sional writers, students, business people, and anyone who likes to have lots of infor mation, Bookshelf is more than a refer ence; it is an opportunity. ·
Ruse/ DeMaria is a freela11ce writer. He can be contacted at 109 Akea Place. Kula, HI 96790.
MGMStation CAD
Rusel DeMaria
MGMStation CAD version 2 .091I, from Micro CAD/CAM Inc ., is a powerful two-dimensional drafting program that runs on most Macintoshes (512K Mac, Mac XL, Mac Plus, Mac SE and Mac II) and costs $799. MGMStation CAD is not a simple, freehand sketch application, nor is it MacDraw . This program pro duces high-precision drawings to be used in machining and industrial design. Its floating-point accuracy and finely tuned user interface also allow it to be used by professional draftsmen , architects, or
electrical engineers. Billed as "Professional CAD for the
Mac," Micro Graphics Manufacturing Station CAD (or MOMS , for short) of fers a wide variety of drafting tools in the form of menus and icons . In addition to the basic tools of the trade (e .g. , points, lines, arcs, and fillets), MGMS can
create and manipulate symbol libraries. create groups from individual drawing entities, calculate and draw dimension statements, use built-in plotter support,
continued
178 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
When Your Computer Sends An S.O.S.
- - -It Can ·~l::.L I UH NU I l"UUNU
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Cost You
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No matter what they say, e very one of these messages usually means : data los s due.to hard disk fa ilure. Part of your business is suddenly missing-in-action. So you call technical support. Pay for unnecessary repair or replacement. Pay overtime attempting to recover or reconstruct as much of your scrambled information as possible. Spend your valuable time soothing customers' ruffled leathers because one of your computers is "down." Again
T hink about it a momen t : how much have these disguised hard disk error messages already cost you in unrecoverable data. time and torture?
Disk Techniciantm keeps a history in its database of failure pallerns it detects. The astounding accuracy of Disk Techniciantm and the long -term reliability of your hard disks depend on decisions reached by its artificial intelligence (Al) considering data gathered from previous tests It has performed
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·NEW! Hardware Service/Repair section in
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any time. non-destructively (no need to
remove your programs or data), without
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·Works with 2 physical hard disk drives on a single system. Can be reset to opera te on a new machine or hard disk by calling the factory.
· Even works on finicky 1. 2 megabyte AT -type floppy disk drives.
· Ouiksta/Pm installation guide and 60 Second Instruction ManuaPm get you going fast and are all you will need to run Disk Techniciantm.
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Disk Tec hnlclan1m and Disk Techn ician ~tm Automated Al Software Systems virtually eliminate these DOS error messages by eliminating the hard disk problems that cause them . Both are designed to work with IBM PC , XT. AT and true clones.
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There is simply no other program that can deliver what Disk Technicianrm does. Over 7 years' painstaking R&D were needed to
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JA ARY t988 · B Y T E 179
REVIEW: MGMSTATION CAD
MGMStatlon CAD version 2.0911
Type CAD program
Company Micro CAD/CAM Inc. 5900 Sepulveda Blvd . #340 Van Nuys. CA 9141 1 (818) 376-0008
Format Three 400K·byte 31h·inch floppy disks: one system disk with installation program and device drivers and two master disks with MGMS CAD application; key disk is requi red
Implementation Language Macintosh Programmers' Workshop Pascal
Computer 512K Mac (with two disk drives). Mac XL. Mac Plus. Mac SE. or Mac II
Software Required System 3.2: Finder 5.3 or higher
Output Devices Supports lmagewriter and LaserWriter printers and Houston DMP series, Hewlett-Packard and compatibles. Graftek, Gould, and Apple Color pen plotters and Roland plotters
Documentation Micro Graphic Manufacturing Station, 145 pages
Prtce $799 for CAD package with plotter drivers and Geometry Analysis module (calculates area. perimeter. moment of inertia, etc.)
Options IGES module: $500 MGMS CAD/CAM : $7000
Inquiry 895.
and more. I evaluated MGMS on a Mac II with 2 megabytes of RAM and an NEC MultiSync color monitor.
User Interface
MGMS's user interface is one of its more controversial features . Although it de parts from some traditional Mac pro cedures, given the context of precision drawing, it is both logical and easy to use. Many commands are used for the exact placement of points, lines , arcs , and
other entities and often require some key board input or several mouse clicks to identify exact locations. Thjs method of manipulation does not resemble the typi cal MacDraw point-and-drag operations .
One variation on the Mac interface is MGMS's use of icons. The usual pull down menus are present, but along the left side of the screen are 11 icons; each icon represents a submenu of graphic functions. Though this system differs from the traditional Mac interface it allows many commands to be accessed from one screen without excessive sub menu levels.
Another variation is MGMS 's imple mentation of user prompts. A typical Mac application prompts you for an action using a dialog box that has a message and option buttons. MGMS blanks the menu bar and places a message there with your options. Rather than using a mouse, you type the first character of the option per forming the selected action. or type the requested information (text or digits) and hit the Return or Enter key. For example, when selecting Quit from the File menu , MGMS prompts Save the document be fore exit? ·Yes · · No · ; typing n causes MGMS to discard the file and return you to the desktop.
Many menu choices set the program into a specific mode of operation . For in stance, choosing Delete allows you to delete specific entities from a drawing. You delete by cljcking on a particular line, curve, or shape . You stay in delete mode until you leave it by using one of MGMS ' s convenience features-the " mouse escape." To escape any ongoing mode , you just move the mouse to the left-hand row of icons, aborting the current action. When working with MOMS, this mouse-escape technique be comes second nature.
Pull-down menus control general fea tures of the program: The File menu con trols file operations, printing, and plot ting; the Zoom menu controls various zoom options; and the Group menu con trols group operations . The General menu allows you to undo certain com mands and modify the grid and drawing sizes, as well as repaint all the elements of a drawing, or only the actual drawing group itself (leaving out dimensions, labels, and hatching). The Hatch menu selects various hatch-and-fill patterns (a future version will allow you to select color on the Mac II). The Text menu se lects the labeling mode. The Library menu handles specific library functions, and the Cale menu summons an on screen calculator.
MGMS handles measurements in both the English and metric systems. When entering feet and inches, you can enter a
value-for example , JO feet , 6 inches-as !Of 6; as tolal inches (126); as decimal feet (IO .Sf); or as a fraction (IO l/2f). You can enter a measurement in meters or feet at any time by entering the appro priate letter (i .e., Sm would represent S meters) . Usable coordinate systems in clude polar coordinates (by angles), Car tesian coordinates (x and y), or user defined grid coordinates.
Construction Icons
The 11 icon menus used in the actuaJ
construction of drawings are Point, Line ,
Arc, Fillet, Sect(ion), Spline, Rotate, Mir
ror, Dimen(sion) , Types (lines) , and De
lete. Within each menu are several choices
used in creating precision drawings .
MGMS excels at precision drawing . Many options allow exacr placement of objects, lines, arcs, and other details. Under the Point menu, there are options for setting an absolute point; increment ing the position of an existing point: choosing a new or an existing point; and finding the midpoint/vector point, a poim on an existing arc , a polar increment point, a point on the grid , or any free point. The Line menu includes automatic creation and exact placement of parallel lines ; and lines perpendicular to other lines , arcs, free lines, and so on.
You can create all kinds of arcs and cir cles from existing points in a drawing : from exact center, radius or angle dimen sions entered at the keyboard, or in sever al other ways. In addition, the Fillet menu offers easy ways to create a fillet (an arc that forms part of an imaginary circle and is tangent to two objects) between lines , lines and arcs, two arcs , from arc to point, and tangent between two arcs or tangent between an arc and a point. An other option, Fillet All Corners, lets you create fillets on all comers of a figure in one continuous operation.
The Sect(ion) menu enables you to re section lines and arcs and trim intersect ing lines and arcs. This menu also in cludes chamfering (connecting two nonparallel lines by another straight line-similar to filleting , but with straight lines instead of arcs).
The Spline menu contains options that create shapes, curves, and contour off sets . You can, for instance, use a pre pared file of Cartesian coordinates (per haps originally generateo from a spreadsheet or database) to define a com plex curve, or you can enter up to 80 co ordinate pairs from the keyboard. The program then creates a smooth curve between the starting and ending coordi nates , using the intermediary points as guides . These coordinates approxjmate the use of a spline in manually drawn
continued
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JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 181
REVIEW: MGMSTATION CAD
MGM works on a
standard Macintosh
screen. However, it
works better on a large
screen display because
more data in a large
design is visible.
curves. The Spline menu also has com mands for creating contour offsets for both open and closed figures. You can create inside or outside offsets after you've selected the distance. In effect, the contour offsets create an outline of any shape in the drawing.
The Shapes option, found under the Spline menu, allows you to select prede fined shapes, such as rectangle, round rectangle, hexagon/polygon, slot, and D hole. For each shape, you enter the ap propriate dimensions from the keyboard, and the program creates the shape at the current point in the drawing.
The Rotate menu is similarly versatile, letting you rotate and duplicate defined groups in various ways, such as to spe cific points on the drawing or to a point indicated with the mouse. You also can click and drag groups to a new location or assign them to a new coordinate location entered from the keyboard.
Mirroring allows you to create mirror images around the x or the y axis or around a sloping x or y axis. You can choose to include or exclude hatching in the mirrored image.
Dimensions let you mark the two points of a dimension line, then mark where the line should be drawn. You can select different hash marks for the dimen sion lines from a special Install program that 's run separately. You also can nest dimension lines or run them together in one Jong, subdivided line. The only drawback to dimensioning applies to ar chitects: The vertical dimension state ment cannot be placed along the edge of the object or rotated at angles ; it always displays horizontally inside the dimen sion line. Other than that, MGMS offers instant and effortless dimensioning.
Organizing the Data You can zoom a drawing by setting a new scale or by outlining a portion of the drawing using Cursor Zoom. You can use Cursor Zoom many Limes to blow up spe cific details of the drawing, returning instantly to the full picture using the
Original View command or typing Conunand-B (one of the useful keyboard equivalent commands for selections in the menu bar).
MOMS works on a standard Mac screen. However, it works better on a large screen display such as Megagraphic Images' MegaScreen because more data in a large drawing is readily accessible; on a smaller screen , you spend a lot of time scrolling about the drawing. At first, I found the lack of keyboard equivalents in the left-hand icon menus to be annoy ing. Constant scrolling of the mouse to the left side ofa large screen was cumber some, but setting the mouse-tracking speed to a higher rate in the Control Panel solved the problem.
Grouping is accomplished in one of two ways: by clicking on individual enti ties or by defining a region with the mouse. Although MGMS does not have true layering, you can treat groups as layers since you can hide or display any defined group at any time. As an exam ple, you might have a plumbing layout de fined as one group in a house plan . By hiding or displaying that group, you could effectively work within different "layers." The disadvantage to this, how ever, is that in order to make alterations, you have to ungroup the plumbing group, alter it, and then regroup it.
You can define any group as a symbol in a symbol library . Libraries can contain up to 56 symbols, but you can have un limited numbers of libraries. You can pick any symbol from the libraries, rotate or scale it, then paste it into a drawing at whatever point you choose. Then, if nec essary, you can ungroup the symbol , modify it, delete it, or manipulate it using normal group commands.
For more complex effects, you can even load an existing drawing over the current one. You also can import Mac Draw (or compatible) documents or ex port in PICT format via the Clipboard.
You label drawings in the text mode . Labeling is versatile, allowing various types of text displays and labels. You can enter comments, labels, balloons , or tables of entries. Text size can be modi fied as a percentage of the total drawing, but only two fonts are available: Monaco and a special Symbol font . Also, text can not be rotated. You can, however, choose different types of pointers, select the exact position at which the text should point , and modify the position and size of text labels as needed.
Documentation and Add-On Modules MGMS comes with a fairly basic manual and tutorial that-considering its size and complexity-is remarkably easy to learn. However, the learning time required
varies depending on how much prior CAD experience a user has.
This is not a package for casual graph ics applications. Its real strength is its fine precision. Some experimentation is nec essary to achieve fluidity with the pro gram. Experienced users of both Auto CAD and MGMS will like the laner's accuracy of object placement and speed of drawing construction. MGMS' s user interface makes designing easier with MGMS than with AutoCAD.
MOMS has a few add-on modules available fromMicro CAD/CAM or from third-party vendors. For those people needing full CAD/CAM capabilities , MGMS is ideal because it is often mar keted with the Manufacturing Design Systems CAM program (called MOMS CAD/CAM) for accurate manufacturing applications. It costs $7000, but this includes installation and training, and MGMS CAD/CAM uses the Mac and a serial connection to drive manufacturing equipment, quite unlike the situation where buying a software product and reading a manual will suffice. Another company, Compu-Arch, offers three symbol libraries: architectural symbols (for $195) , electronic and electrical drafting symbols ($195), and interior de sign symbols ($195). Micro CAD/CAM also offers an Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (lGES) module for $500.
A Geometry Analysis program also is included with MGMS bur, according to the manufacturer, it will eventually be an optional add-on module. The program can determine the area, perimeter, mo ment of inertia, and center of gravity of a contour or figure . Results can be saved to a file if required.
CAD for the Professional MGMS is a powerful and versatile CAD program for the Macintosh whose user interface is designed to achieve precision drawings ; it may not appeal to people who like to point, click, and drag every thing. At times, the precision features may inhibit free-form creativity, but for those who need precise results, that may be a small price to pay. In some cases, it makes sense to do the more free-form work in MacDraw, then import the re sults to MOMS for further refinement.
Although some Mac users have criti cized the user interface's departure from the Mac standard, I think it serves its pur pose well. It takes getting used to , but once you pass the learning curve, it pro vides a great deal of utility, and it lets users accomplish goals in record time . ·
Ruse/ DeMaria is a freelance writer. He can · be contacted at 109 Akea Place,
Kula , HI 96790.
182 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
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A Writer's Tools
Jerry Pournelle
I'm back at Chaos Manor after many adventures. Prince of
Editors, spelling
sert a formfeed character_ WordStar does much the same
Mercenaries is finished-well, checkers, and CD-ROMs: searching thing with its .pa command .
there's still the exciting final
This method is clean , neat, and
chapter to do, but that's plotted, and action scenes are easy to
for the perfect system
intuitive. Q&A Write tries to be " what
write-and ought to be out from
you see is what you get ," or
Baen Books sometime in 1988. I spent a you can search for all italic characters and " WYSIWYG," which means that it not
couple of weeks in Silicon Valley, mostly replace them with underlines in one oper only shows you the page breaks, but all
working on the book, but I also got to ation. You can even convert all italic cats the blank lines at the top and the bottom
Hackers 3 .0- the third edition of the into boldface dog.<; if you ' ve a mind to.
of the page. This is annoying if you're
Hackers ' Conference-and some press As it happens, some of the early chap trying to write a column. I don't need to
conferences. When I got back to Chaos ters of Prince of Mercenaries had been see an electronic analogue of paper.
Manor, the place was, of course, filled written on old Zeke the Z80 using CP/M The page breaks can be eliminated,
with stuff, so it's hard to see where I WRITE, which defines underlining by though, if you tell Q&A Write that your
should begin.
enclosing the text to 5e underlined in page length is zero . This seems a bit odd ,
underbar characters, _ thus_. I devel but it does work, and it 's what I used
Text-Editor Blues
oped a macro that would search for the when I wrote Prince ofMercenaries; and
I wrote Prince of Mercenaries with Sy first underbar character, delete it, mark after all, when you ' re writing letters it
mantec's Q&A Write. This is one of the text as italic until it came to the next really is nice to see the page breaks, so
those programs I have to call infuriatingly underbar, delete that, and go find the that additional capability is a bonus.
excellent. I've written about it before, next set.
I stored my manuscript as one-chapter
and normally I wouldn't use so much This worked fine until it found the very files. Q&A Write is a " text in memory "
space on one program, but the problems last phrase marked by underbars, after editor , meaning that there 's a finite
are illustrative. Let me explain.
which it did strange things . Eventually, I length to the size of a document you can
First, Q&A Write is, in the main, ex discovered that Q&A Write didn't stop work on . Some people object to that, but
traordinarily easy to use. The documen searching and replacing when it reached it's all rigbt by me. I'd as soon break my
tation is spotty, varying from pretty good the end of the text. Instead, it wrapped work into chapter-size chunks.
to positively harmful. I'm beginning to back to the beginning and started over.
However, when I print the stuff, I like
think that no tex.t editor can have really "Intolerable," I muttered . Spelunking to have a different header on each chap
good documentat ion . Still , the help through the manual , I found that if I ter, so that if I'm thumbing through the
screens really are nice, and most of the pressed PageDown after I entered the printed tex.t and find an error, it's easy to
instructions are quite intuitive.
search and replace command mode, I see from the header which chapter I'm in .
Symantec has thoughtfully built in the could tell the editor to stop searching at I tend to use a single running header re
old WordStar commands-Control-G de the end of the text. I could even make that lated to the title, then the chapter num
letes a character. Control-T deletes a the default. If you press the Help key (FI) ber, so that Prince ofMercenaries would
word, Control-F jumps forward a word, when in search and replace mode, you 'II have headings like " Prince- I" and
and so on-as well as the more " modem" learn things not discussed in the manual . "Prince-2."
commands, like Control- right arrow to There are pages of options. Score more Alas, Q&A Write won 't let you put
jump forward a word.
points for Symantec.
headers on a pageless document. WRITE
Q&A Write also has a very good macro I ran into at least a dozen things like accepts dot commands: you say . lh
capability . Thus, if you grew up on Elec that, poorly documented or even undocu Prince-2 (beginning the line with the
tric Pencil, you can redefine Control-Y to mented features , until I began to believe . lh, of course), and from that point on ,
be "delete to end of line" and Control-U there wasn't anything that program every page has a left header of "Prince
to be "delete entire line." Indeed, you couldn't do. Then came time to print.
2" until you put a different . lh command
can key nearly any multistroke sequence
continued
to be accomplished by a single command. PagingJ Paging
Good macro capability is essential in a My old text editor, CP/M WRITE , Jerry PourneUe holds a doctorate in psy
text editor.
doesn't bother with pages. You just type chology and is a science fiction writer
Second, it has a quite sophisticated in what you want. If you want to force a who also earns a comfortable living writ
search-and-replace facility . For example, page break at a particular point , you in- ing about computers present and future.
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 185
CHAOS MANOR
in the text stream. Similarly, you can have variable footers if you like. Not with Q&A Write. Unless your document has been saved with a finite page length, the program won't accept headers or footers at all.
Well, I thought , all right, I'll tell each chapter it now has 66-line pages, and then I'll add my headers . This was a bit of work I hadn't expected to have to do, but it's easier than rewriting the book with some other word processor, which is what I'd probably have had to do, since I don't have a program that converts Q&A Write files to WordPerfect or WordStar.
Before I went to all that work, though, I thought I'd experiment a bit; and that's just as well , since I'd have been wasting my time.
In Memoriam
Nearly every text editor I've used has been a "text in memory" editor: it works only on files it can hold in memory, and it can't create a file larger than the mem ory space it has to work with. As I said above, some people hate thfa, but it has never bothered me.
The advantage of " memory only" pro cessing is speed. The disadvantage is that if you want to do a global search and re place, you have to do it for every one of your files . (This is enough of a disadvan tage that I've sometimes concatenated WRITE files into one big WordMaster file , done the global replacements , then broken the text back into chapter-size files .)
It's not a problem for printing, at least not with CP/M WRITE , which has provi sions for linking files: at the end of the file , you simply put I FILENAME . EXT as the last line (where the filename you give is the filename for the next chapter) , and when you go to print, the linked files are automatically read in and printed.
There was once a version of WRITE that actually used the linkages to control search and replace as well , but that got lost in a later version. It would be a great advantage if you could optionally do search and replace through linked files , but it's not vital. Clearly, though, "text in memory" editors simply must allow print linkages . This seems so obvious, I never thought about how Q&A Write would handle long documents until I was ready to print Prince of Mercenaries.
I found out soon enough . The program solves the problem by ignoring it.
That is: Q&A Write has a provision for linking files. You merely insert a com mand of the form JOIN filename, whkh has about the same effect as WRITE's link in that, when you 're printing , as the program comes to the J OIN command, it reads in the referenced file and prints it.
Alas , it doesn 't do that very welJ, be cause it ignores the new file's header. The header you put on the very first page of your document will be the header you get for the rest of it.
In fact, JOIN ignores the formatting saved with the file and reformats the in coming file to conform with the format ting (e.g., margins, page length, single or double-spaced) of the file that contains the J OIN. That's all right, but it wouldn't give me a different header for each chap ter. Whatever header I started printing with would be what I'd keep.
There is another way. Instead of JOIN, you can use the Q&A Write QUEUE file name command. This one treats the new file as a separate document and thus pre serves the header and footer (and format ting) you put on it when you saved it. Since all the chapters were saved as page less documents, I'd have had to call up each one and change those formats, then save the document again . That might have been worth doing-but JOIN begins the page numbers all over again each time that it calls in a document. That wasn't precisely what I wanted either.
No WYSIWYG It took me about 3 frustrating hours to discover all this. I decided to go with the JOIN system. That is, I created a docu ment that contained a title page, followed by *JOIN PRINCEl.QW*, the page-break command, *JOIN PRINCE2.QW* , page break, and so on , all through the 20-odd chapters. This was pretty tedious, but at least I'd get consecutive page numbers from beginning to end. Publishers like that. ..
Halfway through that process I had an idea. Since I want to create my docu ments in the "pageless" mode-that is, give the program a page length of zero but I also want them to have headers, sup pose I tell the program that the page has, not zero length, but a very long length, say, 99,999 lines? That way I'd get a header, but no page breaks. It was a good idea, too; but Q&A Write won't accept page lengths longer than about 200 or so. Back to zero page lengths. Tediously , I created the JOIN document .
Now, of course, I wanted to print my book double-spaced. Fine. Tell the Q&A Write program that. It accepts the com mand-and does nothing with it. It will print a document double-spaced, all right, but it doesn 't show the double spaced page breaks .
It doesn't even tell how many pages the document will be: it continues to act as if you were going to print single-spaced. Since one of the options in Q&A Write is to print from page X to page Y, it is a lit tle odd to tell it to print from page l to
page 7 in order to produce 13 pages of double-spaced tel'\t.
When I called Symantec about that, I was told that Q&A Write wasn't intended as an editor to create books. It's mostly meant for business correspondence. I told them I bet there are quite a few peo ple out there who have to create a long document once in a while .
Font Support If that weren 't bad enough, Q&A Write likes to boast of its ability to handle type fonts, and, indeed, it does that in a fairly simple way. I have the Z font for my Hew lett-P'ackard LaserJet Plus, and it's won derful, with three sizes each of Times Roman and Helvetica, plus some others. Normally, telling the LaserJet Plus about its fonts is a black art, but Q&A Write does this automatically and can change fonts within a line.
This sounded great , and I wanted to use the feature to write fancy letters with several fonts . Alas, if you tell Q&A Write to print your document in Times Roman
of the same point size as Courier 10-pitch
(the LaserJet Plus defuult), it does that nicely, but the page breaks and line-end breaks have zero relationship to what you see on the screen . Formatting the text neatly is nearly impossible.
It's no good trying to use one typeface for your letterhead and another for the body of the letter, either. Sure, Q&A Write will print both fonts on one page , but you'll waste a lot of paper trying to figure out where on the page the text will be . There's just no relationship between what you see on the screen and what comes out on paper.
Also, if you have numbers in the text, the columns don't line up. Neither do the tabs. I was using Q&A Write to create my el'\pense reports (it has a primitive calcu lation routine built in), but I found I had to do them in Courier rather than in Hel vetica or Times Roman.
In fairness, Q&A Write is a character editor, intended to run with monochrome screens as well as with machines that sup port graphics. It's not supposed to show you different fonts on the screen. On the other hand , if you've got graphics capa bility , you probably ought to have an edi tor that makes use of it.
Certainly, I want an editor that under stands the font metrics well enough to show me, if not the fonts themselves, at least the line and page lengths I'll get when I print. I suppose some business tasks don't require that capability, al though offhand I can't think of too many . Any reports that involve forms or tabular columns of numbers will need better WYSIWYG than Q&A Write has.
continued
186 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
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i:r-tt 6.6 <:!tr 6.4
Paradox XDB PowerBase Open Access 11 Data Ease dBASE Ill PLUS R:BASE System V
Paradox is once again the top-rated pro gram. with the latest version scoring even higher than last year's top score... (Software Digest's 1987 Ratings Report is an inde pendent comparative ratings report for selecting IBM PC business software. Ratings Report tests were done by the prestigious ·ational Software Testing Laboratory, Philadelphia. Pennsylvania.)
The Ratings Report mes sage is crystal clear: there is no better relational data base manager than Paradox.
STL tested 12 differen programs and amongst other results. discovered that Paradox is 3 times faster than dBASE arx:I 6 times faster than R:BASE· on a two-file join with subtotals test.t
1.1
512K $495
· · · · · 1.10
320K $750
· ·
· · · 2.3
384K $349
· · · · 2.0
256K $395
· · · 2.5/2
384K $600
· · · · · 1.1
384K $695
·· ·· · 1.1
512K $700
RATINGS KEY (On a scale of 0 to 10)
Overall Evaluation
"'"' "'''"" 9.0 or higher "'"'"'"' e .o . e .9 "'"'"' 7.0 - 7.9 "'"' 6.0 . 6.9 "' 5.0 . 5.9
All Other Ratings
· 7.0. 9.9 5.0 · 6.9
· UNDERS.O
Paradox combines ease of use with power and sophistication
Even if you're a beginner. Paradox is the only rela tional database manager that you can take ou of the box and begin using right away. Because Paradox employs state-of-the-art artificial intelligence technology. it does almost everything for you-except take itself out of the box.
' ' Paradox 2.0 will do for the LAN what the spreadsheet did for the PC
David Schulman. Refl(/ix Aerospace ' '
Sp ecial Offer!
We're making a Special Offer on all three versions of Paradox. ail proof of purchase. dated between Sept. 15. 1987 and Dec. 15, 1987 and your signed reg istration form for any of th e three. and we'll mail you a $100.00 rebate.** It's that simple!
· Paradox 1.1 . suggested retail. $495.00
· Paradox 2.0. suggested retail. $725.00 (each copy of Paradox 2.0 supports one user on a network)
· Paradox etwork Pack. suggested retail. $995.00 (each network pack supports up to 6 users on a network)
60-Da.v Money-Back Guarameett
PARADOX
A Borland Company
For a brochure
or the dealer
nearest you, call
(800) 543-7543
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JANUARY 1988 · B Y T E
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Finally, it· s inexcusable that the pro gram won't tell me how many pages Y-11 get if I double-space.
So: here I am with a text editor that 's awfully good for text creation. It'. about the mo t tran parent editor I've found o far. It doesn't get in the way , the macro capability is good , and there are plenty of bui lt-in commands. It 's fast and has the ability to export my text into ASCII file that can be ent into BYTE' s Atex ystem or otherwise put on the wire .
The only 1rouble is that it can 't print a simple double-spaced manuscript of 300 or more pages. Clearly, I was better off with WordS1ar .
Now What? I drifted away from WordPerfect largely because of its complexity compared to Q&A Write . ow I discover Q&A Write isn ' t going to do the job. I 'll alway want a paper copy of my books. More than that, Jim Baen , my editor at Baen Books, i spoi led: he likes the way the book looks in Times Roman with real italics .
I suppose I can live with Q&A Write's limits . It is certainly the easiest to use , really the be t in its price range, and maybe they ' ll make some fixes .
However, I' ll be trying several more editors in the next few months . WordPer fect is certainly a contender. It' s perhap more complicated than I need , but what the heck , it does seem to do the job- and unlike Q&A Write, the WordPerfect for mat is known to a number of desktop publishing programs that can fonnal my books exactly the way I want them.
Another possibility is Microsoft Word 4.0 , which people I respect tell me is wonderful. I got to looking at il today and I stil l cannot find any references on how to delete a word, delete to the end of the line. or delete an entire line , withoul 1aking your hands off the keyboard . A s far as I can see, you have to mark the word (either with the arrow keys or the mouse) , then hit the Delete key. That gets in the way of creative writing , and I won 't do it.
I want to have delete word , delete line , and delete to the end of the line as ingle Control -key key stroke s . Spe lunkin g through the Microsoft Word 4.0 manual reveals the flat statement that you can build macros to do all this. It doesn ' t tell me how, but I think I see the light. Given that I can do that, I find a great deal to like about Microsoft Word 4.0; and it will certainly support my LaserJe1 Plus Z car tridge , since that one was developed for use with Microsoft Word.
The "stylesheet " features are also ap pealing; Microsoft Word lets you keep file of variou fom1ats and insert them
cominued
188 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
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190 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
Circle 135 on Reader Senoice Card
CHAOS MANOR
into documents at need. One stylesheet is for letters, another for the opening page of a chapter, another for regular pages, and so on. The Word manual explicitly tells me I can change my "running heads" any time I want to, provided that the new running head is the first para graph on the page and marked as a head er, so I'll be able to print chapters the way I like. All in all, Microsoft Word 4.0 looks very tempting.
I have also promised John Hild, presi dent of XyQuest, that I'll try XyWrite III Plus, which can't possibly be as good as some of my professionaJ colleagues tell me it is. Or maybe it can be.
XyWrite has become something of a standard within the publishing industry. While it's not yet standard practice to submit books on disk, that day is getting closer; and all the publishers I know will accept XyWrite files that have embedded ASCII commands. The way this works, to mark a passage as italic, you use some scheme like <ITALIC> this will appear in italics< ROMAN> ; which is fairly easy to do using XyWrite macros.
Accordfog to Frank Romano , who is publisher of Type World and a spokesper son for the publishing industry, so long as you use a consistent scheme and your text is in ASCII, publ.ishers will be able to translate it.
XyWrite is faster than the dickens, and the only reason I didn't use it in the first place was that version 2.0 would not work with SideKick. XyWrite HI Plus has been tamed down so that you can use it with your favorite memory-resident programs.
Finally , there's good old WordStar 4.0
and a new edition of WordStar 2000.
Those are the main candidat.es. They all swear they are trustworthy , Joyal friendly, thrifty, and very, very fast. Certainly, they ' ll all do 300-page double· spaced manuscripts with consecutive page numbers and different headers at the top of each chapter.
What Do You Want, Anyway?
When I first started writing with com
puters, I was so thrilled about not having
to retype manuscripts in order to revise
and edit, I didn't care what else the com
puter could do for me. Now, after more
than 10 years of this , I have a few higher
expectations.
We professional writers are, after all , businesspeople. Our needs in text editors aren't all that different from anyone else's . Most ofus don't need a lot of bells and whistles on our editors; but what we do need, we need badJy ; and our first re quirement is that the editor be as nearly invisible as it can be.
I , for one, don't need to see status contin11ed
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JA UARY 1988 · BYT E 191
DEBUGGING SWAT TEAM
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Circle 192 011 Reader Sen·ice Card
lines , rulers, help lines, or anything else on my screen; what I want to see there is my text , and the more of it , the better. For reasons I have never understood , editor designers almost never provide a toggle that lets you simply blank out all the help ful information and fill the screen with what you 've written and nothing ebe. I don 't know why .
When you ' re creating text, you don 't need a lot of fancy commands . If you write the way l do, with trial sentences and words and suchlike. you will want the ability to do selective deletions cleanly and easily. Of course, you want your paragraphs to reformat as you insert and delete. Also , you want to be able to vary the margins to suit the job at hand , and yo u want an easy way to get word and line counts. Mostly , though , you want some thing you can feel comfortable with .
As a businessman, I write a lot of let ters, and while most are only a single page. some are longer. It would be nice if my program would, somehow, generate letterhead from normal paper so that I don't have to put letterhead into th~ laser printer every time I want to send corre spondence . It would also be nice if it were easy to call up a " letter format " form to take care of margins and such . Finally, some kind of attached card-file system to keep track of the correspondence would be helpful.
All that , though , can 't compensate if the editor can ' t do the primary task of producing manuscripts in the format that editors like.
As I 've been writing this (in Q&A Write ; this goes in electronically , so the print problems don't apply , and I won 't meet deadlines ifl change text editors to night), I've been checking the Microsoft Word 4.0 manual ; so far, I haven ' t thought of anything it doesn 't claim to be able to do . That' s certainly the next pro gram to try .
Spelling Checkers I recall stories of some famous advertis ing people who insisted that their staff use the products they advertised . If you have the Arrow shirt account , you wear Arrow shirts . Drink Schweppes. Etc. I don 't care much about the advertisers, but I sure wish the people who design user software were forced to use it. In particular , I think anyone who publishes a text editor and doesn't use it to create that editor's documents ought to be shot.
It's the same with spelling checkers. Sometimes I can't believe the people who design them actually use them at all.
Take my situation . I write for a living . It's important that my manuscripts be as near perfect as possible . Since Robert
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JA NUARY 1988 · BYTE 193
CHAOS MANOR
Heinlein once solemnly informed me that carefully packaged so that it takes no time
I was a terribul spellur. you may imagine to set it up. Of course, once I had a CD
my relief when the first really good spell ROM reader. there wasn't much to do
ing checkers came out.
with it-Grolier's Encyclopedia is inter
Alas, the first few were better than esting to experiment with, but it's not
many of those that followed .
something I use much.
A decent spelling-checker program On the other hand, given that Micro
needs at least three dictionaries. First is soft sponsored the CD-ROM confer
the Main dictionary. This one is saved in ences, it was pretty clear that Microsoft
a special algorithmic format to make would be one of the first companies to
searches faster . It's often impossible to bring out a spectacular application of
insert or delete words from the Main CD-ROM technology; and they did .
dictionary.
Microsoft Bookshelf is a preview of the
Second is the Update dictionary. This future.
is the one that gets things missed by the What Microsoft did was put The Amer
Main dictionary . Words like your own ican Heritage Dictionary, Roget's The
name, lots of plurals, favorite slang ex saurus , The World Almanac and Book of
pressions, and so on; words you ' re likely Facts , Bartlett's Familiar Quotations ,
to use in any kind of document.
The Chicago Manual of Style , the
Third are speciali.zed dictionaries . As a Houghton Mifflin Spelling Verifier (a
science fiction novelist, for example , I book of forms and letters that will be very
have alien characters with odd names, useful to small businesspeople) , the U.S.
like Chowpeentulk and Harpanet. I cer ZIP Code Directory, the Houghton Mif
tainly don't want those in the Update dic flin Usage A/err, and Business Informa
tionary or anywhere else that will be tion Sources , along with their indexes, on
searched when I'm not working on the a single CD-ROM disk.
particular book that employs those They then made an interface that's
names . I thus need, in a word, a Special pretty easy to work with . Naturally , it's
dictionary.
geared to work best with Microsoft Word
I can make a good case for there being · 4 .0 , but so what? I tried it with WordStar,
yet a fourth dictionary , but I won ' t XyWrite, and WordPerfect , and it works
bother. My point is that I don't want to fine with all of them. However, it will not
look at the same dictionaries every time; work with Q&A Write or the current
and of the three dictionaries I use, at least DESQview .
two will have been created by me.
The interfacing isn't perfect. Some of
So far , so good. My quarrel with most the early beta-test versions were bloody
spelling checkers is that even if they allow awful . The release version is pretty good.
me to invoke several optional dictio The control software is generally RAM
naries, they make it very difficult to resident, though you can use Bookshelf
create them.
as a stand-alone program . When you in
The exception to this is The Word Plus voke it. there ' s a command line at the top
from Wayne Holder, which offers you faintly reminiscent of Digital Research ' s
one-keystroke commands to put a word GEM .
into the Update (press U) or the Special If you ' ve called up the thesaurus , for
(press S) dictionary . The words are then example, the program will offer to look
automatically put in the proper place in up the word that happens to be under the
the appropriate dictionary file . Since that cursor (if you ' re merely in DOS, that will
program first came out in the 1970s , be the prompt, which the thesaurus is un
you'd think later program designers likely to find). If you want it to look up a
would have made theirs at least as good as different word, you type that in . Book
Holder's used to be, but most didn't shelf shows you the synonyms and offers
bother.
to substitute one of them. All this works
Worse, Oasis now sells a version of quite smoothly.
The Word Plus that doesn't work that The interface with the other books is
way . Naturally, that's the version Syman similar. There are also browse features .
tec bought. Sigh. On the other hand, When you use it in document mode,
Microsoft Word 4.0 clearly uses the old you've got the option of cutting stuff out
version of The Word Plus and does sup of the books and pasting it into your
port Update and Special dictionaries.
work. Generally , it 's pretty easy to do
that.
Microsoft Bookshelf
What's important isn ' t that there are a
I knew CD-ROMs were the wave of the few glitches and frustrations in the user
future the first time I ever heard of them. interface: it's that, glitches and all, it's a
I got an Amdek CD-ROM reader as soon heck of a lot easier to use all those refer
as it came out. The Amdek engine is ences as part of Microsoft Bookshelf than
made by Hitachi, and Amdek ships it as a it is to get up, go find the printed copy of
class act , with cables and instructions the book , and use it manually . Most pro
fessional writers-at least the ones I know- own copies of almost every one of these books, but they seldom use the things because it's just too much trouble. No longer.
When word processors first came out , I was far too lazy to do without one, and as far as I know , I wrote the first book certainly the first science fiction book ever done on a microcomputer. Back then , I said that pretty soon all books would be written with the little beasts; and while there are exceptions (1 know some writers who still use foolscap and pens they dip in ink), that's a prediction that has effectively come true.
I'll make another: in 10 years (prob ably fewer) , all professional writers will have CD-ROM readers , and if they don ' t have Microsoft Bookshelf, it will be only because someone has brought out an even more complete set of writers' tools on CD-ROM; and unlike the shelves of ref erence books we all keep but don't use enough , the CD-ROM references will be used every day.
More Writing Tools When I went off into hiding to write , I
needed something to put Zelda the Zenith Z-248 on, so I hared off to hardware stores . By sheer good luck, I ran into a
desk made by Foremost Furniture (502
Middle St. , Archbold , OH 43502) . Their Model 4530, of simulated wood on fiber board , is one of the best computer desks I've seen yet, and it costs only about $50 retail.
It's large and has a pull-out keyboard drawer. That drawer is big enough for the keyboard and has a raised level for a mouse; under the raised level is a sepa rate drawer big enough for labels, disks, small tools, and other stuff. There's also a matching hutch. This desk and a stand to hold stuff you ' re copying from can make a real difference in produc1ivity.
While I was at Spring COMDEX , I bought The Winner, a dual-level ·com puter table manufactured by Hubbard Furniture (P.O. Box 104, Northbrook , IL 60065). This is a stand of good design , better looking than Foremost's desk and a bit smaller. It 's good , too , and !heir ca1a log is definitely worth writing for.
The right furniture can make a real dif ference in work habits.
QuickBASIC 4.0
Microsoft has done it again . Quick BASIC 3.0 wasn't bad , but some of it was kludged up and rushed out in order to match features in Borland ' s Turbo BASIC. It was probably a mi~take for Microsoft to do that. In any event, Quick BASIC 4 _0 is new from the ground up , with features that are truly stunning.
194 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
CHAOS MANOR
To begin with, it 's got records; that is. data structu res that contain several data types. String data must, naturally, be de claied as fixed-length (as all strings are in Pascal); once you've done that, Quick BASJC 4.0 records work just about the way Pascal records do. As a result, the dreaded FIELD statement is no longer needed. It still exists but that's largely to retain compatibility with programs writ ten for earlier versions .
Unlike version 3.0, which had a sepa rate compiler for programs to be run on machines with a math chip, 4.0 is uni fied; there's a conversion program to read your old Microsoft binary-number files, but all mathematical operations are now done in IEEE standard format . You don "t have to have a math chip in your machine to compile, but if you do have one, 4.0 will use it automatically.
I think the most impressive feature is the debugger. When you interrupt a pro gram, you are automatically in the appro priate section of the source code. You can cause the assembly language instructions associated with that code to come on screen . You can also revise the source code and restart the program from where it left off without recompiling the whole thing. The debugger is little short Qf amazing.
I haven't had QuickBASIC 4.0 very long, but I think I'm in love . This is what BASIC ought to be.
Hackers3.0 The annual Hackers' Conference has be come a bit more sedate, but it remains the most interesting computer conference of the year, at least for me. It's hard to come up with specifics. I spend most of my time talking with small groups, rather than listening to the presentations, and the main result is mutual stimulation of ideas. Mostly, I guess, it's the excite ment ; this is one of the last places where people aren't ashamed to say they love these little machines.
This year. there were lots of buttons:
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JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 195
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CHAOS MANOR
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that as I watch the OS/2 story unfold. I do begin to wonder : if Unix is ever made stable enough co be put in ROM , so that you don't need a guru to maintain the sys tem , there' s less and less reason why it won ' t catch on . I think of liule that OS/2 promise that you can ' t do with Unix: and now that American Management Sys tems has actually developed the long mythical user-friendly Unix shell , who know ?
However. Unix i n' t going anywhe re without a major backer. The obviou s major backer is AT&T . a company with deep pockets brilliant engineers and de signers, and a monopolist ·s attitude co ward marketing. Think how diffe rent the world would have been if, a few year ago, AT&T had bought Apple Computer for its marketing savvy .
At one meeting , someone wryly ob served that if AT&T would copy-protect System V Unix. within 6 months it would be so widespread that nothing would be able to top it.
Actually , I suppose the most probable outcome is that a year after OS/2 comes out , there will be as many OS/2 user a Unix users, after which both will con tinue in parallel and without actuall y competing , Unix growing slowly , and OS/2 charging ahead ; but while that 's the most probable event , it ' s by no means in evitable . After all, the main objection to Unix was that it's too big and coo slow and that applie j ust as strongly to OS/2.
The main excitement at Hackers 3.0 was hypertext . Hypertext i an idea that Ted Nelson expressed many years ago in, among other places, his book Compwer Ub: You Can and Must Undersiand Com pwers Now!: the idea that document stor age needn't be linear, that you can and should be able to j ump from one relevant idea to anothe r by ideas and relevance: and that small computers can store idea. in ways that make that easy.
The implementation of hypertext is under the control of Project Xanadu , with most of the work being done by Roger Gregory in his spare time . This project is very probably the library system of the future ; the only thing stopping its com pletion is money. If you've got a spare 10 bucks, there are an awful lot worse thing you can do than send the money to Project Xanadu (Xanadu Corp., 2438 Newhall St. , San Jose, CA 95128) .
Meanwhile , the closest thing to hyper text is HyperCard for the Macintosh. Since everyone el e has already written about HyperCard , I don ' t have 10. Inter estingly, Apple, the company that seems so quick co complain about " look and feel , " had a presentation about Hyper Card in which , oddly enough , Ted e l-
i;o 111i1111 e d
196 BY TE · JA . UARY 1988
Circle 276 on Reader Service Card
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CHAOS MANOR
son's name never appeared (although the the computer, on a split screen with a live nating to watch two pacifists yelling like
Apple spokeswoman who gave the pre- . opponent, or through a modem against a savages as they blew each other's build
sentation sajd that would be fixed Real live opponent.
ings away.
Soon Now) .
The graphics are stunning . There are At Hackers 3.0 I played Fire Power
HyperCard really is a neat hack, a still a few bugs on interface control. awhile, after which someone asked me if
software breakthrough that deserves its When you blow up buildings-which you I had reconsidered my opinion of the
popularity.
do often- they collapse to rubble. No Amiga 's multitasking operating system.
matter how careful you are at driving It seemed a fair remark . However , when I
Fire Power
your tank, you can get it stuck ; some got home and loaded my own copy of Fire
By far the most popular game at Hackers times stuck so that it's impossible to re Power, I managed to get a system crash
3.0 was Fire Power, a new Amiga game trieve . There's no game command to re and guru meditation (Commodore 's mis
from MicroTllusion. This is a joystick lease you. You have to restart the game. erable excuse for humor in error mes
controlled arcade-type game involving The map is complex. the action is fast. sages) within 5 minutes .
tanks . It can be played solitaire against and everyone liked the game. It was fasci
Since that time, I' ve seen the guru sev
------------------------------~ era! times. The game will be going along
fine, when two of the automated helicop
"01·1·<·lu/Ji11~ mr a/J/J/i,at11m 111 (' ·u 11111/d hac'<' l<tl·t'll 6 mm1fJ,, to a rn11 . 11111 in '''"'ii lo11h 2
11u111th1 . ..
- Hri"11 l-(·11.1l1t'. Ho,.i11~ <:01111111·1'<"1(1/ Afr/J/{1111· <:ompn11y
ters will somehow stick together, or one of the tanks gets blocked in a strange way; th en the screen goes blank , and oul
''To C ACTOR
or not 0 0
to c...''
Actually, you don't have to make the choice. Once C was ideal for all PC pro gramming . But it has been complicated by windowing and graphical interfaces. Now windows development with C is difficult, time-consuming and error-prone. You need a new language that simplifies win dows programming. Introducing Actor~
comes the guru. I don't know if I have a broken copy of
the game; at Hackers 3.0 the game was played all weekend and if there was ever a crash , I didn't see it.
Even with the crashes , this is one of the best arcade games I've ever played . I su re like blowing up my friends.
Ancient Art of War at Sea
Actor is the first interactive object-oriented language made for commercial development. I mentioned this one before, but it's j ust
Its powerful browsers , inspectors and debuggers give you more insight into a windowing too good to pass off with one line.
environment than Cever will. But your Cwork is not lost. Clibraries can be linked to Actor.
Broderbund named this to be reminis
Plus. its procedural syntax is easy for Cprogrammers to learn.
Actor comes with windowing classes built in. Customize Actor's classes to create stand alone windowing applications. And objects give you another layer of independence for a
cent of their Ancient Art of War, but , in fact , it's not about ancient times : it's the age of fighti.ng sail , and about the best game of that period I have ever seen.
smooth transition to OS/2 and Presentation Manager. It's the quickest and easiest way to write There are ome limits I wish it didn't
a windowing program.
have-for example, fleets can have al
"You 0011 write Windows programs much faster with Ador tlra11 witlr C or assembly language. " -PC Magazi11e,)1111e 9, 1987
most three ships in them , so you can't really play out Trafalgar- but for sheer realism . this beats the competition all
hollow.
· Runs wilh Micro!iOft Windows 1.04, 2.0 and 386. EX"tended memory under 2.0 and 386.
· Pure. singlt>-inheritance objec1-<>riented language, ina·ementally compiled.
·Dynamic linking to C, Pascal, Assembler,
· Wind<'>w scyles: tiled, overlap-
ping, popup, child. edi1, dialog11.
Con crols: list boxes, scroll bars,
buuons, i;heck boxes.
· Data SLru tur s: stack,~, arrays, queues,
lists, dic1ionaries, St:lS. sorting. hashing,
There· s a strategic level , in which you give long-range orders to little artificial symbols ; and a combat level, in which really neat graphic representations of sailing ships " tack" and "wear ship" and generally react the way you'd expect.
or Fortran libraries. Pa.~s data in C
imervals.
There are six different opponents,
stn1crures. · Pascal and C like ~-yntax . · Programming tools: Browser. Inspector,
Debugger. File Editor. · Full access to MS-Windows systems calls,
multitasking. and DOE. · Fast device-independent graphlcs: lines,
shapes, icons, c11rs@rs, biunaps. metafiles, Turtle graphics, sample
· Al suppon: frames. ~bols.
dictionaries. Ii.sis, symbolic program ming, fun etional argu ments. Parsing
and lexic-.tl analyi;is YACC compatible.
· String manipulation: substring. conca1,
append. insert, remove. search.
· 643-page manual includes t11to,1:ial and
refer ·nee.
· No license fees. Generates stand-alone
from a crazy Viking who makes no plans at all , to Lord elson who will probably beat you every time. In addition to the JO or so preset scenarios, there's a game building kit that lets you set up your own maps, allocate fleets to yourself and your enemies, and choose your opponent.
I do wish they 'd work on the user inter
c::ontrol Jan~ge using YACC.
app1ic<1ti0ns.
face , and there 's one serious bug involv
· L&OGlasses, 1500 fun ctions. fully extensible.
· Fastes1 imeraccive 00 a.,.-ailable.
· Fast incremental garbage collecior.
ing captured ships-if you capture an e nemy and there 's another enemy fleet
Actor $495 · Academic price $99 ·Academic site license $99 · Manuals for site
license $35 · New! Language Extension $99 ·Shipping $5 US, $25 lnt'l
close behind, the next fight will be be tween your crippled prize and the new
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enemy. They'll win, after which your nex.t fight will be against their newly re captured ship , and so on , until you wish you could scuttle the darned thing and get
r-ontinued
198 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
Circle 291 on Reader Service Card
AutoSl{etchTM
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CHAOS MA OR
Items Discussed
Ancient Art of War at Sea .. $44 .95 Broderbund Software 17 Paul Dr. San Rafael , CA 94903
(415) 492- 200 Inquiry 934.
Fire Power ... ........ .... ..... . $24.95 Microlllu sion 17408 Chat worth St. Granada Hill , CA 91 344 (818) 360-3715 (800) 522-2041 Inquiry 935.
Microsoft Bookshelf... . .. ......$295
Microsoft Word 4.0 ... ........ .$450
Integrand's newChassis/ System is not another IBM mechanical and electrical clone. An entire! fresh packagbg design approach has been ta.ken using modular construction. At present. 01·er 40 optional stock modules allow
QuickBASIC 4.0 ... ..... .... ... .. S99
icro oft
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you to customize our standa1d chassis to nearly
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the whole thing over with . Forget the bugs , though . You'll love
this game. Recommended.
Rack & Desk
Winding Down I'm out of pace, and I haven't talked about haJfthe stuff here . There 's Electro home' s new 19-inch multiple- ync moni
PC/AT Chassis
t0r that will handle everything from PGA to CGA and comes with an optional box that will let you connect it to cable to be
you r televi ion ·et. Thi thing is greal.
Rack & Desk Models Acccpts P , XT. AT Mo1herboards and Passive Backplanes Doesn ·r look like IBM
Rugged, Modular Consm1c1ion
ext month , I'll try to do it justice. I also have received Office Publi her , a new desktop-p ublishing pack.age that 's real ly simple to u e. rm no expert on desktop publishing, but I like this pack age . The documents actually explain how
Excellem Air Flow & Cooling Optional Card Cage Fan Designed to mee/ FCC 204 Wall Supply. UL Recognized 145W & 85W also available Reasonably Priced
to do things . There are new ideo board from Or
chid and Zenith . Both support a wide va ri ety of video output , from CGA to VGA and thus are designed to work with multiple-sync monitors like the Electro home. I find EGA color good enough text on the EGA is crisp and readable
but PGA i even better.
EGA is the business standard now (al
though there are probabl y more mono
chrome monitors in the bu iness world)
but it will be a sho rt-lived standard ,
largely because of some technical design
Call or write for descripti e brochure and priCtS:
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flaws in the EGA chip et (and beside , EGA doesn 't have square pixel ). If I were buying a monitor, I wouldn't even consider one that didn 't upport multi ple- yne frequencies.
The Atari Mega ST is a 4-megabyte
l k.'i.t PC. XT. T trldmw ol I OQr:ftl.a~f ~\ ~
Om·a .llld mmpulO ro.nb rlOI tad~
machine with more bang for the buck
200 B Y T E · JA UARY 1988
(206) 882- 080 (800) 426-9400 lnquir. 936.
Q&A Wr ite.... ... ...... ... .... .. . 199 Syma ntec I020 I Torre ve. Cupert ino, CA 95014 (408) 253-9600 Lnq uiry 937.
The Word Plus .................. 150 Oasi · S tern 2765 Reynard Ave. San Diego, CA 92103 (619) 453-5711 Lnq uiry 938.
than anything I' ve een . More and more, I am beginning to believe that the Atari ST really i the machine for the rest of u : it's fast reliable , inexpensive, and get ting a lot of software. In Europe . the Atari i con ·idered a _eriou bu ine machine. I don't see why it an't be here.
The book of the month i John Do Pa os · Midcemury . I picked up a copy in a library ale. o the edition I have i long out of print but I'm su re there are still ·omc around .
There are three computer book of the mo nth . Two of them are by Dan Shafer: Turbo Prolog Primer a nd Advanced Turbo Prolog Programming. both pub 1i hed in 1987 by Howard W. Sams. The other book i by K.h in Maung Yin. Using Turbo Prolog (Que Books . 1987) . You ' ll want Lhem all. If! had to pick one ingle recommendation for people who want to try to keep up with the computer revolu tion , I'd say . " Get and learn Turbo Pro log . .. Declarative language like Prolog will be the wave of the future.
All in all , a good month. ow , if you ' ll cxcu e me, I'll get back to Fire Power. Who care about the si lly guru? ·
Jerry Pourn elle welcomes readers' com ments and opinions. Send a self-ad dressed, stamped envelope to Jerry Pour nelle, clo BYTE. One Phoenix Mill lane, Peterborough . H 03458. Please p11r our address on the letter a · well as on the envelope. Due 10 rhe high volume of fellers , Jerry cannol gua ramee a person a/ reply. You can also comae/ him on BIX a ''jerryp . "
UNLEASH YOUR 80386!
Your 80386-based PC runs at least twice as fast as your old AT. This is good, but not great. The products described below will unleash the true potential of your 80386, giving you 4 to 16 times the power of your old AT. These new Micro Way products include a family of 80386 native code compilers and the mW1167 numeric coprocessor.
Examples of the increases in capacity and performance include: · Programs compiled with MicroWay
NOP Fortran -386 execute 2 to 8 times faster than those compiled with existing 16-bit Fortrans. NOP Fortran-386 can also address up to 4 gigabytes of memory instead of the standard 640 kbytes. MicroWay's NOP compilers and the programs they generate run on MS-DOS or Unix V. · NOP Fortran-386 generates code for the 80287, 80387 or MicroWay's mW1167. The mW1167 has a floating point throughput exceeding 2.5 mega-
flops, which is 4 to 5 times the through put of an 80387 and is comparable to the speed achieved by the VAX 8600.
Equally important, whichever Micro Way product you choose, you can be assured of the same excellent pre- and post-sales support that has made Micro Way the world leader in PC numerics and high performance PC upgrades. For more information, please call the Technical Support Department at
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For the Tandy4000
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NOP Fortran-386 and NOP C-386 are globally optimizing 80386 native code compilers that support a number of Numeric Data Processors, including the80287,80387 and mW1167. They generate mainframe quality optimized code and are syntactically and operationally compatible to the Ber1<.eley 4.2 Unix f77 and PCC compilers. MS·DOS specific extensions have been added where necessary to make it easy to port pro grams written with Microsoft C or Fortran and RIM Fortran.
The compilers are presently available in two formats: Microport Unix 5.3 or MS-DOS as ex tended by the Phar Lap Tools. MicroWay will pert them to other 80386 operating systems such as OS/2 as the need arises and as 80386 versions become available.
The key to addrE05Sing more than 640 kbytes is the use of 32-bil integers lo address arrays. NOP Fortran-386 generates 32-bit code which executes 3 to 8 times faster than the current generation of 16-bit compilers. There are three elements each of which contributes a factor of 2 to this speed increase: very efficient use of 80386 registers to store 32·bit entities, the use of inline 32-bil arithmetic instead of library calls, and a doubling In the effective utilization of the system data bus.
An example of the benefit of excell011t code is a 32-bit matrix multiply. In this bench marl<. an NOP Fortran-386 program is run against the same program compiled w ith a 16·bil Fortran. Both programs were run on the same 80386 system. However, the 32·bit code ran 7.5 times faster than the 16-bit code. and 58.5 times faster than the 16-bit code executing on an IBM PC. NOP FORTRAN-386'· ... ... ......... $595 NOP C-386"'. .. . .............. . ..... $595
The mW1167 "' is a MicroWay designed high speed numeric coprocessor that works with the 80386. It plugs into a 12 1 pin "Weitek " socket that is actually a super set of the 80387. This soc ket is available on a number of motherboards and accelerators including the AT&T 6386, Tandy 4000 and MicroWay Number Smasher 386 (Jan. '88). It combines the 64-bit Weitek 1163/64 floating point multiplier/adder with a
Weitek/lr)tel designed "glue chip". The
rnW1167 "' runs al 3.6 MegaWhetstones (corn· piled with NOP Fortran-386) which is a factor of 16 laster than an AT and 3 to 5 limes laster than an 80387 ..... ....... . ............. $1495
Monoputer'" - The INMOS T800-20 Trans puter is a 32-bit computer on a chip that features a built·in floating point coprocessor. The T800 can be used to build arbitrarily large parallel pro cessing machines. The Monoputer comes with either the 20 MH z T800 or the T414 (a TBOO without the NOP) and includes 2 megabytes of processor memory. Four or more Transputers can be easily linked together to form a Ouad puter. A single T800 is comparable in speed with an mW1167·equipped 80386. The compilers to drive one or more Mpnoputers include Occam, C, Fortran, Pascal and Prolog.
MonoputerT414-20 ' ..............$1495 Monoputer TB00-20 ' .............. S1995 Biputer '" TSOO!T414 2 ·············· $4995 Quadputer'" T414·202 ···········.· $6995
'Includes Occam 'Includes TDS
80287 ACCELERATORS
287Turbo-10 ... .. . .... ..... ........$450 287Turbo-12 ................ .. . . . . .S550 287TurboPlus·12 ... .. . ........... .. $629
ATS "' - This intelligent serial controller is designed to handle 8 users (16 with two boards) in a Xenix or Unix environment with as little as 3% degrada tion in speed. It has been tested and approved by Compaq, Intel, NCR, Zenith. and the Department of Defense for use in high performance 80286 and 80386 Xenix or Unix based multi-user systems . ........... .. ... .. .... .... S1299
MicroPort Unix 5 .3 is a port of the nevii Unix 5.3 to the 80386. MicroWay NDP-386 compilers currently run on this version of UNIX. MicroPort Unix 5.3 ..... . ... .... from $399
PC-MOS·386 '" is an 80386 operating environ ment that turns an AT with an ATB into an MS DOS multi-user system. The system makes it possible to run applications such as Lotus 1·2-3 on terminals. The operating system also has a Phar Lap compatibility mode that runs programs developed with the Phar Lap versions of Micro Way's compilers ............. . .. from $199
Phar Lap'~ created lhe first tools that make it possible to develop 80386 applications which run under MS-DOS yet take advantage of the full power of the 80386. These include an 80386 monitor/loader that runs the 80386 in protected linear address mode, an assembler, linker and debugger. These tools are required for the MS DOS version of the MicroWay NOP Compilers. Phar Lap Tools ... ... .. . .. .. . ...... . .$399
MATH COPROCESSORS
80387 -1 6 16 MHz . . .... ............. $495
80287-10 10 MHz ........... .. .... .. S349
80287-8 8 MHz ....... ...... ... ..... $259
80287·6 6 MHz .... . . ...... .........$179
8087-2 8 MHz ......... ... .. .. ...... $154
8087 5 MHz ..··............·....···. $99
Micro Way
The World Leader in PC Numerics
P.O. Box 79, Kingston, Mass. 02364 USA (617) 746-7341 32 High St., Kingston-Upor:i-Thames, UK., 01 -541-5466
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JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 203
BYTE
'
is Number One
· · . agai.n .
MRI's Fall syndicated research results have confirmed its Spring results. Among BYTE's closest competitors studied, specifically PC Maga zine and PC World, BYTE remains the winner in k ey target markets:
Largest Reach
Target Market
Among Total Adults: Fortune 500 Middle Management Small Companies (less than 50 employees) tedium Companie
(50-999 employees)
Large Co m panies (1000 +
employees)
Engineering Job Function
Innuence Purchase of
PCs/EDP/Conunw1icalions Use a PC at place of
business
Use il Mac at place of
business
Among Professio nal/ Ma nage rial/Technical:
Fortune 500 Middle Management Engineering Job Funct ion Small Companies [less than 50 employees) Medium Companies (50-999 employees) Large Companies (1000+ employees) Use a PC at place of
business
se a Mac at place of
business
um ber of BYTE Readers
1,6 19,000 328,000 141 ,000
427,000
177,000
446,000 582,000
597 ,0 0 0
) ,032,000
95,000
1.24 4 ,0 0 0 318,000 138.000 546,000
339,000
146,000
427,000
937 ,000
93.000
Source: Mediamark Resea rch , In c. Fall 1987
IJ'1TE
It 's indispensable.
Lowest 4-C CPM
Target Market
Am o ng Total Adults: Fortune 500 Middle Management Small Companie (le than 50 employees)
Medium Companies
(50-999 employeesl
Large Companies (1000 +
employees)
Engineering Job Function
Influ ence Purchase of PCs
at business
Influ ence Purchase of:
PCs/EDP PCs/EDFYCommunicalions PCs/EDP/Co mmunicati ons/ Word Processi ng
Use a PC at place of
bu~iness
Use a Mac at place of
business
Among Profess ional/ M a n a g e ri a l f f e c h n i cal:
Fortw1e 500
Middle Management
Engineering Job Function Small Companies jle lhan 50 employees! Medium Companies (50- 999 employees)
Large Companies (1000 + employees)
Influence the Purchase o : PCs al business PCs/EDP PCs/EDP/CommWlications PCs/EDP/Communicalions/ Word Processing
Use a PC at place of business
Use a Mac at place of
business
BYTE 's 4-C CPM s 6.90
34.05 79.22
26.16
63. 11
25.04 19. 19
23.17
21.56 18.71
18.62
10.82
117.58
s 8.98
35 . 13 8 0 .94 20.46
32.95
76.51
26. 16
23.97 22 .6 6 20.53
20.38
11.92
120. 11
_A_P_PL_I_C_~_T_IO_N_S~O_N_L_Y~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Real-World Answers
Ezra Shapiro
I started out the month trying to solve a simple problem that
Reflex Plus, PhoneNet,
when I'd tried it more than a year ago . I felt fairly sure that I
shouldn 't have been a problem. I needed to build a name-and
and a TOPS network solve some
could get it running in the limited time I had remaining.
address database, then merge it into both form letters and mail
practical dilemmas
The documentation was worse than I remembered , with
ing labels. I had little time to
massive tutorials and little com
complete the project, so I had to get up empty. "This should work, " I said, "and mand reference but I uncovered a feature
and running quickly.
it's more eleganl than merging into a called "variable heighl text, " which takes
Because I wanted to use some down word processor. "
an area in a report and pulls up any data
loadable Adobe fonts on my QMS laser So I set about building a form-letter lower on the page to fill gaps left by null
printer, I decided to work on the Macin matrix with FileMaker Plus, figuring that fields. It sounded like a winner.
tosh . I also think it"s easier to construct the "slide up" command would take care When the SE rental unit arrived, I be
data-entry forms on the Mac than it is on of my blank lines . That it did , but I fid gan designing my project with Reflex . I
the IBM PC. Two solid votes for the Mac. dled for 3 hours and never got the line created both a flat database file structure
I went to work.
spacing to look decent. Scratch File and a data-entry form in less than I0 min
My first attempt was with Microsoft Maker Plus.
utes . Using the Clipboard , I cut the text of
Works. It's incredibly easy to use, and At this point, with deadlines looming, my letter out of Word and paste.ct it into a
you can merge fields from the database the power su pply in my Mac Plus went up "label" area on my Reflex report form . I
module into documents created with the in a puff of acrid smoke. I hauled it off to wrote a formula for a variable-height ad
word processor. What could possibly be the shop and put in a call for a rental Mac dress block and positione.d it over the let
easier? Well , because Works is suppos intosh SE. AU told , I lost a day and a haJf. ter. Done.
edly geared to the entry-level user, it's During those 36 hours without a Mac , 1 I had a database and a form-letter ma
missing a few features. In this case, I was piled up the manuals for all the other Mac trix within Reflex that spat out printed
chagrined to learn that it lacks any sort of databases I have in my collection and mailers as fast as I could feed paper into
blank-line control ; ifl had a null field for started reading .
my laser printer. There was onJy one mi
a person ' s COfl?Orate title, there was no I find Double Helix extremely convo nor annoyance: Reflex won't let you have
way I couJd avoid a blank line in the mid luted; it' s about as easy for me to get data more than one text attribute in any de
dle of my address block. Scratch Works . out of Double Helix as it is to get baggage fined region of a report. so I had to edit
"OK." I thought. ''I'll use the data out of United Airlines (the only airline the letter to eliminate any italic and bold
base in Works , then dump out a tab that has lost my luggage on a flight be face phrases.
delimited text file that I'll merge into big, tween San Francisco and Los Angeles) . In the mjddle of all this , Borland an
powerful Microsoft Word 3.01. That's a Though the documentation indicated that nounced an update package called Reflex
serious word processor. This should turn I could probably create a report form that Plus. Since the company promised a new ,
out 10 be a cinch."
would accomplish my mail merge, I shrink-wrapped copy of Reflex Plus to
Hah. Though Word has some impres didn't have the time to fuss with anything any journalist who attended the an
sive mail-merge features, like a minimal but 100 percent certainty . Scratch Dou nouncemen~ shindig, I headed south to
macro language with if ... endif con ble Helix.
Santa Clara with software lust in my
structions for printing optional fields and Two hours with the documentation of heart . When I returned to San Francisco ,
puncluation marks , its blank-line control Omnis 3 Plus convinced me that I was bearing an uncomfortably large box in a
is only half-implemented. Word can looking at one of the most unreadable bright red tote bag, I rushed to the SE,
squelch blank lines , but onJy if they're manuaJs ever written . I couldn't begin to plugged in the new disks, and replace.ct
the result of nonprinting instructions or determ.ine if it could do the job. (I later Reflex for the Mac with Reflex Plus.
comments. Once again, I faced a gaping learned from an Omnis guru that it could,
comimud
hole if somebody didn't have a corporate in fact, handle my merge, but I'd already
title. Scratch Word.
given up.) Scratch Omnis 3 Plus.
Ezra Shapiro is a consulting editor for
The next try was with FileMaker Plus, I never got around to looking at either BYTE. Contact him at P. 0 . Box 146069.
which has great facilities for designing 4th Dimension or dBASE Mac; I ended San Francisco , CA 94114, or on BIX as
both data-entry and report forms. It even my search with Borland 's Reflex for the "ezra . " Because of1he volume ofmail he
has an option to "slide " fields up and to Mac . I had liked the product (called Inter receives. Ezra. regretfully, cannot re
the left if it encounters any that are lace before it was acquired by Borland) spond 10 each inquiry.
JANUARY l 988 · B Y T E 205
APPLICATI0:'-15 0:'-ILY
Reactions to Reflex Plus
Reflex Plus is the first product packaged as part of Borland' s Professional Series. Dornmentation is no longer a cheaply
printed paperback book ; you get a fat
loosc-kaf binder in a striking black-and red slipcase. The manual has been com pletely rewritten . Introductory. tutorial. and reference materials are neatly broken out into discernible sections . The topics are ordered logically and treated exhaus tivel y: this is light-years ahead of the old Interlace documentation. The index is lengthy and thorough. and I liked using it .
The basic Inte rlace/ Reflex e ngine is stil l familiar. but some features have been added and some commands have been moved around. You first enter a Ii ·t of field names in a "database overview " window. Ncl\t, you go back through the list and declare field types and select .. key fields." (Because Reflex indexes its data files. you must have a unique key made up of one or more fields-in every record_)
Reflex follows a very relational model; you can set up links between data files on a one-to-one. one-to-many. or many-to many basis. Linking is accomplished by simply drawing a li ne on-screen in the overview window from one field name to another. There's no need to establish an overall data library or collection: Reflex databases exist as separate files on disk. even if they· re connected.
It's best to set up relationships at the outset. as Reflex demands that the linked fields be empty. but it· s no big deal to add fields and Jinks to existing databases late r on . though you may have to export some data from one structure to another.
Reflex for the Mac allows multiple re port forms but only one data-entry sys tem. Reflex Plus stores both input and output forms as separate files , so you can have as many of each as you need. Forms are designed on a standard Macintosh page grid: you move objects around with the mouse.
Calculated fields in entry and report forms make use of a wide selection of for mula functions. and Reflel\ Plus employs a device. called a "repeating collection." that lets you display intricate relation ships on any form.
The best news is that once you get the hang of Reflex Plus (which should take no longer than an hour or two). you can do amaiing things with ii. U nless you need full programmability. network sup port. absolute control of the user inter face. and /o r "choice" fields that let you enter data by selecting from a li st of pre defined alternatives. Reflex Plus is an ideal program.
The relational foatures will e nabl e me to cake my mailing li st and convert it into
Items
Discussed
PhoneNet ... .$59 .95 per connection Farallon Computing 2150 Kittredge St. Berkeley. CA 94074 (415) 849-2331 Inquiry 939.
Reflex Plus ..... Borland International 4585 Scotts Valley Dr. Scotts Valley, CA 95066 (408) 438-8400 Inquiry 940.
.. .$279
TOPS/DOS (MS-DOS) ......... $189 TOPS for the Macintosh .. ___ .S189 TOPS FlashCard
(PC AppleTalk card) ....... . ..$239 TOPS 2560 9th St .. Suite 220 Berkeley, CA 94710 (415) 549-5900 Inquiry 941.
a full-blown order -entry system when the time comes. Because every file is in dexed. search speed on either the Mac Plus or the SE is quite acceptable . I like this program . even if the $279 price tag
for Reflex Plus is quite a j ump from the
$99 for Reflex for the Mac. As one of the few writers I know never
to have been quoted in one of Borland ' s
direct -response advertisements. I'm fi
nall y willing to say something favorable about a Borland product : Reflex Plus of fers tremendous versatilitv in the man agement and display of data . Building complex. interrelated database structures is no longer a mysterious process avail able only to elite programmers: anyone with half a brain can make Reflex Plus perform magic tricks .
That said. I have one final comment. I could control blank lines with WordStar on a CP/M machine 5 years ago . I'm ap palled that Microsoft missed this feature in its two Mac word processors. On the other hand . I was relieved to find data bases that could handle what I consider to be text-management functions. Must the Mac be forever doomed to be called a lousy machine for word proces ing ? Come on. let's get with it. you g uys.
In Praise of TOPS Networks used to make me nervous . I broke into a cold sweat when anyone mentioned token ring, file and record
locking. twi.,teu-pa1r cabling. or an~ or th e other buzzwords associated with the arcane sciem:e of network in \!.
There were two reasons 'rnr thi s pho bia _ First_ I was wo rrieu Iha! the increa.,
ing emphasis o n local-area networks was a scheme cooked up b)' the Force., or Darkness to squelch the independent spi rit of "personal" com puting. Second . I saw th e purely techni cal and mec hanical aspects of hooking up a ne twork as a way
to pend uncounted ho urs 1ln my hand' anu knees unuer my worktable. mu tter ing curse as I struggled vainly to connect
patently unconnectable Jevice s. Furthermore. I didn't bclic\·c 1 needed
a network_ There a re no coworkers in my basement with whom I have to share my resources: it's just me. a bunch of com puters. <ind a bu nch of printers . And I have e nough serial cables. null modems. and ge nder c hangers to hook the various machine_ together and shoot files around the r om to tl1\" heart's co ntent. O r so l thought.
Then I began to have thc.,e annoying Iittle problems . I sta rted a project that in volved moving megabyte files betv,,ee n the Macintosh and the Tandon AT c lone: eve n at high uata lransfer rates. this took a lot of time and tied up both machine.. >iext. software for the Tandon began ar riving with PostScripl printer d ri vers. how could I test this stuff wi th out linking the Tandon to the QMS laser printer"
True. the QMS has connectors for both ApplcTalk and a sta nd a rd serial cab le. but there ' s al. o a switch on the side of the printer that has to be set to tell it wh ich port to use . I've neatly blockaded that side of the printer with the corpse of my old Compaq Portable. and I didn't want 10 have to rearrange the whole place j usl to get at the switc h . Final ly. I hit the limit on the Mac ' s 20-megabytc DataFrame and began eyeing the empty regions of th e Tandon 's 40-megabyte hard disk as a solution to my space woes. if only I could get to it.
So. with a sinking leeling in my stom ach . I decided to try out the TOPS Applc Talk network. I wa not happy about this. but there seemed to be no way out. l was so uncomfortable with the deci sion . in fact. that I put off installin_g th e thing for nearly 2 weeks.
You' ve probably gotten the point by now . When I finally went to work. it took me all of 20 minutes to get TOPS run ning. and most of th at time 1v-Js spent tak ing apart the T ando n to install the Apple Talk card. I haven 't read more than. oh. 25 pages of the manuals that come with th e network. and everything has behaved wonderfully .
Files zip back and forth between the n mtimtl'd
206 BYTE · JAN "ARY 1988
APPLICATIO S Oi\LY
two computers like lightning (I can even run a program on one computer and edit a file on the other withour any transfer at all ). the Tandon now speaks to the la ·er printer on a polite basi., and I'm u. ing the Tandon· - di k lo hold the overflow from the DataFrame . I' m beg inning to consider myself a tupid jerk because I didn't do thi any sooner .
TOPS tand for .. tran cendental oper ating ys tem ," but the Tcou ld just as eas ily indicate " transpa rent." It' s old a~ software for both the MS-DOS world and the Mac world , at S189 per machine , and it will run with PC AppleTalk cards from TOPS. Apple, He r ul es, Tand y , and anyone else who follows Apple ' s ·pee . (The Mac has AppleTalk built in. so you don't need an add-in board.)
For cabling , I had the choice of either Apple's kits (S75 per machine) or Phone Net from Farallon Computing ($59 .95
per machine). r went with Phone et; not
on ly i it a little le expensive. but yo u can use standard RJ - 11 modular cables to connect machines , or nab any two unused wires in your installed telephone cabling to go from room to room.
Software installation is automated on both the PC and the Mac (batch file on the PC side. self-contained program on
the Mac -ide). The PC softwa re seems a bit more cumbersome to run than the Mac software, but it's not much more omplex than any other simi lar DOS task- setting up a mouse, for example.
The central act in ll.' ing TOPS is log ging on to the network and -' pu bli shing vol ume -" · that is, decla ring which dri ves o r direc t rie yo u ' re willing to make available to th r computers on the net work and a ·signing read/write o r rcad only status 10 your volumes . One that' s out of the \Vay. you can access published files on any other stat ion as if you were acce · ing fi les on an external drive con n cted to you r machi ne.
TOPS keeps track of what' s where. Mac files look lik PC file s when viewed from MS-DOS : PC fi les look like Mac fi le when viewed from the Ma . TOPS assign val id fil enames appropriate to the operating y ·tem. You can opy a fil e from one environment to the other and back again. and TOPS won' t mis a beat. Ev n a m:tophobe lik.: myself can handl e it without much brainpower.
The . alient point in all 1hi.. for me . i\ that TOPS i · an ideal operating- ·y tern extension in any environment with more tha n one compu ter, even if there 's onl y one u er. It· s ital if you've got a Mac in
tosh and a P -type machine. but it al·o makes sense if you' re using computers of the ·ame spe ic .
I' ve read s ad.· of ana lyses of TOPS (a nd other low-c t network -) that grade ii in comparison to larger. faster. multi user netwo rks. lot one of these analyses h·-. · looked at TOPS fo r teeny env iron ment like min . But it wo rks, and it wo rks spectacularly we ll. even if I don't have to tap it capabi litie fo r pa sword protection and AppleTalk wnes.
r do not have the faci li ties to si mul ate a
mult iuser network load: I ca n't say how many machines TOPS will upport wi th ut performa nce degrada tion. For the simple ki nd s of operations a single user will perform. though. I concur wi th a co mment in the TOPS manu al : Loading a program or file from another com puter' · hard disk is about as fa . t as load ing fr m an internal floppy di k on your machine. fn other wo rds. the decrea: e in speed is barely noticeable.
In <tbout a m<nth. TOPS has proven to be va luab le for backup operations. stor age, file trnnsie r. and editing between op erating : sterns. I'm beeom ing as ad dicted to it a I am to hard di k.. I imply wou ld not have two or more l:Omputers wi1hout a cop of TOPS for each. ·
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Nr 11378 DO NOT SEND CASH. Personal and buslnen checks mu·t cleor ou· Aulho1lzollon Cenle1 before procenl ng. $25 MINIMUM ORDER. Shipping, Handling &. lnsuronce Chorge I· 5'1. ol Totol 01de1 wllh o $3.95 minimum. (Canadian 01de1S Add 15'1. Shipping, with o $9.95 minimum cho1ge.) For · hlpmen!S by air, please double lheoe cho1ge1. SORRY, NO C.0 .D.'a, NEW VORK RESIDENTS PLEASE ADD SALES TAX. ALL MERCHANDISE SHIPPED IRAND NEW, FACTORY FRESH, AND 100'1. OUARANTEED. WE ARE NOT RUPONSllLf FOR ANY TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS.
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208 BY T [ · Ji\ NUARY 198
Circle 123 0 11 Reader Service Card
Choose a Proteus.
Wh n you choose a Proteus, you get a lot more than just high performance al a low price. You get personal service that helps you custom tailor a system which is just right for your specific applications from our large stock of bra nd name hard disks, graphics boards monitors and other add-ol1s.
Easy Setup When you get your new Proteus syslem
you can have it up and running in no lime. 'o need to spend hours. or e"en days, lo gel it lo work. It comes \\ilh clearly 1mttcn. e<tw lo follow manuals. and on some models ym; c\'cn get built-in. ROM based . menu driven ct-up, diagnostic. and utility soft ware.
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JA UARY 1988 · B Y TE 209
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IN DEPTH
Managing
Megabytes
215 A Better Way to Compress Images by Michael F. Barnsley and Alan D. Sloan
225 Managing Immense Storage by Theodor H. Nelson
243 Fast Data Access by Jonathan Robie
255 Achieving Mainframe Performance by Wink Sa ville
265 Managing Megabytes Resource Guide
o.
a
·
I
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 213
Introduction
Managing Megabytes
T he memory capacity of personal computers is undergo ing another round of inflation. with the onset of 32-bit architectures and operating systems . New hard disks, video disks, and CD-ROM devices are bringing similar increases in the area of nonvolatile, high-speed storage. The megabyte has joined the kilobyte as a common coin for measuring memory and storage.
Unfortunately, you won ' t benefit fully from this increase in capacity until software is available that takes full advan tage of it. To be sure. OS/2 in the 80x86 world and Multi Finder and A/ UX in the Macintosh world offer system-level
support for large memories. But the end user needs applica tions specifically designed to take advantage of the vast data sets , high-density graphics images , and voluminou s text files that can live in megabyte storage systems.
The four articles in this section present some of the new techniques and design ideas for managing megabytes.
In "A Better Way to Compress Images ." ' Michael F . Barnsley and Alan D . Sloan present a new technique for image processing , storage, and retrieval that yields compres sion ratios of 10,000 to I. This is the first detailed exposition of the method outside of academic literature . The authors in clude a BASIC program so that interested readers can see the image-reconstruction part of the method at work.
Theodor H. Nelson, originator of the hypertext concept. presents a detailed explanat.ion of the storage scheme for Project Xanadu. Xanadu is the first node of a proposed worldwide hypertext network. It uses a radical new system for storing the vast quantities of text, image, and other data that may be generated by entirely new categories of applica tion progran1s and their users.
Database consultant Jonathan Robie explains why tradi tional personal-computer style database management sys tems are not adequate tools in the megabyte era . "Fast Data Access'" is a good introduction to the next generation of DBMS tools.
·' Ach.ieving Mainframe Perfonnance " by Wink Saville gives a programmer's view of the challenges and opportuni ties of working with large memories and storage devices. He cites some general principles and gives specific algorithms demonstrating how three common operations- displaying bit-image graphics, computing trigonometric functions , and sorting data- can be speeded up significantly by using the extra memory available. The author writes from experience: He spearheaded the development of a 2.4-gigabyte CD ROM development system at Meridian Data Inc.
For further information on some of the topic s presented in this section , refer to the Resource Guide on page 265 .
-Ken Sheldon and George A. Srewan , Technical Editors
2 14 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
MANAGING MEGABYTES
A Better Way to
Compress Images
Mathematics is providing a novel technique for achieving compression ratios of 10,000 to 1-and higher
Michael F. Barnsley and Alan D. Sloan
THE NATURAL WORLD is filled with intricate detail. Consider the geometry on the back of your hand : the pores, the fine lines, and the color variations. A camera can capture that detail and, at your leisure , you can study the photo to see things you never noticed before. Can personal computers be made to carry out similar functions of image storage and analysis? If so, then image compression will certainJy play a central role.
The reason is that digitized images images converted into bits for processing by a computer- demand large amounts of computer memory. For example, a high detail gray-scale aerial photograph might be blown up to a 3 lh -foot square and then resolved to 300 by 300 pixels per square inch with 8 significant bits per pixel. Digitization at this level requires 130 megabytes of computer memory-too much for personal computers to handle.
For real-world images such as the aeri al photo, current compression techniques can achieve ratios of between 2 to 1 and lO to 1. By these methods , our photo would still require between 65 and 13 megabytes.
In this article, we describe some of the main ideas behind a new method for image compression using fractals. The method has yielded compression ratios in excess of 10,000 to 1 (bringing our aerial photo down to a manageable 13,000 bytes). The color pictures in figures l through 5 were encoded using the new technique; actual storage requirements for these images range from I00 to 2000 bytes.
A mathematics research team at the
Georgia Institute of Technology is devel oping the system, with funding provided by the Defense Advanced Research Proj ects Agency (DARPA) and the Georgia Tech Research Corporation (GfRC). Our description is necessarily simplified, but it will show you how a fractal image compression scheme operates and how to use it to create exciting images.
Describing Natural Objects Traditional computer graphics encodes images in terms of simple geometrical shapes: points, line segments, boxes, cir cles, and so on. More advanced systems use three-dimensional elements, such as spheres and cubes, and add color and shading to the description.
Graphics systems founded on tradi tional geometry are great for creating pic tures of man-made objects, such as bricks, wheels, roads, buildings, and cogs. However, they don't work well at all when the problem is to encode a sun set, a tree, a lump of mud, or the intricate structure of a black spleenwort fern. Think about using a standard graphics system to encode a digitized picture of a cloud: You'd have to tell the computer the address and color attribute of each point in the cloud. But that's exactly what an uncompressed digitized image is-a long list of addresses and attributes.
To escape this difficulty, we need a richer library of geometrical shapes. These shapes need to be flexible and con trollable so that they can be made to con form to clouds, mosses, feathers, leaves, and faces, not to mention waving sun flowers and glaring arctic wolves. Fractal
geometry provides just such a collection of shapes . For a hint of this, glance at the pictures in The Fractal Geometry ofNa ture by Benoit Mandelbrot, who coined the term fractal to describe objects that are very "fractured" (see references for additional books and articles) . Some ele mentary fractal images accompany this article.
Using fractals to simulate landscapes and other natural effects is not new; it has been a primary practical application. For instance, through experimentation, you find that a certain fractal generates a pat tern similar to tree bark. Later, when you want to render a tree, you put the tree bark fractal to work.
What is new is the ability to start with an actual image and find the fractals that will imitate it to any desired degree of ac curacy. Since our method includes a com pact way of representing these fractals, we end up with a highly compressed data set for reconstructing the original image.
Overview of Fractal Compression We start with a digitized image. Using image-processing techniques such as color separation, edge detection, spec trum analysis, and texture-variation analysis, we break up the image into seg ments. (Some of the same techniques
continued
Michael F. Barnsley and Alan D. Sloan are professors of mathematics at the Georgia Institute ofTechnology (Atlanta, GA 30332) and officers of Iterated Sys tems Inc. (1266 Holly Lane NE, Atlanta, GA30329).
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 215
IMAGE COMPRESSIO
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Figure 1; IFS- encoded color image of three-dimens ional f em s (4 transformations , I 00 bytes) .
Figure 2: IFS-encoded color photo of Black Forest, color set adjusted to give winter tones (120 transformations , 2000 bytes).
form the ba i for the automatic coloring of black-and-white motion pictures.) A egment might be a tern a leaf a cloud, or a fence post. A segment can also be a more complex collection of pixels : A sea scape, for example . may include sprny , rock, and mi t.
We then look up these segments in a li brary of fractals . The library doesn 't contain literal fractal s; that would require astronomical amount of torage . In stead our library contains relativel y compact sets of numbers called irerated function system (IFS) codes that will re produce the corresponding fractals . Fur thermore, the library ' cataloging system is such that images that look alike are close together: earby codes correspond to nearby fractals. This makes it feasible to et up automated procedure for searching the library to find fractal s that approximate a given target image. A mathematical result known as the Collage Theorem (more on that later) guarantees
that we can always find a suitable IFS
code-and gives a method for doing so . Once we have looked up all the seg
.ments in our library and found their IFS codes , we can throw away the original digitized image and keep the codes , achieving our compression ratio of 10,000 to 1- or even higher.
Iterated Function Systems
We start by explaining how a set of IFS codes can approximate a natural image.
IFS theory is an exten ion of cla icaJ geometry . It uses affine transformations, explained below, 10 express relations be tween parts ofan image. Using only these relations , it defines and conveys intricate pictures. With IFS theory , we can de scribe a cloud as clearl y as an architect can describe a house.
By studying the following sections,
you hould be able to encode and decode fa cinating black-and-white image seg ments, such as leaf skeletons, tree ·hadow , spirals , and thunderheads. You should also obtain an overview of how a fully automated fractal compression sys tem operates.
Affine transformation s can be de scribed as combinations of rotations, scalings , and translations of the coordi nate axes inn-dimens ional space. An ex ample in two dimensions is
W(x y) = ( 1h x+1A y + l , 14x+'hy+ 2),
which can aJ o be written in matrix form as
Thi transformation moves the point (0,0) to (1,2) and moves ( -1 ,0.5) to (0 .625. 2). To confirm your understanding of the idea you should work out where it moves the point ( I , I). We denote this transfor mation by W; the notation W(S) denotes the subimage of Won a set of points S.
Now let's see what W does to a picture of a smiling face. F , lying on the x ,y plane (see figure 6). The result is a new. squeezed face W{F). The affine transfor mation has deformed and moved the face . Notice that the eyes in the transformed face W(F) are closer together than they are in F. We say that the transformation W is contractive: It always moves points closer together.
Another example of a contractive af fine transfomiation is shown in figure 7. This time it acts on a leaf to produce a new , smaller leaf.
The general form for an affine trans formation is
Figure 3: IFS-encoded color photo ofa Figure 4: IFS-en coded color photo of
Bolivian girl (120 transformations, 2000 rhe Monrerey coast (60 tra11sforma1ions,
by tes) .
JOO bytes).
Figure 5: IFS- encoded color image from A Cloud Study (30 transfomwtions , 500 bytes).
216 13 Y T E · JA NUARY 1988
Photog.ra~ © 1987 Gcorg.10 Tc h Rcs.e.:i.r.;h Corp . Figure J: Barnsley; Mgurc 2 a.nd J: Bat~ l cy. Jacquin. Molouc11<1. Reuter. SI0<1n: Figum 4 and S: Blrn11ey. l·<quin . RetJtcr. Sloon
IMAGE COMPRESSION
w [~J= [ ~ ~J [~J+ [;J
= [acxx++dbyy++ef ] .·
0!1 a + 0!2 b + e = a1 '
(1)
/31 a + /32 b + e = ~ 1 ,
(2)
'Yi a + )'2 b + e = 1'1 ·
(3)
y
and find c, d, and fin similar fashion from these equations:
where the coefficients a, b, c, d, e, and/ are real numbers.
lfwe know in advance the translations, rotations, and scaJ ings that combine to produce W, we can generate coefficient values as follows :
a= rcos8,b = -ssin¢, c = rsin8,d = scos</>,
where r is the scaling factor on x, s is the scaling factor on y, 0 is the angle of rota tion onx, </>is the angle of rotation on y, e
is the translation on x, and f is the transla
tion on y. How can you find an affine transfor
mation that produces a desired effect? Let's show how to find the affine trans formation that takes the big leaf to the lit tle leaf in figure 7. We wish to find the numbers a, b, c, d, e, andffor which the transformation Whas the property
0!1C+0t.2d+f=a,,
(4)
/31 c + f31 d + f = ~l ·
(5)
)'1 c + )'2 d + f = ;y, .
(6)
We recommend the use of an equation solver such as TK Solver Plus (Universal TechnicaJ Systems, Rockford, Illinois) or Eureka (Borland International, Scotts Valley , CaJifornia) for finding the coeffi cient values. Doing it manually can be tedious.
Now that we know what a contractive
contin ued
Figure 6: An affine tramformarion W moves rhe smiling face Fro a new face W(F). The transformarion is called contracti ve because it moves points closer together.
y
(y, 'yzl
~ (a, .azl
W(big leaf) == little leaf.
Begin by introducing x and y coordinate
axes, as already shown in the figure .
(/3,./3,)
Mark three points on the big leaf (we ' ve
chosen the leaf tip, a side spike, and the
point where the stem joins the leaf) and
determine their coordinates (0!1,0!,),
(/3,,/32), and (-y,,-y2). Mark the corre
sponding points on the little leaf and
determine their coordinates (0., ,a2) ,
(/3,,/32) and (1'.,,Y.), respectively .
x
Determine values for the coefficients
a , b , and e by solving the three linear Figure 7: Two ivy lea ves fix an affine transfonnation W. equations
Table I: IFS codes for a Sierpiiiski triangle.
w a
b
c
d
e
p
1 0.5 0 2 0.5 0 3 05 0
0 0.5 0
0 0.33
0 0.5 1
0 0 .33
0 0.5 0 .5 0.5 0.34
Table 3: IFS codes for a fem .
w a
b
c
d
e
p
1
0
0
0 0.16 0 0
0 .0
2
0.2 -0.26 023 0 .22 0 1 6 0.07
3 - 0.15 0.28 0.26 0.24 0 0.44 0.07
4
0.85 0.04 -0.04 0.85 0 1.6 0.85
Table 2: IFS codes for a square.
w a
b
c
d
e
p
1 0.5 0 2 0.5 0 3 0.5 0 4 0.5 0
0 0.5 0
0 0.25
0 0 .5 0.5 0 0.25
0 0 .5 0
0.5 0.25
0 0.5 0 .5 0.5 0.25
Table 4: IFS codes for fractal tree.
w a
b
c
d
e
1 0
0
0 0.5
0
2 0.1 0
0 0.1
0
3 0.42 -0.42 0.42 0.42 0
4 0.42 0.42 - 0.42 0.42 0
p
0 0.05 0.2 0.15 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.4
JANUARY 1988 · 8 YT E 217
IMAGE COMPRESSION
affine transformation is and how to find one that maps a source image onto a de sired target image, we can describe an iterated function system. An TFS is a col lection of contractive affine transforma tions . Here's an example of an IFS of three transformations:
w, [xy] = [00.50 00.50] [xy] + [O0J
[x] 6] ' [~] W, y = [00..05 00..50]
+ [
[x] - W J
y
- [00..05 00..50]
[~]+[j5]
Each transformation must also have an associated probability , Pi> detem1ining its "importance" relative to the other trans
fonnations . In the present case we mjght have p,, p 2 , and p 3 . Notice that the proba
bilities must add up to I. That is, p, +
p, + p, = I.
Of course , the above notation for an IFS is cumbersome. Table 1 expresses the same information in tabular form. Other examples of IFS codes are given in tables 2 through 4. Notice that an IFS can contain any number of affine iransfomrntions.
The Random Iteration Algorithm Now let's see how to decode an arbitrary IFS code using the random iteration method. Remember that in general an IFS can contain any number, say m , of af fine transformations , W, , W, W, ... W.,, each with an associated probability . The following code summarizes the method:
Figure 8: The result ofapplying the random iteration algorithm to the IFS code in
table 1. It is called the Sierpinski triangle.
(i) Initialize: x=O y =O . (ii) For n = I to 2500 , do steps (iii)- (vi i). (i ii) Choose k to be one of the numbers 1, 2 . .. . , m , with probability p,. (iv) Apply the transformation W to the
point (x ,y) to obtain (.r ,Y).
(v) ~et (x ,y) equal to the new point : .x=x,
y=y. (vi) If11> JO plot (x,y) . (vii) L-0op.
Applying this procedure to the trans formation in table I produces the figure shown in figure 8-a fractal known as the Sierpinski triangle . Increasing the num ber of iterations n adds points to the image . Figure 9 shows the result of the random iteration algorithm applied to the data in table 3, at several stages during the process . By increasing the scale fac tor used in plotting, you can zoom in on the image (see figure 10). The text box on page 221 contains a BASIC implementa tion of the method with additional com ments on programming.
You may wonder why the first 10 points are not plotted (step (vi)). This is to give the randomly dancing point time to settle down on the image. It is like a soccer ball thrown onto a field of expert players: Until someone gains control of the ball , its motion is unpredictable, or at least is independent of the players' ac tions. But eventually a player gets the ball, and its motion then becomes a direct result of the skill of the players. The fact that our transformation is contractive guarantees that the "ball " will eventually get to one of the "players," and that it will stay under control after that.
How do we know that the random iter cominued
..
, ~ ·"
. ·. ·: ·,·
Figure 9: A fern appears when the random iteratio11 algorithm is applied to the IFS code in table 3.
218 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
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. '
. .. . . _-; .. ·,.~...<,. ·:)r?:~~·~' ~v. ··.. : ... ;·:..";·
.........,
~ , .........:""
'fe. ~· .. }:·¥ Y· · ..
IMAGE COMPRESSION
ation algorithm will produce the same image over and over again, independent of the particular sequence of random
choices that are made? This remarkable re
sult was first suggested by computer-graph icaJ mathematics experiments and later given a rigorous theoretical foundation by Georgia Tech mathematician John Elton.
The CoUage Theorem
Our next goal is to show a systematic method for finding the affine transforma tions that will produce an IFS encoding of a desired image. This is achieved with the help of the Collage Theorem.
To iUustrate the method, we start from
a picture of a filled -in square S in the x ,y
plane , with its vertices at (0,0), (1,0), (1,1), and (0 , 1) (see figure 11). The ob
jective is to choose a set of contractive af fine transformations , in this case W,, W1 , W3 , W, so that Sis approximated as well as possible by the union of the four sub images W,(S)U W2 (S)U W,(S)U W.(S) . Figure 11 show , on the left , S together with four noncovering affine transforma tions of it ; on the right the affine trans formations have been adjusted to make the union of the transformed images cover up th e square.
To find the coefficients of these trans formations, we use the method described earlier in the section on iterated function systems leading to simultaneous equa-
Figure 10: Successive zooms on pieces ofan IFS-e11codedfern.
lions l through 3 and 4 th ro ugh 6. The values one finds in the present case are given in table 2. When the random itera tion algorithm is applied to this IFS code, the square is regenerated .
The preceding example typifies the
general situation: You need to find a set of affine transformations that shrink dis tances and that cause the target image to be approximated by the union of the af fine transformations of the image. The Collage Theorem says that the more ac curately the image is described in this: way , the more accurately the transforma tions provide an IFS encoding of it.
Figure 12 provides another illustration of the Collage Theorem. At the bottom left is shown a polygonahzed leaf bound ary , together with four affine transforma tions of that boundary. The transformed! leaves taken together do not form a very good approximation of the leaf; in conse quence , the corresponding IFS image (bottom right) , com puted usi ng the ran dom iteration aJgorithm, does not look much like the original leaf image. How ever , as the collage is made more accu rate (upper left), the d ecoded image (upper right) becomes more accurate.
So , there 's a fundamental tabilit}'
here . You don't have to get the IFS code
exactly right in order to capture a goodl likeness of your original image. More over, the IFS code is robust: Small per turbations in the code will not result in unacceptable damage to the image . In each of the above examples, we have used
four transfom1atio ns to e ncode the image. However, any number can be used .
For example, the spiral image in figure 13 can be encoded with just two contrac tive affine transformations. See if you can find them . Then determine the IFS trans formation coefficients and input them to
the random iteration algorithm to get the spiraJ back again.
y
(0, 1) ,___
W3(S)
-
s
W.(S)
· (1, 1)
y
(0 , 1)
I
W3('S)
Wo(S)
(1. 1}
(0 ,0)
Wl{S)
W 2(S)
(1 .0) I x (0,0)
Wl(S)
W;(S)
(1, 0) x
Figure 11: The collage th eorem is used to encode a classical square S. Th e correct IFS code is obtained when the four affine transformations ofS cover S, as shown on th e right.
220 BYTE · JA UA RY 1988
IMAGE COMPRESSION
Assigning Probabilities
Once you have defined your transforma tions, you need to assign probabilities to them. Different choices of probabilities do not in general lead to different images, but they do affect the rate at which vari ous regions or attributes of the image are
filled in. Let the affine transformations
W, corresponding to an image I be
where
1, 2, 3, ... , n. Then the
amount of time that the randomly dancing
point should spend in the subimage W, is
approximately equal to
area of W,
are.a of I
continued
IFS Decoding in BASIC
L isting A is a BASIC implementation of the random iteration algorithm. It includes the data for the Sierpinskj tri angle, but you can use it to process any IFS tables . In particular, you will want to try the data in tables 2, 3, and 4. Be sure to set the variable m correctly ; it tel.ls the program how many transfonna tions are in the IFS.
It is also essential that the probabili ties in p( ) add up to I. For speed, the transfonnations should be listed in de scending order of probability : the high est probability t.ransfonnation first, and the lowest probability last.
The program includes variables for rescaling and translating the origin to accommodate the range of the points be ing plotted to the limits of your screen . If the image is too wide, decrease xscale; if the points are too close horizontally, increase xscale. Adjust yscale simi larly to get a good vertical point spread . To move the image, adjust xoffset and yoffset.
You can do these adjustments by trial and error: Run the program ; interrupt it and change the offse.ts and scale factors ; and run it again . Or, you can replace the plot command pset with a command to print the values of x and y and run the program to get an exact idea of the range of points being plotted, so you can adjust the scale and offsets more precisely .
Another way to arrange the program is to have it read all the data-m, a(), b( ), c ( ) , d () , e(), f(). p( ), xscale, yscale, xoffset, and yoff set -from a disk file specified by the user. Instead of reading in the coeffi cients a, b, c, and d, you may want to read in angles (J and <P and scale factors r and s , and then calculate the coefficients.
The random iteration method is com putation-intensive, so we recommend use of a compiler such as Microsoft 's QuickBASIC or Borland 's Turbo BASIC . If your computer has a floating point coprocessor and your compiler supports one, so much the better.
Listing A: A BASIC program demonstrating the use of the random iteration algorithm to reconstruct an IFS-compressed image.
10 'Allow for a max i mum of 4 tra n sfo r mat i ons i n t he I FS
20 DI M a(4), b(4), c(4), d(4), e(4), f (4), p(4)
30 '
40 'Transformation data, Sierpinski triangle
50 'First comes the number of transformations
60 'then the coefficients a through f and probab i lity pk
70 'The values for pk should be in descending order.
80 DATA 3
90 DATA .5,0,0, .5 , 0,0, .34
100 DATA .5,0,0, .5,1,0, .33
110 DATA .5,0,0, .5, .5, .5, .33
120 ·
130 'Read in the data
140 READ m
150 pt ~ 0 'Cumulative probability
160 FOR j = l TO m
l 70
READ a ( j) , b Cj l , c ( j) , d ( j) , e ( j) , f ( j) , pk
180
pt = pt + pk
190
p(j) = pt
200 NEXT j
2 10
220 'Set up for Graphics
230 SCREEN 3
'Select graphics screen
2 40 xscale = 350
'Map [0,l] onto [0,350)
250 yscale = 325
'Map [0,1) onto (0,325)
260 xoffset 0
270 yoffset s 0
'Leave the y-origin
280 '
290 'Initialize x and y
300 x - 0
310 y - 0 320 ·
330 'Do 2500 iterat i ons
340 FOR n - 1 TO 2500
350
pk - RND
360
'The next line works for m<=4. I t must be modified
370
'for values of m > 4.
380
IF pk <= p(l) THEN k · l ELS E I F pk <= p(2) THEN k 2
ELSE IF pk <m p(3) TH EN k = 3 ELSE k = 4
390
newx = a(k) · x + b(k) * y + e(k)
400
newy · c(k) · x + d(k) * y + f(k)
410
x = newx
420
y = newy
430
'Use PRINT x,y instead of the PSET li ne
440
'to see the range of coord i nates. Then fix
450
'xscale, yscale, xoffset, and yoffset
460
IF n > 10 THEN PSET (x * xscale + xo ffset , y * yscale
+ yoffset)
470 NEXT n
480 ·
490 LOCATE 24, 35
500 PRINT "Press any key to end.·;
510 WHILE INKEYS - nn
520 WEND
530 '
540 'Return to text screen
550 SCREEN 0
560 END
JANUARY l 988 · B Y T E 221
IMAGE COMPRESSION
Figure 12: The Collage Theorem is applied to a leaf The collage al lower left isn 't much good, so the corresponding IFS image, shown at lower right, is a poor approximation. But as the collage improves, upper left, so does the IFS image.
Figure 13: Can you find the IFS codes for this spiral image? Only two transformations are needed.
222 B Y T E · JANUARY 1988
So long a · ad - cd is not 0, it is a stan dard calculus result that our ratio equals the determinant of the transformation ma
trix for w,. So a good choice for the prob
ability p, is
a,d, - b, c,
I: la,d,-b,c,I I
provided none of these numbers p, comes out to be 0. A 0 value should be replaced by a very small positive value. such as 0.001, and the other probabilities corre spondingly adjusted to keep the sum of all the probabilities equal to I.
We now surrunarize the compression and decompression process: An input image is broken up into segments through image-processing techniques. The se image components are looked up in the IFS library using the Collage Theorem. and their IFS codes are recorded . When the image is to be reconstructed. the IFS codes are input to the random iteration al gorithm. The accuracy of the recon . tructed image depends only on the toler ance setting used during the col lage mapping stage .
Applications
For graphics applications, we use a more sophisticated procedure that allows full color images to be encoded . Combina torial searching algorithms can be used to automate the collage mapping stage . Fig ures 2, 3, and 4 were obtained using IFS theory at compression ratios in excess of 10.000 to I . These images were based on photographs in recent issues of National Geographic. A full-sequence video ani
mation, A Cloud Study, vlas shown at
SIGGRAPH '87. This was encoded at a ratio exceeding 1,000,000 to I and can be transmitted in encoded form at video rates over ISDN lines (ISDN stands for integrated services digital network. a concept for integrated voice and data communications) . A frame from the ani mation is shown in figure 5.
The IFS compression technique is computation-intensive in both the encod ing and decoding phases. Computations for the color images were all carried out on Masscomp 5600 workstations (dual 68020-based systems) with Aurora graphics. Complex color image · require about JOO hours each to encode and 30 minutes to decode on the Masscomp .
For practical applications, you need custom hardware that can speed the en coding and decoding process. An experi mental prototype , the IFSIS (iterated function system-image sy nthesizer) , de codes at the rate of several frames per second . The IFSIS device was produced from a cooperative effort between GTRC ,
IMAGE COMPRESSION
DARPA, Atlantic Aerospace Elecrronics
Corporation , and Iterated Systems, and it was demonstrated on October 5, 1987 , at the third annual meeting ofthe Applied and Computational Mathematics Program of DARPA. It can be connected to a personal computer through a serial port; the per
sonal computer sends the IFS codes to the
device , which responds by producing com plex color images on a monitor.
The IFSIS is a proof of concept for
faster devices with higher resolution.
Once the higher-performance IFSIS de
vices are combined with ISDN telecom munication, full-color animation at video rates over phone lines will be a reality .
Another area for future application of IFS encoding is automatic image analy sis. What's in a picture? Does it show a spotted sandpiper or a robin? The more complex the image or the more subtle the question , the harder it becomes for an al gorithmic answer to be formulated. But here 's the point: Whatever the answer, it will proceed faster if stable, compressed images are used. The reason for this is that image-recognition problems involve combinatorial searching, and searching times increase factorially with the size of
the image file .
During the spring of 1987, Iterated Systems was incorporated to develop commercial applications of IFS image
compression. It is exciting to see how an
abstract field of mathematics research is leading to new technology with implica tions ranging from commercial and in dustrial work to personal computing . ·
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Figures 2 through 5 were encoded by gradu ate students Franr;ois Malassenet, Laurie Reuter, and Arnaud Jacquin . All color images were produced in the Computergra phical Mathematics Laboratory at Georgia Institute of Technology and are copyright 1987, GTRC.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Barnsley , M_ F. and S. Demko . "Iterated
Function Systems and the Global Con struction of Fractals ." The Proceedings of the Royal Society of London , A399 , 1985 , pp. 243 - 275 . Barnsley , M. F., V. Ervin , D. Hardin, and J . Lancaster. "Solution of an Inverse Problem for Fractals and Other Sets." Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, vol. 83 , April 1985 . Barnsley, M . F . Fractals Everywhere. Ac ademic Press, 1988. Forthcoming. Elton , J . " An Ergodic Theorem for Iterated Maps ." Journal of Ergodic Theory and Dynamical Systems_ Forthcoming . Mandelbrot , B. The Fractal Geometry of Nature. San Francisco, CA: W. H. Free man and Co .. 1982 .
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224 B Y T E · JAN UARY 19 8
Circle 29 on Reader Service Card
MANAGING MEGABYTES
Managing Immense
Storage
Project Xanadu provides a model for the possible future of mass storage
Theodor H. Nelson
PROJECT XANADU IS a system de signed to be the principal publishing util ity of the future. It will provide for the de posit , delivery, and continual revision of linked electronic documents , servicing hundreds of millions of simultaneous users with hypertext , graphics, audio, movies , and hypermedia . Xanadu has been under continuous development for over 27 years and has been repeatedly re designed as better methods were devel oped for achieving broader goals . (Xana du is a trademark for hypenext and software products and services offered by Project Xanadu , San Antonio , Texas.)
The present system, Xanadu 87 . I, is an operational file server program , in tended to run in many computers of a net work that performs a full set of functions and that can be incrementally improved without major revision up to the full per formance of the network. This article is an introduction to its principal concepts and indexing schemes.
I began what is now Project Xanadu in the fall of 1960 as a term project for a graduate course at Harvard on computers in the social sciences. During the 1960s, it evolved into a new set of data structures (see reference I), then a single-user workstation (reference 2) , and finally the idea grew to its present scope, detailed in my book literary Machines (reference 3).
Through all this time , however, two main specifications remained the same: A user would be able to see and follow arbitrary links between pieces of non sequential text and be able to intercom pare different versions of documents, noting which parts were the same-a fea-
ture I believe to be necessary for office Jjnked together in various ways. I will ex
systems and other forms of intercon plain this concept further and then pre
nected writing (such as hypertext).
sent various technical details- such as the
Project Xanadu has suffered from too addressing system and its arithmetic, and
much publicity . The project is well · the structure of links- by which we
known, but not well understood . Its create the particular xanalogical structure
greatest aspiration, a universal instanta of the Xanadu system.
neous hypertext publishing network, has Often, apparently simple designs for
not been generally understood at the tech data storage merely foist complexity on
nical level and has created various false users, requiring many adaptations out
impressions. One publication, for exam side the design . Traditional computer
ple, referred to it as "a database-to-be the storage is such a system; it pushes onto
size of the world" -a very muddled the user the problem of naming and keep
description .
ing track of hundreds or thousands of
We at Project Xanadu have another files and their backup copies, and the re
great aspiration for the same software and lations between them. Existing systems
underlying ideas: the organization and encourage clutter; files with unknown
clarification of files on a small scale, contents are saved as a precaution, and
cleaning up the clutter of computer files the connections between things get lost
that now chokes both individuals and of and deteriorate.
fices . People everywhere are drowning in What individual users and offices
little files with mysterious names whose don't know they need is a system of stor
origins and relationships are forgotten. age that keeps track of the origins and
We want to clear that up as well.
variations of everything. Such a system
We believe we have a unifying techni would Jet a user see the origin of any part
cal solution to both problems.
of a document, provide insight into its
meaning in different contexts, and allow
A New Form of Storage
it to be used in new ways easily.
We have a model of storage that is rational For example, consider a lawyer who
yet radical : rational because it proposes uses variations of the same contract re
to keep things orderly to a degree they peatedly . He wiJJ tell his secretary, "I
could never be before; and radical be want to give this cljent the modifications
cause it requires a fundamental change in we did for Jones, but also the changes we
the way computers are programmed. Like
continued
other new paradigms, this presents an en
tirely new worldview, and it provokes Theodor H. Nelson (Project Xanadu ,
various forms of confusion and anger.
8480 Fredericksburg, Suite 138, San An
Our generic name for this is "xanalogi tonio, TX 78229) is the director ofProject
cal storage. " Xanalogical storage lets Xanadu and the inventor ofthe hypertext
units be built from parts of other units and concept.
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 225
MANAGING IMMENSE STORAGE
did for Smjth. " On the screen , he ought to be able to see each borrowed part high 1ighled in both old and new contexts . Without this , in today's offices, a good secretary must do what the system ought to do-keep track of the origins and inter connections of the material .
Traditional computer file structures have also generated many computer ap plications- and their problems-as we
now know them . Conventional files are streams of bits divided into blocks and given a name. Text systems began when someone decided to treat the sequence of bits as text characters, then set up con trols for their revision. Database pro grams began when someone decided to treat individual blocks as units and divide them into named and addressable fields.
In this way , I would argue, our applica-
Document A
Document C
Native
Native
Figure 1: A Xanadu document can consist ofnative bytes, which originated with the document , and inclusions ofnative bytes from other documents.
DocumentX
Document Y
a
b
Original link
h
I
Document Z
Included instances of efgabc
Same link
k
I
Figure 2: An example of linking: Some ofthe bytes ofdocwnent X have been included into document Z. Since those bytes contain links to document Y, Zand Y are now linked.
lol I I I I I I
Humber complete in 7 bits
I1 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I· ··I I I I I I I I I
Length of humber
Actual binary digits of humber
Figure 3: Humbers can be represented by 1 or more bytes. A 0 in the first bit signals that the number is complete in I byte. A I in the first bit means that the remaining bits ofthefirs1 byte specify the length, in bytes. ofthe number, which can be a binary number up to 1016 bits long-an extremely long number.
tions programs have become artificially divided into functions on the basis of how they are implemented. This keeps us mis led into believing that such programs as "database' and "text" are divinely or dained, and leads us away from designjng functions best suited to particular uses.
The alternative is a new module for maintaining storage in its real complex ity , perrrtitting you to understand the in terrelation of all stored materials . Under this storage paradjgm , you can ascertain the origin of every part of every docu ment (in a way that will even save space in some environments), as well as make note (as if using a highlighting pen and sticky notes) of every interconnection and feature of interest. To distinguish materi als stored in this way, I will avoid confu sion by not using the word "file ," since that is what conventionally stored units are called. I will use the tenn " docu ment" for materials stored according to this new paradigm .
Building Documents by Inclusion
In the Xanadu paradigm , a document consists of native bytes, which originated with the document, and inclusions, which are bytes native to other documents but also present by inclusion , or virtual copy, in this one (see figure I). Concep tually , there is only one copy of every byte (though for both safety and imple mentation there are generally other copies) . A byte is just as fully a part of a document in which it is included as it is part of the document to which it is native.
Thus, a document consists (first ap proximation) of native bytes and a struc ture of pointers (hidden and maintained by the storage system) for bringing in stances of included bytes from other documents. By various system com mands, you can ask where bytes came from, ask to see them in their original context, and so on .
At about this point some people-espe cially assembly language programmers who like to optimize systems for speed invariably ask, "What about efficiency?" Well, at every stage in the development of system facilities, some people object to a lack of raw access. But keeping in mind that storage and computers are cheap, and people are expensive , then the real efficiency is human efficiency, and it is that efficiency we are trying to maximjze_
Keeping Track
A truly efficient storage system needs a data structure that keeps track of arbi trary links between arbitrary portions of arbitrary documents. This is important for hypertext, for the marking and anno tation of all kinds of data , and for search
conrinued
226 BYTE · JANUARY 1988
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JA 'UA RY 1988 · BYT E 227
MANAGING IMMENSE STORAGE
ing on such links and markings. ln the Xanadu system, we do thjs by at
taching links not to points in the data , but to the bytes themselves. Thus, a given link is present on every document in
which any of the bytes (native or in cluded) are linked to another document.
For example, in figure 2, some of the bytes of document X have been included in document Z. Since those particular bytes are linked to document Y, the same link now exists between Z and Y. This link will always exist between Z and Y until the last of those linked bytes from X is deleted from Z.
We have taken pains to generalize th.is linking system so that it can work seam lessly across all disk, computer, and net
work boundaries as the world of com puter storage becomes united. Our storage program is designed to be run in parallel on networks of an unlimited number of servers that respond essen tially as a whole.
Link types are extensible, and any user can create new ones. Although primitive Links are two-sided , one-sided links can be used; links can also be combined (like CAR and CDR in LISP) into structures of arbitrary richness.
Links can be searched for by type and by endpoints throughout the universe of data. Thus, we see the flat file with searchable links as potentially a universal data structure.
Since the "byte" parts of a file can be
1.1
1 .2
1.3
I ,_,r.12 -1-.,1.3 1.2I. 1
I 1.2I.65 etc.
~
, .2. 2 I
1.1.2.1 1.1.2.2 1
1.2.1.9 1.2.65.831
Figure 4: A small branching structure ofsimple 1umblers.
Server
User
Document Contents
,------"---,
,,-"---., ,-"'--.,
1.2368. 792.6.0.6974 .383.1988 .352 .0.75 .2.0 . 1.9287
I
I I
Major dividers
Figure 5: Xilnadu address tumblers are divided inw four fields: Server, User, DocumenJ, and Contents. E.achfield can be short or long depending on the complexity ofthe item being addressed, and the major divider ".O. "is used to separate fields. The digit 1 in the firs: position ofthe Contems field indica1es thal this tumbler designates a byte; a 2 in the first position would indicate a link.
Table I: Sample commands from Xanadu 's FEBE protocol, in simplified fonn.
DELETEVSPAN (doc, span)
Deletes the span.
MAKELINK (doc, rrom-spanset, to- spanset, type) Makes a link from one document to another.
FINDNUMFOFLINKSTOTHREE (home-set, from-set, to-set, type) Returns the number of links of the specified type residing in the home·set between the specified sets.
FINDLINKSFROMTOTHREE (home-set, From-set, to-set, type set) Finds all the links of the specified types connecting any bytes of specified sets, provided that those links reside in the home-set.
FINDDOCSCONTAINING(spans)
Returns a list of all documents containing any of the material specified by
the span addresses.
instanced anywhere, and for different purposes, this method encourages using the link mechanism to represent those parts that are variable, arbitrary, and viewpoint-dependent. For example, para graphs and text attributes such as under lining are represented by links; thus, each included instance of specific text material can easily be underlined and paragraphed differently.
The Numbering Problem Our system must keep track of a very large number of items: an ever-growing network of serving units (computers, also called nodes or file servers) with no cen ter; an ever-expanding system of docu ments, growing unpredictably; an ever expanding number of authors and publishers, business users, scholars, and miscellaneous accounts; and an ever-pro liferating system of versions of docu ments , some controlled by their origina tors and others not.
Keeping track of all this essentially means keeping track of a Jot of numbers, some of them small and some very large . These internal numbers are used for counts and pointers, and for the overall scheme of where things are and how to get to them. We could, of course, treat the growing universe of documents (or "docuverse") as a large integer domain, sparsely occupied by assigned document addresses . However , this would mean un occupied areas using up many, many pre cious bits.
In designing the structure , we faced the problem of how to specify a sprawl ing, rapidly and unpredictably growing docuverse in a tractable form, with an in dexing scheme that could possibly grow very large and still be cogent and parsi monious on the small-scale integer ma nipulations within individual documents.
As an inspiration, we looked to the Dewey decimal system, which, while not perfect, doesn't waste a lot of space on empty characters. It led us to the concept of forking numbers-numbers that can be continually separated to make more num bers-which we have developed in an un usual way .
The solution to our numbering prob lem involves two concepts. The first is the use of compound numbers called humbers.
Humber stands for "humongous num ber, " which can be represented by I or more bytes. The very first (or complete ness) bit signals whether the number is complete in I byte. If this bit is unset (equal to 0), the remaining 7 bits hold the number itself (r.rnging from 0 to 127), and the entire number is stored in the I byte (see figure 3).
continued
WI BYTE · JANUARY 1988
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JA UARY 1988 · B Y T E 229
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OS/2TMProgrammer's Guide
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I I Foreword by Bill Gates
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Circle 196 on Reader Service Card
MA AGING IMMENS E STORAGE
A completeness bit th at is ·ct (equal to I) mean that the remaining 7 bits of the first byte specify the length , in bytes , of the number. The largest 7-bit number ( 1111111) equals 127 (decimal) , so the by tes that follow the first by te can carry a
binary number up to 1016 bits (127 x 8) long, a number greater than l0'00 , and
large r than we will need very soon. In thi s sc heme , numbers occupy no
more space than they need; they are short most of the time (when needed for small incrementation) and stretch out whenever needed, without any change in the gener alized manipulation routines. There is lit tl e space overhead: the completeness bit , the first byte (if over 128), and no more than 7 bits in the length of the mantissa , if ove r 128.
Humbers are digits re presented in the main addressing scheme of our system , which we call tumblers - a name chosen because the action of our system resem bles that of the rotary mechanisms of a lock . which slide a nd increment indepen den tl y with res pect to each other.
Anatomy of a Tumbler
A tumbler consists of a series of integers, called "digits, " that have no upper limit. The di g its of the tumbler are separated by minor dividers, o r points. Thu s,
The rumbler pace is an accordio n-like master address space , po tentiall y very large , that prov ides for the notation of the complex relations between documents , their ancestors and progeny, their own ers, their home locations o n the network, and the expansion of the network itself.
We have developed these basic mathe matical ideas into the Xan adu system as follows: The digits in a tumbler are di vided into field s, which are separated by the major divider " .0. ", a kind of punc tuation between the fields that also has certain useful mathematical properties.
As set up for th e Xanadu system , the four major field s of tumblers are expand able indefinitely , with three major di vide rs betwee n them. These fields are called Serve r , Use r. Document, and Contents. Tumblers may be shorter or longer depending on th e complexity of the item being addressed , as shown in figure 5.
The Server is the node on which a document is stored, eithe r a single physi cal device or a logical division that may be mapped to subdevi ces o r co lle.c tions of
co111inucd
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.373 . .675923 . .40 .
arc examples of tumbler di git One digit can become several by a
forki ng or branching process. For in sta nce . the dig it
Micro.'ll?fr C
.2
can branch into several more items, each of which is a uccessive daughter item placed " under" the digit:
.2 . I.
.2.2 . .2.3 . .2.4.
Similarl y, the sixth item under " .2 .4." is
2.4 .6.,
a nd the 312th item under that is
.2.4.6 .3 12 .
The use of such numbers imposes a tree strucrure upon the address space of the sys tem (alth ough not upon material contained in the system). Figure 4 shows a small branch ing structure of simple tumblers .
Circle 173 on Reader Sen>ice Card (DEALE RS: 174)
JA NUA RY 1988 · BYT E 231
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232 B Y T E · JANUARY 1988
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Circle 4 on Reader Service Card
MANAGING IMMENSE SlDRAGE
devices in the future, all of which would branch within this first field.
The User field of the tumbler desig nates the owner of a document, which can also branch off within this field to indicate daughter accounts, departments, interes!S and projectS, or areas of record keeping.
A Document is the logical entity in which materials are stored . Within this field, subdivisions can branch off to rep resent different versions of the document, as shown in figure 4.
The final tumbler field specifies the in dividual contents and can represent either bytes or links. When this section of a tumbler address begins with a I, the ad dress is that of a byte . Thus
derived from two address tilmblers in a process called tumbler subtraction . This involves the first object in a specified subtree (the subtrahend) and the first ele ment afrer the specified subtree (the minuend), which i~ always "larger" (in the sequence of tumblers) than the subtra hend; the result is a difference tumbler representing the intended span.
The rules for tumbler subtraction are as follows: Place the subtrahend under the minuend; start at the left , and for every field that is the same in both tum blers, place a zero (maintaining the field
divider zeros as checkpointS, always in correspondence); when you encounter a difference in corresponding digits, sub trac t the integers in that position. (The re sult cannot be negative; this would mean the subtrahend was larger than the minu end, which is illegal .) All digitS that fol low are copied down from the top row.
For example, the span of addresses be tween the tumbler address
1.0. 1.0. 1.0.1.9287
cominued
X.0.X.0 .X.0.1. I
indicates the first byte of the document, and
X.O.X.0 .X.0.1.9287
Speed.
indicates the 9287th byte of the docu ment.
Numbers with I as the first digit in the last field can, by interpretation, map se quential data other than simple bytes (e.g ., a DNA sequence).
When the fourth section of a tumbler address begins with a 2, the address is that of a link . The number after the 2 in dicates the number of the link. Thus,
X.O . X . O . X . 0 . 2 . 3 5 2
indicates the 352nd link contained in this document.
[n the future , numbers above 2 could be used in the first position of this field to indicate that the following digits are parts of nonsequential structures , such as a graphic image, a video frame, or a musi cal notation.
Two Types of Tumblers
Tumblers are used in two ways: They can
refer to an address (a place tumbler, as
discussed already) , or to a span of the ad
dress space- a series of bytes and/or
links. a series of documents, a tree struc
ture in the address space, or even the en
tire docuvcrse.
A span is represented by two tumblers : an address tumbler and a difference tum bler. These tumblers are governed by dif ferent rules. To begin with, address tum blers are stable, referring to the same entity no matter how much additional ma terial is added to the docuverse; they re main valid wherever you are.
A diffe.rence tumbler , on the other hand, is valid only in relationship to its tumbler address. Difference tumblers are
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Circle 175 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: I 76)
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 233
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234 8 YT E · JANUARY 1988
Cude 70 on RMltUr S..mce CanJ (DEALERS: 71)
MANAGING IMMENSE STORAGE
and the earlier tumbler address
1.o. 1.o.1.0. l .7156
is represented by the earlier address and the difference tumbler
0.0.0.0.0.0.0.2131 .
This is the simplest kind of tumbler sub traction. in which the tumbler addresses have the same Server, User, and Docu ment fields.
A more complex example of tumbler subtraction , in which a span covers two different users, would be:
requests to the system. Subtraction is the process needed to specify the spans, and addition is its inverse. This system has some interesting and helpful features. For example, it lets you refer to the entire docuverse simply by using a span whose difference tumbler has a I in the very first position.
A Matter of Protocols
Now that we have a scheme for referring to documents and the links between them, I'll explain how the system will handle these pieces. Xanadu has two
main sets of protocols, which dictate how the system behaves: FEBE (front end to back end) and BEBE (back end to back end).
All requests to the Xanadu system are made by applications programs through the FEBE protocol, which manipulates the addresses (and spans of addresses) necessary to find 1ext and links and to fol low them. The FEBE protocol also in cludes instructions for insertion in a doc ument, deletion from a document , and rearrangements of unlimited size.
continued
1.0.234.0.45.0.1 .334
1.0. 112.0. 17 .0. J.977
0.0.122 .0.45 .0.1.334
It may help to think of tumbler subtrac tion as something like "step backward one chapter, three paragraphs, and two lines."
Tumbler addition involves the first ele ment in a specified subtree (the augend) and a difference tumbler (the addend) representing the span; the result will rep resent the first element after the specified subtree.
The mechanics of tumbler addition are as follows: For every leading zero in the second row, the corresponding integer is copied down from the first row. When a nonzero digit is encountered in the sec ond row, an addition between the two rows is performed for that field . All addi tional fields are copied down from the second row, as shown in the following examples :
l.O. l.0.1.0.1.7156 (first tumbler in tree)
0.0.0.0.0.0 .0.2131 (difference tumbler)
l.O. l.O. l.0.1. 9287 (first tumbler after end of tree)
I.0.112.0.17 .0. l.977 (firsttumbler in tree)
0.0.122 .0.45 .0.1.334 (difference tumbler)
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I.0.234.0.45 .0. 1.334 (first tumbler afler end of tree)
Let me stress thal tumbler arithmetic as presented here has been contrived, like many other mathematical activities we need, rather than discovered .
Span addresses are necessary 10 spec ify what links point to and from , and to specify the domains to be searched for documents and links in the various user
Microsoft C5.0
Optimizing Compiler
Circle 177 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 178)
JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 235
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236 BY TE · JANUARY 1988
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Circle 298 on Reader Service Card
MANAGING IMMENSE STORAGE
Table I contains samples of FEBE commands. Note that these commands are not seen by the user but handled in visibly by programs in the user 's front end machine. Some of the commands as presently defined will return avalanches of material . Further refinement of the protocol will specify handshaking meth ods for controlling this.
The BEBE protocol, which is still un dergoing definition , will connect nodes of the Xanadu network so as to meld the contents of separate Xanadu servers into a single unified space, where different nodes contain maps of the whole docu verse with varying degrees of detail.
available via phone line for experimenta tion by serious developers. Its software mechanisms are proprietary and are pres ently covered by trade secret; we hope to publish them at a future date .
The present architecture is chiefly the work of Mark S. Miller and Roger Greg
ory , with myself, Stuart Greene , Eric Hill, and Roland King . The program is written in C under Unix . In the current version (August 1987) , it compiles to about l35K bytes on the 68000 micropro cessor. A local search space of 10 mega bytes is desirable, though we expect that
to be reducible for personal and office ap plications. The res.ident protocol man ager (require<! by applications programs) compiles to about 35K bytes.
[Editor 's note: The C source code for Ihe Xaruulu protocol handlerfor applica tions programs is available on BlX, on BITEner, on disk, and in the Quarterly Listings Supplement as the file XANA DU.PRO. See "Program Listings" in the table ofcontents. To use the module, you will need a C compiler for the IBM PC, the Macintosh, or zhe Amiga. Serious ap
continued
Application Design The interior design of applications for use with the Xanadu storage engine is very different from conventional application design , since so much is handled by the storage mechanism. All references to links and stored materials go th.rough the FEBE protocol (even if the entire Xanadu module is bound into the program) , and the programmer' s design work becomes , to a large extent , the user interface.
Note that the application designer is no longer constrained by old categories of programs, since the Xanadu data struc cure provides a broad-spectrum represen tation method for word processing, data bases, CAD/CAM , molecular modeling, seismographic data, bit-mapped graph ics , image synthesis, and other functions , which can be combined in new ways. Software designers have not merely a li cense, but a mandate , to start from scratch , since (regrenably) no existing programs will work with our model of storage . But we believe that applications as presently implemented-balkanized , irreparably divided in function , and carved into zones of partial compatibil ity-have reached the limit of conunon sense and tolerability .
As when any higher-level function mi grates to system software and language facilities, some programmers may feel that part of their creativity has been taken away . On the contrary , we believe that our system frees programmers for the truly creative work of designing interac tion, visualization , and conceptual struc ture. Applications programmers are usu ally so busy with the impediments of storage and data-structure maintenance that they tend to sleight the more impor tant subtleties of interaction and what I call " virtuality " -the conceptual struc ture and feel of a system. Now they can concentrate fully on these issues .
Implementation The Xanadu storage engine described above presently exists in full prototype ,
Andspeed.
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Circle 179 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 180)
JANUARY 1988 · BY TE 237
MANAGING IMMENSE STORAGE
plications developers who hnve a pro gram incorporating this module and wish to experiment with the Xflnadu system can contact Roger Gregory at (408) 244 2643.J
We have dealt with a large-scale prob lem where clean design is vital-both in ner simplicity and a clean interface to the outside world. We believe we have achieved this.
Our analysis indicates that as the num ber of documents and links grows, degra dation of the performance of lhe system will, at best, be log-like and at worst , square root-like: a rate of deterioration that is greater at first, then leveling off. For instance, each time the number of links doubles, there should be only a slight degradation of performance.
Unfortunately, this analysis doesn't give us base rates to judge what perfor mance we'll get on presently available machines, and we await these empirical figures with great interest.
The present design calls for the use of sequential computers. However, given our long-term goals and today's new hardware, we expect to introduce various types of parallelism to improve perfor mance and make the system practical on the scale we intend .
Universal Hypertext Publishing
slightly different rules: A private docu
The grand ambition of the Xanadu system
ment can include or link to published
is not .. a database the size of the world,"
documents, but not vice versa .
but rather a repository publishing net
Today's conventional databases will
work for anybody's documents and con
not satisfy the information needs of the
tents, which users may combine and link
noncomputing public, nor can they pro
to freely .
vide methods for publishing the ever
This will pennit a new fonn of elec more-interconn~ted writings now being
tronic publishing, entirely within the tra placed on electronic networks . It is our
dition of paper publishing but greatly hope to bring the power of electronic ac
streamlined: One need not ask pennis cess to the new and sweeping literary me
sion to republish something, but simply dium of hypertext, in all the forms that
place it in a document as an inclusion . the mind can devise. ·
The bytes will not be physically copied,
but only included by reference.
REFERENCES
Nothing will ever be misquoted or out I. Nelson, Theodor H. "A File Structure
of context, since the user can inquire as to for the Complex, the Changing, and the In
the origins and native form of any quota determinate ." Proceedings of the 1965
tion or other inclusion. Royalties will be ACM National Conference. ·
automatically paid by a user whenever he 2. Nelson, Theodor H. " Replacing the
or she draws out a byte from a published Printed Word : A Complete Literary Sys
document. The permission procedures of tem ." Proceedings of the 1980 IFIP World
conventional publishing are bypassed , Computer Conference.
with complete fairness to all parties . 3. Nelson, Theodor H. Literary Machines.
Blanket permission for inclusion and Project Xanadu, 1987.
linkage must be granted contractually by
a user when depositing a document for BIBLIOGRAPHY
publication. Legal accountability for both Drexler, Eric . Engines of Creation. New
links and text will be the responsibility of York: Anchor/Doubleday, 1986.
their owners. Private documents can be Rheingold, Howard . Tools for Thought.
stored under the same system, but with New York: Simon and Schuster, 1985.
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238 BYT E · JANUARY 1988
Circle 292 on Reader Service Card
llORTOI
UTILITIES
DATA R E COVERY
DISK MANAGEMENT
f ut !JIP ( 4~1.. ttf4,l l't. lllMl~ill!d~Yl'.lt
· "Don't compure without Ir.'' - New York Times. · "Higlzly rccomme11ded for b111im:s.¥ users," - Time-Life Access NC!Wsle11cr, · "l11dl.fpe11sable."- PC Mag;i zlrw. · "£!4.'11!/t/ln/ in da1~10-drw personal comp11tln1t."- Pcrwrnil Compurlng MaJ!i!zlne.· Three ymrs
~'Oll!d "World Class'' Bi's/ Utilities~ ,
- PC World. · "A pleasure lo /IBC.''-PC Week. · "You 11bless rhls dialL" - Peter McWllllams/
The Persona.I Computer Book.
A life saver for your data
owitSnotso one at
At.last
After five long years alone at the top of the best-seller lists, the Norton UtilitiesT~ is being
challenged by another software
pac ka~e.
Which is no small feat, considering that Version 4.0 i
selling even faster than its prede
cessors did. Unfair competition.
Of course, in order to compete
with the Utilities, this upstart
new package first had to copy it. It had to include the famous
UnErase;Mwhich has rescued
the derrieres of thousands of
grateful PC users. As well as the uniqu Fif.e
Info, which lets you attach de
scriptions of up to 65 characters
to your files.
Not to mention the Norton Integrator, which lets you con
trol everything from a single
program and gives you on-line
hep for each function.
In fact, The Advanced Edition
of the Norton Utilities includes
every single one of the features,
functions and enhancements that have made Version 4.0 so popular.
Right down to the user inter
face which,according to the
Info World Review Board makes
the Advanced Edition "as easy to use as possible'.'
And that's not all. The more the merrier.
Because the Advanced Edition
goes on to include a wish list
of brand new technical features and functions.
Like Speed Disk, for tighten
!ng up disk space and optimiz mg access.
And Format Recover, for
unformatting your accidentally reformatted hard disk.
As well as a FAT Editor; a Par
tition Table Editor; a Directory Editor and access to absolute disk sectors.
All of which ex plains why
InfoWorld called the Advanced
Edition "a great program that has gotten even better."
We just call it good company.
'2mr Nf.lrltM, COMPUTJNG
Des i ~ ri ed for the IBM PC. I' -i\T and OOS ~ompo t ibl cs. Avnilnblc nt nto<t so ftware denlcrs.or direc t from Poter Norton Compu t ing. lnr , 2210 \\C,Jshire Blvd. 1 186.Sa nla Moni a.CAY0.\03. To order: 00~1 51-0303 Exl10 (VISA and Maste r ·a m welconw). M I fai l : P 'Cl. Fax 21:1-45:1-6:198. 19Si Pctt·r No rton Com putin~.
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JANUARY 1988 · BYTE 239
Horowitz In Moscow The h1slonc
return Music by Scarlani, Mozarl. Rachmaninov. Usz1. Chopin. Scriabin. Schumann, others . OG DIGITAL 125264
Handel, Water Music The En
glish ConcerVP1nnock. " Quile the besl perlormance ...now on the market." Gramophone Archlv DIGITAL 115306
Holst, The Planets Montreal
Symphony Orcheslra/Dutoil. " IAI stunning performance ... The bes1 ava ilable on both LP and C O."-G ramophone London DIGITAL 1t5446
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Varia· tlons; more Julian uoyo Weboer.
cello. London Philnarmonic Orchestr Maazel. Philips DIGITAL 115473
Dvorak Symphony No. 9 (New World) Chicago Symphony
Orcheslra/Solti. " The playing Is super latively good."-Gramophonc London DIGITAL 115168
Handel, Messiah (Highlights)
Musica Sacra!Westenbu rg . Hallelu jah Chorus, I Know That My Redeem er Uveth . more. RCA DIGITAL 153566
James Galway & The Chief· tains: In Ireland Danny Boy.
When You And I were Young . Maggie; Down By Tho Sally Gardens; more. RCA DIGITAL 124344
Ravel, Daphnis et Chloe (Complete) Montreal Symphony/
Du1oi1. " An absolute dream performance: · - S1ereo Review London
DIG ITAL 115520
Mozart, Clarinet & Oboe Con· certos Pay. basset clarinet; Piguet,
oboe. Academy or Ancient Musicl Hog wood . L'Oiseau- Lyre DIGITAL 115523
Brahms, Cello Sonatas Yo-Yo
Ma. cello: Emanuel Ax. piano. ··01stln · guished ...handsomely recorded." Stereo Review RCA DIGITAL t54044
Richard Stoltzman: Begin Sweet World Title song. Amazing
Grace, Clouds, Abide With Me /Blue Monh. more. RCA DIGITAL 150414
Mozart, Requiem Leipzig Radio
Choir: Dresden State Orcheslra/ Schreier. " Exceptionally sa lisfying."' .t!!gh Fidelity Philips DIGITAL 115039
Rimsky-Korsakov, Schehera zade Vienna Philharmonic/Previn . " A
fresh and spacious reading." ~ Philips DIGITAL 115415
Pops In Love The Boston Pops/
Williams. Clair de lune. Gymnopedies Nos. 1 & 2. Alblnoni Adagio. Fantasia On Greensleeves. Pachelbel Canon, more. Philips DIGITAL 125230
Galway & Yamashita: Italian Serenade Flute & guotar work s by
Paganini, Cim arosa , Giuliani. Ros· slni & Bazzinl. RCA DIGITAL 173824
Horowitz In London Recorded
live! Schumann. Kinderscenen ; Cho· pin, Polonaise· Fantaisie & Ballade No. 1; more. RCA DIGITA L t62507
Mozart, The Piano Quartets
Beaux Aris Tno; Bruno Giura nna. v iola. " Absolulely ir1d1spensable .·· -S tereo Review Philips DIGITAL 115271
Wagner, Orchestral High lighls From The Ring Vienna
Phllharmonic/Solti . Ride Of The Val kyries. more. LondOn DIGITAL 115426
The Canadian Brass: High, Bright, Light & Clear Air On The
G String , Masterp iece Thealre Theme. others . RCA DIGITAL 144529
Pops In Space John w111tams
leads The Boston Pops in music from Star Wars, Close Encounters, Super man. more. Philips DIGITAL t05392
Pachelbel, Canon in D Also
includes other works by Pachelbel & Fasch Maurice Andre . lrumpet: Pail· lard Chamber Orchestra. RCA 133877
Gershwin, Rhapsody In Blue; An American In Paris; Con certo Pll1sburgh Symphonyl Previn
(pianisl & conductor). Philips DIGITAL 115437
Vivaldi, The Four Seasons The
English Concer Pinnock. " The llnest recording ol Iii) I've heard."-!::!!g!) Fidelity Archiv DIGITAL 115356
Sousa, Stars & Stripes For ever Philip Jones Ensemble. Plus
Semper Fide/is . Wash in gton Post. more . London DIGITAL 115051
Michael Feinstein: Remember
Irving Berlin standards include title song, Alexander's Ragtime Band, Put· rin ' On The Rirz. more. Eleklra t53947
Tchaikqvsky, Symphony No. 6 (Pathettque) Chicago Symphony
Orcheslra/Levlne...A sound lhat dai zles and sings."-Milwaukee Journal RCA DIGITAL 153939
Teresa Stratas Sings Kurt Weill Havanna-Ued. Foolish Heart,
Lonely House . Surabaya -Johnny. One Ulo To Live. more. Nonesuch 124746
Rudolf Serkin: Mozart, Piano Concertos Nos. 12 & 20 "He
makes every phrase glow with lile." Slereo Review DG DIGITAL 115062
Rossini, Overtures Orpheus
Chamber Orches1ra. The Barber 01 Seville , The Turk In Italy, Tancredi , 5 olhers . OG DIGITAL 115527
Gregorian Chant Schola of the
Hofburgkapelle. V ienna. 10 Propers from Graduale Romanum; more Philips DIGITAL 115434
Alicia de Larrocha: Falla, Nig~ts In The Gardens Of Spain Plus rhapsodies by Albliniz &
Turina. London DIGITAL 115410
Tomita : The Mind Of The Uni verse (Live At Linz, 1984) Ode
To Joy. Also Sprach Zarathustra (opening), more. RCA 173629
IPS /6550 E. 301h St. /lndta napol·S. IN 46219
IPS 520
Fiddler On The Roof Ze ro Mos 1e1& original cast. Marchmaker Matchmaker. Sunrise Sunset, 111 Were A Rich Men, more. RCA 100051
Mozart, Posthorn Serenade; 2
Marches Academy of St . Martin- in the·Fields/Marriner. ..Gracious. warm musicmaking:·- The New York Times Phillps DIGITAL 115151
Pavarotti: Anniversary Che gel· Ide manina. E /ucevan le stelle. Vesli la g/ubba. Cielo e mar. Addio el/a maore. 11 more . Loncson 115344
Bach, Goldberg Variations Trevor Pinnock. harpsichOrd. " This is a definitive performance ."-S1ereo Review Archiv 105319 -
Kat~leen Battle: Salzburg Recital Wilh James Levine. piano. Purcell, Mozart. Strauss. Handel, Faurli, & more. DG DIGITAL 115292
Mendelssohn, A M i dsummer
Night's Dream Amllrosian Sing
ers. Philharmonia Orcheslra/Marrlner.
Philips DIGITAL 115546
Artur Rubinstein: Chopin, 14
Waltzes " (His] playing is relaxed. assured, and wonderlully con trolled."-American Record Guide RCA 101987
Kiri te Kanawa: Blue Skies With Nelson Riddle : Title song . Speak Low, How High The Moon, So In Love. 8 more. London DIGITAL t1 5035
Strike Up The Band-The Canadian Brass Plays George Gershwin Tille song. Th9 Man I Love, Porgy & Bess Suit9, 3 Preludes. more. RCA DIGITAL 160640
The King And I Yul Brynner, Constance Towers & revival casl. Gel·
ling To Know You, Hello Young Lovers, Shell We Dance. more. RCA t23742
Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Soll!. "Eminently successful: powerlul , lluenl and virtuosic."-Ovation London DIG/TAL 125038 -
Mozart, Symphonies Nos. 40 & 41 (Jupiter} James Levine con
ducts the Chicago Symphony Orches lra . RCA DIGITAL 104810
Beethoven, SY"!phony No. 3
in E-Flat (Ero1ca) Academy of Ancient Music/Hagwood. L'Oiseau· Lyre DIGITAL 115535
Rubinstein Plays Rachmanin· off Plano Concerto No. 2 & Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini. RCA t7023"
Debussy, La Mer; Nocturnes
Boston Symphony Orchestra/Davis. ..The BSO is in lip-top form lhrou9h· ou1."--0valion Philips DIGITAL 115068
Bach, Organ Works Daniel Chor zempa plays 1he Toccala & Fug ue in D Minor ; the Prelude. Largo & Fugue in C; more. Philips DIGITAL t t5193
Placido Domingo Sings Tan gos Mi Buenos Aires Querido, Alma de Bohemia, Nostalgias. El Dia Que Me Quieras. 6 more. DG 105302
Kiri te Kanawa: Ave Maria Jesu, Joy Of Man 's Desiring; Let The Bright Seraphim; 0 Divine Redeemer; more. Phillps DIGITAL tl52 13
S Perlman: Mozart Violin Con
certos Nos. 3 & Vienna Philha r·
monlc/Levine. " Radianlly sumpluous... - !::!!gh Fidelity DG DIGITAL 115146
Barry Douglas: Tchaikovsky,
Piano Concerto No. 1 London
Symphony Orchestra/Slatkin. Ova tion·s Debut Recording Arli sl Of The Yearl RCA DIGITAL t64293
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MANAGING MEGABYTES
Fast Data Access
As personal computers accommodate larger and larger databases,
we'll need new methods of "query optimization" to get at the data quickly
Jonathan Robie
THE HARDWARE FOR handling very large data sets on personal computers is here: 20-megabyte and 40-megabyte hard disk drives are commodity items. IBM has decided to port DB2 , its mainframe relational DBMS, to the OS/2 operating system, and has announced that a 314 megabyte hard disk drive will be available for the PS/2 Model 80.
However, these large data sets require careful handling. Accessing the data in the wrong way can bog down the com puter for hours or even days. You can't get quick responses if your query re quires a 30-megabyte table to be sorted or if it compares every item in three 5-mega byte tables.
Mainframe and minicomputer users, who have dealt with large databases for years , have come up with two basic solu tions . The first is to use hierarchical or network database managers that use pointers to set up paths for accessing data. These systems are called naviga tional databases because the user must "navigate" a series of pointers, telling the database manager precisely how to find the desired information. They are very efficient in the hands of an expert, but they are much harder to use than rela tional database managers .
The second solution is to use a query optimizer to find an efficient way of an swering the user 's question, making use of indexes, hashing, and other aspects of the database's organization. The user does not tell the database manager how to access the information and never sees the access plan that is used.
Query optimizers for relational data-
bases are the focus of this article. I will explain why they are necessary, cite gen eral principles for query optimization , and show how a query optimizer gener ates an access plan for a simple query.
The Need for Query Optimization
Query optimizers are found on nonproce dural relational database managers (see the text box "Database Terminology" on page 244). The user's queries specify what information is wanted but not how the database manager should go about finding that information.
The query optimizer chooses an effi cient access plan for the query using in formation about the structure of the·data base. If the optimizer makes the right choices, a relational database can be ex tremely efficient, but wrong choices can make it unbearably slow.
Almost all relational systems with query optimization use SQL (pronounced "sequel") or Que! as a query language . Of the two, SQL has wider support, and ANSI has adopted a SQL standard. Microcomputer programs that use SQL include PC Ingres, Sybase, lnformix, Oracle, Emerald Bay , and SQLBase.
I would like to illustrate the nonproce dural nature of SQL with an example that will be used throughout this article. Fig ure l shows a simple database that might be used by a hardware store to manage its supply . Suppliers are each assigned a supplier ID (sid), and parts are assigned a parts ID (pid). The supply table tells how many parts are in stock for each sup ply ID and parts ID . Suppose the man ager of the store wanted to know which
items in stock came from Wanda's Ware house. He might use the following SQL statement:
select parts.pname, supply.quantity from parts, supplier, supply where supplier.sname = "Wanda's Warehouse" and supply.sid = supplie r .sid and supply.pid = parts.pid;
This query involves three tables and th