list macfiles***:libcat LIBCAT 06 Apr 99 23:48 Libcat of Macfiles*** (as of 23 February 1987) This catalog contains Macintosh files and programs, for downloading (usually via DarTerminal), and for archival purposes. Type EXPLAIN MACINTOSH DOWNLOAD for information on downloading files. Each Mac program or file has its own catalog, named after it. The names of some files therein are standard; you'll usually download the file IT (and perhaps others); a description of the program is in the INFO file. (Most users will rarely be interested in the second group of files with single letter designations.) it the program or file, in DarTerminal format info a file of descriptive information screen a sample screen (a MacPaint doc in DarTerminal format) data catalog of data files samples catalog of samples of the program's work. support a statement about Kiewit support of the program libcat file discussing any non-standard files/catalogs Lisa-style programs: m the main program source code u the unit source (interface part) u2 / inc1 the unit source (implementation part) r the resource definition file a the assembler source file x / make the EXEC-, X-, or make-file to regenerate the program Catalog or file Description ======= =========== Libcat this file News recent changes and additions to MacFiles*** etc programs and files originating outside of Dartmouth. Many interesting items from national networks and user groups appear here. stds The layout of this sample catalog should be followed when adding a catalog. Each file with one of the standard names has a description of what the contents should be. stds:document A written set of standards for files saved in MacFiles***, bringing together all the information in the stds catalog. This document may be printed via BAC PRI MacFiles***:stds:document FORMAT NPAGE. Program Downloadable or file Description item ======= =========== =========== Aatalk 1.0 -- September 23, 1986 aatalk:it Desk accessory which makes AppleTalk available over asynchronous (RS-232) ports. Appletones 2.0 -- May 12, 1985 appleton:it Music program to work with rhythm, volume and timbre. Sample AppleTones songs: appleton:samples palette, envelope, timbres, jonlolly, dynamics Atlas 0.22 -- June 19, 1985 atlas:it A pictorial atlas program that lets you create and view an atlas of images on any subject. Sample Atlas databases: atlas:samples Europe Overlay -- January 25, 1985 atlas:overlay:it Creators of Atlas datasets use Overlay to align MacPaint pictures on top of each other, in preparation for use in Atlas. Binary Trees 2.3 -- July 22, 1986 bin-tree:it Computer Science program that animates the creation and use of a binary tree. Cmd-Key cmd-key:it MacWrite file with untypeable characters in it. Darterminal 3.0 -- 11 September 1986 darterm:it Kiewit Network communications program for 512K, 512KE, and MacPlus. DarTerminal 1.5 -- 31 December 1984 darterm:it1.5 Kiewit Network communications program for 128K Macintosh. Set Printer Port -- October 17, 1984 darterm:setprint:it Allows user to set the printer port, to accomodate the use of AppleTalk with DarTerminal. DataCram -- October 9, 1984 datacram:it Interprets text files into binary files. Drill 2.2 -- July 25, 1986 drill:it General drill program, useful in any field. Example Drill drill:examp-dr sample Drill script, with ancillary files Creating a Drill drill:creat-dr drill script (and ancillary files) for learning how to write drill scripts 2 Language Drill drill:2lang-dr Greek/English drill, showing the two-language ability. Greek/Geneva drill:eng-grk A 2 language font, with both English and Greek. Event Tutor 1.1 -- May 9, 1985 eventtut:it Helps a new Mac programmer learn about handling events. FixMacWrite fixmacwr:it A tool that helps fix old MacWrite (v2.2) documents. FontMash 1.2 -- January 14, 1985 fontmash:it A tool for modifying font character widths. GeoStructures 1.1 -- October 28, 1986 geostruc:it Helps one understand and interpret the full 3 dimensional expression of geologic structures, using tilt, fold and faults. Help 2.1 -- May 27, 1985 help:it Demo program for the HelpUnit. HelpUnit 2.0 -- May 27, 1985 help:helpu:u A Pascal unit to provide windows of textual help for users. MindLab 1.0 -- January 29, 1987 mindlab:it A system for creating, editing and running simple psychology experiments in perception and cognition. Missile Command missile:it Game (unofficial) which mimics the arcade game Missile Command. MkRgn program from Drexel that makes a region from mkrgn:it a bit image and a point. The subroutines to do it are in the source. Mozart 2.0 -- May 12, 1985 mozart:it Music program to create minuets a la Mozart. Sample Mozart songs: mozart:samples dynamark, a-minuet, articula, tempo Orbital Mixing orbmix:it Chemistry program, demonstrates mixing of atomic orbital energy levels. Orbital Mixing Help file orbmix:orbhelp ParamEdit 1.1 -- September 3, 1985 paramedi:it A tool to edit the Macintosh's Parameter Ram, where is stored information that lives between Mac power-ups. Skel 2.4 -- May 9, 1985 skel:it A skeleton Macintosh application written in Lisa Pascal, to show how to write one. Stella (see stella:libcat) The developers of STELLA provided us with many STELLA models in a variety of disciplines. They are stored here. SocStat 2.0 -- July 18, 1986 socstat:it Sociology program to do statistical analyses on real-world sociological data, with 6 data files. six SocStat data files: socstat:data socnorms, socdev, smallgr, grpinf, strat, marriage SocStudy 0.9 -- August 1, 1986 socstat:socstudy:it A tool to create and edit SocStat studies. Venn 2.1 -- July 18, 1986 venn:it Philosophy program allows solving of logical syllogisms using Venn diagrams. Ready exp mac comm MACINTOSH COMMUNICATIONS (30 January 1985) 64-line explanation. Three communication packages are sold on campus for the Macintosh -- Apple's MacTerminal, our own DarTerminal which currently works only on AppleTalk ports (in undergraduate student residence halls and Kiewit's Mac cluster), and we have a license for Reed College's GriffinTerminal. When you buy the Dartmouth-Macintosh package, either DarTerminal or MacTerminal is included with an appropriate cable. If you want a second communications package, you must purchase that as an additional item. Undergraduates living in residence halls must use DarTerminal as that is the only package that will work over the synchronous AppleTalk ports available in the residence halls. AppleTalk ports are also available for the public Macintosh Cluster in Kiewit. For an overview of what DarTerminal can do, see EXPLAIN DARTERMINAL. Other Macintosh users have a choice of packages. Currently the choice is between MacTerminal and GriffinTerminal, but by winter of 1985-86 we hope to have DarTerminal working on standard terminal (asynchronous RS-232) ports -- i.e. it will work over phone lines and existing hardwired ports in academic and administrative offices on campus. If you need a communications package now, you can get MacTerminal with your Mac (and later purchase DarTerminal if you want it), or you can purchase GriffinTerminal as an interim solution and wait for DarTerminal. (Type EXPLAIN MACTERMINAL for an overview of MacTerminal.) To do graphics on a non-AppleTalk port, you must use GriffinTerminal. Once DarTerminal is available for both AppleTalk and terminal ports, it will be the better choice for graphics because of the added editing, zoom, and scrollback features. If you want your Macintosh to behave like a VT100 terminal for use with UNIX or VAX/VMS right now, then you need MacTerminal. Griffin Terminal was designed for use with the vi editor on UNIX, but except for the graphics emulation, GriffinTerminal is quite limited compared to MacTerminal. DarTerminal will eventually provide VT100 features, so in the long run this feature need not dictate your choice. If you want to use your Macintosh to connect to host computers outside the Kiewit Network or to another Macintosh or other personal computer, you will need MacTerminal or GriffinTerminal -- MacTerminal is by far the more flexible of the two. Even when it works on standard terminal ports, DarTerminal will be limited to use via the Kiewit Network. (You may be able to call out to other computers via the Kiewit Network and Telenet or Tymnet.) All three packages provide some form of file transfer. Both DarTerminal and MacTerminal can move text files between the Mac and a host and both let you send Macintosh applications to and from the DCTS hosts. We are using this capability to distribute software packages developed at Dartmouth as well as any other for which we acquire appropriate licensing. Once it is working from all ports on campus, we want to recommend DarTerminal to everyone for their work at Dartmouth. It is tailored specially for the Kiewit Network, and it provides several intelligent- terminal facilities such as type-ahead, recall, Macintosh-style editing on the current line of typing, and Tektronix 4010 graphics emulation. Eventually (this fall or winter term), Avatar features (to allow use of the Redact screen editor on DCTS) and VT100 features (good with screen editors based on UNIX and VAX/VMS) will be added. Ready exp mac terminal MACINTOSH COMMUNICATIONS (30 January 1985) 64-line explanation. Three communication packages are sold on campus for the Macintosh -- Apple's MacTerminal, our own DarTerminal which currently works only on AppleTalk ports (in undergraduate student residence halls and Kiewit's Mac cluster), and we have a license for Reed College's GriffinTerminal. When you buy the Dartmouth-Macintosh package, either DarTerminal or MacTerminal is included with an appropriate cable. If you want a second communications package, you must purchase that as an additional item. Undergraduates living in residence halls must use DarTerminal as that is the only package that will work over the synchronous AppleTalk ports available in the residence halls. AppleTalk ports are also available for the public Macintosh Cluster in Kiewit. For an overview of what DarTerminal can do, see EXPLAIN DARTERMINAL. Other Macintosh users have a choice of packages. Currently the choice is between MacTerminal and GriffinTerminal, but by winter of 1985-86 we hope to have DarTerminal working on standard terminal (asynchronous RS-232) ports -- i.e. it will work over phone lines and existing hardwired ports in academic and administrative offices on campus. If you need a communications package now, you can get MacTerminal with your Mac (and later purchase DarTerminal if you want it), or you can purchase GriffinTerminal as an interim solution and wait for DarTerminal. (Type EXPLAIN MACTERMINAL for an overview of MacTerminal.) To do graphics on a non-AppleTalk port, you must use GriffinTerminal. Once DarTerminal is available for both AppleTalk and terminal ports, it will be the better choice for graphics because of the added editing, zoom, and scrollback features. If you want your Macintosh to behave like a VT100 terminal for use with UNIX or VAX/VMS right now, then you need MacTerminal. Griffin Terminal was designed for use with the vi editor on UNIX, but except for the graphics emulation, GriffinTerminal is quite limited compared to MacTerminal. DarTerminal will eventually provide VT100 features, so in the long run this feature need not dictate your choice. If you want to use your Macintosh to connect to host computers outside the Kiewit Network or to another Macintosh or other personal computer, you will need MacTerminal or GriffinTerminal -- MacTerminal is by far the more flexible of the two. Even when it works on standard terminal ports, DarTerminal will be limited to use via the Kiewit Network. (You may be able to call out to other computers via the Kiewit Network and Telenet or Tymnet.) All three packages provide some form of file transfer. Both DarTerminal and MacTerminal can move text files between the Mac and a host and both let you send Macintosh applications to and from the DCTS hosts. We are using this capability to distribute software packages developed at Dartmouth as well as any other for which we acquire appropriate licensing. Once it is working from all ports on campus, we want to recommend DarTerminal to everyone for their work at Dartmouth. It is tailored specially for the Kiewit Network, and it provides several intelligent- terminal facilities such as type-ahead, recall, Macintosh-style editing on the current line of typing, and Tektronix 4010 graphics emulation. Eventually (this fall or winter term), Avatar features (to allow use of the Redact screen editor on DCTS) and VT100 features (good with screen editors based on UNIX and VAX/VMS) will be added. Ready exp mac mact Can't explain "MAC MACT". Ambiguous, several topics begin with "MACT...". They are: MACTERMI MACTOOLS Ready exp mac mactermi MACTERMINAL (5 October 1987) 38-line explanation. The MacTerminal communications package from Apple lets you use your Macintosh as a terminal to connect to a time-sharing computer and it lets your Mac communicate with other personal computers. MacTerminal provides full VT100 terminal-emulation and can be used over any conventional port -- hardwired or dial-up (it can NOT be used over the AppleTalk ports in undergraduate residence halls and the public Mac cluster in the basement of Kiewit). MacTerminal also lets you transfer files using three different methods: "Mac-to-Mac", "Text", or "Xmodem" mode (Mac-to-Mac and Xmodem can handle any file type; Text works only with text files; see EXPLAIN MACTERMINAL TRANSFER.) For information about all the ways you can use MacTerminal, refer to the manual that comes with the MacTerminal disk. A handout explaining how to use MacTerminal to connect to the Kiewit Network is available from the Kiewit Consultant -- ask for the handout called "Using MacTerminal to Connect to the Kiewit Network" (the most recent handout is dated February 22, 1985 and describes MacTerminal version 1.1). In addition, the following on-line information is available (note that because of conflicting explanation, you can't abbreviate MACTERMINAL to fewer than five letters -- MACTE; if you use MAC, you'll get explanations for MACINTOSH): MACTERMINAL WARNINGS Compatibility with System and Finder versions MACTERMINAL VERSIONS How to discover which version of MacTerminal you have MACTERMINAL SETTINGS Settings for use with Kiewit Network MACTERMINAL CONNECT Connecting to the Kiewit Network MACTERMINAL TRANSFER Information on the three file-transfer methods MACTERMINAL USE Using the Mac as a Terminal, Ending Your Terminal Session MACTERMINAL DOCUMENTS Using MacTerminal Documents ROBOTICS MAC The US Robotics Password Modem with MacTerminal UDS MAC The UDS Modem with MacTerminal Ready exp macterminal warnings MacTerminal Warnings (22 March 1989) The System 4.1 and Finder 5.5 versions do NOT work with MacTerminal 1.1 or 2.0. System 3.2 and Finder 5.3 are the latest compatible versions. In order to see which version of Finder you have, open "About the Finder ..." under the Apple menu. To see which version of the System you have, open your System folder, click once on the system file, then select "Get Info" under the File menu. If the creation date is in January or April of 1987, you have an incompatible version of the System. See the Student Assistant at 646-2999 for additional help. Ready exp macterminal versions MacTerminal Versions (5 October 1987) In order to find which version of MacTerminal you have, open the MacTerminal application by double clicking on the icon, then select "About MacTerminal ..." under the Apple menu. This is important for some of the settings and instructions in the help files. Ready exp macterminal settings MacTerminal Settings for the Kiewit Network (5 October 1987) 40-line explanation. When using MacTerminal to communicate with the Kiewit Network, you should use the following settings: SETTINGS MENU: Terminal: Use MacTerminal's preset options for VT100. (See the -------- MacTerminal manual for more information.) Compatibility: If you start with MacTerminal's preset options, you need ------------- to change only the following settings: Baud Rate -- use up to 9600 for hard-wired ports, 1200 for most modems, 300 for older acoustic couplers. Handshake -- click XOn/XOff Connection Port -- be sure this agrees with the outlet you use at the back of the Mac, either phone or modem. As a check, be sure the other Compatibility settings are as follows: Bits per Character -- 8 bits Parity -- None Connection -- Modem If you sometimes use DarTerminal, turn AppleTalk to "Inactive" in the Chooser. File Transfer: The settings you use here depend on how you intend to ------------- transfer files. For more details on the various methods, see EXPLAIN MACTERMINAL TRANSFER. Answerback message: Ignore ------------------ PHONE MENU: This is useful only with a modem that has automatic dialing (such as the U.S. Robotics Password modem) -- see EXPLAIN ROBOTICS MAC. Ready exp macterminal connect Connecting to the Kiewit Network with MacTerminal (5 October 1987) 45-line explanation. 1. First, connect the communications cable to your Macintosh, either the printer or modem connection and network port or modem. 2. Start up the Macintosh with the MacTerminal disk. Double-click on the disk icon (if it's not already open). The phone-and-modem icon is the MacTerminal program. There are also several "MacTerminal documents" which are preset for Mac-to-Mac communications, connections to various commercial hosts, etc. You probably won't need most (or any) of these MacTerminal documents and can remove them from your disk (after making a backup copy just in case!). 3. Double-click on the MacTerminal icon or a MacTerminal document (see EXPLAIN MACTERMINAL DOCUMENTS) you have saved previously with the appropriate settings: SETTINGS Menu: Keep the default MacTerminal settings except as follows. Compatibility: Baud Rate -- use 9600 for hard-wired ports, 1200 for most modems, 300 for acoustic couplers. Handshake -- click XOn/XOff Connection Port -- be sure this agrees with the outlet you use, phone or printer at the back of the Macintosh File Transfer: The settings you use here depend on how you intend to transfer files. See EXPLAIN MACTERMINAL TRANSFER for more information. PHONE Menu: This is useful only with a modem that has automatic dialing (such as the U.S. Robotics Password modem) -- see EXPLAIN ROBOTICS MAC. Save these settings (use Save or Save As... in the File menu) for future use. 3a. If you are using a modem or coupler, turn it on and dial the Kiewit Network -- see the instructions for your particular modem (EXPLAIN MODEMS). 4. Press the Return key to receive the Kiewit Network message. You can now use your Macintosh as a terminal -- see EXPLAIN MACTERMINAL USE. Ready exp macterminal transfer Using MacTerminal to Transfer Files To/From DCTS (5 October 1987) 49-line explanation. MacTerminal lets you transfer files between DCTS and your Mac in three different ways: Text mode: Good only for text files; text is listed on the terminal --------- display as it is transferred. For more on this method, see: EXPLAIN MACTERMINAL TEXTDOWN retrieving text from DCTS to a Mac EXPLAIN MACTERMINAL TEXTUP sending text from a Mac to DCTS Mac-to-Mac: Uses the programs $Putmac and $Getmac, which make DCTS act ---------- like a Mac (hence the name "Mac-to-Mac"). This method lets you transfer the same things that can be handled by DarTerminal -- you can transfer text-only files to be used both on the Mac and DCTS, and you can transfer Macintosh-formatted applications, such as those in saved in Macfiles*** (you can't use the Mac applications on DCTS). See: EXPLAIN PUTMAC retrieving files from DCTS to a Mac EXPLAIN GETMAC sending files from a Mac to DCTS XModem: (Also called Modem7) Uses the DCTS program called X$Modem ------ which uses the industry standard XModem file transfer protocol for "error-free" transfer (a noisy communication line will not garble the data). XModem is supported by the terminal emulation packages that run on many microcomputers -- including Apple II and Macintosh (MacTerminal), IBM PCs, Kaypros, and Osborne PCs. Though XModem is a handy way of moving the "bits" that make up a file from one computer to another, those "bits" may have to be manipulated in some way to be usable on a different computer. For more information see EXPLAIN XMODEM. "Mac-to-Mac" transfers (ie. using $Getmac & XModem Text-mode $PutMac to/from DCTS) transfers transfers MacT V. 1.1 2.0 1.1 2.0 1.1 2.0 Transfer Method XModem MacT 1.1 XModem Straight XModem Text Text Remote System MacTerminal -- Other -- Other -- Delay Between Chars 0 0 0 0 0 0 Delay Between Lines 0 0 0 0 0 0 Retain Line Breaks Checked Checked Checked Checked * * Word Wrap Checked Checked Checked Checked * * * see EXPLAIN MACTERMINAL TEXTDOWN for information on these settings. Ready exp macterminal use MacTerminal -- Use as a Terminal (5 October 1987) 74-line explanation. You can run MacTerminal and sign on to the host computer of your choice. Your Macintosh will now behave as a terminal with the following features: * Asynchronous DarTerminal is also available, and will work just as well. See EXPLAIN MACTERMINAL CONNECT for information on getting started. Macintosh Editing: The only Macintosh editing feature available to you in your terminal session is the scroll bar to the right of the screen that lets you scroll back through your session. You can Copy and Paste to and from the clipboard; you can also highlight a part of your session and then Paste it to the current line of typing. Special key functions: Note especially that in MacTerminal 1.1 Backspace does not correct typing errors as it does in other Macintosh applications! With MacTerminal 2.0 under Settings is the "Keyboard" option that allows you to select whether B.S. is a delete or simply a B.S. USE FOR Command Control Command Backspace Rubout (to erase typing errors!) Command Space Break Command S pause output to screen Command Q continue output to screen ~ Escape Command ` ` (back quote) Command Shift ~ ~ (tilde) Remember also, that on most Kiewit Network connections you can use 'Command X' to delete an entire line of typing (before you press Return) and you can use 'Command R' to repeat your current line of typing with corrections (this is especially useful if you have used Backspace by mistake and then attempted proper corrections). VT100 Editing: If you are using a UNIX or VAX/VMS computer, you can use any screen editors that work with a Dec VT100 terminal. Use the appropriate command to let the host computer know that you are using a VT100. If you don't have a numeric key pad, use the Keypad menu to get at the cursor and function keys. Scrollback Memory and the Commands Menu: During your session, you can normally scroll back through all that has occurred -- a dotted line separates the current screen display from the scrollback memory. If you have saved your settings, the complete session is also automatically saved in your MacTerminal document. Note that this automatic saving is unlike other Macintosh applications -- you are asked only if you want to save the MacTerminal settings, never the contents of the session. The Commands menu gives you control over what is saved in your document: Don't Record Lines Off Top -- Prevents anything being saved above the top of the screen. It is probably best to let recording continue, but use the next "command" occasionally when you are sure you no longer need the information. Clear Lines Off Top -- Erases everything above the dotted line both in your MacTerminal session and in your MacTerminal document if it is saved. Reset -- Erases everything below the dotted line and returns the settings to what they were when you opened or last saved the MacTerminal document. Start Scrolling/Stop Scrolling -- Equivalent to 'Command Q' and 'Command S'. Ending Your Terminal Session To end your session, type BYE and then choose Quit (under File menu). You can also Quit in midsession and use other Macintosh features such as MacWrite. Simply reopen the appropriate icon to return to your active terminal session. Ready exp mac darterm DarTerminal (11 October 1989) 26-line explanation. DarTerminal is a program that allows you to connect a Macintosh computer as a terminal to central, or host, computers on Dartmouth College's Kiewit Network. DarTerminal allows you to connect to more than one computer at the same time. Version 3.4 also provides file transfer, MacAvatar distributed screen editing features, VT100 terminal emulation, Tektronix 4012 graphics emulation, and draft printing. DarTerminal 3.4 requires at least 512K of memory, but otherwise should run on any popular Macintosh configuration. DarTerminal communicates over the AppleTalk network. Residence halls and most other locations at Dartmouth are wired for LocalTalk access. Many locations at Dartmouth are also wired for RS-232, or asynchronous, terminals; using a modem to connect via telephone also falls into this category. How you connect to the Kiewit Network will depend on the specific type of wiring in your building: the two styles require different physical connectors, and you must run a separate configuration utility (currently a Macintosh Desk Accessory called Async AppleTalk) to use the asynchronous or model variation. Once connected, DarTerminal runs identically on the two wiring styles. You can use your current version of DarTerminal to download a newer version. Type EXPLAIN DARTERMINAL TOPICS for more information. Ready exp darterm topi DARTERMINAL TOPICS (10 August 1987) Type EXPLAIN DARTERMINAL for general information about DarTerminal. For other specific information, type EXPLAIN followed by one of the topics below (for example, EXPLAIN DARTERMINAL DOWNLOAD). DARTERMINAL DOWNLOAD moving files from DCTS to a Mac TEXT2DAR converting listable DCTS files to a format that can be downloaded to a Mac (where they will arrive as "text-only" files) DARTERMINAL UPLOAD moving files from a Mac to DCTS DAR2TEXT converting uploaded "text-only" files to a format that can be used on DCTS DARTERMINAL VERSIONS description of the features of the versions of DarTerminal (from version 1.0 to current) DARTERMINAL UPDATES instructions for using your current version of DarTerminal to download a newer version DARTERMINAL TROUBLE what to do it you have problems using DarTerminal from a student residence hall Type LIST MACFILES***:LIBCAT for a list of Macintosh applications that can be downloaded from DCTS via DarTerminal. Ready darterm versions WHAT? Ready exp darterm versions DarTerminal Versions (11 October 1989) 26-line explanation. DarTerminal is a program that allows you to connect a Macintosh computer as a terminal to central, or host, computers on Dartmouth College's Kiewit Network. DarTerminal allows you to connect to more than one computer at the same time. Version 3.4 also provides file transfer, MacAvatar distributed screen editing features, VT100 terminal emulation, Tektronix 4012 graphics emulation, and draft printing. DarTerminal 3.4 requires at least 512K of memory, but otherwise should run on any popular Macintosh configuration. Version 3.4 (1 September 1989) features enhanced Dartmouth File Transfer capabilities and support for the Kermit file transfer protocol. Version 3.3 (22 April 1988) contains all the features of previous versions, fixes a number of bugs, and adds a few significant features. DarTerminal now supports a true "Undo" capability, and operates in the background in MultiFinder as it does in the foreground. Bugs in the graphics input and the use of key-repeat on CMS are fixed. Added features included the ability to load text files, improved memory handling, and saved window positions. Versions 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2 are now obsolete. Version 1.5 is a special exception, since it is the only version of DarTerminal that will run on a 128K Macintosh. For information on file transfer, see EXPLAIN DARTERMINAL DOWNLOAD and EXPLAIN DARTERMINAL UPLOAD. Ready exp darterm trouble DARTERMINAL PROBLEMS (20 March 1989) If you have trouble with DarTerminal in a student residence hall, you can do the following: 1. Try using a different port or swapping disks and cables with a friend first to see if you can identify the source of your problem. (The Consultants in 104 Kiewit or 101A Kiewit can also check your disk for you.) 2. If the problem appears to be the communications cable or the DarTerminal disk, you can take them to the Personal Computing Center in One McNutt Hall to be replaced. 3. If the problem is with your network port rather than your disk or cable, call 2999 to report the problem. You will need to report your room number, port number (the number on the network wall jack), and let us know how we can get in touch with you -- we will probably need to make an appointment so that you can let someone into your room to make the repairs. (Extension 2999 puts you in touch with the Student Assistant in Kiewit; they report network problems to the Telecommunications department.) Ready exp mac mainte Macintosh Maintenance Options (11 February 1986) 44-line explanation. When your Macintosh goes off its 90-day warranty, you have two choices on how you want to handle any necessary repairs -- a maintenance contract or cost of time and parts for any work that must be done. Whatever you choose, we recommend that you think about how you want to handle future repairs before your Macintosh is off its 90-day warranty. The costs for Apple Care maintenance contracts are currently: $54 per year for a 128K Mac $75 per year for a 512K Mac $31 per year for an Imagewriter $24 per year for an external disk drive These maintenance contracts cover repairs done at any authorized Apple dealer, not just at Dartmouth. But you cannot wait until a repair is needed to purchase a contract -- if your equipment is not still on warranty or if it has not just been repaired, it must inspected when you purchase a maintenance contract. You can purchase a contract in McNutt between 8:30 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday. Repairs done at Dartmouth without a maintenance contract will be charged for time and material. (There is no longer a one hour minimum labor charge as previously advertised.) The following list gives an idea of potential costs if any major parts must be replaced: Macintosh Parts (labor is $30 per hour) disk drive $72 keyboard with cable $63 mouse $36 power supply $72 128K logic board $96 512K logic board $115 Imagewriter Parts (labor is $25 per hour) main logic board $63 print head $109 External Disk Drive Parts (labor is $20 per hour) assembly $72 cable $42 If you need to have repair work done, take your equipment to the Telecommunications Shop in the basement of Kiewit, Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. If the problem is with just the keyboard or mouse, be sure you know the serial number for your Mac (it's located under the front face of the Mac, near the brightness knob). Ready exp mac backups BACKUPS OF MACINTOSH DISKS AND DOCUMENTS (18 September 1985) 36-line explanation. When working with any personal computer, you are the computer operator. It is up to you to protect your valuable documents and applications from loss due to a bug in the application, physical damage, or whatever. From the very start, learn how to copy documents and disks and develop the habit of doing this regularly. Don't risk damaging the only copy of your paper the night before it is due! As you work, make backup copies of valuable documents (or entire disks) from time to time, preferably to a different disk. Think about how much time you would be willing to backtrack to redo lost work -- and then make backup copies at least that often. While using an application, you can make a second copy of your document by choosing Save As... in the File menu. Save As... lets you change the name and/or the disk on which the document is to be saved. Note that this leaves you working with the second copy; you must use Save As... again to get back to your original (or Close and re-Open the original document). (With a single disk drive, this method can lead to a lot of swapping if you put your copy on a second disk; the method in the next paragraph is usually more efficient.) At the desktop level, you can make copies of single documents using Duplicate in the File menu or by dragging the icon of your document to the icon of another disk (the original copy remains). For extra security, you can copy entire disks. The best method varies with the equipment you have. If you have an external disk drive, you can put the disk to be copied in one drive, the disk to be copied to in the other, and then drag the icon of the disk you want to copy to the icon of the second disk. With a single disk drive, you can use the Disk Copy application with a 128K Mac (simply select and open that application -- it provides instructions); with a 512K Mac, eject the first disk, insert the second, and then drag the icons as if you had two disk drives. Ready exp mac updates MACINTOSH UPDATES (22 February 1988) 57-line explanation. SOFTWARE UPDATES (available at the PCC for free with original disk) MacWrite 4.6 -- The major changes in MacWrite 4.6 is both Macintosh II and AppleShare compatibility (single user). In addition, MacWrite will take advantage of large-screen displays. Arrow keys may now also be used for moving the cursor. It is not necessary to upgrade to MacWrite 4.6 unless you own a Macintosh II. NOTE: MacWrite 4.6 will NOT work on a 128K. MacDraw 1.9.5 -- MacDraw 1.9.5 is compatible with the Macintosh 512K, 512KE, Mac Plus, Mac SE, and Mac II. In addition, MacDraw 1.9.5 is AppleShare compatible (single user). Changes in 1.9.5 include: * Support for up to 54 fonts, sorted alphabetically; * Preserving fonts across systems; * Addition of a Zoom Box; * Cancel printing dialog box; and * Addition of various command-key equivalents. MacProject 1.2 -- Includes single-user AppleShare compatibility, color monitor support. MacProject 1.2 is compatible with the Macintosh 512K, 512KE, Mac Plus, Mac SE, and Mac II. MacTerminal 2.2 -- Adds support for the Control and Esc keys on the Apple ADB keyboards. MacTerminal 2.2 is compatible with the Macintosh 512K, 512KE, Mac Plus, Mac SE, and Mac II. If you own a 128K Macintosh, you should NOT upgrade your software. Apple no longer supports the 128K machine and the new software releases will not work with your machine. SYSTEM UPDATES In the last year, there has been a plethora of System updates for the Macintosh family. Consult the table below to see what systems you should be using. Computer System Version -------------------------------------------------- Macintosh 128 System 2.0/Finder 4.1 Macintosh XL (Lisa) System 3.2/Finder 5.3* Macintosh 512K System 3.2/Finder 5.3* Macintosh 512KE System 3.2/Finder 5.3* Macintosh Plus System 4.2/Finder 6.0+ Macintosh SE System 4.2/Finder 6.0+ Macintosh II System 4.2/Finder 6.0+ * If you are using AppleShare, you should be using System 3.3/Finder 5.4 + Official Apple policy recommends System 4.2/Finder 6.0 for use with the Mac Plus, Mac SE and Mac II. Because of the LARGE size of these systems both memory-wise and storage-wise, we do not recommend them unless your Macintosh has been upgraded to at least two (2) megabytes of memory. Apple's previous recommendation was System 4.1/Finder 5.5 for the Mac Plus, Mac SE and Mac II. Ready exp mac tools MACTOOLS*** (5 March 1985) The Mactools*** catalog contains tools for use on DCTS for Macintosh-related work. Type EXPLAIN MACTOOLS TOPICS for a list of explanations about tools in Mactools. Type LIST MACTOOLS***:LIBCAT for complete information about what is in the catalog. The following tools may also be useful: PCLIB***:FIXIT general 'fixit' utility for files sent from a microcomputer to DCTS using Direct mode. This tool is currently the most appropriate for use with text-only Macintosh files transferred via the official version of MacTerminal. Type PER PCLIB***:FIXIT to use the tool, type LIST PCLIB***:FIXIT for more information. PCLIB***:MACFIX fixes text files transferred to DCTS from a Macintosh with the Alpha Minus version of MacTerminal; type EXPLAIN MACFIX for information. Ready exp mac demos Macintosh Demonstration Software (as of March 1989) 175-line explanation. Demonstration copies of the following software are available at the Consulting and Demonstration Area in 104Kiewit. Full-time faculty and staff can check out the packages overnight or for the weekend after signing an agreement to uphold the software licensing agreement by not copying the materials, as well as to be responsible for the package. Students may use the packages within the Demonstration Center only. If no version is given, you can assume that it is either 1.0 or unknown. An ** indicates that the package is a demo rather than a full working version. For more information, contact a Consultant at x2626. Word Processing FullWrite Professional MacRight-to-Left (Version 1.0-A) -- Utility for reversed typing MacWrite (Version 4.6 and 5.0) Signifier, The (Non-Roman fonts) Word, Microsoft (Version 1.05 and 3.02) WordPerfect for the Mac WriteNow (Version 1.07) Spell/Thesaurus Hayden Speller (Version 1.2) -- Batch-style for MacWrite MacLightning (Version 2.0) MacSpell+ MacSpellRight Spellswell (Version 1.3j) Word Finder -- Thesaurus Spreadsheet/Simulation Crunch Multiplan, Microsoft (Version 1.1) Stella (Version 1.3) -- Simulation Stella, Academic (Version 1.3) -- Simulation Integrated/Statistics Excel, Microsoft (Version 1.06) -- Integrated spreadsheet, database, chart Works, Microsoft (Version 1.1) -- Integrated spreadsheet, database, word processing, communications StatView 512+ (Version 1.1) -- Statistics Databases 1st Base (Version 2.0) 4th Dimension (Version 1.0.6) -- Relational, very powerful Business Filevision -- Picture-oriented DB Master Factfinder (Version 1.1) File, Microsoft (Version 1.05) FileMaker Plus (Version 2.1) -- Relational FileMaker 4 -- Relational Filevision Habadex Helix (Version 1.9) Helix II, Double (Version r35) Jazz (Version 1.A) Keystroke MacLion (Version 3.0) Main Street Filer, The Omnis 3 (Version 3.0) OverVUE (Version 2.1b) pfs:file/report (Version A.00) -- Report generator Reflex (not Plus) (Version 1.01) Languages 68000 Development System (Version 1.01) BASIC Compiler, Microsoft (Version 2.1) Chipwits ExperLogo Fortran, Microsoft (Version 2.2) Guide LightSource (Demo) (Version 1.12r) Lightspeed C (Version 2.0) Lightspeed Pascal (Version 1.11) Logo, Microsoft (Version 1.1) MacForth - Level 1 (Version 2.0) MacForth - Level 2 Macintosh Basic MacPascal - Educational (Version 2.1) MacPascal - Standard (Version 2.1) MacModula 2 MegaMax C (Version 3.0) P-System Rascal -- Rreal-time Pascal TML Pascal (Version 2.0) True BASIC (Version 2.01) True Basic, 3-D Library Graphics Animation Toolkit Canvas (Version 1.02m) -- Versatile program for combined paint and draw functions; supports color Chart, Microsoft -- Charting and graphing ClickArt Effects -- Graphic design desk accessory ClickArt Personal Graphics -- MacPaint Pictures Cricket Draw (Version 1.1) -- Postscript drawing program Cricket Graph (Version 1.2) -- Charting and graphing Easy 3D (Version 1.01) -- 3-D solid modeling with variable light sources Fontastic (Version 2.7.1) -- Bit-mapped font editor FullPaint -- Added-featured MacPaint Illustrator, Adobe (Version 1.1) -- PostScript drawing program MacDraft (Version 1.2a) -- Object oriented MacDraw (Version 1.9.5) -- Object oriented MacDraw II -- Expanded draw with color MacPaint (Version 1.5 and 2.0) -- Basic lo-res program Ophir (Font) (Version 1.1) -- For formal logicians PixelPaint -- Large complex color graphics Silicon Press (Version 1.1) -- Layout design and print labels, minimal print merge SuperPaint -- Paint and draw functions TrueForm (Version 1.1b3) -- Form generator Video Works (Version 2.0) -- Animator Desktop Publishing PageMaker (Version 2.0) MacPublisher ReadySetGo (Version 4.0) Financial Dollars-Sense (Version 1.3) Electric Checkbook MacMoney (Version 3.02) Communications Griffin Terminal (Version 3.0) Mac.Transfer (Version 1.01) -- Apple II to Macintosh file transfer MacLink+ (Version 1.0n) -- MS-DOS to Macintosh file transfer MacTerminal (Version 2.2) PC to Mac and Back MacDaisywheelConnection Daisywheel Connector ProPrint Daisywheel Connector Print-Link, The (Version 2.1) -- Printer driver Entertainment/Education Crunch** Ground Zero MacEdge II (Demo) -- Education, ages 4-14 MacManager MacPuzzle! MasterType -- Typing tutor Millionaire Run for the Money Trivia Trivia Savant Typing Intrigue -- Typing Tutor Typing Made Easy -- Typing Tutor Typing Tutor III (Version 1.6) -- Typing Tutor Speed Reader II -- Education Equations Expressionist (Version 1.11) -- Equation maker MathWriter (Version 1.11) -- Equation maker MacEqn (Version 2.02) -- Equation maker TK!Solver (now EUREKA:the Solver) -- Equation Solver MacMathPac** -- Equation Solver Organizational/Utility Acta (Version 2.0) -- Outliner Front Desk (Version 6.0) -- Appointment, time manager MacProject (Version 1.2) MacProject II MORE (Version 1.1) -- Outliner SideKick -- Desktop organizer ThinkTank 512 (Version 1.3) -- Outliner ThinkTank 128 Glue -- Utility (Read only) Switcher (Version 5.1) -- Utility Other SmoothTalker -- Speech synthesis ConcertWare-MIDI -- Music composition MacRecorder -- Sound digitizer MusicWorks -- Music composition SongPainter -- Music composition Ready exp mac scsiport Macintosh Plus SCSI Port (11 February 1986) There are some significant differences between the connectors on the back of the Macintosh 512K and those on the Macintosh Plus. Looking at the back of the Macintosh Plus, from left to right, the connectors are: -- mouse connector (DB-9) -- external drive connector (DB-19) (The above two connectors are identical to the ones on the Macintosh 512K.) -- SCSI interface (DB-25) -- serial printer port (Circular 8) -- serial modem port (Circular 8) The two circular 8 serial ports replace the two DB-9 serial ports on the Macintosh 512K. The SCSI port is new to the Macintosh Plus. WARNING: It is imperative that ONLY SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) devices be connected to the DB-25 connector on the back of the Macintosh Plus. Even though the connector looks just like that traditional RS-232 port, it is NOT a serial port or a parallel printer interface. Attaching peripheral devices other than SCSI devices MAY DAMAGE the SCSI controller chip on the digital board. Ready exp mac reviews MACINTOSH REVIEWS (28 January 1987) Jeff Francis, a CIS student, has written reviews of various software packages available on the Macintosh. To find out what reviews are available, type EXPLAIN MACINTOSH REVIEWS TOPICS. Ready exp mac revie topi MACINTOSH REVIEWS TOPICS (2 March 1987) For information on Macintosh reviews of different software packages, type EXPLAIN MACINTOSH REVIEWS followed by one of the topics below; for example, EXPLAIN MACINTOSH REVIEWS WRITENOW. WRITENOW word processor BINARYTR a binary tree workshop VENN a syllogistic logic tutor ORBITALM demonstrates mixing of atomic orbital energy levels ATLAS a pictorial atlas program DRILL a general drill program FILEVISI graphics-oriented database software LIGHTSOU authoring system SMARTPAG authoring system BRS BRS/Search is the user language developed by BRS to search its databases online TOOLS program developed to help writers develop and refine their writing MACAUTHOR authoring system EXPRESS authoring system MS-WORKS an integrated package of electronic tools for the office WORD30 word processor Ready exp mac rev writ WRITENOW (28 January 1987) (Reviewed by Jeff Francis & Steve Dorner separately) 226-line evaluation. WriteNow, "a new standard in word processing for the Macintosh," is a word processor for the Macintosh. It was developed by Steve Jobs' NeXT and is being distributed by T/Maker. This review is based on beta-version 0.04. The program and its associated files fit on one two-sided (800k) disk. It comes with a 176-page User's Manual. The manual for version 0.04 is a preliminary draft dated August 14, 1986. WriteNow 1.0 has been released commercially. Its list price is $175, though it is available in the marketplace for about $120. See the January 1987 issue of MacWorld (p.122+), and the January 5, 1987 issue of Info World (p.53+) for reviews of WriteNow 1.0. Manual Overview The WriteNow User's Manual (written by Caroline Rose, the principal author of Inside Macintosh) is quite comprehensive and easy to read and understand. It is a two-part manual: Part 1, "Learning WriteNow," contains three chapters with step-by-step lesson on how to use WriteNow. Part 2, "WriteNow Reference," includes three chapters of reference and background material. The manual also contains two appendices and a glossary of terms. It is similar in style to most other Macintosh manuals. Program Overview WriteNow is a word processor, "designed as a general purpose word processor intended for the majority of Macintosh users." Strategically, it is positioned as a replacement for MacWrite. In fact, it has been described as "basically an upgraded version of MacWrite with some features found in...desktop publishing programs." In fact, the only similarity with MacWrite is Now's ease of use. It is different in several fundamental ways. o WriteNow is paragraph oriented. Each paragraph, defined as any group of characters (including a blank line) followed by a carriage return, has its own ruler settings. Ruler changes apply only to the paragraph selected. Text above or below the selected paragraph is unaffected. o WriteNow allows any number of documents, limited only by available memory, to be open at the same time. o WriteNow includes a 50,000 word dictionary and a spelling checker. o WriteNow offers several "desktop publishing" and other features including: - hyphenation, - easy to use headers, footers, and footnotes, - multiple-column text (up to 4), - tab fill (or leader) characters, - exact laser reduction control, - default document (stationary pad) creation, - font sizes from 4 to 127 points - vertical line spacing up to 99 points. o WriteNow does not allow editing of a document too large to save to disk. o WriteNow maintains the state of a document for the last two times it was saved which allows a "revert-to-last-saved" backup operation. Menu Bar The Menu Bar contains File, Edit, View, Format, Font, FontSize, and Style menus. The File menu looks standard, with the exception of the Revert to Saved and Revert to Backup commands. Revert to Saved returns the document to its state the last time it was saved, and Revert to Backup to the time before that. All "states" are stored in one file, since only changes made to the document are stored. Because of this feature, it is sometimes necessary to reclaim unused space in the file. A Compact option is provided with the Save and Save As... commands for this "garbage collection." The Page Setup command in the File menu is extremely powerful and controls many of the "desktop publishing" features in WriteNow, such as the number of columns on a page, ruler reduction, etc. The Edit menu contains the standard Undo, Cut, Copy, and Paste commands. In addition, it provides commands to: o copy and paste the ruler, o find and replace text, o check and correct spelling, o select all text, o show/hide the clipboard. The View menu contains commands to o show/hide the ruler, and non-printing markers and characters, o view the page as a page, or view headers/footers/footnotes separately, o go to the insertion point in the current document, o "send" the active window behind all other windows. The Font menu is standard and merely lists all available fonts and the active font. The FontSize menu is also standard, except for a Smaller and Larger command to adjust the font size anywhere between 4 and 127 points. The Style menu contains the standard Plain, Bold, Italic, Underline, Outline and Shadow commands. Also included are a Condense and an Extend commands which change the spacing between characters. The menu also contains Subscript and Superscript commands. Noticeably absent are the left, center, and right alignment commands. User Interaction WriteNow is relatively easy to learn and use. This is largely because it follows the standard Macintosh guidelines quite closely. According to T/Maker's propaganda, "WriteNow can be described in just two words: WYSIWYG and fast." These are the most outstanding features of WriteNow. What you see is in fact what you get. Fonts, font sizes, styles, paragraphs, headers, footers, footnotes, columns, and page breaks all appear on the screen as they do when printed. Program response time is fast. There is no need for repagination; changes are immediate. This is as true for a 1-page as for a 20+ page document. Furthermore, document size is limited only by disk space, so large documents can be edited as one document. Since the program does not allow editing of documents larger than available disk space, working with large documents is safe and easy. There are several inconveniences which one must contend with when using WriteNow. First and foremost is the inability to directly read or write files in any format other than WriteNow format. The program does, however, come with a translator application to convert to and from MacWrite, Word, and ASCII text formats. The translator application cannot be called from within WriteNow, however. Other important inconveniences are: o There is no window menu, which makes it difficult to switch between windows. o There is no on-line help. o Decimal tabs are not supported. o The number of columns in a document cannot vary. For example, if the first page contains four columns then all pages must contain four pages. Column widths can be varied, however. Overall Evaluation WriteNow is easy to learn and use. It has all the features one would expect from a basic word processor and then some. WriteNow is fast and true to the WYSIWYG Macintosh environment. In general, its strong points far outweigh its weak points. WriteNow meets most if not all of the functionality tests for a minimal word processor for student use as outlined by the Academic Computing Committee: o it is simple and robust, o it provides a comprehensive Undo/Redo command, o it provides easy-to-use margin control across the full width of a page, o it provide automatic page numbering, o it supports large documents efficiently, o it does not allow editing beyond available disk space, o there is no maximum paragraph size, o it is FAST, o it has "laser ability," o it provides search and replace capability. In addition, it offers: o a spelling checker, o easy-to-use headers, footer, footnotes, subscripts, and superscripts, o multiple windows/documents, and o many more small but convenient features. WriteNow would be an ideal choice as the student word-processor-of- choice at Dartmouth. WRITENOW (2 February 1987) (Reviewed by Steve Dorner, from the Net) I've been using WriteNow for a couple of weeks now, and have had both good and bad experiences with it. I have never used MS Word, so I can't compare WriteNow to it, but I can give a brief list of the good and the bad I've experienced. I'm only commenting on what I have personally used in the program, not giving the mfr's feature list. Good: Multiple columns on-screen. Fairly nice built-in spelling checker. Can change specific fonts/sizes to other fonts/sizes. Can change all identical rulers (e.g., center all headings) Has a 'show space' mode where line break characters, tabs, the printing area of the page, etc. are all visible. Definitely WYSIWYG. Can use any character to fill a tab, to simplify things like: Water buffaloes................................232 Can put special characters (e.g., ^t for tab) in find/replace dialog It IS fast at reformatting and saving. It is not-so-fast at scrolling, however, even though it takes great pains to avoid redrawing the screen (it is amusing to watch it move hunks of screen bitmap around). Bad: *********Has crashed more than once. The tutorial in the manual makes a big point of saving your work every fifteen minutes. I know why. Verrrrryyyy ssssslllllooooowwww to load into a 256K switcher partition. First line of first column on a page does not line up with first line of second column. Has 'Insert page break' option, but no 'Insert column break'. Allows you to insert the date anywhere in your document, but insists on doing the date like 'Tues, Jan 19, 1987'. I'd much prefer having some other format options. No "find next and don't bug me with a dialog box" function. Once a document is defined as multiple-column, EVERYTHING has to fit in the columns (except headers and footers). This is inconvenient for graphics, outboxes, etc. In summary, I'd say that WriteNow is certainly quite capable, but I think that it's not what it really ought to be. I suspect that WriteNow Version X, where X>1.0, needs to happen before I'll be overjoyed with it. You should definitely get the demo and try before you buy. Ready exp mac rev binar BINARY TREES (28 January 1987) (Reviewed by Jeff Francis) 30-line evaluation. One general comment I have on all the programs is that it might be of use to mention a text that the student can use in conjunction with the program especially if they are not taking the course in question. I thought the Binary Trees program was complete and easy to follow. I only suggest one potentially major change and several minor changes to the program. First the major change. I think it would be beneficial to show the user what is happening at each step in a traversal. For instance, in the pre- order traversal the general strategy is to search left then process node then search right. A window could be used to show the strategy, while a pointer could be used to show what part of the strategy is being evaluated at any given time. Now the minors. It is not clear that trees can be built using the edit command. I think this can be emphasized simple by moving the Edit option ahead of the Alpha... and Parse... options in the Help menu. It would be nice if the traversal window could be increased and especially decreased in size vertically. I found that it was in the way and that in many cases although all I wanted to see was the last operation, I could not get just that operation to be displayed. Other than the above I think the program is complete, easy to follow, and robust. I couldn't get it to "bomb." Ready exp mac rev venn VENN (28 January 1987) (Reviewed by Jeff Francis) Love it!! Assuming the user has some knowledge of the basics of Venn diagrams, the program reinforces the concepts extremely well. What is interesting is that even a novice without any knowledge could easily learn the basic concepts by looking at the solution to the problem and then working backwards. Help is good. Ready exp mac rev orbit ORBITAL MIXING (28 January 1987) (Reviewed by Jeff Francis) I am at a bit of a disadvantage here in that I'm not up-to-snuff on orbital mixing.... I get the impression, however, that what it is doing is displaying some highly complex interaction between several variables. I think the Help could be expanded a bit, even though this is obviously not intended for the uninitiated. Ready exp mac rev atlas ATLAS (28 January 1987) (Reviewed by Jeff Francis) 89-line evaluation. Atlas (with EUROPE application) Once a plan is conceived and MacPaint pictures are created, the Atlas application is relatively easy and straightforward to work with. There are, however, several areas that I think could be improved upon. First of all, I think the development and user environment should be divorced. The Edit Database option in the File menu should be "off" in the default or startup case. In this case, a new user will not see the Database option in the pulldown menu header and will not concern himself with the fact that he has the option to change anything in the program. This will protect the database from those who have no need to change it. Also, the current help (other than maybe the initial intro screen) should be renamed to something like Database Help and should be made available only when the Edit Database option is selected since it is more appropriate in this instance. In its stead, the application developer should be given the option to create his own help screen which relate directly to the application at hand. These topics should then be accessible from a Help menu. There should also be an option to print the developer's help information in manual (paper) form. Running through the Help is a bit cumbersome at present for the first time user. There are some strange things that happen when using the Zoom feature. The most pronounced is that overlays previously selected are "lost" when one zooms to top from a lower level. Eventhough this phenomenon is described in the Help documentation, it makes skipping around different levels of overlays difficult. Another interesting thing takes place in the following sequence in the EUROPE application. Select the basemap with rivers. Then, select the Iberian peninsula and zoom in all the way down to the courtyard in Cordoba. Then, zoom out. Once you get out of the city overlays, note that the rivers are no longer selected and that you are now in the cities overlay. There are at least three potentially minor changes that could be made which would enhace the user interface. 1. Instead of using solid line boxes to show the subareas, "chaser light" or flashing boxes would make the subareas easier to spot, especially if there are already lots of straight lines in the overlay. 2. It would make things a bit easier if the user could click anywhere on an overlay to show what subareas are available. 3. As in 2, it would make things easier if the user could double-click to select and automatically zoom into a subarea or zoom out to the next level. Evaluation -- t/sNematode (an Atlas application) This is an interesting application of Atlas. Basically, the strategy in this application is to present the user with a picture of an object to be studied with an overlay containing a brief description of various parts of the object, and another overlay containing one-letter labels with no description for each part of the object. The intent is that the user can display the picture and the labels describing its parts. Then the user can deselect the overlay with the descriptions and keep only the picture and the labels to test his knowledge of the parts of the picture. In the original copy of the application I received, only the base picture was shown at startup. I changed it such that on startup, the initial picture, and the description and label overlays were displayed on screen. As such the user is presented with a picture of the object, the description of its parts, and the labels of the parts on one screen. To test himself, the description (or label screen as it is called in this application) can be deselected and reselected until he knows all the parts. The change was as simple as changing the default box for each overlay and illustrates how powerful the Atlas environment really is. But since the change is "permanent" is also illustrates how easily an application can be "corrupted" in the hands of an inexperienced user. This would make a good demo of Atlas in an application other than a geographic map, which the name Atlas implies. Ready exp mac rev drill DRILL (28 January 1987) (Reviewed by Jeff Francis) 64-line evaluation. Drill is an extremely powerful and easy-to-use learning drill generator. Its strength is its command "language" which gives the drill developer the ability to easily create powerful q&a drills with pictures and on-line help. It is capable of accepting "free-form" answers, i.e. the user can generally enter answers in his own words rather than having to use one rigid predetermined answer. As such the user is not forced to memorize one certain answer and is given the illusion of "smartness" on the part of the machine. There are several drawbacks to the program. All text and pictures must be created externally using MacWrite and MacPaint. This forces drill development to be non-interactive and places a big burden on the developer to very carefully pre-plan the drill in detail. The addition of a "built-in" text editor would greatly improve development. A built-in graphics tool would be ideal, though much more difficult to implement (I assume). In its stead, the developer could be given the ability to create "dummy" pictures so he can test the "look" of the drill "on-line" and then create the actual pictures "off-line". Also, user interaction is too "subtle." There is no reinforcement when a correct answer is entered. Something as simple as a "Correct!" on the GO ON line would help, for instance. By the same token, it is not immediately evident when an incorrect answer is entered. Something like a "Wrong!" or "Try again!" on the GO ON line would again be of help. In its stead, the program uses the standard Macintosh reverse video convention to indicate a wrong answer and that it can be edited at this point. If the user is not familiar with this standard, it is confusing. One nice feature here is that when only a part of the answer is incorrect, only that part is highlighted. One other feature that would improve user interaction would be a scoring feature, where the user could check his understanding by means of a numeric score selectable from the menu line and at the end of a drill. Another feature that would improve interaction is an answer preview. The only preview available now is to click on GO ON. The first answer is then displayed and the user can then retype it on the succeeding line. It would be nicer if the student could click and hold on the answer line to display the answer, which would disappear as soon as the mouse is released. The correct answer can then be reentered without seeing what was on the line previously. Several minor improvements could be made to the program as outlined below. It is unclear how to review a drill at the end of the drill. By going to the top of the scroll bar and then scrolling down, you can only see the answers entered. The pictures which may or may not be crucial to the drill are not scrolled along with the text. It is not immediately evident that the window size of the drill dialog can be manipulated and that the dialog will "adjust" to the window. Maybe this could be included in a "Hints" menu under Using Drill... It would be useful if the Help documentation could be printed, especially the description of how to create a drill and the sample drill script. A "pocket-guide" type screen could be added to Help showing all valid commands (just the word not an explanation). This would be handy as a quick-and-dirty reference. Ready exp mac rev filevis FILEVISION (28 January 1987) (Reviewed by Jeff Francis) 121-line evaluation. FileVision by Telos Software Products, Price $395 Business FileVision version to be released Based on the promotional materials I have, FileVision appears to be the "Rolls Royce" of graphics-oriented database software on any microcomputer. A cursory study of the popular "Macliterature" also seems to support this. I get the impression that, if anything, FileVision is the standard all other such database systems strive for. The program is basically a full-featured data base management system with the usual file creation, maintenance, and reporting options. What is most interesting about Filevision, however, is that (unlike our ATLAS, for instance) it is built around a MacDraw-like graphics editor, which is compatible with both MacDraw and MacPaint. As such, the user has the ability to build and link data to pictures, and vice versa. Other pluses include the availability (at a nominal cost from Telos) of a series of public domain applications or templates for the program ranging from simple games to (ATLAS-like) maps of Europe and diagrams of the eye, a Hebrew Tutor, Systems Design tutorials and the like. Also available at prices in the $25 range are several other templates, one of which is of particular interest to us. SmartPage (tm) is billed as a "standardized system that educators can use....to develop their own computer aided instructional material.....without the need of an extensive background in computer use or programming." Though no samples of SmartPage are shown, I get the impression it would act as a combination of our ATLAS and Drill programs. Also available at commercial rates is the MacMap (tm) mapping template that seems to be aimed at providing data for demographic and marketing studies. Its ATLAS-like features are quite impressive (on the pictures provided). One interesting thing to note here is that the product is billed as coming from "the developers of Atlas (tm) mapping software." Could we run into problems using the name ATLAS??? From what I have read, FileVision appears to take over where ATLAS and Drill leave off. It sounds like it combines the features of both in one self-contained environment built around a resident graphics editor. At $395 "a crack," however, it is not within the reach of the average student. And for the purposes they were designed for (not to mention the price!), I would say that ATLAS and Drill would be more than adequate in the college environment. If I had any say in the matter, I think I would want to get a working copy of FileVision anyway to explore its use as a development environment for ATLAS and Drill applications. According to the literature, FileVision is fully MacPaint and MacDraw compatible and it supports data importing and exporting in ASCII format. As such, if it turns out to be easier to use than the current ATLAS, Drill, MacPaint, MacWrite development environment, there would be an incentive to use it to develop applications in one integrated environment and "download" them to ATLAS and Drill. Also as the public domain library grows, there are bound to be some educational applications which we might be able to use. Evaluation -- Business Filevision [An excellent review of Business Filevision entitled "Get The Picture!," appears in the February 1986 issue of MacUser magazine. Please refer to that article for a more in-depth discussion of Business Filevision.] Filevision is basically a full-featured data base management system with the "usual" file creation, maintenance, and reporting options. What is unique about Filevision is its ability to store and retrieve graphic as well as character data. To do this, the "standard" file hierarchy has been modified somewhat, as shown below. Standard Filevision -------- ---------- File File Type Record Record/Object Field Field Character Graphic object or character Since the atomic data element is a graphic object or a character, Filevision can store and access both. Because of the graphic orientation, file setup is very flexible. The user is not bound to the strict rules found in "normal" character-oriented databases. For example, the user at no time has to specificy how many characters a field contains. Instead, it is the size of the "box" on the screen that is of interest. Filevision, as a stand-alone product, lives up to all the claims made in the literature. It is built around a MacDraw-like graphics system. It can import and export MacPaint and MacDraw documents via the Clipboard. It can in fact link data to graphics. It is relatively easy to learn (primarily because it adheres to standard Macintosh user interface guidelines). It does provide relatively powerful search and retrieval of both data and graphic objects. In short, it is extremely powerful when used in a normal database environment. When used in an environment similar to our ATLAS authoring system, Filevision's deficiencies begin to appear. Following are some of the more obvious ones: o The basic Filevision screen (apparently) cannot be "masked." It is always present which makes the final presentation look "cheap." It consists of a Menu Bar on top, a MacPaint-like toolbox on the left, and a Status and Option Selection line on the bottom. o Because the border is always present, the picture on the screen is smaller. o File I/O is slow. So, for example, when a "zoom" is implemented, the switch from one scene to the next is not "smooth." So, Filevision works very well in those applications requiring "normal" database capabilities. It is easier to use than "normal" data base management systems, and it adds the "extra dimension" of graphics. It is not particulary well-suited for ATLAS-like environments, however. The latter requires a "smooth" or "slick" presentation medium, which is apparently best custom programmed. We will be reviewing a Filevision-based authoring system called SmartPage which will prove or disprove that assertion. Ready exp mac rev lightsou LIGHTSOURCE (28 January 1987) (Reviewed by Jeff Francis) 118-line evaluation. LightSource from Software Innovations, Inc. is billed as "The World's Simplest Authoring System." It is in fact relatively easy to use. I was able to create a simple application using a demo version without the benefit of a user manual. The user interface is centered around a "Tableau" which is essentially a page (or series of pages) made up of text, pictures(graphics), and so-called actions. Actions are really "programmable" buttons on which the user clicks to move from page to page. An Additional Info window can also be linked to each Tableau. Text is entered with a built-in the text editor, while pictures are "imported" from MacPaint via the Clipboard. Menu Bar The Menu Bar contains File, Edit, Tableau, View, Help, Fonts, and Style menus. The File, Fonts, and Style menus are standard and straight-forward. In addition to the standard editing functions, the Edit menu also allows the "current" Tableau name to be changed. Tableau Menu The Tableau menu consists of two command groups of mutually exclusive attributes. The first group allows the user to select the "current" Tableau, and to move back or ahead (next or previous) one Tableau. The second group allows the creation of a new Tableau or Action. View Menu The View mode also consists of two command groups as shown below. Group1 Group2 ------ ------ Text Tableau Pictures Action Actions Addl Info Preview General Help Tableau Help These are discussed further under User Interaction Help Menu This menu allows the creation of a General Help script for the application as a whole, an a Tableau Help script for each "current" tableau. Again, text is entered with the built-in text editor, while pictures are entered from Mac Paint via the Clipboard. User Interaction The creation of a "lesson" is relatively straight-forward. First, a new Tableau is created. A Tableau is simply a window with a vertical scroll bar. Text is entered using the built-in text editor and the Edit, Fonts, and Style menus. Pictures or graphics are entered from MacPaint via the Clipboard. If more than a screen full of text and/or pictures is entered, the scroll bar is made active. Otherwise it remains inactive. Once the text of a "lesson" has been completely entered, one or more Actions must be created in order to move to another step in the "lesson." An Action creates an "action object box" which can be dragged anywhere on the Tableau and expanded or shrunk to fit on top of text or a picture. Once in place, the text or picture in the box becomes a Button. When clicked, the Button can be "programmed" to perform one of the following actions. 1. Display the Tableau to be displayed next 2. Quit the "lesson" 3. Link to another EXTERNAL file containing another Lesson (I think!) 4. Repeat the "current" Tableau In addition, a flag consisting of a letter and a digit can be set for every action (I have not been able to determine what exactly the flag is used for, however). An Addl Info flag can also be set for every Action. If set, an additional info Tableau is created for the Action. It is displayed every time the action is invoked and is used to provide additional information to the user before proceeding to the next Tableau. When a "lesson" has been completely entered, it can be previewed using the Preview command in the View menu. If changes have to be made, the View menu is used to view either the Text, Pictures, or Actions portion of a the "current" Tableau. Text is changed using standard editing methods. Pictures and Actions can be dragged and expanded or shrunk. The View menu also allows switching between the "current" Tableau and its associated Action and/or Addl Info. The user can also use View to look at any Help scripts created from the Help menu. Problems/Limitations One obvious limitation of LightSource is that its "lessons" must be rigid and inflexible. User interaction is only via clicking on appropriate buttons. As such it gives the appearance of a "dumb" system, unlike our Drill which can be programmed to look "smart." Another (mainly aesthetic) problem is that text and pictures are all combined in one window. The "lessons" look unprofessional if the user does not scroll through them "just right." I did not go through the motions of determining how long any one Tableau can be, and how many Actions can be associated with each. I am sure there is a limit, but based on the sample "lessons" included with the demo, I would say that the average "lesson" would not exceed those limits. Based on the demos, it appears that the development and user environment can be separated. I.e., it looks like a "lesson" can be "compiled" into a non-interactive, run-time application. It is not immediately obvious from the demo how this is accomplished. Overall Evaluation All in all, LightSource does provide a simple and easy-to-use authoring environment. That might also be its main problem, i.e. it is suited only for the most simple of applications. If, however, the author is in need of a simple system to lead a user through a mechanical, highly-structured "lesson," then LightSource is an attractive tool. Ready exp mac rev smartpag SMARTPAGE (28 January 1987) (Reviewed by Jeff Francis) 109-line evaluation. One of the strengths of Filevision is that it allows the creation of "application templates." These are basically "skeletal" implementations of an application. The user customizes the template to meet his needs. The SmartPage authoring system is such a template. SmartPage is copyrighted (1985) by Joel McNamara of Watercourse Software, Salt Lake City, Utah. The program comes with a fair-to-good 71-page user guide. It costs $25. User Interface As the name implies, SmartPage gives the aspiring author a series of "smart pages" to work with. The SmartPage page is built within a Filevision page (or screen). As such, Filevision's Menu Bar, graphics toolbox, and status/option line are always visible on the top, left, and bottom, respectively, of the SmartPage page. The graphics toolbox is "masked," however. Pages can be either a Filevision data record accessible with Filevision's Info command, and/or other "smart pages" accessable with the Link command. SmartPage divides a page into a series of "features." These features are basically a series of "buttons" that allow the user to navigate through the lesson pages. They are: o Page Line, Page Number Boxes, Page Display, o Lesson Area, o Commands, Command Line. The Page Line, Page Number Boxes, and Page Display (on the right of the screen) control and display page information. There can be up to nine pages in a lesson, and therefore up to nine PNB's in the Page Line. Page 0 is always an introduction to the lesson. Pages are selected by single- clicking the appropriate PNB and linking (using Filevision's Link command) to the page selected. The selected PNB is shaded, and the Page Display shows the current page number. Double-clicking a PNB displays a brief description of the contents of a page. The Lesson Area contains the lesson material. More on this later. Commands (text surrounded by a rectangle) can be located anywhere on a page and on the Command Line. By selecting (clicking) a Command and (Filevision's) Info or Link, helpful information about the page is displayed, or the user is moved to another page, respectively. A Command Line is located at the bottom of the screen (above Filevision's status/option line). It contains five command "boxes." The first two are user- definable. The other three are labelled HELP, INDEX, and QUIT, and are used to (1) give help on how to deal with a page, (2) display the table of contents of the lesson, and (3) go directly to the last page of the lesson. These can be altered or deleted if necessary. The lesson area is built up using "communicators." These are either pictures, text, or both used to convey ideas, concepts, or information to the user. When a communicator is double-clicked, the user is linked with the (Filevision) data form for that communicator. Communicators are further subdivided using ID's: o Instruction ID - text surrounded by a thick gray rectangle, o Communicator Group ID - group of related communicators enclosed in dotted-line rectangles, o Question ID - questions enclosed in a thin-line, black rectangle, o Answer ID - answers surrounded by rounded corner rectangles, o Connectors - heavy black lines used to connect communicator groups, or questions and answers. User Interaction It takes a little practice, but once the SmartPage concepts are understood, lesson creation is relatively straight-forward. Graphics or text are entered using Filevision's editor or graphics toolbox, or they can be imported using the Clipboard. The basic user interaction is clumsy, and the lesson presentation looks amateurish. Following is a list of the more common problems: o Questions, for instance, cannot be answered interactively. The user answers questions by filling in a field in a Filevision data record. In other words, the user selects a question to answer on the SmartPage page. Then, he is linked to another (completely different looking) page to enter the answer. The assumption is that the instructor would collect student disks and review the answers, or have the student print the records and hand in the printout. o The SmartPage pages do not look like the Filevision data record layouts. As such, the presentation medium is not consistent and it looks amateurish. o Moving from a SmartPage page to a Filevision data record takes time, especially in a large lesson. Because of this time-lapse the presentation is not "smooth." It looks amateurish. o The constant presence of the Filevision screen is distracting and reduces the amount of useful space on the screen. Overall Evaluation Filevision works very well in those applications requiring "normal" database capabilities. SmartPage is a good example of an application trying to extend its host environment's capabilities beyond their limits. User interaction is awkward, and the lessons look amateurish. I would not recommend SmartPage as an authoring system, unless there was some very strong need to work in a Filevision environment. Custom-programmed environments such as our ATLAS, or even something like LightSource, do a much better job. One caveat: The version of SmartPage I used was created for the original version of Filevision, not Business Filevision. So, it is possible that some the problems are caused by a difference in versions. Based on my experience with "plain vanilla" Business Filevision, however, I do not think that this is the case. Ready exp mac rev brs BRS/SEARCH (28 January 1987) (Reviewed by Jeff Francis) 101-line evaluation. BRS/Search Manual and Search Simulator BRS (located in Latham, New York) is a company which makes various "electronic" databases available to the public. Information from the databases is retrieved by searching. BRS/Search is the user language developed by BRS to search its databases online. Online searching is expensive and requires some exposure to logical search techniques. To expose students to the process of online searching at no cost, Drexel University's Department of Humanities and Communications created the BRS/Search Simulator. The program is used in their R102, Reading and Research freshman course. It simulates the BRS/Search environment to train students to retrieve bibliographic information from a sample BRS database. The program is distributed on one disk and comes with a 36-page manual. The disk contains the BRS/Search Simulator application and a simple bibliographic BRS database. The Simulator is easy to use. The manual is quite comprehensive and easy to follow. User Interface The user interface is simple. The user is presented with a BRS prompt and must enter a BRS command to perform a task. Standard Macintosh editing of the command line is not available. The entire user dialog is saved, however, and is "scrollable" with the right scroll bar. There are four basic modes available in the Simulator. Modes are selected by issuing commands prefaced by ".." or by using a command-key combination as shown below. The default mode is Search. Mode Selected by or (on the Mac only) ---- ----------- -------------------- Search ..s Command-S Print ..p Command-P Change database ..c Command-C Log Off ..o Command-O Menu Bar The menu bar contains a File, Interpret, and Help menu. The menus are all simple and straight-forward. File Menu The File menu allows the user to save the current BRS search session. The current session is the entire user dialog, i.e., user commands and system responses. The dialog is saved to disk in a text-only file. The default filename is BrsSession, though the user can use any valid filename. The file can be read or printed using MacWrite. Interpret Menu The Interpret menu turns command interpretation on or off. If this option is active, all commands are "interpreted into English" and presented to the user for confirmation using a modal dialog box. In the search mode, a search tree is also presented to the user. The tree diagrams the logic of the search. Help Menu The Help menu provides a short help screen (modal dialog box) for each of the four Simulator modes. Overall Evaluation The Simulator program is easy to use and straight-forward. It allows the user to quickly learn his/her way around a BRS database at no cost (assuming s/he has a Mac, of course). I learned enough from the program (in one sitting) to easily bypass the standard user interface on the Dartmouth College Library Online Catalog (DCLOC) using the BRS-Direct option. This can save a lot of time for complex searches not easily handled by the DCLOC user interface. All the commands and strategies illustrated in the manual worked on the DCLOC. The Simulator manual is comprehensive and easy to follow. In addition to being a tutorial for the Simulator, it also discusses many BRS database basics that are quite useful. For instance, it does a good job explaining how a BRS file is organized. This is extremely useful when planning a search. While the people at Baker Library would disagree with me, I would recommend this program to anyone who would have occasion to search any BRS file. It quickly "drives home" many of the basic concepts needed to perform efficient searching. One concern the Baker people have is that the program does not "look" like the DCLOC user interface. I would argue that while that is true, that the basic knowledge about how a BRS file is organized and how it can be best searched is far more important and useful than knowing how to select options on the DCLOC menu. They also argue that the Simulator is not exactly like BRS/Search. Again, that is true, but the manual mentions several times that this is the case and that the intent is not to exactly mimic BRS/Search. Instead, the intent is to provide a means to learn BRS and database searching basics quickly and inexpensively. I would strongly support any move to use the Simulator as a freshman (or anyone new to bibliographical researching for that matter) tutorial on how to search a database in general, and a BRS database in particular. Ready exp mac rev tools TOOLS FOR WRITERS (28 January 1987) (Reviewed by Jeff Francis) 63-line evaluation. Tools for Writers (or Tools for short) is a program developed at Drexel University to "help writers develop and refine their writing." The demo version of the program is distributed on one disk. It comes with two "manuals": one (13 pages) which explains how to use Tools, and one (4 pages) which explains what a teacher might do with it. User Interface Tools is straight-forward and easy to use. It provides the user with a "plain vanilla" editor to create and edit new documents or to edit existing documents. The editor has an active window with a title bar, close box, right scroll bar, and a size box. There is no provision for format, font, or style changes. All standard Macintosh editing features are available. Documents are read and saved in text-only format. Menu Bar The menu bar contains a File, Edit, and Tools menu. File and Edit are the standard Macintosh File and Edit menus. The Tools menu is described below. Tools Menu The Tools menu provides seven "checks and diagnostic tests" that can be performed on the current document. They are: o Average Sentence Length o Frequency List o Enter Vague Words o Mark Vague Words o Zipf List o Be Finder o Guiraudian The Tools Manual describes each menu item in detail using the following format. A. Results. Describes the intended result of the menu item. B. Features. Describes any special features associated with the item. C. Warnings. Describes any known or potential problems associated with the item. Overall Evaluation Tools is "buggy." This evaluation is being written with the Tools Editor, and I managed to lose it several times when trying the options in the Tools menu. The author of the program does mention this in her cover letter to Don Spicer, however. Since she seems to be aware of the bugs, I did not document those I encountered. From a technical standpoint, the program is faithful to the Macintosh user interface. As such, it is easy to learn and use. I do not know if I am really qualified to comment on the concept of the program. I think that the usefulness of the program is dependent on the teacher and the course. In general, I thought it was useful in detecting errors in my writing. I probably would not use it regularly, however. Ready exp mac rev macauthor MACAUTHOR (28 January 1987) (Reviewed by Jeff Francis) 180-line evaluation. Background MacAuthor is a courseware authoring system for the Macintosh from EduDisc (Nashville, TN). It sells for $200 a copy. Site licensing is available. This review is based on a demo version of MacAuthor which is available from EduDisc for $15. The demo version comes on one disk which includes the following applications: o Demo MacAuthor - Courseware development program. Allows new courses to be developed. Once the course is and saved, it cannot be edited, however. o Run MacAuthor - Run-only version of MacAuthor to run existing courses. o Using MacAuthor- Tutorial written with MacAuthor Also included is a folder called Demo Instructions which contains a file called "Print out with MacWrite." When printed, the file is a 5-page instruction sheet on how to use the demo version of MacAuthor. Program Overview MacAuthor is a courseware authoring system. A MacAuthor course (or lesson) consists of a series of user-defined topics and a mandatory topic called Words. User-defined topics can be either linear or relational. The key difference between the two is the type of interaction the user will use to respond to lesson questions. Linear topics limit interaction to multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions. Relational topics limit interaction to open-ended essay questions. A lesson can contain any combination of linear and relational topics. Lessons are created and tested interactively. Linear topics consist of a series of commands (called formats) which are processed sequentially. The processing sequence of relational topics, on the other hand, is context dependent. The mandatory topic Words contains a list of all keywords and their valid synonyms that can be used as valid answers to lesson questions. Linear Topics Linear topics are made up of formats. Formats are commands to the program to perform specific tasks. They are the building blocks used to create the lesson. The formats are processed sequentially in the order in which they appear under a particular topic. The MacAuthor formats and their uses are: Erase -- Erase all active windows Multiple Choice -- Display a multiple choice question Fill in the blank -- Display a fill-in-the-blank question Text -- Display a window containing textual material Audio-Visual -- Display a graphics window (MacPaint/MacDraw) Take an Excursion -- Display a menu from which topics can be selected Launch or Return -- Launch or Return from an external application Transport -- GoTo-like command to move between windows User Summary -- Display user performance statistics Provide Help -- Create topic help information Relational Topics Relational topics are made up of three concepts. Each concept is linked to one or more previously defined keywords which describe it. Each concept is assigned ten texts containing information about that concept. Each combination of concepts (1-and-2-and-3, 1-and-2, 1-and-3, 2-and-3) is also assigned ten texts. Also included is a provision for introductory and concluding texts. The processing sequence of a relational topic is as follows: o Display the introductory text. o Allow the user to enter his response to the text as an open-ended essay. o Scan the response for previously defined keywords and/or synonyms. o Keep presenting information about any missing concept(s) until all applicable keywords have been entered. o Display the concluding text. For example, if the user enters no valid keywords after the introduction, then the first text of combination 1-and-2-and-3 is displayed. If the next response still does not contain any keywords, then the second text of 1-and-2-and-3 is displayed, and so on. If two valid keywords are entered after the introduction, then the first text of the missing keyword is displayed. If the next response does not contain the missing keyword, then its second text is displayed, and so on. If only one valid keyword is entered after the introduction, then the first text for the combination of the two missing keywords is displayed, and so on. Menu Bar The Menu Bar contains File, Edit, Evaluate, Goodies, and Windows pull-down menus: o The File menu is standard, with the exception of a Launch Another Program option which allows external programs to be launched from MacAuthor. o The Edit menu is standard. o The Evaluate menu is used to tailor the user performance statistics. o The Goodies menu includes: (1) an option to load MacWrite documents directly into MacAuthor, (2) options to add and change topics and words, (3) options to preview the course from either the teacher's view or the user's view. o The Windows menu displays all available topics in a lesson. If help texts are created using the Provide Help format, then a Help pull-down menu is created on the Menu Bar. All help texts created are named and appear in the Help menu. User Interaction MacAuthor lessons are created interactively. The user in effect creates a hierarchy of windows. The highest-level window is the Course Window. The Course Window contains a list of course topics and the mandatory topic Words. Topics are added or changed using the Goodies commands. They are deleted or rearranged using the Edit Cut and Paste commands. When double-clicked, a topic name opens up to a Topic Window. A Linear Topic Window contains a list of formats. Formats are added or changed using the Goodies commands. They are deleted or rearranged using the Edit Cut and Paste commands. When a format is double-clicked it opens up to a window or series of windows defining the actions to be taken by that particular format. If, for instance, a Text format is opened, a text window is created which can either be edited using the Edit commands or filled from an external MacWrite file using the Load... Goodies command. A Relational Topic Window contains a list of three concepts and an entry called The Texts. These entries are mandatory and the list cannot be resequenced. When double-clicked, a concepts opens up a concept window, and The Texts opens up to a Texts window. The concept window contains valid keywords for the concept in question, and the Texts window contains the texts associated with each concept and combination of concepts, as well as the introductory and concluding texts mentioned earlier. Lessons can be previewed at any time using the Goodies commands. A completed lesson is saved to disk. It can then be run using the Run-only version of MacAuthor. Changes are made using the development version. The demo version does not allow previously created lessons to be loaded and edited. Overall evaluation MacAuthor is a very good example of the power of the Macintosh interface. The program is very complex yet relatively easy to learn and use because of the user interface. Lessons are created interactively. The program makes extensive use of dialog boxes, check boxes, radio buttons, etc, making lesson creation relatively straightforward. The separate Run-only and Development-only environment protects the lesson from potential abuse and/or tampering by users. MacAuthor biggest problem is the quality of its presentation. The screen is too busy. There are too many windows present at any one time. Switching between the windows creates a jittery display. The final presentation looks amateurish. Another problem is fully understanding the concept of the program. It is big and all-encompassing. As such it takes some time to understand what it is all about. This is especially true for the relational topic. Hopefully the off-the-shelf version of MacAuthor includes good documentation explaining of all the options available in the program. The documentation that comes with the demo is very sketchy. This is especially true for the relational topic environment. I would not use MacAuthor for any serious courseware development, unless I had a purely linear application (i.e. only multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions) with few windows. The busy and jittery presentation is distracting. MacAuthor would be a very fine authoring system if some time was spent to develop a more polished final presentation. When compared to our Drill authoring system, for example, it looks amateurish, even though the content of the drill or lesson might be the same. It does, however, have some features Drill would benefit from, such as the interactive lesson creation, the run-only and development-only environment, and a scoring mechanism. Ready exp mac rev express EXPRESS (28 January 1987) (Reviewed by Jeff Francis) 116-line evaluation. Express is an authoring system from NEXSTEP INC., Narragansett, RI. The program evaluated here is beta test version .51 (05/14/86). Express has not yet been released commercially. At the time of this evaluation no release date was available. This version of Express comes on one disk. Also included is a comprehensive user manual. Manual Overview The user manual consist of five sections: I. Introduction to Express, II. Tutorials, III. Reference Guide (10 chapters), IV. Tips, Short-cuts, and Suggestions, V. Glossary of Express Terms. The manual is quite comprehensive and easy to read. It is in loose-leaf form. Program Overview Express is an authoring system. Unlike other authoring systems, Express borrows from the terminology of the film industry. It is based on the concept of scripts. Each script represents a series of actions to be taken by Express. It is roughly equivalent to the concept of a lesson in other authoring systems. A script is made up of frames. A frame represents an individual action to be taken. It is equivalent to one step within a lesson, such as asking the student a question. Frames are displayed on a sequence bar, much like the frames on a roll of film. The lesson is presented to the user by displaying the frames in the order in which they appear on the sequence bar, much like a movie projector. In fact, the icon to view the lesson is a movie projector, and the sequence bar is made to look like a roll of film. The program has three states or modes: o the link mode, o the edit mode, o the view mode. In the link mode only the relation between scripts can be manipulated. The actual contents of scripts, i.e. frames, can only be manipulated in the edit mode. The view mode displays the lesson. Frames can include prompts or responses. Obviously prompts are used to prompt the user while responses accept a response from the user. Express provides a rich mix of prompts and responses. Express also includes its own MacPaint-like tool, MiniPaint. It is powerful enough to obviate the need for MacPaint, unless sophisticated graphics are needed. Graphics can be imported via the clipboard. Menu Bar The Menu Bar contains a File, Edit, Scripts, Prompts, Responses, MiniPaint, Style, and Font pull-down menu. The File and Edit menus provide the standard Macintosh file control and editing functions. The Scripts menu options are used to create and manipulate Scripts. The Prompts and Responses menu commands (shown below) are used to create and manipulate the contents of a script. Each command creates a frame within the script. Prompts Picture - create/edit graphics Text - create/edit text Speak - create/edit spoken dialog Hilite - hilite any area in the display window in reverse video Blink - hilite any area in the display window with a blink Beep - beep Discard - clear all or part of the display window Responses Target - specify a target area on which to click for a response Keyboard - accept response from the keyboard Button - create a pause button, e.g. a "continue" icon Stop - control the timing of the script display Exit - leave a script The MiniPaint, Styles, and Fonts menus provide basic MacPaint-like functionality, including a tool palette, type styles, type sizing, and type fonts. User Interaction If Express has any strong points, it is the user interface. The film analogy makes the interface natural. It makes the program, which is relatively complex, easy to conceptualize. Express is easy to learn and allows relatively sophisticated lessons to be created easily. It is also relatively faithful to the Macintosh interface. The interface is a bit unpolished at this stage, e.g. where answers from the keyboard are requested. With some minor changes Express could be an outstanding product, however. Overall Evaluation It is obvious that this is a beta version. The program is far from crash-proof and does not handle all situations as expected. For instance, it bombs when one attempts to paste large clipboard images. Those types of problems will be corrected, however. In general, Express is easy to learn and use, and incorporates a natural user interface. I would recommend taking a further look at this product. One possible limitation of Express is that it is not "open," in the sense that the student is not able to back-track like in some other authoring systems. If this is of importance to the lesson designer, then Express may not fit the bill. In general, however, lessons can be designed around this limitation. Ready exp mac rev ms MICROSOFT WORKS (28 January 1987) (Reviewed by Jeff Francis) 131-line evaluation. Microsoft Works is an "integrated package of electronic tools for the office." The program is available from Microsoft. This review is based on beta-version 40. The program comes on two disks. Two (loose-leaf) manuals were included with this beta version: o a 135-page Lesson Manual and o a 360+-page Using Microsoft Works Manual. Manual Overview The Lesson Manual is essentially a tutorial using a sample situation which demonstrates how to use Microsoft Works. The manual is easy to read. It is obviously intended for the uninitiated. The Using Microsoft Works Manual is a combined user's guide and reference manual. The manual is quite comprehensive and easy to read. It contains many examples and illustrations. Every pull-down menu is discussed in detail, for instance. It is similar in style to most other Macintosh user manuals. Unlike other Macintosh manuals, however, the reference portion of the manual is not separated from the user's guide. Instead, a reference chapter is included at the end of the discussion of each individual tool. Program Overview Microsoft Works is an integrated program with the following "electronic office" tools: o a word processor with drawing and mail merge capability, o a database with reporting capability, o a spreadsheet with charting capability, and o communications. A window is created for each tool selected. The program acts like an "electronic desktop," through which the user can easily switch between the four tools. Data is exchanged between the tools through the clipboard and/or the scrapbook. Works "feels" like a no-frills version of Microsoft's Excel and Word. It appears to be aimed at the casual user who can do without all of the bells and whistles of Excel and Word. Menu Bar The main Works menu bar changes for each application. In addition, there are four common menus used by all four tools. Each tool has rich assortment of pull-down menu functions. No attempt will be made to discuss these in detail here. Instead, refer to the Works manuals for further details. Common Menus Common menus include the Apple, File, Edit, and Window menus. Apple The Apple menu includes an About MS-Works... command. It shows memory availability and also provides some basic information about the program. File The File menu is standard except for the Print Window, Eject Page, and Print Merge... commands. Print Window and Eject Page are used to print the active window. Print Merge is used to print merged documents. Edit Part of the Edit menu (Undo/Cut/Copy/Paste/Clear) is standard. Other functions are added to Edit menu by each application. Window Full/Small Window controls the size of the active window. Show Clipboard is standard. Help provides help. These commands are followed by a list of all available windows from which the active window can be selected. The Word Processor In addition to the standard word processing functions, this tool provides two unique features: Draw Draw lines, circles, or boxes around text in a document to highlight the text. Prepare to Merge... Create merging "place holders" into which database fields are merged, e.g. in a form letter. The Database The database tool provides standard database functions to create, maintain, display, and manipulate lists of data. A report generation function is also provided. An outstanding feature of the Works database is that records can be listed in list format or in a forms (or record) format. This feature is particularly convenient for data entry. The Spreadsheet The Works spreadsheet provides all standard spreadsheet functions. The charting (graphing) capability is of particular interest. Communications Works provides simple communications capability. An eight-number "phone book" is included. All standard communication functions are supported, including the MacBinary and XMODEM protocols. User Interaction Works is a big, complex program. It is relatively easy to learn and use, however. This is in part due to its adherence to the standard Macintosh interface guidelines. It is also partly because only "plain vanilla" functionality is supported. Most functions are easily learned, even if the user is new to the Macintosh environment. Overall Evaluation Works is obviously based on Microsoft's Excel (spreadsheet/database/ charting) and Word (word processor). The interface is essentially the same even though the specifics (e.g. the pull-down menus) are different. One could argue that Works is Microsoft's attempt to get the Excel and Word environment to the masses. All applications are easy to learn and use. Works is fully file-compatible with Excel and Word. Upgrading from Works to Excel for instance would involve only opening the Works file from Excel. The same is true for word processing documents.I would recommend Works for any user who wants an easy-to-use integrated "electronic office," does not need the full power of Excel or Word, and does not want to be bothered with using Switcher to "integrate" the two. Ready exp mac rev word MICROSOFT WORD 3.0 (2 March 1987) (Reviews by Jeff Francis) 185-line evaluation. General Word3.0 is Microsoft's latest word processor. This review is based on a beta-version dated December 1986. Program documentation consists of two manuals: a user's guide and a reference manual. Word3.0 has been announced but it is not yet commercially available. Its list price is $395, though it is advertised for about $240 by several mail order vendors. See the March 1987 issue of Macworld (p.116+) for a review of Word3.0. Manual Overview Word 3.0 documentation consists of two manuals: a users's guide and a reference manual. The user's guide is comprehensive and relatively easy to read and understand. The reference manual received with this beta version is obviously a pre-production mock-up. As such, it was useless. Program Overview Those users of Word 1.05 who were expecting Word 3.0 to be just and improved 1.05 are in for a surprise. Word3.0 is in fact quite different from 1.05. Microsoft has added many new features to Word, including o user-selectable beginner or expert pull-down menus, o user-defined custom pull-down menu, o user-defined program defaults, e.g. fonts, o limited page making capability, o hyphenation, o outlining, o spelling checker, o table of contents, o index, o in-line PostScript printer control code. Menu Bar The Menu Bar contains File, Edit, Search, Format, Font, Document, and Window menus. The commands available in each menu varies, however, depending on the mode the user selects. In the short menu or beginner mode, Word3.0 "looks" alot like 1.05 with a spelling checker. In the full menu or expert mode, the full functionality of 3.0 is made available to the user. Following is a listing of each menu in both modes, the beginner mode is on the left and the expert mode on the right. File New New Open Open Close Close Save Save Save As... Save As... --------------- Delete Page Preview --------------- Print Merge Page Preview Page Setup Print Merge Print Page Setup --------------- Print Quit --------------- Quit Edit Undo Undo --------------- --------------- Cut Cut Copy Copy Paste Paste --------------- Insert Graphics Show Markers --------------- Full Menus Glossary --------------- Show Markers Short Menus Preferences ---------------- Search Find Find Change Change Goto Goto Format Show Ruler Show Ruler --------------- --------------- Plain text Character Bold Paragraph Italic Section Underline --------------- Outline Styles Shadow Define Styles --------------- Plain Text Bold Italic Underline Outline Shadow Font This menu list the standard fonts and font sizes in effect. Document Open Header Open Header Open Footer Open Footer --------------- --------------- Footnote Footnote Repaginate Repaginate --------------- --------------- Spelling Outlining Spelling Hyphenate Index Table of contents --------------- Calculate Renumber Sort Window Show Clipboard Show Clipboard --------------- New window --------------- Following is a brief discussion of the most interesting menu commands: Page Preview Much like the page preview in Excel, this option allows the user to see what any given page will look like when printed. Two facing pages can be view side by side. Page number and margins can be changed in this mode. No other changes are possible, however. Character, Paragraph, Section With these commands the user can control the "look" of a document at the character, paragraph, and section level. For example, when working with multiple columns, the settings are only valid in a section. As such, many different multiple column settings are possible within a document. This is not possible in other word processor such as WriteNow, for example. Styles Document styles or characteristics can be predefines and saved for use as templates. User Interaction Even experienced Word1.05 users will find that it will take some time to switch to Word3.0. The user interface is quite different. Some claim it is now "less obstructive to the casual user." Much of the problem stems from the fact that Word3.0 does not strictly adhere to the Macintosh interface guidelines. In many ways it is not truly WYSIWYG, which can be confusing at times. Though Word3.0 offers many features, they are in general hard to use and cumbersome. This is especially true with outlining, indexing, table of contents, and side-by-side text and graphics. It takes a lot of getting used to. The user is always left wanting more. Overall Evaluation Like version 1.05 and IBM PC Word, Word3.0 is not easy to learn. It takes some getting used to. In general, the improvements over version 1.05 would make Word3.0 attractive only to the avid 1.05 user. Unless a new user has a need for a not-so-easy-to-use-but-quite-complete word processor, Word3.0 is not the choice. Word3.0 is best suited for a professional environment, where the need for extensive formatting of large,complicated documents such as books, manuals, contracts, etc., outweighs the need for a good general-purpose word processor. I would not recommend Word3.0 as a student word processor. This is also true in part, because Word does not perform well on small Macs. Ready exp mac evaluat Macintosh System Software version 5.0 (11/12/87) (Apple Shipping Date: 10/12/87) Item Evaluator Version # Comments 512K 512KE Hard Disks LaserWriter Mac II Mac SE MacPlus General Review Van Dusen, Karen General Review Huggins, Anne General Review Pedersen, Carl Great, better than previous version. RESEDIT screens foul up sometimes. If file server goes away while finder does not have control, disk icon is messed up temporarily, until finder regains control. General Review Hardy, Sue General Review Webster, Steve General Review St. Sauveur, Molly General Review Lacasse, Heather Can't print OverVUE 2.1a files. Unable to open MS Works files unless startup is set to Finder only. General Review Spydell, Randy General Review Crowell, Phil General Review Peixotto, Ron AppleShare Rosenfield, Myra Async Appletalk Brown, Rich All seems okay. Courseware Maker, Steve Works! All courseware works on MACII except Appletones 2.0 and Mozart 2.0. Cricket Draw Cricket Graph DarTerminal Matthews, Jim 3.2 Basically compatible. Possible with MultiFinder to switch out of DarTerminal while the About...message is displayed or during file transfer. FullPaint Griffin Terminal HyperCard Broadhead, Nancy Though it uses the full screen, hides itself when you go to the finder. Jazz Kermit Levine, Larry Light Speed C Light Speed Pascal Devlin, Denny Mac 240 MacDraft MacDraw Ligett, Steve MacPaint Broadhead, Nancy 1.5 Mac Plus, XP20. Doesn't have suggested size; defaults to 384. Got it to run in 138, and not 1K less! Covers desktop obnoxiously. MacTerminal MacWrite Levine, Larry MPW MS Basic MS Chart MS Excel Broadhead, Nancy 1.04 Mac Plus, XP20. Seems to work OK, used 272K. Worksheet can be resized, but you're stuck with the formula bar. MS Excel Byrne, Tom MS File MS Multiplan Broadhead, Nancy 1.1 Mac Plus, XP20. Seems to work OK, takes only 126K. Worksheet can be resized, but you're stuck with the formula bar. MS Word 1.x/3.x MS Works OverVUE Steele, Jo 2.1d Problem when using MultiFinder and data on floppy. Couldn't see disk. Used with SE. PageMaker Allen, Molly 2.0 When open, not enough memory to open other applications. Background printing works when using Apple's driver, but not when using Aldus. Ready,Set,Go! Allen, Molly 3.0 Seems to work fine by itself. Stella SuperPaint True Basic WriteNow Steele, Jo 1.0 So far so good, but memory problems with SE and launching multiple applications. Ready exp mac keybo Macintosh Keyboards (12 November 1987) With the addition of the Apple Desktop Bus interface to the Macintosh SE and Macintosh II, two keyboards are available: The Macintosh Standard Keyboard features numeric keypad and cursor keys The Macintosh Extended Keyboard has 15 function keys, a numeric keypad, T-style cursor arrow keys and 6 cursor control keys Ready exp mac se Macintosh SE (12 November 1987) 27-line explanation. The Macintosh SE has all the features of the Macintosh Plus and leaves room for expansion. The SE has the following features/improvements: - An expansion slot so that the system can be modified to meet your requirements. - Improved speed. With the re-designing of the SE, processing speed has improved by approximately 15-20%. - Improved SCSI port. The new SCSI ports allow for double the speed of its predecessor. - Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) Interface. Allows the addition of up to 16 Apple Desktop Bus devices. These ADB devices include the new mouse and Macintosh keyboards. Two keyboards are available. See EXPLAIN MACINTOSH KEYBOARDS for more information. Two options exist for the Macintosh SE: - Two 800K internal floppy drives, or - One 800K internal drive and a Macintosh Internal 20SC Hard Disk. This gives added speed in launching applications and the flexibility of mass storage. Ready exp mac virus VIRUSES (13 August 1991) 36-line explanation. A virus is a small piece of code which performs some simple, but potentially damaging, operation(s) on files on your disk, and attaches itself to an application or a System file. Most Macintosh viruses cause little damage, but that could change at any time with the release of a more destructive virus, and any virus can cause damage and data loss. It pays to be prudent. This does not mean that more than a small fraction of disk errors or hard disk failures on the Dartmouth campus are caused by viruses. In fact, damage caused by viruses is very uncommon. But viruses are easy to detect and eliminate, so why not? Currently, the best antiviral tools are Disinfectant and GateKeeper Aid. Disinfectant installs a small INIT in your System Folder. This INIT monitors your Macintosh for activity by known viruses, stops them from spreading, and notifies you of the activity. You can then run the Disinfectant program itself to eliminate the viruses. GateKeeper Aid targets a specific class of viruses, of which WDEF and CDEF are members. These viruses spread at the simple insertion of a disk, and therefore spread very quickly. GateKeeper Aid, however, erases them automatically and immediately, and tells you that it has done so. We recommend that you have Disinfectant INIT and GateKeeper Aid in your System Folder, and Disinfectant somewhere handy. The current versions of all antiviral software, as well as more up-to-date virus information, are available on the PUBLIC file server in the Virus Tools folder, which is in the Macintosh Software folder. Any virus questions can be answered by calling the student assistants at x2999 or by sending electronic mail to Virus.Info@dartmouth.edu. Please don't hesitate to call; viruses are not generally emergency situations, but popular misconceptions have prompted people to take drastic action when it wasn't necessary. Ready exp top newu TOPICS NEWUSER (17 March 1983) 40-line explanation. Explain command format: EXPLAIN topic1; topic2; topic3 Examples: explain commands explain file; old explain topics assistance; mistakes The topics suggested below will be most helpful to you who are just beginning to use DCTS. For other topics, type EXPLAIN TOPICS ASSISTANCE or EXPLAIN TOPICS VARIETY. Using the Terminal COMMANDS directing the computer through system commands READY message issued when system is ready for another command WHAT what the computer says when it doesn't understand a command MISTAKES correcting typing errors BYE signing off Using Files FILES tells what a file is OLD using files that already exist LIST printing a file at your terminal LIBRARY using computer programs in Kiewit's Public Library RUN executing a program GAMES listing games to play on the computer NEW creating a file FILE NAME naming a file BUILD putting information into a file without line numbers SAVE saving a copy of your current file CURRENT FILE about the file you are presently using REPLACE changing the contents of a saved file RENAME changing the name of a file UNSAVE getting rid of a saved file SCRATCH erasing the contents of a file CATALOG about groups of saved files, such as in your user number EDITORS using editors to fix mistakes Ready exp top assi TOPICS ASSISTANCE (22 March 1989) 51-line explanation. The topics listed below provide you with general information and direct you to sources of assistance. Help PHONES who to call for help or information CONSULT on-line help from Kiewit's Student Assistant DOCUMENTATION getting manuals, newsletters, and on-line documentation SUGGEST how to report problems or make suggestions to Kiewit TROUBLE why the system crashed HELP sources of assistance Scheduling and Operations ETHICS Kiewit's code PERMISSION permissions on DCTS ACCESS who can do what to files SCHEDULE regular hours of operation EXPERIMENTAL experimental hours BACKGROUND SCHEDULING description of Background run activities HARDWARE about computer equipment DIALING reaching the computer by phone TELENET reaching non-Dartmouth computers from the Kiewit Network or reaching Dartmouth computers from outside CLUSTERS hours, locations, and priorities of Dartmouth terminal clusters TERMINALS description of terminals used at Dartmouth PLOTTERS finding and using graphics terminals General Information NEWS information concerning recent events at Kiewit MINICOURSE Kiewit's noncredit classes: when and where UPDATES system programs that have been updated Communicating with Others Using DCTS MAIL sending messages to other users PUBLIC sharing files with others CONFERENCE linking your terminal with another LINK starting a conference JOIN joining a multiple-terminal conference Billing RATES paying to use Dartmouth College Computing BILL getting billing information ACCOUNT getting information about your computer resource use See also EXPLAIN TOPICS NEWUSER and EXPLAIN TOPICS VARIETY. Ready exp top var TOPICS VARIETY (8 April 1980) 70-line explanation. The list that follows contains a variety of topics. See also EXPLAIN TOPICS NEWUSER and EXPLAIN TOPICS ASSISTANCE. Files ACCESS BASIC permissions needed for Basic file statements ACCESS CHANGE changing accesses on a saved file ALTER about alter files APPEND adding alter file to end of current file DATAFILE creating files of data DIRECT typing unusual characters into your current file FETCH making a file available to other users IGNORE discarding contents of alter file MIGRATE about files in delayed-access storage ORDER what to do when your file is out or order PASSWORD ADD adding a password to a saved file PERFORM creating files of commands RECOVER getting back migrated files SORT merging current and alter files TRAPACC protecting files by master or slave trap programs TREENAME referring to files in catalogs other than your own Catalogs CURCAT all about the catalog you are currently using ENTER changing your current catalog OVERSTUFF when catalog exceeds its storage quota Language-Related LANGUAGE programming languages available on Time Sharing BIND creating directly executable binary file CHAIN getting from one Basic program to another COMPILE compiling current program CROSREF Basic cross-referencing system DEBUG identifying mistakes in programs EXECUTE running a program that is not your current file OVERFLOW if your program generates too large a number RUN SIZE finding out how much main memory your program used System Resources and Information CORE about main memory CRU about a computer resource unit I/O about an input/output unit MAXIMUM specifying computer resources available to program Miscellaneous ASCII character set used on Time Sharing BACKGROUND using Background BRIEF abbreviating messages from the system CALC using on-line adding machine HELLO changing user numbers IMPRESS using this data retrieval and analysis package MAGTAPE using to store files and import or export data MANYCOM giving several commands at once MONITOR changing monitors OFF formatting papers PAPER TAPE using paper tape RUNOFF formatting papers STENO formatting letters SYSTEM changing systems If you wish to see all of the topics in the explain system (note that there are more than 900), type CATALOG CLIMB OF :HELP Ready exp top comman Can't explain "TOP COMMAN". For a list of available topics, type "EXPLAIN TOP TOPICS". Ready exp commands SYSTEM COMMANDS (17 December 1984) 30-line explanation. System commands tell the computer to work for you: to create new files, retrieve old ones, edit files, run programs, and so forth. You may type a system command after any "Ready" or "WHAT?" message. Commands may be typed in upper, lower, or mixed case, and all but HELLO and HELP can be abbreviated to their first three letters. Every command may be explained. For example, type EXPLAIN OLD COMMAND to learn about the OLD command. These commands are useful for novices: OLD retrieves a file already on the computer NEW allows you to create a new file BUILD lets you put information into a file without line numbers LIST prints the contents of a file at your terminal RUN carries out the statements of a program SAVE stores a copy of your current file REPLACE stores a revised version of a file in place of the old one RENAME changes the name of a file UNSAVE destroys the stored copy of a file SCRATCH erases the contents of a file CATALOG gives information about groups of saved files BYE signs you off of the computer You might also want to read the "Introduction to DCTS" (TM022), which may be purchased at the computing services store in the basement of McNutt; a reference copy is available in the Public Terminal Room at Kiewit. For a more complete list of system commands, type EXPLAIN COMMANDS LIST. Ready exp ibm topics IBM Personal Computers (05 March 1992) Most configurations of IBM personal computers can be purchased through The Computer Store in Kiewit. Various software packages and compatible equipment produced by other vendors are also available. Keep in mind that IBM personal computers are "a la carte" -- you must decide what your needs are and purchase the appropriate pieces (including software) to meet your needs. For additional information, type EXPLAIN IBM followed by one of the topics below (for example EXPLAIN IBM SERVICES), or contact The Computer Store. SERVICES installation, upgrade, and repair services offered by Computing Services for IBM personal computers DEMOS demonstration software available in the Computer Resource Center (Kiewit) ROBOTICS how to use IBMTerminal (formerly Mcterminal) with a US Robotics Password modem (this procedure will also apply for most other "smart" self-dialing modems) UDS how to use IBMTerminal (formerly Mcterminal) with a Universal Data Systems (UDS) modem PC general description of IBM PC models Ready exp ibm serv IBM Personal Computer Services (17 December 1984) 37-line explanation. Computing Services, through its Electronics Shop, will offer the following services for the Personal Computers: PURCHASE: Although it is possible to pick-up the components of the Personal Computer and install them independently, we recommend that technicians in Kiewit fully assemble and check out the machines before they are picked-up. UPGRADES: The customer may handle an upgrade (1) personally (at his or her own risk); or (2) by bringing the unit to the Personal Computer Center (basement of McNutt) or Kiewit (call 646-3249). Charges for this service are $30.00 per hour, actual hours worked, plus materials at cost. REPAIRS: Users should call consultant on duty to report problems and for advice on the appropriate procedures to be followed. In almost all cases, the customer must bring equipment to McNutt or Kieiwt for repair (call first to find out where). Computers will be checked upon delivery to determine actual configuration and to prepare a repair cost estimate. Users must give an account number for charges. Warranty If the machine fails during the 90 day warranty period, the Shop will arrange for repairs to be carried out at no charge. Maintenance Contract A maintenance contract will be offered to anyone purchasing a personal computer for 1% of the purchase price per month. Shop Repair - Customer delivery and pick-up. (No Contract) Charges for carry-in service are $30.00 per hour actually worked, plus the cost of repair parts. (A one-hour minimum is charged.) Ready exp ibm demos IBM Demo Software (March 1989) 139-line explanation. Demonstration copies of the following software are available in the Consulting and Demonstration Area in 104 Kiewit. Full-time faculty and staff can check out the packages overnight or for the weekend after signing an agreement to uphold the software licensing agreement by not copying he materials, as well as to be responsible for the package. Students may use the packages in the Demonstration Center only. If no version is given, you can assume that it is either 1.0 or unknown. For more information, contact a Consultant at x2626. Word Processing: DisplayWrite 1 DisplayWrite 2 DisplayWrite 3 Easy Writer (Version 1.1) Microsoft Word (Versions 1.1, 3.1, 4.0) Multimate (Version 3.30) Multimate Professional (Version 3.2) Peachtext 5000 (Version 2.02) Perfect Writer/Speller (Versions 1.0, 2.0) Script/PC Volkswriter International (Version 1.3) Word Perfect (Versions 4.1, 4.2) Wordstar Professional (Versions 3.3, 4.0) Writing Assistant (Version 1.0) Spreadsheets Lotus 1-2-3 (Version 2.01) Perfect Calc VisiCalc Spreadsheet Utility Sideways (Version 3.11) Database Managers 10Base Concept-9 Condor (Demo) (Version 2.11) Database Manager II dBASE III KnowledgeMan (Version 1.04) Reflex (Version 1.1) VP-Info Data Exchange Access Pak Languages APL APL Plus/PC System (Version 4.1) Microsoft Basic (Version 1.0, 3.0) Microsoft Basic Compiler Microsoft C Optimizing Compiler (Version 5.0) Microsoft QuickBASIC (Version 2.01, 4.0) Microsoft Quick C Cobol Compiler Fortran Compiler (Version 2.0) Microsoft Fortran Optimizing Compiler (Version 2.1, 4.0, 4.01) IBM Pilot Macro Assembler (Version 2.0, 5.0) Pascal Compiler (Version 2.0) Professional Fortran True BASIC Better BASIC (Version 2.0) Communications Asynchronous Communication Operating Systems CP/M-86 Operating System PC-DOS (Versions 2.0, 2.1, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3) XENIX Operating System Environments Electric Desk (Version 1.10B) Fixed Disk Organizer Word Perfect Library Environment Utility TopView Pgrmers Toolkit Windowing System Framework (Version 1.1) Graphics Graphical File System Graphical Kernel System Graphics Development Toolkit Graphing Assistant Plotting System Microsoft Chart (Version 3.0) Graphic Environment Windows (Version 1.03, 2.0) Microsoft Windows/386 Diagnostics Guide to Operations PC (Version 2.05) Guide to Operations XT (Version 2.05) Guide to Operations Port (Version 2.05) Hardware Maintenance and Service Technical Reference Technical Reference AT Technical Reference XT Technical Reference Portable Technical Reference Options and Adapters (Volumes 1 and 2) Terminal Emulations IBM 3101 Emulation IBM VM/PC CMS Tutorial Learning DOS Training for IBM PC DOS How to Use MS-DOS File Manager Perfect Filer Editor Personal Editor Professional Editor Integrated PFS: First Choice Symphony (Version 1.0, 1.1) TopView (Version 1.01) MS-WORKS Spelling Checker Turbo Lightning (Version 1.01A) Project Management Planning Assistant Report Generator Reporting Assistant Ready exp ibm pc IBM PC (13 May 1985) 34-line explanation. The 'standard' configuration for the IBM PC available through McNutt includes a Zenith green-phosphor graphics display monitor, the IBM color graphics adapter card, and a Tecmar memory expansion board -- which gives up to 256 kilobytes of memory and provides parallel and serial ports and a clock. Keep in mind though, that IBM PCs are not sold as complete packages -- you must decide which peripherals you want to best suit your needs. The standard PC may have one or two (double-sided) diskette drives. A double-drive system is more convenient to use and is usually necessary for extensive word processing or manipulation of small to moderate sized data files. The basic PC hardware packages are described below. You must purchase the software (operating system, etc.) and additional items such as display units, printers, etc. separately. See EXPLAIN IBM PRICES for prices and lists of selected features available. For more on other models see EXPLAIN IBM XT, EXPLAIN IBM PORTABLE, or EXPLAIN IBM AT. Type 5150, Model 166 -System Unit/Keyboard (256KB Memory) -one 5.25" 360KB diskette drive Type 5150, Model 176 -same as Model 166 above but with two diskette drives Type 5160, Model 068 -System Unit/Keyboard (256KB Memory) -one 5.25" 360KB dual-density diskette drive -upgradable with 10MB fixed disk drive Type 5160, Model 078 -same as Model 068 above but with two diskette drives Ready exp games GAMES (11 February 1980) For a list of games that can be played on DCTS, type LIST GAMES*** For a list of games that are designed especially for the Tektronix 4010 and 4013 graphics terminals, type LIST GRAPHICS*** Ready list games*** GAMES 07 Apr 99 00:08 GAME PROGRAMS  SUMMARY OF FILENAMES: 1QUEEN***, AUTOBRID***, BACKGAMN***, BANDIT***, BASEBALL***, BASKETBL***, BLACK1***, BLACK2***, BLACK3***, BRIDGE***, CAN-AM***, CRIBBAGE***, DIGITS***, FOOTBALL***, FROGS***, FTBALL***, GOLFHCC***, GOMOKU***, GRIDIRON***, HANGMAN***, HORSERAC***, KINGDOM***, LEARN21***, LEM***, MOO***, MOTIE***, MULTIWAR***, NIM***, POKER***, PROBE***, QUBIC***, QUESTION***, RESCUE***, ROULETTE***, RUMMY***, SALVO***, SALVO42***, SINNERS***, SLALOM***, SPIEL***, SQUARE***, STCKMRKT***, TICTAC***, TORO***, TORTWAR***, YOUGUESS***  1QUEEN*** The user competes against the computer in a game based on the movement of a chess queen. The user places the queen on the upper or left-hand edge of the board, and the computer and user take turns moving the queen. The object is to move the piece to the lower right-hand corner. AUTOBRID*** The game of Autobridge, designed to teach bridge according to Goren. The user is dealt different hands and is instructed on the proper bidding and playing of each hand. BACKGAMN*** A wide choice of options for input and strategy are the distinguishing features of this game for the advanced backgammon player. (1) BANDIT*** Simulation of a slot machine. The user places his bet and 'pulls the handle'. The game is over when the user is broke. BASEBALL*** A simulation of a 1967 World Series game between the Cardinals and the Red Sox. The user controls the pitcher, the batter, and the runners on base. BASKETBL*** Simulation of a basketball game between Dartmouth and an opponent of the user's choice. The user acts as the Dartmouth captain and controls the type of shots taken and defense used. BLACK1*** Simulation of a Blackjack game using Las Vegas rules with the computer acting as the dealer. BLACK2*** Simulation of a Blackjack game using Hoyle's rules with the computer acting as the dealer. (ALGOL) BLACK3*** A multiple-terminal game of Blackjack for two to ten players with the computer acting as the dealer. BRIDGE*** A game of contract bridge for one to four players. The computer will bid and play any hands necessary to fill out the table. (1) CAN-AM*** A simulation of the Hanover Can-Am meet which enables the user to race his car around a winding course, controlling the car's speed at all times. The user can compete against big name drivers of the computer's choice or, if the program is initiated as a multiple-terminal linkage, against friends at other terminals. CRIBBAGE*** Plays a game of cribbage with the computer. DIGITS*** A pattern recognition game in which the user enters a set of thirty digits (using 0, 1, or 2) that he has generated himself. By using pattern recognition techniques, the computer attempts to guess the next digit of the input. FOOTBALL*** Simulation of a football game between two users at different terminals. The users choose the names of their respective teams and call the offensive and defensive plays and formations as the situation dictates. FROGS*** Provides a reversing game in which the player starts with two sets of pieces on a board nine squares long. The object is to reverse the two sets of pieces in the least number of moves. FTBALL*** Simulates a Dartmouth football game where the user chooses an opponent and then acts as the quarterback for Dartmouth, choosing between 7 offensive plays (2 runs, 2 passes, and 3 kicks). GOLFHCC*** Simulates playing 9 holes at the Hanover Country Club. The user selects the club to use for each shot, the new ball position being determined by the accuracy percentages and approximate range of that club. GOMOKU*** The user competes against the computer in a game similar to Tic-Tac-Toe on a 9 by 9 board. The object is to get 5 marks in a row. GRIDIRON*** Simulates a pro football game where the user chooses his team and his opponent, and acts as the offensive and defensive signal caller for his team, choosing from 17 offensive plays (8 runs, 6 passes, 3 kicks) and 4 defensive alignments. Penalties, two-minute warnings, the opportunity to recover fumbles, and the output of game statistics are included in this simulation. HANGMAN*** The user competes against the computer in a game of Hangman where the computer picks the word and the user tries to guess the word. HORSERAC*** A day at the racetrack where from one to ten people may bet on one of eight horses running. The actual race is simulated by the computer printing out the positions of all horses for each time increment. KINGDOM*** As ruler of a mythical kingdom, the user is expected to make decisions which maintain the country and enrich the treasury. LEARN21*** The user competes against the computer in a variation of the game of Nim. The interesting thing about this game is that the computer starts out with no strategy at all, but by increasing the probability of making winning moves, learns to play a perfect game. LEM*** Simulates a lunar landing where the object is to pilot a lunar lander to a soft landing in a series of burns which decrease the rate of descent. MOO*** Provides an interesting guessing game in which the player must guess a four-digit number with the help of clues. MOTIE*** Three Guardian Starships try to prevent the nonhuman Moties from reaching the human galactic empire. For one or two players. MULTIWAR*** Provides a multiple-terminal game of space war for two to ten terminals. NIM*** The user competes against the computer in a game of Nim where the user chooses the number of piles and their sizes. POKER*** Multiple-terminal poker game (5-Card Draw) for 2 to 5 users. The computer shuffles and deals the cards and keeps track of each player's winnings. PROBE*** Multiple-terminal word game for two users. QUBIC*** The user competes against the computer in a 3-dimensional tic-tac-toe game on a 4 by 4 by 4 board. It is possible for the user to win. QUESTION*** The user competes against the computer in a game similar to 20 Questions. The player thinks of a single item in a general category, such as a particular species of animal, a movie star, a chemical element, an American state, a character in history, or a famous author. The computer asks yes/no questions and finally makes a guess. The interesting thing about this program is that it simulates intelligence, but it actually has no information about anything in the beginning; all it does is remember what it is told. Periodically, the program throws out all its 'knowledge' and starts over. (1) RESCUE*** As commander of a rescue starship, the user sets out in response to a distress call from the starship "Kiewit". The passengers and crew can be saved from certain death if the starship "Kiewit" is reached within a dozen moves. Certain factors complicate rescue efforts. ROULETTE*** Simulates a game of Roulette using European rules. The user may bet up to $10,000 on red/black, odd/even, a column, or a number. RUMMY*** Simulates the card game 500-Rummy between the user and the computer. SALVO*** The user competes against the computer in a naval war game where the user and computer trade shots at each other's ships until one or the other's ships are destroyed. (ALGOL) SALVO42*** Multiple-terminal naval war game for two players; the players trade shots at each other's ships until one or the other's ships are sunk. The computer keeps track of the locations of all ships and the number of shots due to each player. (SBASIC) (1) SINNERS*** Three of Satan's fiends (moved by the computer) play against a group of condemned sinners (moved by the user). SLALOM*** Simulates a slalom run down a course with from 1 to 25 gates. The user picks the number of gates and has some control over his speed down the course. SPIEL*** Acts as an intermediary between two users who wish to play the game of Kriegspiel, a variation of chess where neither player can see his opponent's pieces. The computer keeps track of the pieces and the board, checks the legality of moves and decides who has won in this multiple-terminal game. The users also have the option of suspending the game at any time and storing the pieces, board, etc., in a file which has been previously saved in order to resume the game at another time. SQUARE*** A game for one or two players in which the object is to choose points to form a square on a board of 25 points. STCKMRKT*** The user has a seat on the Kiewit Stock Exchange and tries to make money by buying and selling stocks in a dynamic market. The user specifies the length of the play. TICTAC*** A tic-tac-toe game which uses simple heuristics that allow either the user or the computer to move first. It is possible for the user to win if he moves first. TORO*** Simulates a bullfight in which the user acts as the matador, choosing which cape swirls to make, and when to kill the bull. The bulls are ferocious so the user will be lucky to survive. TORTWAR*** Provides an expanded multiple-terminal game of space war for two to ten terminals. YOUGUESS*** The user attempts to guess in 7 tries or less a number between 0 and 100 which has been selected by the computer. In the process of guessing, the user should discover that the 'binary search' method is the most efficient way of systematically locating an unknown number.  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * For an explanation of how to access individual files, type: EXPLAIN CALLUP Complete instructions for calling up files will be printed on the terminal. Footnotes: (1) This program is compiled. In order to obtain the source code for this program, LIST the SCODELIB*** file with the same name.  Related programs may be found in DEMONS*** and GRAPHICS*** (categories of demonstration and graphical display programs). Ready square*** WHAT? Ready run square*** "SQUARE" is not saved. STOP Ready exp callup CALLING UP LIBRARY PROGRAMS (18 October 1983) 28-line explanation. To use a library program, you can call it up with the OLD command and then LIST or RUN it. All library programs have names which end with 3 stars (***); so, to call up a program to play football, you might type: You type: OLD FTBALL*** Computer types: Ready You type: RUN At this point, the computer will start the football-playing program, and you will soon be playing football. As a shorthand, you can also list and run most library programs directly without using the OLD command first. For example, you can type: LIST LIBCAT*** RUN FTBALL*** If the computer tells you that you can't LIST the program, then it has probably been compiled; you must list the uncompiled version, which is saved in SCODELIB***. Type LIST SCODELIB***:USE to list USE***, for instance. Some older programs cannot be RUN directly -- in such cases, you will receive a message telling you how to run them. If you know what sort of program you want, but not its name, you can run the library program LIBINDEX***; type RUN LIBINDEX***. Ready old square*** "SQUARE" is not saved. Ready old ftball*** *** Current system is now $BASIC6 Ready run FTBALL 07 Apr 99 00:10 THIS IS DARTMOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP FOOTBALL. YOU WILL QUARTERBACK DARTMOUTH. CALL PLAYS AS FOLLOWS: 1 = SIMPLE RUN; 2 = TRICKY RUN; 3 = SHORT PASS; 4 = LONG PASS; 5 = PUNT; 6 = QUICK KICK; 7 = PLACE KICK. CHOOSE YOUR OPPONENT? harvard DARTMOUTH WON THE TOSS DO YOU ELECT TO KICK OR RECEIVE? receive INCORRECT ANSWER. PLEASE TYPE 'KICK' OR 'RECEIVE'? RECEIVE 54 YARD KICKOFF 16 YARD RUNBACK BALL ON DARTMOUTH 22 YARD LINE FIRST DOWN DARTMOUTH*** NEXT PLAY? 4 LONG PASS. BATTED DOWN. NO GAIN BALL ON DARTMOUTH 22 YARD LINE DOWN 2 YARDS TO GO: 10 NEXT PLAY? 3 SHORT PASS. PASSER TACKLED. 3 YARD LOSS BALL ON DARTMOUTH 19 YARD LINE DOWN 3 YARDS TO GO: 13 NEXT PLAY? 1 SIMPLE RUN. 3 YARD GAIN BALL ON DARTMOUTH 22 YARD LINE DOWN 4 YARDS TO GO: 10 NEXT PLAY? 5 PUNT. 36 YARD PUNT 15 YARD RUN BACK BALL ON DARTMOUTH 43 YARD LINE FIRST DOWN harvard*** SIMPLE RUN. 3 YARD GAIN BALL ON DARTMOUTH 40 YARD LINE DOWN 2 YARDS TO GO: 7 TRICKY RUN. 3 YARD GAIN BALL ON DARTMOUTH 37 YARD LINE DOWN 3 YARDS TO GO: 4 SHORT PASS. INCOMPLETE. NO GAIN BALL ON DARTMOUTH 37 YARD LINE DOWN 4 YARDS TO GO: 4 PUNT. 35 YARD PUNT 0 YARD RUN BACK BALL ON DARTMOUTH 2 YARD LINE FIRST DOWN DARTMOUTH*** NEXT PLAY? BYE INCORRECT FORMAT--RETRY at 960 ? QUIT INCORRECT FORMAT--RETRY at 960 ? STOP Program halted STOP Ready BYE 13.824 cru Off at 00:12.