Lotus articles from June 1987

Lotus archives from June 1987

Compatibility: making it all work together. (Staff letter) (editorial)
June 1, 1987... COMPATIBILITY: MAKING IT ALL WORK TOGETHER How can you get 1-2-3 to work with all the printers and plotters in your office? Do you need to use Symphony on two or more machines, each of which has different components? How can you transfer...

(at) Lotus.
June 1, 1987... LOTUS DEFINES PRODUCT DIRECTIONS During its annual shareholders meeting on April 27, Lotus Development Corp.'s CEO and president, Jim P. Manzi, revealed some of the company's future directions. He also announced that Lotus and IBM Corp....

IBM's new strategy; IBM's new PCs and operating system chart a course toward connectivity. (Ideas and trends)
June 1, 1987... IBM'S NEW STRATEGY IBM'S NEW PCs AND OPERATING SYSTEM CHART A COURSE TOWARD CONNECTIVITY IBM announced its Personal System/2 family in a one-day extravaganza this April. But it will be years until the implications of its...

Lifting the 640K lid. (IBM's new strategy; Ideas and trends)
June 1, 1987... LIFTING THE 640K LID IBM's breaking of the memory barrier for applications programs in its new Operating System/2 created a sonic boom heard around the industry. Before OS/2, applications had to fit into a maximum of 640K of memory. OS/2...

IBM introduces a new line of peripherals. (IBM's new strategy; Ideas and trends) (product announcement)
June 1, 1987... IBM INTRODUCES A NEW LINE OF PERIPHERALS To take advantage of the features in the Personal System/2, IBM announced four new displays, three color and one monochrome; five new printers, including three models of the Proprinter dot-matrix...

IBM's new generation of processors. (IBM's new strategy; Ideas and trends) (product announcement)
June 1, 1987... IBM'S NEXT GENERATION OF PROCESSORS It was hardly a modest announcement. IBM invited hundreds of reporters to join its top executives and 2,500 dealers at the Miami Convention Center via a live telecast. Amid music and flashing lights,...

Near-term bargains. (IBM's new strategy; Ideas and trends)
June 1, 1987... NEAR-TERM BARGAINS Major new product lines generally mean good bargains on older models. While there will be some near-term bargains for older IBM models, PC-compatible makers with already low prices are not expected to drop their price...

Moving to the microfloppy. (IBM's new strategy; Ideas and trends)
June 1, 1987... MOVING TO THE MICROFLOPPY Following competitors Apple Computer, Hewlett-Packard Co., Toshiba Corp., and others, IBM has endorsed 3-1/2-inch microfloppy-disk drives in its new computers. All Personal System/2 micros can read and write 720K...

Boarding the new bus. (IBM's new strategy; Ideas and trends)
June 1, 1987... BOARDING THE NEW BUS A key to the popularity of IBM's original PC was its bus, for which third-party hardware vendors designed cards for add-in memory, multifunctions, and graphics. The bus was also replicated in hundreds of PC...

Stephen Kahng: on the leading edge. (Ideas and trends)
June 1, 1987... STEPHEN KAHNG: ON THE LEADING EDGE Building computer best-sellers In 1988 an athlete will light the Olympic torch in Seoul, South Korea, and television cameras will flash the event to TV screens all over the world. By then, Americans will...

Help for refinancing decisions. (Ideas and trends)
June 1, 1987... HELP FOR REFINANCING DECISIONS Anyone trying to obtain or refinance a mortgage today faces complex decisions involving thousands of dollars. Mortgage Selector (Personal Version), $49.95, from Micro Planning Systems (Burlingame, Calif.),...

The computer wrote it.
June 1, 1987... THE COMPUTER WROTE IT A new program by Xpercom Corp. (Carrollton, Tex.) has kicked the Socratic method into the computer age. Thoughtline helps business people prepare reports and speeches by asking a series of questions and using the...

AutoCAD gets 3D.
June 1, 1987... AUTOCAD GETS 3D AutoCAD, the best-selling computer-aided-design and drafting software for personal computers, now includes three-dimensional design. AutoCAD, Version 2.6, from Autodesk (Sausalito, Calif.), lets you represent cones, cubes,...

The IBM announcement.
June 1, 1987... THE IBM ANNOUNCEMENT Here are some random thoughts, anecdotes, and vignettes concerning IBM's huge product announcement. The Most Outrageous Headline award goes to the weekly trade publication Computer+Software News, which proclaimed...

Three-way data tables; generate tables of data that rely on three variables. (1-2-3 macros)
June 1, 1987... THREE-WAY DATA TABLES We've seen how convenient one- and two-way data tables can be in using a single set of formulas to calculate several values. A one-way data table calculates a set of values from formulas that rely on a single...

Macro graphics. (For developers)
June 1, 1987... MACRO GRAPHICS FORDEVELOPERS Let's face it, a worksheet display is dull. Worse is the fact that the look and feel of your macro-driven template is apparently limited by the environment in which you develop it. Even a limited ability to...

Evaluating zero-coupon bonds. (Finance)
June 1, 1987... EVALUATING ZERO-COUPON BONDS Under the new tax laws, some kinds of investments have become considerably more attractive. Because of the sweeping changes in tax reform, income-oriented investments are in, while tax shelters and fast-growth...

Controlling your printer with setup strings.
June 1, 1987... CONTROLLING YOUR PRINTER WITH SETUP STRINGS Is it possible to print a worksheet that is 120 characters wide on paper that's only 8-1/2 inches wide? Let's use some quick math to find the answer. Because standard print is 10 characters per...

Creating a multiple-form Symphony database.
June 1, 1987... CREATING A MULTIPLE-FORM SYMPHONY DATABASE almost everyone, at one time or another, participates in a wedding. You may be the stereotypical reluctant groom or blushing bride. Maybe you are father of the bride, worrying about exorbitant...

Matrix mathematics in 1-2-3 release 2.
June 1, 1987... Matrix Mathematics in 1-2-3 Release 2 Everyone occasionally comes face to face with a problem that is so multifaceted it seems impossible to solve. And the longer you study the problem, the more variables come to light. Problems involving...

Inventory analysis: the ABC technique.
June 1, 1987... INVENTORY ANALYSIS: THE ABC TECHNIQUE Inventory represents an enormous investment for many companies, and the management of inventory represents an opportunity for considerable cost savings depending on the tools used and the expertise applied....

Troubleshooting driver installation. (Tech notes)
June 1, 1987... TROUBLESHOOTING DRIVER INSTALLATION Small programs called drivers enable 1-2-3 and Symphony to work with the peripherals of your computer system. Drivers vary according to peripheral type (for example, modems and printers need different...

Answers to your questions about Lotus products. (Q and A)
June 1, 1987... ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT LOTUS PRODUCTS CONTEST NEW CONTEST This month we are asking you to construct a formula to solve the following problem submitted by Ed Karl of Wheat Ridge, Colo.: Here is a timely teaser...

Making it work; helpful hints on keeping hardware and software on speaking terms. (Hardware hints)
June 1, 1987... MAKING IT WORK Helpful hints on keeping hardware and software on speaking terms PRINTERS/PLOTTERS TOSHIBA SETUP STRINGS REVISITED Your December 1985 column on Toshiba setup strings did not include the most common...

Data interchange format. (Data transfer)
June 1, 1987... DATA INTERCHANGE FORMAT If you're faced with the challenge of transferring data into your worksheets from other programs (or vice versa), you must choose the method appropriate to the file formats you are translating between. As you've...

Lotus compatibility. (Compatibility)
June 1, 1987... LOTUS COMPATIBILITY If the current crowd of IBM-compatible computers has caught your eye, you should be aware that not all of them run 1-2-3 or Symphony as well as you might expect. Although an ad or a salesperson may in good faith...

Hayes Transet 1000. (Reviews) (Hardware Review)
June 1, 1987... HARDWARE: TRANSET 1000 AND MICROFAZER VI A new generation of print buffers has arrived, sired by industry stalwarts Quadram and Hayes Microcomputer Products. Yes, the Quadram Microfazer VI and the Hayes Transet 1000 do a good job of print...

Quadram Microfazer VI. (Reviews) (Hardware Review)
June 1, 1987... QUADRAM MICROFAZER VI The Microfazer VI has twice the number of ports as the Transet 1000 and works exclusively with computers and printing devices. All six of the Microfazer VI's ports are serial ports, but another version of the product, due...

Hardware: EGA Wonder. (Reviews) (Hardware Review)
June 1, 1987... HARDWARE: EGA WONDER In the absence of a single PC graphics standard, we've always had to make trade-offs when choosing a display adapter and monitor. While IBM's Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA) worked with software designed for use with...

Software: The Intelligent Investment Analysis Alternative. (Software Review)
June 1, 1987... SOFTWARE: THE INTELLIGENT INVESTMENT ANALYSIS ALTERNATIVE If you need to create a capital budget for complicated investments from sophisticated, customized spreadsheets but are short on time and patience, you might look into The Intelligent...

Software: Lotus-compatible products. (Listings)
June 1, 1987... SOFTWARE: LOTUS-COMPATIBLE PRODUCTS FILE-FORMAT TRANSLATION PC Converter Plus Softsync, 162 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016, 212-685-2080. Converts database or spreadsheet files to other file formats. Allows user to change...

Any port-to-port connection. (New products) (product announcement)
June 1, 1987... ANY PORT-TO-PORT CONNECTION The Master Switch microprocessor-controlled unit allows multiple computers, peripherals, and host computers to communicate simultaneously. The unit comes in two-, three-, five-, and nine-port models with either...

Printer sharing without a LAN. (New products) (product announcement)
June 1, 1987... PRINTER SHARING WITHOUT A LAN PrintDirector's peripheral-sharing systems link your DOS-based computer running any applications software with laser, line, letter-quality, or dot-matrix printers and plotters. The systems use an intelligent...

Smart switching, printer sharing. (New products) (product announcement)
June 1, 1987... SMART SWITCHING, PRINTER SHARING The SS-16 Smart Switch with 16 RS-232 ports allows you to link terminals, modems, printers, and computers. You can name each port and configure it for baud rates from 150 to 19,200, parity conversion, and...

Lotus drivers and a laser printer. (New products) (product announcement)
June 1, 1987... LOTUS DRIVERS AND A LASER PRINTER Okidata has produced Lotus-compatible Microline 292/293 drivers that work with IBM PC and compatible versions of the Microline 292 and 293 dot-matrix printers. The drivers, which you can install on 1-2-3 or...

Network four PCs and two printers. (New products) (product announcement)
June 1, 1987... NETWORK FOUR PCs AND TWO PRINTERS The PrintNet II is a parallel-printer networking device. The basic PrintNet II configuration receives data from one to four PCs, stores the information in its internal memory (up to 512K), and directs the data...

Laptop communicates with PCs and Macs. (New products) (product announcement)
June 1, 1987... LAPTOP COMMUNICATES WITH PCs AND MACs The six-pound, $789 Traveling Laptop system includes a 3-1/2-inch disk drive NEC PC-8300. It has integrated ROM software and plugs into a serial port on your IBM PC or Macintosh. This portable operates as...

Cable kits allow quick pin changeovers. (New products) (product announcement)
June 1, 1987... CABLE KITS ALLOW QUICK PIN CHANGEOVERS Scooter RS-232 Interface Cable Kits allow you to customize 9- and 25-pin cables. The kits, which come in eight combinations, include an insertion/extraction tool to change the pin arrangement for computer...

Epson printers emulate IBM 3270. (New products) (product announcement)
June 1, 1987... EPSON PRINTERS EMULATE IBM 3270 The Ep-87 Coax Adapter printer-interface board allows you to use a variety of Epson printers in standard IBM 3270 applications. With the EP-87, you can attach your Epson FX, RX, EX, or LQ-series printer to any...

Switch ports with a keystroke. (New products) (product announcement)
June 1, 1987... SWITCH PORTS WITH A KEYSTROKE The Model 325 Break Activated Switch accepts data from a terminal or computer and directs it to one of two output ports when you strike the Break key twice within five seconds. The Model 325 has three RS-232 ports:...

Three-way parallel interface switch. (New products) (product announcement)
June 1, 1987... THREE-WAY PARALLEL INTERFACE SWITCH The Model 8863-D Minicomputer/Printer Parallel Interface 3-Way Transfer Switch lets you select among three printers in minicomputer word-processing applications or switch a single printer to support three...

Controller board for 386 systems. (New products) (product announcement)
June 1, 1987... CONTROLLER BOARD FOR 386 SYSTEMS The AT8 is an intelligent serial-controller board for IBM PC ATs, Compaq 386s, or compatible hard-disk systems. It has an on-board, 8-MHz 80186 processor chip with built-in direct-memory access that manages up...

IEEE programming for PCs. (New products) (product announcement)
June 1, 1987... IEEE PROGRAMMING FOR PCs The Personal488 hardware and software combination adds IEEE 488 control to IBM PCs and compatibles. It works with most languages to give you a programming method that resembles Hewlett-Packard's dedicated bus...

Design databases without programming. (New products) (product announcement)
June 1, 1987... DESIGN DATABASES WITHOUT PROGRAMMING With the Magic PC applications generator, you don't need to know a programming language to set up a database. Magic PC lets you fill in execution tables and information banks by highlighting selections from...

Using 1-2-3 in Spanish. (New products) (product announcement)
June 1, 1987... USING 1-2-3 IN SPANISH Como usar Lotus 1-2-3 is an authorized Spanish translation of Que Corp.'s Using 1-2-3, by Geoffrey T. LeBlond and Douglas Ford Cobb. The $25 paperback includes the Release 2 update and is from Macrobit Corp., 3785...

P.T. Barnum would have loved computer graphics. (Essay)
June 1, 1987... P. T. BARNUM WOULD HAVE LOVED COMPUTER GRAPHICS According to a recent study by the Management Information Systems Research Center at the University of Minnesota, business presentations using graphs, slides, clip art, and other visual aids...