Lotus articles from May 1987

Lotus archives from May 1987

Expansion at Lotus Publishing Corporation. (editorial)
May 1, 1987... EXPANSION AT LOTUS PUBLISHING CORPORATION With this issue, LOTUS begins its third year of publication. The time has gone quickly and we are proud of our accomplishments. You have responded positively to our efforts in unprecedented...

(at)Lotus.
May 1, 1987... @LOTUS LOTUS ANNOUNCES 3-1/2-INCH-DISK PRODUCT VERSIONS Lotus Development Corp. has announced new versions of 1-2-3, Symphony, Lotus Freelance Plus, and Lotus Express for the IBM Personal System/2. These products, which...

Letters.
May 1, 1987... LETTERS NONSTANDARD @STD I was appalled at "Spreadsheets and Statistics: A Few Fundamentals" [October 1986]. The formula for standard deviation failed to apply what is commonly known as the correction for degrees of freedom, meaning...

Letter from Redmond. (Ideas & Trends, Microsoft) (column)
May 1, 1987... LETTER FROM REDMOND The rumors about a new DOS change weekly. Is it ADOS or 286DOS? Will the new version of the operating system software that runs the IBM PC and compatibles permit multitasking, require color graphics, run faster, be...

New Operating System-2. (Ideas & Trends) (product announcement)
May 1, 1987... NEW OPERATING SYSTEM/2 It's official: IBM and Microsoft recently announced Operating System/2 and DOS Version 3.3. IBM OS/2 (the Microsoft version is called MS OS/2) breaks the 640K memory barrier and will let users run multiple...

New CD-ROM format brings real-time video. (Ideas & Trends) (column)
May 1, 1987... NEW CD-ROM FORMAT BRINGS REAL-TIME VIDEO Someday, this magazine may be "printed" on a CD-ROM (compact disk-read-only memory) rather than on paper. If that happens, reading will never be the same. Imagine. You pop a five-inch optical...

Manufacturers are building quieter computers. (Ideas and Trends) (column)
May 1, 1987... MANUFACTURERS ARE BUILDING QUIETER COMPUTERS Office managers at the North Carolina office of a national brokerage firm thought little about the acoustic side of office ergonomics--until the racket of an unshielded printer put one of the workers...

Alan Cooper: self-employed programmer. (Ideas & Trends)
May 1, 1987... ALAN COOPER: SELF-EMPLOYED PROGRAMMER "My unemployment had run out." That's Alan Cooper's whimsical excuse for starting to write personal-computer software. It was in the very early days of the industry, when "business software" was...

Drive your computer to work. (Ideas & Trends) (column)
May 1, 1987... DRIVE YOUR COMPUTER TO WORK PC pilots looking to escape from their computing obligations with a drive in the country: be forewarned. The family car is a veritable hotbed of microprocessing ferment. It looks like everything from fuel...

Expanding our vocabulary. (Ideas and Trends) (column)
May 1, 1987... EXPANDING OUR VOCABULARY The Boston Computer Society's Artificial Intelligence Interest Group (AIIG) recently hosted a talk by Peter Gabel of Arity Corp. (Concord, Mass.) about AI database programs written in Prolog. Gabel said that future...

PC fingerprinting. (Ideas & Trends) (column)
May 1, 1987... PC FINGERPRINTING Mechanical security systems use encoded plastic cards; computer-based devices use passwords. Both types of systems have proved breachable by dedicated and skilled individuals. Scientists are now turning to biometric...

Sharing HP's LaserJet. (Ideas & Trends) (column)
May 1, 1987... SHARING HP'S LASERJET For offices not yet connected to a full-blown network system, Extended Systems (Boise, Idaho) has announced a product that allows small work groups to share Hewlett-Packard's LaserJet Series II printer. The...

Fast two-way data tables. (1-2-3 macros)
May 1, 1987... FAST TWO-WAY DATA TABLES In last October's column, we presented a macro that calculates one-way data tables. The macro can, under certain circumstances, outperform 1-2-3's built-in Data Table 1 command. That column prompted several...

Macro extras. (Symphony extras)
May 1, 1987... MACRO EXTRAS A 1-2-3 file that you retrieve in Symphony may not perform just as you'd like. The formulas and some of the settings will be intact, but many of the macros will behave as collections of random keystrokes. The menu structures...

DOS device file names.
May 1, 1987... DOS DEVICE FILE NAMES As an applications developer, you might feel frustrated by the limitations of 1-2-3 and Symphony because it seems the software just can't perform certain tasks. For example, you might want to create multicolored...

Calculating your net worth.
May 1, 1987... CALCULATING YOUR NET WORTH If you apply for a mortgage, make out a will, or seek financial advice, you might be asked to complete a net worth statement similar to the one presented in this article. Even if you think you'll never need the...

Making capital investment decisions.
May 1, 1987... MAKING CAPITAL INVESTMENT DECISIONS Making capital investment decisions is one of the major causes of managerial insomnia. These decisions lead to long-term commitments that may be impossible to reverse. The most time-consuming...

Creating a payroll summary.
May 1, 1987... CREATING A PAYROLL SUMMARY When I was a controller, one of the activities that I disliked the most was filling out government forms. The work was boring, time-consuming, and unproductive. So when a friend showed me a spreadsheet that...

Curvilinear regression: in Release 2.
May 1, 1987... CURVILINEAR REGRESSION IN RELEASE 2 The Data Regression command in 1-2-3 Release 2 enables you to fit the simplest kind of curve, a straight line, to a pair of spreadsheet variables. This straight-line, or linear, relationship fitted to...

Building logical formulas with (at)IF.
May 1, 1987... BUILDING LOGICAL FORMULAS WITH @IF Life is full of conditionals. If it doesn't rain tomorrow, I'll go to the beach; otherwise, I'll catch up on my letter writing. If I can reach Dave this afternoon, I'll find out what's going on. If...

What's true anyway?
May 1, 1987... WHAT'S TRUE ANYWAY? The @IF function evaluates the logical condition (test) in its first argument as either true or false. The expression 3>2 is clearly always true. The expression + E1>100 is true whenever the content of cell E1 is...

The help facility - an untapped resource.
May 1, 1987... THE HELP FACILITY--AN UNTAPPED RESOURCE When was the last time you used 1-2-3's Help facility? Many 1-2-3 practitioners have an aversion to pressing the HELP key. Beginners refuse to believe that a beeping, error-flashing computer can...

A journey East - the making of 1-2-3 Release 2J.
May 1, 1987... A JOURNEY EAST-THE MAKING OF 1-2-3 RELEASE 2J Aspecial version of 1-2-3 Release 2 for Japan: As Lotus brass pondered the prospect in 1984, there seemed every reason to take on such a project. Japan is potentially the second-largest...

More tips on using Lotus products.
May 1, 1987... MORE TIPS ON USING LOTUS PRODUCTS DATABASE STATISTICAL FUNCTIONS SIMPLIFIED I frequently use 1-2-3's database statistical functions to calculate counts and sums of selected database fields. Until recently, I set up multiple...

Should you use graphics?
May 1, 1987... SHOULD YOU USE GRAPHICS? When you're confronted with a budgeting application, you know a spreadsheet is the right tool for the job. But what situations demand the services of a graphics program? Specifically, what benefits can you...

dBASE II, dBASE III, and dBASE III Plus.
May 1, 1987... dBASE II, dBASE III, and dBASE III PLUS Just as you store your clothes in a closet, programs store the data you use with them in files. Your closet may be subdivided into shelves for some items and racks for others; corresponding...

Deskmate and Sidekick.
May 1, 1987... DESKMATE AND SIDEKICK I work in a large corporation where I acquired DeskMate, Version 1.01. I liked it and paid the $25 registration fee. I have a Leading Edge Model D running MS-DOS, but DeskMate couldn't locate the time of day in the PC to...

Schedule Graphics.
May 1, 1987... SCHEDULE GRAPHICS We use 1-2-3 with a marvelous software package, Schedule Graphics, Version 1. It makes simple, cheap, reliable schedules of striking quality using a dot-matrix printer. Although lots of project-management and scheduling...

1-2-3 Report Writer.
May 1, 1987... 1-2-3 REPORT WRITER I have used Report Writer for some time but find that it lacks certain features. To begin, the program does not recognize spreadsheet global format in the first row of data, where the cell is formatted for "numeric" but has...

Sideways.
May 1, 1987... SIDEWAYS Although the NEC P3 Pinwriter is not on the Sideways list of supported printers, it works partially for us. The "normal" and "smaller" options work well with the P3 DIP switches 7 and 8 in the down position. Other selections did not...

Domestic relocation worksheet gross-up procedure.
May 1, 1987... DOMESTIC RELOCATION WORKSHEET GROSS-UP PROCEDURE I work in the corporate relocations department of a large company and am very satisfied using version 2.0 of Domestic Relocation Worksheet Gross-Up Procedure (DRW/GUP) with 1-2-3. DRW/GUP...

Note-It.
May 1, 1987... NOTE-IT My agency purchased Note-It, Version 2.0, a memory-resident program that lets you document each cell (up to 100) in your spreadsheet. Our office has a policy of testing all computer programs for accuracy, and recently we wrote a...

Sign-Master.
May 1, 1987... SIGN-MASTER For a professional who does regular presentations and reports using signs and overhead transparencies, I consider Sign-Master a valuable asset. After about 20 minutes of hands-on experience, I was able to generate a...

Tactecs.
May 1, 1987... TACTECS Tactecs is a utility to use with both 1-2-3 and Symphony. I no longer have to "approximate" lines with hyphens, underlines, and vertical bars. Tactecs enhances spreadsheets by allowing you to add attractive boxes to charts, tables,...

Taxtime.
May 1, 1987... TAXTIME Over the years as computerized tax preparation has grown, I have noticed an increase in the number of software packages available and the incredible variation in their prices. I use one called Taxtime. I am a public accountant, and...

Org. (software)
May 1, 1987... ORG I am an executive secretary, and as one of my duties, I must constantly revise organization charts, which is very time-consuming. But thanks to Org, which I first read about in your magazine, it's simple to redo organization charts and only...

Software - FOCUS: ABC Quickstatement.
May 1, 1987... SOFTWARE-- FOCUS:ABC QUICKSTATEMENT Focus:ABC QuickStatement is designed to accumulate and summarize financial information. This application for 1-2-3 Releases 2 and 2.01 does an excellent job of automating the bookkeeping and...

Software: Lotus-compatible products.
May 1, 1987... SOFTWARE: LOTUS-COMPATIBLE PRODUCTS NEW PRODUCTS 5 Year Tax Forecaster and Planner R.A. Planning, 1870 El Camino Real, Burlingame, CA 94010, 415-697-5370. Program designed for individual tax analysis and forecasting...

Business computer has enhanced graphics. (product announcement)
May 1, 1987... BUSINESS COMPUTER HAS ENHANCED GRAPHICS The ITT XTRA/286 ATW (Advanced Technology Workstation) combines MDA, EGA, CGA, and Hercules compatibility on a single board. The ATW has eight expansion slots (six 16-bit and two 8-bit); one slot is used...

High-powered portable. (product announcement)
May 1, 1987... HIGH-POWERED PORTABLE The AMQ 286 Portable runs at 10 MHz, has 1 megabyte of RAM (expandable to 4 megabytes), and is compatible with the Hercules Monochrome Graphics Adapter and IBM's EGA, CGA, and MDA. It has three full-size slots, a...

Run PC software on a workstation. (product announcement)
May 1, 1987... RUN PC SOFTWARE ON A WORKSTATION The Sun Integrated Personal Computer (SunIPC) is a 10-MHz 80286 coprocessor board that makes Sun workstations compatible with the IBM PC AT, allowing you to run MS-DOS applications in a window under Unix. It...

80386 board. (product announcement)
May 1, 1987... 80386 BOARD The Intel Inboard 386/AT is an add-in board that upgrades the performance and capability of IBM PC ATs and compatibles to those of an 80386-based system. Inboard is built around the 80386 microprocessor, operates at 16 MHz, and has...

Multilevel choices. (product announcement)
May 1, 1987... Your comments about LOTUS magazine help us bring you the best editorial product each month. To rate the articles in this issue, scan the list below and refer to the READER EVALUATION section on the Reader Service card to the left. Identify...

Reader evaluation.
May 1, 1987... MULTILEVEL CHOICES You can choose from three capacity levels with the Kaypro 386: The Model A has a 1.2-megabyte floppy-disk drive with 512K of RAM and a floppy-disk and hard-disk controller board. The Model E has a 1.2-megabyte floppy-disk...

Compaq 386. (product announcement)
May 1, 1987... COMPAQ 386 The Compaq Deskpro 386 series operates at 16 MHz and has 32-bit bus architecture. Each model comes with 1 megabyte of RAM; a 1.2-megabyte floppy-disk drive; a hard-disk drive; the Compaq Expanded Memory Manager, which supports the...

80286 in hard- or floppy-disk models. (product announcement)
May 1, 1987... 80286 IN HARD- OR FLOPPY-DISK MODELS The Canon A-200EX Floppy Disk Model is IBM PC AT--compatible and offers an 8-MHz speed (switchable to 6 MHz), a 16-bit 80286 microprocessor, 640K of RAM, 32K of ROM, and an optional 80287 coprocessor. You...

Billing software with word processing. (product announcement)
May 1, 1987... BILLING SOFTWARE WITH WORD PROCESSING The Princeton Professional Billing System is a time-accounting and billing system with a built-in word processor for service descriptions of any length. It runs on IBM PCs and compatibles and requires 384K...

Font software. (product announcement)
May 1, 1987... FONT SOFTWARE If you use a laser printer, SoftCraft's Laser Fonts software lets you download and edit fonts and will automatically create printer configuration files for Microsoft Word, Word Perfect, Word-Star 2000, and SoftCraft's Fancy Font...

Clipboard-to-computer connection. (product announcement)
May 1, 1987... CLIPBOARD-TO-COMPUTER CONNECTION ScriptWriter is a 3-1/2-pound, clipboard-size device that lets you handwrite data onto a standard inventory, order, tax, or other paper form with any ballpoint pen. The handwritten data is stored in ASCII code...

Do PCs increase white-collar productivity? (column)
May 1, 1987... DO PCs INCREASE WHITE-COLLAR PRODUCTIVITY? I've been thinking about personal computers and productivity lately. Do personal computers really improve white-collar productivity? Or does it just seem that way because they make everyone who...