Lotus articles from November 1988

Lotus archives from November 1988

Picking up where Dan left off. (Staff Letter) (Daniel A. McMillan) (editorial)
November 1, 1988... PICKING UP WHERE DAN LEFT OFF We in publishing pay some attention to mastheads, but chances are that you don't. So you may not be aware of some important changes here over the past couple of months. The most important change is that...

(at)Err. (corrections)
November 1, 1988... @ERR "A Decision Maker's Guide to Databases" [August]: The Directory of Online Databases is published by Cuadra/Elsevier, P.O. Box 1672, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163-1672; 212-916-1180. The on-line version is called the Cuadra...

Answers to your questions about Lotus products. (Q&A )
November 1, 1988... ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT LOTUS PRODUCTS SYMPHONY INIT ERROR MESSAGE Q. I was following the manual's instructions for initializing Symphony Release 2.0 and received the error message Unable to locate or open driver...

More tips on using Lotus products. (Good Ideas)
November 1, 1988... MORE TIPS ON USING LOTUS PRODUCTS SYMPHONY AUTOMATICALLY PRINTING CONSECUTIVE FILES How do you print several Symphony Release 1.1 or 1.2 files continuously without supervising your computer? Write a simple macro and...

John Sculley for president? (Ideas and Trends Shorts )
November 1, 1988... JOHN SCULLEY FOR PRESIDENT? Presidential straw polls are a dime a dozen right about now, but when Apple computer users overwhelmingly choose cartoon character Roger Rabbit for president over John Sculley, Apple's president and chief...

Catching all those split infinitives. (Ideas and Trends Shorts) (product announcement)
November 1, 1988... CATCHING ALL THOSE SPLIT INFINITIVES Are your metaphors mixed? Do your modifiers dangle? The next generation of grammar-checking programs can tell you. These programs use rule-based, expert-system techniques that enable them to parse...

Who has the most PCs? (Ideas and Trends Shorts)
November 1, 1988... WHO HAS THE MOST PCs? As of the beginning of this year, 11.5 million PCs were in use outside the home--a 44% increase from last year. These figures come from Comtec Market Analysis Services, a subsidiary of Gartner Group, the Stamford,...

Lotus delays 1-2-3 release 3 again. (at Lotus)
November 1, 1988... LOTUS DELAYS 1-2-3 RELEASE 3 AGAIN In early October, Lotus Development Corp. announced that 1-2-3 Release 3, formerly scheduled to ship in the fourth quarter of this year, is now expected to ship in the second quarter of 1989. "A...

Allways giveaway. (at Lotus)
November 1, 1988... ALLWAYS GIVEAWAY Lotus is giving away a copy of Allways, a $149.95 spreadsheet-enhancement program from Funk Software (Cambridge, Mass.), with every copy of 1-2-3 Release 2.01. Participating Lotus-authorized dealers are distributing...

Freelance Plus upgrade. (at Lotus) (product announcement)
November 1, 1988... FREELANCE PLUS UPGRADE Next month Lotus Development Corp. will ship a major upgrade of Freelance Plus, its stand-alone graphics package. Feature enhancements in Freelance Plus 3.0 include improved charting capabilities, new ways to plan,...

Graphics tips. (Lotus Focus on Graphics Series of instructional booklets) (at Lotus)
November 1, 1988... GRAPHICS TIPS The Lotus Focus on Graphics Series is a set of five instructional booklets designed to help personal-computer users communicate more effectively using business graphics. The booklets are for first-time computer-graphics...

Discus Rewritable stores 650 megabytes on a removable disk. (optical disk drive from AGA Inc.) (product announcement)
November 1, 1988... Discus Rewritable Stores 650 Megabytes on a Removable Disk If you've been waiting for an optical-disk drive that you cannot only write to but erase, it's here. AGA's Discus Rewritable uses removable, rewritable optical-disk cartridges that...

Pop-up program saves time and memory, lets you use the same macro in many spreadsheets. (Spreadsheet Shorthand from Bi-Intelligence) (product announcement)
November 1, 1988... Pop-up Program Saves Time and Memory, Lets You Use the Same Macro in Many Spreadsheets SPREADSHEET SHORTHAND is a terminate-and-stay-resident program for creating macros that run with all 1-2-3, Symphony, VP-Planner, The Twin, and Quattro...

Laser font cartridge lets you print 240 characters per line in portrait and landscape modes. (Spreadsheet from Pacific Data Products) (product announcement)
November 1, 1988... Laser Font Cartridge Lets You Print 240 Characters per Line in Portrait and Landscape Modes SPREADSHEET is a font cartridge that lets you fit a large amount of worksheet data on one printed page that retains clarity when you photocopy it. You...

Low-cost integrated package works with all versions of 1-2-3. (#Cruncher from Simon and Schuster Software) (product announcement)
November 1, 1988... Low-Cost Integrated Package Works with All Versions of 1-2-3 # CRUNCHER combines spreadsheet, databse, and graphics modules. The program lets you add notes to cells that you can hide or not hide when you print the spreadsheet. An auditing...

Five accessories enhance Harvard Graphics presentations and reports. (from Software Publishing Corp.) (product announcement)
November 1, 1988... Five Accessories Enhance Harvard Graphics Presentations and Reports SCREENSHOW UTILITIES ($149) lets you capture screens for making slides, produce a slide show to run on a PC, and copy or move a slide show and its charts from one disk or...

Program assists with cash flow planning for individuals. (Taxcalc Cash Flow Planner from TaxCalc Software Inc.) (product announcement)
November 1, 1988... Program Assists with Cash Flow Planning for Individuals TAXCALC CASH FLOW PLANNER is a 1-2-3 template that helps financial planners project cash flow for individual clients. To the client's financial information from the IRS form 1040, you add...

1-2-3 template simplifies the preparation of sales tax returns. (Salestax PC Returns from Vertex Systems) (product announcement)
November 1, 1988... 1-2-3 Template Simplifies the Preparation of Sales Tax Returns SALESTAX PC RETURNS lets you import data from a mainframe billing system, then calculate your sales tax obligations. The template includes 45 states (not included are New...

Harvard Project Manager update has easy-to-use data-entry screen, imports and exports 1-2-3 and dBase data. (from Software Publishing Corp.) (product announcement)
November 1, 1988... Harvard Project Manager Update Has Easy-to-Use Data-Entry Screen, Imports and Exports 1-2-3 and dBase Data HARVARD PROJECT MANAGER 3.0 builds Pert charts, Gantt charts, work outlines, and task lists. You enter data from a project-overview...

Program runs as a 1-2-3, Framework, and Quattro add-in or as a stand-alone printer utility. (Twist & Shout from Software Toolworks) (product announcement)
November 1, 1988... Program Runs as a 1-2-3, Framework, and Quattro Add-in or as a Stand-alone Printer Utility TWIST & SHOUT provides three basic functions: printing sideways, producing banners, and spooling printer operations. The program has 4 fonts in 15 sizes...

Windows-based software streamlines corporate financial analysis linked to active data. (CFO Advisor from Financial Feasibilities Inc.) (product announcement)
November 1, 1988... Windows-based Software Streamlines Corporate Financial Analysis Linked to Active Data CFO ADVISOR computerizes 75 key financial measures based on the financial-analysis formula developed at E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. You can import data...

Utility lets you add 200 one-line notes to your spreadsheets. (Jot It Down from Simon and Schuster Software) (product announcement)
November 1, 1988... Utility Lets You Add 200 One-Line Notes to Your Spreadsheets JOT IT DOWN is a terminate-and-stay-resident utility that lets you keep track of assumptions behind entries in your spreadsheet cells. You can save up to 200 notes per spreadsheet by...

1-2-3 template for small businesses keeps basic client information and prints mailing labels. (Client Database from Compusense Inc.) (product announcement)
November 1, 1988... 1-2-3 Template for Small Businesses Keeps Basic Client Information and Prints Mailing Labels CLIENT DATABASE lets you record standard items for up to 2,000 clients. Entries include name, phone number, company, address, profession, and remarks....

File-compression utility frees up space on hard disk and floppies. (DS Squeeze from Design Software) (product announcement)
November 1, 1988... File-Compression Utility Frees Up Space on Hard Disk and Floppies DS SQUEEZE allows you to reduce the size of your text, graphics, and spreadsheet files by 40% to 96% and your COM and EXE program files by 10% to 25%. File compression frees up...

1-2-3 and Symphony template produces charts for statistically based quality control. (SPC Orchestra from D.A. Martin) (product announcement)
November 1, 1988... 1-2-3 and Symphony Template Produces Charts for Statistically Based Quality Control SPC ORCHESTRA lets you carry out statistical process control, the technique that analyzes production, manufacturing, and administrative processes through their...

Utility gives you high-resolution forms and labels using dot-matrix or laser printers. (Formlab from Pyxel Applications) (product announcement)
November 1, 1988... Utility Gives You High-Resolution Forms and Labels Using Dot-Matrix or Laser Printers FORMLAB lets you preview and print documents the size of a postage stamp or a legal pad. You can size lines, line drawings, circles, arcs, ovals, and...

Anatomy of a high-resolution monitor. (Ideas and Trends)
November 1, 1988... ANATOMY OF A HIGH-RESOLUTION MONITOR High-performance color monitors are still pricey items. Up to the IBM 8514/A's level of graphics, mass-market economies and relatively simple engineering have made color monitors affordable. The basic...

IBM's market share falls. (Ideas and Trends)
November 1, 1988... IBM'S MARKET SHARE FALLS For a year and a half, IBM has been promoting its new PS/2 line of personal computers with the zeal of a television evangelist, touting it as the "next generation" in desktop hardware that is "right for today,...

Exploring data in three dimensions: ferret out hidden relationships. (Ideas and Trends)
November 1, 1988... EXPLORING DATA IN THREE DIMENSIONS Scientists and engineers have long used three-dimensional computer-graphics techniques to explore the relationships, patterns, and peculiarities within data that are impossible to see by looking at...

Little local area networks: sometimes small LANs are better than big ones. (Ideas and Trends)
November 1, 1988... LITTLE LOCAL AREA NETWORKS Contrary to popular opinion, most corporations do not buy local area networks that connect PCs to mainframes and to thousands of users. According to the market research firm Creative Strategies Research...

IBM's new 8514-A graphics adapter: clears a path for driverless software and peripherals. (Ideas and Trends)
November 1, 1988... IBM's NEW 8514/A GRAPHIC ADAPTED Two years ago, IBM's Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA) brought acceptable color graphics to IBM PCs and compatibles. EGA displays, with their 640-by-350-pixel resolution, were soon eclipsed, first by the...

Run 1-2-3 on a Mac II; emulation software moves programs to disparate systems. (Ideas and Trends) (includes related article on hardware solutions for compatibility problems)
November 1, 1988... RUN 1-2-3 ON A MAC II As long as there are different types of computers, the problem of compatibility will continue to be a thorny one. What do you do when you need to run 1-2-3 or some other MS-DOS-based PC application on your Mac or on...

Menu alternatives. (1-2-3 Macros) (includes letter from reader)
November 1, 1988... MENU ALTERNATIVES Large macro-driven applications usually rely heavily on menus. These menus let you control what the macros do. For example, a check-recording macro might offer options to enter amounts of checks written, to enter...

Getting around. (Symphony Macros) (techniques to move cell pointer about on the worksheet)
November 1, 1988... GETTING AROUND During a work session, you probably don't have much trouble deciding where to move the cell pointer. Your macros, however, can't make decisions that are as sophisticated as the ones that your make. You have to decide in...

Keep afloat with a sinking fund. (Accounting) (models to use with compound interest rates for long-term expense coverage)
November 1, 1988... KEEP AFLOAT WITH A SINKING FUND How can you raise the money to replace a piece of equipment five years from now or to pay the retirement benefits your employees are accruing? Set up a sinking fund. The dictionary defines a sinking fund...

When 10% isn't 10%. (Personal Finance) (converting a bank's quoted interest rate to an effective interest rate) (includes related article on converting interest rates)
November 1, 1988... WHEN 10% ISN'T 10% The financial @functions built into 1-2-3 and Symphony simplify the task of evaluating investments, savings, plans, and loan opportunities. Understand, though, that the logic 1-2-3 and Symphony apply to these functions...

4 job schedules. (macros and a model for scheduling work to meet completion date requirements)
November 1, 1988... 4 JOB SCHEDULES Your company may be one that works on only one job at a time and that must occasioally reschedule a backlog of jobs as new ones come in. Many businesses, from contractcors to consultants, can shuffle jobs in an endless...

Agenda: 'It works the way I think.' (personal information management software from Lotus Development Corp.)
November 1, 1988... AGENDA 'It Works the Way I Think' Businesspeople, like homemakers, spend a lot of time trying to create order out of chaos. For businesspeople, at least, a new category of software, dubbed personal information management (PIM) software,...

Analyze your database ... selectively. (the at D functions)
November 1, 1988... Analyze Your Database...Selectively Selective calculations are the domain of the database statistical @functions, also known as @D functions. Using an @D function, you can perform an analysis on a select set of data that is culled from...

Don't squander memory. (tips on memory management)
November 1, 1988... DON'T SQUANDER MEMORY Managing your computer's memory is like managing your money. Fritter it away, and you'll wonder where it went. Carefully plan and budget, and you'll have enough to cover your needs. As much as you'd like to be a...

Predicting election results with 1-2-3. (Essay) (column)
November 1, 1988... PREDICTING ELECTION RESULTS WITH 1-2-3 We begin with an apology. Unexpected programming snags delayed the release of this Electoral College Forecaster. While tardy program introductions are certainly in the tradition of the computer...

Hot Line Two and Lotus Express: these two utilities make it easier to communicate.
November 1, 1988... HOT LINE TWO AND LOTUS EXPRESS The most useful productivity tools sometimes turn up where you least expect to find them. Consider, for example, Hot Line Two and Lotus Express. Neither communications utility was designed with spreadsheets...

Software: Bookmark, Maxi*Save, and SOS. (Software Review) (three programs for automatic file saving in worksheets) (evaluation)
November 1, 1988... SOFTWARE: BOOKMARK, MAXI*SAVE, AND SOS There's a damning finality about the command Quit Yes. In 1-2-3, if you don't save your worksheet before making that selection, you lose your data for good--that is, unless you use Bookmark,...

Software: Oracle for 1-2-3. (Software Review) (evaluation)
November 1, 1988... SOFTWARE: ORACLE FOR 1-2-3 If your company has a database on a mainframe or a minicomputer, moving information between 1-2-3 and that database can be tedious and time-consuming. If Oracle is your company's database program, Oracle...

Software: Spreadsheet Shorthand. (Software Review) (evaluation)
November 1, 1988... SOFTWARE: SPREADSHEET SHORTHAND You can alleviate one of the most serious bottlenecks in operating a computer--your typing--with Spreadsheet Shortband. The program helps in two ways. First, you can create macros that automate lengthy or...

Book for experienced 1-2-3 users covers models and statistical techniques. (Statistical Modeling Using 1-2-3 Release 2) (product announcement)
November 1, 1988... Book for Experienced 1-2-3 Users Covers Models and Statistical Techniques STATISTICAL MODELING USING 1-2-3 RELEASE 2.0, by William T. Cloake, guides you through writing complex macros. Step-by-step instructions help you build templates that...