Lotus articles from September 1988

Lotus archives from September 1988

From DOS to OS-2 . . . not next week: staff letter.
September 1, 1988... FROM DOS TO OS/2 . . . NOT NEXT WEEK In the world of personal computers, 1988 will undoubtedly go down as the year of OS/2 hype. At some point, the promised productivity gains will probably be realized. However, the big questions are:...

Coming: less expensive '386 machines. (Intel's hybrid 80386SX chip opens a new market)
September 1, 1988... COMING: LESS EXPENSIVE '386 MACHINES Many personal-computer buyers are attracted by the promise of software written for the 80386 computer but cringe at the high prices of '386 machines. Now they have an alternative. Intel's recently...

How fast is your computer system?: it all depends on what's tested.
September 1, 1988... HOW FAST IS YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM? It all depends on what's tested. When is a 16-MHz computer not a 16-MHz computer? Probably more frequently than you think. A computer's advertised clock speed may be quite different from its...

More companies are charging for support: but customers feel they deserve help free of charge.
September 1, 1988... MORE COMPANIES ARE CHARGING FOR SUPPORT Many people consider software support an inalienable right. After all, they spend hundreds, perhaps thousands, of dollars for programs, and at those prices they feel they are entitled to help when...

Higher memory prices: a premium on DRAM chips puts the squeeze on consumers.
September 1, 1988... HIGHER MEMORY PRICES This year a severe shortage of dynamic RAM (DRAM) chips has made computer memory both scarce and expensive. And although industry observers believe the chip shortage is now abating, the price of 1-megabit (also known...

Making slides in-house: new film recorders can save your company time and money.
September 1, 1988... MAKING SLIDES IN-HOUSE A new generation of film recorders is coming to market under a new banner: desktop presentations. Of course that sounds a lot like desktop publishing, and whoever first used the expression must have been hoping for...

Video presentations. (corporate use of electronic film projection and LCD overhead displays)
September 1, 1988... VIDEO PRESENTATIONS Improvements in film recorders aren't the only factors behind the desktop-presentation movement. Developments in electronic film projection and improved LCD overhead displays are also making an impact. General...

What's in store for WordPerfect?: Pete Peterson discusses strategy. (interview)
September 1, 1988... WHAT'S IN STORE FOR WORDPERFECT? Like an actor who plugs away for years and suddenly becomes an overnight sensation, WordPerfect word-processing software stole center stage from WordStar and MultiMate. Today, the flagship product of...

Ideas & trends.
September 1, 1988... IDEAS & TRENDS A NEW FLIGHT SIMULATOR The programmers at Microsoft Corp. have been busy. In addition to writing code for OS/2, Microsoft Windows, and Presentation Manager, they've found time to update the best-selling...

Generate subtotals: 1-2-3 macros. (techniques to generate subtotals from information in a database)
September 1, 1988... GENERATE SUBTOTALS More than a year ago, a gentleman from the Houston Lotus 1-2-3/Symphony Special Interest Group asked how to generate a list of subtotals in a column adjacent to his existing database. For this discussion, we'll say the...

Create your own macro commands: Symphony macros. (obvious macro code patterns may require subroutine creation)
September 1, 1988... CREATE YOUR OWN MACRO COMMANDS Sometimes when you write a macro, you may wonder why Lotus Development Corp. didn't include a particular command in the Symphony Command Language. If you find yourself repeating a sequence of keystrokes...

How Symphony processes a subroutine.
September 1, 1988... HOW SYMPHONY PROCESSES A SUBROUTINE When Symphony's macro processor encounters a word in braces, [routine], for example, the macro processor determines whether that word exists as a range name in the worksheet. If a corresponding range...

Track the payments on your loan: accounting. (amortization schedule worksheet)
September 1, 1988... TRACK THE PAYMENTS ON YOUR LOAN How much do you owe on your lease for the office furniture? How much interest did you pay last month on your delivery-van loan? By how much will the outstanding balance on your mortgage decrease 12 months...

From DOS to OS-2: special report.
September 1, 1988... From DOS to OS/2 We know that a lot of you are curious about OS/2. To help satisfy your curiosity and to help you make informed decisions abou the personal-computer industry's newest operating system, we've produced this special report on...

Why a new operating system?: here's a map and compass to help you find your position on OS-2. (one of six articles in DOS to OS-2 special report)
September 1, 1988... WHY A NEW OPERATING SYSTEM? You may be hearing and reading about the new OS/2 operating system, and if so, you're probably receiving mixed messages. Early converts proclaim OS/2 to be the salvation of the computer industry, while the...

Diary of an early OS-2 user. (one of six articles in DOS to OS-2 special report)
September 1, 1988... DIARY OF AN EARLY OS/2 USER Day 1: I'm elected Today, several of us LOTUS editors were discussing the nature of the universe and the future of personal-computer software. By the end of the discussion, yours truly had been elected...

On to Presentation Manager: icons, actions bars, dialog boxes, and radio buttons are coming. (one of six articles in DOS to OS-2 special report)
September 1, 1988... ON TO PRESENTATION MANAGER When OS/2 Standard Edition 1.1 starts shipping in October, it will include Presentation Manager, a graphical user interface. For the first time in the IBM world, a graphical environment will be part of the...

Gates: pictures are better than words: Microsoft's chairman says Presentation Manager lifts PCs to new heights. (one of six articles in DOS to OS-2 special report)
September 1, 1988... GATES: PICTURES ARE BETTER THAN WORDS Over the last 10 years, computer technology has dramatically changed the way the world does business. Over the next 10, the pace will continue. By 1998 almost every employee in America will have a...

Yes Bill, but . . . don't dismiss character-based programs. (Presentation Manager claims rebutted)
September 1, 1988... YES BILL, BUT . . . DON'T DISMISS CHARACTER-BASED PROGRAMS I agree with Bill Gates that the future will include OS/2 with Presentation Manager. However, since most people still use DOS, we need a bridge that allows us to move from the past to...

It could be a quagmire: our test shows that R:Base runs slower in OS-2. (one of six articles in DOS to OS-2 special report)
September 1, 1988... IT COULD BE A QUAGMIRE Close your eyes for a moment and imagine you've acquired your first OS/2 application. It's a database program, and you bought it because you're tired of spending a lot of time waiting for your old database to...

Three ways to upgrade: they're costly, but a lot cheaper than a new system. (one of six articles in DOS to OS-2 special report)
September 1, 1988... THREE WAYS TO UPGRADE If you can believe what most vendors are saying, a new wave of powerful software is coming your way. That software will run under OS/2, but it won't run on your IBM PC or PC XT as currently configured. Is it time to...

Don't run out. (using 1-2-3 2-2.01 to create a data-entry and order-processing system)
September 1, 1988... Don't Run Out Most businesses have storage areas for the supplies they need for their daily operations. Whether these supplies consist of paper clips and pencils, air filters and fan belts, or circuit boards and solder, it's important to...

The balance sheet: take a snapshot of your business's financial condition by building a balance sheet. (Small-Business Series Part Five)
September 1, 1988... THE BALANCE SHEET If you're in business for yourself, you'll eventually need a balance sheet. Perhaps you want to apply for a loan and the bank requires a balance sheet as part of the application. Or may be you've decided to sell your...

Answers to your questions about Lotus products.
September 1, 1988... ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT LOTUS PRODUCTS SYMPHONY USING VALIDITY FORMULAS Q. How can I make sure that my data-entry personnel make an entry in every field of a Symphony database entry form? Carolyn Quigley Boston...

More tips on using Lotus products. (reader tips)
September 1, 1988... MORE TIPS ON USING LOTUS PRODUCTS REVISITED RIGHT-MARGIN SETTINGS In your response to Lori Yetman's margin problem [Hardware Hints, October], you assumed that she had already set the default right margin beyond 76...

Software: Q&A write. (easy-to-use word processor reads worksheets and PIC files) (Software Review) (evaluation)
September 1, 1988... SOFTWARE: Q&A WRITE Q&A Write combines ease of use with sophistication and comes up a winner. It's well suited for memos, letters, and short reports, including those containing budgets. It is less well equipped to handle formal reports...

Software: Sqz! Plus. (Sqz successor compresses and backs up files, records macros, recovers damaged worksheets) (evaluation)
September 1, 1988... SOFTWARE: SQZ! PLUS Want to store from three to ten times as many worksheets in the same disk space you now use? Sqz! Plus makes that possible, and so, to varying extents, do many of its competitors. In fact, the race for your...

Laptop computers from Zenith Data Systems deliver high performance, have readable screens.
September 1, 1988... Laptop Computers from Zenith Data Systems Deliver High Performance, Have Readable Screens IF YOU NEED A LAPTOP COMPUTER but aren't willing to settle for anything less than a '286- or '386-based system, Zenith Data Systems now has one of each:...

New products.
September 1, 1988... NEW PRODUCTS 1-2-3 Budgeting Template Lets You Streamline Planning, Doesn't Require 1-2-3 Knowledge MASTER PLANNER LETS YOU CUSTOMIZE 12-MONTH sales, personnel, inventory, fixed-asset, and operating budgets on a 1-2-3...

Reader evaluation. (Sep 1988 issue)
September 1, 1988... 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...

But what was I to do? (making spreadsheets functional and attractive)
September 1, 1988... BUT WHAT WAS I TO DO? One evening several weeks ago, after many hours of massaging a spreadsheet, I got up for a breather and started browsing through Bertrand Russell's autobiography. I was soon absorbed in a long section about the great...