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                       PCM Online  November 1994

FIRST THINGS Contents:

   []  PCM Online Table of Contents: November 1994
   []  LPRINT: Publisher's Notes -- Graphics are what it's all about 
          today
   []  The Issue at Hand: Editor's Notes -- Welcome to PCM Online!
   []  README: Last-minute notes about Software Shopper, our shareware
          publication.
   []  Letters to PCM: The readers talk back

Entire contents copyright 1994 by Falsoft, Inc.

PCM -- The Premier Personal Computer Magazine is intended for the private 
use and pleasure of its subscribers, and reproduction by any means is 
prohibited.

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PCM Online Table of Contents: November 1994
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PCM Online is divided into eight sections.

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INTRO

   []  What Is PCM Online?
   []  How to Find and Run the Programs (Batch File and GW-/QBASIC)
   []  How to Talk to Us
   []  Submission Guidelines
   []  Masthead (the Falsoft staffers who bring you PCM Online)
   []  SysOps Only: How to Subscribe to PCM Online


FIRST THINGS  (this section)

   []  PCM Online Table of Contents: November 1994
   []  LPRINT: Publisher's Notes -- Graphics are what it's all about
          today
   []  The Issue at Hand: Editor's Notes -- Welcome to PCM Online!
   []  README: Last-minute notes about Software Shopper, our shareware
          publication.
   []  Letters to PCM: The readers talk back


FEATURES

   []  Truchet Tilings: Computerized patterns -- before fractals, there 
          were Truchet tiles. This program paints them on your screen.
          <PROGRAM: TRUCHET.BAS *>
   []  Print Listings the Easy Way: EasyList makes neat printouts of all 
          your program's modules. A handy tool for programmers!
          <PROGRAM: EASYLIST.BAS *>
   []  Teed Off: This strategic game tests your mental mettle (or
          perseverance). It's the popular "restaurant" peg-jumping game.
          <PROGRAM: JUMP.BAS *>
   []  Alternate Operating Systems: Does Microsoft Have It Right With
          Windows NT?

            *NOTE: The BASIC/QBASIC listings for these programs are
             contained in the file PCMO9411.ZIP. If you cannot find 
             this file in the usual file-downloads area of your BBS, 
             ask your SysOp for the file's location.


COLUMNS

   []  Business as Usual/Emmett Dulaney: PCM's business columnist looks
          at accounting packages and samples the "suites."
   []  DOS Keys/Kari Jackson: PCM's DOS expert shows you there's more to
          the FORMAT command than you probably imagined.
   []  Riding the Internet: Finding Your "On Ramp"
   []  Silicon Warrior: The Warrior Takes on Five New Games
   []  Working in Windows: Updates to Windows and Word


SOLUTIONS

   []  Spiffing up Batch Files With Sound
   []  Multiple Wildcards With DIR
   []  Windows Users: Keep the DOS Line Open
   []  Random Hints
          <> Housekeeping Simplified: A DIR of your DIRs
          <> Giving your mouse a bath
          <> Take out the trash (and get it back!)
          <> To do or not to do -- an easy way to use Windows to keep
                track of your to-dos

REVIEWS

   []  Reviews of 20 new commercial software programs:
          <> AnyTime
          <> Bartender 2.0 for Windows
          <> Bridge Baron
          <> Car Buyers' Companion & Home Buyers' Companion
          <> Connect for Success
          <> Dragon's Lair CD-ROM
          <> Escape With Your Life
          <> Expert Forms, Expert Labels, Expert Resume Writer
          <> Forest & Trees 3.1
          <> Goblins Quest 3
          <> The Hanna-Barbera Animation Workshop
          <> Medio Magazine
          <> MyBrochures and Mailers for Windows
          <> The Print Shop Deluxe
          <> Reuter's Money Network
          <> SpeedTools 2.0 for Windows
          <> WindowMagic
   []  Focus On: Presentation Graphics, an in-depth look at programs 
          like Harvard Graphics and Freelance


PRESS BOX

   []  News Bites: News shorts from across the industry
   []  $$  What a Deal!  $$: Bargains we've stumbled across
   []  Telecom Press Releases: For SysOps and other online enthusiasts


SOFTWARE SHOPPER

   []  Editor's Notes: Lots of Hot New Titles
   []  Shareware Reviews: Looks at seven great new shareware titles:
          <> Color Presentation Magic
          <> GeoPublish
          <> Hocus Pocus
          <> NeoBook Professional 2.0
          <> NeoShow Pro
          <> QuikGraf
          <> wInformant
   []  FYI: Capturing Screens in Windows (a quick tip)
   []  Featured Selection: Our pick of what's new (and a special offer)
   []  New Releases: New shareware programs
   []  New Versions: Updated shareware programs
   []  What Is Shareware?: A cheerful explanation of try-before-you-buy
   []  About the Catalog: A note on Software Shopper's database


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LPRINT    \|/    by Lawrence C. Falk
~~~~~~

                        PUBLISHER'S NOTES
        GRAPHICS ARE WHAT COMPUTERS ARE ALL ABOUT TODAY . . . 

   . . . Let's take a small, simple example. I've always written this 
column and several others on a regular basis, stored them on disk, and 
given them to people in the editorial department. Did I ever get the disk 
back? Of course not. So it was always me who had to go asking for extra 
disks. "Do you eat these things?" I was asked once.

   But no more. I scanned a photo of myself (did only minimal damage to 
the scanner), scanned my signature for effect, and produced a disk label 
with the photo and signature on it -- along with a message that the disk 
belongs to me and that its theft is punishable by law. Haven't had anyone 
fail to return a disk since.

   There are so many collections of clip art that it is difficult to go 
through everything looking for the right image to incorporate into a 
document. In doing a brochure the other day, I found some 200 different 
images in three collections to represent money. The hardest part was not 
in finding them but in choosing the best one to use.

   When I started THE RAINBOW [the now-retired magazine for Tandy Color 
Computer users], I recall one of the first things I did was to get a 
graphic designer to create a rainbow; then I worked the design into 
letterheads, envelopes, business cards and so on. The design cost me a 
couple of hundred dollars (which I have always considered well-spent), 
and we used it for several years. Today, however, you don't even have to 
print letterheads or envelopes -- just plain paper and envelopes, set up 
the graphics and type in your word processor, and you have . . . 
stationery.

   My graphics prediction is that within the next couple of years, high-
quality, inexpensive color printers will be on the market that begin to 
replace the black-and-white laser printers so many use nowadays. When 
that happens, you will see a second explosion in graphics (the first was 
the mere ability to produce them at all) that may well see a lot of 
quick-print shops simply go out of business. By contrast the market for 
graphics programs, clip art, even more fonts and the like will continue 
to increase.

   Fonts, you ask? Aren't there already so many of them that I can't keep 
track of them? That's right, but one day fonts will be colorful too, with 
designs incorporating the colors into the fonts. It will be interesting.

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The Issue at Hand    \|/    by Lauren Willoughby
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                            EDITOR'S NOTES
                        WELCOME TO PCM ONLINE

   A lot can happen in a few months. Take PCM Online. A short while ago, 
this electronic publication you're reading was just a gleam in a 
SysOp's eye and a vague idea by an editorial staff that its material 
might go over big in "electronic book" fashion. Thanks to Chuck Burke, 
the SysOp of Louisville's Dance of Shiva BBS (and a remarkably energetic 
catalyst), we decided to follow our digital dreams. Greetings! Welcome to 
PCM Online! We hope you like it, and that you return to our electronic 
pages again and again. We're going to be around for a LONG time.

   PCM, the magazine on which PCM Online is based, gives you the 
assurance that we're here to stay: PCM recently celebrated its 10th 
anniversary in print, and it's anxious to embrace the next decade. We've 
seen a world of change in the volatile world of personal computers, but 
our view stays fresh -- we're constantly learning new things about what 
it means to be computer users.

   PCM is the magazine for personal computer hobbyists. If you haven't 
read PCM before, you're in for a treat! It's probably the most "hands-on" 
computer magazine in existence. If you like to type in batch files, 
putter around with BASIC, tinker with your Windows environment, get the 
most out of DOS, and keep up with the latest software, PCM is for you!

   While PCM Online is a text-only version of PCM, it's also more than 
just that -- because we're not constrained by a printing budget. We're 
free to fill PCM Online's digital pages with whatever we want. But we'd 
rather fill it with whatever YOU want. If you would like to see a certain 
type of article, just let us know. Our Internet address is 
pcm@shivasys.com. If you'd like to see a specific program reviewed, send 
us a message. If you have a PC question you'd like answered, send it to 
us by e-mail -- if we can't find an answer, we'll turn it over to other 
PCM Online readers, many of whom will hold the key. Feel free to cram our 
e-mailbox full of letters and wish lists. Let's build an interactive 
magazine together.

   See you again next month -- same time, same BBS.

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README
~~~~~~

                LAST-MINUTE NOTES ABOUT SOFTWARE SHOPPER

   Software Shopper is the first online shareware magazine/catalog we 
know of that is updated monthly. Software Shopper is also an ASP-approved 
shareware vendor; we've been reviewing and offering shareware for several 
years. Our "inventory" contains thousands of programs. We certainly can't 
fit all of them into the "offline" version of Software Shopper (which is 
published as 32 pages bundled inside the magazine PCM), but we can 
certainly pack in quite a lot of them in this online version!

   While Software Shopper Online offers descriptions on more than 1000 
shareware programs -- and is one of the most comprehensive shareware 
catalogs you can find -- it's still a work in progress. We're converting 
our database record by record. So, if your favorite shareware titles are 
missing from this month's catalog -- have patience, they'll probably be 
added soon.

   Also, this month's online catalog went to "print," so to speak, before 
we could post a notice in the Software Shopper section about the 
"Author's Fee" fields. We do not have registration fee information for 
all titles, so for those fields that show a fee of "0.00," please do not 
assume that registration is free!


An Invitation to Shareware Authors

   Shareware authors: we invite you to monitor our catalog to help keep 
us up to date with your titles. Although we receive the ASP Advantage CD-
ROM and get disks sent to us by shareware authors, we don't get 
everything we'd like -- so we turn to BBSs and online services for files 
we're missing (and of course read the vendor info to make sure we're 
allowed to distribute the programs we download). We'd rather that the 
programs came directly from you -- and we're sure you'd rather that too. 
Feel free to send us your updates and new titles. Our mailing address is: 
Software Shopper, P.O. Box 385, Prospect, KY 40059. Our shipping address 
is: Software Shopper, The Falsoft Building, 9509 U.S. Highway 42, 
Prospect, KY 40059.

   We've got to tell you about our new high-density line. Most shareware 
vendors are still putting out titles on low-density floppy disks only, 
but we're proud to have launched our "HD" line: which means we can 
competitively distribute titles like DOOM, Raptor, GeoPublish and NeoBook 
Pro on high-density disks (complete with nifty, laser-printed labels). 
So, large programs don't upset us! We do request that, when you send us 
large programs, you break them into chunks that would also fit on 1.2MB 
floppy disks. But if you can't, that's OK -- we'll just insert a note 
asking readers to order the program on 1.44MB disks only.

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Letters to PCM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                        THANKS FOR THE TIPS

Editor:
   As a retired professional engineer and a computer novice, I would like 
to tell you that your articles "Learn to Use Your Computer," "The Disk Is 
In Your Hands" and "Can I Run This Program?" were without a doubt the 
finest technical articles that I have ever read. They all appeared in the 
January issue of PCM within the Software Shopper section.
   Armed with this information I was able to attack my computer full of 
confidence. I was sure there were tips somewhere that could get me off 
dead center, and you provided them.
   Thanks a great deal for giving a big jump start to my computer 
education.
                                       William Zabriskie, Jr.
                                       Old Saybrook, Connecticut

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                     REMOVING UNNECESSARY FILES

Editor:
   My wife and daughters love to play the Carmen Sandiego series. I think 
we have them all except the deluxe versions that require more than Tandy 
graphics or EGA.
   I have a 65MB hard drive with DOS 6's compression and it is running 
out of room. I either have to put some programs or data on floppy disks 
or get rid of unused files such as Windows' VGA files (I have EGA).
   There are several Carmen Sandiego data files that I don't need: 
MCGA.DAT and MIDISND.DAT are two I'm sure I don't need. There are others 
I'm not sure about, such as IBSND.DAT, FRAGSND.DAT, DIGISND.DAT and 
MFXSND.DAT. Which files are used by Tandy sound and which are used by 
popular boards? (I presently have Game Blaster, which is no longer 
supported.) I would like to delete the unnecessary files after copying 
them to a floppy. Broderbund told me to buy a new hard drive, which is 
not in the piggy bank with three now in college.
                                       Robert Hales
                                       Albion, New York

               Although it may be a time-consuming process, generally the 
            best way to find out which files are required is to either
            rename or move each suspect file to a floppy disk one at a
            time. If the program continues to work without any problems,
            you know that file isn't required. If the program quits
            working or acts strangely, either rename the file back to its
            original name or move it back onto the hard drive. Some
            files, such as MCGA.DAT and MIDISND.DAT, are obviously for
            MCGA and VGA graphics and MIDI sound so aren't applicable to
            your configuration and can be removed. We agree with your
            idea of keeping backup copies of the files on a floppy disk.
            In this way you can easily copy the files back onto the hard
            drive if they are needed later, or if you upgrade the
            computer such as by adding a VGA card.

                                  -=*=-

                         TANDY GRAPHICS TO VGA

Editor:
   I am a subscriber to PCM and have a Tandy 1000 RLX. In the July 1993 
issue of PCM was a feature called "A Little Flag-Waving Music, Please!" 
by John Shewchuk with his listing of FLAG.BAS. I entered this program 
into my computer but the program stops at Line 100 asking for an End Of 
Statement for the statement CLEAR ,,,32768!.
   I wrote Mr. Shewchuk asking for any assistance he could give me to 
clarify this problem. He stated he could only suggest trying two changes, 
which were to first change CLEAR,,,32768! to CLEAR and if that didn't 
work to completely eliminate the CLEAR statement. I tried both of these 
changes but the program still will not run.
   I am hoping that you may be able to help me make this program work. 
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
                                       William Hart
                                       Kenosha, Wisconsin

               The problem you are experiencing is because the Tandy 1000 
            RLX has VGA graphics whereas FLAG.BAS requires Tandy 
            graphics. To make the program work properly on your computer 
            in the equivalent VGA mode, delete the statement CLEAR 
            ,,,32768! and change SCREEN 6 to SCREEN 8 so Line 100 reads:

            1OO SCREEN 8:KEY OFF:CLS:IX=5:IY=6: X1=2O:X2=O

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                      ENHANCING A SIMPLE DATABASE

Editor:
   Regarding the "Plain and Simple" program in the February 1994 issue of 
PCM, I found errors when attempting to run it (SDB.BAS) on an IBM 386SX 
clone using MS-DOS 5.0 and GW-BASIC 3.2. Solutions and other comments are 
given below.
   1. When using random-access files, the default record length is 128. 
Because SDB.BAS uses record lengths of 1200, it is necessary to use GW-
BASIC option /S:record length and option /I. The /S:record length option 
specifies the record length for random-access files. If you use the 
/S:record length option, you must also use the /I option. The best way to 
perform this task is to use this batch file:

   @ECHO OFF
   ECHO Loading Simple Database (SDB.BAS)
   GWBASIC SDB /S:12OO /I

   2. Add a semicolon at the end of lines 3950, 3970 and after (186) in 
line 3960 to prevent double spacing of the card display.
   3. Change all VIEW PRINT statements of the form VIEW PRINT X TO 25 to 
VIEW PRINT X TO 24 to avoid syntax errors.
   4. When using COLOR 14.1 (yellow on blue) for the main displays, I 
found that the display is improved by changing the other colors (4,7 7,0 
0,7) to use the brighter foreground colors (10-13 and 15) until you get 
results that please you.
   5. Because the program disk and the magazine are not stored together, 
I found it useful to create and store an ASCII text file that contains 
the documentation on the disk. To display this text file from the program 
menu, make these program changes:

   125 PRINT:PRINT " O) View program documentation"
   21O ON A+1 GOTO 461O,22O,42O,4O2O, 43OO,388O
   461O CLS:SHELL "TYPE CARDBASE.TXT | MORE"
   462O LOCATE 25,7:PRINT "Press any key to return to menu.";
   463O ND$=INKEY$:IF ND$="" THEN 463O
   464O RUN
                                       Robert Hood
                                       Bremerton, Washington

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                         COMPUTER NETWORKS

Editor:
   I need help setting up two computers for networking. I have a Zenith 
248, 286-based laptop with two floppy drives and 640K of memory, and a 
Tandy 1000 TL/2 with a 40MB hard drive and 640K of memory. Both have DOS 
3.21.
   I need to know what hardware and software are needed for each computer 
to make the 1000 TL/2 the host and the Zenith the terminal since it has 
no hard drive. I would like the Zenith to access programs such as 
DeskMate and Money Counts) on the Tandy and run them and save data.
   The two computers will be about 100 feet apart from each other. Any 
help you can provide will be appreciated.
                                       Timothy Rodier
                                       Portsmouth, Virginia

               The easiest and least expensive method is to link the two 
            computers via the serial or parallel ports with a program 
            such as Rapid Relay (Systems Management Associates, 919-878-
            3600), Fast Lynx (Rupp Technology Corporation, 212-517-7775) 
            or Brooklyn Bridge (White Crane Systems, 404-446-0660). These 
            are relatively inexpensive programs that include the 
            necessary cables and allow you to easily copy files between 
            the two computers. Actually running programs remotely 
            requires a different tact, so you might look at remote-
            control software such as Remote2 (DCA, 404-442-4495). 
            However, you'll be limited to strictly CGA text and graphics 
            when using remote-control software. This means you'll have to 
            reconfigure DeskMate to use CGA graphics instead of Tandy 16-
            color graphics. One potential problem is that some software 
            may not work properly; in particular you may or may not be 
            able to use DeskMate remotely. Also keep in mind that you 
            will have to make your own cable if the computers are more 
            than about 10 feet apart, and we recommend using shielded 
            cable. In fact, you may run into communication problems by 
            using serial cables longer than about 25 to 50 feet.
               The ultimate solution, in our opinion, is to use a peer-
            to-peer network such as LANtastic with inexpensive Ethernet 
            boards. Unfortunately this solution is a bit more expensive 
            and may not be a viable alternative if the Zenith laptop does 
            not have a standard expansion slot. However, we have tested 
            and confirmed that DeskMate works like a charm when run from 
            a workstation on a LANtastic network, and Ethernet cables are 
            readily available in lengths of 100 feet.

                                  -=*=-

                              BACK ISSUES

Editor:
   I am the owner of a Tandy 1000 SX and a Tandy 2500 SX/20. I would like 
to know which issues reviewed the Tandy 2500 SX and the Tandy 2500 SX/25.
                                       Lester Youngreen
                                       Howard Beach, New York

               Two articles we found of interest are "The Tandy 2500 XL 
            and 2800 HD Computers" (August 1990, Page 40) and "New Tandy 
            Computers: Introducing the 2810, 3810, 1100 HD and 2500 SX" 
            (November 1991, Page 32).

                                  -=*=-

                              USING DEBUG

Editor:
   As given in PCM (February 1994, Page 52) ANYKEY.COM may be created by 
using DEBUG to write and assemble the source code. It is easier to write 
the code as an ASCII file (e.g. ANYKEY.DBG) and then use DEBUG to load 
and assemble the .COM file using DEBUG < ANYKEY.DBG from the DOS prompt. 
It is easier to correct typing errors in an ASCII text file than when 
writing the program in DEBUG. The only change required in the source-code 
listing is to change the (Press ENTER) to a blank line. This information 
is applicable to creating any .COM file from DEBUG and should have been 
given in the article.
                                       Robert Hood
                                       Bremerton, Washington

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       |    We're sorry that we can't send a personal response     |   
       | to each letter we receive. We do, however, try to include |   
       | in "Letters to PCM" a selection of those current letters  |   
       | we feel are of widest interest to our readers. These      |   
       | letters may be edited for clarity and/or space.           |   
       |                                                           |   
       |    Letters can be sent to us via postal mail at: PCM      |   
       | Online: Letters, The Falsoft Building, P.O. Box 385,      |   
       | Prospect, KY 40059. You can also reach us by e-mail on    |   
       | Delphi (from the Tandy or PC-Compatibles SIG menu, select |   
       | PCM Magazine Services and then Letters to PCM) or via     |   
       | Internet at editors@delphi.com or pcm@shivasys.com.       |   

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