Duxbury Newsletter #21
March 1995
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Professional Braille Production Products Since 1975
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Duxbury Systems Inc
435 King Street, PO Box 1504
Littleton, MA 01460 USA
Tel. (508) 486-9766
Fax. (508) 486-9712
BBS: (617) 767-5964
Internet: duxbury@world.std.com
AppleLink: DUXBURY
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Yes, It's Ready!
by Matt Sullivan

With all the delays in the release date, I've been flooded with phone calls
asking: "Is the update to the Duxbury Translator for DOS ready?" After
answering "no" for so long now, it is with much relief and great pride
that I say "yes, and it's well worth the wait." For a complete description
of the Duxbury Translator and a beautiful screenshot, see our new
Catalog.

With all that it has to offer, now is the time to purchase Duxbury or to
update your existing copy. See the last page of this Newsletter for
details. For a new single-user license of the DOS version, order item
21-C1. To upgrade an existing single-user license, order 21-C1-U.
(REGISTERED users who purchased or updated after June 1, 1993, may qualify
for a free upgrade. See Newsletter 20 or call for details. Free update
requests for licenses over one year old will not be honored after June
16th.)

I am also pleased to say that the Windows version is rapidly approaching,
and it looks as if it will be ready in May or June. We don't anticipate
sending out another newsletter prior to that time, so I've included item
21-C14 on our product list, even though it is not yet available. Note that
when it's ready, you can update from the DOS Translator to the Windows
version for just $275 by ordering item 21-C14-UC1.

The Macintosh version upgrade should be ready towards the end of this year.
I will be showing a prototype at the CSUN conference in March, and at the
ACB and NFB conventions in July.

Finally, I wanted to take this opportunity to publicly thank our beta
testers for all their hard work and input.
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Running DUXWP from Windows 3.1
by Matt Sullivan

Even though it's a DOS program, DUXWP can translate WordPerfect for Windows
files, which leads many Windows users to ask us how they can run DUXWP
without exiting Windows. The answer is simple--make an icon for DUXWP,
then double click on that icon anytime you wish to make braille.

To make an icon from Windows 3.1, open the group in which you want the icon
to appear (perhaps "Accessories"). Go to "File, New..." under the Program
Manager, choose "Program Item" and click on OK. A dialog box comes up
containing four fields. Fill in "Description" by typing "DUXWP" and fill
in "Command Line" with the path to DUXWP, presumably C:/DUXBURY/DUXWP.EXE.
Click on OK. You're all set. If you run into problems, try using the PIF
Editor in the Main group to add more memory or otherwise fine tune the
application. The PIF Editor is described in the Windows manual.
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ADA Sign Making on the Mac
by Matt Sullivan

Because the small market size prevents us from developing a second package,
we offer to sign makers the same Macintosh Translator that braille
textbook producers use. If you make signs with Dux-Trans, you've seen some
advanced formatting features that don't apply to your needs, and probably
some missing options that would be nice. We hope to address some of these
concerns in the update scheduled for later this year. As an example, the
Translate command will no longer require you to name the print and braille
files, and the newly created braille will be opened automatically, saving
you several steps. In the meantime, I would like to offer some tips and
suggestions to make sign production easier with Dux-Trans 8;8.

( 1 ) In Dux-Trans, without any files open, go to the "Format" menu. Notice
the diamond sitting next to Standard--if it's not there, click on Standard
to put it there. Standard is now the default for all new documents. Next,
go to "Modify" under the Format menu, and pullout to "Standard. . ." to
open the format settings dialog. Change the corner for all page numbers to
NONE, change the Cells per line to 32, then click on OK. This prevents
page numbers from being added to your translations, and also insures that
Dux-Trans uses 24-point size for braille dots printed by Duxbury's "Ink
Copy" command.

(2) The cleanest way to work on a small scale is to keep all elements of
the sign in one file, most likely in CASmate, Illustrator or FlexiSign.
When you have the print ready to translate, highlight it, copy it to the
clipboard, start Dux-Trans, create a new file, paste the text into
Dux-Trans, translate it, let it remain untitled (replacing existing
untitled documents as necessary), open the untitled braille file,
highlight the braille, copy it to the clipboard, switch back to your
layout application, paste the braille text, and apply the braille font at
24 points.

(3) Given the length of the procedure in tip #2, you'll want to take
advantage of keyboard shortcuts, such as command-t to translate.
Furthermore, you may want to create a macro, aka script, to handle the job
in one or two commands. There are several scripting packages out there,
and although I haven't had a chance to test any of them, those that don't
rely on AppleScript technology should work with Dux-Trans.

(4) Those of your who create ADA signage more frequently will benefit from
creating and using a "library" of print files, along with corresponding
braille files.

(5) When translating several lines of text for separate signs, as you would
to create a library, be sure to use the following command:

      $marking

on the top line of the Dux-Trans print file. Otherwise, Dux-Trans will
treat line endings as spaces, and the lines will be joined to form a
paragraph.

I hope these tips work for you . As always, your comments, suggestions or
questions are welcome.
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Contracted News
by Matt Sullivan

* The Duxuser forum on the Internet is up and running, and growing. If
you're a Duxbury customer with Internet access, you can join by sending a
single-line message:

     subscribe duxuser

to the Internet address:

     majordomo@world.std.com

Duxusers receive more frequent notices from us and get this newsletter
electronically before the hard copy version even rolls off the press.
Duxusers can also talk with each other to share ideas and to seek advice
on matters beyond routine technical support.

* The $pi command is back by popular demand. Apparently the code is pretty
popular in Australia. At the request of one of our Aussie customers, we've
decided to include $pi (the graphic file import command) in a later
release of the updated version. It won't show you the graphic image
on-screen, but it won't interfere with page numbering either.

* Last month, while in London, Joe Sullivan had the distinct privilege of
being a guest on a BBC radio talk show to represent the Unified Braille
Code (UBC) Project of the International Council on English Braille (ICEB).
Although the program wasn't broadcast in the States, Joe did manage to
bring back a tape. We all had a few good laughs when one caller suggested
that it's something in the American diet that creates support for UBC. On
that subject, the final Committee II report on the UBC is complete. Keep
eating, the report needs some backing!

* For anyone wondering how two programmers (Peter and Joe) could produce a
full-blown, multi-platform application in just two years, the answer is
"they worked extremely hard, they used a special toolkit, and THEY HAD A
THIRD PERSON." We'd like to formally acknowledge Larry Lubowsky, who has
been with us for over a year now. Larry is fairly new to programming (he
was a student of Peter's at MIT), but he's learning fast, and his work is
invaluable to us, which is why we've kept him a secret all this time!
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Ordering Information and Price List

The following is a summary of our major products and prices. For product
details, ask for our current catalog. As many of you know, we work with
many braille codes, grade 2 languages, and operating environments other
than those listed. Please contact us if you need something you don't see.
All products are normally sold as a single-user software license. Although
not listed here, every product has a "site license" (unlimited users atone
location) for five times the single-user price. Documentation and
operating language for all software obtained directly from us is in
English; contact us regarding suppliers of versions that operate in other
languages. All products carry a full 90-day satisfaction guarantee.

To order, simply call or write to us with your request. All orders must be
prepaid in US$ by check, money order, Discover, Visa or MasterCard, or
shipped COD, unless received in writing from a government agency or an
existing customer with a credit application on file. Massachusetts
customers please add 5% sales tax or supply exemption form. Shipping is
included in the price for ground shipments to the U.S. and Canada. For
overseas and faster shipping methods, please call for a quotation.

DOS Products*

21-C1. Duxbury Braille Translator ............................ $495
21-C1-U. Duxbury Braille Translator Update** ................. $175
21-C6. Duxbury Braille Editor (EDGAR) ........................ $195
21-C6-U. Duxbury Braille Editor (EDGAR) Update** ............. $ 69
21-C9. Duxbury Braille Translator for WordPerfect (DUXWP) .... $295
21-C9-U. DUXWP Update** ...................................... $ 99

Windows Products*

21-C10. Duxbury Braille Board/Win ............................ $295
21-C11. Duxbury Braille Font for ATM&TrueType/Win ............ $ 99
21-C14. Duxbury Braille Translator/Win ....................... $495
21-C14-UC1. Duxbury Braille Translator/Win Update from C1** .. $275

Macintosh Products

21-C2. Duxbury Braille Translator/Mac ........................ $495
21-C2-U. Duxbury Braille Translator/Mac Update** ............. $175
21-C12. Duxbury Braille Font for ATM&TrueType/Mac ............ $ 99

* Most DOS and Windows products are shipped on 3-1/2" high density
diskettes. Other formats are available by request.

** All update orders must be accompanied by a valid serial number from the
initial purchase.

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