DOOM Mania!!!/DoomMania.bin/install/review.doc

Text File | 1991-06-04 | 7KB | 99 lines

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                           █ THE GENERAL UTILITY █
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Introducing XDOS, a new integrated package which takes care of all your
filing, text editing and file transfer needs. Not only does XDOS provide all
the usual DOS shell commands, (copy, delete, rename files etc) but XDOS has
a built in text editor and fast file transfer functions as well. This is
achieved in a single package which is based on the intuitive principle of
select-and-do. Simply move the highlight bar to the file or directory you
want to work with and select the command from the menu. XDOS also sports a
complete mouse user interface which makes it a very easy programme to work
with and also one of the few mouse drivable Shareware programmes available.
Some help screens are also provided to make life easy.

Like XTREE-GOLD, XDOS gives you a display of the working directory, sorted
and formatted as required. XDOS will sort by name, extension, size and age.
When sorting by age, the listing starts with the newest file rather of the
oldest, this is probably more useful as the newer files are the ones that
are currently being worked on. The files are displayed in either two, three
or five columns, depending on the amount of information the operator asks
for. The registered version of XDOS allows you to work with the extra lines
available on some displays, and allows you to adjust the colours.

The filing facilities in XDOS are typical for a DOS shell with a couple of
bonuses. For example, the Copy command checks out the destination directory
before it starts copying so that it only copies the files that it has to.
This makes XDOS a handy tool if you like to back up your work straight onto
a floppy because you don't have to think about which files to copy over.
Just tag the lot, or just the ones with relevent extensions, and do a copy.
Also, XDOS has a command which swaps you in and out of the copy-destination
directory, so that you can check it out easily. The copy and rename commands
will take the wildcard (*) allowing you to rename files as you go. For
example, to rename a bunch of files with extension ".BAK" to have extension
".OLD", simply tag those files and do a rename to "*.OLD". The view command
will display a file in two modes: extended ASCII or Hexidecimal. The
execute-programme command keeps a history of previous commands so you can
recall them, edit them and re-run them. This is very handy when you have to
run programmes with complex command lines many times during the day. Also,
XDOS keeps a list of the files that have been edited. When re-editing a
file, the cursor position, text block, etc., are restored to what they were
when you left off. If you have a mouse, a double-click on a programme will
run the programme. Double-clicking a file will take you straight into the
editor with the file and double-clicking a directory will take you into that
directory.

The text editor is very handy and friendly, coming complete with all the
usual block commands and other necessary text manipulating features. Unlike
XTREE-GOLD the mouse works with this editor and it can handle files larger
than 64k. It is more oriented for programmers rather than for word
processing but, it does have a word wrap mode which allows documents to be
entered easily. Used in conjunction with the document processor programme
"DP", which is supplied to registered users, impressive documents can be
produced quickly without the need for a traditional word processor. Like the
filing section, XDOS's editor also has a few bonuses. The most impressive of
these is the macro facility. The XDOS editor can have up to 255 macros
defined on the keyboard. These macros can contain all your standard words or
often used names etc. This alone can save much otherwise wasted typing time.
But, as well as displayable characters, macros can contain editor commands,
allowing you to make specialized macros for things like, formatting tables,
indenting blocks, repeating some tedious changes that are needed on several
lines etc. etc. Macros can even be made to loop until they have moved the
cursor outside the block. With a bit of familiarization, it is possible to
save a lot of time using macros rather than persisting with repeated fiddly
changes. All macros are saved to disk, in the working directory, for use
next time. Another impressive feature of the editor is the set of line
drawing modes supported. This allows you to draw complex shapes, made with
the IBM line drawing characters, by simply using the arrow keys. The editor
supports single line, double line and thick line drawing and it takes care
of mixed line types and intersecting lines automatically. All possible
combinations are supported. A mode which draws lines of asterisks is also
included. Another handy feature is the change-case-of-word command. This
command cycles a word through three states: 1) upper case, 2) lower case,
3) first letter only upper case. For example, remember the last time you
typed a proper nown without realizing the caps-lock key was active ? With
this editor, simply type "^C" twice and its fixed. The user-defined-tabs,
also supported, are handy for table entry, etc. The editor also provides an
undo command which even works after a block delete.

The other problem solved by XDOS is that of file transfer. If you have two
computers with disk drive that are incompatible, you will need to make use
of this facility. Connect the COM1: serial ports of both computers together
with a null modem cable. Issue a put command on the PC sourcing the file(s)
and issue a get command on the other PC and the file(s) will be copied over
at 115,200 baud. The put command works like the copy command in that it will
only send files that it has to, unlike LAP-LINK. The put and get commands
will also operate over a phone line via Hayes compatible modems if the baud
rate is set to 1200 or 2400 baud.

In conclusion, XDOS is a powerful tool that must be considered as an
alternative to spending hours each day battling with DOS and is a cost
effective alternative to comercial programmes. Packed with features, XDOS is
well worth a good look.