I went to the Nautilus Open House on Saturday, June 19. If you were there, you probably saw me; I was the one maintaining the low profile. For those who weren't there, it was something the Metatec/Nautilus staff set up to let subscribers meet the staff, see where they work, and learn about Nautilus and multimedia in various break-out sessions. I went to a few of the sessions, and they were all very enjoyable. One of them was a sneak preview of the new Nautilus layout, due in the fall. I can tell you, we're all in for a treat come fall. And the tour of the manufacturing plant was good, even if it did take twice as long as scheduled. My only other complaint was that the schedule seemed a little uneven. There were periods where nothing was going on at all, followed by periods where *everything* was going on, and I had to pick among several interesting topics, inevitably missing some. If they have another one next year, I'll be back, if only to try to pick up some of the stuff I missed.
I decided to beat the rush, and start my political campaigning now. I've picked my candidates, and even came up with a slogan for them. Of course, a lot can happen in three years, and they both have elections to win in 1994 first. But I figured it was good for a laugh if nothing else.
Weld/Kasich '96 -- Not just any change. Change for the better.
scheduled
Author's Notessssssnnn
scheduled
So I missed one of the sessions I had planned to attend
authnote
4fPath
4anyvisible
pathName(
R & "tbkmm.sbk"
--force hidefields
textscrolled
~ fileSpec
# = "\");
4myname
><> "
y + dy > 5200
H500 + dy
x + dx > 8000
8000 - dx
doesn't intercept
-- have
8eat
*message
hides every popup on a
rPage
enterBook
textscrolled
buttonUp
enterPage
hidefields
pathName
enterBook
sizetopage
pathName
anyvisible
fPath
enterPage
hidefields
anyvisible
textscrolled
hidefields
pathName
fileSpec
buttonUp
hotword
hidefields
myname
anyvisible
hidefields
System
Arial
Arial
Symbol
Arial
System
Nerd's Eye View - Release 8.0
ngdings
y + dy > 5000
H500 + dy
x + dx > 8000
8000 - dx
doesn't intercept
-- have
8eat
*message
hides every popup on a
wincli
garbage
myname
anyvisible
aboutcol
"aboutcolumn"
buttonUp
buttonUp
aboutcolumn
About The Column
aboutauth
"aboutauth"
buttonUp
buttonUp
aboutauth
About The Author
updates
"updates"
buttonUp
buttonUp
updates
Updates
hidefields
4anyvisible
<> 0
--
, here
"atwork"
"cobol"
"hairclub"
"gizmo"
"easy"
"namenames"
"reworked"
"upgrade"
"consider"
"checkfree"
"notebook"
"atwork2"
"athome"
"twomonths"
"story"
"universe"
"pcuser"
hidefields
hidefields
atwork
cobol
hairclub
gizmo
namenames
reworked
upgrade
consider
checkfree
notebook
atwork2
athome
twomonths
story
universe
pcuser
anyvisible
HZHZHZHZ
article
I was at work the other day talking to a colleague about our planned upgrade to a newer COBOL compiler. He made some comment about the compiler we were going to being one or two versions old already, but that it was good because we wanted to stay away from "the bleeding edge." He was, of course, referring to the leading edge of technology, which often seems to be overloaded with bugs, and causes much grief and bloodshed for anybody trying to install or support it. If you wait for others to shake down a new product first, you will avoid most of the major grief experienced by those on the bleeding edge.
Being not only a consultant, but also a nerd; it is my job and my delight to seek out such grief. Not that the grief itself is delightful, but the thought of having the latest, greatest gizmo is simply too irresistible to let something like constant turmoil stop me.
And I mean Constant Turmoil. Whether it's some software package that doesn't work right under certain circumstances, or a piece of hardware conflicting with another piece of hardware, or just Windows acting flaky for some bizarre unknown reason, there's always *something* wrong with at least one of my computers. And it's not always easy to tell if it's hardware, software, some combination of hardware and/or software, or just something I'm doing wrong that's buried on page 287 of one of the manuals. Or worse yet, not documented at all.
And before I can solve one problem, I'm off installing something else that will cause two more problems, and in the process make it that much more difficult to track down the problem(s) I haven't yet figured out. And some things I never do figure out; I end up upgrading my way out of them. And into different problems.
What kind of problems have I run into? And what have I run into problems with? What follows is a few of my more memorable experiences. ###
PC Tools 7.0
This is first and foremost on my mind when the subject of buggy software comes up. I've mentioned it in this column before. I still haven't forgiven Central Point Software for it. The bugs in PC Tools 7.0 were numerous and obvious. I was especially annoyed because I lost data using it. Anything working at that low a level with your data should *work*. Especially if it worked just fine in the last version. Central Point released it too soon, end of argument. They admitted that much by sending 7.1 out free to those who bought 7.0. Central Point may have set themselves up for a fall though, because in every major version release of PC Tools from 1.0 to 7.0, they reworked the interface.
To be fair, Central Point seemed to learn its lesson, and I haven't heard of any problems with either PC Tools for DOS 8.0 or PC Tools for Windows. Although I refused to upgrade to either of these products, they both look to be pretty solid, and PC Tools for Windows is the standard against which I judge GUI shells. If version 9.0 is as solid, I might consider upgrading.
Quicken 6.0
Overall, I like Quicken 6.0, but it has had some problems. Initially, there were some problems with the Checkfree interface that they had to send me an update for. Also, the neat new QuickFill function that automatically fills in payment information tends to destroy indexes and customer support suggested that I turn it off so I wouldn't lose any data. They promised to send me a patch, but I never saw it. I also have gotten some weird error messages occasionally, which don't seem to cause any harm, but are kind of unnerving.
PCMCIA
The wave of the future. Unfortunately, not quite the wave of the present. So far, I've failed miserably to get the PCMCIA slot on my notebook computer to work. I got a PCMCIA network card, so that I could connect to the network at work, and eventually hook up to the network I'm going to be setting up at home. WinBook technical support has been promising me drivers to make it work for two months. I finally gave up and got a parallel port network adapter, which almost works. But that's another story.
Anything 1.0
Version 1.0 is something to avoid if you want to stay away from the bleeding edge. Most, if not all, of the code is brand new, so the chance of a bug creeping in is increased exponentially. This includes things like WordPerfect for Windows 5.1 and Windows NT 3.1, that inherit version numbers from other platforms.
WordPerfect for Windows 5.1 has given me some problems, including locking up my machine one time when I asked it to print a document. And NT is a huge enough product that it has no chance at all to be anything approaching stable or bug-free for quite a while after it's released. The fact that it has spent so much time as vaporware tell me that things are not all hunky-dory in Redmond, Washington.
Of the things that actually admit to being version 1.0, I've had pretty good luck recently. Lotus Organizer is pretty stable, although there are some annoying holes in functionality that I'd like to see them address in future versions. I use Organizer every day, and the minor annoyances are minor enough that I've been able to work around them or get used them. The only major complaint I have is that sometimes it *requires* a mouse, which, as I've mentioned before, is one of my pet peeves. Microsoft Access is the only other 1.0 I've used recently, and I haven't really pounded on it enough form an opinion. Besides, version 1.1 was recently released, so I could upgrade out of any problems if I had to.
The pattern I've noticed here is that it's very difficult in the PC universe to avoid the bleeding edge. There's always something new coming out. And because of the price wars, the new stuff often has a "limited time introductory offer" price. The temptation is just too great.
Even if you avoid the temptation and try to stay away from the leading edge,
it doesn't seem to work. If you have a problem with an old version, the proffered solution is likely to be, "Upgrade!" Often, the latest bug fixes require the latest version of the software, which requires the latest system software and the latest hardware. Even the most conservative PC user is dragged kicking and screaming on to the bleeding edge.
with an old version, the proffered solution is likely to be, "Upgrade!" Often, the latest bug fixes require the latest version of the software, which requires the latest system software and the latest hardware. Even the most conservative PC user is dragged kicking and screaming on to the bleeding edge.
r there.] is dragged kicking and screaming on to the bleeding edge.
Even if you avoid the temptation and try to stay away from the leading edge,
it doesn't seem to work. If you have a problem with an old version, the proffered solution is likely to be, "Upgrade!" Often, the latest bug fixes require the latest version of the software, which requires the latest system software and the latest hardware. Even the most conservative PC user [or Mac user for that matter. From what I hear, it's just as bad over there.] is dragged kicking and screaming on to the bleeding edge.
ding edge.
bleeding edge.
hear, it's just as bad over there.] is dragged kicking and screaming on to the bleeding edge.
creaming on to the bleeding edge.
t conservative PC user [or Mac user for that matter. From what I hear, it's just as bad over there.] is dragged kicking and screaming on to the bleeding edge.
to the bleeding edge.
g and screaming on to the bleeding edge.
PC user [or Mac user for that matter. From what I hear, it's just as bad over there.] is dragged kicking and screaming on to the bleeding edge.
ing edge.
cking and screaming on to the bleeding edge.
d over there.] is dragged kicking and screaming on to the bleeding edge.
s dragged kicking and screaming on to the bleeding edge.
it doesn't seem to work. If you have a problem with an old version, the proffered solution is likely to be, "Upgrade!" Often, the latest bug fixes require the latest version of the software, which requires the latest system software and the latest hardware. Even the most conservative PC user [or Mac user for that matter. From what I hear, it's just as bad over there.] is dragged kicking and screaming on to the bleeding edge.
challenge.
This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
an unbelievable amount of information out there. Finding what you need can be quite a challenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
uite a challenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
e. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
lenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
allenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
eet that challenge.
g what you need can be quite a challenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
got a notebook!
decision to buy. That was over two months ago, as I write this. Now PC-Tools for Windows is out, and a friend of mine tells me it's really neat. But I'm not ready to take that risk yet. Instead, I'm seriously considering Norton.
Conclusion
As I said at the top, I like MS-DOS 6. It installed so cleanly, I was recommending it to friends before I'd even had a chance to really use it. It adds several utilities, which bring the lowest common denominator up yet another notch. And everything I've tried has been rock solid. Of the things that I haven't had a chance to try yet [most notably, Doublespace], I've heard nothing but good things. Buy it now, before the price goes up.
9.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
129.95 after that.] goes up.
5 after that.] goes up.
5 after that.] goes up.
y 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
y 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
d retail: $49.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
gested retail: $49.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
1, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
gested retail: $49.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
9.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
the price [Suggested retail: $49.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
er that.] goes up.
"Home Row" to jump to the mouse to move around. And when your mouse gets crowded
out of your desk by junk, it's nice to be able to get where you're going without jockeying
around everything on the desk to get to the mouse.
Mouse - Mouses [This word has cause no small amount of controversy. As far as I'm
concerned, "mice" refers to rodents, "mouses" refers to computing devices. You got a
problem with that?] don't make sense. You have this thing connected to a long cable that
you have to move around on top of your desk, so that a little arrow on the screen points
to something. Then you push a button on the mouse [called "clicking" because the button
clicks when you push it. Pretty weird when you think about it, isn't it?] and something
happens. Nobody ever has quite enough space on their desk for a mouse. Still, we all
have them, and we use them all the time. Go figure.
Trackball - An upside-down mouse. Similar enough to a mouse that Microsoft calls
their trackball a mouse. [Which I think should be a crime punishable by death.] The
thing about trackballs is that they don't move around, making them great for portables.
They're also great for playing Missle Command.
Pen - This is what prompted the whole column. Pens are neat. You write on the screen,
and it shows up. The problem is that the pen advocates decided pens were the do-all and
end-all. So most pen computers are portable tablet things with no other means of input.
No, I don't want to do my Word Processing longhand, thank you. And most of us don't
have the budget to buy a computer just because it's neat. So it became a niche product.
Look for that to change, as everyone realizes that pens are just another input device.
And not just for portables. I want a pen that I can add to my desktop machine. [especially
since I don't currently have a portable.]
Touch Screen - I first saw touch screens at the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville,
Tennessee. Touch screens are great for selecting options from a menu. They seem to
be making the biggest appearance right now in the sub-computer market. The newest
Sharp Wizard [OZ-9600, I think.] has one. And one of the Casio Data Bank series of
watches does, too.
Stylus and Pad - Sort of like a pen, except you have a special surface to write on. In the
absence of a pen, this would be neat to have to be able to put handwriting directly into a
document. [like a signature.] Actually, any kind of writing or drawing is really a pain
with a mouse; a stylus/pad or pen would be much better for this.
Scanner - Scanners come in two flavors: hand scanners and flatbed scanners. Hand
scanners are cheaper; flatbed scanners are nicer. They both allow you to scan pictures
into your computer. But I understand they're a pain to set up. [just like any other PC
device, I suppose.]
Joystick - Joysticks seem to be the Hula Hoop of the '80s. They're great for action
games, but we, of course, don't play games on our PCs. And Nintendo decided that the
video game system of the '90s should have a Controller From Hell.
Voice - Every once in a while, somebody makes a big deal about voice control of
computers. It's not quite here yet. The world will be a noisier place when it arrives. But
voice control is no more going to be the do-all, end-all than pen computing is. After all,
even on Star Trek, where they do have voice control, they still have push-buttons [old
Trek] or touch pads [new Trek] that they use most of the time. [Ever notice that the
buttons/pads aren't labeled? Talk about user un-friendly! No wonder it takes so long to
get through the Acadamy.]
So is it too much to ask to have all of those devices on my system at once, without
costing me an arm and a leg? At the moment, I think the answer is yes. Especially in the
PC world, where we have slots and IRQs to contend with.
But having only one input device [usually a keyboard] isn't enough anymore. Even on a
portable. For most PC portables, you have to get a trackball with a little clamp to attach
to the side of your machine. But portables are now coming out with multiple input
devices built in. One really neat example is the GRiD Convertible by GRiD Systems.
It's a pen machine that opens up to reveal a keyboard underneath. This is the kind of
thing that is going to open up pen computing to the rest of us. Another good merging of
input devices is the PowerBook by Apple. Sure, it's a Mac, but Apple did a really good
job putting a keyboard and a trackball in the same form factor all the same. Almost
makes me want to get a Mac.
So, where do we go from here? I think we are going to see a continuing expansion in the
number of input devices connected to any particular computer. Which means that users
[including us power users] will be able to use the best tool for the job, instead of just
making do with what they have. [When you need a big black permanent ink marker, using
a pencil is really difficult.] Look for it to happen. The standard computer configuration
of the next century will include not just a pen, but also a keyboard, a touch screen, and a
microphone.
atwork
cobol
hairclub
gizmo
namenames
reworked
upgrade
consider
checkfree
notebook
atwork2
athome
twomonths
story
universe
pcuser
"authnote"
buttonUp
buttonUp
authnote
The Bleeding Edge
story
For those who are interested, here's the story: I can't get Windows to load in enhanced mode while the network drivers and EMM386 are both loaded. I called Xircom technical support, and we verified that it wasn't my machine (again), so they sent me a new card to see if it was the adapter. No luck. That was last week, and I haven't called the support line back to try the next round. If I disable EMM386, I can get everything to work, but then I only have 380-390K DOS sessions, which isn't always enough. <Sigh>>
pcuser
or Mac user for that matter. From what I hear, it's just as bad over there.
universe
I used the term "universe" because I wanted to avoid plugging that print magazine with the other name. I didn't want you to think I was biased, even if their multimedia section did give my column a good review. Actually, the review was an afterthought, but I figured it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.WO
twomonths
and counting
notebook
MEI's WinBook, see "The Nerd's New Notebook" in the June, 1993, issue of Nautilus for more information.
athome
i.e. my other work.
namenames
This is where I get to name names and point fingers! But seriously, this can help figure out what when wrong and how to (try to) avoid it in the future.
checkfree
which is what I depend on to pay my bills.ER
upgrade
it didn't help Central Point's case when I went to a demo of PC Tools for DOS 8.0, and the person giving the demo knew less about the product than most of the audience.?S
consider
if I'm not using OS/2 by then.
reworked
and I suspect they also rewrote most of the code.
gizmo
be it hardware, software, or something else entirely.
atwork2
i.e. my current project
or indeed possible
hairclub
Sort of like the hair club for men: I'm not just a consultant, I'm also a client.
cobol
I know, I know. But at least I'm not programming in it any more.
atwork
I'm currently in a long term project for a mainframe shop that is moving toward doing development on the PC. It's not the most exciting project in the world, but it's managed to pay the bills off and on for the past six years. My educational background is in mainframe COBOL, though my personal background is in micros, and predates the original IBM PC. At the moment, I'm trying to do both, which is actually the coolest part of this job.
on the PC. It's not the most exciting project in the world, but it's managed to pay the bills off and on for the past six years. My educational background is in mainframe COBOL, though my personal background is in micros, and predates the original IBM PC. At the moment, I'm trying to do both, which is actually the coolest part of this job.
shioned procrastination. But it *sounds* better the other way, doesn't it?
aboutcolumn
About the Columnrrrrrr
aboutauth
Nerd's Eye View is a non-technical opinion column from the perspective of a person who pretty much fits the stereotypical description of a "nerd" (see About the Author for more information). While the column is intended to be non-technical, it covers a wide range of subject matter of interest to the author, some of which is technical in nature (as evidenced by the first column in the series, about Windows vs. OS/2). However, even in these situations, the treatment of the subjects will be as non-technical as possible.
The author hopes to demonstrate that nerds do in fact have interests away from their computers, and opinions on a wide range of topics, whether computer-related or not. The author does not for a minute suggest that his opinions represent those of nerds as a group, any more than they would represent human beings as a group. The author's opinions are his own, and he respectfully requests that you consider them only on their own merit.
The author wishes to emphasize that his opinions are his own, and they do not necessarily represent those of the editors or publishers of this (or any other) publication. The author encourages opposing viewpoints that are intelligent and well-considered, and will accept all others.
vigational hints:
Square boxes surrounding words or groups of words represent "Hotwords." Click on a hotword to get more information. Click on it again to make the information go away.
Navigational hint:
Square boxes surrounding words or groups of words represent "Hotwords." Click on a hotword to display more information. Click on it again to hide the information.
return
"main"
buttonUp
buttonUp
Return
aboutauth
hidefields
4anyvisible
<> 0
"young"
"short"
"pcorrect"
"humanities"
"think"
"hyper"
"neat"
"works"
"every"
hidefields
hidefields
young
short
pcorrect
humanities
think
hyper
works
every
anyvisible
About the Author'
aboutauth
The author is your classic nerd: a young male, white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant, upper-middle class technophile. His only saving grace to the "Politically Correct" is that he's short. A typical nerd, he has generally had problems with the humanities. Why would one such as the author want to write an opinion column? Well, even nerds have opinions. But they're certainly not going to call the Times-Post-Dispatch-Informer and say, "Can you give me a few inches in this Thursday's Accent?" No self-respecting nerd would even think of such a thing. It has to be Hypertext, Multimedia, and, preferably, distributed on CD-ROM. Something another nerd can look at and say, "Wow! Neat!" If it happens to be coherent, so much the better. And what does the author do when he's not writing opinion columns? He works with computers, of course.....se.computers, of course....mer/Analyst, Consulant; he's had about every computer title ever invented (save Technical Writer, of course)] with computers, of course....f course)] with computers, of course....ogrammer/Analyst, Consulant; he's had about every computer title ever invented (save Technical Writer, of course)] with computers, of course....uter title ever invented (save Technical Writer, of course)] with computers, of course....ented (save Technical Writer, of course)] with computers, of course....ourse)] with computers, of course.... computers, of course.
young
pcorrect
short
humanities
think
hyper
works
pcorrect
an oxymoron, if there ever was oneO
young
still under 30, anyway
humanities
You know: English, history, public speaking, writing opinion columnsO
think
That this author thought of it is one of the reasons the column is written anonymously.
hyper
For you historians looking back at this with your holographic, organic computers, those things were all state-of-the-art in the early 1990's.
"Cool!" is an acceptable alternative.
works
Programmer, Analyst, Programmer/Analyst, Consultant; he's had about every computer title ever invented)ave Technical Writer, of course))
every
every
except, not surprisingly, Technical Writer, of coursee's had about every computer title ever invented (save Technical Writer, of course)7
short
vertically challenged
4anyvisible
"every"
- 1
buttonUp
buttonUp
every
anyvisible
aboutauth
updates
hidefields
4anyvisible
<> 0
--
, here
hidefields
hidefields
anyvisible
updatefield
The Updates section contains an index of previous Nerd's Eye View columns, with updated materials from time to time.
Release 7.0 - Information
(Appeared on Nautilus July 1993, Vol 3-7)
Release 6.0 - The Nerd's New Notebook
(Appeared on Nautilus June 1993, Vol 3-6)
See the main column text for more on The Nerd's New Notebook.
Release 5.0 - MS-DOS 6.0
(Appeared on Nautilus May 1993, Vol 3-5)
Release 4.0 - Input Devices
(Appeared on Nautilus April 1993, Vol 3-4)
Release 3.0 - Bill Clinton
(Appeared on Nautilus February 1993, Vol 3-2)
The tax-and-spend budget bill authored by the president and the Democrats in Congress sqeaked through both houses of Congress. I phoned both of my Senators and my representative in the House to voice my opposition to the bill. The senators, both Democrats, voted for it, and the house member, a Republican, not only voted against it, but sent me a letter letting me know her views on the matter.
Release 2.0 - Marge Schott
(Appeared on Nautilus January 1993, Vol 3-1)
I saw a Marge Schott bio in the bookstores. I haven't read it yet, and may not. I'll let you know.
Release 1.0 - Windows vs. OS/2
(Appeared on Nautilus Vol 2-13)
I want to get OS/2 2.1, but I need to free 30-40 megs from my C: drive. Also, I'm not ready for a major upheaval of my system at the moment. I'm not getting along with Windows very well right now, so when I do finally get OS/2 working, I may make it my primary environment. If it does better than Windows, that is. See the main column text for more on major upheavals.
(Author's Note is a place for the author to give you, as he likes to put it, "a look at the nerd behind The Nerd.")
Another column in the bag! It's not easy coming up with something that I can write 1500-2000 words about, that's of interest to both myself and (hopefully) the Nautilus readership, and that isn't too political. The fact that I've always had problems with writing doesn't help. I keep trying to get it *right*, but writing isn't something you can get *right*; sometimes you just have to settle for good enough. It's good practice for the rest of my life. ###
If I make it sound like writing this column is a chore, to a certain extent it is. But I feel like I have something to say, so I'm not going to shy away from it. Sometimes I like to tackle new or difficult things just for the sake of the knowledge I gain from them. I learned to drive a stick-shift for much the same reason. Of course, this is harder, but then again, it's more satisfying.
On my doctor's orders, I'm working to relieve some of the stress in my life, with limited success. Something always seems to come up. Last week it was taxes. The four month extension I filed in April expired last week, so I had to get them done. This week it has been the column. Next week, I expect it will be the financial report for the investment club I'm in. I stepped down as financial partner at the last meeting, which is a great relief of stress, but I have to break in the new person, so it hasn't gone away totally. And on and on.
In "The Nerd's New Notebook," I mentioned several things I wanted to get, like a 486 and a new printer. Well, my cash flow situation has been pretty good recently, with an expected tax refund and my grandfather's estate being finally settled, so I expect to have a new 486 by the time you read this. I'm still shopping. The printer I got last month, an HP Deskjet 500C.
One last thing: a new feature I'm introducing this month called "Quote of the Month". The really neat quote I saw that inspired this feature is long since forgotten, but here's another favorite.
Quote of the Month
Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure. --- Earl Wilson
a matter of luck. Ask any failure. --- Earl Wilson
e forgotten, but here's another favorite.
Quote of the Month
Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure. --- Earl Wilson
Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure. --- Earl Wilson
One last thing: a new feature I'm introducing this month called "Quote of the Month". While I may not have comments every month, I will have a quote. The really neat quote I saw that inspired this feature is long since forgotten, but here's another favorite.
Quote of the Month
Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure. --- Earl Wilson
is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure. --- Earl Wilson
Author's Notessssssnnn
settled
perfectionist
political
settled
political
I added that last one after the response from Release 3.0 on Bill Clinton.
I just noticed: substitute the "*right*" above with "perfect" it still makes sense. I'm a perfectionist. It's not exactly a revelation.
I didn't inherit anything, but I got an executor's fee.
hidefields
4anyvisible
<> 0
--
, here
"political"
"perfectionist"
"settled"
hidefields
hidefields
political
perfectionist
settled
anyvisible
hidefields
4anyvisible
<> 0
--
, here
"atwork"
"cobol"
"hairclub"
"gizmo"
"easy"
"namenames"
"reworked"
"upgrade"
"consider"
"checkfree"
"notebook"
"atwork2"
"athome"
"twomonths"
"story"
"universe"
"pcuser"
hidefields
hidefields
atwork
cobol
hairclub
gizmo
namenames
reworked
upgrade
consider
checkfree
notebook
atwork2
athome
twomonths
story
universe
pcuser
anyvisible
OvONP
PBQ:R
HZHZHZHZ
article
I was at work the other day talking to a colleague about our planned upgrade to a newer COBOL compiler. He made some comment about the compiler we were going to being one or two versions old already, but that it was good because we wanted to stay away from "the bleeding edge." He was, of course, referring to the leading edge of technology, which often seems to be overloaded with bugs, and causes much grief and bloodshed for anybody trying to install or support it. If you wait for others to shake down a new product first, you will avoid most of the major grief experienced by those on the bleeding edge.
Being not only a consultant, but also a nerd; it is my job and my delight to seek out such grief. Not that the grief itself is delightful, but the thought of having the latest, greatest gizmo is simply too irresistible to let something like constant turmoil stop me.
And I mean Constant Turmoil. Whether it's some software package that doesn't work right under certain circumstances, or a piece of hardware conflicting with another piece of hardware, or just Windows acting flaky for some bizarre unknown reason, there's always *something* wrong with at least one of my computers. And it's not always easy to tell if it's hardware, software, some combination of hardware and/or software, or just something I'm doing wrong that's buried on page 287 of one of the manuals. Or worse yet, not documented at all.
And before I can solve one problem, I'm off installing something else that will cause two more problems, and in the process make it that much more difficult to track down the problem(s) I haven't yet figured out. And some things I never do figure out; I end up upgrading my way out of them. And into different problems.
What kind of problems have I run into? And what have I run into problems with? What follows is a few of my more memorable experiences. ###
PC Tools 7.0
This is first and foremost on my mind when the subject of buggy software comes up. I've mentioned it in this column before. I still haven't forgiven Central Point Software for it. The bugs in PC Tools 7.0 were numerous and obvious. I was especially annoyed because I lost data using it. Anything working at that low a level with your data should *work*. Especially if it worked just fine in the last version. Central Point released it too soon, end of argument. They admitted that much by sending 7.1 out free to those who bought 7.0. Central Point may have set themselves up for a fall though, because in every major version release of PC Tools from 1.0 to 7.0, they reworked the interface.
To be fair, Central Point seemed to learn its lesson, and I haven't heard of any problems with either PC Tools for DOS 8.0 or PC Tools for Windows. Although I refused to upgrade to either of these products, they both look to be pretty solid, and PC Tools for Windows is the standard against which I judge GUI shells. If version 9.0 is as solid, I might consider upgrading.
Quicken 6.0
Overall, I like Quicken 6.0, but it has had some problems. Initially, there were some problems with the Checkfree interface [which is what I depend on to pay my bills.] that they had to send me an update for. Also, the neat new QuickFill function that automatically fills in payment information tends to destroy indexes and customer support suggested that I turn it off so I wouldn't lose any data. They promised to send me a patch, but I never saw it. I also have gotten some weird error messages occasionally, which don't seem to cause any harm, but are kind of unnerving.
PCMCIA
The wave of the future. Unfortunately, not quite the wave of the present. So far, I've failed miserably to get the PCMCIA slot on my notebook computer [MEI's WinBook, see "The Nerd's New Notebook" in the June, 1993, issue of Nautilus for more information.] to work. I got a PCMCIA network card, so that I could connect to the network at work [i.e. my current project], and eventually hook up to the network I'm going to be setting up at home [i.e. my other work.]. WinBook technical support has been promising me drivers to make it work for two months [and counting]. I finally gave up and got a parallel port network adapter, which almost works. But that's another story. [For those who are interested, here's the story: I can't get Windows to load in enhanced mode while the network drivers and EMM386 are both loaded. I called Xircom technical support, and we verified that it wasn't my machine (again), so they sent me a new card to see if it was the adapter. No luck. That was last week, and I haven't called the support line back to try the next round. If I disable EMM386, I can get everything to work, but then I only have 380- 390K DOS sessions, which isn't always enough. <Sigh>]
Anything 1.0
Version 1.0 is something to avoid if you want to stay away from the bleeding edge. Most, if not all, of the code is brand new, so the chance of a bug creeping in is increased exponentially. This includes things like WordPerfect for Windows 5.1 and Windows NT 3.1, that inherit version numbers from other platforms.
WordPerfect for Windows 5.1 has given me some problems, including locking up my machine one time when I asked it to print a document. And NT is a huge enough product that it has no chance at all to be anything approaching stable or bug-free for quite a while after it's released. The fact that it has spent so much time as vaporware tell me that things are not all hunky-dory in Redmond, Washington.
Of the things that actually admit to being version 1.0, I've had pretty good luck recently. Lotus Organizer is pretty stable, although there are some annoying holes in functionality that I'd like to see them address in future versions. I use Organizer every day, and the minor annoyances are minor enough that I've been able to work around them or get used them. The only major complaint I have is that sometimes it *requires* a mouse, which, as I've mentioned before, is one of my pet peeves. Microsoft Access is the only other 1.0 I've used recently, and I haven't really pounded on it enough form an opinion. Besides, version 1.1 was recently released, so I could upgrade out of any problems if I had to.
The pattern I've noticed here is that it's very difficult in the PC universe [I used the term "universe" because I wanted to avoid plugging that print magazine with the other name. I didn't want you to think I was biased, even if their multimedia section did give my column a good review. Actually, the review was an afterthought, but I figured it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.] to avoid the bleeding edge. There's always something new coming out. And because of the price wars, the new stuff often has a "limited time introductory offer" price. The temptation is just too great.
Even if you avoid the temptation and try to stay away from the leading edge,
it doesn't seem to work. If you have a problem with an old version, the proffered solution is likely to be, "Upgrade!" Often, the latest bug fixes require the latest version of the software, which requires the latest system software and the latest hardware. Even the most conservative PC user [or Mac user for that matter. From what I hear, it's just as bad over there.] is dragged kicking and screaming on to the bleeding edge.
t conservative PC user [or Mac user for that matter. From what I hear, it's just as bad over there.] is dragged kicking and screaming on to the bleeding edge.
to the bleeding edge.
g and screaming on to the bleeding edge.
PC user [or Mac user for that matter. From what I hear, it's just as bad over there.] is dragged kicking and screaming on to the bleeding edge.
ing edge.
cking and screaming on to the bleeding edge.
d over there.] is dragged kicking and screaming on to the bleeding edge.
s dragged kicking and screaming on to the bleeding edge.
it doesn't seem to work. If you have a problem with an old version, the proffered solution is likely to be, "Upgrade!" Often, the latest bug fixes require the latest version of the software, which requires the latest system software and the latest hardware. Even the most conservative PC user [or Mac user for that matter. From what I hear, it's just as bad over there.] is dragged kicking and screaming on to the bleeding edge.
challenge.
This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
an unbelievable amount of information out there. Finding what you need can be quite a challenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
uite a challenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
e. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
lenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
allenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
eet that challenge.
g what you need can be quite a challenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
got a notebook!
decision to buy. That was over two months ago, as I write this. Now PC-Tools for Windows is out, and a friend of mine tells me it's really neat. But I'm not ready to take that risk yet. Instead, I'm seriously considering Norton.
Conclusion
As I said at the top, I like MS-DOS 6. It installed so cleanly, I was recommending it to friends before I'd even had a chance to really use it. It adds several utilities, which bring the lowest common denominator up yet another notch. And everything I've tried has been rock solid. Of the things that I haven't had a chance to try yet [most notably, Doublespace], I've heard nothing but good things. Buy it now, before the price goes up.
9.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
129.95 after that.] goes up.
5 after that.] goes up.
5 after that.] goes up.
y 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
y 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
d retail: $49.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
gested retail: $49.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
1, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
gested retail: $49.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
9.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
the price [Suggested retail: $49.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
er that.] goes up.
"Home Row" to jump to the mouse to move around. And when your mouse gets crowded
out of your desk by junk, it's nice to be able to get where you're going without jockeying
around everything on the desk to get to the mouse.
Mouse - Mouses [This word has cause no small amount of controversy. As far as I'm
concerned, "mice" refers to rodents, "mouses" refers to computing devices. You got a
problem with that?] don't make sense. You have this thing connected to a long cable that
you have to move around on top of your desk, so that a little arrow on the screen points
to something. Then you push a button on the mouse [called "clicking" because the button
clicks when you push it. Pretty weird when you think about it, isn't it?] and something
happens. Nobody ever has quite enough space on their desk for a mouse. Still, we all
have them, and we use them all the time. Go figure.
Trackball - An upside-down mouse. Similar enough to a mouse that Microsoft calls
their trackball a mouse. [Which I think should be a crime punishable by death.] The
thing about trackballs is that they don't move around, making them great for portables.
They're also great for playing Missle Command.
Pen - This is what prompted the whole column. Pens are neat. You write on the screen,
and it shows up. The problem is that the pen advocates decided pens were the do-all and
end-all. So most pen computers are portable tablet things with no other means of input.
No, I don't want to do my Word Processing longhand, thank you. And most of us don't
have the budget to buy a computer just because it's neat. So it became a niche product.
Look for that to change, as everyone realizes that pens are just another input device.
And not just for portables. I want a pen that I can add to my desktop machine. [especially
since I don't currently have a portable.]
Touch Screen - I first saw touch screens at the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville,
Tennessee. Touch screens are great for selecting options from a menu. They seem to
be making the biggest appearance right now in the sub-computer market. The newest
Sharp Wizard [OZ-9600, I think.] has one. And one of the Casio Data Bank series of
watches does, too.
Stylus and Pad - Sort of like a pen, except you have a special surface to write on. In the
absence of a pen, this would be neat to have to be able to put handwriting directly into a
document. [like a signature.] Actually, any kind of writing or drawing is really a pain
with a mouse; a stylus/pad or pen would be much better for this.
Scanner - Scanners come in two flavors: hand scanners and flatbed scanners. Hand
scanners are cheaper; flatbed scanners are nicer. They both allow you to scan pictures
into your computer. But I understand they're a pain to set up. [just like any other PC
device, I suppose.]
Joystick - Joysticks seem to be the Hula Hoop of the '80s. They're great for action
games, but we, of course, don't play games on our PCs. And Nintendo decided that the
video game system of the '90s should have a Controller From Hell.
Voice - Every once in a while, somebody makes a big deal about voice control of
computers. It's not quite here yet. The world will be a noisier place when it arrives. But
voice control is no more going to be the do-all, end-all than pen computing is. After all,
even on Star Trek, where they do have voice control, they still have push-buttons [old
Trek] or touch pads [new Trek] that they use most of the time. [Ever notice that the
buttons/pads aren't labeled? Talk about user un-friendly! No wonder it takes so long to
get through the Acadamy.]
So is it too much to ask to have all of those devices on my system at once, without
costing me an arm and a leg? At the moment, I think the answer is yes. Especially in the
PC world, where we have slots and IRQs to contend with.
But having only one input device [usually a keyboard] isn't enough anymore. Even on a
portable. For most PC portables, you have to get a trackball with a little clamp to attach
to the side of your machine. But portables are now coming out with multiple input
devices built in. One really neat example is the GRiD Convertible by GRiD Systems.
It's a pen machine that opens up to reveal a keyboard underneath. This is the kind of
thing that is going to open up pen computing to the rest of us. Another good merging of
input devices is the PowerBook by Apple. Sure, it's a Mac, but Apple did a really good
job putting a keyboard and a trackball in the same form factor all the same. Almost
makes me want to get a Mac.
So, where do we go from here? I think we are going to see a continuing expansion in the
number of input devices connected to any particular computer. Which means that users
[including us power users] will be able to use the best tool for the job, instead of just
making do with what they have. [When you need a big black permanent ink marker, using
a pencil is really difficult.] Look for it to happen. The standard computer configuration
of the next century will include not just a pen, but also a keyboard, a touch screen, and a
microphone.
atwork
cobol
hairclub
gizmo
namenames
reworked
upgrade
consider
checkfree
notebook
atwork2
athome
twomonths
story
universe
pcuser
"authnote"
buttonUp
buttonUp
authnote
The Bleeding Edge
tanstaafl
"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch" from The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
confirmed
On the other hand, I confirmed the origin of TANSTAAFL (which I mention below) by looking through my Heinlein books. Even fiction can be reference in the proper context.
fiction
and most of the fiction are science fiction or fantasyMM
books
I'm part of that 4.8 percent in a recent USA Today poll who buy 25 or more books a month
reference
whether or not I'm actually able to find anything is another story.
clubs
everything from the Auto Club to the National Space Society to the International Jugglers' Association.
File Transfer Protocol
friend
a different friend from the one I mentioned previously. Contrary to popular belief, The Nerd does in fact have more than one friend.
well, 15 minute delayed, but we're talking closing prices anyway.
at that time, anywayuQ
namenames
This is where I get to name names and point fingers! But seriously, this can help figure out what when wrong and how to (try to) avoid it in the future.
Vess.mR
localbbs
Colossus, the Bulletin Board System of the Columbus Computer Society.
Ses are "echoed" from one BBS to another on their way around the world.
consider
if I'm not using OS/2 by then.
upgrade
Smmentary section...
reworked
and I suspect they also rewrote most of the code.
T what kind of neat stuff's in there.
gizmo
be it hardware, software, or something else entirely.
Personal Information Manager.
windham
which is remarkable in that this is not the type of music I normally enjoy.
hairclub
Sort of like the hair club for men: I'm not just a consultant, I'm also a client.
cobol
I know, I know. But at least I'm not programming in it any more.
atwork
I'm currently in a long term project for a mainframe shop that is moving toward doing development on the PC. It's not the most exciting project in the world, but it's managed to pay the bills off and on for the past six years. My educational background is in mainframe COBOL, though my personal background is in micros, and predates the original IBM PC. At the moment, I'm trying to do both, which is actually the coolest part of this job.#Z
or indeed possible
it didn't help Central Point's case when I went to a demo of PC Tools for DOS 8.0, and the person giving the demo knew less about the product than most of the audience.
(.txt)