To write and edit the 22nd edition of The Secret Guide to Computers, we created 65 Word Perfect files:
Document's title File name
This 1-page memo README.22
Brochure about book BROCHURE.22
Book's cover COVER.22
Book's opening pages OPENING.22
Buyer's guide BUY.22
Chips CHIPS.22
Disks DISKS.22
Screens SCREENS.22
Printers PRINTERS.22
Other hardware OTHER.22
Software SOFTWARE.22
IBM-compatibles IBM.22
Apple APPLE.22
Alternative computers ALTER.22
Operating systems OPERATE.22
Windows 95 WIN95.22
Windows 3.1 & 3.11 WIN3.22
MS-DOS DOS.22
Mac system MAC.22
Word processing WORDPROC.22
Microsoft Word WORD.22
Ami Pro AMI.22
Q&A Write QAWRITE.22
Word Perfect WORDPERF.22
Databases DATABASE.22
Q&A File QAFILE.22
Advanced databases ADVANCED.22
Spreadsheets SPREAD.22
Excel EXCEL.22
1-2-3 & Quattro 123.22
Wild applications WILD.22
Graphics GRAPHICS.22
Desktop publishing DESKTOP.22
Multimedia MULTI.22
Modem fun MODEM.22
Internet INTERNET.22
Local-area networks LAN.22
Accounting ACCOUNT.22
Personal programs PERSONAL.22
Games GAMES.22
Artificial intelligence AI.22
Programming PROGRAM.22
BASIC fun FUN.22
Using variables VARIABLE.22
Helpful hints HINTS.22
Pretty output PRETTY.22
Fancy calculations CALCS.22
Sub stuff SUBSTUFF.22
Style STYLE.22
Weird features WEIRD.22
DBASE DBASE.22
PASCAL PASCAL.22
``C'' C.22
LOGO LOGO.22
FORTRAN FORTRAN.22
COBOL COBOL.22
Strange tongues STRANGE.22
Assembler ASS.22
Endnotes ENDNOTES.22
Repairs REPAIRS.22
Our past PAST.22
Your future FUTURE.22
Numerical analysis NUMERIC.22
Index INDEX.22
Coupons COUPONS.22 We're willing to copy those 65 files onto floppy disks and ship them to you.
Format Say which format you want: choose either ASCII or Word Perfect 5.1. If you order the ASCII format instead of Word Perfect 5.1 format, each file's extension is ``.22A'' instead of ``.22''. The ASCII files consume about 3 megabytes; The Word Perfect 5.1 files consume about 4« megabytes.
Size We'll send 1.44M disks (unless you request 1.2M, 720K, or 360K instead).
Limitations We provide these disks as a service to help other computer experts produce their own Secret Guides. The average beginner will NOT find the disks useful. Here's why. . . .
The disks contain just the 65 documents. The disks do not contain any word processors or editors to manipulate those documents and do not contain any installation routines.
To find a computer topic quickly, do not try searching through all 65 files. You'll find info faster by using the index at the back of the printed book.
The disks do not contain the book's graphics, headlines, or special symbols. (Those features were done by hand.)
If you order the ASCII format instead of Word Perfect 5.1, your disks will not contain commands for boldfacing, italics, centering, columns, etc.
To use Word Perfect 5.1 format, you must have already bought the Word Perfect 5.1 word-processing program. (Word Perfect 4.2 and 5.0 aren't adequate.)
If you try to make Word Perfect print the documents on your printer, your printouts will look uglier than our printed book. (To print our book so beautifully, we modified Word Perfect 5.1's printer driver. We printed on a Hewlett-Packard Laserjet 2 with Microsoft Z1A font cartridge; but we changed the printer driver's default font & its font-substitution tables and reduced the ``leading'' between lines.)
Who uses these disks? Most folks find the printed book more useful than the disks. The disks are useful just to authors & teachers (who use a word processor to edit the Guide, insert passages from the Guide into their own writing, and distribute those writings to readers & students), bulletin-board & Internet enthusiasts (who distribute the Guide electronically), overloaded travelers (who don't want to carry the book but don't mind carrying a notebook computer), and the blind (who use a computer's voice synthesizer to read the disks out loud).
Cost Like the book, the set of disks costs $15. You get a 20% discount for ordering 2 sets of disks, 40% for ordering 4 sets, 60% for ordering 60 sets, and 67% for ordering 666 sets.
You can combine disk orders with book orders. For example, if you order 1 book plus 1 set of disks, we'll give you a 20% discount on the whole order (since you ordered 2).
Copying the disks Like the book, the disks are copyrighted 1996 by Russ Walter. To copy the disks for your friends, just follow the rules explained in the ``Free reprints'' section of page 9 of the printed book. Notice that one rule requires you to phone Russ first at 617-666-2666. If you follow those rules, you can make as many copies as you wish, give or sell the copies to anyone, and don't pay us a cent!
Returning the disks The disks have a money-back guarantee: if you decide not to use the disks, return them anytime for a 100% refund (after erasing any copies you made).
To get your refund, the disks must be unmodified. (If you're nervous about accidentally modifying the disks, put write-protect tabs on them.)
Tell us the kind of refund you want. Do you want a check, or would you rather swap the disks for another printed copy of the book?
Hypertext We let all other companies copy our Guide, free. For example, an independent company, Window Book, has copied our Guide and invented a hypertext version of it. The hypertext version, which comes on disks, lets you view and search through the Guide more easily than if you use our original disks.
For info about Window Book's hypertext version and its price, phone Window Book at 617-661-9515. That company sets its own price. When ordering from Window Book, make sure to ask for the 22nd edition, not the 21st or earlier.
Internet Russ's Internet e-mail address is ``poo@gis.net''. (Pages 276 & 279 in INTERNET.22 incorrectly say ``poo@gis.com''.)
Free help For free help, phone Russ anytime at 617-666-2666. That number gives you better help than writing or e-mail. Phone day or night, 24 hours; he's almost always in, and he sleeps just lightly.
