ftp.whtech.com/ftp.whtech.com.tar/ftp.whtech.com/articles/reviews/05MIC97.TXT

Text File | 2006-10-19 | 17KB | 279 lines

Microreviews for May 1997 Micropendium
by Charles Good

I remember reading in many TI newsletters 8 or 10 years ago statements
along the lines of this: "I'm NEVER gonna get one of THOSE computers.
No not me.  The good old 99/4A is all the computer I will ever need."
Such statements of course referred to IBM compatible computers, which
at the time were very very expensive and ran very expensive software.
Well folks, as we all know times have changed.  IBM compatible PC's
have become much more powerful and much much cheaper.  These days
a used 386 system with 4 megs of memory, a 100 meg hard drive and
a VGA monitor can be purchased from many sources for about $300,
and a state of the art PC can be purchased new for well under $2000.
Almost all dedicated 99/4A and Geneve users now also have an IBM
compatible at home.  All except one local member of my user group
also owns an IBM compatible machine because there are important
computing tasks that just can't currently be done with our TI
equipment.  For example, if you want use the world wide web on the
internet you can't for now do this with the good old 99/4A or Geneve.
You need a more modern PC.  Because of the fact that most 99/4A users
also own IBM compatibles is appropriate that I should review some
of the 99/4A related products that run on IBM compatibles.  You
probably all know about the emulators that can turn an IBM into a
99/4A, but you might be surprised what additional IBM-99/4A software
is available.  It is this additional software I am reviewing this
month.  The software I am reviewing  comes on IBM formatted disks
and requires at least a 386 computer (a 486 or Pentium is much better)
running Windows 3.1 or Windows 95.
----------
SCANNED IMAGES created by Bill Gaskill.

Bill has taken some gems from his extensive collection of 99/4 and
99/4A promotional hard copy materials and scanned them using a Paper
Point black and white whole page scanner.  These scanned images can
be viewed on an IBM using the Paper Point viewer program that is
available in IBM format as freeware.  The Paper Point viewer software
works with both Windows 3.1 and Windows 95.  With this free viewer
software you don't need the Paper point hardware in order to view
the scanned images.  Just run the viewer software on your IBM and
from within the viewer program click on "file" and then click on
"open".  You can then select from a list of scanned images, each
with a file name ending in ".max" to view.  Once the scanned document
page is on screen you can scroll left/right and up/down if necessary
to view the whole page.  You can also enlarge or shrink the page
on screen and you can print the page using any Windows compatible
printer.

The following scanned 99/4 (without the "a") documentation is
available.  These were distributed by TI to the public in 1979 and
1980.  Each brochure describes one peripheral and includes a picture
of a complete 99/4 system with 13 inch monitor and stand alone
peripherals.  There are separate bruchures for the speech synthesizer,
thermal printer, side car RS232, telephone coupler modem,  stand
alone floppy controller and stand alone floppy drive.  The most
interesting thing to me about these brochures is that they all
illustrate the never released and never discussed speech synthesizer
cartridge.  The little flip up door on the speech synthesizer is
designed to accept a cartridge that adds to or replaces the built
in 300 word speech vocabulary.  No mention is made of these cartridges
in the speech synthesizer brochure, which only mentions the speech
editor command module as the only mechanism available at the time
to program speech in basic.  However, a speech synthesizer cartridge
is definitely illustrated as part of the 99/4 system shown on each
brochure.

Other TI promotional brochures scanned by Bill Gaskill include the
power transformer safety notice asking users to obtain a free
modification to the original unsafe power supply.  Also available
are brochures describing the video modulator, the 10 inch color
monitor, the 99/4a console, and the peripheral expansion box system.
Also included is a complete list of TI exchange centers.  I always
thought the exchange centers were great, well above and beyond the
normal level of consumer support.  I well remember accidently spilling
Pepsi into the top vent slots of my first 99/4a console.  This taught
me that it is not a good idea to set your can of soda on top of the
computer.  My console was still under warranty, so I took it to the
TI exchange center in Dayton Ohio and said, "This doesn't seem to
be working anymore."  They gave me another working console and another
new product warranty without asking me WHY the old console ceased
to work.

Another item in the Gaskill scanned collection is a newspaper
advertisement about the Munchman offer.  This was sort of a rip off
by TI.  You got a "free" munchman cartridge, "a $39.95 value", if
you purchased six other command modules.   For many months this was
the ONLY way to obtain this cartridge.  You  couldn't find it in
any store.  It was only available "free".

One of the strangest documents Bill has scanned for us is the May
1985 press release from TexComp announcing their 99/9 computer
upgrade.  This was in part also published in Micropendium and shows
a photograph of nothing more than a console, monitor, and multiple
outlet power center.  This was model TC1 and cost $400.  The TC2
had a built in CorComp microexpansion system and cost $800.  The
TC3 had 128K of RAM, for which "no software has yet been written"
and cost $1000.  The TC4 was supposed to be a stand alone 48K
coprocessor so that one could run 99/4A software on an IBM computer,
and the model 99/9 would have a 40/80 column display and a combination
keyboard/trackball/keypad.  At the time these sounded great, but
I don't think any of these various upgrades were ever sold.  At least
TexComp never took people's money and then failed to deliver product.

Bill has also scanned in a 1992 Asgard catalog.  This is the last
of the great Asgard catalogs and is just chuck full of fantastic
software.  The catalog is over 40 pages in length.  Reading through
the software descriptions I see lots of products I wish I had.  Some
of this software has never been reviewed in Micropendium, and Chris
Bobbitt's descriptions make Asgard's software products sound eminently
useful and fun.  The vast offerings of this catalog remind us of
the go-go days of the 99/4 when new great software was coming out
all the time.

Last and certainly not least, Bill Gaskill has scanned most of the
old official TI newsletters.  This publication called "Home Computer
Newsletter" was sent out at irregular intervals to registered owners
of 99/4 and 99/4A computers.   Many of us purchased our 99/4a's in
late 1982 or 1983 and remember the newsletters TI published near
the end of the 99/4a's commercial life.  Bill has scanned newsletters
from the very first 99/4 (without the "a") newsletter in August 1980
through the March 1982 edition, a total of 11 newsletters.  They
provide a great trip down memory lane, a look at the early history
of user groups and the 99/4,  as well as some potentially new
practical information even to long time users of the 99/4a.

Available  newsletters are dated August 1980, February 1981, April
1981, May 1981, June 1981, August 1981, September 1981, October 1981,
November 1981, January 1982, and March 1982.  Bits of information
that caught my eye include the following:  Active user groups and
groups in the process of organizing are listed as are contact people
for these groups.  Some very well known user groups are included
in these lists along with a few well known TIers and many people
I have never heard of who were group officers or organizers.  Gary
Kaplan organized a user group.  This is the guy who later published
99er Magazine, and his magazine is mentioned in the TI newsletters.
The International User Group of Charles LaFara is first mentioned
in the February 1981 TI newsletter where it is called a "national"
group and claims 3000 members and a 300 program library.  At the
time this group did not charge dues.  In a later newsletter this
group changes itself to "international".  The Extended Basic Module
is announced in the February 1981 issue and a later issue quotes
a suggested price of $99.95 plus tax.  Texas Instruments participated
in a February 1982 computer expo in Orlando FL hosted by Scott and
Alexes Adams.  A TI Learning Center opened in January 1982 in the
Chicago Merchandise Mart.  You could go there to take computer courses
for adults and children in various aspects of programming the 99/4A.
The International Home Computer User's Association of Rancho Santa
Fe California (not LaFara's group.  Who were they?) according to
the January 1982 newsletter was making a video tape for learning
how to program in TI Basic.  Munch Man is actually available to
purchase according to the March  1982 newsletter.  In the January
1982 newsletter you can only get Munch Man "free" if you purchase
four command modules.  And on and on and on, a real trip down memory
lane.

All this scanned in documentation and the paper port viewing software
comes on 7 high density 3.5 inch IBM disks.  Bill Gaskill wrote to
TI asking their permission to distribute this material and they failed
to reply.  Bill sees no reason why TI would object to distributing
this promotional material so he has given his blessing to its
dissemination  To get the whole package send me $7 which includes
the cost of media and return postage.  Alternatively you can send
me a zip disk and a self addressed paid return mailer.  I'll put
the files on your zip disk and mail it back to you.
------------------
TI MODULE USER GUIDES by CADD Electronics

CADD Electronics has scanned in the user guides of all the command
modules ever published by TI and is making them available to the
TI community as IBM compatible files.  These can be viewed on screen
and printed using any computer capable of running Windows 3.1 or
Windows 95.  These are legal copies of  copyrighted TI documentation.
TI is paid a royalty for each user guide sold.

Have you ever purchased a command module used with no documentation.
How about your collection of disk versions of what was once command
module software.  I'll bet you don't have documentation for some
of these command modules on a disk.  Maybe you just lost the book
or can't find it.  For example, I have piles of TI documentation
in my attic, not very well organized.  If had to dig up the
instructions for the game Hopper I am not sure I could do so easily.
Wouldn't it be great to have all your important TI documentation,
including the XB user guide and the EA manual all neatly organized
in one easily accessible place, such as your IBM's hard drive, or
a small pile of 3.5 inch disks.  I recently purchased CADD's entire
collection of command module documentation and really appreciate
the convenience of being able to easily find and display on my IBM
any of this information.  For me this was an excellent investment
even though I already own hard copies of most of these user guides.

The user guide files are viewed on an IBM compatible using the Acrobat
reader software from the Adobe company. This software is free and
can be downloaded from the internet (www.adobe.com) or obtained from
CADD on a three disk set for a $5 copying media and postage fee.
You only need one copy of the Adobe reader to view all the user guide
files.  There are different versions of Acrobat reader for Windows
3.1 and Windows 95.  The Windows 3.1 version will not work with
Windows 95 or with Windows 3.0.  Functionally and visually the two
versions are almost identical.  You select "file" and then "open"
to load a document file.  Such files have a name ending with ".pdf".
Once loaded you can view a single page at a time scrolling up/down
and left/right.  You can greatly enlarge or reduce the page, making
the whole page fit perfectly on screen if desired.  You can also
display two pages side by side.  When moving from page to page you
can move to the next or last page by scrolling up/down or you can
go to a particular page.  Document page numbers that are displayed
at the bottom of the screen  usually don't correspond to the TI
pagination because the document cover is called page 1.  A very very
useful feature of the Adobe reader is the ability to do a string
search comparable to "find string" in TI Writer.  This lets you find
needed information in a scanned document very quickly and is much
better than using a printed index.  You can also print pages displayed
by Adobe reader, so you can if you want make printed copies of your
most important TI user guides.

The user guides are almost but not quite facsimiles of the originals.
They have been improved a bit.  Unlike the originals all major
headings have been numbered and these numbered headings have been
used to make a table of contents, something lacking in most of the
originals.  Spelling errors in the originals (yes there were some)
have been corrected and the pages renumbered so that the first text
page is page one.  The first text page is usually the inside  front
cover where the quick reference 99/4 and 99/4A keyboard chart  was
found.  In TI's originals this page was usually unnumbered.  Printed
indexes in some of the originals have been left out because  the
find string feature is so much better than an index.  All of  the
original graphics have been maintained, and the color covers  have
been scanned in all their glorious original colors.  For many  of
the user guides TI published the guides under several different
cover designs.  All of the different known TI cover designs are
included with each CADD user manual file.

My only complaint about the command module user guide scans is that
the pagination listed in the newly created table of contents does
not match the pagination displayed by the software.  The Acrobat
reader lists a "page number" at the bottom of its screen display,
and it considers the cover to be page one.  If there are two covers,
than the table of contents' page one is considered page three by
the Acrobat software.  This is kind of confusing.

The IBM file sizes of these module user guide files might surprise
you.  File size is much more dependent on how many graphics are in
the user guide than it is on the number of pages in the guide.  Thus,
the XB manual and EA manual are relatively small files which can
both fit on the same 3.5 inch high density disk with room for a third
user guide  on the same disk.  However the Video Chess user guide
with all its  chess board graphics completely fills a 3.5 inch disk.
The Microsoft Multiplan guide is the largest file and requires two
disks.  The next largest file is the TI Logo II user guide, which
will fit on a single 3.5 inch disk but only if the file is compressed.

To date 123 different command module user guides are available from
CADD.   Except for the larger files you can put 4-6 user guides on
one IBM 3.5 inch disk.  The price for most user guides is $2.  A
few of the larger user guides cost $3 each.  The entire set will
set you back almost $260, but of course you don't have to purchase
them all.  These prices are plus your media and your return postage.
You should contact CADD in advance for a price list and an estimate
of how many disks will be required.  My entire set of user guides
fits on 32 3.5 inch IBM disks.  If you are purchasing a lot of user
guides it is probably easiest to purchase one or two 25 disk packages
and send them all to CADD along with adequate return postage and
the fee for your user guides.  CADD can also put the complete
collection of user guides and the Acrobat reader software on one
Zip disk.  If you obtain the free Adobe reader software from CADD
instead of from a friend or the internet then be sure  to include
CADD's $5 copying fee and specify whether you want the Windows 3.1
or Windows 95 version.
-----------------
ACCESS:

Charles Good (source of Bill Gaskill's scanned TI promotional
documentation).  P.O. Box 647, Venedocia OH 45894.  Phone 419-667-
3131.  Preferred email address [e-mail]

CADD Electronics (source of command module user guides on IBM disks).
45 Centerville Dr., Salem NH 03079.  Phone [phone] or 603-893-
1450.