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1991-12-26
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Peoria, Illinois
December 9, 1991
POSTCARD
117,536 bytes
Defining the meaning of the term: "Mean and Lean"
PostCard is a fast name, address and telephone directory that includes
its own dialer and terminal program and uses intuitive hot keys, in-memory
sorting and binary searching to speed its operation.
PostCard's data files hold approximately 240 records each and are
stored in internal memory, which makes sorting or searching very fast. You
can have up to 50 data files in the current version. Because you can
change data files quickly and find any record in any data file quickly; you
can typically access a very large number of records in 5 seconds or less,
which is generally desirable but indispensable when you want to put someone
on hold and dial a second number to link them in on a three-way conference
call.
PostCard has undergone extensive on-the-job testing and basically
challenges the way many people use a telephone and, in some respects, the
way they use a computer. Its design criteria have not changed since its
inception: Speed is first; ease of use is second; and size is third. It
is designed for people who use a phone frequently and use software as a
tool rather than a form of entertainment or a status symbol; who don't have
a lot of time to spend learning how to use a piece of software; and who
evaluate software on objective criteria: how much will it do; how fast will
it do it; how much overhead does it require; and how much does it cost?
And...Can I try it BEFORE I buy it and see if it's as great as you say it
is? To paraphrase an old cliché: Value rests in the eye of its beholder.
Some of PostCard's features include:
1. PostCard has a small menu feature called LeMenu which allows you
to store the paths and names of six frequently used programs or
utilities and call them quickly by pressing one key.
2. A perpetual calendar that will display each month from the year
1899 to the year 2099. When the calendar is invoked, it uses
your computer's clock to display the current month. The <arrow>
keys on your keypad can then be used to go backward or forward
in time.
3. A NotePad to attach a note up to 12 lines long to any record.
When a record has a note attached, the record number is dis-
played in red when the record is current to inform the user a
note is attached to the record.
4. You can export a record from any data file and import it into
any other PostCard data file quickly.
5. Each record has a 40 character Note line that is displayed when
the record is current. In addition to keeping short notes on the
Note line, you can imbed keywords and later search for them.
During a search, PostCard will start with the note in the first
record of a data file and proceed through each record's Note line.
Each time PostCard finds the keyword, it will pause and you
can dial a number or tell PostCard to go on searching for the
next occurrance of the keyword. This is handy for selective dialing
by subject or locating a record by criteria other than a name.
6. You can print 3-line or 4-line address labels. Separate commands
allow you to print a label for only the current record or print
labels for all records in the data file. PostCard's label printing
capability assumes your printer recognizes Epson control char-
acters (most do) and small, continuous form Avery-type address
labels. The author uses an A/B switch box and two printers, one
of which he bought used. There are many good, used impact
printers on the market now that are ideal for label printing and
priced very reasonably.
7. PostCard uses intuitive hot keys to invoke its commands, but it
also has a hybrid menu bar for users who prefer not to use Alt-
or Ctrl- keys. PostCard has always had a superior interface
which makes it fast and easy to learn.
8. Each record can hold two telephone numbers (home/work, etc.).
9. PostCard can call a user-extendable area code file to look up the
postal abbreviations of all states and the area codes of several
hundred cities. PostCard can also search for city or state names.
This algorithm isn't perfect yet, but is far enough along to re-
lease for general use.
10. PostCard has an efficient line editor for quickly and easily
modifying records and entering verifying responses. You can't
delete a record, for example, until you confirm that you really
want to, but it doesn't take long to say yes, and once you do...
Zam! It's gone and the file resorted while other programs would
still be sloshing through dialogue boxes or pulling in another
record from disk. In fact, you can do just about anything quickly
in PostCard because it was written to be fast, whether you're
calling a voice phone, a bulletin board, printing a label, calling
a utility program or just doing file maintenance.
11. PostCard's binary search algorithm works with varying degrees of
specificity. You can search for 'Landers', for example by entering
"L" or "la" or "Lan" or "LAND". But once you input how specific
you want the search to be, it doesn't take long to get through
240 records when they're in memory...whether they're in the front,
the back or the middle of the file. Press <Enter> and you're there!
12. For users who have screen blankers, PostCard can be set to stop
updating the screen with the current time so it won't defeat
your blanker.
13. Users who have to provide an access code to use a phone carrier
can use the tilde '~' as a dialing modifier which will permit them
to expand PostCard's telephone number field from 18 to 28 digits.
14. PostCard comes with easy-to-use utility programs to split PostCard
data files into two separate files; translate PostCard data files
into ASCII or delimited ASCII files for importing into mail merge
programs, word processors, Windows' Cardfiler, etc.; print 4" X 6"
continuous form postcards; and generate quick listings of each
record in a data file with all of the information in an abbrev-
iated and very readable format.
15. You can use AirMail to call information services or bulletin boards
and upload or download files, check and retrieve Email, Chat, etc.
All it takes to set up AirMail for communications is the addition
of four parameters on PostCard's Note line: Baud rate, parity,
echo and protocol, all of which is accomplished in an easy to
learn format and is illustrated in a sample data file. You'll find
more information about AirMail below because it is not a typical
terminal program.
AirMail uses PostCard's records as a dialing directory. It is small,
efficient and capable but sacrifices function for simplicity and speed. It
has no host, no script language, no color graphics capability and no
terminal emulations. On the other hand, it doesn't have seven screens of
parameters, numerous help screens, or a manual two inches thick. It was
written to be used in conjunction with PostCard and, if you use PostCard
extensively, there is no other program that will let you shift from voice
to data calls more quickly. AirMail was designed for people who need to
upload or download files, but don't call seventeen bulletin boards a day;
don't need VT-100 emulation; don't need a host; and don't want to absorb 1
megabyte or more of valuable hard drive calling only a few boards a week.
AirMail supports traditional protocols like Xmodem, but also permits
the use of state-of-the-art protocols like Chuck Forsberg's Zmodem, Ymodem
Batch and Ymodem-g, without resorting to complicated batch files. All
that's required is that DSZ.COM be in the default directory. If it is,
AirMail effectively insulates the user from DSZ.COM's complex command line
latches. The same is true of John Bridges' TCQB.COM for CompuServe's Quick
'B' or John Friel's QMXFER.COM for Xmodem CRC and 1k Xmodem. AirMail has
built-in interfaces for all three programs. In addition, advanced users can
invoke ANY external protocol merely by shelling out to the operating system
and calling a fossil driver from the command line. This is a compelling
advantage since new protocols are being introduced regularly, and it takes
established packages as long as a year to include them.
DSZ.COM is not distributed with PostCard because it requires separate
registration with its author; but it's worth it. The author has witnessed
several popular Comm programs have difficulty synchronizing with other
software, but DSZ.COM has NEVER BOMBED no matter what board or host I
called or what kind of software it was running; whether it was in a swamp
like Philadelphia or the wide open spaces of Wyoming or Montana. There are
places in this country that still have phone lines made of vermicelli, and
DSZ.COM has proven itself to be far superior to other implementations the
the author has used.
Effective with Version 8.2 the following enhancements have been added:
1. PostCard now includes a perpetual calendar that covers the years 1899 to
2099. When the calendar is invoked, it uses your computer's internal date
and time to display the current month. The <arrow> keys can then be used
to go forward or backward in time and to select a previous or future month.
2. PostCard now incorporates a new AreaCode algorithm that uses an ASCII
file which can hold a huge number of cities and is modifiable by the user
using his or her word processor or an ASCII editor such as Qedit. It also
can search by either city or state. This algorithm is not perfect yet, but
it is highly "useable".
3. An obscure bug in PostCard's NotePad was finally identified and fixed.
It caused spurious note names to be inserted into records that did not have
notes attached - but only under certain conditions. It took a while to find
this bug, but the hermetic pest has now been exorcised.
4. The NotePad has been improved in another way. Now if a record has a note
attached, PostCard displays the record number in red to inform the user the
record has a note attached. This is useful for reviewing notes from time
to time to eliminate old ones that are no longer needed.
5. V8.2 has also improved PostCard's shell routine. Previous versions did
not keep track of the current directory or disk drive before the user
shelled out to the operating system and it was the user's responsibility to
restore the drive and directory where PostCard and its files reside before
returning. PostCard now notes the current subdirectory and disk drive be-
fore the shell takes place and restores them upon returning. Those of you
who are saying "Its about time!" are asked to remember PostCard is written
by an amateur programmer who makes his living doing work people are willing
to pay for, and who programs after the storms have been washed, the sink
unplugged, homework finished, etc. PostCard will continue to be improved,
but there is nothing like registrations to get the creative juices flowing.
-Jim Landers-