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1989-09-30
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4KB
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79 lines
SHAREWARE REVIEW
PROGRAM: PAWS - Replacement for the DOS pause command
AUTHOR: Michael L. Wilson
REGISTRATION: Public Domain (...donation is $2.00....)
WHERE FOUND: Executive Computer Network
RESTRICTIONS: None
RATING: 8.9
VALUE: S (P)oor - (A)verage - (S)uper
DOS supplied you with some, how shall I say, rudimentary commands to
accomplish various tasks. They did the job, but they were not very
comforting, powerful, or speedy.
We have seen replacements for the DOS copy, erase, type, and dir commands,
as well as, extensions for commands that should have been supplied such as
move and date/time stamping. Now enters a replacement for the DOS pause
command.
Gasps are heard across the BBS community! Why replace that loveable pause
command. How could you ever make it better? Michael L. Wilson has.
USE: PAWS is controlled by a command line which is the easiest method of
controlling the 50+ commands you have at your disposal. Everything
from changing colors to how many days into the year are under your
control.
The basic premise of PAWS is to attractively streamline the DOS pause
command. Here is an example of the program's output:
┌──────────────────────────────────┐
│....Press Any Key To Continue!....│
└──────────────────────────────────┘
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|-The verbiage scrolls....
This is the standard output produced by PAWS. You could have gotten
this attractive box by typing "PAWS Press Any Key to Continue!" No
funny business with lining it up or anything, for it centers the box
on the line after your command.
You also have control over system variables like:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│....The Time is Fri Sep 29 09:25:28 1989....│
└────────────────────────────────────────────┘
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| You can display this and more...
The command for the above example is "PAWS The Time is $f $m" That's
all. What a deal....
Ok, I know that all software is not perfect, so I set out to find some
flaws with PAWS. (I'm a poet and didn't know it) I don't like the way
it scrolls. I can stop it. I want some sound. Listen up. Ok, here's a
tough one: How do I get a $ to print if the system variables are
controlled by $s? Type $$. Rats! Ah, one flaw. What if I want to put
the PAWS line in the upper left corner? No can do. I found a flaw. I
found a flaw. I found a flaw. Ni ni ni ni ni ni.
SUMMARY: GOOD POINTS BAD POINTS
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
√ Attractive ≈ Documentation
√ The Demo ≈ Lack of Placement
√ Flexibility
√ Price
1----------5---------10:
████████████████████
8.9
PAWS suffered from a non-standard documentation format. The documentation,
when printed in this format, was jumpy and sketchy. The inability to place
the PAWS bar at a different place on the screen, other than centered, hurt.
These shortcomings were rectified by the price (free) and the program's
offerings: complete control over the pause command, and a bunch of extras.
(C) 1989 Patrick Grote