Filevision is a unique type of database/file manager application that was written by a group of Aerospace and Department of Defense programmers employed by Telos Corporation of Santa Monica. The concept of a hypergraphic database was conceived by Howard Metcalfe who saw an opportunity when the Macintosh was first announced to fulfill a long time desire to create a program that would be able to keep track of, both with maps and data, all of the historical land sites and buildings of Los Angeles. Essentially, Filevision provides a drawing screen and a database or information screen that allows all of the graphic objects to be connected to database records with descriptive information about those attached graphic objects. Filevision is easy to learn and requires no programming knowledge.
Filevision was released in August 1984 at a suggested retail price of $195.00. Over 20,000 copies of the program were sold between 1984 and 1986. In 1986, a more powerful version was released and Filevision was later discontinued in 1987 for the new version, Business Filevision - first released in May of 1986. The latest version, Filevision IV, was released in 1989. The original Filevision has been licensed to TSP Software to provide anyone interested, a fully functioning version of the program for a nominal shareware fee of $20.00. A Tour file including a 60 page electronic User Guide, online Help file, Filevision Templates Catalog and US State Map are also included in this set of files.
Filevision is very useful in many ways. Some of these are:
• Business inventory - quantities, locations and information
• Home, VCR tape, casette, wine cellar, tool or book inventory and location
• Address and telephone files
• Tracking stamp, coin or other collections
• Educational training aides
and many other applications that are limited only by the imagination. A 30 page fully illustrated catalog of 113 available Filevision templates will be sent to all who send in their shareware fee. These templates, which include more than 500 files, are offered @ $8.00 per 800K disk ($49 for the full set of 12 disks). The templates range from a complete set of Arizona Aviation Management files to a very extensive Chart of the Periodic Elements, a butterfly collection, pharmaceuticals, veterinary science, anatomy, jet aircraft, auto and biplane maintenance, etc., etc., etc..
INSTRUCTIONS/HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS FOR USING FILEVISION:
Filevision, which was originally programmed for a 128K Macintosh (64K ROMs), is still 99.9% functional on the latest Macintosh platforms. About the only problems found in using Filevision on a Mac II was in automatic file linking and the inability to print the current working display. There appears to be no problems in using the program with MultiFinder or a LaserWriter (Print info, Print list and Print labels all work [using Geneva text only]) and supports LaserWriter background processing. Extensive instructions are included in a 60 page electronic User Guide and wine cellar Tour file along with an on-line help file. Requires Stuffit 1.5.1 to unpack.
ANY RESTRICTIONS APPLYING TO USE OR DISTRIBUTION OF FILEVISION:
None. Filevision is distributed on a shareware basis.
