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1993-09-10
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HARD DISK MENU PROGRAMS
One of the nicest advantages of shareware is the ability
to try several programs before you find one that fits your
needs. I recently decided that I wanted a new menu program
for the family computer. The one I've been using is very
good, but it was time for a change. However, since I have
children and thier friends that use that computer, I needed
something that was not only easy to use, but one that was
fairly easy to add menu items. Extra features such as a
calendar, phone book, etc. were a plus but not nessasary.
So, I went on a quest for the "Perfect Menu Program".
Keep in mind that there are quite a lot of menu programs
available. They range from simple batch files to very
complex and complete systems. For many of us, batch files is
the easiest way to go, but they only work if you are the only
one using that computer. Some of the menus on the other end
of the scale are very good, but difficult to set up. So, I
started to check out some of the programs I had on hand. As
I evaluated each one, I wrote down some quick notes. I
divided them up between two different catagories - Text based
and Graphic Based. Following is what I found.
TEXT BASED MENUS
Easy Access ver 6.3 (EA63.ZIP)
Easy to use and set up. Allows you to search your disk
drives for programs if you are unsure. Deserves a look.
Reg: $25
Easy Menu (EM730.ZIP)
Another easy one. Designed for ease of use by the
novice user. You must know the dir/ filename of the program
you want to load, however, it does check to see that it does
exist. Up to 130 items can be added. Reg: $10
Turbo Menu ver 5.5 (TURBO55.ZIP)
Fairly easy to set up once you get the hang of it. Nice
look and layout. Allows you to look at your dir tree to find
the dir and file name of the program you want to add to the
menu. It even has a kaleidoscope screen saver. Not flashy,
but nice. One of the better text based menu programs. Reg:
$39.95
PullDown Menus for DOS v5.00 (PD5-1.ZIP - PD5-3.ZIP)
PullDown is different than any other menu in that it
uses (quoted from the manual) an "Elegantly designed
drop-down 'GUI like' industry standard interface that is
fully mouse-aware... much like PC Tools Deluxe from Central
Point or MS Word from Microsoft". So, although as a menu
system it may be unique, you almost certainly have seen drop
down menus like this in other programs. This one should work
on just about any IBM compatable computer. Worth a look.
Reg: $49.95
GRAPHIC BASED MENUS
There are some really nice graphical menus now
available. If you want something real flashy and colorful,
check out some of the following. Although a mouse is
recommended, it is not required.
First, four seperate menu programs from Jack Hildenbrand.
FastMenu Plus ver 6.0 (FASTM60A.ZIP & FASTM60B.ZIP)
FastMenu Gold ver 6.1 (GOLD61A.ZIP - GOLD61C.ZIP)
These are both pretty much the same except that FM Plus
is for any display, whereas FM Gold is for VGA only. I can't
think of anything that is missing from either of them.
Very user friendly and attractive interface. Features
include, but are not limited to:
Screen blanking with changable logo or .PCX file. Ability to
set mouse and keyboard sensitivity. Fast AUTOEXEC.BAT &
CONFIG.SYS file switcher. Very nice batch & text file editor
with cut and paste. Complete directory & file manager. Text
file viewer with text search. Timed application execution.
Complete Address/Phone Book/Dialer module and calculator.
Reg: FM Plus $30, FM Gold $60
Design Shell ver 3.0 (DESGN30B.ZIP)
Toy Chest ver 1.1 (TCHEST11.ZIP)
Like the 2 versions of FastMenu, these were written by
Jack Hildenbrand. Design Shell is a nice looking ICON based
menu. It has an excellent and complete file manager that
includes .ZIP file management. You can use any of the 350
available ICONS, or you can convert WINDOWS ICONS. Easy to
use and configure, and very classy looking. Well worth the
$30 reg fee. The only problem I had was the fact that it
didn't recognize my LAN.
Toy Chest is very similar to Design Shell with the
exception of the file manager. The ICONS and FONTS are
larger making it ideal for younger users. Once you show them
how to add a program, they might even be able to do it on
their own. This also has a conversion program so you can use
either WINDOWS ICONS or Design Shell ICONS. Reg: $26
Quick Menu ver 107d (QM107D.ZIP)
This one has it all, except ICONS. Included is an
excellent file manager, calculator, calendar, and phone book.
Extremely easy to use and set up. What makes this one
different is the fact that your menu pages can be made to
look any way you want. Menu buttons can be sized and colors
and fonts can be changed making it easy to create a very
personal menu system. Highly recommended. Reg: $35
Magic Desk ver 3.0 (MDESK301.ZIP)
This is actually an update to a program I reviewed in
the past called Toy Box. Toy Box was nice, and Magic Desk is
even better. As in the it's earlier version, Magic Desk uses
ICONS. You can use any of the 30 included, or convert some
of the readily available Microsoft Windows icons. You can
even design your own with the easy-to-use icon editor.
Built-in screen blanker and usage log. It also allows you to
use PCX files as background images. A real bargin. Reg: $29
Of course, there are several other packages that you can
evaluate. These are just a few to get you started. Please
keep in mind that when you do find the "Perfect Menu Program"
for you, send the author the requested registration fee.