께께 께께 께께 께께� � � � 께께� � � 께께� � � � � � � � � � � � � � 께께 � 께께 께께 � � � 께께 � � � 께께� � � 께� � � � � � 께 께 � � 께께 � 께 께께� � � 께께� � � 께께� HANDS-ON EVALUATIONS OF COMPUTERS, PRINTERS, PERIPHERALS, SOFTWARE, BOOKS AND ONLINE SERVICES. COPYRIGHT 1987, 1988 BY DAVID W. BATTERSON I am trying a new idea in shareware. Instead of a program, this disk contains original reviews and evaluations written by writer and computer consultant David W. Batterson. My computer-related articles, reviews and commentary have been published in PC WORLD, MicroTimes, LINK-UP, Computer Shopper, Los Angeles Business Journal, Easy Reader (Hermosa Beach, CA weekly), The Paralegal, The Editorial Eye, and other periodicals. Have you ever read a glowing review of a PC product in a magazine, and then you saw a full-page ad for the product in the same magazine? That makes you just a little suspicious, doesn't it? It doesn't necessarily mean that the editorial department is influenced by the advertising department, but it SOMETIMES is! Also, have you picked up and read buyer's guides on the newsstand? Again, you have to beware of what you are reading. Are the "reviews" actually the result of hands-on evaluations of every product mentioned, or were they compiled from manufacturers' presskits and brochures? All these reviews were done independently, and all products were tested and evaluated before I sat down to write the review. I call 'em the way I see 'em, and let the chips fall where they may! Some of the reviews have been published, and some have not, but all reviews took a lot of hours and energy to complete. Notice at the top of this text file the big heading: PC REVIEWS. Like all other shareware programs circulating around, this material is COPYRIGHTED, and isn't free. The reviews could save you a lot of money by keeping you from buying bad products, and likewise could increase your productivity if you purchase the RIGHT products. If you receive value from these reviews, please send a check or money order for $10.00 (minimum) to: David W. Batterson THE WRITE RESULTS 365 N. Saturmino Drive, Unit 6 Palm Springs, CA 92262 If enough users send in the requested fee, there will be an updated disk of more reviews, articles, useful tips, and who knows what else??? So send in your payment today, and any comments are also welcome. If you disagree with any review or statements made, I'll be happy to read your reaction. Thanks and happy computer shopping! To start viewing or printing any of the text files, at the DOS prompt type: A:> GO I've added to the disk PRNTFILE.COM, a public domain program which allows you to easily print one of the text files. It works from within the GO.BAT file However, if you wish to use it as a separate program, type: A:> PRNTFILE Then move the highlighter to the file you wish to print and . ### �袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴敲 � � � HOW REVIEW PRODUCTS WERE SELECTED, AND OTHER COMMENTS � � � 훤袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴� You might wonder how I decided to review certain computers, printers, peripherals, software and books, while many other products were omitted. Well, that's easy. I contacted dozens of industry manufacturers and/or their PR agencies, via mail, telephone, MCI Mail and fax, requesting hardware evaluation units and software copies. Many responded favorably, while many others did not even acknowledge the letter, call or a follow-up contact. My experience has been that the 'hungry' companies--those who NEED all the PR they can get--are more inclined to send products for review. The biggies, such as IBM, Apple, Hewlett-Packard, AST, Zenith and others, are simply not going to deal with an independent reviewer. That's understandable. Many contacts were made at COMDEX too. Sometimes I just read or hear about a new product, and my curiosity makes me want to review it. This was the case with the Tracker software, and the Vendex Head Start XT clone. In both cases, these were new companies (Australian and Dutch) trying to carve out a niche in the U.S. I had no trouble getting both of these for review, and both turned out to be products I could recommend. At some companies, there is no PR dept., and therefore requests get buried somewhere under a pile. Some companies think that publicity is unimportant, so they put all their money and effort into advertising. They believe that just by running ads in the computer magazines, customers will flock into the stores and ask for their product. WRONG! One time when I asked to speak to the PR dept. of a modem company, the receptionist didn't know what I was talking about so she connected me with the Sales Department. The people there turned out to be useless, and I never was able to get any modems for reviews. I own a modem made by that company [Practical Peripherals] and I'm happy with it. I even wrote to the company president. I did receive lots of brochures from them later, but since I DON'T do reviews from brochures, I didn't write anything on them. Meanwhile, modems made by other companies ARE being reviewed, and are probably out-selling those made by the aforementioned company. Migent sent their Pocket Modem, and I reviewed it; this modem has been widely reviewed because their PR people are on the ball! You may notice that there are no spreadsheets or databases reviewed on the disk. That's because (1) I don't use them and (2) these should really be evaluated by experienced users, and generally are. Likewise, I have received accounting software (except for Dac Easy Light) mainly because I'm not familiar enough with computer accounting procedures to properly judge how good it is. As for high-end software, again I don't use it, and also I feel the major magazine writers are better qualified to review those. One problem with the mainstream computer publications is that they are ignoring the new PC users by NOT reviewing more low-end software. These publications have gotten so fat and profitable, that they are virtually beholden to their big advertisers. And the articles/reviews are often so overly technical and filled with computerese that the new users get frustrated. There are MILLIONS of people who still haven't purchased computers because they are intimidated by them. Magazines and hardware/software companies can help this situation if they choose to do so! Luckily, we have thousands of user groups and BBSs around the country which are an invaluable source of information, both for novices and expert users. I salute these groups which have flourished because they filled the void left by those publications, companies and computer retailers that have little or no interest in assisting inexperienced computer users. Take advantage of what BBSs and user groups have to offer! Your feedback is always welcome. DATE: November 19, 1988 Palm Springs, California