This is an archive of CompuServe forum messages from 1985 to 1995, as saved in transcripts by John Foust.
Search Results (367 messages)
Dave, Please keep specific purchase negotiations confined to CompuServe Mail, so our other members don't have to pay to read things that are only of interest to the buyer and seller. Thanks! -Bill P.S. That sounds like a much harsher criticism than it is meant to be… all I'm *really*…
Jeff, No question seems to "amature" to me. You should have seen the ones I asked (and still do) when I first started in the computer field . Seriously though, Carl has a lot more knowledge in this area than I do, and it looks like he's dropped a few…
Jeff, When DEC designed the Rainbow, the company assumed that the only time anyone would want to display color on the monitor is in graphics mode. Therefore, the color monitor is wired so that the text mode — which is what Word Perfect deals with — only receives the green…
Thanks. I'll check it out.
Okay. Since I have little idea what this is worth, I'll start at 10.00 plus shipping. Got anything else interesting? If my offers interest you, or inflame you enough, gimme a call at home: 602-296-1707, evenings after 5 (PST) Dave
Actually, I program inside a GUI most of the time. Kind of interesting. I do see your point, however. I enjoy having complete control of the machine. Dave Read action !
Alt-Esc
Message #20928
Alan, Did you mean ALT or ESC? In either case, WordPerfect 4.2 for the Rainbow came in two different keyboard templates: the 4.1 version and the VAX version. On the VAX version, ESC is not where DEC put it, but on F7. On this version, I don't believe Shift-Ctrl works…
#WordPerfect
Message #20927
Dear Bill, This is probably going to seem like quite the amature question to you, but is there any way to get 4.2 to recognize a color monitor for WP 4.2 on Rainbow? I have DOS 3.1 and a standard DEC Rainbow color monitor. I have no end of software…
Jennifer, Actually there's a specific answer about how much memory you need to run Code Blue for certain (actually most) IBM applications, including WordPerfect: 768K. The answer has nothing to do with the size of Code Blue but with the way most IBM PC programs write to video. Because IBM,…
You might like to know that the current issue (July 1990) of PC Magazine has a comparison of Word for Windows and Ami Pro, with comments on the differences between both and Wordperfect 5.1. Both WFW and Ami Pro receive Editor's Choice ratings.
Jennifer, Hmm, how much memory do you currently have, and which model Rainbow(s) 100A or 100B/+? I don't have the catalog here, so I don't know part numbers but in a nutshell there are several options. If you have the 100A it came with 64K on the motherboard. You can…
Alan, If you're using Wordperfect for the RB, v4.2, you can access ALT-key macros by pressing + where the WP manual says ALT. Esc-key macros? I don't think they exist. –Len
Alan, I thought you had to send an ESC in hexadecimals. Isn't it ? We used to have to do this with printer commands, anyway. In Wordperfect this shows up as Command 1. jennifer
Thanks Carl, if you see my note to Bill, you'll see I was able to order CB from the number he gave me. Thanks for your trouble, though 🙂
Bill, I've ordered Code Blue from the number you gave me. What I'm worried about now is that we may not have enough RAM to use it much. What's the piece you need to upgrade RAM? Apparently Code Blue uses 120K. We've never needed extra RAM because Wordperfect has never…
#WordPerfect
Message #20918
Rainbow has no key, so how do you send the "escape–letter" macros in WordPed Perfect?
Thanks for the comparison. Sounds like Ami Pro's the one for me.
Jennifer, Just in case you have difficulty reaching Intersecting Concepts through the U.S. mail, I checked the CompuServe directory for Mark Graybill, who "is" (or maybe was) Intersecting Concepts. I came up with this listing, which seems at least to be in the right neighborhood: Mark D. Graybill, Agoura Hills,…
I use them both. Ami Pro is the one I prefer for rapidly entering and formatting technical text. Once you learn to use paragraph styles, Ami Pro is as straightforward in operation as Wordperfect. Word for Windows is attractive for straight text entry and uncomplicated formatting. With text it'll do…
Jennifer, You're more than welcome. Let us know how it goes, if you decide to pick it up! Bill
I've driven by that way Dennette, looks like a pleasant neighborhood. 16th is a fascinating street – parts of it lower down though are still not so good. I'm on the other side of Rock Creek Park. regards, jennifer
Thanks Paul, I'm going to check it out today. Will report back. jennifer
#Acquiring Code Blue
Message #20911
Thank you, Bill, I took a note of the number for Code Blue. Since we talked earlier, though I've received some negatives here on using Code Blue to switch to 5.0 in Wordperfect. I guess it all depends what you want to do with it. Probably we'll pick up Code…
You're right. In fact it was developed primarily for DEC initially. Good package. Seems a bit slow when compared to today's computers, however. I have both the DEC DOS and CP/M versions, tho I don't use DOS on the Rainbow any more. (never did much.)
Yep, that's *exactly* what I was going to say.
#Acquiring Code Blue
Message #20908
Jennifer: If the number Bill gave you does not work try (805)373-3900. I found my CB Docs today. The address they list is 80 Long Ct. Ste 1A, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360. However, the copyright date is 1987 so who knows where they are now. Paul
My keyboard argument is not just relearning. It's intrinsically harder to learn, remember, find on the keybord template, and type–when you have a four-way shift rather than a two-way shift. I switch between the two constantly, so I've had ample chance to compare. (I know, Roy and Len are going…
I take it that you like Ami Pro better than Word for Windows, having made a fair comparison of Windows word processors?
John, I, too, have used DOG occasionally. It's now in version 2.0x and seems pretty reliable. I had a bad experience with version 1.0x: I had a bad sector on my hard disk; DOG bombed out on that sector and left several files cross-linked. Fortunately, I had backups. From what…
John, Quattro Pro very definitely works on the Rainbow, at least under Code Blue with Suitable Solutions' patches and MS-DOS 3.10B. I've been using it since around January and prefer it to the Rainbow versions of Lotus 1-2-3. — Carl
Look on the bright side… you could still be using WordStar!! Dennette P.S. – I agree that the best reason to use WP 5.0 on the 'Bow is to get at the soft-fonts with the HP DeskJet & LaserJet… almost worth the hassle of re-learning the keyboard!
#Price Inquiry
Message #20902
Well, Dave, I _might_ be convinced to part with mine, seeing as how I'll never have a use for it again… make me an offer! Dennette
#MSDOS V30.1b
Message #20901
You sound like you're near my folks… they're at 16th and Varnum, NW. Dennette
I remember the Organizer! I think DEC used that extensively in-house.
DEC Hardware Discounts
Message #20899
I just received the latest flyer from Digital's "The Outlet" where they sell refurbished and discontinued items at a discount. Several items I thought might be of interest to the membership. First, they are selling the Z80 processor option board for the DECmate III for $75. They're also selling the…
Trump, Great! As I mentioned in another message, I'm not using Multiplan myself, but I'm glad to hear of it's compatability. That kind of information is always helpful to everyone here. Thanks to for the conversion offer. You never know when that can come in handy. Bill
Willette, Ami Pro will do all the stuff that 5.0 will and then some, it just makes you redo your font specs, TOC, indexes. That's not onerous, because in Ami font formatting is done within paragraph styles. (A style is a set of instructions for formatting a particular category of…
Robert, There was a hardware option available for the DECmate II (but not the I) that provided a coprocessor that would run some MS-DOS programs. But I don't believe it was fully IBM-compatible. It was called the "XPU", and it was not cheap… about as expensive as buying a whole…
#DECMATES
Message #20895
Does anyone know of a way to connect a DECMATE I or II to an IBM PC network to use the DECMATE as a terminal? In the alternative, can the DECMate be upgraded so that it can run IBM programs?
I use DOG on my Rainbows all the time. It is totally MS-DOS generic and works great without needing Code Blue. It is shareware, but the author requests only a modest donation. I've uploaded it here to the Libaries. (DOG stands for Disk OrGanizer. It's not a comment on the…
(I replyed to Len Berk's message before I read yours.) Sigh. Alright, you guys are wearing me down. I was hoping there was one corner of my life I could still be an old stick-in-the-mud conservative about, and flaunt it. If this keeps up I may have to keep active…
Interesting. That does sound good for 4.2. For 5.0 it probably wouldn't work because I only use 5.0 when I need lots of features like font manipulation, generating indexes, etc. It's tempting to say "I'll look at Ami Pro", but realistically, the cost of keeping current with more than one…
#Paradox & Quattro
Message #20891
I've received offers from Borland to get both Paradox and Quattro Pro very inexpensively. Will either of these run under CodeBlue? Any comments would be appreciated. jd /exit
#De-Fragmentation
Message #20890
Do any of you have experience with hard disk "de-fragmentation" programs on the Rainbow? Are there any public domain or commercial programs specifically for the Rainbow? Do any of the I*M programs work on the Rainbow with or without CodeBlue? Thanx for any help! jd /exit
William, The basic problem with such an arrangement is that the Rainbow has no network-communications capability — just the serial port, which limits throughput to levels that aren't really acceptable for most network requirements. -Bill
#RAINBOWS AS WORKSTATIONS
Message #20888
Does anyone use their Rainbow's as a part of a Network of which an IBM or Compatiable is the server. I have seven Rainbows all with Hard Disc, Rambow, and Code Blue I would like to use as workstations. Any information would be appreciated. WJWJR.
Carl, Thanks , I check it out. JC
Help
Message #20886
…thank you. JC
I use a "null" modem cable running at 9600 baud because the XT won't allow a COM port setting above that. Software is InfoShare which is no longer sold or supported. Was written by the Information People who wrote the "Organizer" menu/utility system (DOS and CP/M) and now publish the…
#Rainbow – CP/M 86/80
Message #20884
Bill: Thanks for the come-back. Have found that Rainbow CP/M MultiPlan files, when I send them to the XT, can be read directly by MP 3 without going thru the "Symbolic" transformation. To get to MP-4, however, it is either necessary to do the "Symbolic" bit or to convert from…
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